A Chemist's Interstellar Saga
Chapter 134: Exchange Students

Chapter 134: Exchange Students

Arix and Drexel strolled towards the dining hall, playfully bantering along the way. As they entered, they spotted not just Scion, but Krylak as well.

They greeted Scion and Krylak with respect.

Scion glanced up, giving them a gentle nod. Krylak, with a warm, almost grandfatherly smile, motioned them to sit. "Sit down," he said, his expression kind as if they were his treasured babies.

Once seated, Arix and Drexel turned their attention to Krylak, curiosity evident on their faces.

Sensing their curiosity, Krylak smiled and got right to the point. From his Space Button, he produced two envelopes adorned with the Hecaris Military Academy crest. He handed one to each sibling.

Drexel took his envelope, looking puzzled, and glanced at Krylak for an explanation.

"Open them," Krylak encouraged, noticing they were just holding the envelopes.

Exchanging a look, Arix and Drexel nodded at each other. Drexel then opened his envelope and took out the letter inside. The bold words at the top left them momentarily stunned.

Alliance Exchange Student Recommendation Letter

Dear Imperial Royal Military Academy:

We are thrilled to have our students participate in this exchange program with your prestigious academy. This is an excellent chance for mutual learning and exchange between our institutions. After a thorough selection process, we believe Arix and Drexel Kering are the perfect candidates for this exchange and hope your academy will accept them. On behalf of our academy, we express our sincere gratitude.

As they finished reading, Krylak began to explain. "Every year, the Empire and the Alliance have a week-long exchange program. Since you two are already here in the Empire, we thought it would be a great opportunity for you both. What do you think, Arix? If you’re not interested, I can decline on your behalf."

The Imperial Royal Military Academy was the Empire’s top military school, renowned for its exceptional faculty. Rumor had it that passing their assessments came with substantial rewards.

Moreover, in a year’s time, the Empire and the Alliance would host a major mecha competition for military students from across the universe. This exchange program seemed like the perfect chance to gather intel on their strongest competitors.

Arix and Drexel shared a knowing glance, each understanding the other’s thoughts. Then, they both grinned.

"Drexel and I would love to be exchange students," Arix said, raising a hand.

Drexel nodded in agreement.

"Great, it’s settled then. Get a good night’s rest tonight. Tomorrow, Targon will take you both to the school," Krylak instructed with a smile.

"Alright," the siblings replied obediently.

Arix suddenly remembered they were representing the Alliance. "Sir, who is the Empire sending to the Alliance? Are they going to the Hecaris Military Academy?" she asked curiously.

Krylak’s expression turned a bit awkward. He hesitated before revealing the truth.

"This time, the Empire is sending two students from the Dragon Clan. They were supposed to go to Hecaris, but they chose Koros Military Academy instead. The school had to respect their choice," Krylak said carefully.

In reality, those Dragon Clan students had almost insulted Hecaris, calling it worthless. They believed the students, mostly from humble backgrounds, had nothing valuable to learn from.

Krylak recalled the presidents of both academies almost had a fallout over this.

Without further explanation, Arix and Drexel understood the situation.

They exchanged glances, their eyes now filled with determination.

Later, in Arix’s Room...

The siblings sat in Arix’s room—one on the bed, the other on a chair—waiting for the other to speak first. Finally, Arix broke the silence.

"So, should we deal with those Dragon Clan guys?" Arix asked coldly.

"Absolutely, we need to deal with them," Drexel replied without hesitation.

"How do we deal with them? Directly or subtly?" Arix asked, her eyes glinting.

"I’ll handle it directly; you can be more subtle," Drexel said with a sinister smile.

"Alright! Let’s rest up for tomorrow’s battle," Arix said, slapping her hand decisively.

"Before sleeping, I need to do something first," Drexel said, taking out his communicator and starting to type.

Arix was curious. "What are you doing? Are you planning something?"

She thought her brother was thorough, even planning their confrontation with the Dragon Clan students.

"Hold on, I’m almost done," Drexel said, typing furiously.

After a short while, he finished and projected the message on the virtual screen for Arix to see.

At first glance, Arix thought she must be seeing things.

The message read:

Complaint Letter

I, freshman Drexel, am reporting Department of Combat Mentor Marlone for serious double standards, which have deeply hurt my fragile feelings. I request the school to dock his bonus!

"This is what you spent so much time writing?" Arix looked at Drexel as if he were an idiot.

"How does it look? I’m planning to send it tonight," Drexel said with a mischievous grin.

Arix was speechless. She realized she had overestimated her brother.

Arix took a deep breath, then used her psychic power to bind Drexel. She opened the door and tossed him out of the room.

"Hey, Arix, what are you doing?" Drexel yelled, dazed as he stood up and rubbed his sore bottom, looking incredibly hurt.

"Drexel, I’m warning you. If you can’t take down those Dragon clan guys tomorrow, you might as well prepare to be taken down yourself," Arix said, making a throat-slitting gesture as she spoke.

Without waiting for Drexel’s response, she waved her hand and slammed the door shut.

"She’s turning into a real ruthless tiger," Drexel muttered to himself as he looked at the closed door. Then he went back to his room to rest.

The next day, at the entrance of the Imperial Royal Military Academy.

Arix and Drexel crouched in a shadowy corner, whispering conspiratorially.

"From now on, we’re the bad guys. When we get into the school, we’ll provoke them non-stop, and then we’ll give them a good thrashing," Arix said fiercely, demonstrating several attack poses and even letting out a domineering growl.

"Yeah, we’re the bad guys now," Drexel nodded vigorously but then scratched his head in confusion. "But, how exactly do bad guys act?"

Arix took a sharp breath and looked at Drexel as if he were an alien. "Haven’t you ever seen a bad guy before?!"

"I have, but I usually finish them off before they can do anything bad," Drexel admitted honestly.

Given Drexel’s strength, anyone who tried to mess with him usually ended up incapacitated before they could act.

"What’s your impression of a bad guy, then?" Arix probed.

Drexel pondered for a moment, rubbing his chin. Then, he suddenly spat on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Arix asked, disgusted.

"You said you wanted my impression of a bad guy. Don’t they always spit on the ground first?" Drexel responded.

Arix thought for a moment and then nodded. "Okay, keep going."

"Leave the women, kill all the men," Drexel said with a creepy grin.

"No way, we’re not bandits," Arix shook her head.

"Hand over your je jewelry or else!" Drexel mimicked a throat-slitting gesture.

"That’s not right either, we’re not robbers," Arix rolled her eyes.

Drexel scratched his head, finding this bad guy role harder than he thought.

Suddenly, Drexel got another idea. He lifted his chin, looking down at Arix with disdain. "You’re all garbage."

"That could work, but we’re only targeting the Dragon Clan. This might provoke everyone," Arix said, frowning with hesitation.

Drexel fell silent. Suddenly, he realized that being the bad guy didn’t seem so easy.

Arix was feeling a bit deflated too. She had never tried being a bad guy before either.

"Hey, what are you two doing? It’s time to go into the school," Targon called out, noticing that the gate was open but the siblings were still hiding in a corner.

Hearing Targon’s voice, Arix and Drexel had a sudden flash of inspiration. In perfect sync, they said, "ASK HIM!"

Having made up their minds, Arix jumped into Drexel’s arms and cheerfully waved her hand at Targon. "Coming!"