A Chemist's Interstellar Saga
Chapter 200: Meow-Meow

Chapter 200: Meow-Meow

While Fleur was struggling, Thaddeus woke up and took her hand, calming her down. He then looked at Arix and said, "If you want to go, you can. But you must stay safe. If not, I can still stop you from continuing."

Seeing her father agree, Arix knew Fleur wouldn’t be far behind, so she happily nodded.

Watching Arix’s excitement, Thaddeus felt a wave of happiness, though he also had a reason to cry. He glanced down at Fleur’s hand pinching his waist and forced a smile at her.

Fleur looked at her silly husband, sighed, and let go. Arix then hugged and comforted her for a long time until she felt better.

Once the tension eased, Thaddeus raised his eyebrows and secretly gave Arix a thumbs-up.

Arix winked playfully but then noticed the black cat on Thaddeus’s shoulder and asked in surprise, "Dad, is this Phantom?"

Everyone turned to look at the cat. After a moment, Matis was the first to exclaim, "She’s really revived. Amazing."

Kellan sincerely praised, "That’s incredible."

Fleur smiled and gently touched Arix’s hand. Feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise, Arix quickly said, "It’s not all my work. Talrin helped a lot. Without him, I couldn’t have created Awakened Ware so easily."

Everyone knew Talrin, and Matis nodded in agreement, "We should thank him properly. He’s helped our family a lot."

Thaddeus nodded and then, holding Phantom, said to Arix, "Phantom wants to say something to you."

Arix looked at the cat curiously, waiting patiently. Phantom seemed a bit shy under her gaze. She meowed gratefully at her before jumping behind Thaddeus to hide and observe her.

Arix blinked in confusion, "What did she say? I don’t understand cat language."

Thaddeus grinned as he watched Arix and Phantom interact. Seeing Arix’s puzzled expression, he translated, "Phantom said, thank you for saving her."

Arix’s eyes lit up with understanding. Turning to Phantom with a gentle smile, she said, "Phantom, you saved my dad too, so I owe you for that."

Phantom, feeling bashful from the gratitude, let out a tiny meow and hid behind Thaddeus.

Touched by Phantom’s words, Thaddeus looked at her and smiled, then translated, "Phantom said you don’t need to thank her. She did it willingly. Plus, she said protecting me is her job."

Everyone felt warmed by Phantom’s sincerity and showered the little Psychic Incarnation with praise.

The weekend flew by in a blur of laughter and joy.

Before they knew it, the school day had arrived.

Arix and Drexel had just stepped onto the campus when they spotted a military spaceship parked in the school square.

They exchanged glances, both suspecting the spaceship was there because of the national mecha team selection.

"This selection is going to be tough. The military even sent a ship," Drexel mused, eyeing the enormous spacecraft.

"Is the mecha competition always like this?" Arix asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

Drexel shook his head. "No, the military usually doesn’t get involved with the freshman mecha competition. And they certainly don’t make a big show of it."

"Maybe they care more about this selection," Arix guessed.

"Maybe. It’s almost 8 o’clock, we should get going," Drexel said, giving the spaceship one last look before heading off.

Arix followed, not noticing the serious expression on Drexel’s face.

Drexel couldn’t shake the feeling that there were too many prodigies this year. Besides the Empire’s Crown Prince Cassian and his sister, hailed as the Alliance’s hope, other geniuses from various countries seemed to have emerged out of nowhere.

Drexel didn’t believe in coincidences but couldn’t pinpoint the reason. He did understand why the military was so invested in this competition.

It was likely because they noticed the exceptional talents from other countries. If their own country’s talents were overshadowed, it would be embarrassing.

Drexel and Arix soon reached a bustling area. The national mecha team selection was being held at the Department of Combat’s training ground.

Unlike usual, the gate was not wide open. Students who signed up for the national team had to register and check in at the entrance before being allowed in.

The process moved quickly. Arix gave her name to the teacher handling registration, who tapped away on the opticomputer before calling the next student.

After passing the check, Arix and Drexel headed straight to the training ground. They joined the two hundred students already there, waiting for the selection to begin.

"Arix!"

A familiar voice called out. Arix looked around and saw Deanna and her brother waving enthusiastically.

"Deanna!" Arix waved back with equal enthusiasm. She grabbed Drexel’s hand and made her way over to them.

Drexel’s two close friends were with Deanna and her brother. Once everyone was together, they started discussing the selection process.

"I heard our examiner for this selection is a Rear Admiral sent by the military, so everyone’s feeling the heat," Kael said. He had arrived early and, being friendly, had already picked up some intel.

"No way! A Rear Admiral? Isn’t that a bit much?" Deanna exclaimed.

Arix nodded in agreement. Typically, a Rear Admiral only visited the military academy when senior students were graduating to recruit for their units. Seeing one on an ordinary day was as rare as finding gold on the street—possible, but not likely.

"It’s possible. You know, only a Rear Admiral could bring a spaceship to the academy," Drexel said. He had already guessed this, so he wasn’t surprised.

Hearing this, Arix and the others gasped. Tevian sighed, "Looks like this selection won’t be a walk in the park."

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of the selection process starting.

Arix and her friends looked up to see their president walking alongside an officer in a Rear Admiral’s insignia. Behind them were two captains and their mentor, Jonna, along with other mentors.

This impressive group immediately drew the attention of all the military students. Most of them, who came from Planet Waste, had never seen a Rear Admiral before and looked at him with awe and admiration.

But there were two exceptions in the crowd: Arix and Drexel.

They recognized the Rear Admiral; he was their big brother, Kellan.