General Zarad
Zarad’s way of thinking was not arrogant. New people who joined received ideology classes to deepen their understanding of the Star Alliance.
In this ideology course, the seniors who were in charge of this guiding task would also flatter…. No, praise, those who had made outstanding contributions to the Star Alliance.
As luck would have it, he happened to be one of them.
So, unless there were new people who hadn’t paid attention in class, there was hardly anyone in the Star Alliance who didn’t recognize him.
Seeing the bitter expression appearing on Zarad’s face after hearing her words, Xia Qi could not help letting out a laugh and said, “Don’t be afraid, the people sent by the Star Alliance won’t eat you.”
The troubled look on his face did not ease up. Still trying to console him, Xia Qi patted the other on the shoulder and sincerely said, “I haven’t told you which day it is yet. You still have a few days to work hard to process it and tidy yourself up.”
Zarad: “…” What was wrong with a man having some facial hair? Zarad touched the beard covering his chin and thoughtfully twisted a piece between his fingers. He refused to admit that the reason he had not shaved was because he was too lazy.
Having worked for more than half a year at the nursing club, Zarad had received Xie Luan’s spiritual counseling during this period and his powers had already been restored to about half.
Although it was getting close to the end of the one year span they had agreed on at that time, Zarad was increasingly convinced that there was nothing wrong with life here.
It was true that the interstellar was now in a time of peace. No major wars had taken place these recent years, even minor ones were relatively rare. It could be said that the situation between the different races was very stable.
On top of that, with the Star Alliance playing its role well, Zarad believed that this peace could last for a very long time and that all races in the interstellar may welcome in a golden era of prosperity.
Since it was like this, Zarad felt that he did not need to return to the Star Alliance.
When he took the initiative to retire from the military, the higher-ups in the Star Alliance wished for him to stay and had gone to great lengths to urge him to, which turned out to be all in vain. In the end, they had promised that he could be reinstated at any time after he restored his ability.
In the eyes of the higher-ups, even without Zarad’s ability, his battle experience made him an asset and he could still be of big use if he remained at Star Alliance headquarters. Not to mention his importance as the spiritual leader of the Star Alliance.
However, Zarad had been very down when he lost his ability and was unable to get over the obstacle in his heart. He had been determined to leave.
After two years of depression, Zarad had still not given up looking for ways to recover his powers. And finally, he did. Joining Yunbao had been a great turning point in his life.
Merely a little more than half a year at Yunbao Branch and Zarad’s mentality had already changed a lot. More and more of his old authoritative air returned.
At Yunbao Branch, he currently spent his days teaching the cubs basic battle and his life was very carefree.
He didn’t have to pay attention to his image all day long as he did in the army. He could just be himself, more or less.
The sour expression that had unwittingly appeared on his own face, unexpectedly, after a moment Zarad clearly understood the reason behind it.
They’re coming, so let them come, right?
Seeing Zarad’s expression improve, Xia Qi nodded to him again. “En, don’t be afraid, it’s going to be fine. When the time comes just behave well and do what you always do.”
Giving her a slight glance through the corner of his eyes, Zarad absentmindedly hummed a response.
Actually, what Zarad wanted to say was that if anyone was to be afraid, then it was those people who would be afraid of him. Ironically, in a roundabout way, that was what made him afraid of them, if anything.
But this could not be said, Zarad could only endure it.
Whatever should come, would eventually come. At Yunbao Branch everyone was tensely waiting. Three days later, the field assessors sent by the Star Alliance arrived at Gaia.
The dispatched personnel for the on-site assessment of the nursing clubs was a fixed five-member team, this was to ensure the fairness and impartiality of the assessment. The final result of the assessment was an average of the five scores given by each member of the team.
Five assessors, wearing Star Alliance uniforms, walked into Yunbao Branch. Lead by the one in the middle they appeared quite disciplined.
When conducting a field assessment of a nursing club, the very first thing to examine was of course the various facilities of the club. What kind of living and learning environment a club could provide for the cubs was undoubtedly a vital part of the assessment that accounted for a big part of the score.
Entering through the gate, you could see the whole environment of the club. Although the outdoor space did not resemble the other clubs’, which had both newly constructed fountains and sculptures, it could be seen that the flowerbeds and lawns on both sides of the road had been finely pruned into a relatively unique shape which had an artistic feeling to it.
“This way, please.”
Once the assessors were nearly finished observing the outdoor environment, Xia Qi spoke out as appropriate and offered to show them the way. She then proceeded to lead the assessment team to the cub house and the ocean simulation area.
The leader of the team nodded, his expression was still very normal.
At every nursing club, the staff was always very attentive to their needs. The people in the assessment team kept a straight face, they had since long become used to this kind of excessive politeness.
Compared to the previous clubs they had assessed, the buildings at this club were actually relatively few. But as the main facilities were there, the assessors did not regard this as something to deduct a point over, however there were no bonus points either.
Walking into the cub house, the people of the assessment team were somewhat surprised by the configuration of the place.
Based on the surrounding environment, the standard of the cub house seemed to unexpectedly be very high and did not fall short when compared to that of a first class nursing club.
After a quick tour of the cub house, the assessment team went to the ocean simulator area and then once more returned to the cub house to inspect the living situation of the cubs.
How well the cubs in the club were doing was also an important part of the assessment and it could easily be seen by observing the cubs’ behavior.
In the living room, there was a huge muka cub playing with the other cubs. The assessors had been stunned when they first saw it, now that they were back, they still felt it a little unfathomable.
“Why did you choose to take in a muka cub?” One of the people on the assessment team asked Xie Luan this question.
He did not have any objections, it was just that he had never before come across a nursing club that took in muka cubs. Like many people, he subconsciously felt that there was no need to nurse muka cubs.
Mukas was a very ferocious race and the cubs were just as fierce. Unlike the cubs of other races, they did not need to be cared for by adults, they could survive just fine on their own.
Hearing this question, Xie Luan could not stop his eyebrows from wrinkling slightly. He knew that he could not blame the other for saying this because of the widespread belief that existed in the interstellar regarding the muka people, but still…
“He is also a cub.”
Not giving much of an explanation, Xie Luan ultimately merely said this sentence in a declarative tone.
He also needed to be nursed and cared for, he also needed to be treated with kindness. Muka cubs would behave well after being treated gently, they were not as fierce as many people imagined.
Facts could be more convincing than words. Xie Luan extended a hand towards the muka cub who was quietly watching him from the side and warmly called out his name, “Nick.”
The muka cub whose name was called moved quickly. He first lowered his head and then approached the youth, lightly snuggling into his arms while making a low hissing sound.
It was the first time they had seen such a scene, the people on the assessment team were stunned. They could not deny that at this moment, the muka cub really looked like…. Like a cub who needed to be taken care of by adults.
This muka cub seemed to be well cared for at this nursing club, as did the other cubs.
At the very least they could see that these cubs were very energetic. Many of them also seemed a little round and their furs and feathers looked healthy and shiny– A result of the caretakers’ diligent care and good nutrition.
The cubs’ living situation was very good. Based on what they had seen, the assessment team could only come to this conclusion.
Next was just to examine the staff of the club.
There were only two caretakers in the club who had been evaluated to be B-level, which could only be considered as meeting the minimum standard for a regular club.
However, logistics and healthcare personnel were available, there was also a first class dietitian. The staff was relatively complete.
When assessing the staff, caretakers and combat instructors accounted for the largest part of the score. They were the “faces” of the nursing club and the two key conditions parents would first look at when choosing a club for their cubs.
“There is no combat instructor in the club?” After going over all the people in the room, there was still no combat instructor, so the assessors could not help asking this question.
Xia Qi hurriedly made up for it with a smile and answered, “He should be here any second. I will go and see what is taking him so long.”
They had agreed that he would tidy up and come over, Xia Qi also did not know how it could take so long for him to cut and shave, was it really that hard to get rid of that scruff of a hairstyle?
Hearing Xia Qi say this, the people of the assessment team waited in place. However, just as Xia Qi was about to run over to rush him, the man whose name she was repeating in her heart appeared.
Having stalled outside the door, Zarad finally entered and with an expressionless face walked over to the assessors sent by the Star Alliance. Apart from a slight waver of his eyes, he looked very serious.
Seeing the person coming in through the door, the whole assessment team suddenly fell into silence. Every assessor had an expression of disbelief on their face, their eyes even widened.
“Ge-General Zarad—?!” It was not clear who said this. But this time, not only did the assessment team fall silent, the staff of Yunbao Branch also had stupid expressions on their faces.
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Translator’s note:
The suspense~ Will they finally find out or will Zarad lie his way out of it?