Lighting the fire was no small matter, and Nuo Xiao didn’t dare delay. He immediately took the torch and approached the bonfire that had been prepared in advance.
The flames fell, and the pile of firewood caught fire from the bottom up. The bonfire, standing twice the height of a person, dispelled the chill in the air.
The firelight illuminated the faces of the snow owl beastmen. Their eyes, much like Nuo Xiao’s, lit up, and excitement appeared on every face.
The snow owl beastmen sang and danced. Some even shifted into their beast forms and flew in circles around the bonfire, celebrating the coming Star Dawn Day.
In an atmosphere this lively, it was easy to overlook personal boundaries.
One of the females smiled and reached out to Yunyang. “Lady Yunyang, would you like to dance with us?”
Yunyang wasn’t very good at dancing. Whether in her previous life or this one, she had always been something of a homebody. The most disciplined she had ever been was when she followed Qin Mo’s plan and worked out every day.
As for dancing, that sort of talent had never even entered her considerations.
Still, she might not know any proper dances, but swaying along with the music was easy enough, so she readily agreed.
The music was sung by the snow owl beastmen as well. The snow owl clan was completely unskilled at singing, and even the few singers they had chosen were merely the best of a bad bunch.
They could barely liven up the atmosphere, but their singing could hardly be called pleasant.
Yunyang suddenly found herself missing Fuyuan a little.
Although Fuyuan’s sonic abilities had mutated, his singing was still beautiful when he sang normally.
Both tribes on Snowstar were welcoming Star Dawn Day, and the festivities were in full swing.
Meanwhile, on Central Star, Si Zhao had spent a long time working with the military. At last, they had finished dealing with the aftermath of the war.
She let out a long sigh and leaned back in her chair, allowing He Youchuan to massage her.
“Youchuan, have there been any updates about the extragalactic systems?”
He Youchuan shook his head. “Not yet.”
The Federation had failed to explore the extragalactic systems for thousands of years. How could they possibly succeed in just half a month?
Si Zhao naturally understood that. It was just that the military had already searched every planet within Federation territory, including the barren planets, and still hadn’t found any trace of Yangyang.
The extragalactic systems were the only place the Federation couldn’t explore—and the place where Yangyang was most likely to be.
“Tell them to keep searching.”
As she spoke, Si Zhao opened her spatial storage device. Inside lay the core of the final spatial crystal.
Over the past half month, she had gradually absorbed the other spatial crystals, but her spatial ability had not mutated again. It had merely drawn ever closer to the SS rank.
Si Zhao sighed, removed the crystal core, and handed it to He Youchuan.
“Youchuan, break it open.”
This was her final chance.
Yet He Youchuan did not smash it open immediately as he had the previous ones.
Instead, he stored the spatial crystal core in his spatial device, then bent down and carefully wrapped his arms around Si Zhao.
“Your Majesty, tomorrow is Star Dawn Day. You still need to make an appearance tonight.”
“Star Dawn Day is tomorrow?”
Si Zhao glanced at the time displayed on the light screen before her: December 31, 7238, by the Federation calendar, 19:07.
It really was.
Star Dawn Day was an important holiday in the Federation. Every year at this time, the Federation’s ruler would begin a live broadcast and welcome the holiday together with the beastmen across the Federation.
With the imperial husbands around, Si Zhao might not need to involve herself in other matters, but she absolutely had to appear in the Star Dawn Day broadcast.
Especially since the former insect queen had died not long ago.
The good news would be most appropriately announced by the Federation’s ruler herself.
Si Zhao nodded. “Is everything ready?”
“Everything has been prepared.”
He Youchuan gently lifted her into his arms. “Your Majesty, allow me to help you change.”
Si Zhao said nothing, which amounted to tacit approval.
At eight o’clock that evening, beastmen across the Federation opened their light screens at the same time and, with practiced ease, entered the Federation’s official livestream.
The stream took less than a second to load before Si Zhao’s familiar face appeared on every light screen.
Beside Si Zhao was Si Yanning, the Empress’s only daughter and the future ruler of the Federation.
Si Yanning was also hosting the broadcast that evening. Although she had not yet reached adulthood, her conduct already possessed the Empress’s bearing.
She sat obediently beside Si Zhao, the gentle smile on her face seeming to have been carved from the same mold as her mother’s.
“It is now 20:01 on December 31, 7238, by the Federation calendar. In three hours and fifty-nine minutes, we will welcome the Federation’s 7,239th Star Dawn Day.”
There was no set procedure for the broadcast. Once the official remarks were over, Si Yanning followed Si Zhao’s instructions and reviewed the major events that had taken place across the Federation over the past year.
Technology, medicine, the military…
The beastmen could see all of these developments on the StarNet.
But hearing Si Yanning speak of them personally today made them feel especially significant.
In particular, when they heard the news that the former insect queen had died, every beastman in the Federation—female and male alike—was thrilled.
The beastmen gathered with family and friends, raising their glasses in celebration.
In Residential District 06 on Central Star, Chu Zhiwei brought her beast husbands to You Lu’s home to welcome Star Dawn Day together.
Their husbands worked together in the kitchen, preparing a table full of dishes that were delicious in appearance, aroma, and taste.
A light screen beside the dining table showed Si Zhao and Si Yanning’s livestream, but neither the sumptuous food nor the exhilarating news could lift the two women’s spirits.
“I wonder when Yangyang will be able to come back,” You Lu sighed.
If Yangyang were still in the Federation, she would definitely be welcoming Star Dawn Day with them. It would also have been the first time the three close friends celebrated Star Dawn Day together.
But unfortunately…
If she had known something like this would happen, she should have stopped Yangyang from going to the insect planet with Sister Zhaozhao.
Of course, You Lu was only thinking that way.
She knew perfectly well that if Yunyang and Si Zhao hadn’t joined forces, the insect queen could never have been annihilated so easily.
She was simply worried about Yangyang.
“Sister Zhaozhao will find a way.” There was nothing Chu Zhiwei and You Lu could do about the situation. All they could do was place their hopes in Si Zhao.
“Let’s eat first.”
You Lu nodded listlessly.
Just as they began picking up their chopsticks, she suddenly thought of something and turned to Yu Wenxu.
“Wen Xu, have you been in contact with Qin Mo and the others lately?”
Yu Wenxu shook his head. “Deputy Qin doesn’t want to speak with me.”
Qin Mo and the others had so many S-, SS-, and even SSS-ranked abilities, yet they still hadn’t been able to protect their mate. No one knew how consumed by guilt the men were.
That was why, after returning from the insect planet, they had remained depressed. They either searched everywhere for news of Lady Yunyang or stayed at Lady Yunyang’s residence.
Other than that, they didn’t want to see or speak to anyone.
Yu Wenxu could understand Qin Mo and the others. If You Lu had been taken away right in front of him, he would have gone mad too.
You Lu had known this would be the outcome, but she still couldn’t help sighing.
She pointed to two of her beast husbands who had served in the Federation military and taken part in the campaign to exterminate the insect queen.
“Tomorrow is Star Dawn Day. Go keep them company.”
Chu Zhiwei also turned to Yan Lin. “Lin, you should go too.”
After all, they were Yangyang’s beast husbands. For the sake of their close friend, the two women were willing to look after them a little.
Yan Lin nodded. Soon, he set out with You Lu’s two husbands for Residential District 07.
