death of hope

Chapter 944: "Psychic Storm" (20) Glory and Dream (Part 4)

When he was young, Count Dominic was a war hero of the Terra Federation. He returned home with a medal and ribbon. His heroic spirit soared to the sky. His handsomeness, tallness and strength attracted the ladies. He didn't want to lose his integrity in his old age:
He neglected exercise and indulged in sensual pleasures, became fat and lost his hair, turning into a bad-tempered greasy uncle. He got angry more than he thought, and was a complete failure in educating his children. The atmosphere of the entire Ix colony became one of entertainment to death, and military preparedness was neglected.

The people of Ix are as weak as lambs, and the family's martial tradition is no longer sustainable. The enemies who were once intimidated by the count and dared not act rashly now dare to shit on his neck, especially those pointy-eared Eldar pirates who are the most hateful:
The privateering fleet of the Meizu Queen was elusive and would rob the Ix caravans on schedule as if they were withdrawing time deposits. They could succeed repeatedly with very little cost, thus enriching the Queen's treasury.

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At that time, the Terra Federation was engaged in a fierce battle with the Andoran Lizardman Expeditionary Fleet, and the Navy could not spare more manpower to escort civilian trade routes. The mercenaries who were paid to do the job were really unreliable, and they would run away whenever a fight came to a head.

In desperation, Count Dominic had to organize an armed escort force at his own expense to protect the shipping lifeline of the Ix colony.

There is always the possibility of rebellion among private soldiers in any armed force, and it is always unsafe to hand them over to outsiders for management. The count hoped to train his own bloodline as the commander of the army, but was poured a bucket of cold water on his head; the count's spoiled sons were more of a hindrance than a help, and they repeatedly messed up the escort missions.

The Eldar pirate ship had just raised the skull and crossbones flag, had not yet launched an artillery attack or sent out its boarding bay, and had not yet witnessed the power of psychic magic, but the count's stupid sons had already been frightened out of their wits, abandoned the cargo ship and fled in a shuttle.

Every time there was a robbery, in addition to the loss of the starship and cargo, the count also had to pay for the passengers captured by the pirates; the ransom of the captured federal officials and old aristocrats would be killed if the ransom was less than a penny, and every time he had to smile and pay the money humbly to get the matter over with. He not only lost money but also lost face, it was a huge loss.

This caused ridicule from other old Terra nobles. With the wealthy Ix colony behind it, the long-standing Vilnius family faced the dilemma of having no successors.

Not to mention fighting a big war, they couldn't even maintain their own lifeline routes and protect the safety of their customers. They had completely lost face for their ancestors. Count Dominic was so angry that he was hospitalized and his heart and liver began to have problems.

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Those days were really hard to bear. The count was in a state of anxiety all day long, frowning and restless. Finally, one morning, he heard some good news:
The son of the Earl's sister, Caria, the 15-year-old midshipman Leon Vilnius, achieved a feat:
He killed three ghost pirate infiltrators who had boarded the ship and directed the crew to fire back, causing the pirate ship to abandon the robbery and flee, greatly boosting the morale of the Ix caravan. For a time, the surveillance video from inside the ship went viral on social media, receiving countless likes.

In the video: Leon, a young trainee petty officer wearing a blue sailor shirt, uses the simple equipment at hand to skillfully deal with the pirates' strange and magical psychic attacks.

In order to protect the safety of the ship and cargo, the young non-commissioned officer put down his gun and used cold weapons. He danced with the heavy curved-blade saber like a tiger; he cut off heads, pierced hearts, and severed arteries. Three brutal Spirit Clan pirate infiltrators were killed on the spot, and the young non-commissioned officer cut off their pointed ears as trophies and returned home.

The Ix media exclaimed that a young hero had appeared. After watching the surveillance video, the count slammed the table and exclaimed that that was him, the wise, brave, humble and elegant good son that Dominic Vilnius longed for, who had perfectly inherited the knightly and aristocratic genes of the Vilnius family.

Soon, as expected, 'good nephew' Li Ang was entrusted with an important task, which was obviously a test;

This young non-commissioned officer, whose hair has not even fully grown yet, leads the elite troops selected by Ix to guard the largest merchant ships and escort the most expensive goods and the most important VIPs.

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Leon Vilnius lived up to expectations and proved that his wit and bravery were not a flash in the pan, and that he possessed excellent management and command abilities:
The Earl's good nephew led the Ixian elite to repel the invasion of the Eldar pirates many times and achieved a record of safe sailing without accidents for three consecutive years. In sharp contrast, the Earl's spoiled sons relied on feigning illness to avoid military service and completely fell out of favor.

On the day of Leon's 18th birthday, Count Dominic took off the Oak Leaf Cross from his chest, put it on his beloved nephew's chest, and gave him a long and warm hug. Although he did not say much, the high hopes he had in his eyes were obvious.

The media interpreted this hug as Count Dominic having chosen his successor. For a time, the common people of Ix began to pay attention to the life of this "good nephew" who had risen to fame, and talked about the gossip about this famous man after dinner:
The husband of the Earl's sister, Kellya, was a bully who married into the family. According to the principle that the powerful families of the old aristocracy of Terra were all in power, Leon had the blood and surname of the Vilnius family. In addition, the family did not discriminate against the blood of the maternal branch, so there was no legal or moral obstacle to the issue of inheritance rights.