Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

The sorrow on the girl’s face was so intense that it weighed heavily on the observer’s mood, prompting Hebrew Adam to instinctively want to interrupt her and prevent her from continuing to dwell on it.

“Manni, what are you doing?” Hebrew Adam asked, his voice a bit louder.

Startled by Hebrew Adam’s sharp tone, Ruo Manni realized she had unexpectedly slipped into past memories. She closed her eyes and made a conscious effort to suppress the emotion.

Ruo Manni was extremely reluctant to show her vulnerable side in front of Hebrew Adam and Hua Deli, but memories came like a tide, overwhelming her before she could react. Some deeply buried feelings, which didn’t seem significant until touched, revealed themselves to be painfully profound.

Hebrew Adam and Hua Deli saw Ruo Manni close her eyes, and when she opened them again, the fragile sadness in her eyes quickly vanished. The girl they were familiar with had returned.

Hua Deli silently watched the scene and felt a strange heaviness in his heart. Why was there such profound sadness from a fifteen-year-old girl? What could have happened to her to cause such deep sorrow?

“Manni, you can handle the garden design. This kind of detailed work is not something we’re good at,” Hebrew Adam said to Ruo Manni, deciding to give her something to do, hoping it would keep her mind occupied.

Since Ruo Manni never shared personal matters with them, Hebrew Adam didn’t dare to ask what she had been thinking or if something sad had happened.

He knew without asking that even if he did, he wouldn’t get an answer.

The prince clearly wasn’t incapable but simply found it troublesome and didn’t want to handle it.

Though Ruo Manni managed to maintain a faint smile on her face, only she knew that she hadn’t fully recovered. She was still immersed in that hidden pain, and having something to do might help her heal.

Moreover, since His Highness has spoken, what else could she do? She turned around and smiled, “As long as Your Highness doesn’t mind my commoner’s perspective, I have no objections.”

“There are specific templates; you just need to assemble them,” Hebrew Adam said with a stern face. He didn’t like Ruo Manni referring to herself as a commoner and was even less pleased to see the lingering sadness in her eyes.

“Okay,” Ruo Manni replied, accepting Hebrew Adam’s directive. She then opened the panel to begin the setup.

Though Ruo Manni claimed to have a commoner’s perspective on garden design, she wasn’t actually worried. With the templates provided, she felt more confident.

This confidence stemmed from her experience.

Ruo Manni had been on Imperial Star for over three months. During this time, she had either been training at the island base or at Xuan Gu’s First Military Academy. Even when they went on training exercises, they were on the island, so she hadn’t had a chance to explore the world of Imperial Star.

However, that doesn’t mean she’s unfamiliar with the central planet of the Gus Empire.

Ruo Manni firmly believed that opportunities are for those who are prepared. She knew that coming from the peripheral stars was her weakness and could easily be used against her. While she didn’t let it make her feel inferior, she didn’t want others to think she was inexperienced or unrefined.

But with her original status and position, she needed a certain level of confidence to be presentable.

Ruo Manni considered status and wealth as one source of confidence, personal ability as another, and knowledge as a third.

Since she lacked the first source or chose not to pursue it, she identified herself as a commoner. As for personal ability, with her training potential and current skill, no one would dare to underestimate her.

Knowledge was the easiest for Ruo Manni to gain through effort. After all, she could almost be described as having a photographic memory. With time dedicated to learning, she could acquire a vast amount of knowledge.

Since deciding to attend Xuan Gu’s First Military Academy, Ruo Manni created a comprehensive study schedule for herself and invested a lot of effort. She used the powerful feature of the Tianwang system to search for relevant knowledge and study materials.

Over the past few months, Ruo Manni had been dedicating time to understanding the economic and cultural background of the capital planet, its customs, preferences, taboos, and various information about the noble families of the Gus Empire.

With a solid foundation of information and knowledge, Ruo Manni not only gained a basic understanding of the general preferences for architecture on the capital planet but also became well-acquainted with the common taboos and likes of the noble and influential families.

Armed with this knowledge, Ruo Manni was able to calmly tell Hebrew Adam that her aesthetic perspective was that of a commoner. She could confidently and efficiently choose from dozens of landscape templates, with only a bit of thought, and quickly create a garden design that most people on the capital planet would enjoy.

Hua Deli watched as Ruo Manni worked on her own, without hesitation or indecision, and without even asking for their opinions, she effectively set up the landscape design for the guild’s garden.

Hua Deli walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked outside. The garden landscape wasn’t extravagant or wildly imaginative; it resembled the gardens of most nobles. It wasn’t outstanding but definitely acceptable and impeccable.

Hua Deli’s expression was complex as he looked back at Ruo Manni.

This was typical of Ruo Manni—she often claimed to be a commoner from the edge planet, but her actions never aligned with her claims. What nobility could there be on the edge planet? He had seen such garden designs a few times, but this girl who claimed to be from the commoner district with little knowledge had created a noble-style garden.

“Not bad, very elegant,” Hebrew Adam nodded, also surprised.

He didn’t think as deeply as Hua Deli; he was simply impressed that Ruo Manni’s design skills exceeded his expectations. She had a good eye for design. This pleased Hebrew Adam and he enjoyed admiring the garden view outside.

Hebrew Adam expressed his praise, and Hua Deli also added a few kind words, which were sincere because Ruo Manni truly deserved commendation.

Upon hearing the praise from the two boys, Ruo Manni merely smiled politely. This was a skill she had gained through hard work; she had no reason to be overconfident or insecure.

Her composure and confidence, remaining unflappable even in the presence of princes and noble scions, made Hua Deli question again whether she was truly just an orphan from the edge planet.

Hua Deli was no fool. After Ruo Manni encountered danger during the last training exercise and he learned that his cousin Qi, had personally brought Doctor Paul to the island, he had sown a seed of doubt in his mind.

Cousin Qi and Doctor Paul are significant figures. Even if Ruo Manni’s potential for cultivation is extraordinary, it wouldn’t make sense for Cousin Qi to rush over so urgently before she has fully developed, especially with clear support from the Crown Prince.

From this point of doubt, Hua Deli concluded that there must be a special reason behind it, one that Cousin Qi is keeping tightly under wraps and hasn’t revealed to him.

Further suspicion arose during the break after the training. Hua Deli heard that his mother had suddenly returned. When he came back from the Olli family, he happened to see his mother, who was covering her face, crying in distress and choked up as she said: “…I lost my daughter, and she ended up on the edge planet…”