That was an afternoon Bai Shuang would never forget for the rest of her life—
An afternoon she didn't dare to recall lightly.
She had knelt beside the bed, staring at the sorrowful expressions of the two figures lying together.
The old Lord Bai of Whale Fall City had passed without peace. At the moment of his final breath, the look in his eyes—locked on his daughter—was filled with nothing but worry.
"Shuang'er…"
That was the last thing Lord Bai said in his life.
"You are the greatest pride of my life."
"Dad!!"
Bai Shuang had watched helplessly as her father's breath stopped before her eyes.
Her cries were heart-wrenching—but no matter how hard she screamed, she could never call him back from the dead…
"Shuang'er?"
Zhuang Mo gently nudged her. "Shuang'er?"
"Huh? Ah?"
Bai Shuang snapped out of her trance. She had been reminiscing about her father's death and had gotten lost in thought.
"What were Lord Bai's final words to you?" Zhuang Mo repeated softly.
Bai Shuang's previously cheerful face fell into quiet gloom.
"He said… I was his greatest pride.
"And then he left—
"To a world I can only see in dreams."
Zhuang Mo scratched his head, unsure.
"So… how old are you, actually?"
Bai Shuang counted on her fingers for a while.
"Hmm… I think I'm just a tiny bit older than you?"
Zhuang Mo blinked.
"So you're older than me? I thought we were the same age."
Bai Shuang pouted.
"What, are you saying I'm old?!"
Zhuang Mo quickly corrected himself:
"No way—older women are worth their weight in gold! If you're three years older, that's one more gold brick for me to hug!"
Bai Shuang perked up again, smugly.
"Now that's more like it."
At that moment, the lights in the entire venue dimmed, and the stage lights gradually lit up. Everyone turned toward the stage, where the host, dressed in an elaborate space-formal gown, stepped forward to give the opening remarks.
Soon after, the most important figure of the evening appeared on stage.
He Shouchen, president of the Space Federation University, stepped slowly into the spotlight—
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience!
Every single person held their breath.
Whatever He Shouchen was about to say could influence who the next Lord of Whale Fall City would be.
Everyone silently hoped the seemingly benevolent university president wouldn't say anything outrageous—
Especially nothing that would disqualify commoners from competing right out of the gate.
He Shouchen stood with composed grace.
With the demeanor of a wise elder, he met tens of thousands of eager eyes below, calmly embracing the attention.
"Distinguished guests, good evening," he began slowly and clearly.
"Welcome to the Whale Fall Trial Preliminary Round Launch Event.
"The late Lord of Whale Fall City left a will stating:
Whoever completes the Whale Fall Trial first shall inherit the city and become the next Lord.
"However, at this point, more than a billion people across space have registered.
If we follow the original rules, it would be unfair to those who sign up later.
So, we will hold a preliminary round.
Everyone will have a chance to compete, and only the winners of this round will qualify for the real Whale Fall Trial."
The crowd erupted in applause, cheers, and whistles!
An age-blind, fair competition—that was what everyone had been waiting for.
He Shouchen raised a hand to quiet the audience before continuing:
"There are only three months left before the official game begins. We must select our finalists within that time.
"Previously, the Space Police Department sent an intern officer to test the game's safety.
That intern beat the game in just three minutes—easily.
So the actual Whale Fall Trial is not hard at all. Anyone could win."
Someone in the crowd whispered,
"I thought that was just a fake news story going around the last few days."
The person next to them replied,
"All the major news outlets reported it—how could it be fake?"
He Shouchen lifted his hand again and gestured for calm:
"To use a game with such a low difficulty level to select a city lord is utter nonsense.
I believe the preliminary round should significantly raise the level of difficulty.
The Lord of Whale Fall must be someone with both virtue and talent."
"Agreed!!"
More applause rang out below the stage!
If the game wasn't made more challenging, it would only benefit those with early access accounts.
And those few privileged accounts had been given by Lord Bai to the powerful clans—
Totally unfair to the common people.
If they were going to play, then make it a real contest.
Rich or poor, highborn or humble, everyone should stand on equal ground.
He Shouchen had always appeared as a scholarly, approachable man.
His public image was friendly and natural—
In space society, he was a deeply respected figure.
And now, by publicly proposing to upend the rules,
His popularity among the people surged even higher.
The Space Federation University was one of the most prestigious institutions in the galaxy.
Many elite figures were alumni of the He family's tutelage.
A few carefully chosen words from President He carried immense influence.
But just then—
A sharp, jarring voice exploded from the loudspeaker:
"I OBJECT!!!"
One thunderous objection shattered the calm—
The ears of everyone present nearly rang from the force of it!
Bai Shuang and Zhuang Mo both instinctively covered their ears.
They scanned the crowd, trying to locate the source of the piercing shout.
Even He Shouchen was visibly startled on stage.
Still, thanks to decades of public performance, he maintained his upright posture.
Despite the sudden interruption, he managed to keep a dignified composure.
He steadied himself.
He was, after all, a man past sixty who had seen plenty of chaotic scenes.
Judging by the voice, the heckler sounded like a young punk—barely out of his teens.
Yet He Shouchen remained the picture of grace and refinement.
With a warm smile, he addressed the audience:
"Who among our young friends objects?
Please come up to the stage.
Let us debate it publicly."
Bai Shuang, eyes twinkling with excitement, nudged Zhuang Mo with her elbow.
"This ticket was so worth it! This is getting good!"
Zhuang Mo nearly rolled his eyes.
Bai Shuang was being far too carefree—
As if none of this had anything to do with her.
But it had everything to do with her.
Whoever won the preliminaries would be coming for her inheritance.
As the heir to a massive fortune, could she at least act a little more cautious?
Instead, she was treating it like a front-row seat to a reality show—
Detached and amused.
But Bai Shuang didn't care about who would come to fight her for Whale Fall in three months.
She just found today's drama entertaining—
And honestly, she wished it would get even wilder.
Not long after, a young man stepped onto the stage.
His face was somewhat familiar—sharp eyes, strong features, confident stride.
He stared directly at He Shouchen and repeated with clear determination:
"I object."
He Shouchen smiled kindly.
Well, well. It was bound to happen.
The young man wasn't just anyone—
He was Chang Hao, the newly appointed leader of the Duma Society,
and eldest son of the recently deceased former leader.
Chang Hao raised a hand, pointing straight at He Shouchen.
Then he turned to the crowd and shouted:
"Don't believe him!
He's a liar—
He's deceiving all of you!"