Li Wuji stepped back again, avoiding the stink of alcohol in Boss Bai's mouth. Covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, he glanced at his guard.
His personal bodyguard took two steps forward and said loudly, "Generals, please enjoy your drinks. Marquis still has important matters to attend to and has no choice but to leave first. When we conquer the Seven Seas Grand Market, Marquis will personally host a banquet to entertain the generals!"
"Farewell, my lord!"
Boss Bai bowed deeply and bowed to Li Wuji together with the other space pirates.
Unfortunately, he drank too much and was so excited that he forgot to digest it. When he bowed down, his stomach suddenly turned upside down. He made a sound from his throat and spat out a mouthful of sour air. It looked like he was about to spit out the wine.
Li Wuji was greatly shocked. His face darkened, and he left in a hurry while covering his nose.
The other space pirates wanted to laugh but did not dare. Seeing Boss Bai's embarrassment, they forgot the displeasure of drinking three buckets of alcohol just now and were even more certain that the guy who was wearing a hat couldn't be up to any scheme.
Boss Bai spat out sour air and swallowed the alcohol in his throat again. Knowing that he had almost made a fool of himself and that Li Wuji might be displeased, he had no time to greet the other space pirates. Cleaning his clothes and wiping the sweat on his face with a hot towel, he chased after Li Wuji.
"My lord, my lord!"
Boss Bai chased after Li Wuji on the road to the No. 1 dock.
"Commander Bai, is there anything else?"
Hearing that, Li Wuji turned around and said rather coldly, "If there's nothing else, go back and gather your troops. As you said, it is indeed not easy to unite so many pirate gangs. The Imperium has been treating you well. You have to work for the Imperium with all your heart in order to be worthy of the word 'loyal'."
"Yes, yes, your subordinate will definitely do his best. I'll sacrifice my life and break my bones, that …"
Boss Bai stammered, not knowing what he was talking about. He said rather awkwardly, "Well, I was a bit … a bit drunk just now. I hope my lord won't … Well, don't …"
Li Wuji tried to hold it back and smiled.
This time, Boss Bai's fur coat was stained with wine and vegetable juice. It was glossy and fragrant, and he couldn't have looked more unkempt. Despite the ten layers of silk, Li Wuji, who was a neat freak, couldn't have patted his shoulder in person.
Knowing his master's temper, the bodyguard simply stepped forward on behalf of Li Wuji and patted Boss Bai's shoulder neither too heavily nor lightly.
"Commander Bai, you're a good person. It's just that I didn't know you had such a bad habit of drinking."
Li Wuji said solemnly, "I also know that the space pirates are often under great pressure. If your nerves are always tensed, it is possible that you will be mentally deranged. Therefore, some people like to soothe their nerves and calm their soul with special medicinal wine. It is sort of a special way of training.
"However, the battle is at hand and you've just subdued these wild and unruly fellows, so you still have to be extremely alert. If you really get drunk and make a mistake, then even I won't be able to protect you."
"Yes!"
Boss Bai was refreshed immediately. He held his head high and said, "Rest assured, my lord. I will not touch a single drop of wine from this moment on. If I do, please cut off my tongue!"
"I don't want your tongue. I only want the Seven Seas Grand Market and the lives of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the reformists!"
Narrowing his eyes, Li Wuji gnashed his teeth. Then, he softened his voice and said solemnly, "Commander Bai, Commander Bai, you must not think that I only consider the space pirates like you to be chess pieces and cannon fodder. At the very least, you are different from other people.
"If you are really a chess piece and cannon fodder, your life and death will have nothing to do with me at all. What does it matter if you drink or not? I don't need to talk to you so much at all.
"However, I truly have high hopes for you and believe that you are not a humble space pirate. Or rather, you haven't been a member of the circle of space pirates for long, and you can still be saved.
"Come on. There are no other space pirates here. Let's be honest with each other. In your opinion, are the four families sincere in recruiting the space pirates? Is it possible that they will kick you to the curb after you've outlived your usefulness?"
Boss Bai was slightly dazed, as if he did not expect that Li Wuji would say something so subtle. For a moment, he did not know how to reply. More and more cold sweat was flowing out of his forehead. "About that, I don't know. Well, it's hard for me to say."
"You don't know, or it's hard for you to say?"
With a smile, Li Wuji said unhurriedly, "In fact, you should know that the villainous characters of the seasoned space pirates who have been for decades have already been deeply rooted to their bones. Even if they are in the regular army, they still cannot be restrained. After holding themselves back for too long, it is hard for them to change their nature, and they are bound to do whatever they want.
"Therefore, the cooperation with those people is only temporary. One day, the National Protection Army will have to be further reorganized and completely erased from the mark of space pirates in the past. Only then can it be reborn into a real regular army.
"Just now, you mentioned 'direct subordinates'. In fact, are those space pirates qualified to be my direct subordinates?
"Only you, Commander Bai. Boss Bai, I truly look forward to your future and raise you as my trusted subordinate. I will invest in the National Protection Army after it is reorganized in the future without caring about the cost and help you build a Deep Sky Fleet of unprecedented scale that is invincible in a hundred Sectors.
"In short, I deeply believe that you should be one of the most awesome fleet commanders of the Imperium in the next hundred years instead of a clandestine space pirate.
"Now, you understand your importance, don't you? Young man, you have a promising future. Take care of yourself."
Boss Bai seemed greatly surprised. He did not expect that Li Wuji would point out the issue so clearly and value him so much.
His lips and every wrinkle on his face were shivering at the same time. In the end, he even shed tears in silence.
"My lord, you — you think so highly of me. You are almost — almost my second parent!"
Boss Bai howled, "Although my life was given to me by my parents, my life now belongs to the Marquis! My birth parents have been dead for years, and I've been wandering in space all by myself for so many years. Nobody ever taught me how to be a decent person. Also, I was forced by the environment and had no other choice. That's why I was led astray. In fact, I regret being a space pirate very much.
"My lord has given me a new life, and you do not despise my humble background. I really don't know what I should say for you to raise me so carefully. My lord, I have a presumptuous request. If it's too outrageous, please consider my drunken ramblings. That is, well, my birth parents have been dead for such a long time, and I've been suffering from loneliness and helplessness. My lord's kindness makes me feel the warmth of a parent. For some reason, I can't help but think that it would be great if my lord were my godfather!
"Oh, I know that it's too abrupt. It's too abrupt. With my lord's honorable identity, how can you adopt me as your son? However, with Master Hou's age, he can be considered as my grandfather's generation. I heard that the several Young Marquises are also powerful and have noble characters. If I can be the adopted son of one of them and become Master Hou's adopted grandson, it would be a blessing of three lifetimes. "
Slightly surprised, Li Wuji observed Boss Bai carefully.
Boss Bai was somewhat embarrassed under his stare. He chuckled and lowered his head.
"You are really …"
Li Wuji thought for a long time but did not know how to describe Boss Bai. He waved his hands and said, "Let's talk about it after the battle of the Seven Seas Grand Market is over and the rebels of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors are completely annihilated. Since you are so filial, hehe, it's not entirely unnegotiable."
"Thank you, my lord!"
Overjoyed, Boss Bai kneeled again.
But this time, he was not kneeling on one knee but on both.
Li Wuji dodged him quickly, and his personal guard stepped forward to stop Boss Bai from kneeling.
"Don't do that. You are now a general of the Imperium's army. You need to have the dignity of the Imperium's army."
Li Wuji couldn't help it anymore. Pointing at Boss Bai's fur coat, Li Wuji said, "Also, you need to change your clothes now. Haven't you been issued the uniforms and battle suits of the Imperium's army? A regular soldier should look like a regular soldier!"
"Yes, my lord, you're right!"
Boss Bai immediately took off his clothes layer by layer. It seemed that he was going to strip Li Wuji naked.
Li Wuji sighed. He couldn't watch it anymore and accelerated to leave.
"Hey, wait. My lord, wait a moment!"
Boss Bai chased after him while taking off his clothes.
"Is there anything else?"
Having reached the limits of his patience, Li Wuji asked solemnly.
"Nothing. Nothing important. Please be careful on your way, my lord."
Boss Bai said pitifully, "You've left half of the fleet behind and are only taking the other half with you. Don't let anything go wrong."
Li Wuji sniffed and said, "The garrison fleets of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors have been annihilated by us in the port of the Blue Sky Market. None of them escaped. The rest of their fleets are rushing to the Seven Seas Grand Market crazily, preparing to concentrate their forces to defend their nest. As for the other fleets of the reformists, they are cleaning up the situation in the capital. It's impossible for them to send their troops to this place for now, right? I need to be careful in case anything goes wrong. "
Realizing that he had misspoken, Boss Bai said, blushing, "I only wanted to remind my lord to be careful of … the Cultivators!"
"Cultivators?"
Li Wuji retreated his foot that was about to step forward. "It's been a long time since I last heard such an ancient name. What age is it? Why are the Cultivators still causing trouble in this area?"
"Of course, they are."
Boss Bai said solemnly, "Those Cultivators are even more brutal and dreadful than the space pirates. They have no selfish desires, no weaknesses, and no possibilities of negotiation or recruitment. There's no telling what they are thinking at all. They seem to be not scared of failure or death at all.
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