Ning arrived at the court, surrounded by a few soldiers who brought him there.
Redai waited for him outside of the gate and walked with him as they entered the building.
"Nice work helping the Sparkless girl. Her story has made all the soldiers look at you in a new light. They love a person who helps others, especially a Sparkless," Redai said.
"Katie?" Ning asked. "Her story got out?"
Redai raised an eyebrow. "Did you not want it out? I thought you let the others know about her because you wanted it out."
"I just wanted to prove my innocence, no other reason," Ning said. "How's she doing? I haven't t her in a while."
Redai seed genuinely surprised by Ning's words. "She's... doing fine," she said. She didn't say anything afterward.
Ning arrived at the courtroom and saw many of the people from his previous visit there. They had already been seated and were only waiting for Ning to get here.
Ning went and sat at the seat where the judged sat. He looked to the front and saw two of the majors had already co and sat. The woman from last ti smiled at him this ti around, although it didn't seem as genuine as she might have wanted it to be.
The Major General's chair was empty as he hadn't co just yet.
Everyone waited around for the Major General, and the man finally walked in 10 minutes later. He went straight to his chair, ignoring all the soldiers who had stood up and saluted him.
He sat down on the chair and offhandedly gestured for everyone else to sit down as well. He looked at the papers in front of him and then at Ning.
He gave a small nod toward him before looking at everyone else. "We all know why we are gathered here. It is to pass judgnt on this young man who has helped us remove the plague known as Dust from the citizens."
He took a piece of paper from the desk and read. "From what I have been told, nothing of what he had said last week had been false at all. At the sa ti, no other information has surfaced regarding him."
"I will give you all one chance to tell us why this young man shouldn't be free. You may speak now."
The man leaned back and waited for anyone to speak up, to say that Ning shouldn't go free. There was not a single person that wanted to make that claim.
"If no one has anything to add, I shall pass my judgnt now," the man said and turned to Ning.
"Ning Ruogong, Chief Officer of the Military. You have 3 cris belonging to you. The first one is selling Dust. The second one is creating Dust. And the third one is illegal entry into soone else's property. The judgnt shall be as thus."
"For the first cri of selling Dust, you will be fine 400 thousand Juibels that you will have to pay within the week."
"For the second cri of creating Dust, you are pardoned. You are also warned to never use this power anymore in the future unless asked directly by or one of the other Majors."
"Finally, for the third cri of breaking and entering, you will have to work 20 hours of community service."
"That is all."
Ning blinked a few tis, surprised at how simply the day went. No one said anything and his punishnts for what he had done were also so ta.
The 'fine' he had to pay was just what he had ended up earning after selling the Dust anyway, so he could give it back to them anyti they wanted it.
They asked him to never make Dust again, but when was he ever?
Finally, as for the 20 hours of community service, he was already a Chief Officer. His job counted as community service itself. He would barely have to do anything different at all.
Ning stood and saluted the Major General, thanking him wordlessly.
"I want to see you in my office. Co et with your General."
Ning nodded. Since there was no General, he would have to leave with Redai.
Many ca and congratulated Ning for being able to prove his innocence, and many others spoke out about how they loved what he did with Katie.
He truly hadn't expected that story to be spread so far away.
Redai walked up to him and patted him on the back. "Good job. Now we don't want to keep the Major General waiting, do we?"
"No, let's go," Ning said and walked away with Redai.
They walked through a few corridors and up two flights of stairs to arrive in front of a large tal door that led to a massive room.
The door to the room was open and the Major General sat on his chair inside, looking through a DODS on his desk.
Redai knocked on the door, catching the man's attention.
"Co on in," he said, smirking as he did so. "I asked for him to bring his General. It seems you've pretty much taken that spot already."
"I'm only doing what I can in the absence," Redai said. "I can leave if you wish to."
"No, stay," the Major General said. He then turned to Ning and finally gave a wide smile. "My young boy. I cannot tell you how proud of you I am."
He walked away from his desk and walked up to Ning, giving him a manly hug. "Oh, you've got quite the muscles there," he said as he moved back. He gave a big smile and slapped
Ning's back twice before walking back to his desk.
"Co, sit, sit. Don't stand around," the man said.
Ning was surprised to see this side of the man. He had appeared so serious and orderly the other tis, that Ning could have never guessed he would be such a man.
He smiled back at the man and went to sit on one of the free chairs along with Redai.
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