Turazzo had already revealed many secrets, including the movements of the Melovans after their betrayal and the process of their gradual division. However, Sandora and I still had many things to ask. First, the most crucial question: before their betrayal, they had followed my sister to the expedition, but even with the help of Lin Xue, my sister could not recall the entire scene of that year. Thus, no one knew exactly what happened on the day of Melovans' betrayal. It seemed that countless things had happened in that short period of time. The Emperor of the Fifteenth Celestial Zone found a Void Creature, and the Void Creature sacrificed itself to help protect the world. The Emperor of the Fifteenth Celestial Zone and her adjutant, the Prophet Lizzy, were both killed by the aftershock. The Melovans' betrayal. Everything happened in those few days (the last few days of the hundred-year expedition). That seemed to be the point of entanglement of many events. If these events had not happened at that time, my life would have been on a completely different path. Well, I might still be floating in the Void now. It was said that Void Creatures liked to sleep in during their infancy, and yawn for seventy to eighty thousand years.
In the eyes of most people, these events were meaningless. Most people would only pay attention to the events themselves and not the fact that they were 'put together'. However, I did not think so. This matter was not as simple as it seemed when I, a Void Creature, was involved. My many exchanges with the Godfather had made me understand one thing: any event related to the Void Creatures that appeared to be entangled with each other could not be analyzed independently. They would inevitably become the key point of countless events at some point in time, as well as the final direction of countless events. Thus, I was very curious about what happened on the day that Melovans chose to betray, and how they were sure that the Empire had collapsed.
This last question was especially important, because the most important reason why the Melovans dared to betray was that they were sure that they would not be hunted down. They already knew what happened in the Empire.
Turazzo's answer was simple. "We learned everything from Her Majesty the Emperor."
The Emperor he was talking about was the Emperor of the Fifteenth Celestial Zone, which was something that happened in my sister's previous life.
"Her Majesty the Emperor trusts us very much." Turazzo looked embarrassed. "We have followed her for many years and were even given the power to execute the Extermination Order on behalf of the Imperial Army. Her Imperial Majesty had told us a little of her anxiety before the disaster, but she had said nothing at the time, and we did not know what was going to happen. She had only warned us to preserve our knowledge and strengthen the defenses of our homeland. During the last expedition, His Majesty said that he was going to meet a 'sleeping god' and never returned. He only sent back a message, which told us what happened in the Empire. She announced that her plan had failed and that the Empire had collapsed. She asked us to convey this message to the entire Heaven District and let all the spawns escape. "
"What a waste of effort," Liliana couldn't help but express her disdain. "Damn it, I told you to run away before I died, and this is what you did? Was this something a human would do? I wouldn't do something like that, okay? "
"Tell me the truth, do you regret what you did back then?" I was also angry, but I remembered that my sister had said that what happened back then was a lifetime ago. She did not intend to pursue it personally, so I temporarily suppressed it. I only looked into Turazzo's eyes, trying to find even a hint of repentance in his expression. The old man in front of me was an anomaly among the Melovans, and I believed that he could still be saved.
"Regret? Perhaps. "Turazzo laughed mockingly at himself." But if General Vanna could turn back time to the day everything happened, I would still make the same decision: I would return to the Mother Planet with the fleet and take everything that I could. From then on, the Melovans would cut off all relations with the Empire and no longer be loyal to anyone. We will not be anyone's servants anymore. Repeat it a few times, and we will do it a few times. "
Even Sandora choked and was speechless. The old man's words were so shameless!
"I know that the answer to this question might save my life." Turazzo looked at us. "But I will not flatter myself for my life. This is what you taught me back then, and I will always follow it. What is done is done, there is no need to hide it. The Melovans were once saved by the Empire in ancient times, and it was you who pulled us back from the abyss. Thus, the Melovans have been loyal to the Empire for tens of millions of years, obedient, but this loyalty has been repaid. We have been cannon fodder and servants for long enough, so we deserve our freedom. If you don't give it to us, we will take it from you, even if we die. This spirit is also thanks to you. I feel that compared to those fleets and weapons, this is the true wealth that the Empire has given to the Melovans. "
Lin Xue spread her hands. "But you are still answering our questions very cooperatively, aren't you?"
"Because there is no need to hide it. I have committed treason, and I do not intend to surrender. I am telling you all this, and I do not intend to hide it. If I die honorably, at least I will have fewer regrets. I have been holding these words in for tens of thousands of years, and I never thought that I would really have the chance to say them in front of my old master. Now that I have said what I never dared to say in front of the general, I have no regrets."
I gave Sandora a look, and we began discussing in the spiritual link. "How do you think we should deal with this stubborn old man?"
"He committed a crime punishable by death, but strangely, it is difficult to kill him." Sandora's voice sounded rather conflicted. "If it was me in the past, I would definitely kill him first regardless of the reason, but now … why do I feel like I have become the bad guy?"
"Not only you, I feel the same … The old grudge is really getting more and more troublesome. My opinion is … this old man can be kept alive. Even if we really want to put him on trial, we should wait until after the mess with Melovans is over. By the way, can you leave anyone alive under your Extermination Order? "
"… I have never kept anyone alive before, but this Extermination Order has not been implemented, after all. If you are willing to pardon some of them, it will not affect anything." Sandora rolled her eyes at me helplessly. "But this is unprecedented. There has never been an example of an Extermination Order being modified at the last minute. This is the first time the scope of its extermination has been changed after it has been delineated."
"Don't you think this is a little too unserious?"
"I have never been serious when I am with you …"
I was stunned, feeling that I could not refute her …
However, it was still too early to consider the issue of amnesty for the Extermination Order. Sandora and I only had an idea, and we still needed to seriously consider how to deal with the Melovans in the end. After all, this involved the life and death of a large number of lives. No matter how much power we had, we could not treat it as child's play. As for now, I think we can temporarily not pursue the issue of this old man, because we have more important things to do.
So I changed the topic. "… Alright, let's not discuss this for now. I feel that this Turazzo can be one of the breakthroughs in our operations in this world. At least he knows the habits of the Melovans' army. But do you think he is trustworthy? "
This time, Sandora seriously pondered for a few seconds, then nodded firmly. "There is no problem with my spiritual detection. I can confirm that this person did not lie to us. He should be a minority in the rebel army. Once we win over this kind of person, he will be of great value. Also, according to my observation, the difficulty of persuading him is quite low."
I nodded and turned to look at Turazzo. He was sitting calmly on the chair. His expression was emotionless, as though he did not care about what would happen to him. It was just like what he said: he had no regrets in this life.
"Turazzo, are you willing to help us?" I went straight to the point. "Get rid of Barrian and the Radicals."
Turazzo was stunned. This question was definitely out of his expectations, but he was a smart person after all. He quickly understood what I meant. "You are actually asking me this? Aren't we going to execute them immediately? "
"In the New Empire, the rules are different." I smiled. "Now, I am waiting for your answer. I can honestly tell you that the extermination order will not be revoked. The Melovans are still the enemies of the Empire. However, I have already changed the scope of the extermination order. Now, only the Radicals will be exterminated. This is equivalent to giving you a last chance … I see that you also want to help the slave races in this world. This is the same as our goal. Under this premise, how about we cooperate once? "
Turazzo looked at me in surprise until he was sure that I was not lying. "I never thought that you would say such a thing. It is very surprising. If it was back then … But now, I will not be loyal to anyone. I am indeed an enemy of Barrian, and I see the brainwashed Radicals as my mortal enemies. However, I don't think that I will carry out the extermination order against my own people with you. Don't you think that … is very unimaginable?"
I thought about it and realized that it was true. I was inviting Turazzo to carry out a massacre against his own people. Although it was not pleasant to say it, wasn't it the truth? Although the Melovans had split into two factions (but looking at Turazzo's current miserable state, the Melovans' conservative faction probably only existed in name), in the face of the Empire, they were at least considered one race … This was the irreconcilable contradiction between the internal and external conflicts of the people. I reckoned that with my political attainments, I would not be able to solve such a sophisticated problem.
"We are not asking for your loyalty." Miss Lin still wanted to try. "We are only asking for assistance. We do not expect the Melovans to regain their loyalty to the Empire, but this time, we are asking you to fight for your beliefs. At least you can save these slave races from the mistakes of your own people. This can also be considered as atonement for the crimes of the Radicals led by Barrian. We do not need you to personally deal with your own people. We only hope that when the Imperial Army takes action, you and your conservative faction will be able to protect yourselves. This will give the Imperial Army a reason not to attack you. In addition, we also hope that you can help to release the slave races. I believe you know how to remove the control of the slave races in a short period of time. I believe that the above will not cross your bottom line, right? "
Liliana added an important sentence from the side. "Also, you see, this is the only way for you to leave the roots of your own race. You will definitely be defeated by Boss's army, but if you can get some of them to stand on your side, maybe the extermination order will be slightly more flexible. Is that right, Boss? "
I patted Liliana's head. The condition that she had proposed should have a greater impact on Turazzo.
"Amnesty under the extermination order?" Turazzo raised his eyebrows. He seemed to have finally wavered. "If it is just to stand on the side and help to free the slave races … Although it is unfair to Barrian, this is what the conservative faction has always done."
"Then, the agreement is established?" I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. It was quite tiring to talk to this stubborn old man.
"Basically … established," Turazzo said meaningfully. "I know that after this matter is over, I will still be put on trial. Regardless of the reason and what side I will stand on in the future, at least in terms of treason, the crime of the conservative faction and the radical faction will be the same. Therefore, our cooperation will probably end at that time. For the time being, we will temporarily stand on the same side."
Sandora nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. However, there is one question that I need to confirm. Are the conservatives that you speak of as reliable as you? Will there be people who will betray Barrian? And what about the power of the conservative faction? "
"I can guarantee that the conservative faction is reliable." Turazzo nodded confidently. "After knowing the details, they will know what to do. Moreover, there will definitely be no one who will pledge loyalty to Barrian. That tyrant has done things to his people ten times more ruthless than what the Empire did to us when they chased us to the battlefield. As for the power of the conservative faction … "
Turazzo's expression changed very quickly, and his tone became dull. "Including me, there are a total of sixteen people. The other fifteen are locked up in prison by Barrian …"
"…" Everyone, "…" I was speechless.
"Sir, are you playing with us?" Liliana screamed and jumped up.
"There are indeed only so many conservatives left on the surface." Turazzo revealed a sly smile. "Someone has to take the initiative to stand up and protect the others, so that Barrian's attention will be diverted from the hidden conservatives. The exact number of conservatives is a secret, but I am sure that it is not a lot, but it is definitely not a small number either. Moreover, we also have a certain amount of influence in the army. Even though all the troops are in Barrian's hands, if the Imperial Army really launches an attack, I am confident that some of the conservatives will still be able to rebel. Barrian still doesn't have the ability to brainwash and transform everyone. Most of the old generals and their subordinates who defected with us … he can't do anything to them. He can only push them to a corner, just like me. "
Looking at it now, we could only believe in Turazzo's confidence. As for his reliability, with Sandora's spiritual perception and Lin Xue's prediction, there shouldn't be any problems. Moreover, in the situation where the Empire's army is approaching and the border is about to be sealed, even if Turazzo were to cause trouble, it would not affect the overall situation. At most, we would have to take some detours, so there was no need to worry.
Seeing that we had finally finished our discussion, Shallow Shallow, who had been playing by herself for a long time, was elated. She stood up and let out a sigh of relief. "Aiya, you guys are finally done. This is so boring …"
Turazzo's mouth twitched. "… This … Actually, I have wanted to ask for a long time. What happened to General Vanna? Why does she look like … "
He was too embarrassed to say the second half of his sentence, but I felt that I could understand what the old man was thinking. During the negotiation that lasted for half an hour, Shallow Shallow had been playing by herself because she was bored. She had spread a piece of newspaper on the ground and played Fight the Landlord with her innate talent of schizophrenia. Now, her face was plastered with small pieces of paper … I couldn't understand why she would stick them on her face …
I couldn't imagine what Vanna was like back then, but I was sure that she wouldn't be this stupid. Turazzo looked at the awe-inspiring and heroic general of the past turning into an idiot, and he had mixed feelings in his heart.
"I died once, and he ate a part of my intelligence." Lin Xue sighed and pouted at me.
"Err …" Turazzo was stunned. "General Reggie, you are a little …"
"I died once too, and he ate a part of my EQ." Lin Xue sighed again and pouted at me.
I said, "… It feels like I can't refute that."
After that, we roughly exchanged our opinions and information. Of course, we mainly asked for information from Turazzo. First, we confirmed the names of the races that served as the Mellovan slave army and the location of their respective home planets in these ten or so worlds. Next, we determined the number of the Mellovan army. The information on this was not very accurate. Turazzo had been excluded from the political core for thousands of years. Even if he maintained some information network, he wouldn't be able to grasp a lot of military secrets. So, he only gave us a rough estimate.
As for the slave races, after knowing that most of the slave armies were under the control of brainwashing drugs, Sandora thought of a special method to temporarily remove these shackles. That was to let Turazzo use his network to place resonance crystals in the places where the slave races lived. When war broke out, Sandora could use the resonance crystal's power to 'broadcast' her mind control to suppress the slave armies' activities. Of course, this wouldn't solve the root of the brainwashing effects, but we only needed to keep the slave armies suppressed until the end of the war. The rest could be slowly solved after the war. She believed that after losing their loyalty, the brainwashing symptoms of the slave armies would be easier to treat.
Resonance crystals could be disguised as ordinary psionic crystals. Most of the Mellovan's small equipment used psionic crystals as their energy source. So, Turazzo was confident that he could spread these crystals throughout the Mellovan Empire in a short period of time.
Next, we had to find a way to find out what Barrian had done to the Anurilis. Intuition told us that this was a very important question, even more important than all the slave armies of the Mellovan people combined. Sandora decided to send a few Empire agents to help Turazzo. Using Turazzo's information network and the high quality of the Empire agents, we would see if we could sneak into Barrian's palace. Every day, Barrian would take away a large number of people from the three slave donor planets. The number was in line with the population growth of these slave races. So, we didn't have to worry that we wouldn't be able to find those people after sneaking into the enemy's base camp.
"Finally, I have one more thing to say, but this is completely my guess. It might not be accurate." Turazzo saw that we were about to leave. After hesitating for a long time, he finally couldn't help but say, "It's about a possible trump card under Barrian."
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