Truth be told, Hao Ren had no idea that the strict and rigid Parliament was such a wondrous one. The hundreds of personalities she retained after becoming a collective consciousness were breathtaking, especially the way she used them so flexibly that no one could bear to look at them directly. But it was understandable. Her symbiotic state was different from the Grand Warlord's. The Shiring Apostles were like 100% accurate machines. They could gather all the souls and personalities together without any loss, forming a single and clear-headed new consciousness. Most of the mortal races couldn't control their own minds like a control program, so even if they formed a collective consciousness, they would retain a lot of their own inclinations to prevent them from falling into chaos. As a result, the hundreds of personalities like the Parliament shared a set of memories peacefully.
Previously, our relationship with the Parliament wasn't that great. Our interactions were mostly diplomatic. Of course, the Parliament didn't reveal too much of its own personality. But now, we could be considered friends in a certain sense. So, I instantly realized how amazing this person was.
After completing the transfer of the relevant data to the host computer of the human brain array, and confirming that the mass projection of Tawil could get along well with the local scientists. (In fact, the speed at which they became friends was faster than I thought. Do all research maniacs have a common smell?) After that, we chatted with the Parliament for a period of more than thirty minutes. We talked about the current situation of the exiles and their future plans. The Parliament talked incessantly. Personality No. 76 seemed to be a slight nagging.
Compared to the weird Dragon God and Visca's Second Lunatic, her symptoms were less severe. So, Sandora and I didn't feel too much pressure.
Standing on the rooftop of the Parliament building, we looked down at the lively city below and the endless traffic under the tower building. The Parliament was emotional and gratified. "It seems that the speed of healing is faster than expected. If our homeland can really settle down for a long time, I think my people will definitely thank the new Empire."
"It's already very satisfying to be able to let go of the past," I said honestly. "Now, I feel that the mess I'm facing is much bigger than I expected. The dark history of the old Empire is really piling up."
Sandora coughed awkwardly, then twisted the soft flesh on my waist.
The Conclave did not notice the two Empire leaders' little movements. She was already immersed in her vision of the future. "I have something to tell you. The Fourth and Fifth Fleets have already held two joint meetings, and we are about to form a coalition government. The order of this universe will soon return to normal. We will no longer be exiles, but a civilization that is developing normally. "
Sandora stopped what she was doing and looked into the eyes of the council. "This is very important."
"Yes, we want to become a hybrid civilization, just like the Galactic Civilization Community." The Parliament let out a long sigh. Even if she was a translucent projection, she did it subconsciously. "To be honest, the Galactic Civilization Community leaves a deep impression. I've already come into contact with all the representatives of the Empire's new generation of servants, and it's only they that give off the same feeling as your soldiers. Perhaps the Duplicates will also become a powerful civilization in the future. After all, we have also experienced hardships. "
"Duplicates?" I was instantly attracted by this new term. "You've already changed your name?"
"Yes, the Revived Civilization Community." The Conclave had a proud look on her face. Also, based on the way she was speaking, I guessed that the slightly broken personality No. 76 had already gone to rest. "Since the years of exile have ended, and our compatriots have settled down, we naturally can't continue to refer to ourselves as exiles and fleet numbers. This name was suggested by Cocokina, and it was approved by two-thirds of the members during the meeting. Now, all the races of the Fourth and Fifth Fleets will become a common civilization, called the Revived Civilization Community. It fits our experience, doesn't it? "
"Err …" I stuttered. "It does fit the reality, but I'm having a little deja vu …"
"Why? Does the name Duplicates have a special meaning in the Empire? "
Sandora had a subtle expression on her face, and I sounded rather awkward. "No, it's just that the capital world of the Empire has an organization called the Women's Federation … I really didn't expect a civilization to use the Duplicates as their official name."
Although the two names were different, I couldn't help but roast them in my mind!
"So there's already such a name?" The Conclave widened her eyes. "But it's alright. There are many civilizations, and it can't be helped that there are occasionally people with the same name. I really like the name Duplicates, and I voted for it a hundred and twenty-seven times … "
Sandora was stunned. "You voted one hundred and twenty-seven times … Alright, I understand. But is this voting method fair?"
"Of course it's fair." The Conclave nodded matter-of-factly. "Also, I voted for myself twenty-three against and sixteen abstained. The 'Conclave' is fair. In the Allied Government, I'm not acting as an individual, but as a member of the council. This is something that is accepted by all the citizens."
… Should I continue roasting the Women's Federation, or should I roast the Conclave for voting for three different kinds of votes at the same time and having a total of 166 votes? I could only say that this world was really mysterious … There were all kinds of strange things in the world, and all kinds of strange races would appear.
Also, I finally knew how many active personalities there were in the Conclave: 166. Of course, she couldn't be a reincarnated body formed from a mere fusion of 166 consciousnesses. This number should be the number of the Yuenad people's spiritual leaders back then. But … Why am I researching this?
"Speaking of which, I have a plan recently." Looking at the busy city traffic below, as well as the citizens who didn't show any signs of rejection when they saw the Empire's shuttle parked in the Conclave building, and instead, looked over curiously, I felt that this might be a good time. "The Imperial Army's new recruitment has begun. Do you want some of the slots?"
"Cultural export? Or the next generation of modifications? " The Conclave followed up almost immediately after I said that. Dumbfounded, I turned to look at her, only to see a playful smile on her face. What sharp senses!
But then again, if the Conclave didn't have this bit of intelligence, it would have been impossible for the Conclave to become the supreme commander of the Fourth Fleet, and it would have been even more impossible for her to lead so many refugees to build their homes to such an extent in such a short period of time. I didn't feel embarrassed that my plan was exposed by this powerful woman, because since she didn't care about it and said it out loud, it meant that she didn't mind my little thoughts.
"That's part of the reason. The Empire and the Stream … the Reincarnation both need the efforts of the new generation of citizens to improve their relationship," Sandora said calmly. "But other than that, it's also beneficial for you, isn't it? You should know what kind of place the Imperial Army's Academy is. To be able to study there, it's something that is worthy of being recorded in the annals of history for some races. In many cases, there are only a few slots for a Macro World's civilization every year, and some of the backward worlds that aren't advanced enough might not even have the chance to register. More importantly, the knowledge obtained from the Academy … "
The Conclave continued the second half of Sandora's sentence. "The knowledge obtained from the Academy is systematic and completely belongs to us, but the Empire's direct support will destroy our technology tree. I understand this very well. The servant army of the old Empire in the Fleet of Exile once experienced a great decline that made people sigh. They originally possessed the highest technology, but after the Empire's facilities shut down, they became almost primitive people in the Alliance Fleet. Even with the help of the other members of the fleet, it took them two to three generations to recover. From this, we know what kind of predicament it is when the technology tree is locked on by a higher civilization. But the knowledge obtained from the Academy is systematic, and although it won't be very cutting-edge, it will at least be of great value to a civilization like ours … It's a very worthwhile thing, so why should I object? "
Hearing that, Sandora and I smiled. It seemed that the Conclave's attitude was better than we had expected.
"I will make this a motion and bring it up to the representatives of the other races in the next Alliance Conference." The Conclave nodded. "On the issue of the candidates, there will probably be many new citizens who will be interested in it. As for whether it will pass or not … Don't worry, the representatives of the other races won't have any objections on this issue. Also, I will personally cast 150 votes in favor, 10 votes against, and 6 votes abstaining …"
"… Every time I hear you say this, it feels weird … How does it feel to vote against yourself?"
"It's like how you feel when you wake up early in the morning and wonder if you should put sugar in your tofu pudding." The Conclave glanced at me before adding, "Oh, right, this is an analogy I saw from the Empire Data Network. What exactly is that tofu pudding?"
"… Don't ask about this, it will easily lead to a fight."
After that, the Conclave asked us about the Imperial Army Service Academy's admission criteria and curriculum. Since Sandora didn't pay much attention to this aspect, I answered on her behalf: No matter what, I was still the honorary director of the academy. The admission criteria for the Imperial Army Service Academy was actually very relaxed because it faced hundreds of other races that were at the starting line. Every student could come from a completely different life form and thinking pattern, so the academy only had two requirements for the students: Their intelligence must be at a level where they could accept basic courses, and their thinking must be active enough to be instilled with knowledge that exceeded their worldview. The second requirement was not difficult at all. Every race had an abundance of quick-witted … genius students. The first requirement was even less of a problem. Every member race of the Duplex had developed the technology to travel across worlds, so they definitely did not lack intelligence.
And just as we finished this topic, an emergency communication from Avalon's command suddenly interrupted our conversation with the Conclave. It was the voice of little Artemis. "Your Majesty, regarding the unknown invaders, there has been an abnormal situation."
"What's wrong?" The Conclave saw the slight change in my expression and asked curiously.
"My family called me back for something," I replied casually. "I originally wanted to get a free meal … Looks like I have to go back first."
The Conclave: "… Your Majesty is still so kind …"
Sandora and I hurriedly said goodbye to the Conclave, and a moment later entered the portal to the capital world. Ten minutes after Artemis' emergency communication, the two of us arrived at the central area of Avalon.
The central area of Avalon was the only "city" here. Jingle's Great Temple and the Empire's management center of this space were both located in the same area. On this great plain, the pyramid-shaped Schilling Hive, the huge Temple of the World Tree, and the control center of the Departed Garden were arranged next to each other, and their respective garrisons directly developed a local city that was a mixture of technology and mystery. This city did not have a name. Usually, we directly referred to this place by a certain symbolic building, such as the Great Temple or the Departed Garden. When Shandora and I arrived, our first reaction was, 'Martial law has been declared.'
The city had actually activated its own martial law procedure!
The energy shield at the edge of the great plain had been raised, and the almost transparent city shield enveloped all the magnificent buildings. High above the city, three beams of light that were parallel to the ground were constantly sweeping across the sky. This was the signal for the city to enter air traffic control. Now, it was a three-level air traffic control: non-military vehicles were prohibited from entering the flight altitude, and at the same time, individuals other than soldiers were prohibited from flying through the controlled area. The city entrance on the plain was already in a state of multi-level inspection. A large number of Empire soldiers were patrolling the sentry posts, checking all who passed through the city entrance. It was estimated that civilians of Avalon could no longer enter and exit this place at will. According to the current state of martial law, non-military personnel working in the city were probably also not allowed to leave.
"Atlantis is up there, and it's also in a state of martial law." Sandora looked up. Behind the clouds high in the sky, looming was the conspicuous inverted cone-shaped base of Atlantis. It was hovering over a city that was already under air traffic control, so there was only one possibility: the floating island was also under the same state of control.
"Damn, we just went out for a while, and it's not considered far. How did it suddenly become so serious …"
I looked up at Atlantis, which should have been moving slowly in the sky, abnormally still high in the sky. I couldn't help but mutter to Sandora, who frowned and said something else, "The capital special district is only allowed to enter a state of martial law without the consent of the emperor, and that is when there is an uncontrolled invasion in a military unit …"
At this moment, I saw several figures walking out from the teleportation point at the entrance of the city. The one walking in front was little Artemis, who was dressed in an elf-style hunting outfit. Behind her were several officers of the Empire's military in the Avalon Space and two burly Atlantean warriors who were as burly as giants.
Unlike the Shadow City, where most of the areas were civilian areas and only the central fortress was militarized, the entire Avalon Space was a semi-military place. Its security level was higher, so the day-to-day management of the space was composed of two parts, the military and the civilian. Artemis was in charge of the latter. She was equivalent to the landlord and civil affairs manager of the Avalon Space, managing the affairs of the civilians of Avalon daily. She also maintained the order of the space as a high-ranking priest of the Goddess Sect (Avalon was created by Jingle, so the believers of the Goddess Sect had to undertake the maintenance work). The Atlantean warriors and Imperial Army officers behind her were the military managers. Now these two people in charge appeared at the same time, and their expressions were very serious.
"The military area is under martial law," I said when Artemis came up to me. "What happened?"
"Forgive me for being cautious," the capable blonde girl replied quickly. "After receiving the order, we began to monitor the flow of people in the entire space to find the mysterious' intruder '. At first, we found nothing, but about two hours ago, there was a sudden report of a stranger on the Atlantis continent. The stranger wandered near the power system of the Sky Island. We don't know how he got through the Atlantean guard's line of defense, and even wandered next to the power furnace!"
"Atlantis?!" I was shocked and looked up at the Sky Island in the clouds. "And he got into the power furnace?"
The situation was instantly more complicated than expected. Atlantis was different from Monster Town. It was an absolute military area! The entire Atlantean race was a soldier. Their city was managed according to the security level of a military camp. The Sky Island itself was also a war vehicle. The security level of its drive furnace was the highest on the Sky Island apart from the control room and the weapons dispatch center. Now, the stranger had actually sneaked into Atlantis' drive furnace!
"God, please punish us." Behind Artemis, two burly Atlantean warriors took half a step forward, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a loud voice. It seemed that they were the sentinel captains who were responsible for guarding the power furnace at that time.
"We'll talk about punishment later," Sandora waved her hand. "Let's figure out what's going on with the intruder first, and then judge whether you are derelict in your duties. Looking at you now, the stranger must not have been caught?"
"Yes, the intruder disappeared," an Atlantean warrior replied. "Right under our noses, she disappeared after turning around the protective grille of the power furnace, and there was no passage behind the protective grille. There were no signs of the opening of the space door at the scene. In addition, we have checked the pass records of all the entrances and exits near the power furnace, and the equipment shows that … every pass was authorized. "
We at least understood one thing: the "intruder" actually had an unimpeded authorization to pass through the military facilities!
Did we have to screen the root directory of all the people in the Empire?
I turned my eyes to Sandora, and at this time, Artemis seemed to have something to say. She coughed softly. "Ahem, Your Majesty, there is another matter that directly led to the martial law. The situation seems to be many times more complicated than expected … The stranger who appeared in the power furnace … is an Atlantean woman, which is inconsistent with the situation reported by Monster Town."
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