This was the first time he had contacted Anurili since the Battle of Melroy. Even though he had said that he would contact her as soon as he returned to the Empire, he had basically been busy ever since he returned. It was only today that he finally had the chance to contact her.
Now, the thirteen universes that Melroy once occupied had been "dragged" into the Empire's territory. Those worlds were now under the Empire's rule. They had once been beyond the borders of the Empire, shrouded by the unpredictable Void White Zone. But now, these universes were within the Empire's borders, and two of them even had World Gates that were directly connected to the City of Shadows. I couldn't help but sigh. The Shiring Apostles' Void technology had truly reached the pinnacle. The technology that the Empire used to "drag" worlds should actually be our other epic colonial weapon, second only to our armies. There were two ways to fight a war of conquest. One was to send a million large and small gray ships to flatten the enemy's home. The other was to move the enemy's home and house directly into one's own courtyard, then cut off water and electricity, and give the enemy three days to sign a surrender. Personally, I felt that although the first method was cool and helpful for complete conquest, the second method was more exciting and not bad to use. Many emperors in the old Empire liked to use this method to expand their territory. When faced with a civilization whose technology tree was so much lower than theirs, and which just so happened to not have mastered Void anchor technology, they would directly drag the enemy's universe into their own courtyard in front of their eyes, and at the same time, seal off the entry and exit rights of those worlds. The dragged universes were filled with unlucky people who were jumping around, and they could only wait until they "arrived" and consider whether to sign their surrender in cursive or regular script under the watchful eyes of the millions of Imperial Army — this was just too exciting.
Yep, as expected, whenever I was idle, my imagination would run wild. The time it took for me to make a phone call and wait for the ringtone was enough for me to come up with more than a hundred words …
Right now, the slave race that had just obtained freedom should be busy rebuilding, and they definitely hadn't made any progress. At the very least, they didn't even have a high-level communication network. Although the Imperial Army had left communication bases for them when they left, the number of these bases was limited. Those thirteen universes were all worlds that needed to be rebuilt, and they still had a long way to go before they could establish a complete communication network and production system. For example, right now, the newly established temporary government had to use their own broken equipment to make multiple transfers to the space communication bases left by the Imperial Army to communicate with the Empire's capital.
I waited for a full two minutes before the communicator indicated that the transfer line had been established. Then, there was noise and image shaking that shouldn't have appeared on the Empire's communicator. Then, Anu Lili's slightly brown face appeared on the screen. "This is the human temporary government, the person you're talking to is … ah, it is you?!"
On the communicator, Anu Lili's face looked a little thin. She was originally a slender girl, but now she looked even thinner. The young girl's eyes were filled with exhaustion that couldn't be hidden. She probably hadn't rested for many days. Her hair was tied up, and she was holding a small device that looked like a MDT in her hand. She was still wearing the resistance army's uniform, and it seemed that this uniform had become the uniform of the temporary government members. After all, in a period where there were so many things waiting to be done, it was too wasteful to spend public resources on high-end, fashionable, and classy new uniforms. It was likely that for a very long time, the interim government that Anurili was in would have to make do with what little resources the Resistance had in storage.
The Imperial Army had wanted to provide them with more aid, but other than the inevitable food and energy crisis, almost all the slave races had rejected the "just barely enough" material aid. Sandora and I didn't force them in this regard, and could only silently cheer for these tenacious people.
"Long time no see … Hmm, it actually doesn't seem that long to me." I recovered from my momentary daze and smiled at Anu Lili. "Looks like you've been busy. How's the reconstruction going? "
"It's not reconstruction yet, and it's never going to be reconstruction." Although Anu Lili looked tired, she still smiled happily when she saw me. After all, it was like meeting an old friend. "The foundation of the past has completely disappeared. We are rebuilding everything from the beginning. There's no such thing as reconstruction … The situation now, as you can see, is a little messy …"
As Anu Lili spoke, she moved aside to let me see the scene behind her. I noticed that she seemed to be in a place that had been through a war. It seemed to be a large hall, and there were many busy "staff" dressed in all sorts of clothes. They were busily arranging parcels and large boxes, as though they were preparing for the distribution of supplies. The walls of the hall in the distance were still craters that had not been repaired in time, and perhaps no one was interested in repairing, as well as huge cracks caused by explosions. There wasn't a single piece of furniture in the hall that was intact. Even the lamp on the pillar beside Anu Lili was a temporary light stick inserted into a bullet hole. Peeling walls and other signs of battle could be seen everywhere.
"We're preparing to distribute food to the hungry people. It's enough for now, and if it's not enough, we can transfer some from the neighboring points." Anu Lili had a sincere smile on her face. "After all, it's just the beginning. Agriculture will definitely take time to recover. This is a former Merovar base, and it's located underground. They used to classify a large area around these bases as' God's Forbidden Zone. 'Very few people know that such a high-tech place exists near them … It's perfect for us. Although this base was damaged when we seized it, its structure is still very sturdy. It's almost the sturdiest house on this planet, and it even has a warehouse to store food. Now there are many civilians gathered outside. We're planning to build a village on the surface here, and then slowly develop it into a city. Many of the original settlements on this planet need to be relocated. The Merovars purposely confined their slaves to barren areas to prevent us from multiplying too quickly. Now … we have to move in a planned manner. "
Just like before, when she talked about her dreams and work, she would talk incessantly.
As if she didn't notice the strange smile on my face, Anurili was still excitedly talking about her work. "We need to first restore agriculture and protect the communication equipment left behind after the war. We need to make sure that the people on the planet can be organized and that no one has been lost. Basic supplies are still sufficient, so it's not a big problem to get through this winter safely. There are also a few organizations from other civilizations that are providing us with help. Now, the races that once participated in the rebellion are giving each other their extra supplies to support those who are in urgent need. However, we really don't have much to offer. We only have two small patrol ships, so we can only be treated as helpers … Ah, right, I really have to thank your believers from the Church of Life. Without them, I'm afraid many people wouldn't have survived. Now, there's a high-level priest in this base. He's helping to research ways to eliminate the aftereffects of the nerve agent and genetic deficiency syndrome … Err, sorry, I was just talking to myself … Is there something you need from me? "
I waved my hand. "It's nothing. It's good to know that everything is going well. If there's anything you need, you can contact me directly through this channel. Now, the royal family is directly responsible for the problems left behind by Merovar. Yep, also, I hope that you can make a trip. "
"Make a … trip?" Anu Lili didn't react for a moment. "Err, to your side? Of course I'd be happy. I'm also very interested in the legendary Shadow City. The high-level priest here said that it's like heaven … But my job here … "
"Your job can be temporarily handed over to a reliable person, right?" I knew that Anu Lili thought this was just an ordinary invitation, so I reminded her. "I have some surprises for you. I originally wanted to send someone to deliver them, but … it seems that it's more meaningful for you to bring them back personally. It's time for your ancestors to go home. "
Anu Lili's eyes widened. She didn't really understand what I was talking about, and probably couldn't relate it to the compatriots who had been taken away in the past thousand years. However, I mentioned their ancestors, and this word carried enough weight.
I didn't tell her more, so as to maintain a certain sense of mystery. Anu Lili didn't continue to hesitate and happily agreed to come back in two days. Two days was just enough for us to make some preparations — I mean, according to our family's rules, we could buy some good dishes. Did anyone think that our first family could think of some extravagant welcoming ceremony?
Two days wasn't a long time, and it passed in the blink of an eye. Of course, this could also be because I was busy all the time. I felt that my life was really busy now. Basically, the moment I woke up, I had to go to the Shadow City or the Heavenly City to deal with a lot of construction or troop issues. Now, I also had to check on the "Schilling" situation every day. When I returned home, I was either dealing with reports or being dealt with by reports. I didn't even have time to play with the children. I often said that I raised a bunch of naughty children, but then again, perhaps my children were the most obedient kind. The time I spent with them was probably less than a third of the time a normal father spent with them, but these little girls never pestered me because of this. Even the most immature Little Bubble could understand that her father had many great, great jobs. What more could I ask for? Their occasional mischief was probably just to attract the attention of their family, to see who could accompany them.
Oh, except for Liliana. She was a weirdo. I always thought that she was considered an adult, even though she was an adult that could be slapped and fed.
A stable World Gate had been built from the thirteen worlds to the Shadow City. As the former was already in the interior of the Empire, and considering the need to deal with a lot of historical issues, we allowed two of the thirteen worlds to be directly connected to the capital of the Empire, and Anurili's universe was one of them. My sister and I waited at the Dimensional Hub square early in the morning. This was the first time Anurili used the World Gate, and if no one came to greet her, she would have turned around the moment she came out.
The waiting area in front of the Dimensional Hub suddenly rang with a soft and gentle female voice. This voice was limited to the corresponding waiting area of each World Gate, so it wouldn't affect the order in other places. "The passengers from the New Eden Confederation have arrived, please get ready. Attention, please do not use high-speed transportation within the Dimensional Hub square. Please do not use high-speed transportation, please do not use … Those three elves over there, I'm talking about you! Do you dare to get off your motorcycles! Assistant manager, hold down those three who are racing at the Dimensional Hub square. There are still five minutes before the next activation of the Seventh Teleportation Gate. Passengers who are about to transmigrate to the Shaba Continent, please take your identification card and luggage with you, and get ready to enter … "
My sister sighed. "Sigh, Bubble is pretending to be the Space Administration's Logic Mainframe Computer again."
I thought of something else. "Sis, did the broadcast make a mistake? How did they come from the New Eden Confederation? "
But my doubts didn't last long, because the barrier in front of the Dimensional Hub had been lowered, and a large group of people surged out from the exit. Many of them were New Eden Confederation citizens who were carrying bags and small suitcases, probably traveling to the Shadow City. There were also a few young people wearing military school uniforms. They were probably this year's freshmen who had come to familiarize themselves with the environment. In this large crowd, a slender figure entered our field of vision. She was wearing a rather old-fashioned dress, and she looked completely out of place compared to the elegantly dressed tourists and students around her. She was none other than Anurili, the person we had been waiting for for a long time. She looked a little flustered, as though she wasn't sure if she had arrived at her destination safely. She just followed the flow of the crowd and found the exit of the barrier. Along the way, she looked around in surprise, filled with curiosity about this strange and bustling world. So, until she was almost brought out of the waiting area by the crowd, she didn't see my sister or me.
"Anu Lili!" I felt that if I didn't call out to her, she would get lost in the train station, so I called out to her from behind. As Anu Lili looked at me with a confused expression, the surrounding tourists also noticed the Empire Emperor who was originally sitting in a corner. Perhaps no one would have thought that the Emperor of the Empire would be hiding in such a place. The crowd was stunned for a moment, but they soon saw the automatic "Please pay your respects" notification on their identification card, and in an instant, they were surrounded.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"May you be healthy, Your Majesty!"
"May the martial arts prosper, Your Majesty!"
"Do you want a plate, Your Majesty?"
… That guy had already expanded his business to New Eden!?
"Same here, same here. Let's go." I quickly waved my hand and decisively separated myself from the crowd of overly enthusiastic Federation citizens. Fortunately, everyone knew that they couldn't disrupt the order, and the crowd quickly dispersed. Of course, this could also be due to the black smoke coming out of my sister's back. The thin Anu Lili finally had the opportunity to pass through the crowd and stand in front of us. She looked at us with a surprised expression.
"How did you come from New Eden Federation?" The oppressive black smoke on my sister's body instantly dissipated, and I looked at Anu Lili with a face full of sunshine. This was the first time Anu Lili saw my sister, and she looked a little surprised. I introduced her, "Oh, this is my sister, Chen Qian. You can call her Sister Chen Qian."
"Oh, Sister Chen Qian," Anu Lili greeted politely, and then explained, "When I came here, I didn't really understand what that teleportation meant. I arrived at an unfamiliar but bustling place. I said that I wanted to go to the capital, but they told me that I had missed my stop … Oh right, I should thank that uncle just now. He helped me …"
As Anu Lili spoke, she turned her head to look at the exit of the plaza. However, the Federation tour group had already disappeared into the bustling crowd outside the plaza. It seemed that this girl who had missed her stop successfully arrived at the City of Shadows with the help of someone else.
Alright, maybe I should have sent someone to pick her up … It was quite troublesome to get lost on a cross-world transportation network. However, it was not a big deal if they really got lost, because this network was indeed a bit high-tech. Even if its civilian function was foolproof, there had been quite a number of unlucky people who had passed through the first time they teleported across worlds. The staff of the Space Administration were already very familiar with the rescue experience in this area.
"This is the City of Shadows?"
Anu Lili followed behind us to the exit of the plaza. Under Xi Weisi's planning, the Dimensional Hub Plaza was no longer an open-air building. However, it was covered by a layer of transparent barrier. The barrier's permeability was appalling, so it was still visually an open-air place. Anu Lili looked around with a shocked and amazed expression. She looked at the tall and magnificent metal buildings outside the plaza, the psionic obelisks with blue lightning swimming around them, and the circular island of the military headquarters in the sky above the city. In the distance, she could also see the huge buildings that stretched into the sky, as though they were about to disappear behind the clouds. These things intertwined in the air to form a grid that looked like a work of art. She had never seen such a sight before. The prosperity and magnificence of the Capital of Worlds amazed the girl. Finally, she noticed something even more mysterious behind the clouds. Through the gaps between the clouds, she could vaguely see another piece of land hanging down from the clear and bright dome. The rivers and mountains of another planet could be seen clearly on this piece of land. It was as though she was looking at Earth from a low-Earth orbit. When she noticed that the entire sky was shrouded by the mysterious upside-down continent, Anu Lili's breath suddenly stopped. "What … is that?"
"The mother planet of the Empire. We will bring you there when the time comes. The things that we want to show you will be temporarily placed on the mother planet." I smiled as I looked at the girl who was amazed by the magnificent sight before her for the first time. "As for now … Hmm, I will bring you to rest first. Then, let's tour the Capital of Worlds. The Emperor himself will be your guide. You can brag to everyone when you get back. "
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