The exploration team that was previously sent to the eastern region of the Great Nebula finally returned with news that they had found the clue of Liliana, the most directionless person in history.
Of course, it was not that easy to find an Empire fleet that was sincerely hiding. The small group of Proteus scouts that we sent out only found traces of the Holy Temple Legion's activities, such as two or three giant planets that had been completely burned into a molten state, or a star that had clearly just completed a supernova explosion with a large number of psionic wavelengths, or the wreckage of a few unmutated Empire assault ships. All of these proved that a certain star system in the eastern region of the Great Nebula was once an extremely active area for the Holy Temple Legion. The Proteus exploration team left a beacon device that could only be recognized by the Empire spaceships in hopes of contacting the Holy Temple Legion that might still be lingering in that area. Then, they found a desolate asteroid belt to build an outpost to welcome our arrival.
On our side, we were ready to depart within a day, and the entire fleet was about to depart from Jedas.
The large-scale movement of the Federation Army naturally could not be hidden from Jayne. This old handsome man, who was evaluated by Queen Fina as the type of general who worked hard but did not make any mistakes, was a responsible person within his own scope of duty. Just as we were about to depart, he rushed to the hostel where we were temporarily staying. He did not even bring any guards with him, which showed his sincerity. Of course, he could also be panicking.
"That's it. We have to leave. We might not be able to come back." I got the handsome old man to sit down in the living room. I got up and poured him a glass of water. "The fleet will set sail later today. I knew you would definitely come to find me, so I waited here."
"Alright," Jayne sat upright on the sofa with a face full of impartiality. "In this damn universe, many rules are meaningless. You are still your own 'Federation Army', and Gotark has no position to restrict you. However, may I ask, why are you in such a hurry to depart?"
It seemed like it was due to the instinctive vigilance of a soldier. That's right, every move of such a huge fleet was enough to make one's liver tremble.
"You should still remember that when I first came, I asked you if there was another lost fleet that entered this universe with the Federation Army. In fact, we're here to find that fleet. Now that my people have found clues about them, we have to move."
"I see." Zeon nodded, but there was still a troubled look on his face. "It's an understandable reason, and it's not my place to ask about the specifics. However, at this critical moment, if your huge fleet were to leave this Star Zone, I'm afraid it would cause unnecessary trouble."
"What happened?"
I raised my eyebrows. My elder sister, who was brewing tea, also stopped what she was doing and listened attentively.
"It's a message from the Shepherdians. Twenty-four hours ago, they announced to all intelligent races in the universe that this cycle of balance is about to end."
After Jayne said that, the room was silent for half a minute. He was waiting for our reaction, and I was suppressing the urge to curse.
Those bastard "rebels" of the Empire! Will you die if you don't find trouble for me?
"A new round of universal battle royale? That's what they mean, right? "
"You can say that this cycle of balance is shorter than before. Maybe it's because the various forces in the universe have been developing too fast recently, and they have regained their prosperity in such a short period of time. The Shepherdians have announced the start of the great war in advance. A few countries near the Great Nebula have already begun preparing for war, and Shepherdian fleets have already appeared in the skies of many colonial planets. Just as the news was released, a large fleet that had just entered the universe a few years ago and had never experienced the baptism of the Shepherdians publicly declared their resistance against the Shepherdians. A few hours have passed, and now, there are no signs of life in the star systems that they have been active in. This has caused all the forces who have received intelligence to panic. The Free Kingdom of Gotark won the last battle royale with great difficulty, and they have yet to recover their strength. Originally, we were hoping that the two ongoing deciphering of Shepherdian technology would be able to strengthen the battleships of Gotark's army in a short period of time, but now it seems unlikely. The Queen's Fleet, which the kingdom is most proud of, has just been directly attacked by the Shepherdians. Although it miraculously survived, as you know very well, it was almost completely wiped out. We don't even dare to let the citizens of the kingdom know about this news. As the leader of the forces, you and the two archons should know how serious the situation is. At this moment, if the Federation Fleet that Gotark has gradually become familiar with suddenly leaves … I'm afraid it's not good for us."
"I've been in the army for many years, and I don't like to beat around the bush. I'm just going to tell you the truth. Many factions might have noticed your actions after your arrival, and the departure of the Union Army at this time will have a huge impact on Gotark. Not only that, it may also cause a commotion among the other factions, and it's even more likely that you'll be targeted by the Shepherdians. This last one is especially fatal. I don't have the right to stop you from completing your mission, but as a soldier of Gotark, I'm here to inform you of this matter out of duty. This is the reason why I'm here."
"Is this also the will of your queen?"
I suddenly thought of the young queen who thought like a robot. For some reason, ever since our last meeting, she had left a deep impression on me. The first thing that came to my mind was how the queen would react to the current situation. My intuition told me that she knew much more than Zeon. Perhaps, I should consider meeting her again.
"I'm very curious. It's about your queen." Looking at Zeon's tacit expression, I felt that it was necessary to ask about the strange queen. After all, curiosity was not the only thing that killed cats. However, I didn't know how to broach the subject. This was a matter of privacy, and it was the queen's privacy as well. If I didn't think it through, it would be considered a political provocation.
In the end, I tactfully asked, "Is your queen a human?"
The big sister on the other side of the phone banged her head on the coffee table. "Ah Jun, next time you encounter a situation like this, you'd better prepare a draft beforehand!"
Zeon was also stunned by my question. His face twisted subtly, and it took him about five minutes to return to normal. After knowing each other for so many days, he had experienced a bit of our lethargy.
"If you are curious about Her Majesty's race, I can only say that she was once a human, a carbon-based lifeform." The old handsome man looked at me with resentment. "But that was a long time ago. I've only read about it in some old records. To be honest, twenty years ago, when my United States escort fleet and I got lost in this universe and were rescued by Gotark's army, Her Majesty had already ruled this country for hundreds of years …"
… No wonder the old handsome Zeon, who looked to be in his fifties or sixties, was so respectful to a little girl who looked like she was in her teens. It turned out that this old man was also considered a grandchild.
"I want to meet Her Majesty. Is it convenient?"
It was still that strange cylindrical "bedroom". In front of the throne that didn't even have a single guard, Queen Funa, whose name was … let's just call her Queen Funa for short, seemed to have expected our arrival. She looked at us calmly.
Well, she was always calm and unperturbed.
I didn't expect Zeon to agree so readily. It was as if we weren't visiting the ruler of a country, but the XXX next door. You have to know that nowadays, you have to report for half a day just to meet a deputy mayor.
"My calculations are correct. You will come."
Unlike last time, when we looked at each other for seven minutes, the mechanical female voice resounded in the air. Well, this is another master of divine calculation.
But I'm used to it. It's not like there isn't a queen at home, nor is there a prophet. I can even deal with someone like Lin Xue, why would I be afraid of your little calculation?
This time, I didn't bring anyone else. Even Pandora and Visca, the two most annoying fellows, were left at the hotel. I came here alone, and my goal … I admit, was to satisfy my curiosity.
I had a general idea of how to communicate with this queen. There was no need to stand on ceremony, no need to think too much. If I guessed correctly, this queen should be no different from a thinking machine. As long as you don't harm Gotark's interests, you don't have to worry about anything when communicating with her. You just have to deal with her like you do with your own XP mother.
And so, I sat on the stool and started chatting with the XP mother. "The Shepherdians whispered to you?"
… It seemed a little different from the XP mother.
"The flames of war are about to spread. The Roland Gale financial group has always wanted to expand their influence to the western part of the Great Nebula. They almost succeeded in the last war, but they failed when the Shepherdians announced that a period of peace had arrived. This time, they are coming with great momentum."
"I don't care much about the power struggles in this universe. I came here today to bid you farewell. Zeon should have reported to you that we have found the fleet that we have been looking for."
"In the eastern part of the Great Nebula, there is a fleet that was active for a short period of time before disappearing without a trace. Although all the pirate forces that came into contact with them have been annihilated, there are rumors that they are closely related to the Shepherdians. My calculations tell me that this is the fleet that you are looking for."
"Alright, alright, your calculations." I stood up and took a deep breath. "Let's get straight to the point. Where is the Shepherdians' fleet now?"
The exploration team that the Empire Admiral had sent out had been cruising around the Empire for several days, but they could not find the base of the 'rebel army of the Empire'. It would only be a waste of time if they continued like this. Now that the Shepherdians had suddenly made a big move, it was a good opportunity to lure them out. I was curious about how the completely self-disciplined Imperial Army, which was like a ghost fleet, would react when they were attacked head-on by another Imperial Army. This would also be a good opportunity to determine their behavior. The most suitable target would naturally be the supervising troops that the latter had stationed on the colonized planets of other civilizations. To a normal colonized planet, the supervising troops would naturally be a fatal threat. However, to an organized Empire's regular army, the planet destroyer spaceships that were left behind were meat.
The air suddenly became silent. Funa, who was completely logical, could not understand the meaning of my question. However, XP was XP. As long as the screen did not turn blue, there was still a chance to respond. Two minutes later, her voice rang out. "The Shepherdians never hide their tracks when they are on a mission. Now, every faction is closely monitoring the movements of the supervising troops. I can give you the coordinates, but what do you want to do?"
"If I say that I want to kill them, would you believe me?"
"There's no such thing as belief or disbelief. My calculations tell me that this is suicide."
Funa replied without any trace of politeness. However, the Light of Aiur soon sent me a message, reporting that they had received a set of coordinates from the Empress' flagship.
"I've changed my mind. The fleet might set off a few days later. Before that, I'll help you deal with some problems first. We can count as friends."
Through the command link, I directly connected to the Admiral of the Empire. I had the ace army of the Empire, which had already established a gigantic production base in the Red Giant, immediately gather their superior forces and prepare to launch a surprise attack on a few random "rebel" supervising troops. Soon, wouldn't the entire universe boil over?
At the very least, I had to draw the attention of the "Shepherdians" away so that they wouldn't continue to harm the unlucky ordinary species here.
"Friend. That's a very familiar word. Becoming friends with you is valuable." Funa's voice sounded emotionless. She had no idea that just a few seconds ago, a terrifying order had been passed down from this room. I looked curiously at Funa's statue-like face. Finally, I couldn't help but ask, "Funa — is it alright to call you by your name? I want to ask you something, and it might be a bit private … "
"Friend, you can ask what you want to ask, and I'll answer what I want to answer."
"You're so direct. Alright, I just want to know, are you … still human in this form?"
To be honest, this was quite a bold question. I wouldn't have asked anyone else this question, but it seemed that Harloys was an exception. I didn't even know if the Human Rights Act would be suitable for her. Curiosity killed the Fuehrer.
"So that's what you're curious about. My memories tell me that I should be honest with my friends." Funa truly didn't have any sense of privacy at all. She was a purely logical queen. I reckoned that even if someone asked her about her three measurements, she would unhesitatingly tell them the truth. Under my astonished gaze, Funa, who had been sitting on her throne the entire time, who hadn't changed her expression or posture since we first met, actually moved!
She lightly lifted one of her arms, and the sound of electricity instantly came from her throne.
"The Queen's Fleet is currently in a silent state. I don't need to control it."
Finally, the voice didn't come from the surrounding machines, but from the young lady's mouth. It sounded crisp and melodious, without the slightest bit of awkwardness. It was completely different from the mechanical voice from before. I watched in astonishment as Funa slowly stood up from her throne. She turned slightly so that I could see behind her — there were countless cables and pipes connected there.
"A long time ago, I was a human." The pipes and cables behind her fell off one by one, and the expression on the young lady's face gradually became livelier. "Before coming to this world, I was only the Chief Communication of the fleet. After that, many things happened."
Most of the cables had automatically detached from Funa's body, but there were still a few blue energy pipes connected to her shoulders. Without the obstruction of those cables, the situation behind Funa was now clear at a glance. The beautiful young lady's back was densely covered with all kinds of slots and connectors, which made one's hair stand on end just by looking at it.
I completely didn't expect that one sentence of mine would cause such an outcome. No matter how I thought about it, she shouldn't have trusted me so much, but …
"My body was damaged in a battle. It was a sudden ambush. One thousand three hundred escort fleets encountered twenty-two Shepherdian spaceships. After an intense battle, the entire fleet was annihilated. My escape pod was discovered by the reinforcements who rushed over. In the escape pod, there was only a head soaked in the life support system."
Funa pointed at her own head. Her action sent chills down my spine. Apart from the chills, I was more concerned about a certain kind of energy that flowed through her body in that instant …
Just like psionic energy.
"I was saved by the captain of the Gotark Pirate Group at that time. He was a brave and talented Zapulu tribesman. 'He' used his tribe's technology to resurrect me, as you can see."
"This body, isn't mine. She came from … from … from …"
At this point, Funa suddenly seemed to be stuck as she kept repeating that phrase. The young lady's eyes were blank until I couldn't help but complete her sentence. "She came from a Shepherdian, right?"
Funa's blank expression instantly disappeared. Funa looked in front of her in confusion. She continued to recall from where she had left off, "This body was obtained by the captain of the pirate group in a successful ambush. There are very few pilots in the Shepherdian spaceships and it is even more rare for ordinary warships to achieve victory against the Shepherdian spaceships. Even if they win …"
"Even if they win, they will choose to self-destruct. This body of yours is really hard to come by. Let's not talk about this," I hurriedly interrupted Funa's words. My eyes stared fervently at her Schilling body that was flowing with psionic energy. If anyone else were to see my gaze, their imagination would definitely be blown away. "Funa, do you feel that what I said … makes you feel that you can't reject it?"
She pondered for a moment. It seemed that her thinking ability would greatly slow down after she was separated from the assistance of those cables. Then, she nodded her head.
So this was the reason.
A creature that was the fusion of a human brain and a Schilling body. The brain that was filled with rationality allowed the originally illogical Shepherdian body to possess the ability to think. Furthermore, the body of a low-tier Shiring Apostles was instinctively attuned to the soul frequency of a high-tier Shiring Apostles. This was the reason why Funa seemed to be so familiar with us, the upper echelons of the Empire. She probably didn't realize it herself — After all, she no longer had any emotional thoughts.
Seriously, I thought that my Charm suddenly leveled up, so I specially came here to test it out … Ugh, I spilled the beans.
However, it seems that there are many more things that I have to understand now …
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