The hexagonal hall that was as vast as an indoor gymnasium was completely empty. There wasn't even a table or a lamp to be seen. It was as clean as a shiny metal box. We looked around this empty place for a long time, but we didn't see what was going on with the parliament that the other party was talking about. But just as I was wondering if the other party was planning to abandon us here, the space around us suddenly changed.
The originally bright lights in the room instantly dimmed, as though there was insufficient voltage, causing the lights to dim. Countless specks of white light appeared in the surrounding air at the same time. These white specks of light that looked like fireflies happily jumped in the air and gathered at the center of the room. After a few seconds, these specks of light gathered into a human figure that was completely formed by energy.
It was a young woman that looked to be in her twenties, with a graceful expression on her face. She was draped in a white flowery robe that looked like a religious dress (of course, it was only white. She was formed from white light from head to toe, and only the bright and dark lines allowed one to distinguish her silhouette). She wore a complicated crown on her head and held a scepter that was as tall as a person. From the moment she appeared, her gaze was fixed on me and Sandora. Only when the surrounding white specks of light had completely formed into the details of her body did she do anything else. She raised her scepter and cautiously took two steps back. I could swear that the expression on her face did not change at all. It was as though this action was an instinct that a living being should have.
"Err, it seems like you are the representative of the parliament."
I noticed that the atmosphere between the two parties had turned into a state of mutual confrontation and vigilance. I tried to speak up to ease the tension, but just as I finished speaking, the young woman formed from white light shook her head lightly. She used a strange voice that had multiple compound sound effects to reply, "No, I am the parliament."
… I felt that this matter was too strange. It should be listed as one of the recent few unscrupulous incidents. The tall female officer who led us in said that she would bring us to see the parliament. I thought that I would see a group of aunties and uncles sitting on high-back chairs and an old man in a white robe holding a gavel. At the very least, there would be a house full of people. In the end, she did not lie. The person she brought us to see was called the parliament …
"You are thinking, hesitating, and hesitating." The young woman who called herself the parliament frowned in confusion. "You are a citizen of the Empire, but it is strange. You announced that you will not attack our spaceship. The parliament is very confused. Your behavior is different from the Empire, and there are many abnormalities. Are you here to kill us all? Or are you planning to start another game? "
"Wait, why are you talking about killing us all?" I quickly waved my hand. "Listen, we are different from the Fallen Apostles. We are the new Empire … Err, this is a long story, and I am afraid it will take a long time to explain. Anyway, you just have to confirm that the Empire spaceships outside your fleet are harmless. Also, about our identities and the need for us to be honest with each other, we can talk about it now … Err, by the way, your name is quite unique."
I was still a little curious about her name. As expected of an alien from the Specter Ship. She even has the surname 'Yi' …
"Name?" The other party was confused again. "You talk a lot and use a lot of vague words. You don't look like a citizen of the Empire. I don't have a name. I am the parliament. The parliament is not a name, it is an identity. "
I was completely dumbfounded. Sandora seemed to have noticed something was off. She gently touched my arm. Perhaps she couldn't stand to see me continue to interrupt them. "Ah Jun, she is a Spirit Integration."
"Spirit Fusion?" I asked in a low voice.
"Similar to the Warlord, a life form of PL-15," Sandora explained softly. "I found a lot of messy spiritual waves around her. It felt as though there were thousands of people standing in front of her. This is a phenomenon formed by the fusion of many souls. Perhaps she is a new consciousness born from the fusion of countless wills. With this new consciousness as the leader, the other souls act as a database or memory storage … That is the result of my mind scan."
I understood. Then, I quickly imagined this woman who claimed to be a member of the parliament as a feminized Warlord. That made it much easier to understand.
"Citizen of the Empire, you just searched my spiritual world." At that moment, the 'parliament' suddenly lifted her head to look at Sandora. Her words should have been a question, but her tone was calm as though she was merely stating a fact. It was as though she believed that what Sandora had done was the natural course of action for the people of the Empire. "What did you find?"
"Your spirit … No, you yourself should be the fusion of countless souls, right?"
Sandora was slightly surprised that the other party was aware of her spiritual prying, but she didn't show it. Instead, she calmly stated her conclusion.
"Correct. I am a member of the parliament, the Arnard Parliament. I am 23,500 Arnards."
"Arnards?" I couldn't help but repeat this familiar term. Then, I suddenly recalled that I had heard this term from the young soldier named 'Gold' not too long ago. Then, a look of realization appeared on my face. "Ah, I know. You are …"
"The Arnard High Race. There were 23,500 survivors after you massacred them. We boarded the last Void Drifting Ship in our home world to escape from our mother universe. In order to ensure our survival, the survivors used the special talents of the Arnard High Race to sacrifice their physical bodies. Their souls gave up their independent will and finally fused as one. We became the last parliament of our race. I … We were able to survive in the Void after the Void Drifting Ship ran out of energy, until we joined this fleeing fleet. This is the origin of the parliament. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, the parliament believes that there is a need to explain these matters to you. Now, based on the topic that you mentioned, the parliament feels that there is a need to confirm one thing with you. People of the Empire, are you prepared to massacre us again? If you are, when will the massacre begin? "
The others and I couldn't help but look at each other. We were now faced with an extremely difficult problem. The other party obviously believed that the Empire's fleet had appeared before them to continue their pursuit. On this basis, all of our actions were preparations for the massacre. No one knew that the New Empire and the Fallen Apostles were actually two different organizations. Furthermore, they didn't seem to judge their targets based on 'infecting the Abyss'.
"We have already said that the Imperial Army is not hostile. We are different from the Fallen Apostles who are pursuing you." I scratched my head before adding, "About that, do you believe it?"
"The evidence is zero." The parliament shook their head as expected. "There isn't any substantial evidence."
"Didn't you notice that we aren't affected by the Abyss?" Shallow Shallow jumped in front of the parliament and asked. She might have thought that it was funny to talk like that, but it scared the parliament so much that she took a few steps back. "The fact that you aren't affected by the Abyss only proves that your life form is normal, but it doesn't prove that your actions are trending. After the catastrophe, all information regarding the Xiling Empire has been reset. The parliament can't verify the veracity of any of your words, nor can we confirm any of your motives. Furthermore, you aren't completely unaffected by the Abyss. She has obvious Abyss power in her. "
As the parliament spoke, she pointed at Sandora, and a large holographic projection appeared behind her. On it was the Empire's fleet that was on standby outside the Ghost Fleet. "There are also Abyss reaction units in your fleet. Some of the spaceships are identical to the Empire's battleships that attacked our homeland …"
She was referring to Visca's special battleships. Visca had used the controllable Abyss power in his body to modify his own spaceships. The self-proliferation nature of this power allowed the controllable Abyss battleships to be mass-produced. Now, these mass-produced elite spaceships were obviously regarded by the Ghost Fleet as the ones that had destroyed their homeland.
However, it was the same even if they weren't there. The 'Empire Fleet' was the fundamental problem. In the parliament's eyes, the Empire Fleet was the executioner, and there was no difference.
Sandora sighed. She knew that words and weak evidence would not be able to prove anything. This entity that was made up of tens of thousands of souls had already formed an almost unchangeable impression of the Empire when their homeland was destroyed. And we obviously didn't have enough evidence to change their minds.
"If that's the case, why did you let us in?" Sandora looked at the other party's glasses. "I spoke to you spiritually and only got a definite answer. You didn't explain, so I thought you could distinguish between the Fallen Apostles and the Imperial Army."
"The council does not know what the Fallen Apostles are, nor does it know what the new Empire is, but your behavior is indeed abnormal. Allowing you to enter is only out of curiosity. Furthermore, based on the energy scan of you, the council has concluded that no means of resistance will be able to stop you from entering the core of the fortress. In order to avoid premature casualties, you are allowed to enter."
Sandora's expression was clearly a little displeased. "Fine. Since you insist that the Imperial Army is here to destroy you and that we are here to toy with you, what do you intend to do next? If we really attack, do you intend to counterattack right in front of me? "
"Yes, the exiled fleet has already prepared all the self-destruction commands. There is no need to hide it. I believe that everything has been exposed to your eyes. The exiled fleet will engage in a direct battle with the Imperial Army. No one will have the opportunity or need to plan. We will self-destruct before we are destroyed. If the entire exiled fleet self-destructs at the same time, you will suffer heavy losses."
The few of us were stunned. What kind of shameless speech was that?!
My sister couldn't help but laugh. She looked at the parliament with a strange expression, as though she had a thousand words to say but didn't know where to start. In the end, she could only mutter, "What's the point of that? Your civilian spaceships and a few warships are no match for our regular army. The Imperial Army hasn't fired a single shot yet. Why don't you believe that we won't hurt you?"
"It doesn't matter," the parliament said nonchalantly. "Your actions have nothing to do with us. Our counterattack has nothing to do with you."
I realized that the person before me was probably the most shameless person I had ever met. Her way of doing things was definitely compatible with Icetis's.
The current situation was really strange. Look, the Empire's fleet was parked right outside the Ghost Fleet, looking like they were about to attack. The Ghost Fleet, on the other hand, was silently forming a dense formation in front of us. Every spaceship had removed the safety pin of their reactor, and the crew of the latter believed that a decisive battle was about to break out. Yet, the leaders of the two fleets were standing in this hall and chatting. We thought that we came with good intentions, but they believed that the Imperial Army was full of lunatics. I didn't think that this was a battle, but it couldn't be called peaceful either. This was probably the most hilarious situation in history: one side was just passing by, while the other side was strapping explosives to themselves, and the leaders of the two fleets were still chatting!
"Retreat the fleet and leave the Ghost Fleet's airspace."
I suddenly sighed and gave a direct order to Seves through the mental link.
The fleet commanders were shocked to hear the order from the command link. Even though the order was executed perfectly, Seves couldn't help but confirm it with us. Then, Sandora and I repeated the order together: The Empire's fleet was to retreat into the void, completely out of the sight of the Ghost Fleet.
Of course, this seemed risky on the surface. After the Empire's fleet retreated, there were only a few of us left here. At most, there was a small team of heroic soldiers led by Vega and the others. On the other hand, there were tens of millions of Ghost Fleet outside. These spaceships weren't the cannon fodder of ordinary civilizations that we had encountered in the past. Even though they couldn't compare to the Empire's warships, there were so many of them that if they were to explode and cause trouble, even our family wouldn't be any better off.
But with Lin Xue's prophecy, I believed that there shouldn't be any problems. Even though these fugitives were determined to perish together with the Empire's fleet, they didn't have the will to initiate an attack. This was the typical mentality of fugitives. They might fight to the death if they were forced into a corner, but if there was a chance of survival, they wouldn't put their entire group in a dead end.
Of course, more importantly, it wouldn't be too difficult for the few of us to retreat if the situation really went awry. Even though we might not be able to deal with such a large Ghost Fleet, completely annihilating the enemy and escaping unscathed were two completely different concepts. At the very least, I still had Jingle in my pocket, which could be used as a warehouse for resurrection tokens …
"Now, we've shown our sincerity." I shrugged at the 'Parliament'. "Of course, you can also think that the Imperial Army is trying to numb your nerves and prepare to launch a destructive attack later. I know that you'll definitely think of the worst. After fleeing for so many years, you've trained your nerves to be jittery and paranoid. But at least we've shown our sincerity. You should be able to answer a few questions, right?"
The sudden retreat of the Imperial Army had obviously surprised the 'Parliament'. I couldn't see any traces of her communicating with the outside world, nor did I know how the Ghost Fleet was reacting. But it was obvious that she was aware of the situation outside immediately. A few minutes later, she nodded. "The Imperial Army's fleet has returned to the Void. You guys … are really strange."
"Of course it's strange. We've said it many times. The New Empire and the Fallen Apostle are two different concepts." Sandora held her forehead and mumbled. "Alright, do you have any means to directly read a large amount of information? I want to send you a set of information. I can't explain it clearly with my mouth. Your mental barrier seems to be preventing us from connecting. "
The 'Parliament' nodded. A general data platform rose from the ground in front of her. It was very similar to the model used on the Empire's starships. She told us that she could read the Empire's standard data terminal. It was just that the decoding table was a little old, and it was based on the rules of the old Empire era. So, Sandora spent a minute to upgrade the decoder for the 'Parliament'. I suddenly felt that this scene was a little similar to when I upgraded the Storm Audio and Video …
While Sandora was exchanging information with the 'Parliament', I contacted Vega and his team, who were on standby at the 'back' of the metal sky thousands of meters above the ground. I learned that they had already met up with several other scouting teams and were now stationed in an extra-large metal cavity. They had yet to come into contact with the other guards of the planetary fortress. However, Vega reported that she had detected several obscure scanning waves. Obviously, there was more than one group of starship soldiers stationed near them. However, unlike the two impatient soldiers we met, the starship soldiers that Vega encountered did not dare to act on their own. Of course, the latter could also have received a death order from their superiors. After all, the energy signature on our bodies was enough to prove that we were the top Shiring Apostles. Now that a large group of top-notch combat power that could destroy the world was staying at their headquarters, I believed that no officer with a higher IQ than a table would dare to provoke them. So, the two groups of people confronted each other awkwardly. Both sides were well aware of each other's existence, but they pretended not to notice each other. Vega expressed through the mental link that she felt that the situation was terrible. Obviously, the nervous structure of the Armored Scorpion was not very suitable for this kind of mission that required calmness and forbearance. Raven 001, on the other hand, tactfully expressed to me that she wanted to fight with Vega. Whenever Scorpion was under pressure, she was used to sharpening her blade on the shell. She was annoyed to death …
I felt that it was a huge mistake to let these two clowns carry out the mission together and leave Olaf, the only one who could mediate, on the surface.
After a few minutes, Sandora and the 'Parliament' completed the data exchange. I knew the data that they exchanged — the process of the fall of the old Empire and the details of the new Empire.
Of course, there was also our identities.
"This is shocking information. I find it hard to believe." The 'Parliament's' body flickered. Little Xijing, who was playing by the side, immediately stopped and flashed at the same frequency as her. "Emperor, the supreme leader of the Xiling Empire, we are unable to determine the position of a person from the Empire in your entire ruling system. However, it is impossible for any Shiring Apostles to lie on this topic. Therefore, there is no need to doubt your identity. This way, your words will be highly credible. With so many high-ranking leaders of the Empire coming here, I am very confused. If your information is completely correct, then the new Empire should be in a crucial period of recovery. The Shiring Apostles will not waste time. According to the Imperial Army's movement patterns recorded in the database, you will launch an all-out attack and directly destroy the 'Ghost Fleet' that has come into contact with your territory to increase efficiency. It will not be like this, where the supreme leader is personally wasting time with me. "
I instantly looked at Sandora speechlessly. The latter smiled awkwardly and nodded slightly.
Alright, it seemed that if this was the era of the old Empire, Sandora would really make such a decision. No matter who the other party was, once they confirmed that they were a threat to the rule of the Empire, they would directly wipe them out. From this point, the 'Parliament' in front of me actually had a deeper understanding of the Empire than I did. As expected of a survivor who had been defeated by the Empire.
"You don't understand the new Empire enough, so it is natural for you to make such a judgment." The elder sister smiled warmly. "I believe that the current Shiring Apostles have already realized that there is actually a more effective method to swiftly recover the Empire, and that is to be friends. Now that you have a comprehensive understanding of our origins and the history of the old and new Empire, after the old Empire was destroyed, the Shiring Apostles of the new Empire were all in deep standby mode. The ones who attacked your homeland were actually the Abyss Army. Now, as an exchange, can you tell me about your past? "
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