Chapter 954: Chapter 954: New Neighbor “Council” is a super consciousness formed by the fusion of over twenty thousand Yunadean souls. Her strength is immense and she has no fixed form, with an unprecedented powerful soul energy wandering throughout the planet fortress we are on. The council we are meeting today is not her true body—it’s invisible—what we see is the communication endpoint that “Council” forms for easier communication with us, using the image of one of the over twenty thousand Yunadeans who sacrificed themselves back then. Yunadeans, an unheard-of race with an appearance strikingly similar to humans, as evident from the council’s image. But they possess spiritual power and knowledge about souls far superior to humans. Before the great disaster, there was already the existence of a special consciousness like the “Council” in Yunadean society. It was generated through the elites sacrificing themselves, with the sole purpose of governing Yunadean civilization, seeking welfare for its tribesmen, and even after the disaster, this mission remains unchanged and further intensified, elevating the responsibility of the Council from seeking benefits for the Yunadean civilization to finding a way for the entire United Fleet to survive, while also serving the entire United Fleet. Thus, when faced with proposals from the new Empire leaders, even if the Council judges through its own logic that the proposal is more beneficial than harmful to the collective, she still chooses to let as many United Fleet members as possible individually judge the value of the information, ensuring the future planning for the entire collective is reliable. This naturally requires some time, but Sandora and I have no complaints: compared to the suffering the exiled have endured over the years, any waiting at this moment is acceptable. During this time, I also tried to chat a bit with the “Council,” which isn’t very easy. She doesn’t seem like a real-life entity. Her logic jumps back and forth between emotional and rational, changing several different logical ways within seconds to answer your questions based on what topic needs thinking at the moment, giving the feeling of conversing with a schizophrenic yet logically normal person. I have to strip down and dissect every sentence she says, leaving only the subject, predicate, and object, to understand whether she is seriously answering or simply giving a perfunctory reply… Talking with the “Council” feels even more exhausting than chatting with Fina (Mechanical Queen mode). Though Mechanical Queen Fina once was an emotionally rigid thinking machine, at least her rigidity was stable, three-no is just three-no, you could understand her fully with one template. But talking with the “Council” requires having a mind adaptable to schizophrenia, as she shifts from three-no to normal to enthusiastic… Luckily, at least the Council is no longer too dismissive towards us, actually still fairly willing to answer my questions. Through conversation, I gained some insight into other secrets of the Fourth United Fleet. Ghost Fleet, or the Fourth United Fleet—their overall commander is the last Council of the Yunadean civilization. At first glance, this seems strange, as the Yunadean civilization was neither top-notch within the United Fleet nor stood at the peak of strength, having gone extinct entirely. Their last starship was severely damaged while escaping a Fallen Apostle’s chase—a civilization seemingly having nothing left ended up being the core ruler of the entire United Fleet, puzzling indeed: lacking technology, strength, and resources, on what grounds does the Yunadean Council rule this massive fleet? One reason is the extraordinary command ability of “Council” herself, with her special life form allowing her to integrate her soul form into the planet fortress, and mysteriously connect with every ship in the United Fleet. This racial power lets her imitate the Empire’s Glory Starship’s driving methods (Soul Driven) and fleet command links, both extremely important for the Fourth United Fleet patched together by an irregular army, making the Council a crucial leader for the fleet. Another reason is the Yunadean race’s incredible “high-level sacrifice” ideology. A Council is an indispensable role in Yunadean society; however, creating a Council requires thousands of Yunadeans sacrificing their souls, erasing personal consciousness as the price to generate the Council. For most races, such an act is unimaginable, yet Yunadeans consider it par for the course: they have no concept of individuality… Yunadeans internally believe collective interest is the only interest, not caring how much sacrifice they need to make, only how much the collective progresses due to their sacrifice. In Yunadean society, it’s common for some people to sacrifice their lives to form a “individual” of greater use for the collective, leading some to suspect that the entire Yunadean race is essentially one organism, with each person just a cell inside this giant organism—the only issue is these cells are somewhat spaced apart… This bizarre racial concept inevitably made me associate it with ant colonies: indeed, there’s similarity—both are creatures of collective wisdom. However, though their perception of their individual identity is somewhat peculiar, Yunadeans’ values towards alien allies are normal, as they simply don’t recognize the existence of “individuality” within their own race doesn’t mean they think other races should be the same. It’s precisely due to these two reasons that the Council became the Supreme Commander of the United Fleet. Frankly speaking, apart from this “living Lei Feng,” there’s hardly any other qualified nor noble fleet commander who could outshine Confucius—though it seems the Yunadean culture doesn’t incorporate the word “noble.” “Say, when will you finish voting?” Qianqian seemed somewhat impatient, having waited a while without seeing any sign of response from the Council, she irritably mumbled and shot me a probing glance while whispering, “Ah Jun, should I fast-forward them a bit?” Can your ability really be used that way? But compared to the impatient Qianqian, everyone here seemed calm and composed; I handed her an extremely difficult magic cube for her to twist alone, while Sandora and I patiently awaited the exiles to digest the earth-shattering news just broadcasted. After about ten minutes, the Council finally, like connecting to a power source, lifted her head after being silent for ages: “We can accept your information and choose to believe it, but the fleet citizens hope to know how you will settle us first. Though the Void is terrifying, neighing the Empire is also pressuring for us.” I certainly anticipated this, the exile fleet cannot be settled like previous world refugees; their fear towards the Imperial Army has lived across generations with countless more educated thinking the Empire equals fierce beasts. I dare bet even the exile fleet’s third-grade elementary school textbooks wrote about overthrowing Xyrin Imperialism—under such circumstances, the exile fleet accepting the new Empire’s settlement proposal is already a miracle. Their acceptance of Sandora and my invitation largely hinges on the new Empire having split from the Fallen Apostles—the murderer of their homes is effectively someone else, with the new Empire just sharing a racial origin with their enemy, another solid reason being the tangible threat: the Fallen Apostles are already reviving activities in the Void, having expanded from the Old Empire’s activity zones to such vast locations; the exile fleet now just happens to be in the enemy’s fresh activity area. Refusing the new Empire’s protection means they might stumble directly into the Fallen Apostle’s domain—repeating Ancient Era’s history would see them relive what they deem the most horrifying scene. However, the most apparent option, having them reside near Shadow Space, is impossible as—Mercury Lamp still dares not enter Bubbles’ room. “What are your requirements? I’ll try to satisfy them,” Sandora asked—a negotiation tactic rarely seen from her with ordinary civilization, usually she’s a firm-footed Queen in front of outsiders, commanding, executing—her typical communication style. Now she’s willing to let the exile fleet propose requests for her to execute—understandably. The Council’s response was straightforward: “A peaceful life, having a home, and preferably not seeing the Imperial Fleet.” This blunt answer made Sandora and me feel awkwardness. “Actually you are already in the new Empire’s territory, just happen to be stuck in our Macro World passage,” I gestured to the Council, “I assume you know, right? A few days ago, there were ships that inadvertently entered cross-world passages with crew stationed, even causing traffic accidents—that’s how we noticed ‘Ghost Ships’.” The Council nodded: “Those incidents also sparked fleet panic since the information returned by the ships showed the Imperial Army intercepting them. The United Fleet population is severely inadequate, with many ships under barely controllable states; as supplementing resources in the Void is almost impossible, we can only carry those dilapidated ships for emergencies, not expecting them to gradually drop off encountering you… Hmm, you just mentioned Macro World, what’s that?” Macro World is a unique product of the New Empire, not present in the Old Empire, prompting the Council’s curiosity over my mentioned new term. Anyhow, this is something I established myself, I immediately with pride explained the “Macro World Network” in detail to the Council, who listened intently, manifesting great interest. “The Macro World, an ordinary race existing as Free People, along with Imperial Guard Ships that do not interfere with world development; this is truly something incredible, unimaginable that you would do such things, completely different from the past. If possible, perhaps this is indeed the most suitable way for us to be settled.” “Are you saying that you are willing to join this network as a member state of the Macro World?” I was suddenly surprised, “Aren’t you unable to accept anything from the Empire?” The Council answered quite candidly: “It’s okay, as long as we don’t see it often.” Can I assume that the main reason you don’t want to interact with the Empire is to avoid scaring the children, so as long as we don’t see the Imperial Army, it’s ‘out of sight, out of mind’? “This is indeed a good approach,” Sandora smiled and nodded, “You certainly wouldn’t want to directly settle in a world directly governed by the Empire, but continuing to drift in the Void isn’t a long-term solution. I can open up a blank Universe for you, the entire United Fleet can settle within it. Of course, according to your needs, this blank world will have adequate resources. Naturally, this blank world will inevitably fall under the control range of the Empire; a form of control that both parties can accept like that of a Macro World Dominion is what you’ll need. You just have to keep in touch with the Empire through the Time-Space Administration Bureau. How do you feel about this arrangement?” The Council nodded: “Perfect, the Council also looks forward to the moment for peaceful exchanges with residents of other worlds. It’s been years since we’ve spoken to other civilizations.” Listening to this made my heart ache; wandering days are tough because not knowing when the Fallen Apostle might pursue them makes them afraid to dock at worlds they pass through. Perhaps this current generation of exiles has completely forgotten what it means to dock, just like the natives of the Ruins World, making stable life on the Mother Star a myth that can’t be proven… “So is everything settled then?” Qianqian saw Sandora and the Council had already reached an agreement, quickly tossing the magic cube aside and eagerly joining the discussion. “Shouldn’t we sign a lease agreement or something? With such a big event, there should be some formalities, right?” Look at this, our Imperial Empress truly has an open-mindedness like that, about to offer an entire Universe, yet she considers it through the logic of a landlord… We finally reached an agreement with the Exile Fleet that the Empire would provide a blank Universe for its survival, while the Exile Fleet would withdraw entirely from the Void, giving the Macro World Network some peace. As for that blank Universe, it wouldn’t be considered Imperial territory but would be handed over as a fully autonomous world to the Exile Fleet. We will integrate it into the Macro World System through the Time-Space Administration Bureau, allowing the exiles to gain a sufficiently stable home, ending their wandering days and comfortably living their lives without seeing Imperial Soldiers… Leading us out from the building where the Council was located was still that tall female officer from before. Unlike her previous cold and vigilant attitude when bringing us in, this time she looked at us with curious eyes, though still with great caution: the Imperial People, in their minds, have always been considered fierce beasts, so it’s not easy to suddenly see them as friendly neighbours. “It’s truly amazing for exiles ravaged by the Fallen Apostle to accept the New Empire,” I whispered to Sandora, “This should count as a deep-seated vendetta, right?” It wasn’t Sandora who answered me but Big Sister on the side, with a gentle smile that seemed to have understood long ago: “They’ve wandered for countless generations, and in fact, the hatred for the destroyed homeland has long been worn away by the generational changes. Now it’s hard to say how many of these exiles still hold grudges against the Fallen Apostle. Their opposition to the Xyrin Apostle is now more out of fear rather than enmity, which is key to their acceptance of the New Empire. Besides—who doesn’t want a stable home?” After coming out of this grand building, we returned to the earlier landing platform, where shortly we would take the transporter provided by the exiles to leave here and return to the planet surface. The shuttles from the Imperial Admiral, already docked outside the Planet Fortress, are avoiding causing chaos, as Sandora hasn’t allowed more Imperial Battleships to approach the Exile Fleet but has sent only shuttles and Escort Ships. Under the steel dome of the Planet Fortress, it’s still dark like before, and lights like fireflies shuttle quickly through this enclosed space, forming numerous fantastical lines. This world enveloped in thick armor might be the embodiment of the fiercest desire not just of the First Generation who built them: security. Now, their wish is finally realized—not through their own hands, but ironically, through those once destructive Imperial People; ‘dramatic’, sometimes only these three words explain everything. “Everything still seems calm now, thought there would be a carnival or loudspeaker announcements or something,” Qianqian suddenly soared into the air and took a downward look at the earth. After becoming dizzy from the dazzling lights, she descended, speaking with a hint of regret. “It’s better than having the entire planet protest in a demonstration.” Big Sister chuckled, “I’ve heard this Planet Fortress was initially Tobelu Clan’s Administrative Star. After the calamity erupted, the Tobelu Clan resisted for three years before completely collapsing. Before their retreat, they exhausted every resource, covering all their remaining home planets with thick armor, propelling them into the Void, which later ensured the support of the Exile Fleet until today. The current ‘Council’ is essentially parasitic on the Tobelu people’s home planet, wandering like rivers through this entire planet. Thus, it knows everyone on this planet, and the Council should have long realized the Exile Fleet no longer holds the former oath of vengeance, which is why it accepted our proposal.” “They were such powerful civilizations; it’s just a pity that the Fallen Apostle ruined everything.” Sandora sighed. So everyone sighed together. Just then, I heard a neat and rapid burst of footsteps nearby, quickly followed by a clear female voice sparkling with enthusiasm: “Commander! Armored Scorpion Leader Vega reporting back to base!” Upon turning, I saw Vega leading her troops, along with (the word wasn’t used incorrectly) other Heroic Combat Soldiers and reconnaissance units arriving on the landing platform. Clearly, they were let in by the Exile Guard, and Scorpion Sister perfectly executed a task she was not thrilled about, which was under no circumstance to draw her sword and start chopping people. Her expression suggested somewhat frustration; presumably being scanned by others for a long time and having to pretend not to notice really stifled her. The Ravens, however, were still full of laughter, each one playfully teasing the honest Leader Bee: even these absent-minded Ravens knew, it’s best not to provoke Armored Scorpion now; the latter is bursting with nuclear fuel just waiting to explode. “Alright, alright, stop being sullen,” I considered Vega, this iron-blooded sister in some ways is actually a little girl with a willful temper, couldn’t help but pat her arm—but standing approximately two meters high in her combat form, I can’t reach any higher, “Actually…” Just as I spoke halfway, another group of footsteps approached, turning to see it was the duo of youth soldiers we had spent a short time with before: Jin and Tuolulu. (To be continued. If you work, you’re welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com); your support is my greatest motivation.)