Two people walked over from the other side of the landing platform and had a brief interaction with us before; they are a young soldier and his partner. These two came to see us off. Although it may partly be due to orders from higher-ups, it is still somewhat surprising. I did not expect that Jin had such a strong ability to accept things, nor did I expect Tuolulu, this Insect Star Person, to be a rather shy fellow: he wanted to apologize to Miss Lin for previously attacking indiscriminately with the Light Saber, but he was too embarrassed to say it, so Jin had to help express it. I still had to comfort him and let him ease his mind because, even though Tuolulu initiated the attack, the result was Miss Lin hitting him across the face with a frying pan, wasn’t it... "The Tobelu Clan is a race with great potential." Looking at the Ghost Energy Saber mounted on Tuolulu’s forelimbs, Sandora suddenly spoke to him seriously, "Although you might not be able to accept this now, personally, I’m looking forward to the day when the Tobelu people can appear in the Empire’s laboratories, relying on individual power to directly utilize Ghost Energy as a life form. Currently, aside from the Xyrin Apostles, you are the first. I hope in the future, both races can put aside past grievances." By the way, I hadn’t connected the dots until now. The insect-like alien seems to be from the Tobelu Clan, which is a perverse civilization that relied on military strength to stand against the Empire for three years. Now all the ships of the Exile Fleet and the ten Planet Fortresses including the one beneath our feet are products of theirs. Such a super civilization is indeed extraordinary, and Sandora, who is usually proud, also sees them as a potential partner. Realizing this changed my view of the insect brother — one mustn’t judge by appearances. Who said aliens from the Insect Race could only go the biceps route? Isn’t this fellow before us taking the high-tech route? Upon hearing Sandora’s words, Tuolulu hadn’t had time to react, but Jin hastily became nervous and asked urgently, "You’re not going to tie us up in the lab for dissection and study, are you?" ...This makes one wonder what kind of stories are written in the Exile Fleet’s elementary school textbooks. It’s uncertain whether their children’s books mention whether the Imperial Soldiers eat human flesh... "One day, you will use your own eyes to see what the New Empire looks like." Lilina spoke in an old-spirit tone, then took out a bunch of little leaves, pulling out two to hand to Jin and Tuolulu: "This is my business card. With it, you can join the Life God Sect without queuing or registration fee. When you have minor illnesses, you won’t need to ask for help, just pray at home and you’ll get better. When praying, clearly state your name and address, and if a voice from above says busy, just ignore it. The temple is upgrading their servers recently; it’s a false alert..." I watched from the side, sweating buckets. Lilina managed to make spreading religion seem like selling a magic cure for psoriasis. Surely she is quite the character. Jin and Tuolulu were both stunned. I reckon they have never heard of praying before, and it seems that the Exile Fleet has no religious history either — originally, they were "barbarians" on the Empire and Star Domain double border. Even if they had beliefs, they wouldn’t be part of the Star Domain Divine Race; otherwise, after all these years, they would have inadvertently contacted the Star Domain’s helpful sorts, wouldn’t they? As for ending up in such dire straits? Indeed, when I asked, Jin didn’t know what praying meant, and Tuolulu had no clue what religion was... Hence, Lilina was immediately perceived by them as a child spouting nonsense. Big Sister smiled slightly; since striking an agreement with the "Council," the smile on her face has not faded. Now, she patted Lilina on the head and turned to me, saying, "After each sorrowful matter concludes, this girl has a knack for lightening the mood." I thought about it and felt it was mainly thanks to Lilina’s carefree nature. "Is the United Fleet really about to dock?" Jin seemed to have many things to say, but considering he was not very familiar with us, he held back for a long time and only managed to utter this one sentence, cautiously. Clearly, the bad image of the Imperial Soldiers still deeply rooted in his mind, at least within his generation, not many dare to befriend the Imperial People. "Yes, the Empire will arrange it as soon as possible. You will settle down in a whole new universe," I nodded affirmatively, in an indisputable tone, "I assure you, everything will be fine, and all fleet members will have a safe home." Jin might not have much sense of "a comforting home," just like the tribe of the Ruins World could not imagine the sky with sun, moon, and stars. Nevertheless, he still smiled. He is, after all, still a youth or even a child. That does not prevent children of this age from yearning for novelties, even if he does not know how genuine childhood ought to be spent. He is full of anticipation for the new world I mentioned. Check latest chapters at Nove1Fire.net "They all taught me, Imperial People are very fierce, but you all seem different, nothing like what’s described in the books," Jin said happily, "I’m still quite afraid of those Imperial Ships, but I’m not afraid of you... Are you really the Emperor? I heard the Emperor is the most powerful person in the entire Empire, smarter than everyone, never makes mistakes—the books portray the Xyrin Emperor as this terrifying guy." No matter how I answered this question, it felt a bit disingenuous, so I simply did not respond. The high-level insect Tobelu, shaped like a mantis, didn’t much enjoy conversing with outsiders; it remained silent while we spoke. Only when we were about to leave did it finally speak: "Living peacefully is good; many have voted in favor. The Tobelu Clan does not like fighting. I have things to say; we have no other choice apart from accepting." Again, this seemingly convoluted statement, yet understanding it poses no challenge. Apparently, this is a characteristic of the Tobelu Clan. Tobelu Clan, a species with extraordinary wisdom evolution, possesses uniquely peculiar thought processes. When contemplating issues, a Tobelu engages multiple threads simultaneously. They naturally possess the talent to break down extremely complex matters into hundreds of simple threads and reason them concurrently, which during their speech manifests as: they typically organize everything they want to convey in an instant and then express it in a random order... This naturally causes inconvenience in regular communication, as truly, Tobelu people communicate among themselves using a skill akin to telepathy. Yet, compared to the Xyrin Apostle, this telepathy is limited, usable solely among their kind, and with restricted communication distance. Consequently, when interacting with other races, they resort to using their somewhat atrophied language organs, making the whole process a torment for both sides. Tobelu people must try scheming to ensure what they say is understood, while the person opposite them employs double the effort marking an order on every sentence heard—I cannot picture how awful it would be for a Tobelu person to read a thesis article; perhaps reading a prose piece would be slightly better, given its inherent dispersion... "I sort of understand the gist," I said, extending a friendly hand towards Tuolulu, "I also enjoy peaceful days, so I understand your feelings." Tuolulu looked at the hand I extended, hesitated briefly, then gingerly touched it with its relatively small right forelimb: "An unseen etiquette, inconceivable, Xyrin Emperor likes peace, is your energy reaction not Ghost Energy?" I touched my nose, indeed the Tobelu Race has its extraordinary aspects. I do not know how they evolved their racial talent for Ghost Energy (as per the Empire’s example, possibly they consciously transformed their life form upon reaching a certain level), but this insect brother before me can "perceive" the difference of energy reaction from the Xyrin Apostle upon a glance. This reminds one of the Xyrin Apostles who are eternally utilizing dozens of various sensors. "Vega? What are you looking at?" I noticed a gaze continuously scanning around, couldn’t help but turn my head to glance, only to find Vega standing behind, Scorpion Sister curiously sweeping her eyes over Tuolulu. I earnestly reminded Vega: "Even though they both have shells, they shouldn’t be your relatives..." Of course not. Despite being arthropods, the charming Vega is much prettier than the triangular-headed Tuolulu. Vega ignored me and instead shuffled with her tail, watching Tuolulu closely for a while, making him quite uneasy, and then asked: "So, with your four legs, which one do you start with when walking?" I was taken aback, and then I saw Tuolulu awkwardly twisting around for a bit before spectacularly toppling over. Vega shook her head in disappointment: "Two fewer than me, so it’s not the same situation... I still haven’t figured out this problem... Which one should go first..." I continued to be stunned, thinking that Vega was still pondering this issue. Last time, she ended up toppling over trying to figure it out herself; this time, she seemed to be seeking balance with her four-legged interstellar friend. Tuolulu clumsily got up, looking a bit embarrassed at Vega. Out of arthropod courtesy, he also asked: "How do you move normally, with your six legs?" I felt like I needed to switch my body to vibration mode today: are these two planning to have a contest? However, Vega, who was more experienced, didn’t let him finish before transforming with a click-click into her human form, her two long legs strutting like she was on a catwalk, and walked away while muttering: "I won’t fall for the same trick twice; you’re not the Emperor..." She left quite neatly, but Tuolulu and Jin gradually became disoriented watching from behind. I didn’t know that the always serious and proper Scorpion Sister could have such a dark side, so I muddled along with them. Then Raven explained it to me, making it clear: Scorpions aren’t very bright, Vega didn’t ignore him on purpose; she simply has a very short reflex arc. "The Scorpion Soldiers’ nerves are too short; they can’t reach the end without being stretched. If you ask her later, she’ll surely forget who Tuolulu is." Raven 001 mumbled softly. I glanced at this guy with suspicion, and since Raven 001 was one of Sylvia’s first and strongest clones, I had every reason to believe this strange guy had the longest nerves, capable of circling the equator without counting the tips... Having suddenly taken on a mess, the tasks we needed to handle piled up instantly, not just for Sandora and me, but even for Big Sister, Lilina, and even Lin Xue who might be equally busy (this being a historical problem and involving some imperial black history, which Xyrin Apostles are really not good at dealing with; they’re used to killing and arson, but not post-war compensation and relocation subsidies). So everyone didn’t linger at the Ghost Fleet for long; after saying goodbyes to the young soldiers and exchanging the last set of navigation data with the "Council" (mainly to prevent them from colliding with the Macro World again before migrating to the New Universe), the whole family boarded a shuttle for the return journey. Actually, Qianqian and I felt a bit regretful. Qianqian is always full of curiosity for any place she hasn’t visited, while I found the dim world under the iron sky of the Planet Fortress fascinating — though unsuitable for long stays, as an occasional tourist spot, such an enclosed space covered with interstellar alloy has a unique charm. ... I shouldn’t have agoraphobia or anything like that, right? As for the Ghost Fleet — well, it should now be renamed the Exile Fleet. As for the resettlement issues of the Exile Fleet, there are undoubtedly many details to consider, and preparing a habitable universe for them where there won’t be much imperial interference takes time. However, these tasks can be handled conventionally. The real challenge and the aspect that would trouble even the Xyrin Apostles is the relationship between the Exile Fleet and the Imperial Army: Though the misunderstanding between the New Empire and the Exile Fleet has been resolved, the latter’s wariness and repulsion towards the Xyrin Apostles have almost etched into their DNA through evolution, much like humans shivering at ear-piercing shrieks, or some pure Atlantis descendants on Earth getting mentally excited upon first contact with Ghost Energy. This kind of biological instinct is almost impossible to resist through personal willpower, hence presenting the Empire with an unprecedented challenge: How to accommodate a group that needs postwar resettlement, is extremely repelled by you, and not only can you not fight or scold, but you must also try not to show your face even when speaking — these old soldiers... Anyway, after tossing this topic to Pandora, that girl overloaded right in front of me, while Visca decidedly went out to count ants; she feared she might collapse into a fish tank with smoke coming out of her as her twin sister would... The situation with the Exile Fleet made everyone’s hearts feel a bit heavy. After dinner, we discussed many things. This time, it was incredibly rare for the entire First Family to be involved in serious discussions. Sandora and I tried to find a world suitable for the exiled to settle from those already registered in the Empire, while Big Sister and Lin Xue discussed quietly how to gradually change the survivors’ impression of the Xyrin Apostles. They do have strengths in this; Big Sister’s thoughts are detailed and meticulous, and Miss Lin possesses unparalleled predictive abilities about the future. Even without any basis, she can directly see the impact of a plan from start to finish at every stage, which is almost like cheating when applied to formulating multi-year plans. Even Qianqian wasn’t idle; she and Lilina discussed how to affectionately convert the exiles and make them feel the warmth of home... Their current preliminary plan is to broadcast "News Broadcast" to the Exile Fleet every evening at seven-thirty, letting them drown happily in the blissful world of the news broadcast. I must say this plan is extraordinarily harsh, and I have to continue ignoring these two always causing disturbances instead of doing proper work. We discussed until almost eleven o’clock without much progress; after all, this is a massive project. If a few hours of discussion could yield a solution, it would be too much of a push. Sandora and I preliminarily decided to start searching all current void coordinates the Empire holds the next day, striving to find a world for the Exile Fleet to migrate within three days. Big Sister and Lin Xue rejected several plans with each other for several hours, with the only result being more than three pounds of sunflower seed shells; honestly, I’m more worried about how Lin Miss Lin can stay out so late each night without her dad minding. Perhaps her parents got her as a promotional phone charge bonus... Qianqian and Lilina’s discussion did bear some initial fruit: they decided that after the "News Broadcast" at Xyrin One every evening, they would air an hour of a legal talk show to condemn the Fallen Apostle’s heinous crimes against humanity — I actually have to say this plan is simply cruel and inhumane, suggesting that they drown happily in the wonderful world of the talk show. But alas, that’s how it is. Then the whole family went to bed after cleaning up — with just over an hour left before Anwina would start singing, the Little Ghost Maid’s life... or rather, after-life. Perhaps many didn’t rest well that night, I certainly didn’t, even Mercury Lamp noticed everyone was in low spirits. I had a hard time trying to explain to her why Alibaba would come out of an Arabian basement with a big beard when she lost interest, so I had to take responsibility for scripting the entire series until the day Mercury Lamp believes that Sherlock Holmes’ assistant Watson had a twin brother named Watson. Speaking of which, can you guess how monstrous the first story Qianqian told Mercury Lamp was? That night, perhaps many people didn’t sleep well. I certainly didn’t, not even the Mercury Lamp failed to notice everyone’s low spirits, and even pointed it out. No matter how serious things are, I manage to sleep like a log, not worrying at all, when Anwina’s eternal... afterlife... singing began about an hour later. I had a dream: I dreamt I was strolling down the streets of Shadow City with Miss Lin, holding a little girl’s hand, and the little girl turned to me and said, "Dad..." More startling was that she then turned her head to me and called me dad... ... I should’ve known. In my dream, the reason why that little girl called me Dad was because Little Baobao was looking up with her octopus eyes, and she called out in her baby voice, "Daddy!" ...I thought so, why in the dream the little girl called me dad... ...So that’s what happened. No wonder in the dream, that little girl suddenly looked at me and called me dad... (Actually this was kind of nice to hear.)