Chapter 956: Chapter 956: The Miraculous Species Known as the Dead Nouveau Riche Opening my eyes, a whole night had passed, as if I’d just blinked and it was already morning. Other than a strange and peculiar dream, I barely remembered falling asleep, not even noticing my daughter sneaking into the room. This energetic little one might be the only other person besides Dingdang who’s perpetually happy around the house. Even Qianqian, who’s generally always cheerful, has her down moments. I can’t imagine what it would look like if Little Baobao ever became worried about the Empire or the world. Watching Little Baobao snuggle against my chest, my mood, somewhat downcast due to the Empire’s dark history, surprisingly improved. Having an adorable daughter is indeed a special remedy for emotional trauma. As long as I hold onto any of the adorable little girls at home, I could laugh while watching a tragic world… Mercury Lamp got up early today. I glanced up to see her large suitcase steadily placed below the window, half-open and completely empty, except for a heap of white and black feathers. The white feathers came from Alaya; whenever my Angel Sister shed a feather, I’d collect them for Mercury Lamp as a mattress. The black feathers, however, were because… A certain little doll has been molting lately. I find this quite fascinating. What’s the principle behind it? How does an alchemy creature develop a molting function? Beside Mercury Lamp’s suitcase, there’s a row of neatly arranged boxes belonging to the group of little girls, Zhenhong and Cui Xingshi. Last night before sleeping, Mercury Lamp meticulously and cautiously stacked all the boxes together and weighed them down with a dozen or so books. This is her unchanging routine whenever her sisters come to play at the house. I never understood her obsession with pranking her sisters with relentless enthusiasm. What’s more fascinating is how the Rose Maidens learned a “Bad Sister Counteraction Technique,” specifically to fend off Mercury Lamp’s nightly pranks. The method sounds simple enough: the one on top lets her box fly, then the Rose Maiden in the second box seizes the opportunity to jump out and liberate her other sisters. The tricky part is maintaining communication to know who’s placed at the top and who’s at the second position. To resolve this, I heard Zhenhong led a group of little dolls to learn Morse code. They tap messages on the boxes each morning. Initially, they tried using intercoms, but civilian communicators got interference inside the box, and military ones they couldn’t get—not with Imperial Princess Mercury Lamp watching… I’ve long given up commenting on Mercury Lamp’s antics. This group of Rose Maidens came for a visit from another world and might stay for a few more days. Although Zhenhong claims to be here to observe what true royal life is like, everyone knows it’s just an excuse. The real reason is that a bunch of mischievous sisters wants to play at their Big Sister’s house for a few more days. Zhenhong’s excuse is flimsy; royal life offers no real observational value. Have you ever seen royal life where you get up early, have a breakfast of soymilk and fried sticks, then take half a fried pancake out to walk foxes? Sandora even eats dozens of fried cakes each morning, amounts larger than what Cui Xingshi’s sisters stack up. Such life holds no observational allure for doll maidens… On my way downstairs, I ran into a certain female hooligan staring blankly at the stairs. I greeted her casually, then noticed Bingdisi seemed off today. Normally bustling around inviting people to play cards and drink, this morning she looked melancholic, leaning against the stair corner, bouncing lightly on one foot. Her almost floor-length hair appeared dull, and her whole demeanor was as listless as the late afternoon sun. This was surprising: “What’s up with you? Did you sleepwalk to the kitchen last night and eat the food Sandora cooked?” Bingdisi immediately threw a punch: “Even rambling you manage to embellish with details! Don’t you have anything better to do?” In the realm of traditional martial arts known colloquially as the Wang Ba Fist, I am by no means a match for Bingdisi, the professional hooligan. I quickly dodged her punch, laughing as I asked, “So, what are you troubled about?” Bingdisi pulled out a bunch of glowing scrolls from her chest (speaking of which, why from her chest?), looking utterly dejected: “There are many worlds under my care now, and these are the routine reports that need handling. I was supposed to have them finished yesterday… but I ended up playing cards with Kenser and the others until midnight before remembering. Damn, full attendance gone.” I was taken aback: “Can’t you make up for it with a burst of productivity today?” Sister Bing gave me a sweeping glance, said nothing, and enchantingly walked away—without breakfast, possibly to actually code her burst. Perhaps I overslept today. When I reached the living room, everyone was already gathered around the dining table, ready for breakfast. Lilina and Mercury Lamp were playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who would wake me. I watched as, taking advantage of Lilina’s distraction of Little Light, Cui Xingshi and Chu Mei stole the latter’s snacks. Clearly, a vile alliance filled with betrayal and conspiracy had formed while the oblivious Mercury Lamp wasn’t paying attention—possibly she simply doesn’t care about trifles . Others may not know, but I do: deep down, that 92.3 cm little doll is actually a tender-hearted Big Sister towards her siblings. “You’re here for a free meal again?” I raised my hand to greet everyone, then habitually focused on Lin Xue. This girl is growing increasingly audacious, seeing herself as one of the household owners. Personally, I believe my connection with Miss Xue justifies this, but judging by Lin Xue’s parents’ reaction—it’s likely she’s the free item delivered with a top-up. “I knew you’d say that when I left last night.” Lin Xue looked utterly unconcerned, then got to the point: “Regarding those exile fleets, I just spoke with Sandora, do you want to hear it?” I’d just settled at the table, about to slap sesame paste on my pancake, when I was caught off guard: “Getting down to business first thing in the morning? That’s not like you.” Just as I hesitated, Qianqian, sitting beside me, stood up mischievously with a teasing smile, quickly switching her pancake with mine. I lowered my head, tears almost welled up. This girl kept experimenting with new tricks, then passed her failed attempts to me: she slathered chocolate sauce and sprinkled a bunch of wasabi on a pancake wrapped around scallions… “Ah Jun, currently, the Imperial Reserve doesn’t have suitable worlds for the exile fleets to settle in.” Sandora deftly slid the stack of oddly colored, intensely flavored pancakes to her side while speaking—even… what about my pancake? “Nothing?” I was taken aback, “How big is our coordinate reserve again?” I was surprised for a reason. My impression was that the New Empire’s Universe Coordinate Reserve was quite expansive—the so-called coordinate reserve refers to the numerous otherworld coordinates collected by the New Empire through the Macro World Network, Void Scanning, Reconnaissance Fleets, and the Leaving World Courtyard System. This has been our ongoing endeavor since Shadow City was established, from the initial coordinate bank with only a few worlds like Vedis, to holding thousands upon thousands of universe data now. A world accurately located and readily accessible for transport is added to the “Imperial Reserve.” There’s a need to clarify the concept of Imperial Territory. Adding a world to the reserve doesn’t mean it’s become part of the Empire’s lands, only that the target is within the Empire’s sphere of influence. Given that the Xyrin Empire is a behemoth that divides ruling areas by universe, our claim to sovereignty over a world greatly differs from drawing boundary lines like ordinary civilizations. Typically, a universe designated as Empire’s direct territory is marked by three points: First, through full-spectrum broadcasts and other methods, informing all wisdom civilizations with interstellar navigation capabilities of the Empire’s universal charter, which they must comply with. These wisdom civilizations retain the freedom to develop, but must adhere to the Empire’s laws in universe space. Second, the world barrier within this universe is under Empire’s control, granting the Xyrin Military complete authority over any inter-world navigation. All world-crossing activities must be overseen by Imperial Soldiers, with the Empire able to fully shut down external info flow in emergencies. Third, being designated as territory requires sufficient scale of Empire colonies, typically consisting of one or more administrative stars, unfixed military planets, numerous military bases, and unlimited military contingents, ensuring Empire’s direct control, including violent means. Currently, the most typical world listed as 100% Imperial Territory houses the Pan-Galactic Civilization Community, where the troop numbers are formidable. Moreover, Sivis and Sandora are furiously cramming Planet Fortresses into it—because celestial bodies in the Pan-Galactic Civilization Community are chaotic, the universe being in a corrective state makes it easy to find planets not in orbit; ample material directly makes that universe the largest Planet Fortress production base for the Empire. These are some basic concepts about the Empire’s “sovereign zone.” Of course, the universe we prepare for the Exile Fleet can’t be . They certainly can’t handle looking up and seeing a terrifying Xyrin Starship every day, so Sandora is trying to find a low-development universe we previously scanned in the reserve to hand over to the Exiles. “The first condition is that there can’t be any developed civilizations with interstellar colonization capabilities in the universe,” Sandora said, drawing a circle on the table with soy milk. “This is stipulated by the Empire’s charter, which prohibits the arbitrary implantation of foreign civilizations in universes with existing developed civilizations to prevent wars among lower races. We can’t violate the laws we set for others. This rules out most of the reserves: when we rebuilt the Void Coordinates Reserve, our aim was to find worlds suitable as new territory, so the scanning direction was toward universes with developed civilizations, but now they’re unusable. The second condition is to have abundant resources and habitable planets that don’t require transformation, because the Exile Fleet is on the brink of running out of resources for modifying a new home, and they are unwilling to accept direct help from the Empire. This isn’t a problem, though, since any normally evolved material world has sufficient resources, and in this respect, Void is fair. The third condition is the biggest headache, ruling out nearly all worlds…” Sandora showed noticeable unease when mentioning the last point, piquing my curiosity: “What’s wrong? Are none of them habitable?” Sandora sighed and suddenly pointed her index finger at Pandora’s little head, who was sitting on a pile of books, carefully picking corn kernels from her porridge to eat first. Sandora’s finger nearly made her drop her chopsticks, causing her to pout regretfully: still silent. “Your darling little sister has placed barracks in every world, regardless of whether it’s Imperial territory or not, with Combat Puppets stationed everywhere—the first thing she does when discovering a new world is to build arsenals locally!” Me: “…Wow! Pandora, when did you do this? Why didn’t I know?” “Routine work, no need for reporting,” Pandora replied while continuing to pick out corn kernels without looking up, leaving me speechless—placing arsenals where she deems appropriate and starting military production is indeed within Pandora’s authority; she doesn’t need to report to anyone. Now I finally understand why we have access to millions upon millions of Imperial Soldiers just three years after the New Empire’s revival—that war maniac didn’t do anything else! Pandora’s crazy military expansion is undoubtedly correct, but it’d be better if she concentrated those outposts in a few universes. I have enough reasons to believe her barracks combined wouldn’t take up much space—a universe is vast, and even the largest Ghost Energy Death Star among the Imperial Army is just a speck compared to the whole universe! Yet, she insisted on placing bases in every discovered universe, with no concern for wasting space… “In the end, the tendency to throw a bunch of military bases wherever newly discovered is probably Pandora’s professional habit.” Miss Lin watched Pandora with a conflicted expression, and I added, “Same principle as a dog marking territory by peeing everywhere, right?” Pandora suddenly bumped into me, and Miss Lin started chasing me with chopsticks: “Something’s wrong with you! We’re in the middle of a meal!” “But what to do, since we’ve promised others? We can’t just leave them hanging,” I shrugged. “And the Exile Fleet comprises billions of starships—hanging around in the Void isn’t ideal. We might consider dismantling some bases if necessary…” The most update n0vels are published on NoveI~Fire.net Pandora head-butted me again before I finished talking; her head is really hard! “I’m also weighing this matter, but those barracks have already developed into large-scale systems, and rashly dismantling military bases isn’t wise: barracks aren’t temporary outposts. After some development, a barracks becomes a new military hub, and any Starport, heavy industrial factory, or War Laboratory is built based on barracks.” Sandora rubbed her head, looking quite troubled, but just then, Monina gently coughed: “Perhaps we can help.” With everyone’s attention successfully drawn, Monina scratched her cheek and smiled: “Star Domain’s world reserve is astronomical in numbers; we’re never short of various template universes. If needed, maybe I can sort something out.” Sandora nodded knowingly but still showed some hesitation, which Monina seemed to have guessed. She lightly tapped the table and said, “In fact, this might be the best solution: The relationship between the Exile Fleet and you remains rather complex. Although they’ve generally clarified misunderstandings with the Empire, some might still refuse residing in territories you provide. But if their new home is offered by the Star Domain Divine Race, it won’t be an issue.” “Why does doing a good deed have to be so complicated?” I rubbed my forehead in vexation, “Soothing public sentiment is truly taxing and laborious.” Monina agreed empathetically, nodding: “Good people generally have it harder than rogues, because they have to consider many factors.” I concurred: “Yes, Sister Bing lives much easier than I do.” “Speaking of transferring a world from the Star Domain, shouldn’t this be quite a major issue? Does it require any formalities?” Big Sister asked thoughtfully. I, too, thought it was best to clarify this since transferring a full-fledged world isn’t like borrowing a bottle of soy sauce or vinegar! A world—an entire world is being transferred! I have ample reason to believe that even with the close relationship between the Star Domain and Xyrin, transferring a world wouldn’t be as haphazard as borrowing a toothbrush. Also, there’s bound to be follow-up work, like the technical task of transitioning a world initially under Star Domain territory to the Imperial Dominions. It possibly involves complex operations, like altering the world’s “information frequency” in the Void, letting it “move” to a new “location”; if comparisons are necessary, it’s akin to cut-and-paste on a computer—according to the usual style of that extraordinary Star Domain group, it’s probably a peculiar operation . Yet, to my surprise, Monina didn’t seem to take it seriously. She shook her head lightly, saying, “Only transferring worlds with high-level creatures requires formalities. Batch-produced worlds based on existing templates are generally empty. They’re frozen temporarily after material evolution, and such universes are mass-produced commodities available everywhere—in fact, if your requirements weren’t so high, I could contact a few old classmates; many of their graduation projects might still be around, and activating them yields undeveloped, prosperous universes…” You reckless nouveau riche! After talking, Monina pondered for a moment, then told us enthusiastically, “Right! I’ll check on group buying to see if anything suitable is available. Recently, Creator’s Sanctum is celebrating their store anniversary, and we might find good deals—do you have any extra requirements? High magic and high energy worlds often come with freebies but don’t include receipts, while ordinary material universes have fewer extras but are usually available as stock. You can even get a two to three percent discount for self-installation…” Though mentioned once already, I’d like to say it again: reckless nouveau riche! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)