Xyrin Empire

The two girls participating in the experiment were placed in two crystal prisms about ten meters apart. After exchanging greetings, they signaled to the staff around them to connect, and then slowly closed their eyes.

As the data synchronization began, Bubbles and Milia entered a state akin to deep sleep simultaneously. The central machine room fell silent, with only the faint sound of energy flowing and occasional chirps from some monitoring devices. In the two crystal prisms, an advanced Xyrin Host from the New Empire and an informational aggregate of uncertain purpose left by the Old Empire, began an exchange deep within their souls in their own unique way.

I started to imagine lilies blooming…

"This is truly amazing."

Taville's eyes shone with a passionate light, "Such a vast flow of information and illogical computing methods, perhaps it's only this time that Bubbles truly unleashed her computing power completely, the performance of the Mother Machine is indeed unmatched by mass-produced models—but I'm more interested in this little girl named Milia. Her information structure actually stores such a complex set of rules; if we can research these rules thoroughly, perhaps our shadow space can also expand to encompass the entire universe, then the capital will become a true impregnable city, theoretically."

I glanced at this research fanatic sideways and said, "Then we'd end up just like the Revenge Army, getting trapped inside and going insane sooner or later."

"Your Highness, there's still no evidence that Milia is definitely the only way to open the shadow space, and the reasons why the Revenge Army created her and then left her in the real world are still unknown," Taville immediately explained to me in a very serious and earnest tone.

I figured I might have no common ground to chat about with this person who gets too obsessed over details, and since I didn't know when Bubbles would finish synchronizing with Milia, I left some instructions before leaving the research center.

Big Sister had gone back half an hour ago, and I was walking alone on the outdoor platform outside the research center, my mood gradually calming down from the excitement generated by learning Milia's secret. Turning my head to look outside, the lower atmosphere of Mist God Star was still dominated by storms and thunder, but due to the energy shield over the city, none of these spectacular scenes transmitted any sound inside. Watching the silent stormy ocean outside felt like viewing a silent movie.

The Revenge Army's general attack had just subsided yesterday, and the flames of war had momentarily dimmed, but all this calm was only masking the greater madness soon to come. The Ghost Energy Death Star was ready to launch, and the Revenge Army's troop assembly was underway. This was in stark contrast to the stormy ocean: the latter was tranquility under a storm, while the former was storm beneath a calm surface.

"Ah Jun, are you daydreaming again?"

The sudden voice from behind gave me a start. I turned around and casually pulled the golden-haired girl who had approached into my arms: "How do you walk without making a sound?"

Sandora blinked her eyes: "At least two patrol soldiers just saluted you—and you didn't notice!"

"…Okay, it seems I zoned out."

"What are you thinking about?"

"World peace…"

"Be realistic."

"When can we go home and rest?" I honestly opened up.

Sandora broke into a bright smile, her beautiful sea-blue eyes curving into two clear mountain springs: "You're entering a war-weary state, just like me years ago—though back then I only began to tire of war after five million years of continuous fighting."

Pfft, humans just can't compare with you!

"Have you heard about Milia's situation?"

Although I was certain Sandora would know about the high-priority information uploaded from the research center right away, I still asked.

"Yes, though a bit surprised. That little wildcat who was all smudged-black and darted out from the noodle stall turned out to be the technological essence of the Old Empire, and possibly even created by scientists who once worked under me. I still can't figure out why they created Milia, but the secret, I fear, is about to be revealed."

I also felt a little emotional: "Indeed, she's truly an incredible girl. During her first experiment, she accidentally penetrated all the research center's information firewalls and uploaded herself to the host's servo layer, leaving Taville stunned. Any closer and she might have ejected the mass-produced module from the slot."

These were Taville's words to me earlier, spoken with a bit of dread. No one could imagine Milia accomplishing such astonishing feats, and of course, the unwitting culprit herself had no idea of the groundbreaking actions she took. When entering the ultra-information state, or the Heart of the World-information entanglement state, Milia's thinking style and perception habits would undergo huge changes. She'd be unaware of her own existence, much like how we cannot perceive her. Under such circumstances, though her informational body would stay in the container, her thoughts could travel via any conductive medium to anywhere, including the research center's main slot.

"The Old Empire's technology, truly unbelievable."

Thinking for a while, that's the only sentiment I could express.

Sandora remained silent, evidently contemplating far deeper matters than mine, until a moment later when this burdened queen finally spoke softly: "Ah Jun, have you ever wondered why the Revenge Army left Milia, this key, outside?"

"Uh, indeed, considering Milia is the gateway connecting shadow space and the real world, such an important unit should be firmly held in hand. Yet the Revenge Army was daring enough to let her be in the perilous real space for so many millennia—gee, 'millennia' are basic units here. They're truly confident in the container they made."

"That's because they might have initially hoped someone from outside would open that door one day." Sandora suddenly sighed, leaving me dumbfounded.

"Maybe they were always waiting for me to return and left a key, only the plan couldn't keep up with changes. The universe's creatures went extinct, the key lost its function in the flames of war and the passage of time, and the collapse of the Empire's realm almost erased the whole world from the Void Sequence. And as for themselves… they went crazy."

I sighed and hugged Sandora tightly in my arms. No one could have imagined that the Queen, who commanded effortlessly from the throne every day, also had moments of melancholy. "Sandora, these are just speculations. Don't forget, when they realized you were returning home, they greeted you with a salvo of cannons—they had lost even their souls. Even if those soldiers were waiting for your return at first, they died on some day long ago; at least they stood the final guard for you. Now, don't think too much. It's our responsibility to let these soldiers rest in peace."

I realized sometimes I could be quite sentimental, and I further realized—my sentimentality often comes at the worst times. Sandora was a bit moved, but my few words made her mood even more downcast.

I quickly chuckled twice and kept silent. Fortunately, Sandora has a tough demeanor, and her mood never stays low for more than a few seconds. In fact, when she spoke again, the topic had already changed: "Ah Jun, the Revenge Army has already launched a raid on the celestial system fleet."

I was stunned for a moment and suddenly exclaimed, "Why didn't you mention such a big event earlier!"

"Because it's not a big deal," Sandora lifted her head, her face wearing a faint smile, "The raid lasted only a few minutes and didn't even count as a skirmish. They sent a batch of stealth special service ships to the area above the Ghost Energy Death Star's Star Crown, circled once, and were burned to ashes by the flames of the Death Star. The nearest planet battleship, Teldrassil, didn't even fire."

"Were they investigating the structure of the Ghost Energy Death Star?"

I blinked, somewhat understanding.

"Yes. PL-15, the Great Governor of the Revenge Army, is a cautious general. The fusion of countless commanders' spirits makes it habitually conduct reconnaissance before every move. Even after losing its soul, this style seems retained. The Ghost Energy Death Star is a superweapon that even the Old Empire had never produced. Although it might not be as advanced as some Law Weapons, in standard fleet bombardment battles, the power of one Ghost Energy Death Star is unprecedented. PL-15 got curious about that thing, so it desperately wants to know what exactly this fortress, the size of a star, is."

"It does dare to provoke us first," I said, "We have thirty planet battleships, even if they are just for show, at least on the surface we look like a superunit. Yet, it dared to dispatch a few special service ships to scout the Empire's main flagship first. Is this caution?"

"Of course, it is, because it knows we can't take the initiative to strike—does the celestial system fleet look like something you could use to charge?"

I immediately stayed silent.

Indeed, the celestial system fleet there seemed specifically set up for people to scout. It's huge, powerful, a meat grinder on the battlefield, but it's not fast. It's like a super knight wearing over a hundred pounds of iron and wielding a meteor hammer. In single combat, even a platoon of infantry might not leave a mark on it, but in terms of maneuverability, it's not necessarily a match for city enforcement… that's what the celestial system fleet is like. That Great Governor saw clearly that we couldn't rush with a fleet the size of a star system to play guerrilla warfare with them, so it calmly sent spaceships over to satisfy its curiosity. After all, a full-scale war had already erupted, and neither side was worried that provocative actions could elevate the already boiling oil pot any further. As for losing a dozen stealth special service ships at once, well, we all understand the saying 'two nations at war, do not kill envoys' is used. In TV dramas, this phrase is often used to reduce the number of actors. Once someone shouts it, the audience knows that this person probably won't appear again…

Of course, another important reason the enemy dared to do this is clear: they are well aware that our number of standard spaceships is insufficient to sustain conventional wars. The Imperial Army now possesses unprecedented deterrence due to the celestial system fleet's position, but it's an undeniable fact that our conventional fleet lost one-third in the previous grand battle. Although we can resurrect most senior warriors, manufacturing those massive ships requires actual time. The enemy's number of spaceships is almost three times ours. In this situation, the Imperial Army's maneuverable combat units are severely lacking. Holding a military fortress but unable to take the initiative to attack, the enemy wouldn't miss such a good opportunity to scout our reality.

"Compared to being scouted, I'm more worried that the true situation of the 'Zero' level planet battleships has already been exposed," Sandora said with concern, "If it were the Old Empire's standard planet battleship, it would typically be equipped with a broad information warning system. Even stealth special service ships would have difficulty avoiding thirty such equipped planet battleships. However, the Revenge Army's reconnaissance unit was not destroyed until it rushed into the area above the Death Star, and what destroyed them wasn't even the planet battleships expected to provide escort, so they have every reason to be suspicious."

"Let them be suspicious. We'll soon find a way to enter Shadow Space," I said with a smile, "Taville is decomposing Milia's core, and the key the Revenge Army made back then has served its intended purpose: inviting Her Majesty the Queen back home."

"That's just a guess." Sandora laughed.

"But are you really sure you want to destroy the entire Shadow Space?" I was momentarily dazed by Sandora's bright smile; her eyes and smile are the most lethal things for me. So, I quickly moved on to the next topic, "I must point out: the Shadow Space might very well be the last inheritance of your Empire, and even possibly the graves of your soldiers. Destroying the Literature Hall was already disheartening, and now you want to blow up your Empire again?"

If the Empire had cultural relic protection workers, they would surely be weeping right now.

However, Sandora just shook her head indifferently, "The Xyrin Apostles do not need graves or epitaphs. The only way we honor the past is by stepping on its shoulders to move toward the future. I pity my Empire, but I don't think giving it a spectacular doomsday is much worse than letting it turn into hell through madness now. If we don't destroy that Shadow Space, these vengeful shells will one day become a great disaster in the multi-universe. Don't you see? They all maintain their ability to evolve and expand after death, and their battleships are all newly constructed…"

I shivered, realizing that in many ways, the Xyrin Apostles really share many similarities with a virus.

The great governor of the Revenge Army, whose face we have yet to see, was not satisfied with one reconnaissance. Within the next twenty-four hours, the Celestial System Fleet intercepted several waves of reconnaissance from the enemy, including ordinary information scans, unidentified probes (at this point, anything unidentified is certainly from the enemy), and stealth special service ships. After the Celestial System Fleet raised its alert level, enemy reconnaissance operations faced obvious hindrance, but the biggest obstacle was not the patrolling fleets there, but some curious "little gifts."

Big Sister's power, the ultimate Misfortune Transfer targeting the Celestial System Fleet.

This curse power, which ranks above the white paper used for drawing circles, is one of the rare dangers in the world that even the Xyrin Apostles treat with caution. We still clearly remember Big Sister's great achievement of wiping out an entire race with a single crystal, and after so long a time of improvement and training, Big Sister is now even stronger than before—mainly more adept at controlling her own power. Now she has found the knack of exploiting certain loopholes in the laws, allowing her power to multiply through these loopholes.

Because of the special attributes of the curse power, Big Sister's power, after bypassing some 'formal' barriers, can often ignore any protective means. As the saying goes, even the greatest martial arts can't prevent bad luck; no matter how skilled you are in the Eighteen Martial Arts or the Seventy-two Boxing Skills, there's always a chance of something going wrong, like accidentally biting your tongue while eating. Big Sister's power exploits this coincidence as inevitability, causing slight malfunctions in all unauthorized devices trying to scout the Celestial System Fleet, such as invisibility failure. This curse is non-lethal, and only by reducing the curse's power to this 'troublesome' level could Big Sister's power cover such a vast range. But even without lethality, in this situation, it can become very lethal; we all know how huge a problem it would be for a spy to have their invisibility device suddenly fail when thousands of Imperial battleships are glaring nearby—and in theory, that's more thrilling than having twenty officers burst through the door after you've just thrown a beauty onto your bed. Ever since Big Sister displayed her power, the enemy has never managed to breach the outermost planets of the Celestial System Fleet.

This situation successfully made the Revenge Army paranoid. They had never encountered a superpower this strong before, so they attributed it to the early warning devices on our planet battleships finally working. Their activity frequency suddenly declined, and they began to concentrate on waiting for the army to gather completely.

Sandora was prepared to launch a preemptive strike and give the enemy a small lesson with the power of the Ghost Energy Death Star, but just then, an unexpected piece of good news made her change her plan:

The afternoon of the next day, Taville's mass projection appeared before me: "Your Majesty, we have opened the door to the Shadow Space."

It took a day and a half, but the decomposition of Milia was finally complete!

When Sandora and I rushed to the research institute (I realized that I've really been running to this place frequently lately), we arrived just in time to see Milia devouring her meal. Although according to Taville's deduction, a lifeform like Milia would never die even without eating, she had nevertheless developed the habits of an ordinary human over more than ten years, and for an information-type lifeform, one's "subconscious" can sometimes replace reality. So after learning she'd undergone a day-and-a-half-long experiment in the blink of an eye, she suddenly 'felt' hungry.

Taville asked Milia to rest well after eating, then led Sandora and me to the small lounge next to the Central Machine Room. I noticed that besides the joy from the experiment's success, her expression seemed a bit worried, so I knew the situation was probably not just good news.

"Your Majesty," Taville said in a scientist's straightforward manner, "I'm afraid we have to make some choices. Milia is indeed the key to the Shadow Space, but…her design lifespan for performing this task is less than forty-eight hours." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)