Xyrin Empire

(I think I should ask for more monthly votes—perhaps I can squeeze out a bit more…)

In the morning, Dingdang lay on an apple on the table, looking quite serious.

"Ah Jun, I had a nightmare last night. Dingdang feels there's something wrong with the world!"

Suddenly, everyone in the room gathered nervously, waiting for Lady Goddess to deliver her decree.

"Dingdang dreamed of being suddenly grabbed and thrown into a bedside cabinet! But when she got up in the morning, Dingdang found herself sleeping on Sandora's lamp, so it should be a nightmare…"

"Pfft!" "Pfft!" "Pfft!"

Sandora and I simultaneously burst out laughing, and the third sound was Qianqian's reaction.

"Why did you laugh?" I tapped Qianqian on the head, and she furrowed her brow in thought: "Oh, I just saw you both laugh and followed along—I wonder what happened with Ah Jun yesterday, not being honest?"

Sandora and I were left with silly smiles, plus, who says Qianqian is clueless!

How should I say it, using the phrase 'innocence of a child' to describe God feels so appropriate, should I sympathize with Dingdang a bit?

Even if Lin Xue spends all day teasing me with the title of a harem guy, and our relationship is public, I'm still pretty thin-skinned, right—at least theoretically, right? So this meal was quite awkward for me, of course, Sandora remained deserving of taking the initiative; at the table, there's nothing that can make the Queen passive.

"Ahem, Ah Jun, take care of your health." After a bit of awkwardness, Big Sister lightly tapped my hand with chopsticks and, slightly blushing, whispered, instantly making me wish I'd drown in my bowl.

Dingdang was munching her apple, she bit a hole into it, then squeezed half her body inside to eat the soft flesh; surprisingly, her sharp ears heard Big Sister's words, immediately lifting her juice-covered little head: "Ah Jun is sick? Dingdang can examine you!"

"Anwina!" I finally couldn't hold back and called out loudly, "Get me a bigger bowl! I'll jump in and drown to show my determination!"

At the same time, Lilina was wiping Dingdang's face with a little cotton ball and teasing, "Alright, alright, we're all adults here, what's there to fuss about. Boss, I'm full, heading out, might not be back for lunch."

"Where are you going?" I asked curiously, while subtly (I thought) changing the subject.

Lilina tossed her hair flirtatiously, "I signed up for a yoga class…"

I felt my breakfast was all going to burst out!

"You're stuffed again?" I tapped Lilina's little head with chopsticks, "A few weeks ago, you signed up for Taekwondo, ended up with the coach in the hospital; last week it was swimming, and we had to fish you out of the Southern Indian Ocean, six days ago you said you were interested in Earth's structure and signed up as a geology volunteer, collapsed four active volcanoes, today those 2012 folks are still clamoring, four days ago you went to Kekexili to protect Tibetan antelopes, which counted as a good deed, now there are fewer poachers there than antelopes because you made the antelopes multiply over a thousand times within a day! If not for Avalon's emergency diversion, global biologists would all be flocking to Kekexili!"

Lilina held her head in grievance, "A youthful and energetic beauty like me shouldn't be cooped up at home like a shut-in like you, right? Besides, I'm mainly maintaining world peace; two days ago I helped those human scientists dig stones at Easter Island…"

Bubbles coughed twice, "I don't like the implication of that; what's wrong with being a shut-in!"

Big Sister then twisted Lilina's ear, "You're the one who put tight-fitting combat suits under Easter Island's statues, with the SSS team insignia on them."

"At least two reinforced companies are cleaning up the messes you make daily."

I shook my head, sighing, and Lilina pouted sadly. I knew she'd start throwing a tantrum again, so I hurriedly waved my hand, "Go, go, what fun is there for someone barely over a meter to do yoga with a bunch of housewives?"

Turns out Lilina was hooked, and continued tossing her hair flirtatiously, "Women have to learn to perfect themselves, and who says being just over a meter tall means you can't do yoga—Lilina, transform, go!"

With full momentum, the little girl shouted this, and surrounded by a swirl of green light, her body swiftly transformed, gradually becoming a vibrant and radiant young girl no less than 165 cm tall, full of youthful energy shooting in all directions, her face still vaguely resembling Lilina, but she was now clearly in her grown-up form.

"Thanks to Goddess for bestowing me power and the B cup, though small, it'll suffice—I'm off now!~!~!"

Leaving those words behind, Lilina, having transformed into an 18-year-old girl, disappeared out the door in front of everyone's stunned gaze, immersing herself in what might be her new interest, lasting no more than twenty-four hours.

Pandora and Visca both had their eyes wide open, as they just witnessed the terrifying scene of a little loli originally ten centimeters shorter suddenly grow taller, probably a moment later once they realized it, these two little troublemakers would be ready to fight against a certain priest with cannons; thankfully, Dingdang's words defused the alarm: "Aha, it's just body transformation, the soul remains at one meter one; it's not so easy to make a soul taller."

Thus, the two Shorties cooled down.

"Visca, come here, I've got something to tell you. Pandora, come over as well."

When Anwina started tidying the table, I waved to the two Shorties, Sandora gave me a glance and nodded lightly.

"What's up, what's up?" Despite Qianqian usually having slow reactions, her sixth sense for excitement is unusually sharper than Lin Xue's predictions, and she already smelled the scent of something exciting in the air, jabbering over, "Did they plant bombs at the Platinum Palace again?"

"That's the Buckingham Palace and the White House," Big Sister seriously reminded, "Besides, last time they planted bombs at the Kremlin Palace."

"Ahem, let's talk serious matters today," I resisted the urge to tap Qianqian's head, coughed twice, eyes fixed on the little loli Visca who looked completely perplexed, "Last night, the Moon Base was bombed."

The living room immediately fell silent.

This news was so shocking that it was like the groom suddenly grabbing the best man's hand at the wedding—it's a bit heavy-handed, but the meaning is clear—so everyone forgot how to react for a while, including Big Sister who just opened her mouth wide and, after a while, finally uttered a word: "Huh?"

"You all went back to your rooms at the time, the information was sent directly to me and Sandora, because the situation wasn't clear, we didn't alarm you. Sandora and I waited for new news until after eleven at night," I began to recount last night's shocking news, adding one last thing, "Otherwise, why did I end up in Sandora's room, right? I was afraid the Mercury Lamp would bite people…"

"Tch, the world of stupid humans is so dirty." The little doll found the topic uninteresting, flapped her wings and flew to the second floor, "I'm going to continue teaching the dolls linear algebra."

Several seconds later, a clattering sound and a short exclamation from the Mercury Lamp came from the second floor, it seemed she had bumped into something again.

"That's the situation, it's already confirmed that there are at least three large pieces of starship debris collided with the surface of Barrier Star, luckily it happened in the Shadow Zone, otherwise the human world would have been in an uproar." Sandora glanced at Visca, "The debris should have fallen from another universe into this world, because before the collision, the detection systems inside and outside the Solar System didn't observe any high-speed celestial bodies in orbit. Now it's judged that they appeared within two kilometers above Barrier Star and then crashed down with the kinetic energy of the previous world. The explosion after the collision destroyed many data terminals, causing several high-intensity moonquakes, and the Ghost Energy Radiation interrupted local communication for more than ten minutes, which was quite powerful. The most fatal thing was that until the explosion occurred, the Moon Base's warning systems hadn't issued an alert, they defaulted on the invader's attack."

It seems like our family has already gotten used to being interrupted by similar troublesome matters from time to time in our peaceful life, because after Sandora and I finished explaining the situation, no one expressed additional complaints or panic, everyone started to analyze the situation in their own way, Big Sister pondered deeply, Qianqian began to conceive a grand space adventure story with her eyes angled forty-five degrees upwards, Dingdang smacked her lips, "Boring, Ah Jun, can Dingdang have another piece of toffee?"

"You've eaten more sugar in a day than your own size," I muttered, fulfilling the little one's small wish, then turned around, "The situation of the impact is still under investigation, no new news for now, another situation involves Visca—girl, do you know how your Glory Starship was first projected?"

Seeing my expression, everyone knew the main topic was coming, one by one they held their breath and watched Visca, who thought for a moment, but nonchalantly shook her head: "I forgot a long time ago, I don't even remember having such a thing, only remembered after landing on the moon. Things were always blurry back then."

This response made people burst into laughter, but it was expected. Sandora and I exchanged a helpless look, then said in a particularly serious tone: "Alright, I'll say it straight, Visca's Glory Starship may have a malfunction. Everyone noticed, the sofa and coffee table in the living room are newly replaced…"

I explained in simple terms how three explosions on the moon indirectly destroyed two pieces of furniture, and then subtly pointed out that there's probably something wrong with our moon; it lacks automatic defense capabilities, apparently just takes hard hits when facing external attacks…

"Just guessing," I reached out to rub Visca's slightly dazed little head, "The warning equipment on Barrier Star seems completely useless, such a big commotion didn't issue any alarm."

As I said this, I was also carefully observing Visca's reaction. Although I had previously sworn that the girl wouldn't lose control, whether she loses control or not is one thing, my little sister being upset because of it is another.

Visca's expression seemed a bit gloomy, which was normal, but there were no signs of going berserk, making people relieved. I felt the grip on my arm slightly tighten, so I reached out to rub the little girl's head: although she didn't say it, being suddenly told that her Glory Starship has congenital defects must feel uncomfortable.

Visca squinted her eyes slightly, seemingly thinking for a long time, before she spoke in a low voice: "Barrier Star… where were the warning devices on Barrier Star placed?"

If I hadn't been empty-mouthed at this time, I would have spat!

"Seriously forgot," Visca embarrassedly scratched her hair, "Never remembered using it. Barrier Star is broken, right? Seems like I set it wrong back in the day when my mind was unclear, Brother will help fix it, right?"

The cat-eyed girl suddenly lifted her head, her bright, blood-red cat eyes looking this way, filled with anticipation. Then she proactively mentioned, "By the way, in that case, I need to adjust the Barrier Star's equipment permissions, handing the primary alert rights to the newly established outposts. It seems the Barrier Star itself is no longer reliable. Luckily, we discovered it in time; it has some issues."

I was astonished as Visca cheerfully admitted her congenital defect. The expression was too obvious, making the little girl across from me burst into laughter. The cat-eyed Loli suddenly came over and hugged my waist, rubbing her head back and forth, muttering like a little cat, "Brother, don't worry. Visca won't lose control. It's just a sickness, right? You all will cure me, won't you?"

I felt embarrassed for having the faint worry that Visca might lose control again. I gently patted my sister's hair, "Of course, it's just a minor problem. Taville will definitely fix it quickly."

It will take some time to figure out the whole matter. A group of Xyrin Technicians has started analyzing the starship debris that's almost burnt beyond recognition. I wonder if they can find any clues to their place of origin. However, the fastest results are likely a couple of days away.

Now I feel like I'm really getting used to this life where Empire relics pop up every now and then. The environmental ethics of the Xyrin Empire back in the day were not really reliable. The non-combustible waste they scattered is now floating across various worlds, and dealing with this non-combustible waste will likely be our First Family's routine task for a long time.

Qianqian felt bored staying at home again, so she proposed a very constructive suggestion.

"Let's go out and play!"

This suggestion received unanimous agreement from the girls, except for Anwina, who would rather die than leave the house, and Bubbles, who hopes to spend her days nestled in her room.

When the First Family goes out to play, it's always a grand affair. It's easy to understand; from Little Baobao to Big Sister, our group covers all age ranges from young girls to mature women, and each of them is exceptionally attractive. Moreover, with someone as exotic as Sandora, the girls practically weave a network that captures all possible reasons for double-takes. Combine so many girls in one group, and they become a beacon-like formation in any place inhabited by intelligent beings. You'd need four or fifty Terminators bare-chested parading down Erli Bridge to barely match the same effect. Hence, our family is actually somewhat famous locally, dubbed the most mysterious sight in K City. No one knows how this diverse group of girls came to be a family, just as no one knows who the plain-faced man within the group of girls is…

However, such a spectacular sight is only for outsiders. In the residential area where we live, the surrounding folks won't bother gathering around this peculiar big family. Over the past two years, the neighbors have become well-acquainted. Everyone knows that at the intersection of a few streets stands a bizarre large house that's not quite a villa or a warehouse. Within that large house resides a family somehow thrown together by fate, including a dozen girls and one suspicious man. At one point, enthusiastic elderly folks even tried to check out the mysterious house to assist police officers in cracking a major human trafficking case involving women and children. During those few days, I often took Little Baobao out for a walk, and we'd frequently run into several elderly couples at the gate. The little girl, in her joy, would hug my face and pinch it randomly or smother my collar with her drool. This scene was the decisive factor that made the elderly close their investigation.

With Little Baobao hanging on my neck like an octopus, holding the Pandora Sisters, and lugging a silly-looking large backpack on my back, I trudged forward with each step. By the roadside barbecue stall, the chubby owner wiped his hands on his greasy apron, cheerfully greeting the impressive First Family, "Taking your girls out to play again? Always such a big entourage…"

Under the iron grip of Little Baobao's small arms, I managed to speak with difficulty, "Brother Fat, give us a couple of lamb skewers for support. This unlucky kid is about to strangle me…"

Grabbing the lamb skewers in hand, Little Baobao finally abandoned her octopus-style entanglement, opting instead to ride on her dad's neck. Meanwhile, from my backpack came the muffled complaints of Mercury Lamp, "Bastard, next time you put me in the bag…"

"Don't even think about it. A big man like me walking two streets with a doll in my hands would be all over social media the next day. News spreads fast in this wretched place."

Mercury Lamp grumbled a few more words, then fell silent.

It's a rule in our house that Mercury Lamp must be taken along whenever going out for nearby fun. Despite her cold exterior, the little doll has an extreme fear of loneliness. Perhaps it's due to the things she's been through; she has an overwhelming fear of being "left behind alone." Hence, whenever the family goes out, she tags along by default. But for obvious reasons, I can't let her just roam outside openly. So, the gigantic backpack has become this girl's second container aside from her suitcase. At first, Mercury Lamp wanted me to carry her suitcase around, but I didn't dare agree.

I felt like leading the girls to play at the neighborhood park for an afternoon with a hiking backpack is almost becoming a city legend. If I added a suitcase… Do you believe I wouldn't make it to the city TV station? (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)