Chapter 93: Nature (Part 1)
Kreler, a native of the southern border of the Helgamos Empire, twenty-one years old, with a clean and handsome face occasionally described as looking young, former captain of the Fifth Escort Ship of the Twenty-Ninth Formation of the Mycroft Expeditionary Force, strength at Silver Mid-rank, currently scantily clad, located in an unknown alien world, conversing with the mysterious alien lifeform "Elma."
“…I won’t say a single word.”
When Kreler heard the terms “Amos Royal Court” and “Amos People,” he blinked, countless thoughts racing through his mind, while his instinctive emotions shifted rapidly—from shock and fear, vigilance and caution, to contemplation and helplessness, finally settling into the current resolve. After finishing his thoughts, he took a slight step back and said in a wary tone, “Thank you for saving me, but regarding matters of Mycroft Civilization, not a single word… Huh?”
Kreler quickly shut his mouth, because Elma raised a hand, conjured a light screen, and played a not-too-long recording for him.
What the recording showed were scenes of the Mycroft People, after ending their standoff with the Knowledge Seizer in the Two Realms Star River, continuously expanding, subjugating other civilizations, and establishing their foundation of dominance.
In this recording, the Mycroft People almost completely unveiled their power to everyone. The clarity of the images, the precision of the angles, and the meticulous grasp of details made it obvious that this video was shot and distributed by themselves.
“Do you think we still need you to tell us about Mycroft Civilization? I’m afraid even the Great Emperor doesn’t know how famous you Mycroft People have become now—your information has spread across the entire Multiverse Star River, making it a top-tier hot topic.”
Sitting on a strangely shaped seat, the humanoid Elma, composed entirely of semi-transparent luminous tentacles, continued in a lazy tone, “Don’t be dramatic. While you were in deep slumber, the information waves spontaneously emitted by your soul already told me that you’re just a small ship captain in the Mycroft Expeditionary Force. The information you know probably isn’t even as much as what your own official videos release.”
—What the hell is going on back home?! How come in the few days I’ve been gone, it’s like they’re about to conquer the entire Multiverse Star River?!
Kreler was left speechless. Although his heart swelled with pride for his civilization’s glory, and he was annoyed at not being included, the current situation didn’t allow him to stay excited for long. Kreler could only instinctively touch his head; his thick hair gave him some sense of security… though it was a bit too thick. After thinking for a while, the small ship captain could only cautiously say, “Then… why did you save me?”
As Elma had said, Kreler knew he was just a small ship captain. Though his status wasn’t low, it wasn’t high either. He had no knowledge of any classified information, making his value actually quite low.
Moreover, the other party claimed to be an Amos Person… The Amos Royal Court was that civilization with experts who could go toe-to-toe with the Grand Marshal. They were said to be cruel by nature, xenophobic, and capable of waging a bloody war against another powerful alien race for ten thousand years without stopping. No matter how he thought about it, they were an exceptionally violent and vicious species. Yet despite this, Elma hadn’t dissected him, dismantled his soul to extract information, or handed him over to other high-ranking members of the Amos Royal Court. No matter how he looked at it, this was strange!
Probably because he had just been revived from soul slumber, merely thinking this much made Kreler feel dizzy—perhaps due to the substandard biochemical technology of this Amos Person, or maybe because the body created was somewhat irregular, causing his soul and brain circuits to not match, making the information port connection very troublesome.
But then Elma raised a hand and casually swiped, causing a large amount of semi-transparent flesh material to seep out from the white carapace again, forming a chair-like shape that allowed the nearly falling Kreler to sit steadily.
“…Thank you.”
That was all he could muster.
“No need to thank me. It was a simple effort.”
Elma twitched its tentacles, and the light on its body shifted back to silver-white. This oddly shaped Amos Person transmitted a rather indifferent mental wave: “And saving you is the same. I initially just wanted to search the war wreckage for anything good, see if there were any unexpected gains. You were merely a pleasant surprise. Maybe even without me saving you, your own rescue team could have found you.”
“You must also find it strange why the Amos People, rumored to be ‘cruel and xenophobic’ and ‘violent and vicious,’ are so kind to an alien, right? That’s also simple. Because later, I need your assistance with something—full-hearted assistance, without any hypnosis, thought modification, or mental alteration, the kind that comes from deep within. Don’t look at me like that. I’ve analyzed you Mycroft People in detail. You’re indeed a very interesting race, both in culture and technology. I understand the meaning behind your eyes, especially since our mental waves are linked.”
Elma’s tone was calm, its information transmission clear, with no beating around the bush. This alien lifeform turned its ‘head’ to ‘look’ at Kreler and said flatly, “So I won’t harm you. Rest assured on that, let alone dismantling your soul. Your value is far greater than you imagine.”
What else could Kreler say? He could only thank the other party for the recognition. His life and death were now in someone else’s hands. He hadn’t even figured out where he currently was, let alone seen through the strength of this Amos Person before him—resisting would be meaningless, especially since the other party hadn’t shown any obvious malice or hostility. Even if it was using him, it was stated openly, without any concealment or pretense.
Although Elma was an individual from a hostile alien race, as the other party had said, because of its kind actions, unless it was something very important, Kreler felt he probably wouldn’t refuse to assist.
“Then, forgive my bluntness… May I ask, what do you want me to assist you with?”
Swallowing his saliva, Kreler felt he had no right to refuse. Since that was the case, he might as well directly ask what the other party’s goal was. If it was harmful to Mycroft Civilization, he would just kill himself—then again, he had been missing for so long; his death benefits had probably already been sent to his parents, right?
Thinking of this, Kreler actually felt less tense. Since he was essentially already a ‘dead man,’ there was no need to be so restrained. After breaking free from psychological shackles, he hesitated for a moment before continuing, “To be precise, I want to know, after all the trouble you went through to revive me, what is your ultimate goal?”
This was originally a very simple question.
But the moment Kreler asked it, he noticed that within the entire carapace room, the originally glowing light sources instantly dimmed. A sourceless, cold wind blew out of nowhere, stirring up ripples of negative energy.
And Elma, who had previously appeared lazy and kind, with an ‘indifferent’ demeanor about everything, now transmitted mental waves several times colder and sharper than before. The silver-white light it emitted instantly turned deep blue, releasing an aura as chilling as the cold deep sea.
“My goal, huh…”
Elma muttered to itself, then, under the gaze of Kreler, who was trying his best not to tremble, transmitted a self-mocking mental wave: “Me? What other goal could I have?”
“Of course, it’s to rebel against our god, our sovereign, the supreme king who dominates the star river—the ‘Amos Great Emperor.’”
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