Xyrin Empire
Chapter 572: Hospitable Free Kingdom?

Chapter 572: Chapter 572: Hospitable Free Kingdom?

"Ah Jun, Ah Jun, what are they doing?"

Clutching tightly to my arm, unconcerned by the intimate contact with sensitive parts of my body, Qianqian just curiously watched the screen, where a bunch of weird little fighter jets were wandering around like a Scavenging Team. They had been roaming about for half an hour already, but it was impossible to discern their intentions, nor was there any sign of hostility... okay, they simply couldn’t see us.

"Maybe they’re from an archeology department?" I shrugged, the soft touch on my arm made my movement a bit awkward, still managing a lame, one-sided shrug, "Pandora Visca, put your cannons away! It’s not easy finding a bunch that still breathes after all the death, and you want to wipe these ones out too?"

Just as we were still guessing the motives of this suddenly appeared strange military force, they performed a maneuver that puzzled us greatly: they abruptly changed formation. The larger warships distanced from each other, and the smaller ones drew close to the formation of the Mother Ship Group, adopting a defensive posture. The fighters, once freewheeling all over the battlefield, quickly returned inside their respective mother ships, like jellyfish that had been prodded, the entire fleet completely entered a squatting defense posture.

Squatting defense... where did I come up with that?

"Commander, we’ve received an unknown signal, it’s a recognizable communication request!"

A human officer who had just bumped into a chair stood up, holding his waist as he reported, while the medic next to him tripped the unruly patient with a sweeping leg, then continued applying medicine.

"Didn’t expect you had such a character among your soldiers," I said to Reynolds with a dry laugh.

Reynolds touched his nose, seeming embarrassed, "These medics are all aces from the first batch that went to your place for ’Imperial excellent military training.’"

I was silent.

"Cough, cough, put the communication through," Big Sister’s face slightly reddened as she coughed softly before trying to sound stern.

"Unknown friends, since you’ve been lurking here and didn’t attack us, why not show yourselves so we can talk?"

After the communication was connected, the screen on the communicator just showed a twisted interference pattern, without showing the other side’s appearance, but a deep and powerful voice came through clearly.

Uh, seems like the Holy Mother Ship’s Invisibility Field isn’t omnipotent after all, being detected by the other party so quickly. Guess cheating with ’G’ isn’t right.

I waved my hand, "Disable the invisibility; they’ve seen us anyway — but don’t rush to unlock the weapons. We’re still not sure if the other side is hostile or not."

In the boundless emptiness of space, ripples suddenly spread, first detected as a great mass materializing out of thin air. Then, a huge spaceship fleet began to emerge, like specters rising from the murky depths: neatly arrayed, imposing and fierce as steel dragons, the Battlecruisers, the sleek Curved Light Ships with beautiful lines and glowing with energy halos like flowers blossoming in space, the massive Star Spirit Carriers with their volumes comparable to small towns and protected under blue Ghost Energy Shields resembling giant jewels, and then, there was the quietly hovering center of the legion, with a diameter reaching a hundred kilometers, essentially an airborne mega-city, the disc-shaped Holy Mother Ship. Such a space fleet, compared to the one on the opposite side which, although more impressive than the ragtag ships of the Pirate Group, was essentially just cobbled-together Militia, was like comparing heaven and earth.

Although I’m only considered part of the militia in the Imperial Army, compared to the natives here, I seem to be quite V5.

The other side just detected our presence but couldn’t see the true face of our corps, so when the Federation Army’s fleet appeared, the communicator instantly fell silent like death. Two seconds later, a voice gasped, "My giddy aunt... Err, I mean, Her Majesty above..."

It seemed that the initially serious and stern commander on the other side was quite an interesting fellow.

"I mean, since we’ve revealed ourselves and shown our sincerity, can’t you at least show your true faces when we communicate?" I said, somewhat dissatisfied as I watched the interference pattern continue to flicker on the screen, "No pic, no proof, right?"

The other end of the communicator was silent for a moment before a clanging and clattering sound followed. As I stared in confusion, the interference pattern on the screen suddenly disappeared, replaced by a middle-aged man in a dark blue military uniform, with grizzled hair and a lean face. His expression bore the weathered seriousness of most soldiers. If placed in something like Gundam, he’d be the type of captain whose generic face gets blown up by fireworks along with 360 other little white dots in the first few minutes before the cast list appears. However, in reality, he’s a middle-aged, military-charming, and handsome guy, giving off an impression that’s neither good nor bad.

I had been mentally prepared to meet an extraterrestrial, but it looks like, thanks to someone’s laziness, after the unification of the world’s languages by Chinese, another Earth specialty has dominated the multi-universe: the human face.

But the middle-aged hunk’s posture after appearing on the screen was a bit odd: one arm stretched laboriously towards the upper left corner of the screen as if propping something up. From the way he dared not move, one would think he was holding up an explosive pack.

Noticing our group’s strange gazes, the handsome guy wiped sweat off his brow with his free hand and gave an embarrassed smile, "The camera isn’t quite working..."

We: "..."

Even the military-industrial complex has its shady side these days!

This awkward introduction somehow eased the atmosphere quite well. The other side’s commander seemed to be a serious and steady military man who occasionally didn’t sweat the small stuff. I found this personality quite amiable because there were plenty of less reliable folks in the Imperial Army. Since we had also dropped our disguises, showing sincerity, at least a fight wasn’t going to happen.

In the vastness of space, encounters between two unfamiliar military forces are usually very cautious. No one dares to confirm the other’s background, or even what kind of civilization system they come from, let alone what consequences might follow an accidental push of a button. Races that rashly engage in battle everywhere they go usually meet a tougher opponent and rarely survive their home galaxy. Many such civilizations end up accidentally encountering an Imperial Patrol Team and getting annihilated. Hence, real universal civilizations know how to carefully avoid conflicts in such contacts. Now, two fleets from different galactic civilizations are cautiously testing each other, neither lowering their weapons nor firing prematurely until they confirm the other isn’t aggressive.

The difference is that they might be on guard and cautious, whereas our side is relaxed. The Federation Army, strengthened by Xyrin Technology, has grown several times stronger. Their warriors are full of confidence, and more importantly, Qianqian and I, several Leader Level Xyrin Apostles, are in the fleet. Many Federation Soldiers have never witnessed the power of a Leader Level Xyrin Apostle, so they simply equate this power with "invincibility." While it may sound a bit self-aggrandizing, at least in the current system of standard civilizations, this isn’t incorrect.

Anyway, at the moment, it looks like that tiny fleet up ahead would just be a brief task for Pandora.

"We are the Government Army of the Gotaque Free Kingdom. I am the Supreme Commander of this military force, General Jie En Hua’er Dun," said General Jie En, holding onto the malfunctioning camera as if he was semi-paralyzed, greeting us with a nod. We exchanged glances, then simultaneously stepped back, pushing Uncle Reynolds to the forefront.

"Why me?"

The information was clearly written on the scruffy uncle’s face.

Nonsense. Look at the bunch of us – silly girls, noble ladies, extraterrestrials, and Shorties – none of us look like a spokesperson, do we? Reynolds, live up to your square jaw and that dramatic stubble!

If it weren’t for fear that some bastard would sabotage the proceedings, it would actually be feasible to summon Sicaro right now... but taking that risk is just not an option. Free from the constraints of urban management, Sicaro is as potent as an unleashed Pandora...

"Cough cough," Uncle Reynolds, whom we forcibly pushed into the spotlight, could only helplessly cough twice and shoot a weak protest with his eyes, "I am James Reynolds, the Supreme Governor of the New Eden Federation. And this is my colleague, Supreme Governor Zeratul. Our fleet got lost here and just now suffered a significant shock from an unexplained explosion, leaving the fleet heavily damaged. We hope your side could provide us with some assistance, according to the spirit of mutual aid between civilized races in the universe."

I couldn’t help but laugh before Uncle Reynolds even finished his speech. This guy is clearly looking to scam someone.

Big explosion? Heavy damage? Apart from those two thousand Federation Soldiers who took a beating after failing to practice their Chinese martial arts, can you find even a scratch on the fleet’s armor? This is flagrant fraud!

As expected, as soon as Uncle Reynolds mentioned the "unexplained big explosion," the face of Major General Jie En on the other screen, who was posturing like Dong Cunrui, immediately turned sour, confirming their involvement in the explosion. Then, the screen went snowy.

I thought the other side was too weak-hearted and about to flee in guilt, but then the screen lit up again: it turns out he just jittered a bit, and the camera lost power again...

Big Sister and I almost died holding back our laughter. You tell me, how adorable can an army be when not only are their ships haphazardly thrown together without any proper form but even the Supreme Commander’s office camera is manual...

"Of course, of course, it’s a consistent principle of my Free Kingdom to help the innocents in this dangerous universe," continued the Major General, nodding slightly awkwardly while still striking a Dong Cunrui pose. This seemingly experienced and composed military man was clearly not good at scheming, sparking my curiosity as to how he managed to ascend to his position. "We have come here to eliminate two pirate forces that recently appeared in the area. The big explosion your side encountered may well have some connection with one of our attacks; it’s truly unexpected to encounter a fleet here. You mentioned you’re lost; may I take the liberty to ask where you come from? Which civilization?"

The other side so candidly stated their military purpose and even subtly admitted to the explosion, which surprised me a bit, but on second thought, it seemed normal.

Firstly, it was our first contact with one another, and even at the racial level. There were almost no entangled interests. In this context, keeping secrets was frankly absurd. No one would care what you were doing here, and carrying out an anti-pirate mission is hardly a secret operation. Also, they had rushed to the scene immediately after the spatial explosion and been under surveillance by us in stealth mode. Continued denial would be unbelievable, only increasing the distance between two wary interstellar armies.

Of course, all the above were just minor factors. I believe the more important reason was... our thousands of formidable spaceships played a significant role. Not to mention that each of our battlecruisers was as large as their mother ship. The Ghost Energy Shield surrounding the Holy Mother Ship was intimidating enough. As a Major General, old handsome Jie En would have weighed the pros and cons; at the very least, he needed to feign sincerity to stabilize us at first. As for whether he had notified the main base to marshal reinforcements, well, even Qianqian could probably guess that.

When we were asked about our origin, it was a natural query after encountering a lost fleet. Two civilizations that never crossed paths could name the same star system entirely differently. But the principles behind most interstellar civilizations’ star maps are consistent. Yet, this simple question posed a challenge for Reynolds—who wants to make up a hometown on the fly without even knowing the cardinal directions?

Uncle Reynolds’ hesitation lasted less than a second before General Jie En saw right through him and then astonishingly asserted, "I presume your fleet hails from another universe?"

"Big Brother, should we silence them?"

Visca immediately sprung up excitedly, waving a two-meter-long ship cannon with gusto, only to be knocked down by her sister’s nunchaku.

...What have you two sisters been researching lately? What’s with the nunchaku and the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade?

"Do not panic," Jie En smiled faintly, then came another flurry of snow on the screen. "Oh, this camera really needs to be replaced—in this godforsaken universe, we’ve gotten used to it. I fear I’ve got some bad news to share: it seems you won’t be able to make it home."

Pff, this is an insult to the professional dignity of the entire staff of the Time-Space Administration!

Though I mocked, Jie En’s words had stirred something within me. With a seemingly indifferent and somewhat puzzled expression, I stepped forward and asked, "Can’t go back? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you’ll soon find out," he reassured me. "But please rest assured, the Free Kingdom bears no hostility towards strangers. You seem to possess a very powerful army, which is a good sign. Moreover, you’ve come directly to the territory of the Free Kingdom, and not the lands of the Gusta Church, which makes you luckier than many. Follow me. If you trust us, you can head to our nearest colonization star to rest and recover. This universe is fraught with danger, but the Free Kingdom still hopes to trust others and to be trusted in return. Besides—we do indeed wish to compensate you for the ’severe damage’ your fleet has suffered from that explosion."

Jie En’s use of "severe damage" was obviously loaded with implication. Uncle Reynolds undoubtedly had sought some compensation for battle damage, but he had clearly forgotten that after the massive explosion, the entire Federation Fleet was still shining without a scratch on any of the armor plates. You can’t exactly put in a claim for a bunch of battle-wounds and expect to fool someone into giving you a half-truckload of Bone Strengthening Powder; that would be too embarrassing...

"Commander, we have received the coordinate parameters transmitted by them and have converted them into a format recognizable by our system. These coordinates are normal."

"Contact the Imperial Admiral, prepare the Super Space-Time Assault Force and the Gravity Collapse Field. One can never be too careful. Then follow them."

Big Sister, as ever meticulous and thorough in her considerations, had given such instructions. If we had been Imperial Regular Army, there wouldn’t be a need for such caution, but as we were accompanied by the Federation’s Civilian Corps, Big Sister had no choice but to be extra prudent.

We sent back a message to the other party stating that our fleet was ready to set off at any time, but I didn’t really think that they would have a trap waiting for a newly-met Lost Fleet at their destination. First, there were no grudges; and second... not everyone has a Prophet Lin at their disposal. Our arrival was completely unexpected, so it’s unlikely that someone had the leisure to dig traps at their doorstep, then send out groups to lure hapless fools into their clutches, right?

If that were the case, the pirate business in this universe would be too prosperous...

Regardless, we now truly needed to make contact with a high-level civilization in this universe. Jie En’s words were loaded with confusing information; it seemed this universe was far more complex than I had imagined.

Following the space coordinates transmitted by them, the Federation Fleet performed a space jump behind that fleet. During this process, the Light of El constantly used its advanced analytical instruments to scan the opponent’s ships, and presumably, they were making similar moves too.

Unfortunately, when it comes to weapon systems from completely different civilization frameworks, the Light of El’s analysis was limited. Aside from labeling the energy readings from the ovoid "Flagship" as "High Threat," no one knew the combat strength of Jie En’s army. This made us even more curious about that ovoid warship; its existence didn’t quite fit the configuration rules of a fleet.

The space jump, lasting only minutes, soon ended. The distorted image of redshift-blueshift corridors on the external projection stabilized back into the normal starry sky, and we had arrived in a completely new place.

A small Constant Star system that exuded "the scent of life."

That was verbatim from Dingdang, who hid in my jacket pocket trying to learn how to tie Chinese knots. In scientific terms, it meant that this place harbored life.

"A moderately sized sun, four planets in suitable positions, two of them closer to the sun with high temperatures, perhaps not suitable for colonization by humans or other carbon-based life, but the two farther-out planets obviously already have colonies."

Uncle Reynolds, who had been professionally settling his citizens near their new home for quite a while, analyzed astutely, while my attention was fixed on the screen ahead.

We were being led by Jie En’s fleet towards a grayish-blue planet—the third planet of this small solar system. It was encircled by a clearly artificial ring—a Star Ring rotating in geostationary orbit around the entire planet. The energy field emitted by this giant Star Ring enveloped the entire planet. Pandora’s (the girl has such a module—truly miraculous) tactical analysis module indicated that once this massive Star Ring was activated, there was an eighty percent chance it served as a protection shield for the whole planet!

This was a sign of technological stratification! (To be continued, for further information, please visit www.qidian.com. There are more Chapters there. Support the author. Support genuine reading!)