"Pandora… Pandora, signal lock confirmed, database star map comparison… location identified as the southern constellation, Alpha Centauri triple star system. Comparing with the solar system as an exploration expansion reference anchor point… rough estimate: distance is 4.24 light-years."
"This location…"
A blue-skinned humanoid race, nearly three meters tall.
As Selene skimmed past the brief report and began reading the full exploration report, an image of this subspecies popped into her mind.
From deep-buried memories, a sentimental, tragic, and yet somewhat irritating story framework took shape in Selene's thoughts.
It was something like this: on a beautiful planet, the native people lived a peaceful, pastoral, and primitive life—until the day an evil human megacorporation shattered their tranquility.
Humans, bent on surveying and exploiting the planet's resources, committed massive deforestation, drawing hostility and attacks from the natives. A long, drawn-out struggle began between the invaders and the indigenous.
Then, one day, among the reinforcements sent by the corporation was a disabled man—someone who by all rights should have been unable to pass the tests for interstellar travel and exploration.
Because of his role in a diplomatic persuasion project, he spent a long time in close contact with the natives.
Perhaps from living among them too long, and feeling the pull of love and mission, the disabled man—together with a group of scientists who shared cross-species sympathy and compassion—rose up in rebellion, ultimately defeating the evil corporation and its brutal mercenaries.
Yes, full of love, compassion, a tear-jerking tale of resistance against tyranny and evil… yet the more Selene thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt.
Forget it. No comment.
It didn't matter. Selene had no interest in digging deeper. Only the Empire's interests mattered. Only Selene's own interests mattered. In this, all were equal. The grand framework of expansion remained unchanged—conquer.
"The rock that makes up Pandora… room-temperature superconductor (Unobtanium), at least somewhat valuable. Understanding the structure of Pandora's room-temperature superconductors will add another fundamental material to the Empire's military industrial resource library."
Such resources could never be in excess. Even though Honkai crystals could achieve the same performance, studying the structure of room-temperature superconductors could further improve the conversion efficiency of Honkai crystals. After all, there was still the climb toward higher civilization and greater technology.
Every new element, new structure, and new technology was accumulation—the foundation for analogy, innovation, and explosive progress.
Materials science was the cornerstone of all technological advancement.
The logic was simple: a better base material imbued with the same amount of Honkai energy would always outperform a lesser material with the same.
This was one of the core interests Selene valued, advancing technology in parallel with expansion.
Many of Selene's ministers didn't quite understand why the Empress insisted on researching alternative technologies for things already solvable with Honkai energy.
Even if it meant plundering, looting, and scouring the worlds for technology—extending wars and paying more than the cost of simply blasting things apart—she still pushed forward.
Yes, new technologies combined with Honkai energy could yield higher output. But simply increasing the amount and concentration of Honkai energy could also achieve the same result.
As long as the Empress lived, Honkai energy was inexhaustible… surely the great Divine Empress would not… well, cough.
From frugality to extravagance is easy; the reverse is hard.
As for the ministers' complacency, Selene didn't bother answering. Think for yourselves. The Empress' command—will you follow it or not?
Ministers: We'll follow, we'll follow! Whatever you say, Your Majesty, no problem! We guarantee to complete the task!!
To this, the ministers privately speculated—perhaps the Empress simply had a special fondness for military technology. Bigger, thicker, stronger… she always seemed inexplicably partial to it.
"Giving a bunch of nature-worshiping primitives something like this is a waste…" Selene remarked with clear arrogance.
Knock knock!
"Come in."
"Your Majesty." Sebas entered, carrying a folder, his measured and dignified steps as if precisely calculated.
"Oh, Sebas. Have a seat." Selene nodded, beckoning him over. Together they sat by the window.
Sebas sat opposite Selene, while the chamberlain standing quietly in the shadows withdrew naturally to prepare drinks and refreshments.
"Your Majesty, the reconstruction of Shinra—the master's long-cherished wish—it seems it has been realized in your hands."
Sebas exhaled in relief. These past days had kept him running ragged. While Selene went to the Index world to handle classified affairs, he naturally took her place at the heart of the Empire's internal administration.
If it had only been domestic affairs, that would have been manageable—he had grown familiar with it through repetition—but with matters concerning his 'homeworld' constantly pulling at his mind, he'd been mentally fatigued. Only today could he finally say things had settled down.
Not that the upcoming work would be light. The multi-world Fate system's Throne of Heroes… Esdeath served as a sector governor there in the real world, but the Throne's affairs had been handed by Selene directly to him.
With no specific instructions.
Many Heroic Spirits, drawn by the Empire's vast and magnificent worlds, had chosen to descend from the Throne. Sebas didn't stop them; using the partial authority over the Swirl of Honkai granted by Selene, he had granted physical bodies to numerous historically renowned heroes.
The problem was allocating them.
Heroic Spirits—Selene's Cursed Legion—were all proud and diverse in temperament. Assigning them to theaters where they could maximize their value meant matching their personalities, at least somewhat, with the local Imperial commander. Completely mismatched temperaments were a recipe for disaster.
For example—you could not send Artoria and her Round Table, or Saint Jeanne, to theaters commanded by the Night Lords Legion, World Eaters Legion, or Raven Guard Legion.
If only everyone were as obedient and reliable as Karna, would Sebas need to rack his brains like this?
And then there was Gilgamesh—the 'Wise King' was tolerable, but the 'Bratty King,' with his arrogance and constant "this king" and "mongrel" in every other sentence… was he trying to get himself sent to the front lines for a beheading by his theater commander?
Did he think he was the Empress?
Out, out, OUT—back to the Throne of Heroes.
"Your Majesty, this is the list of Heroic Spirits who have voluntarily descended from the Throne and been granted physical form."
"Voluntarily" being the key word—but in truth, if Selene truly wished to deploy the Cursed Legion, the Throne of Heroes had no power to resist.
"You've worked hard." Selene leaned back in her chair and took the folder from Sebas. "Iskandar, Ozymandias… no signs from proud rulers like them? Or from those mild and indifferent like Enkidu?"
"Makes sense. Those who do respond tend to be like Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, driven by unfulfilled wishes, or adventurers like Fionn mac Cumhaill, or warriors like Miyamoto Musashi who seek to challenge the strong and hone their skill."
Selene smiled and set the folder down. "Fine. Leave them be. The ones we do release—if they die, just give them new bodies." After all, they couldn't truly die—might as well use them recklessly.
"Just as there are many 'heroes' who dislike or reject our ideals, there are also many who favor the strong, centralized order we represent. Whether they value culture or martial might, each will have their supporters."
Evening refreshments were brought in, and Selene cheerfully told each attendant to take something for themselves. Sebas, lifting a cup of coffee, smiled and said, "Lady Artoria has been spending more time lately with Durandal and Miss Kiana."
Sebas added, "Your Majesty, my humble opinion is that some Heroic Spirits could appropriately be placed under Durandal's command. She has the qualifications and potential—I very much look forward to her future growth."
"An unexpected compatibility between Valkyrie culture and knightly culture, hmm?"
Selene gave a soft laugh, motioning for the attendant beside her to brew her a cup of tea. Leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window, she cradled the steaming cup with the lazy elegance of a hermit chess master, taking a slow sip.
"With or without that rascal Merlin's help—two entirely different approaches. And so quickly, they've found the Imperial military unit most suited to them."
Artoria's stiff way of thinking made it unlikely she'd have found it on her own—most likely she'd have stayed in the Imperial Capital's gourmet district until the Ministry of War issued her deployment orders.
Merlin's sly mind, however, kept darting around to gather information. Eventually, he caught wind of the Valkyrie Corps and maneuvered Artoria into contact with them.
"Approved."
The tea's aroma was intoxicating, its distinct bitterness easing Selene's mind. She lowered her head in the armchair, eyes half-closed.
"Where's Alyssa? Wasn't she clamoring for a big fight? Send her to Alex's First Legion—have her catch me a few pets…"
...
Imperial Inquisition 2341st Exploration Fleet, unnamed frontier world.
Alpha Centauri system.
A massive, radiant gas giant dominated the center of the system, about twice the size of Jupiter in the Solar System. Like Jupiter's Great Red Spot, it was wracked by colossal solar storms, endlessly raging.
From space, the stormy bands looked like the furious eye of a god gazing at the cosmos. Fourteen moons, scattered at various distances, orbited in stately formation.
It brought to mind the phrase—"stars encircling the moon."
"Beautiful…"
A petite knightly maiden stood before a towering arched viewport. Reflected in the glass were her delicate features and shoulder-length golden hair. In her emerald eyes, a swath of glittering starlight shimmered; countless mysterious stars twinkled in a deep blue halo.
Artoria's gaze fixed on the stars, but one dazzling object drew her attention—a jewel among the system's treasures, vibrant and resplendent.
"Pandora… clearly, this moon is the source of the signal. We can call it Pandora."
With the crisp clack of heels on deck plating, Durandal approached in silver-white armor, handing Artoria a bag of snacks she'd just fetched from the mess hall.
Over time, Durandal had discovered that "diplomacy at the table" was an effective way to build rapport with this so-called Knight King from another world.
"Mm, thank you—you're a good person. I misjudged you before."
An acquaintance formed in battle, Artoria knew Durandal, but hadn't expected to end up under her command.
"This sector's commander… is it you?" Artoria mumbled around three or four mouthfuls of snacks.
Freed from the burden of kingship—perhaps thanks to Merlin and the Round Table's persuasion, or from seeing the splendor and strength of Selene's Empire—Artoria had realized she might not be suited to be a king. Selene fit that role better.
Once she accepted that, she relaxed considerably. In her mind, she had surrendered; Selene was now Britain's 'king.'
From what she'd seen, aside from harsh enforcement measures, the Empire had steadily improved her people's standard of living. She had no more misgivings.
"Not sure. The Inquisition informed nearby Astartes Legions. The sector commander is usually from the unit with the most participating troops. So far, I know the 16th Legion—Black Legion—has sent four fleets."
As she spoke, Durandal noticed something—though Artoria made no sound or obvious motion while eating, the ahoge atop her head suddenly stood straight at attention.
Durandal felt an urge—would pulling it make her angry?
No, no, she couldn't think such rude thoughts.
She forced her gaze away, but Artoria had already noticed, quickly stepping back and clapping a hand over her ahoge, eyes wary.
"Sorry, that was rude of me." Forthright as ever, Durandal didn't hide it. She earnestly offered her own bag of snacks.
"I'm fine!"
Durandal chuckled softly, cleared her throat, and said firmly, "Well, leisure time is over. I've located several human settlements—along the forest's orbital lift line, a human outpost appears to have been attacked by alien… xenos. I plan to eliminate them."
"This will be my first battle commanding Imperial forces—failure is not an option!"
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