That morning, the golden sunlight dyed the towering and magnificent halls of the Imperial Grand Palace in brilliant splendor.
Amidst the four standing pillars, the expansive courtyard corridors extended outward. The wide avenues bustled with people—palace attendants, the garrisoned guards, imperial chefs preparing the meal, officials waiting in line… all gathered here for one purpose: to await the one to whom they all pledged their loyalty.
The Empress of the Empire—their spiritual pillar, their absolute ruler!
Gulp~
The sound of swallowing.
"H-hey, Yukihira-kun… are we really about to meet the E-E-E-E… Empress of the Empire? I-I-I-I… I'm so scared."
"What if… if there's the slightest mistake, or if the food isn't good, we'll be dragged out to the execution grounds, our families exterminated along with us…"
Within the grand hall—so tall and vast that someone with a fear of open spaces might faint on the spot—the short red-haired, spiky-headed boy stood beside a blue-haired girl with twin braids, clad in a white chef's uniform, trembling like a frightened little rabbit.
Beneath the twin-headed eagle crest loomed a massive, gilded palace gate, adorned with carved patterns, reaching nearly a hundred meters in height. The massive pillars required dozens of men to encircle them…
It was enough to make one suspect this was the temple of Titans themselves. The smallness of man contrasted starkly with the grandeur and majesty of the palace, the solemn atmosphere weighing down heavily, making one feel as if their back had already bent under its pressure.
At the door leading to the audience chamber stood a line of guards. They wielded heavy power halberds of exquisite craftsmanship, standing like temple guardians at the entrance. Their faces were hidden beneath golden eagle-crested visors, helmets crowned with crimson plumes.
The oppressive aura weighed upon everyone's hearts like a mountain.
"M-maybe… maybe we should just go back…"
The girl's helpless expression, eyes brimming with tears as though about to cry at any moment, was enough to stir anyone's pity.
She looked on the verge of breaking down.
"Go back? Retreating at such a time would be the gravest offense of all. If we don't appear, we will—no, we absolutely will—be punished. Megumi, steel yourself. Show the strength you truly possess."
Megumi Tadokoro's despairing look caught the attention of the blonde girl standing beside her. After gently poking the back of the 'rabbit girl,' Erina Nakiri exhaled slowly, offering quiet reassurance.
She dared not vent her own nervousness here.
In this place, even her noble background was likely worth less than the dishes they prepared as chefs.
"We are here only to present our culinary creations to our guest."
At this, Erina Nakiri paused briefly, carefully surveying the surroundings. Then she leaned closer to whisper into Megumi Tadokoro's ear: "Megumi, just think of it as preparing a meal to reward ordinary travelers after a long day's labor. Don't be nervous. You can do this, Megumi. Believe in yourself."
"This opportunity is the honor of Totsuki Culinary Academy, and also the glory of our home—the XVIII Legion Salamanders' Conquered World No. 11. Think of your family waiting back in Shoukei Inn (the Tadokoro family's ryokan). Megumi, be strong."
"Huff… mm…"
Closing her eyes, the blue-haired twin-braided girl took deep breaths—inhale, exhale—gradually calming her nerves. When she opened her eyes again, she adjusted the silver hairpin holding her fringe to the right. In her sunflower-golden eyes shone a light of warmth and quiet resolve.
"Thank you, Erina-sama."
After all, she was no stranger to pressure. Having endured the training camps, autumn elections, Moon Banquet Festival, on-site internships, and countless trials, Megumi Tadokoro had steadily gained confidence in her culinary path, honing and displaying her own talents. Her skills were by no means inferior.
Though she still grew easily flustered, unable to fully unleash her potential—especially when serving the most exalted, most powerful person in the Empire—as she looked at the encouraging eyes of her companions, standing side by side as comrades in 'battle,' she found there was nothing left to fear.
After all, they were not terrorists here to assassinate Selene. They were just chefs. Their task was only to cook—so long as they performed normally, there was no need to let the pressure overwhelm them.
"Wow…"
The red-haired boy with a scar above his left brow seemed the most carefree of all. His eyes widened at the sheer extravagance of the palace-style open kitchen.
Was this really the atmosphere of a kitchen?
Why were there ancient sculptures and reliefs, historic murals and armor on display, chandeliers like starry skies, and grand interstellar war paintings adorning the place? It was an ostentatious showcase of luxury and nobility.
To him, this felt more like a place for exhibitions or offices than a space for living.
"Hey, you… is that really what you should be gawking at? This isn't your Yukihira Diner. Don't you dare whip up one of your ridiculous 'dark dishes.' Learn from Senior Tsukasa Eishi and Senior Kobayashi Rindou—can't you just focus on the ingredients in front of you?"
The boy's country-bumpkin-like awe made Erina Nakiri furious.
"Whoa… these ingredients… Super Dangerous Species, 3,000-meter-class Sea Kings, dragon beasts, primeval titans… uh, these are all catastrophic monsters!"
The long red-haired girl with golden eyes—her bangs covering her left eye, a tiger fang peeking through—was practically glowing as she gazed upon the rare ingredients before them.
"Ah… Rindou, be more careful…"
A handsome young man with white hair and light violet eyes, knightly in bearing but meek in tone, followed uneasily behind the red-haired girl.
"All right, everyone. Begin. Once Her Majesty finishes her morning governance session, it will be time for you to present your results."
Into the imperial kitchen strode a tall, broad man, long blue hair draped over his shoulders, horns sprouting from his head, his face bearing a mature, weathered look. He was the bio-humanoid Teigu, Speed of Lightning: Susanoo, serving as Selene's personal Head Imperial Chef.
Ah, to end up with Selene as his master… though originally designed to protect important dignitaries, what Selene valued most in Susanoo were his skills in preparing over one thousand types of cuisine.
To expand his culinary capacity and learning ability, Selene had even arranged for several full-scale upgrades.
In the Empire, Susanoo was regarded as the pillar of the culinary world. Innovation was not his strength, but with enough recipes stored, he could guarantee three meals a day without repetition for years on end.
Sweeping his gaze across the young men and women in the imperial kitchen, Susanoo noted that they were all very young. These were the top students from the culinary academy Selene herself had once visited during her travels to a tourist world?
Very well. He would see for himself whether they possessed the strength to present their dishes before Her Majesty.
Indeed—it was Susanoo who had authorized the selection of talented young chefs from Salamanders Legion's Conquered World No. 11, a tourist world.
Though called a selection, it was really just a cooking competition. Every year, countless chefs from across the Empire's colonial worlds struggled to cross the "single-plank bridge" for the chance to enter the palace.
Make no mistake: as Selene's Head Imperial Chef, Susanoo had no authority outside of culinary matters. But when it came to palace dining and chefs, he was the absolute authority.
...
"Jake Sully… Eywa, influencing through spiritual links, hmm, something akin to the guiding effect of a 'Mental Seal.'"
In a luxurious antechamber of Schönbrunn Palace, a dazzling crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. The room itself was decorated in the ornate Baroque style, its floor covered by a soft red carpet.
Selene was pacing in her chamber, holding a stack of reports, her fingers tapping lightly against the balcony railing, an intrigued expression on her face.
Before the mahogany desk stood the Mendicant Bias, manifested in the form of a giant mask. After a moment of contemplation, the three violet-red sensors that served as its eyes and mouth flickered as it explained slowly:
"According to the Luna Wolves Legion's live reports from Pandora, the planetary collective consciousness known as Eywa possesses considerable intelligence."
"With the arrival of the RDA colonial forces, especially with the emergence of hybrids between humans and the Na'vi—Avatar drivers who could link with Eywa through their neural interfaces—frontline intelligence personnel determined that it was precisely through this subtle influence that the Avatar drivers were brainwashed. They collectively betrayed humanity and even came to despise their own identity as human beings."
As Selene's auxiliary confidential intelligence steward, the Mendicant Bias was a pinnacle creation of Forerunner civilization technology (from Halo). Accessing and reviewing Durandal's every move posed no difficulty for it.
Even the directories regarding the soul-searching of Jake Sully's brain had been uploaded to the databases of the Luna Wolves Legion and the Valkyrie Corps. The Mendicant Bias had already known the details.
And upon reviewing them, the forecasts had been too conservative.
Jake Sully truly had been thoroughly brainwashed and assimilated. In fact, he had made certain preparations for humanity's return.
After the battle between humans and the Na'vi fifteen years earlier, the Na'vi seized vast stockpiles of RDA weapons and research facilities. At the time, many other tribal leaders advised him to destroy the weapons, claiming they were nothing more than 'filthy instruments of slaughter' Pandora had no need for.
Only Jake Sully remained cautious. So long as Earth's people held their greedy designs on Pandora, those weapons would inevitably prove useful one day. Thus, Jake secretly organized a research group, gathering former scientists from the Avatar program during his human years, to modify and study the weapons in preparation for the future.
Whether they were usable—or effective—was another matter.
Dr. Grace Augustine, one of the earliest Avatar operators to contact the Na'vi, naturally became a fanatic believer in Pandora's natural deity, Eywa.
Selene tossed the reports aside, leaning back in her chair with an amused smile. "Well, that explains everything."
Having finished part of her confidential state affairs and concluded the morning's governance session, Selene took advantage of the short rest before her meal to sort through the surprises Durandal had given her.
Last night, while Selene was 'feasting' on the gifts of the Magic Gods, an entire planetary consciousness suddenly poured into her mental network, startling her mid-bite.
What was that comparable to?
To give a crude analogy—it was like enjoying a state banquet of world-class cuisine, only for someone to slip a cup of instant noodles onto the table. How inappropriate was that?
Compared to the vast, nourishing bounty of the Magic Gods—which could leave Selene herself stuffed—the planetary consciousness of Pandora was far too chaotic, fragmented, and weak. Selene simply obliterated it, then absorbed the paltry scrap of energy, little more than a mosquito's leg.
"Concluding the war before year's end and bringing the warriors home? Very well, let that be the standard. Inform Durandal: success earns reward, failure earns punishment." With a faint smile, Selene expressed her satisfaction and good mood.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The Mendicant Bias continued, logically and methodically reporting internal affairs and important colonial updates.
"Your Majesty, regarding the First Legion of the Astartes, the Dark Angels, under Commander Alex. According to our observations, aside from the colossal creature known as Godzilla—which is capable of altering natural ecosystems and constructing entirely new ecological systems with itself at the pinnacle—we have also observed an even more unusual phenomenon."
"Called a 'Higher-Dimensional Monster' or 'God of the Void,' it is a higher-dimensional lifeform that dwells within dimensional rifts. It is the true form of the god contacted by the local natives through digital numerological calculations, and it is the object of their faith."
"Based on observation, the mass of this 'Higher-Dimensional Monster' extends from a black hole itself, surpassing singularity thresholds. This indicates that the entity is a super-gravitational mass beyond even black holes."
"At present, Princess Alyssa's support forces have arrived, fully prepared. The punitive expedition is about to commence."
"Secondary priority: capture."
...
"Third Legion, Black Templars, under Commander Leiva. Report: target world (Valvrave the Liberator) has undergone preliminary cleansing. The Dorssia Military Pact Federation has surrendered, the main fleet of ARUS (Atlantic Rim United States) has been annihilated, and thorough purges of smaller nations are underway. Current progress: JIOR. Estimated completion: before year's end. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is advised to prepare for assimilation."
...
Listening as though to a symphony, Selene accompanied the Mendicant Bias's reports with a gesture to her attendants to serve the meal.
Yes, multitasking—so convenient. It seemed the modification and enhancement of the Mendicant Bias's sister constructs needed to be accelerated as well.
"Sixteenth Legion, Luna Wolves, under Commander Horus. Report: a newly discovered composite world. Known species include elves, dragons, giants, dryads, goblins, orcs, and aquatic races, among many others. Its development potential is high. Based on the intelligence gathered, the dominant deity worshiped in that world is… the God of Games. As…"
"Stop—what god?"
At that divine title, Selene froze for a moment.
"Reporting, Your Majesty—the God of Games."
—
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