The tranquil starry sky felt vast and profound.
Leon, with his chin propped up in one hand, sat quietly on his personal "golden toilet," gazing out the spaceship window at the planet called Earth Star below.
It had been over a year since he arrived in this world, and thinking about everything that had happened to him,
he couldn't help but laugh. How ridiculous.
Who would have thought that he had once been a struggling courier on Earth, and a moment later, he would be dragged here and pressed against the "golden toilet," harassed by an extraordinarily beautiful digital fairy, calling him "Your Majesty" and "Master."
If he were truly an ordinary emperor, he would surely be content, considering it a blessing bestowed upon him by the heavens.
However, this was not the case.
The digital fairy explained that the empire she led was once the most powerful in the universe, unrivaled!
Unfortunately, a catastrophic crisis spread throughout the empire, and just as the empire was suppressing a rebellion, an insect plague struck at this critical juncture.
The entire Empire collapsed under the combined impact of internal and external problems.
She was now merely the nominal ruler of the Empire, effectively commanding only a ship and a Digital Fairy.
Oh no, the Digital Fairy wasn't human!
"The beginning of the restoration of the Empire's remnants?"
Leon sighed.
At that moment, a disembodied voice echoed in his mind.
It was undoubtedly the Digital Fairy.
The communication technology used was one of the Empire's most advanced technologies: the Secondary Hive Mind.
As an advisor to the Imperial Mastermind, the Digital Fairy held a crucial and prominent position.
It coordinated research, led wars, and governed society... various crucial tasks within the Empire. Without it, the entire Empire would collapse.
The Secondary Hive Mind was the primary function of its sociological node. The aspirations and praise of every citizen connected to it were filtered and relayed to the Emperor, allowing him to precisely control the Empire.
"Sir, after years of development, the Zerg on Planet G-4 will soon achieve interstellar travel capabilities. Should we order a neutron annihilation?"
The throne spun.
Leon stared at the beautiful projection behind him and slowly shook his head.
Destroying those insects was a breeze. With a single command, he aimed his cannon at Planet G-4 and unleashed a powerful neutron bomb, effective against both living and mechanical creatures. Within seconds, the disgusting insects were completely annihilated.
However, this didn't help his future plans at all.
On the other hand, having such powerful weapons on the Imperial mothership gave him a sense of security.
Against planets without navies, a single strike would eliminate any worries for both sides.
The enemy wouldn't have to worry about mobilizing troops to rescue their people, and the Empire wouldn't have to worry about dealing with people from various factions.
That's efficiency!
However, Leon shuddered when he remembered the mothership's core, a neutron star over ten kilometers across.
As the core component of the neutron bomb, it was bound to the mothership's core using technology he didn't understand. Its primary function was to provide backup power for the entire ship, and its powerful gravity could also be used for material refining and research.
The neutron bomb was only a secondary function.
"How long will it take for those insect swarms to develop interstellar capabilities?"
The soft voice echoed again.
"Based on orbital satellite monitoring, they should be able to achieve this capability within a year at most."
Leon nodded.
"What about the equipment I asked you to build?"
Grey Wind, guessing Leon's intentions, warned with some worry, "Sir, I must warn you."
"Although your idea is good, once the channel to the other universe is opened, the mothership's zero-point energy will no longer be able to supply other equipment. If a threat arises, the spaceship won't be able to enter warp in time..."
The pressure of his hand dispelled Grey Wind's worries.
"Now that only you and I are left in the empire, the task of restoring this nation is extremely difficult. This is the best solution I can think of."
Grey Wind asked, puzzled. "Master, do you still not believe in the Earth Star humans?"
Leon smiled faintly.
"Yes, I don't believe them,"
he explained. "You also said that before you pulled me back, you had been monitoring the humans on this planet for hundreds of thousands of years."
"Since you sowed the primordial seeds of your empire, humanity has only established a relatively complete social system ten thousand years ago, and it took nearly another thousand years to reach its current peak of industrial civilization... and this was only the result of your active intervention after discovering traces of the Zerg."
"The complexity of life stems from the independent thinking of each individual. This is both its weakness and its strength."
"We need these people to help us restore our nation, but we absolutely cannot rely on them alone."
There was a moment of silence.
"How are the humans there?"
Grey Wind asked. "The Prosperity and Unification Plan could begin at any moment."
Leon was a little surprised.
"That soon?"
Grey Wind confirmed.
"Ever since I followed your instructions and sent the 'You Are Not Alone' signal and provided technology to humanity, the various nations on Earth Star have behaved differently. They can be roughly divided into three groups: actively preparing for war, joining the sea of stars, and theocratic slavery."
Hearing about the active war preparations made Leon laugh.
The gap between civilizations cannot be resolved with empty slogans; even mutual destruction requires proper credentials.
"I remember the active preparations for war initiated by the American gang!"
Grey Wind joked a little.
Before he was kidnapped, he had been using the Empire's cutting-edge technology to observe Earth civilization, and during his years of searching, he had secretly guided the Earth Star civilization.
In the end, Earth Star had become a clone of Prime Earth.
After all, copying answers was much easier than doing homework, and it also prevented this new civilization from falling into the same weaknesses the Empire had been trying to overcome.
"Yes!" Grey Wind replied. "The United States and several capitalist nations were the first to declare their shared destiny with Planet Earth, but they secretly used our technology to build spaceships and prepare to escape."
"Fools,"
Leon sneered.
He had given them the technology, and they used it to escape him. Did they really think he was blind?
"What about the idea of joint star travel and theocratic slavery?"
Grey Wind continued. "China, Russia, and several other groups they can influence are advocating joint star travel and are actively contacting us.
They have expressed their willingness to integrate into the empire as long as the basic rights of their citizens are guaranteed."
"As for theocratic slavery, it was proposed by countries that were severely impacted by theocratic rule.
They were also the first to step forward and voluntarily choose to be enslaved."
Leon smacked his lips.
How could he say that?
Sycophants are disgusting, but it feels good to be the one who fawns over himself... but it's pointless!
He wanted a people who were confident and united. Theocratic slavery was nothing but a joke. If
he betrayed his own race today because of his own strength, then tomorrow, if he encountered a race even stronger than himself, they would be the ones to betray him.
In the end, they were just a bunch of power-seekers with no moral compass.
"The answer has been given to them. The choice is theirs. Since some people don't want to be respected, I will help them be respected." He
slowly stood up.
As he descended the steps of the throne, a blue aura radiated from him.
The Emperor's unique imperial armor covered his entire body, leaving only his head exposed.
Grey Wind had fled in such haste that he lost a significant amount of the Empire's advanced data.
His spaceship and armor were all he had left.
The armor was an implanted nanosuit once worn by the Emperor, capable of transforming at will, much like regular clothing.
However, to Leon, its power remained extraordinary.
The nanocores consumed external energy or his own energy to manifest the armor and protect the wearer.
Furthermore, thanks to the profound nanoprotection and enhancements, the wearer possessed a physique unmatched by ordinary humans, without altering their original genetic sequence.