Bai Zhongqi, donned in the Chancellor's attire, walked into the eting hall with his head held high and a steady stride.
All mbers of the Fleet stood up, and people with military ranks like Xu Lanzhou and Xiao Yu saluted militarily. Bai Zhongqi still felt so irrepressible excitent in his heart, but he controlled his facial expression, not letting himself appear too complacent; at the least, he wanted to appear more composed.
There was only one empty chair at the edge of the conference table, positioned at the head of the table—clearly, that was his assigned seat. Bai Zhongqi was not intimidated; after all, back in dostic middle schools, he had at least been a class cadre and a mber of the student union, and during those tis, the etings he presided over had far more people than now.
Well, at least that's what he could tell himself for comfort.
Bai Zhongqi sat down at the head of the table, then gestured lightly with his hand downward, simply saying, "Sit."
The leaders of the Fleet obeyed the order and took their seats, but they clearly seed a bit constrained. Bai Zhongqi noticed this as well; after all, although he was the legendary Chancellor, no one truly understood the Chancellor. Hence, it was within reason for everyone to feel trepidations.
Only absolute supporters of the Chancellor, like Xu Lanzhou, had no psychological burden; the others surely had their own sches.
Bai Zhongqi was acutely aware of this—he might be young, but he had an insight into people and problems that far exceeded his peers. No matter what plans these senior mbers of the Fleet harbored, Bai Zhongqi could now remain indifferent, for the Supre Command was in his hands (literally in his hands), and nobody within the Iridium Star Fleet could oppose his will.
The imnse war machine operated at the behest of Bai Zhongqi alone, and the Chancellor of the Empire was the true master of the Empire.
Thus, at this mont, Bai Zhongqi could naturally take a proactive strategy. The Supre Command granted him supre authority, and if he truly wanted to create sothing, he could not do so without the support of these people of the Iridium Star. In Bai Zhongqi's view, a Chancellor who could only control machines was not a real Chancellor; a true Chancellor needed his subjects.
Bai Zhongqi surveyed the Fleet mbers seated around him and began to speak in a voice that was not loud but especially clear, "I understand the complexity of your feelings at present, about an Imperial Chancellor who has been missing for five thousand years; you may have various questions. So of these questions I will answer, so I will not.
But one thing I need you to rember is that I single-handedly created this Empire. As the Chancellor, I will take responsibility for my Empire, for my subjects, and I hope you all will execute your duties diligently, assisting in ushering in a new chapter for the Empire.
Moreover, I will not tolerate any acts of insubordination, any treasonous acts that threaten the Empire, or any perverse acts that harm the subjects of the Empire. The na of the Empire and I, as the Chancellor, shall shine with the Galaxy!"
Even though his tone was calm, every word he spoke was forceful, and it resonated like a great bell, sending tremors through the hearts of all the mbers present. As soon as these words were spoken, Bai Zhongqi himself felt slightly embarrassed; his speech was full of Long Aotian's pompous air.
Yet, even if he sounded overly dramatic, with absolute power supporting him and the capability to follow through on his words, no one dared to disregard what he said.
Indeed, no one present seed to have the audacity to question Bai Zhongqi's words. Du Peng, as the Administrator, very perceptively led a group of mbers to rise once again, and they gave the Imperial salute, saying in unison, "We are ready to face fire and water, to exhaust our bodies and minds, to pledge loyalty to Your Majesty, to plead on behalf of the subjects of the Empire."
This sentence was also the oath sworn by the officials upon taking office in the United Empire of Iridium Star, and it was quite fitting to recite it at this mont.
Bai Zhongqi nodded slightly, betraying no emotion, which made the group feel that the Imperial Chancellor was profoundly unfathomable.
"Mm, I have taken note of your loyalty and devotion," he said.
The imperial audience eting had no set agenda; it all depended on what Bai Zhongqi wanted to say. The high-ranking officials of the Fleet had various questions, but none dared to raise them, as everyone had a certain fear of the Chancellor. Although the Empire was not without laws, under these special circumstances, there was no functioning body to execute them.
The Imperial Chancellor held the absolute power over the use of force by the entire Iridium Star Fleet, which ant he held power over life and death for everyone present, and no one but Nan Ma had even a shred of resistance.
At this mont, people were not yet familiar with Bai Zhongqi's temperant and feared that if the Chancellor were cruel and tyrannical, speaking out could lead to imdiate execution.
Such was the treachery of serving a monarch, as there is nothing more perilous.
Bai Zhongqi did not intend to grant these people the right to ask questions, because his prepared lies were limited, and being caught off guard by a question could undermine his authority.
Hence, he took control of the eting, preventing others from asking questions, and he chose only the most important issues which he had prepared for, so that he could gradually assimilate the political forces within the Iridium Star Fleet.
"Alright, first and foremost, you may be wondering why, as Chancellor, I disappeared for five thousand years and why I appeared on an inconspicuous planet in another universe, living as a human of Earth. The truth is, many of you may have guessed already, I grew tired of the Empire's worship and adulation. I found it dull, and the Empire had co to a point where it could advance on its own.
The pursuit of the cosmic laws' mysteries and the eternal truths was far more intriguing for . As a result, I left. Guided by the subtle directives of cosmic laws, I was reborn in a brand new universe and lived on as an ordinary person.
Interestingly, the Earth in this universe, specifically Country C, shares a common cultural origin with Iridium Star, which could be considered as our brethren from Iridium Star in another universe. Here, I was able to use the Supre Command to continue aiding the growth of the Empire."
This explanation was not perfect, Bai Zhongqi could tell that it even raised more questions for the people of Iridium Star. However, to maintain this lie, he had indeed done much work. Bai Zhongqi pointed at Xu Lanzhou and said, "Commander Xu, you have a question. Speak."
Xu Lanzhou gratefully saluted Bai Zhongqi and asked his question, "Your Majesty, you said after leaving Iridium Star, you were reborn in this universe and beca an ordinary person.
Our Iridium Star's taphysical culture has always spoken of reincarnation, which I can understand, but since you arrived in this universe, you've only lived for a little over twenty years, while five thousand years have passed on Iridium Star."
At this point, Director Mo raised his hand, eager to respond, and Bai Zhongqi gestured for him to speak. After thanking Bai Zhongqi, Director Mo said, "I can roughly guess that ti between parallel universes may not be absolutely linked in a mathematical sense, so perhaps while our universe has passed five thousand years, the Chancellor may have only experienced twenty years in this universe."
Bai Zhongqi looked approvingly at Director Mo; his explanation was exactly what Bai had intended to say, but it was clearly better coming from soone else.
Bai Zhongqi did not mind spinning a grander lie, and said indifferently, "Exactly. Alright, let us refer to the universe where Iridium Star exists as the First Universe, and the universe where Earth exists as the Second Universe.
A mystical connection ford with the First Universe at the ti of my rebirth on Earth, which is why I have been able to use the Supre Command to transcend universes and lead our Empire.
However, at the mont you entered the Second Universe, ti mysteriously ca to a halt in the First Universe, aning that no matter how much ti passes in our Second Universe, not even a second will elapse in the First Universe."
Director Mo exclaid in astonishnt, "Cosmic ti suspension? Does that an even if we return to the First Universe, we'll be frozen there, no different from being dead?"
Bai Zhongqi beca increasingly satisfied with Director Mo, who unwittingly played the role of a perfect straight man. He nodded gravely and said, "Exactly, even if we reopen the wormhole crossing to the First Universe, once you're there, you can't resu the flow of ti. You will be encased in that one second."
In theory, even if the R19 Fleet did manage to return to the First Universe and found ti had indeed stopped, none would be aware of it. Once ti started to flow again, they could continue living as usual, oblivious to anything that had happened.
However, ti is one of the most mysterious elents in the universe, and it remains an unconquerable existence even after the Iridium Star people have overco countless physical laws. It's no wonder that the prospect of ti never advancing again instilled fear in people's hearts—as if they were truly dead.
To stay in this current universe, at least they could go on living.
Bai Zhongqi didn't extinguish all hopes of those people. He said, "I am still researching the mystery of the First Universe's ti standstill, hoping that one day, I can bring you all back to your holand.
Until then, I will lead all of you and the Imperial citizens of the R19 Fleet to tenaciously survive in this new universe, to expand the Empire's new territories, and to build a more prosperous and flourishing civilization. Each of you will beco an eternal figure in the history of the Empire, revered by future generations."
Xu Lanzhou imdiately said, "Your Majesty, the people of Iridium Star have been following your teachings tirelessly, exploring the universe and advancing our civilization, everywhere the sa. It is an honor for any Imperial soldier to be able to welco the Chancellor back and to fight under your command. Whatever your supre command may be, we will fight for you to the very end!"
Du Peng added, "We shall abide by Your Majesty's decree."
The higher-ups of the Fleet also expressed their commitnt to follow the Chancellor's lead and to build their new realm in this new universe. Whether they were sincere or not, at least they had direction now.
"Very well, from now on, the R19 Fleet is the Empire. The Fleet will officially disband, and all personnel belonging to the Fleet will beco the Empire's present citizens. I will reorganize the Empire on the basis of the original Fleet."
"Regarding Earth," Bai Zhongqi paused for a mont, this was the focal point of his entire speech, "given the current manpower shortage of the Empire and the limited intelligence on the surrounding Star Region, I have decided that the Empire will temporarily use the Solar System as a base, enhancing intelligence gathering on neighboring galaxies.
At the sa ti, we will adopt moderate thods to recruit the power of Earth for our Empire, especially our Iridium Star kinsfolk in this universe, the Chinese."
Bai Zhongqi had a long speech prepared, but at this mont, a ringtone suddenly sounded from his pocket.
...
Awkward.
After maintaining a solemn and domineering deanor for dozens of minutes, Bai Zhongqi was now extrely embarrassed, and everyone else felt the awkwardness too.
Previously, Bai Zhongqi used Iridium Star technology to connect his phone to the network and telecom services on Earth, enabling him to use his phone in space 200,000 kiloters from Earth.
Bai Zhongqi reflexively took out his phone, intending to mute it, but upon seeing the notification on the bright screen, he hesitated not a mont to unlock it.
It was a WeChat ssage from Han Jiaxue.
If it were from soone else, Bai Zhongqi might have ignored it, but he still couldn't stop worrying about his junior. Besides, he was now dominating the Fleet, so he could afford to be a little more unrestrained.
The ssage displayed: Mr. Bai Zhongqi?
That gave Bai Zhongqi a very bad premonition.
He tapped quickly, replying: Who is this?
The reply ca swiftly: Mr. Bai, good day. I am a special employee of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States of Arica.
...
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