Chapter 638: Chapter 638: Let’s all play together!
The ti was the morning of the following day in the Chen’s Mansion, where the long-missed family banquet unfolded much like always, chaotic as a battlefield.
Every al at ho was inevitably a bustling and grand occasion. One could only imagine how busy it got with Sandora holding down the fort. Although Lin Xue wasn’t here to freeload for various reasons today, that didn’t diminish everyone’s happiness at the dining table.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, these were the liveliest monts of our household where many major decisions affecting the safety of the world and the developnt of the empire were made, amidst the atmosphere spiced by braised pork knuckles, shallot chicken eggs, red wine, and three-delight buns. Today was no exception.
“So, you plan to open up the Space-ti Hub and hold the strongest ever… sports day?”
“Absolutely, absolutely, Ah Jun, what do you think of this idea? It’s more festive when everyone plays together!”
“…Actually, you just thought of everyone playing together, didn’t you?”
I looked helplessly at my girlfriend in front of . The thick-skinned girl was engaged in what she considered an interesting project: mixing a variety of seasonings haphazardly into her bowl, then vigorously turning what was supposed to be cold noodles into a tangled ss. The “let’s all play together” idea was just sothing she blurted out. Similar proposals could pop up by the dozen every second in her ever-active mind, but this seed to be one she was serious about, as evidenced by the fact that thirty seconds had passed and Qianqian still rembered it.
The topic started when I impulsively brought up rcury Lamp’s wish to invite her world’s friends over to play. Skipping the details in the middle, the result was Qianqian blurting out: “Why don’t we just open up the Space-ti Hub once and let everyone co and play?”
…Only the incredible Qianqian could leap from cause to conclusion without a thought process, right?
“I’m saying, Qianqian, are you sure you know what you’re talking about?”
“I know!” A girl with a capricious mind was sending a forkful of her indistinguishable mixture of seasonings and cold noodles, which now resembled a huge mallet, to her mouth, all the while giving a pure and wide smile, “It’s just everyone playing together, right? Like Jaina, Sylvanas, and also Nova, Muller from Vedis Empire. Oh, and we have to invite Reynolds Zelatu, Kerrigan, then Shana, Bashen, Lianna, C.C, Zuotian, and others should co over… There are so many people we haven’t seen in a long ti. Every day it’s either fighting or putting out fires, it’s always so tense. Now that the Divine Race is coming to help, Lili said this will allow them to dedicate a lot of their defense efforts to our side. This should keep the Fallen Apostles and the Abyss in line for a while, giving us a chance to rest. So I was thinking how we could liven things up. Just when Little Light ntioned wanting to invite her friends over, I thought why not invite everyone else too!”
Qianqian’s speech was all over the place, her train of thought not easy to follow even when put into language we could understand, but I got quite a bit of what she ant: My girlfriend was bored with saving the world all the ti and wanted to have so fun.
And as the formidable Imperial Empress, the ans she sought for amusent couldn’t be ordinary:
Let’s call upon the heroic emperors of thousands of worlds to hold a cultural festival!
Seeing her own words had everyone deep in thought, seeming to have had an effect, Qianqian couldn’t help but smile happily, raising the “mallet” in her hand and shoving it into her mouth. The next second, tears stread down her face.
“Wow! So spicy, so spicy! Eating it this way really isn’t good at all!”
What am I supposed to say, Qianqian? This has been a perpetual problem of hers since she was little. As a king of being off-track, she can’t keep still while eating. The second she gets the chance, she’ll try all sorts of bizarre eating thods that seem absurd to us, like that “mallet” dough that’s probably fifty percent made up of hot sauce.
“Sandora, I’m sorry to bother you.”
The cold noodles that had who knows how many different types of chili sauce mixed in were no longer fit for human consumption. After downing a glass of water handed to her by Anwina, Qianqian decisively pushed her “mallet noodles” in front of Sandora. The latter had just finished her fourth bowl of rice and was on her third bowl when, without even looking at the peculiar dish pushed her way, she opened her mouth and—chomp, chomp—half the plateful was gone in a few bites.
Being called the Conqueror of the Dining Table wasn’t a joke with Sandora; basically, if there was anything we didn’t like to eat, we’d give it to her. This never-refusing glutton ensured we never had to worry about leftovers. In most cases, Anwina and Sayaka didn’t even have to think about washing dishes—everyone knows what I an without having to elaborate. The rumor that our ho was sustaining a small pottery factory wasn’t false.
As a most noble queen, Sandora’s way of feeding was truly beyond my capacity to complain. All I knew was that Qianqian had started treating Sandora like a food waste bin. Though, from Sandora’s own perspective, she appeared to thoroughly enjoy it.
“Ah Jun, maybe you should consider Qianqian’s proposal.”
While I was still contemplating the connection between Her Majesty and the dining table waste bin, Sandora had swiftly dealt with her fifth batch of food. While Anwina was busily scooping more rice for her, the queen said quite seriously, “The Ti-Space Administration has the design load to bear high traffic for short durations. Now, as more and more races co under the Empire as vassals, it seems necessary to hold a eting for them.”
I was wiping Little Baobao’s oily face, curiously glancing over. Sandora was clearly not done speaking; her serious expression was rare when she was in the middle of eating.
“Look, Ah Jun, the Imperial Dominions are expanding steadily. Traditionally, the Xyrin Empire, which could always expand its Colonization Stars, established dominions this way: we take over or create several Colonization Planets as bases in certain worlds, send elite forces to control these worlds’ space-ti transport rights, and then establish Imperial authority among the natives, recruiting the local ard forces as Servant Armies. This way, we effectively create absolute constraints over the whole world. Let explain: exclusive space-ti transport rights, absolute military force, and civil authority among the natives are essentially the three key elents for any cross-plane civilization to assert ruling power. Hence, the worlds under our occupation have reached multiple, and are still expanding. The number of Servant Armies following Imperial commands is also growing. These races are brave, warriors who, after undergoing a civilizing process, can defend their holands. But they co from different worlds and lack the necessary understanding of each other. Before encountering the Empire, half of them were not even aware of the existence of Parallel Universes. This is highly detrintal to our rule and significantly weakens the combat effectiveness of the Servant Armies. In the event of a cross-plane war, these species who never interacted can only fight separately. Therefore, we must use ourselves as a platform to facilitate these species from different worlds to expand exchanges, to spread their culture, beliefs, ideas, and most importantly, their histories—a race’s history can often explain many things that cannot be inferred logically, like unique combat styles and daily taboos.
Through the mutual exchange between species from different worlds, the Imperial Servant Armies can quickly understand how another world’s army fights, how another world’s power system should be applied, which will perfect their combat thods. For instance, sothing we’ve already been trying: letting those Protos with strong spiritual power gain inspiration from the World Magic Net of Azeroth, equipping each Tauren Shaman with a totem pole and laser drilling machine complete with an Interstellar Alloy base—these are preliminary trials but have already achieved impressive results, almost doubling the flexibility of those forces. And what Qianqian ntioned, about using the Ti-Space Administration’s civilian channels and organizing a large-scale exchange event by the Empire, would be far more efficient than our current small-scale attempts. I believe that the Racial Leaders would seize the opportunity in such exchanges. Every race under the protection of the Empire has always been striving to prove their importance, and the weaker Servant Armies are no exception.”
Sandora’s speech had left dumbstruck, and the doll, guzzling yogurt from a bottle and utterly clueless about the conversation, clearly knew this was the perfect mont for a snide remark and cheekily chid in, “Hehe, silly humans, this is the difference between a true queen and a nouveau riche.”
Damn it, I couldn’t refute the assessnt of that cheeky little doll at all!
Indeed, Sandora lived up to her na. Even as a Glutton incarnate as a demon at the dining table, she exuded a queenly grace that hinted at high status and serious clout. With just a few words, she elevated Qianqian’s “let’s all play together” idea to the level of world peace. Her way of thinking was truly different from that of us re mortals. Alright then, Anwina, bring another bowl of rice. I’m content to just freeload my al here.
“Uh, so there’s such important reasoning behind it,” Qianqian mused as she turned her noodles into mallet shapes with her chopsticks, though the color looked more normal this ti. “But do we really need to be so serious about it? It takes all the fun out of it.”
“It’s very important,” Sandora said, her expression unexpectedly solemn. “Because Ah Jun made realize many things and finally learn from the lessons of the past: The Old Empire never considered these aspects. We had servant civilizations, too, but they were all used as re fodder and numbers for efficient exploitation. No one ever thought about the potential power of those weaker civilizations. Ah Jun once said that ruthless iron-fisted rule was sothing only an idiot would engage in, and now I really understand his foresight. The wars have shown the power that I could never have imagined weaker races capable of unleashing. So I definitely cannot follow the erroneous path left by the Old Empire. We were caught in a whirlpool of arrogance at the end of the Empire; it’s not too late to wake up now.”
While listening to the conversation, I couldn’t keep a straight face any longer. “Cough cough, girl, I’m not that great. You’re really… Visca, get my recorder. Sandora, can you say that again?”
Lilina, who had been sneaking around to steal a rcury Lamp cake, suddenly clattered under the table.
I hadn’t expected Qianqian’s proposal to prompt Sandora to think so deeply. The originator of the proposal definitely had not anticipated this either. But the Queen’s analysis was undoubtedly correct—coming from eons of experience, her insight was as profound as her appetite, far beyond what us re mortals could fathom. As a result, it seems we do indeed need to start preparing for this seriously.
Ti passed, and by noon, the living room—still marked by previous als.
Following Qianqian’s initial plan—essentially, “let’s all play together”—combined with Sandora’s consideration, and after a brief negotiation with representatives from various worlds in Shadow City, we preliminarily structured the event into several levels. This event would use the Empire as a platform to allow leaders from all worlds to interact for the first ti.
Firstly, there were the worlds that had beco vassal races of the Empire. They were the main figures of the gathering and the Empire’s actual combat power. Their top leaders would certainly attend. A group of Heroic Emperors, generals, and Demigod Heroes would seize the opportunity to acquaint themselves with other worlds’ situations. They would be the special guests of the celebration.
Then there were the Macro Worlds registered with the Ti-Space Administration. Although Imperial power had penetrated these worlds, it was not public. They were not under Imperial rule, and civilians there were oblivious to the concept of a parallel world. However, those worlds’ dark forces had already made contact with the Administration Bureau’s Reviewers. The forr might not be fully aware of the massive and terrifying entity behind those sudden appearances of dark forces in their world. Still, they could sense the strong stance of those Reviewers. This event was an excellent opportunity for so of the lucky individuals who passed the Reviewers’ scrutiny to collectively visit Shadow City and possibly other spaces that might open up, to see the vast power of the Empire across all realms for themselves. To quote Sandora: This would be beneficial for our rule. Despite not being military forces, these people still under the influence of the Empire would be considered the civilian class of the gathering.
Next ca considerations for the form of the gathering. Qianqian wanted to hold a carnival… Big Sister was fond of sports festivals, and Lilina planned a sermon for hundreds of millions of people. The Pandora Sisters were enthusiastically proposing a seven-day recruitnt plan. Even Little Baobao was jumping for joy, waving a lollipop and dancing around. According to Nanny Lady Shining’s translation, the little guy wanted to create a children exclusive event thed on candy tasting, aid at fostering unity among the next generation of vassal races under the Empire. The idea was to build friendships from the diaper stage for future world-saving groups of young n and won—truly worthy of the Imperial Family. A three-year-old intelligently considering the political benefits for all the little youngsters out there, but why do I have this terrible feeling of being utterly outdone in politics by my own daughter? Could it be that my foresight doesn’t even match Little Baobao’s, you soulless thing!
“Cough cough! Listen to my opinion.”
It looked like Sandora had sothing to say. Could it be that the Glutton wanted to organize a half-year feast with tens of millions of participants?
Such an event could literally eat a Kingdom into collapse! Not everybody can eat anything like you can, darling!
“Ah Jun, your eyes are conveying too much; can I just ignore it?”
Imdiately, the telepathically-tuned Queen retorted.
“What I an is, this isn’t just a gathering, I hope it becos a sort of tradition, or rather—a festival!”
“A yearly event isn’t very realistic, we could do it biennially or every four years as an All Realms Festival. It will be a shared holiday for all worlds within the Imperial Dominions, as well as a eting date for those shady figures in the Macro World. It’s not sothing that’s done once and for all. And since it’s a festival, the activities during the festivity can’t be too monotonous. We shall assemble leaders and cultural representatives from all realms, organize celebrations that are uniquely special or united in collaboration depending on the realities of their respective worlds. Everyone, this is a grand occasion, and also a chance to showcase the power of the Empire’s revival and boost the morale of troops from all realms. It’s not rely about cultural exchange, nor can it be limited to the military aspect. Our goal is for the Imperial Vassals of the realms to get a comprehensive understanding of their brethren from Otherworlds—Hmm, I’m finished speaking, Anwina, another bowl, please!”
There was a deathly silence all around, with only the Queen chewing vigorously over her desk.
Alright, Sandora, you win. Should I just admit that you’re a true ruler? How you’re able to amplify such a small opportunity to this extent, and I still can’t find a reason to question it!
“Um…”
Suddenly, I felt my sleeve being gently tugged. I looked down to see a little doll pulling at my clothes, with a puzzled expression on its uplifted face: “Stupid human, can I still invite Little Hui and the others to play?”
So that was the concern. Only now did I rember—damn, weren’t we initially discussing inviting friends of rcury Lamp to our place? How did it all get twisted to this in half a day? Can’t we have one discussion without going off-topic?
“Of course, you can!”
I patted the little girl’s silky silver hair, “Make them even more envious, jealous, and hateful of you!”
“Right, in that case, we should schedule the preparations for the festival,” Big Sister hadn’t said much so far, but now it seed as if she rembered sothing, “When do we plan to open the Space-ti Hub?”
“Uh, with the construction speed of the hosts and the efficiency of the Xyrin Apostles, we don’t need much lead ti for preparations. However, the Imperial People have no experience in holding such festivals, so we might need to let the Racial Leaders exchange ideas in advance… There’s still plenty of ti, it’s just a proposal at the mont. We can start with preparing to receive the envoys from the Divine Race; they have a wide following and might have so experience. It’s a rare occasion that they sent two Gods who can actually get things done. Why not pull them in for so hard labor!”
Sandora… who did you learn this from! (
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