Nine days.

Carlil sighed softly, silent in a room aboard the Imperial Dream.

The room belonged to him for the time being, and, from the smallest details, he could discern an attitude of the ship's owner towards it.

...... In other words, this room will probably belong to Carlil Lohals forever.

But he didn't want it.

It's not just about the décor, it's not about the problem.

It is true that he does not like the luxury here, and he does not like what is hidden behind every detail, but the reason why he really doesn't want it is actually in the sense that this ship represents.

This is the ship of the 'Emperor'.

And he ...... He certainly won't be on this ship in the future.

But...... This also gave rise to a new problem.

Of course he'll join the Eighth Legion - whether it's Conrad Coates or the Midnight Ghost, they'll make this happen.

But herein lies the problem.

In what capacity is he going to join the Eighth Legion?

Only Astarte could say that he had 'joined' a legion - these people had to go through nineteen surgeries and hardships to stand before their original body.

They are military men and have positions, and what does Carlil have?

He sat at his desk with a strange expression, and a word suddenly popped into his mind.

'Partners'

...... Isn't it time for me to introduce myself to them like this?

Also, my height seems to be an issue. A giant more than four meters tall that is not the original body, what is going on?

He frowned - as the old saying goes, to accept something, means to give up something.

He accepted the subtle changes in his body, and even accelerated the process, and now it is naturally impossible to easily return to the way he used to be......

At least not physically.

Psionic camouflage? It seems like a good idea, but if I'm going to make it to the Eighth Legion, I'm going to have to undergo remodeling surgery as well......

Deception is certainly not a no-go, no one is an idiot, it is impossible not to perceive the difference between a person who has not undergone a reconstructive operation and them......

Carlil sighed again.

Nine Days ...... Nine days. The Great Purge of the Nest Capital has come to an end, and he killed nearly two-thirds of the entire Quintus gang in one go. He's sure they'll find out something isn't right today, but what to do next?

The original plan was to wipe out all the gangs......

Hell, why do I always have last-minute problems every time I plan a whole thing?

He laughed and stood up and left the room.

Conrad was in class, and Carlil wasn't going to bother. It doesn't make sense.

For one, he did not have a suitable identity to pass. Second, even if he was really cheeky enough to knock on that door in the name of a private person, what was he going to do?

Just visiting, or being a second teacher?

The former, he didn't see any point in that. The latter, the knowledge he had, could not be taught to Conrad Coetzes.

Inside the hallway, Carlil squinted and walked slowly. He was in a rare state at the moment, he walked without any purpose, just to pass the time.

After all, there's not much to be done back in Nostramo at this time - as far as the gang's minds are concerned, it's probably a dozen hours away from the point when they figure out what happened to them.

The corridors of the Imperial Dream are still gorgeous, but when the brief shock of the oppressive extravagance is gone, it is the moment when they really introduce themselves to you.

If an artist is new to the country, he will starve to death here......

No, maybe it's already happened.

Every detail, every corner, and even every subtle pattern on this ship has a heavy history to trace.

Every five hundred meters, a silver button is placed on the wall. If you touch it, the built-in voice system will activate. Male or female voices – their builders will personally tell you the origin and meaning of every detail in the hallway.

And if you're still not satisfied, you can even request access to the Library, a mysterious area that the Praetorian Army considers to be one of their guarded territories.

Those lucky enough to be approved will also be able to read a little bit about the meticulous history of the Emperor's Dream's ordinary decorations and architecture, and more......

Unless your permissions are sufficient.

Carlil raised an eyebrow - yes, unless there was enough clearance.

And his authority on this ship is large enough to do anything.

...... Since there is nothing to do today, why not take a look at history?

The thought quickly emerged, took root in the blink of an eye, and even became an indelible complex emotion - and it was clear to Carlil that he was not looking to look at the history of mankind, he was just looking at the history of a place.

Tara......

Earth.

-----------------

Twenty minutes later, Carlil was standing in the library aboard the Imperial Dream.

Unlike the Emperor's Study, all the books are thick and heavy. The breath of time is blowing in the face, mixed with the smell of books. The smell made Carlil a little dazed, he didn't think he could still smell this familiar smell.

It's like a world away. It's like a world away.

He looked up in silence.

"Permission passed."

A machine he couldn't see what it was said in a dull voice. "Please go straight, turn right, and in the third row of the bookshelf, you will find the book you need."

Has even the profession of librarian been eliminated?

Carlil couldn't help but laugh.

Although books are still housed between thick solid wood shelves, machinery has replaced labor. There will no longer be a person who is familiar with every book in the library to lead you to the shelves......

He pursed his lips, nodded to the machine, thanked him, and walked straight and turned right, and sure enough, he found the book he needed in the third row of books.

He removes it, with gentle movements. His fingers brushed over its brown book cover and the corners of the book wrapped in gold, his expression complicated.

"That's Terra's history." A voice rang out in the shadows between the bookshelves, and Carlil wasn't surprised. He had known early on that there would be a forbidden army here.

He turned his head and saw a giant who was shorter than him. The armor of the forbidden army was not all the same, and the two-headed eagle emblem representing the human empire in front of him was placed on the chest of the armor, which looked even more solemn.

"Yes." Carlil nodded. "Your Excellency?"

The Janissary silently took off his helmet, he didn't seem to be fully armed, a pair of swords stuck at his waist. As far as patrolling is concerned, such a dress is also quite unusual.

The face under the helmet is even more special. He had dark skin, and white serpentine tattoos began to spread along the curve of his cheekbones and extend to the end of his lower lip. In terms of his appearance, this tattoo is clearly more impressive.

"La Endymion." He said calmly. "I have many names, but you can call me that."

"So, Lord Endymion, may I ask you a question?"

"If you want to talk about Konstantin Valdo's injury, then I can't tell you. The Archon is being treated, and he is badly injured. ”

Carlil pursed his lips and nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't need your apologies, Carlil Lohals. And I believe that the commander does not need it, and we only need to obey the orders of the lord. ”

Carlil nodded again with a complicated look on his face - Neos had previously said that Konstantin would not accept it, and the Praetorian had used similar rhetoric.

Considering that he knew almost nothing about Konstantin Valdo's character, he would have taken their advice.

It's just that, in this way, there is no need to apologize.

If the victim himself does not accept it, then as the murderer, no matter how sincere he apologizes, he is just deceiving himself. An unaccepted apology is meaningless.

With a soft sigh, Carlil shifted the subject.

"Your Excellency seems to know a lot about this place?"

"I'm often on duty near the library." La Endymion nodded. "In my free time, I flip through them. The book ...... is one of my favorites. ”

"Can you introduce me to one or two?"

"If you will."

Endymion said noncommittally. "My narrative is often dismissed by my companions as lengthy and unnecessary, and if you're just looking for a cursory look at the book, I'd suggest you try the machine. It's better described in its database. ”

"Compared to mechanical ...... I'm still more willing to listen to people. ”

The Forbidden Army nodded again.

"As you wish."

He spoke calmly.

"The book is the work of several authors, whose names are no longer reliable, and the clues that can be inferred have long since been lost to time. Our lord had read the book, and he thought there were not many mistakes, so he put it in the library. If those authors could know, they would also feel honored. As for its contents......"

La Endymion shook his head slowly.

"It's too heavy." The Praetorian said this very briefly, and had nothing to do with what he had previously said was 'lengthy and unnecessary'.

Carlil couldn't help but smile.

"Heavy?" He asked. "What is it?"

“...... I can give you an example. ”

"If you look at it, you'll see that the history of Terra is divided into many periods, marked by wars. During the Battle of the Tyrannical Realm, the last of the oceans on Terra were stolen by a woman named Koja Zu. ”

“...... The last ocean? Carlil stared at him in a daze. What does that mean? ”

"Literally, Carlil Lohals."

La Endymion calmly put on his helmet, raised his hands and saluted him, then turned and disappeared into the shadows cast by the bookshelves. And his last words still echoed in Carlil's ears.

"She stole the last ocean on Terra, and that's it."