The splendid grand hall, with its long staircase, long tables covered with white cloth, good-looking but mediocre dishes, a hundred or so well-dressed and well-dressed waiters—and twenty-six artists sitting on the opposite side of the long table.

Just listening to these descriptions, it's hard to imagine that this is a dinner party. But in fact, it is. Not only that, but it is also a dinner party that is valued by many people. There are tens of thousands of people who have spent months working hard for tonight.

The long table was wide and long, and the white cloth had an ivory grease color, and there were even fine stitches sewn on it with pale gold threads that could not be seen without looking closely, adding a touch of luxury.

Although the table was long, the four people who were eating were actually sitting on the side. Above them were eighteen golden chandeliers, on which the oil extracted from the bodies of rare animals from another planet was slowly burning in the form of candles.

The waiters walked between the long tables with extreme etiquette, serving the dishes one after the other, and the aroma was unbridled and appetizing. But there was no one at the table at all.

It wasn't until a few hours later, when the artists had finished their initial drafts left, that the dinner began. Naturally, it was also removed.

Conrad Coetzes raised his hand and rubbed his stiff face slowly. Dorne, who was sitting next to him, noticed this and handed over a warm, wet towel.

There are dozens of heaters under the long table, which are specially designed to warm wet towels to the right temperature. Coates took it and smiled politely, only to get Dorne's frown.

"You seem to have changed a little, brother." Roger Dorn spoke in a deep voice, and in his slightly heavy voice uttered the first words of the feast.

"People change, in your opinion, is this change of mine good or bad?" Coetzes asked seemingly casually.

Although his attitude was still natural, his right hand, hidden under the towel, was trembling slightly. Carlil glanced at him, didn't debunk, just forked away an unknown steak with a fork.

The taste is familiar, but it's also unfamiliar. He was slightly startled, then turned to look at the Emperor, who nodded his head slightly in an unpredictable manner, even though he had been cutting the food on his plate with his head down.

The two primordials sitting between them were unaware of the matter.

"I can't tell you the answer right now." Done was honest. "We haven't spoken a word for the last three and a half hours, and I have to hold my pose so that the painters and sculptors can capture my demeanor and physiognomy, and I don't have room to observe you."

"Well, then, you can observe now." Coates smiled.

He put down the towel and wiped his slightly damp hair from the towel. Pick up the knife and fork again and start eating naturally.

Dorn stared at him for a moment, not hiding himself. If it were someone else, I'm afraid I would have begun to ask him what he meant by this with a gloomy face.

But Conrad Coetzes just smiled and tilted his head after eating a piece of peppery meat.

"How, Rogge?"

"You're more mature than you used to be." Roger Dorn said. "So mature that I can't even tell if it's good or bad"

He stretched out his right hand and finally picked up the knife and fork. Although it may be a bit of a misnomer, Roger Dorn does have beautiful hands.

Slender and powerful, like a sculptor or craftsman. Humans are born with a love for beautiful things, and Dorne undoubtedly possesses this trait. However, when they are combined, you'll only get an awesome Dorne instead of a prefix like 'beautiful'.

Conrad Coetzes couldn't help but laugh, he had just thought of Fogham.

This slightly irreverent joke made him relax a little for the first time in a long time, and it also made his nerves relax temporarily.

In a short half a day, his nerves had already been provoked by the officials of the Ministry of Administration, the gentle and polite waiters again, and the last time by the artists.

Their gaze embarrassed Coetzes, who couldn't understand why a dinner party even needed to be commemorated with paintings.

So he asked straight out.

"The Emperor." He spoke. "Isn't there a way to take pictures in the empire other than paintings?"

"Absolutely." Said the giant in a white robe. "It's just that compared to forms like painting and sculpture, they are not very dignified. You may find them in taverns that cater to Ronin and sailors, or you may find pictures of family or friends in the soldiers' quarters. But it doesn't usually appear in the palace. ”

"I see." Coetzes struggled to restrain his desire to evaluate something, and moved the sarcasm to the other side of his mind. "I heard that you're coming back to Terra this time?"

"Yes." The Emperor looked up. "To see you."

Dorn picked up his glass in shock, he had to do it - the physiology of the original would choke too.

He drank half a glass of wine in one gulp, but he didn't feel the slightest taste. It was only after the food in his throat had been washed away by the wine that he heard Conrad Cozna's slightly overwhelmed reply.

"Ugh." The pale primordial blinked. "I—I'm honored."

"Me too, Your Majesty." Carlil raised his glass to the Emperor and made a remark.

He takes a sip of the wine and lets its taste and the painstaking efforts of the brewer explode on the palate buds of the tongue. The emperor also responded with a toast, and the banquet has been going on so far, and everything is as usual. But Roger Dorn couldn't immerse himself in it at all.

He didn't think it was a banquet for guests and hosts. In fact, he had been choked up again by the slightly eerie atmosphere that was now there.

"Do you know what we're here for?" Conrad Coetzes asked, he had put down his knife and fork.

Looks like he's not going to eat any more - Dorn wants him to eat more, and Coz is still a little thin by his standards. But he wasn't going to bring it up at this time.

"Of course." The Emperor lowered his knife and fork with equal force, and even the position was the same as where Koz had placed it.

"Come to collect evidence and investigate who is abusing power for personal gain within the Empire. By old standards, this kind of thing doesn't require you and your legion to do anything. But after all, this matter involves Leon and his legion, so it is natural to treat it differently. The Ministry of Administration and the Ministry of Military Affairs won't hide anything from the Midnight Blade, you can go and look into it, Conrad. ”

"You don't think so." Coetzes paused, struggling to find words. "Did we do this during the Great Expedition?"

"The time that Machado has bought you has not yet come, and you don't have to devote yourself to the Great Expedition now."

The Emperor frowned, his expression becoming more serious, and it was undoubtedly surprising to show this level of wind and waves on a face that had never been much expressionless.

"What's more, if you don't care, you will abandon the basics. If this kind of atmosphere were allowed to spread within the empire, how many people would lose their lives and shatter their ideals? The substitution of others into the army must not be tolerated, and the abuse of power will lead to the complete degradation of human nature. Don't worry, Conrad, no one is going to stand in the way of your operation. ”

"Thank you for that." Conrad Kozne said.

He appeared so surprised by the Emperor's reaction that he lost his demeanor a little. Dorn understood, after all, he himself had the same reaction, which was quite shocking. Fortunately, he quickly returned to normal.

Although the change in the emperor is somewhat significant, it is not without a trace. He turned his head to look at Karil Lohals. The latter smiled at him and nodded, as if he had said hello.

"I love to see everyone shine in their job and put their heads down in their work." The Emperor continued. "Down-to-earth is always a scarce quality, keep it, Conrad, and it will gradually become a sharp blade in your hands."

"Ah, yes, yes, okay." Coetzes said with his head down.

"So, keep eating. Don't let these foods down. The Emperor waved majestically and let the dinner continue.

——

"Honestly, I was surprised." Carlil squinted.

His hair was being blown by the cold winds, and the Himalayas were often blowing angry winds. Not to mention that he was still standing on a terrace at the moment, and when he looked down, you would find a river of lights.

The vitality and peace of mind that belongs to humanity gradually escapes in the slight sound and is captured by another person on the terrace. The Emperor raised his right hand and grasped these precious things in his hands.

The temperature turned into a visible white mist that appeared with his breath and was blown away by the next gust of wind. The laurel crown rested quietly on his forehead, as stubborn as it had been for all eternity.

"Surprised by what?" The Lord of Humanity asked.

"You're really willing to go on a tirade." Carlil said with a smirk. "No, not really. I'm just amazed that you actually recreate the texture of lamb. ”

"There is no shortage of scientists in the Empire, and it is actually not difficult to find a few that focus on paleontological restoration," the emperor said, reaching the very edge of the terrace, looking down.

His complexion softened. The night was desolate, and at such a height, the scenery beneath his feet was so small that it was almost a blur of pixels, but he looked at them with an attitude of enjoyment, as if that was enough.

"I don't think they're really going to recover completely."

"For now, only a part of it needs to be restored. However, if an animal like a sheep can be born again, it will be a good thing for you, for me, and for all of humanity. ”

"yes." Carlil sighed. "Did any animals survive?"

"Yes, like dogs, or cats. Humans took them with them as they headed for the galaxy, but they weren't what you and I were familiar with. ”

"What? Cats now have two tails? ”

"It could have been worse." The emperor turned his head and briefly became Neos. He burst out laughing.

"Some cats have escaped into the jungle and have since become new predators, repeating what happened between humans and their ancestors. Other cats have evolved to be much smarter than they were, and while they still have that jerk personality, isn't that the charm of cats? ”

"I still prefer dogs." Carlil said noncommittally. "Dogs are generally more loyal."

"Dogs are rare now, except for those genetically mutated hounds, which usually only live for two or three years." Neos sighed. "I hardly found a single dog that didn't have a genetic mutation, and humans were cruel to them."

"Cruel? What did we do with them? ”

"All the dogs that have survived are naturally aggressive and loyal to their owners, and their original intelligence and instincts have been compressed in exchange for stronger bite force and larger size, and these poor animals have been turned into another weapon by us."

As he said this, Neos's expression looked a little sad.

"In other words, there are no more animals in the galaxy that I am familiar with?" Carlil shrugged half-jokingly. "Say one, any one will do."

Neos fell silent as he looked into Carlil's eyes, trying to find some evidence that made the conversation seem less pathetic. But he failed, and there was no smile in the eyes of the man standing side by side with him.

In fact, Neos could only see nothingness.

A pure nothingness.

After a long time, he whispered.

"This is not the Earth." Neos said. "The earth exists only in the past, only in your memories and mine. The things of the past are dead or distorted, let them go, my friend. This is Divine Terra. ”

"I've never grabbed it, so why let it go?"

Carlil couldn't help but laugh, the smile was not sad, it could even be called peaceful: "I'm not trying to go back in time, I'm just trying to grasp a little shadow of the past, Neos." One must rely on memories to sustain oneself to go further. ”

“.”

Neos was silent for a moment, then said slowly, "There is another bird. ”

"What?"

"The last bird, Carlil." Neos said solemnly. "A dead bird, a black-capped sparrow."

Carlil looked at him in a daze.

"I found its bones before the global nuclear war, and I carried it with me for many years. It is now a falcon, and Rogge has recreated its wings, body, and beak for it. It's flying in the sky right now. ”

The Emperor of Humanity slowly raised his hand and pointed at the dark sky. Following his guidance, Carlil looked up, but all he could see was darkness.

For a brief moment, he tried to use his psionic powers to catch the iron bird's tracks, but he didn't. After a few seconds, he lowered his head and let out a long sigh, as if sending away a soul.

"Accept it." The bloodless and tearless emperor said. "We can all just accept it."

Carlil looked up and smiled.

"Maybe it'll be better during the day." He blinked and made a joke.

Update complete, this chapter is 4k, owes 1k. It feels best to stop here.

(End of chapter)