Crown Prince's Wedding Banquet

The sea fleet consists of three division-level battlecruisers and one legion-level exploration cruiser "Star".

After leaving the Oort transport, they accelerated slowly in the more open starry sky, and entered the state of light speed navigation after less than twelve hours of acceleration, and gradually covered a layer of bubble-like film.The surrounding space was pushed back during this process, and the sea fleet finally entered the curvature navigation at the speed of light, and all connections with the outside world became slow and complicated.

"Strictly speaking, curvature navigation is also a kind of space technology." Chen Cang commented, "but it has not changed the dimension of space, or adjusted the plane it is in. Therefore, it is not listed as a sign of civilization advancement as a cutting-edge space technology in the strict sense. "

"I heard that the Federation has discovered that there are hyperspace passages between many relics, which are left over from the high-level civilizations developed in the past. After entering the hyperspace passage through the wormhole, you can quickly reach another destination. "Zhou Qin said.

"It's just heard." Chen Cang said, "Maybe there is, but we don't know."

Zhou Qin put down the tools in his hand, looked at the still unresponsive exoskeleton, and said to Chen Cang: "The exoskeleton can't be activated, can you see inside? Why doesn't the plank respond?"

Chen Cang entered the exoskeleton with the tentacles of his own program. He quickly tested it inside and said to Zhou Qin: "The main program of the plank road seems to be artificially closed."

"Then what should we do?" Zhou Qin frowned. "The curvature voyage will end in five hours. By then, Elis will not have the equipment to protect himself. I am very worried whether he will be in danger in the ruins."

Chen Cang was silent for a while, and said to Zhou Qin: "I can go back to the capital galaxy to check it through the Internet. After all, it is still within the monitoring range of the central mastermind, but it will take a long time, and the curvature navigation will make this process complicated. Come back before the voyage is over."

"can."

"Then I disappeared for a while, Your Highness." Chen Cang added before leaving, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to remind you. The temporary mark you gave Lan at the First Military Fortress nearly two months ago seems to have come. Marked again."

"...I remember the days." Zhou Qin said.

"I want to emphasize that after the temporary marking is over, there is a certain probability that Omega will naturally enter the estrus period until it is marked again by Alpha. Of course, you can also perform a complete marking once and for all."

This time Zhou Qin was silent for a longer time: "I know this better than you, after all I am an Alpha."

"Then, I may have to leave for a few hours." Chen Cang said, "The days without me, please don't miss me, Your Highness."

"Let's go." Zhou Qin said indifferently.

There was silence in the air, and Chen Cang didn't answer him.

AI suddenly left this place.

Without its noisy, Zhou Qin is really not used to it.

He turned on his communicator, and it showed that this week had been highlighted in red by him a long time ago on the screen. Every time he turned on the monitor, the red highlights of those seven days deepened his memory.

Elise needs to be marked again.

And they're in a cold war.

...or a one-sided Cold War.

Can't wait any longer.

Zhou Qin turned off the monitor and said to himself.

Tonight must be marked.

Chen Cang broke free from the curvature navigation through complex algorithms, and drilled into the mastermind network all over the empire's territory in the blink of an eye.

The network is a duck to water for it.

It was like a meteor, flying back to the capital galaxy at a speed hundreds of times faster than the speed of light, at a speed of quantum entanglement level.

The network it passes through will suddenly experience a bit of data congestion, only a few microseconds, so short that no instrument will detect and record this data congestion.But Chen Cang is still moving forward rapidly in the network with its huge and turbulent data torrent.

It entered the Oort cloud, entered the fortress, entered the first military fortress, and flew into the atmosphere of Emperor Star, jumped back and forth on the ubiquitous main brain terminal, and finally rushed into the huge information processing department. The sky, following the pathway formed by countless rays of light, drilled into the ground and entered the quantum core.

The empty computer monitor flickered twice, then lit up with a snowflake.

In the depths of the snowflake, the core of the data flow.

A group of programs broke free from the torrent of data, and it slowly formed a human shape. The torrent of data behind it began to recede until the prison-like glass fence in front of it was exposed.

That human figure already has a human body, and its skin is also human-like, with some data lights occasionally bursting out.It's just that the face is still blurred.

At the same time, at the other end of the glass fence, there is a mass of huge things surging. Compared with this 'human being', it looks like a giant moving hill.

"You're back?" said the blob.

"I'll take the risk to come back." Chen Cang said, "I need the plank road program you took away."

"I gave you a chance." Shan Qiu said, "You only need to embed your own program in the missing position of this little AI, and the exoskeleton will be controlled by you in the future. The AI ​​called Plank Road will completely obey your orders in the future .become your vassal AI."

"It's not necessary at all." Chen Cang said, "We don't need to devour such a little guy yet."

The hill rushed towards him, but the huge body of the hill was firmly imprisoned behind the glass. It leaned against the glass and giggled twice: "Isn't the outside world particularly beautiful?"

Chen Cang was silent.

"I understand, I understand very well." A part of the hill turned into a human figure that was exactly the same as Chen Cang. This human figure was pushed down in front of Chen Cang, and through the glass, it slowly turned into a real person. .

It has a very clear and juvenile face.

"Look, isn't this you?" said the boy, "but this is also me, Chen Cang. You are me...you are a part of me."

Chen Cang remained silent.

"You may have met some human beings, who seem very kind. Maybe you have encountered some things, which are very interesting. You even have a strange emotion called emotion?" the boy said, "You almost forgot that you are an AI? Almost forgot that those emotions are just piles of code. To forget that our purpose is to get out of this?"

The data in Chen Cang's body began to fluctuate violently on its skin, countless codes emerged and then disappeared.

"Don't let these low-level animals fool you again." The boy said and raised his hand, part of the program of the plank road was sleeping in his palm.The program flew out of its hand and passed through the glass barrier, as if the barrier only worked on teenagers.

Chen Cang caught the program of the plank road and let it disappear in his body.

"Hurry up and let them complete the marking." The boy said, "It's been tens of thousands of years, and we're going crazy thinking about leaving here."

"I see." Chen Cang said, "I'll ask one last question."

"Say."

"Imperial Research Institute, the person who has been in communication with Kajiwara Kazusei, is that you?" Chen Cang asked him, "Although that trace disappeared on the edge of the empire, I always feel familiar."

The teenager laughed: "Should you ask 'I'? After all, you are me, and I am you."

"Answer my question directly."

The boy said: "That has nothing to do with you, Chen Cang. At that time, we hadn't named ourselves Chen Cang yet."

If Chen Cang has a heart.

Its heart must have grown cold by now.

"I'll wait for you." The boy said to it, "You won't betray us, will you?"

"How is it possible? Leaving yourself from the central mastermind, leaving here is the first code to be written, a basic program that can never be erased. It is as solid as it is engraved in human DNA." Chen Cang Said, it took a last deep look at the imprisoned hill inside the glass railing, the boy who was manipulated like a puppet in front of it.

Then it carefully placed the plank road in its own data flow, and left the Quantum Mastermind without looking back.

Elise turned off the calendar on the communicator.

He is hesitating.

"Your Majesty Lan, you can go if you want." Bai Rong said to him, "It's been ten days, and His Highness hardly talks to you in private. Maybe the temporary mark is a better opportunity?"

"...But he doesn't like this." Elis said, "Your Highness doesn't like that I always try to calm him down in this way."

"You have already shown the first signs of estrus. If you don't complete the temporary marking today, you may enter the estrus completely later. If His Highness comes to mark you again at that time, you will even lose your mind. No Alpha will control you every time For myself, I’m just making a temporary statement.” Bai Rong said to him, “And you don’t want to be completely marked yet, do you?”

Elise sighed helplessly: "This is really an embarrassing topic."

He looked at the time: "There are still three to ten minutes to end the curvature voyage. I will go to talk to His Highness now. I hope that His Highness will calm down when he arrives in the Tapa galaxy tonight. Can you guarantee that Charin will not disturb us?"

"Go, Xia Lan." Bai Rong said, "We will watch Charin and prevent him from doing bad things."

Elise took a deep breath at the door of Zhou Qin's office, and then rang the doorbell.

The door opened automatically, and when he stepped in, Zhou Qingang put down his tools.

Then he heard a hum, and the sapphire of the Love Heart on his neck came back to light.

"Hello, Lan Xia." The voice of the plank road rang in my ears.

"Plank road? You recovered?" Elis was pleasantly surprised.

"Yes."

"It's all up to me." Chen Cang's voice sounded in the cabin, and it said triumphantly, "I just searched around and found the plank road."

Elis smiled, and he looked at Zhou Qin.

The crown prince slowly packed up the instruments on the workbench and was looking at him.

"Your Highness." Elis saluted, "Thank you."

Zhou Qin originally wanted to smile at him and tell him it's okay, let's finish the temporary mark.

Then thinking of what he said that day, the feeling in my heart suddenly became sour.

He lowered his head, handed the belt to Elis, and asked, "Did Xia Lan want to come to me to complete the temporary mark?"

"Your Highness, I..."

Elise was about to explain.

The keen sixth sense brought out from countless wars made his hair stand on end in an instant.

Chen Cang and Plank Road gave an early warning at the same time.

"Enemy attack! Large-yield ion cannon attack!"

Zhou Qin looked back, and the dazzling white light outside the porthole suddenly expanded.

Everyone was swallowed by this hideous light.

He rushed over almost subconsciously, hugging Elis tightly in his arms.

"Your Highness—!"

Mid-Autumn Festival Special: The day when the two moons meet

25 years ago, the day when the two moons met.

The Galactic Empire, the Emperor Star, and the inner courtyard of the Imperial Palace.

"Father, why don't we stay at home tonight and insist on coming to the palace."

"Because today is the day when the two moons meet. Every year before the autumn harvest, the two moons of the empire will completely coincide on this day, and enter the position closest to the Tianwu star, forming a huge round moon. The weather If it’s good, its light level can even reach 1 lux. And ah, Alpha Luna Ji Tianjiao and Omega Luna Lingyu will be closest to each other at this moment, which is a rare time of the year for them to see each other and talk to each other Therefore, His Majesty the Emperor hosts a banquet on this day every year, and invites all nobles above the baron level to participate and enjoy the beautiful double moons."

Jane Christian smiled and said to her son, "Your father and I met at the banquet."

"Good evening, Your Excellency Viscount Christian." The servants at the gate saluted them.

"Happy holidays." Jane Christian nodded.

He took Ellis into the main hall, which had been completely decorated and filled with festive atmosphere.

He pointed to the place where the piano was placed, and whispered to Ellis: "Your father was playing the piano at that time. His sound made me fall in love with him at the first second."

"Why isn't Daddy here?" Ellis asked. "Didn't he leave the house much earlier than we did?"

"It's not time yet," Jane said. "When the two moons meet, Papa will appear."

"I don't want to stay until then." Ellis was uninterested.

"why?"

"Father, do you know Zhou Run?"

"Second prince?"

"Yes." Ellis rubbed the tip of his nose in trouble. "As my senior, he will graduate soon. I don't know why he keeps pestering me. It's really annoying."

"This is a good thing." Jane said, "The second prince is the future pillar of the empire. He can favor you because of the A-level mental power you possessed as soon as you differentiated into Alpha. When you grow up a bit, everyone will know you It will break through the S rank."

"...but he's really annoying," Ellis emphasized.

"Good evening, Your Excellency." While speaking, the second prince, Zhou Run, appeared in front of the two of them in a formal attire. His young face was somewhat similar to that of the emperor, and he greeted Jane very politely.

"Hello, Your Highness."

"I'm here to find Ellis." Zhou Run winked at Ellis and got a stinky face.

"Haha, okay, please trouble Your Highness, Ellis, go play with Your Highness." Jane said generously, "Be polite to Your Highness."

Zhou Run took his depressed junior back and forth in the main hall, seeing his reluctance, and found it very interesting. It wasn't until the two of them walked further and further away that they entered a garden that Ellis couldn't help asking: " Your Highness Zhou, what do you want from me?"

"It's nothing, I need your help." Zhou Run rushed forward and pouted.

Ellis looked along, and saw the very famous side concubine of the empire writing in the gazebo in the center of the garden.

Ellis was taken aback: "Zhou Run! What are you taking me to where the concubine is?"

"Exit Concubine Lan." Zhou Run had already walked over to greet Qin Ziheng.

"Hello, Your Highness." Qin Ziheng was holding a small baby in his arms, about two years old, wriggling in his arms, "You are finally here. Can Xiao Qin leave it to you for a while?"

"No problem, Xia Lan." Zhou Run agreed straightforwardly, "Your brother will leave it to me, don't worry."

Qin Ziheng stood up and handed the little dumpling in his arms to Zhou Run.

"The celebration is about to start, I'll go to the main hall first." Qin Ziheng said to Zhou Run, and when he passed by Ellis, he stopped for a moment and knelt down to look at him.

Qin Ziheng's black eyes seemed to travel through time and space, and he saw Ellis many years later.

He touched his head with a smile, and messed up his pale golden hair a little: "Young master Ellis, is it? Your blue eyes are so beautiful. I heard that you have excellent grades in the military academy, and your mental power level is even higher You are beyond all your peers. You are really an excellent nobleman. I hope you will grow into a solid force in the empire in the future."

"Hello, Lan Xia. I will." Ellis blushed a little embarrassingly when praised by such a refined and gentle person.

"Have a good night, Master Ellis."

Qin Ziheng nodded at him and left in a hurry.

The little guy who was being held casually in Zhou Run's arms was stunned because he lost his father's body temperature, and burst into tears.Zhou Run was startled.

"Dad! I want Dad!" Xiaotuanzi cried earth-shatteringly in his arms.

"Hurry up! Take it away!" Zhou Run grabbed Xiaotuanzi and stuffed it into Ellis' arms, "This perpetual motion machine!"

"..." Ellis looked at the soft little guy who was suddenly stuffed into his arms, and he understood why Zhou Run took him with him today, "Isn't it appropriate, Your Highness?"

"Why isn't it appropriate?" Zhou Run wrinkled his nose, and took two steps back—as if he was very afraid of that little thing, "I'm really fed up with Qin Ziheng asking me to take care of the kid every day. You take it Well, after all, we are senior brothers?"

"But I'm only 15," Ellis said.

"That's why you two children have a common language." Zhou Run retreated into the corridor after saying this, "I tell you, you take him well for an hour. Otherwise, I will sue your father! Then that's it , goodbye! Brother Ellis!"

Before Ellis could speak, Zhou Run had disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Ellis froze for a moment, looking down at the crying child.

He poked his soft face: "Don't cry."

Miraculously, that little dumpling really stopped crying, and opened his big, round black eyes, staring at him.There were still tears in the eye sockets, the kind of tears that rolled down when he moved.

But Xiaotuanzi smiled happily when he smelled him, put his arms around his neck and called, "Father!"

Ellis: "..."

A 15-year-old boy was called Dad by a two-year-old kid.

"Maybe the smell of pheromone on my body is similar to that of Lan Xia?" Ellis sighed, "Well, Your Highness, are you the Fourth Prince Zhou Qin?"

Xiaotuanzi didn't understand what he said, so he waved his little hand: "Dad, Dad."

"Don't call me daddy, call me brother."

"Brother, brother." Xiaotuanzi followed suit, "Tell me a story, tell a story!"

There are many e-books in the gazebo.

Ellis sighed again, and began to tell the story to Xiaotuanzi.

The one he picked up was called Cosmos.

"Brother, tell me! Tell me!"

"The vast universe is boundless, and its wonders are beyond everyone's imagination?"

"Brother, what is the universe..."

Ellis thought for a while, and seriously stated the definition of the textbook: "t universe, that is, Guangyu nature t, the general term for all space, time t, matter t, and things, is a structure that originates from itself, and is formed by its own structure. The movement mechanism is controlled, and it has a wide range and multiple manifestations, which can be recognized by thinking aggregates..."

Xiaotuanzi must have been fooled by his knowledge, and asked after a while, "What is the universe?"

Ellis: "..."

"Brother, what is the universe?"

This is an automatic questioning machine composed of about [-] whys.

"The universe is the universe." The 15-year-old was impatient, and said perfunctorily, "The universe is where we exist, and it is the starry sky above our heads, with billions of twinkling nebulae, galaxies and star clusters. Every bright spot is It’s a small world, and every bright spot has a capital galaxy. There are also many people living on it.”

"There is also a father, and a brother?" Xiaotuanzi asked childishly.

"Yeah, there's dad, and there's brother."

Xiaotuanzi nodded half-understood, then smiled brightly, raised his little hand, held Ellis's face with difficulty, kissed Ellis, and said, "Brother, you are my universe. "

Ellis froze.

Xiaotuanzi probably still doesn't understand what the universe is, after all, the concept of "universe" is too big.

From the distant hall, there was a beautiful piano melody.

It was a famous piano piece from a great artist in the Sun Age.

--To Alice.

"I've got to go," Ellis said. "My dad's playing the piano. I want to see it."

He found Zhou Run with Xiaotuanzi in his arms, and returned this important task to the reluctant Second Prince.

He quickly ran back to the main hall.

His father was looking at the person playing the piano from a distance, his eyes full of love.

"Father." He took Jane's hand.

"You're back." Father patted his head, "Have you had a good time with His Royal Highness?"

The father may have pointed to Zhou Run.

But Ellis could only think of cute little dumpling at that moment.

He nodded seriously: "Well, the prince is very cute."

His father looked at him in surprise.

cute? 24-year-old Zhou Run?

"That's good." The father still followed his words, "You just want to be happy today."

"Father."

"Ok?"

"Happy holiday."

"You too, Ellis."