Him and their stars.

Chapter 2184 The Melancholy of the Void Crown

This mecha-girl outfit is probably her combat suit.

Yu Lian glanced at the other party, thinking that this robot girl was too slow.

Wasn't it agreed that I could locate myself once I crossed the subspace? But how much time has passed now?

"Hey~~ Is the Commander throwing a tantrum again? I tried my best, okay? I located it successfully the moment it happened! But there are quite a few things they've done to the dome of this amusement park. Even for me, it would take a lot of effort to break in unscathed. If we force our way in, we might destroy this blue sky, white clouds, and sunshine. Can you bear to do that?"

Yu Lian listened to the cheerful music in the park, felt the sweet fragrance in his nostrils, and confirmed the real warmth of the artificial sunlight. He realized that he really couldn't bear to do it.

“I don’t really have the heart to do it either,” Little Gray said, then looked at the old cyborg with interest: “You did a great job. By the standards of this era and by the standards of carbon-based life forms, you must be the best controller of nanomachines.”

Old man Trend seemed completely unsurprised by this turn of events. He gazed at the robot lady with a hint of devout longing, as if he were an old believer who had witnessed a real angel descend.
"So, you really do exist."

Yu Lian watched this scene with great interest. He was becoming increasingly certain that "Future" was some kind of deity.

“Of course I exist. The snakes have long had relevant records. Even if the executors below don’t know, you higher-ups should know. It’s pointless to pretend to be new now.” Little Grey explained to Yu Lian, then said to Trend, “But you are still missing the last, and most crucial step. Although that little girl from the swarm has a small brain, she took that step from the very beginning, and that makes a qualitative difference between you.”

The old cyborg regained a little of his senses: "Yes, she represents a possible future of civilization, while I am just a foolish craftsman."

At this point, he fell into reminiscence again: "My old master, and my lord, both believed that only when enough possibilities exist simultaneously can civilization remain vibrant, truly grow and evolve, rather than stagnate or head down a single dead end. The young lady's achievements today are the result of the gamble my old master took to save her life, but her development today has exceeded all of our imaginations. But, this is the evolution of civilization, isn't it?"

Yu Lian listened in silence. He suddenly felt a slight texture, the black gemstone, heavy in his pocket, as if it weighed a ton.

"The ancestors you call the Enlighteners have only left behind seeds. How to cultivate and grow them is up to you." Xiao Hui glanced at Yu Lian out of the corner of his eye, his gaze seemingly meaningful.

“Yes! Even the Emperor who has gone to heaven is no better than this. Including his plan to have that behemoth devour you and the Silent Ship.” Yu Lian laughed.

"Yes, he worked very hard." Little Gray gave a very objective positive assessment. Of course, it's also very possible that because the monster dropped a whole star field of gold coins that she enjoyed eating, she decided to reciprocate by giving him some recognition or something.

"Speaking of which, that thing came with you," the robot lady added.

Yu Lian looked up and saw the ancient black crown slowly descending, now hovering above the candy store's roof. The central ruby ​​remained dull and lifeless.

For some reason, Yu Lian clearly sensed a hint of the dog-like Chongchong from the Noble Phantasm's behavior.

He could also sense that the effect of interfering with his perception had disappeared. Mr. Trend finally perceived the presence of the treasure and showed obvious astonishment.

Then, astonishment turned into admiration: "You see, Your Excellency, this is something I never expected. Norddos probably didn't expect it either."

“Perhaps it has just left that space and is still hesitating.” Yu Lian spread his hands: “I am not a member of the royal family, or even an imperial citizen. Since it appeared to realize the vision of the empire, it should go and confront Brin on the other side.”

Speaking of which, how far is Universal Studios from Dragon Palace? One is in Central and the other is in the Inner Ring Road, which is like going from Saturn to Earth... It doesn't seem that far.

Little Grey let out a completely emotionless laugh, seemingly quite gloating: "Who can say for sure? The Dimension Dimension is essentially a crazy wish-granting machine. Maybe, according to its judgment, only by joining forces with you can true greatness be guaranteed?"

"Hey! Where's the logic? Where's the evidence? Where's the deduction?" Yu Lian shouted.

“This… because of bloodline? The future imperial family might have your bloodline mixed in.” Little Grey rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment: “No, no, no, it’s not ‘maybe,’ but ninety percent certain.”

"With such free judgment, you dare to call yourself a robot? Where is your data source?" Yu Lian said with a stern face.

"But who can say you won't be in charge of the empire in the future? I always feel like you have a lot of experience in this area."

Yu Lian wanted to refute, but then she thought of the so-called virtual timeline and was speechless for a moment.

Old man Terend interjected, “It’s also possible that the Void Crown chooses a soul that resonates with the Empire’s grand ambitions. My old master told me that the vision the Tyrellians desire is conquest and perfect rule, order and endless progress… You certainly don’t possess any of these. But your will and ideals represent another powerful force. We all know that after the Age of Exploration ended, civilizations in the universe long lost their spirit of enterprise. Your appearance will break this stagnant pool. Your great ideals can, on the contrary, restore the Empire’s vision to its former glory!”

Putting aside his true identity and his troubled past, this cyborg engineer was indeed a kind and experienced elder. Regardless of whether his interpretation was reasonable, Yu Lian still felt a certain degree of comfort.

“Yes, you should be proud. Perhaps it’s just that your grand ideals have generated a powerful spiritual magnetic field, enough to pique the curiosity of this serpent… imperial treasure,” Little Grey added.

Yu Lian felt a chill run down his spine, and he increasingly felt that this most mysterious treasure of the empire was the one that Gou Chongchong cherished.

“It will follow you until it understands you, or you understand it,” Little Gray said. “Whether it’s a nuisance or a benefit depends on how you use it.”

It's almost certain that there will be more trouble than anything else. Yu Lian thought of Emperor Elisher's last words. If all the emperors of the empires become tools for realizing their visions, or even become conscious puppets, then it would indeed be a horror movie.

Fortunately, perhaps sensing Yu Lian's hostility, the Noble Phantasm stopped descending and eventually stopped on the roof of the candy store, landing on the head of the clown doll.

To be fair, this crown of anti-civilization, anti-humanity, feudal empire is strangely fitting for a clown to wear.

...Well, never mind. At least emperors throughout history could do bad things with a clear conscience, and they were well aware of their reactionary nature. But a clown is a clown, after all.

Trend also looked at the Void Crown, a glint of unfathomable light flashing in his eyes: "This artifact is older than the Empire itself. It has witnessed the rise and fall of many civilizations. All the emperors wanted to wield it, but none succeeded. Perhaps on some level, it is observing each wearer, accumulating data about the 'rulers'... just as we observe civilizations."

He then looked at Yu Lian, his expression becoming somewhat embarrassed.

It's quite rare for an elderly person of this age to show such obvious frustration on their face, and Yu Lian said she found it rather novel.

He said, "Actually, according to a certain backup plan... cough, one of my original tasks was to guide the 'Void Crown' to a relatively controllable transition location after His Majesty's fall. In order to deal with possible hostile actions from Mr. Norddos and Prince Brunhilde, I even prepared some tricks for this purpose."

Little Gray said, "The 47,000 miniature robots you deployed in this amusement park have gone out of control."

Trend smiled wryly and said, "In your eyes, all of the above are just primitive tricks. But this is also the coffin I have prepared for fifty years, which I originally intended to leave to Nair and Samos after I die."

“I will hand it over to them,” Yu Lian said.

"You certainly know how to play the good guy." Little Grey glared at Yu Lian, expressing his dissatisfaction in a way only the other could sense. The old engineer showed a grateful expression. He said sincerely, "My time is almost up, and we may never meet again. Someone will contact you soon. However, the agent of 'My Lord' and the representative of the organization are two different things."

This old engineer, who witnessed an entire era of prosthetic bodies, was like a nagging old man, worried about everything and wanting to explain every little detail many times.

Yu Lian looked at the other person intently, and suddenly felt a little wistful.

He hadn't had much contact with Mr. Trend, who was a typical mastermind behind a behind-the-scenes organization, but he didn't really have any ill feelings towards him.

He suddenly remembered something and added, "One last question. The coordinates locked onto by that platform just now were for this Universal Paradise. Was that pre-set? Or..."

"Of course, it was pre-planned by the Emperor." The cyborg's answer also carried a hint of inexplicable hesitation: "This platform is a warp ark built with Imperial alchemy technology, and it does indeed have the ability to traverse the void and spatial fragments. Even autonomous spaces controlled by spirit and consciousness, as long as they are constructed by relying on spiritual power and the gaps between worlds, can sustain themselves autonomously. It was originally one of the escape tools that His Majesty Elithel prepared for himself."

Got it! A tech-themed mini-Xuanwu.

Considering that the Empire has been exploring new technologies from the abilities of phantom beasts for three thousand years, and considering the illusory behemoth that was just nailed into the armor, all of this seems quite reasonable.

"If he fails in the experiment in the virtual realm but remains conscious, the subspace ark will automatically navigate to the nearest safe point and send a distress signal. And one of the safe points he set is the plaza of Universal Paradise. As for the reason, I really don't know." Old Man Trend shrugged: "If you say that he subconsciously believes that a safe place is the place of childhood joy, isn't that a bit pretentious?"

“The Celestial Universe Park was built after the Seventh Galactic War. The opening day was His Majesty’s two hundredth birthday.” Yu Lian thought of Emperor Elisel’s hobby: “Rather than saying, he hoped to put down all his burdens and have a good time.”

“But doesn’t this interpretation seem even more pretentious?” Little Grey said.

"A good man is always a boy, a good man always has the heart of a child! I feel this deeply. You women would never understand!" Yu Lian said proudly, hands clasped.

Old man Trend smiled silently, about to express his agreement, when he sensed something and looked up at the eaves again, watching the ethereal crown float up again, as if it were preparing to land once more.

His expression was bitter: "In short, this great Enlightened One is far too advanced, completely beyond the scope of my old bones. I can only take my leave now, to inform my great Lord of everything and apologize to Him. Farewell, Your Excellency, perhaps we will never meet again in this life, but do not regret it!"

Before he could finish speaking, and before Yu Lian and Xiao Hui could react, Old Man Terend, one of the thirteen faces of the Serpent of the World, and the most powerful cyborg in the history of civilization, swiftly ducked down and the archer pulled open the circular floor tile inlaid with the large snow leopard head, revealing a deep passage.

He slipped in like a slippery old fish. The moment he disappeared, the floor tiles closed up perfectly, as if nothing had happened.

Almost at the same moment, the Void Crown, which was swaying in the air like a balloon, seemed to sense some key change and began to descend at an accelerated pace.

A faint glow seemed to flow across the ancient black ring, and the once-dull ruby ​​at its center began to shine. Inside this treasure, an undercurrent seemed to be surging, its light flickering erratically.

Yu Lian gazed at the ruby, which resembled a dragon's eye, scrutinizing its profound, abyss-like radiance.

He could sense that as he examined this thing, it was also examining itself.

However, he must remain vigilant.

"Don't touch me," Yu Lian said again.

This time, the Void Crown seemed oblivious and began to accelerate, heading straight for Yu Lian.

"...Disgraceful, like a bootlicker. Even though you're not intelligent, your mystique is still there. You're really embarrassing the Enlighteners!" Little Gray muttered, distancing himself from Yu Lian.

"Yes, I'm really listless!" the latter replied, while simultaneously drawing a beam of light directly from the void, condensing it into a crystal, and striking the crown like a baseball bat.

The Noble Phantasm's flight speed wasn't fast, and the movement wasn't much bigger than a professional baseball game, but the mystical aggregation and stripping effects of the Spirit Ruins Armament successfully sent the Void Crown swinging back into the air.

Perhaps it was confused, for it hovered behind the eaves of the candy house once more, floating lightly. Although it still retained its metallic texture and still radiated a spiritual light, it looked more like a balloon.

At that very moment, a highly rhythmic ripple suddenly appeared in the space not far from Yu Lian's side, creating a golden wave.

A stable and dazzling spatial portal suddenly opened.

The first step, of course, was taken by a pair of golden-red mecha combat boots, the stride steady and powerful, exuding an imposing aura. It was just one step, yet it conveyed the power and might of a thousand troops.

Immediately afterwards, her figure, clad in magnificent gold and red armor adorned with dragon, flame, and star patterns, was fully revealed. Her dazzling golden hair shone like a radiant sun, and her exquisite face bore the slight weariness of battle, but her golden eyes, radiating the light of the sun, remained as sharp as the midday sun.

The central ruby, containing countless mysteries, began to shimmer intensely, as if all things within it were boiling over.

The crown itself even emitted a low and strange hum, which was not a sound, but a mental vibration that directly affected the consciousness of all beings with spiritual perception.

It seemed to have stopped "examining" Yu Lian and instead slightly shifted its direction. The "gaze" emanating from within the ruby ​​was now fixed entirely on Brunhilde, who had just appeared.

Yu Lian felt that the crown seemed somewhat lost.

As for Brunhilde, her gaze immediately locked onto Yu Lian in the arena, and a sweet smile instantly appeared on her lips. However, when her eyes fell on the descending Void Crown, her smile transformed into a chilling, murderous look.

Of course, when her sharp, sword-like gaze swept over Xiao Hui again, her expression became even more unpleasant.

"Seriously, you're not hiding now? Isn't that a bit too deliberate?" Yu Lian couldn't help but roll her eyes at Xiao Hui.

“Lian Qing, have I come at the wrong time?” Brunhilde asked.

Yu Lian felt as if he had heard these words somewhere before. He was confused.

"Don't go crazy! And don't mimic me! I really shouldn't have saved you just now!" Fei Fei's voice also floated out from behind the spatial gate.

Feifei has arrived.

Yu Lian didn't even have time to breathe a sigh of relief, but instead felt even more confused about this treasure, and even inexplicably became a little melancholy.