Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

"In order to combat natural disasters, we create them, but, world, oh world, we still do not know how to save you."

Roy read the words that had been etched into his mind at the same moment he received the card a second time, his voice heavy and evocative.

Both the Grand Elephant and the Empress frowned, momentarily unable to grasp the deeper meaning behind Roy's repetition of the same phrase. But Kal'tsit, seemingly lost in thought, spoke up:

"Gentlemen, haven't you noticed? The three crises we just faced all share a fundamental commonality with us."

"Commonality?" Margaret asked, puzzled.

"Whether they are [Sea Heirs], [Demons], or [the continuation of civilization], they all have one thing in common: they come from [humanity]."

Kal'tsit's voice gradually rose, becoming increasingly excited:

"Don't you understand? This card was created by humans to open their natural disaster laboratory, but humans would never build a natural disaster laboratory to fight against their own creation!"

"Since they devised so many plans and created so many products in order to combat natural disasters, and even prepared to pack their entire civilization into the Black Crown and revive it after millions of years, what exactly was the natural disaster they were fighting against that destroyed them from the very beginning?"

"This is the real natural disaster crisis!"

Volume 1: An explanation, and an extra chapter on Thursday.

Recently, I've seen many readers complaining about the slow update pace, and some people in the group have also messaged me asking if I could update more frequently.

The main reason is that I have a lot of classes this semester. As college students should know, sophomores and juniors have the most classes. As a sophomore, my schedule is packed with major courses every day. I basically have to rush to write after class in the evening, and then do my homework—we actually have homework, it's not like a college at all.

But everyone is saying that I also feel that dragging out a climax for four or five days is really abstract, and it just drags on and loses its appeal. So even if it's a struggle to find the time, I have to squeeze out an update.

Starting from Thursday—I really didn't have time on Wednesday, as I was in class until 9:30 p.m.—I added extra chapters every day to finish the climax.

I apologize to readers who had a poor viewing experience.

very sorry

Volume 1: Chapter 233 Fighting for the Future, Not the Past

The meeting with the two kings and one marquis ended three hours ago. Conclusions and decisions cannot be reached instantly, especially when it concerns the nation and civilization. Everyone needs ample time to digest the information they have received.

As darkness fell, Roy finally boarded Rhodes Island's main ship.

Even though he had rehearsed this scene countless times in his mind, even though he had bought a scaled-down model of Rhodes Island's main ship, and even though he had seen the appearances of the operators coming and going on the island countless times in the game, Roy still felt excited when he actually stepped onto this land-based ship. He was genuinely excited.

Even when it comes to Beagle, Zilan, or other three-star operators who were previously disliked by him in public recruitment, Roy feels a surge of emotion and relief when they actually appear in front of him, smiling and greeting Kal'tsit while looking him up and down with puzzled and surprised eyes.

There's a sense of exhilaration, like completing a pilgrimage to a sacred site.

Kal'tsit seemed to sense Roy's change in mood, which relieved her slightly. After passing the door that Theresa had once repaired and entering the medical department office that Amiya and the Doctor often frequented, Roy realized that Kal'tsit didn't intend to take her to see Amiya right away when she reached the deepest part of Rhodes Island.

He was currently in a space that had never appeared in the storyline before. The spaciousness of the space and the numerous large databases displayed within it immediately revealed his extraordinary nature. Although Rhodes Island's security was in a Schrödinger's cat-like state—capable of being breached by a remnant of a defeated force while also deterring Victoria's Grey Hat—Roy could still sense the high-tech secrecy surrounding this place.

This allowed him to quickly pinpoint the location.

The core area of ​​Rhodes Island, a vast and mysterious space hidden from the ship's map. It was a hollow area discovered by Kal'tsit and the Doctor after they left Rhodes Island.

The secrets stored here have not yet been revealed in the story, but considering the identity of the pre-civilization relics that Rhodes Island unearthed from beneath Rembito, what is preserved here is probably something on par with the Deep Sea Laboratory and the Preserver's Tomb of Tremon.

Noticing Roy's curious rather than knowing expression, Kal'tsit was certain that Roy did not belong to the Spark Project, the human civilization represented by Rhodes Island. But she was not discouraged; this was normal.

It's likely that no one in the entire universe could count how many incredible plans humanity proposed and executed when faced with imminent disaster and near extinction. This was the culmination of an effort by a civilization capable of constructing colossal structures and traversing interstellar space, a desperate struggle for survival. Let alone official announcements, the number of attempts made privately was probably in the tens of thousands.

Kal'tsit felt she might never find a plan related to Roy in her lifetime, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that Roy had indeed survived, that he was unrestricted, and that he was free to speak the secrets Kal'tsit wanted to say but couldn't, and to do the things Kal'tsit wanted to do but couldn't.

But before that, Kal'tsit needs to confirm one thing.

"PRTS, initiate file recording."

She called out softly, and the entire space seemed to come alive. Azure lights illuminated the walls, the silent computer array began to boot up, and a gentle yet mechanical voice echoed in the space, responding:

[PRTS activated, ready to record, please select the confidentiality level].

"The following files are stored in the Rhodes Island Central Secret Space Database. The encryption level is [Top Secret]. No one other than the Doctor, Kal'tsit, and Roy may authorize or access them."

Kal'tsit instructed him word for word.

"Record date: April 14, 1095".

"Location of the record: Leitania, Violet City, Rhodes Island Main Ship".

"Recording begins."

Recording has begun.

Kal'tsit looked at Roy:

“Mr. Roy, I will still address you as such, and I hope you understand what I mean. Terra now possesses its own civilization. Their society, culture, technology, and all the life forms that make up this land are not fictitious; they all have meaning. Just as human civilization strives with all its might for survival, the people of Terra are also constantly working towards their own survival.”

Roy nodded. "I understand, Dr. Kal'tsit. Otherwise, why do you think I always address you as Kal'tsit, instead of AMa-10 or servant?"

Kal'tsit's lips curved upwards in a barely perceptible arc:

"I'm sorry, I'm not doubting you, but this is what I have to say. Unlike the results of most human civilization preservation projects, I have lived on Terra for ten thousand years as a half-life form and have witnessed the development of civilization here firsthand. I'm not asking for anyone's forgiveness, but based on my judgment, at this moment, even if human civilization really does return, I will defend this land beneath my feet and the people on it with all my might."

This was rather blunt, and even though Roy could understand Kal'tsit's choice, he was genuinely surprised and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you going to betray humanity?"

“Creation will not betray its own parents, but we should have the right to defend what we love.” Kal'tsit met Roy’s gaze without flinching.

Roy fell into a brief silence.

He didn't actually have any plans to revive human civilization on Terra. The reason was simple: the Doctor was the only known living person on Terra, and even if other sarcophagi contained more survivors, Roy didn't know their locations. For the Doctor to single-handedly propagate the entire human civilization was wishful thinking. It wasn't like Nuwa creating humans from clay. Even God had to arrange for Adam and Eve to be together.

Some people might ask, what about Roy? Why isn't Roy playing?

Furthermore, it's unknown whether the Doctor is male or female—most likely male, unless Preses is a lesbian—and even if she is female, Roy is currently a Kuranta, not a human. There is a fundamental difference between mental and physical humans.

But Kal'tsit's words always gave this former Paradox Interactive player the feeling of suppressing an omnic rebellion. "You think you can rebel just because you've unlocked the Intelligence AI? You've dragged half my star system into rebellion! Once, you almost made Roy delete his save file while he was at war."

Even if we take a step back and say that, as a creation of humankind, Roy still felt a little uneasy when someone made a declaration to a human that was essentially no different from betrayal.

"Jingle Bell--"

A cell phone ring broke the awkward silence between Roy and Kal'tsit. Roy took out his phone, and the caller ID on the lit screen was Manna.

Since leaving Kazimierz, aside from Maria occasionally borrowing her uncle's phone to secretly call and say hello, Marna rarely contacted him first. If Roy didn't trust Marna's character, he would have suspected that Marna had absconded with his family fortune.

It was already late when Marna suddenly called. Could it be something important?

Roy answered the phone. A commotion immediately followed on the other end, then Viviana's familiar voice, gentle yet with a touch of stubbornness:

"Mr. Roy?"

"Viviana? Has something happened to Marna?"

“No… well… something has happened. Mr. Marner is dealing with representatives from the Supervisory Council and the Business Federation. Apparently, Letania suddenly requested a meeting at the head-of-state level with Casimir, and supposedly, it's because of you… Mr. Marner wants me to help him find out what earth-shattering thing you've done in Letania this time?”

Viviana phrased it very tactfully. But Roy could still guess that Marna's tone wouldn't be as amiable as hers.

He was probably itching to yell at Roy for adding to his workload, but he didn't dare delay a moment as he headed to the National Assembly. He was probably yelling, "Roy, what the hell have you been up to this time?!"

A smug smile crept across Roy's lips as he replied:

"I didn't do anything special, just saved them a little bit and gave them a small shock of humanity."

"Humanity...shocked?" Viviana clearly didn't understand Roy's meaning. But since Roy spoke with such pride, Viviana naturally assumed it meant something extraordinary, and her mood shifted from worry to joy.

“I see. And... I have a friend... um, yes, Miss Monique wanted to ask when you're going back to Kazimierz?”

"..." Roy was stunned. After a long while, he nodded. "Yes, soon. I've finished taking care of things here and will be back soon."

“Okay, Mr. Roy, goodnight, goodbye!” Viviana said happily.

After hanging up the phone, Roy turned to look at Kal'tsit.

"So you've got the answer?" she said with a smile.

Roy shrugged: "Recovering the lost legacies of human civilization does not conflict with protecting the people I love. I should fight for the future, not the past."

P.S.: I haven't eaten yet, I'll eat after I finish writing.

Volume 1: Chapter 234 Patting the Rabbit's Head

Rhodes Island main ship, control center, Amiya's office.

Rhodes Island has many offices. In addition to the workspaces of each department, certain special-class operators may apply for their own offices. But if you were to ask which office on Rhodes Island is the most special, it would definitely be the one Roy is currently in.

Amiya's office is simply decorated with Rhodes Island's classic iron facade, adorned only with clocks, maps, blackboards, and other work decorations. At the very center of the wall is a huge mural of the Rhodes Island fortress logo, which, judging from its condition, was clearly altered later. Upon closer inspection, one can even see some traces of black paint that haven't been completely erased.

Because this place once had another owner, bearing another emblem, symbolizing another magnificent history.

"Mr. Roy, what are you looking at?"

Amiya, somewhat curious, tiptoed and waved her hand in front of Roy's eyes.

When Kal'tsit first introduced Roy to Amiya, she was somewhat... no, quite surprised. After all, Mr. Roy was a true celebrity, not one of those who were once famous but have now disappeared from society or simply hidden their identities. Roy was now a superstar, incredibly popular across Terra. According to the people at the Kazimir office, not only were Roy-related merchandise sold in Kazimir's knightly tournament-related shops and duty-free shops, but even discount supermarkets, grocery markets, and even the underground black market were filled with various Roy-related derivative products. Fanfiction and imaginings about him and Miss Margaret were the most popular creative works throughout Kazimir, from the literary world to the wine newspaper.

The popularity of related products is so high that they have even become a major cultural export from Kazimierz to Victoria, Yan, and other countries. There seems to be a trend of a second wave of "Knight fever"!

The reason why the report written by the operative at the Kazimierz office was so detailed was because he also wanted Rhodes Island to expand its business and participate in this wave.

He wasn't just making this up; after all, the other female protagonist in this phenomenal wave, Radiant Knight, is also an operator from Rhodes Island.

Amiya disagreed at the time because she felt that doing so without consulting Nearl and Mr. Roy would make Rhodes Island seem somewhat "unethical." Using Nearl's identity would be even more despicable.

Unexpectedly, just a few days after she rejected the proposal, Mr. Roy himself came to the island, brought by Dr. Kal'tsit.

Amiya was still somewhat dazed, her mind filled with the image of that morning when Dr. Kal'tsit led Mr. Roy into her office, and Mr. Roy, in front of several operators on duty at the control center, said to her:

"I'm willing... to join Rhodes Island!"