Great, we're doomed now!

Lori hugged her dad tightly and giggled, "Because I love Daddy the most!"

"I love you too, Lori." The man felt like crying.

"Ok?"

The little girl nestled on her father's shoulder, and when she looked up, she saw the same person who had greeted her earlier looking at her and waving back in a friendly manner.

"...Lord Savior?"

For some reason, the little girl began to murmur.

The man blinked and lifted her up to his face: "Lori, what did you say?"

"I...I saw Kuze..."

The little girl looked over her father's shoulder again, but there was nothing there anymore.

"Ugh?"

-

"Did you hear that, Agunica? Someone said we're handsome... Haha!"

Ye Shou couldn't help but smile. Even though he hadn't made a decision yet, his worries had lessened considerably.

He walked along the narrow road lined with countless pure white tombstones, and golden rays of light swept through the shadows below the horizon, replacing the gray sky with a bluish-white hue.

Ye Shou put his hands in his trench coat pockets and silently stepped forward. His expression gradually changed from relaxed to serious, and then back to complete relaxation and calm.

The slightly glaring sunlight shone on his face, and as he looked up, he saw the sun emerging from the edge of the giant cross—

"Looking at it over a long period of time, most things in the world are meaningless... but there are still things that must be done."

Rest in peace, my friend.

Chapter 196: Long Time No See, My Lord (4.5K)

hum~

The door to the dark room closed quietly after the last person entered, completely isolating it from all light and sound, and radio wave shielding was activated inside the room.

The only light came from the huge round table in the center of the room, whose faint blue glow illuminated twelve figures draped in black cloaks. The shadows of the cloaks obscured their faces; only the Gundam Legion insignia etched on the tabletop revealed the nature of the occasion.

—Inner Ring Meeting!

The leader's gaze swept across the room, his knuckles lightly tapping the table, producing a soft, resonant sound that echoed clearly in the enclosed space.

"Everyone's here." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority. "Now, let's begin this inner ring assessment."

Following the ritual procedures inherited from the beginning of the Restoration Era, he said in a deep voice, "Extend your hand."

Without hesitation, twenty-four hands simultaneously opened to both sides, tightly grasping the wrists of their neighboring companions, forming a close-knit closed loop around the round table.

“Alaya-vijnana,” the leader said.

"Alaya-vijnana~" the crowd chanted in unison.

Then, the room fell into a deathly silence, the so quiet atmosphere making them feel as if they could hear each other's heartbeats.

hum~

An invisible wave rippled outwards from the center of the round table!

Through the deep connection of the Alaya consciousness system, the mental power of the inner circle members is stimulated and guided, and their thoughts and emotions converge like streams, being perceived by their companions in a vague yet real form at this moment.

A tacit understanding based on shared heritage and responsibility is solidified in the circulation, and any selfish desires or wavering are exposed at this moment.

That was a long time ago.

After three hundred years, fewer than twelve of the original pilots' Holy Grail Marks have survived, not even enough to cover all the members of the inner ring.

If you rely solely on the Alaya consciousness system, the connection between you and others will be greatly weakened, making it very easy to get away with it.

Currently, only seven people truly meet the criteria, can be completely honest with each other, and guarantee that there are no ulterior motives.

But for the others... the inner circle, which once held no secrets, is now rife with little secrets.

The ceremony lasted about a minute, reaching its peak of spiritual resonance before gradually subsiding. The twelve people released their hands almost simultaneously, and everyone took their seats in perfect unison.

"Let's begin today's agenda."

The leader pulled back his hood, revealing a slightly weathered but sharp-eyed face. He turned his gaze to the third person on his left: "What are the results of the evaluation of the independence application submitted by Guderia on behalf of the Titan (Saturn's moon) colony?"

The "Inner Ring" was initially not involved in external decision-making; it only evaluated and reviewed the actions of the Tower of Babel, serving as an internal oversight department.

But clearly, their functions have changed over time.

The man in black robes, when asked, nodded slightly and said in a steady voice: "Titan's early colonization was very successful. They had an artificial atmosphere, a population of over five million, and, relying on their unique superconducting minerals and semi-metallic resources, established an industrial chain that did not depend on the Earth's volcanic system."

They have paid a heavy price to get to where they are today, and naturally they don't want others to reap the rewards. Their demands are clear: they want to break free from their current remote jurisdiction and gain complete political autonomy.

“Legal principles are one thing, reality is another.” From the other side, a slightly aged voice rang out, tinged with sarcasm. “Supporting Titan’s independence? That means we’ll be facing pressure from both the Earth and Mars alliances at the same time.”

"Yes, they may have conflicts of interest with each other, but they will never sit idly by and allow a new independent force with strategic resources to emerge, thereby breaking the existing fragile balance."

An elderly woman chimed in: "Is it worth it to pit the Tower of Babel against Earth and Mars, making them targets of public criticism, all for a new colony far away in Saturn's orbit?"

does it worth?

This question has prompted people to reflect.

The elderly man at the head of the table, responsible for taking notes, trembled slightly and let out a barely perceptible sigh:

The analytical approach is correct, but considering whether it's "worth it" at this meeting... implies that the inner circle has already deteriorated.

"But isn't our purpose in life to transcend narrow planetaryism and safeguard the common future of all humanity?"

A member with a younger-sounding voice retorted with fervor, "The people of Titan are also human beings, and they have the right to decide their own destiny. Wasn't the original Gundam Corps supporting Martian independence based on the same principle?"

"Times have changed!"

The voices that had previously opposed the idea responded coldly: "When Mars was independent, we had the absolute power to suppress all dissent, and the Legion was at its zenith. But now... our forceful support for the Titans could very well be the fuse that ignites a full-blown conflict."

How should we respond then?

McGillis Falid, can you take responsibility for this?

"...I'm sorry, I didn't think it through."

A brief silence fell around the round table, the dim light illuminating the silent or pensive faces beneath the black robes. Supporters and opponents alike presented equally compelling arguments, resulting in a stalemate.

“Perhaps…” another member who had been silent spoke slowly, “we can take a more roundabout approach: support independence but not take this final step now, first strive for a high degree of autonomy for Titan, and at the same time use its resources to restrain both Earth and Fire, and maintain a triangular balance.”

...The discussion continued, but the differences remained obvious.

Most members, out of their adherence to the original ideals and their sympathy for the emerging civilization, tended to support the Titans; while a small number of members, based on the cold considerations of realpolitik, believed that the move was too risky and not worth the effort.

Seeing that the meeting was unlikely to reach a consensus in a short time, the leader wisely suspended the discussion. "Regarding the issue of Titan's independence, the resolution will be postponed."

He looked around, his gaze turning serious: "There's one more thing to be wary of, regarding the upcoming 'Curse Ritual Pilgrimage'... I've received some vague warnings that certain forces dissatisfied with the status quo might use this commemorative event across the entire solar system to try and sabotage the pilgrimage and discredit the Legion and the symbolic significance of the 'Tower of Babel'."

“The ‘Pilgrimage of the Sacrifice’ is an important ceremony for all humanity to commemorate sacrifices and reaffirm our belief in peace,” a member said solemnly. “No one shall be allowed to tarnish it.”

"yes.

But if peace lasts too long, some people will forget the taste of pain, or... deliberately make people forget.

The chief tapped the table lightly with his fingertips: "We can't let this go unchecked. We must strengthen intelligence gathering and ensure the safety of the pilgrimage route and the core ceremony."

The meeting ended in a somewhat somber atmosphere.

-

McGillis Falid returned to his room, took off his hood and coat, revealing a head of fluffy blond short hair and a classic Western-style handsome face.

Judging solely from his appearance, this illegitimate (adopted) son of the Farid family possesses a star-level handsome appearance. Even in this era where genes can be artificially modified, his looks are undoubtedly a major plus.

If we also consider family background, then it becomes even more rare.

He was not even thirty years old when he became a member of the "Inner Ring" and participated in the political decision-making of the highest level of human power. He was undoubtedly a promising young man, but he was not proud of it. On the contrary, he was somewhat disappointed, especially after today's meeting.

Even the "inner ring road" has fallen into decline!

After finishing his work for the day, McGillis Farid walked to the bookshelf, moved aside several heavy books, and revealed a hidden compartment behind them with an almost invisible gap.

He skillfully pressed the mechanism, and the hidden compartment slid open silently—in this age of omnipotent technology, he rather nostalgically chose a purely mechanical device, without any AI assistance.

Inside lay a memory medium gleaming with a metallic sheen. Without hesitation, the blond youth took it out, then reached up to unbutton the top two buttons of his uniform and removed a protective plate from the back of his neck.

Beneath that lies not ordinary skin, but a slightly gleaming metallic structure and protruding nerve ports—an old-fashioned Alaya-vijnana system long since obsolete!

If others saw this, they would definitely be surprised, because in this era, "psychic frames" are the mainstream, which are safer and more aesthetically pleasing.

Although members of the "inner circle" need the Alaya consciousness system due to tradition, they will also choose the updated version... McGillis is almost like an antique in a sense!

snort~

He steadily connected the memory media to the interface; the slight electronic hum was almost inaudible in the quiet room, but McGillis's eyes instantly became more focused.

Instead of closing his eyes, he stared straight at the empty wall in front of him, as if he could see something deeper through it.

Everything that happened at today's inner-circle meeting—those seemingly rational but actually calculated arguments, those weighings that had long since strayed from their original intentions—surged into his heart once again like a cold tide.

He meticulously recorded every detail of the meeting, including the hidden motives beneath the grand pronouncements, the barely perceptible sigh from the chief recorder, and the growing disappointment in his own heart.

After recording, he disconnected the connection and carefully placed the memory medium back into the depths of the hidden compartment, as if burying a secret that could not be tolerated by the world.

He didn't rest immediately, but instead took out another item from a hidden compartment—an old book with yellowed paper and badly worn edges. The cover had no title, only a hand-drawn, somewhat rough, sword and shield emblem.

He sat back down at his desk, and under the soft light of the reading lamp, solemnly turned the pages of his book.

He discovered this book by chance in a corner of the family library when he was young. It didn't contain any scientific blueprints or ancient knowledge, but rather some scattered notes, battle records, and thoughts on the "future" from the early days of the first legion commander, Kuze Yoru.

The first ancestor of the Farid family, "Xin Hui Farid", carefully preserved the manuscript after obtaining it. While organizing it, he also wrote down some of his own thoughts. Later, he also included the first editions of "The Age of Calamity", "The Book of Proverbs of the Age", and "The Truth of Mankind", which contained a lot of content that was not found in later versions.

—As for how this book ended up in the library, McGillis had no idea.

It was the beliefs and theories expressed in these words that deeply moved the then-reclusive blond boy.

From that moment on, he realized that what can change the world is not slogans, but actions that come at an unimaginable cost!

...He is not the biological son of the current head of the Farid family, but a clone created using gene editing technology.

Not only is its physical condition stronger than the original, but it also possesses anti-aging genes, giving it a longer lifespan than the average person.

If nothing unexpected happens, the head of the Farid family will have his brain transplanted into McGillis's head after his health declines, and then "inherit" the position of head of the family.

Therefore, he provided McGillis with the best education and resources from a young age, and even gave him the inner ring road seat instead of his own sons.