People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Of course, by then, I will have all the power in my hands.

Ferdinand thought to himself silently.

Christensen reads minds.

She knew perfectly well what Ferdinand was thinking. To be honest, Christensen thought the plan wasn't entirely unfeasible, just not the right time.

Knowing that Ferdinand was in the right, Christensen didn't argue with him further. He waved his hand, telling Ferdinand to return to the Energy Department first, and then picked up the internal phone and called Justin.

"Distribute the funding and equipment requested by the scientific research team. I will send you the approval document soon."

“Kristen? You just got back... This isn't right... isn't it?”

Christensen didn't speak, and there was a moment of silence on the other end of the microphone.

A moment later, Justin, somewhat unable to bear it any longer, replied with a wry smile:

"I know, I know."

Christen then hung up the phone.

Ferdinand's point is valid, but that doesn't mean I won't approve.

My power as the head of Rhine Lab is unlimited! This fact remains unshaken to this day!

In the past, she wouldn't have been in such a rush to demand any research results from the scientific research department. But this time, the message Mariam sent her was somewhat special.

Mysterious, unknown signals? An elusive location? Appearing precisely during the Star-Picking Project, and then reappearing two days later?

Christen turned on her portable communicator, looked at the time Mariam sent that the first unknown signal had been captured, and pursed her lips.

If her memory is intact and the dates on the documents haven't been altered due to demonic corruption, then this point in time should be exactly the timeframe in which Safar broke through the isolation barrier.

Near Trimont, something emitted a signal at that exact moment, which was then captured by Mariam's instruments.

No, perhaps it should be phrased differently.

Something noticed the change that occurred the moment the isolation layer was crossed and emitted a signal that Mariam's instruments happened to capture.

There is a fundamental difference between the two.

In the former case, the appearance of the signal was a coincidence, while in the latter case, the appearance of the signal was inevitable—as long as the isolation layer changed, that signal would definitely appear!

Besides her and Ernst, something else was also watching the changes in the isolation layer. And it was so close to her.

This news was perhaps the best she had heard in a long time, aside from the fact that the Star-Picking Project had been proven feasible in practice (both the theory and practice of the Star-Picking Project were successful; the only problem was the third-party factor of demonic contamination, which was an accident and did not affect the results of the experiment itself).

She had to find out the truth!

.............

Trimont, 100 kilometers to the northwest, 3000 meters underground.

In the dimly lit hall, thousands of ice-blue cubes stood silently, their surfaces clean and smooth. Rather than resembling traditional coffins, they looked more like neatly cut blocks of tofu.

They remained silent for thousands of years, yet the entire underground space remained spotless.

However, compared to the past ten thousand years, the space at this moment is more vibrant.

An "eye" has been watching over them steadfastly.

The preserver is praying.

These past few days have been the most emotionally volatile days of his life.

At first, he noticed the unusual movement of the isolation layer above the planet's sky. After thousands of years of unanswered calls, he was incredibly sensitive to any changes in the isolation layer. He could sense that something had crossed the isolation layer without harming him.

How could it be crossed without any damage?

Does this mean humans have returned?

That must be it! Apart from humans themselves, who else can understand the nature of the isolation layer, and who else can cross it without damaging that protective shell and enter the planet's surface from space?

Even the Preservator himself couldn't say for sure what the universe was like now. He only knew that it was undoubtedly fraught with danger and pollution. To fight one's way through it, reach this place, cross the protective layer, and arrive at the surface, there was no doubt that only a powerful human fleet could do it!

The day when the royal army pacifies the Central Plains has finally arrived!

Seeing a glimmer of hope, the keeper immediately sent out a message. The message, carrying its unique identifier, soared through the earth's layers into the sky, and then... nothing happened.

The Preservator waited. At first, he thought the human fleet hadn't found him, but as he waited, he lowered his expectations, thinking that the human fleet might have suffered huge losses and needed to rest, so they couldn't come here for the time being. But after another two days, he was almost ready to give up hope.

Perhaps it was another cruel joke of fate. His perception was malfunctioning; the isolation layer hadn't actually changed at all, he was just being too sensitive.

Just when he was about to convince himself, another signal appeared and made him jump again!

It's true. His entire machine body, including the "eye" that serves as a camera, experienced a reaction commonly known as a "pupil earthquake."

Because he received an "extermination order" and a weapon-aiming warning!

Someone has issued an extinction order! And they've even set their sights on this planet—no, this entire star system!

No, there are still people here! Didn't I signal? Don't you check the minimap... ugh, don't you check the communications? Do you have an identification code? Which unit do you belong to? Isn't this a terrible teammate?

There was no other way, so the preserver quickly sent another signal. The message was simple, and in Terran terms it would be: WDNMD, friendly fire, friendly fire, ceasefire! You're shooting your own teammate!

Fortunately, the person who issued the extermination order may have finally received his signal, and at the last minute, the extermination order was rescinded.

At least I didn't get "gloriously" killed along with them.

The custodian breathed a sigh of relief and perked up.

Although the situation outside seems a little unusual, at least something has changed!

If nothing unexpected happens, he should be able to see the light of day again soon.

The Preservator glanced around the entire stasis chamber and let out a long sigh.

His plan failed.

The long passage of time has eroded everything. The stone coffin was forced to switch to a low-energy mode a thousand years ago, and in this low-energy mode, it is impossible to maintain a perfectly frozen state.

In other words, over the next thousand years, their kin, preserved within, began to age at an incredibly slow pace in their sleep. Although the sarcophagi protected them from disease, birth, aging, and death are ultimately the inescapable curse of life.

They died of old age.

This also includes the custodian—Trevor Friston himself, and his family.

Witnessing one's own death and being powerless to stop it is an incredibly painful experience, but ultimately, humanity did not perish, and all their efforts were not in vain. Another group of people survived.

The preserver began to pray.

It's not about praying to gods who have been compared to or even surpassed by humankind, but about praying to our past selves.

[After a long millennium, they have finally found peace.]

Chapter 346 The Flame Demon and the Method of Immortality

Shelag, Tukarim, Shelag Government Building, press conference venue.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. When it was time to announce the results of the Star-Picking Project, Horhaya stood on the stage and sighed softly.

She has never felt happy being a spokesperson at a press conference.

These reporters, I don't know what kind of people they are, they all want to make a big story, especially that wine newspaper from Casimir. Horhaiya was specifically on guard last time and didn't say a word to them, but she still fell for their trick.

When the article in the Wine Gazette was published, Ernst's office was practically flooded with messages. Not only did Ernst's brothers and sisters, Enciodis, Enya, and Encia, come running over excitedly to ask about it, but even Vina, Lola, Latatos, and even Actos came to inquire!

Okay, so aside from Enciodis, who's probably just here for the fun, most of these people have never been to Casimir and are unaware of the wine's renowned reputation, which is understandable. But what are the Duke of Windermere, the Duke of Caesar, and Hinterlaya, a native of Casimir, doing here?

Surely the Duke wouldn't believe these rumors? Hinterlea, you surely know what kind of company the Wine Gazette is.

Can they utter a single truth?

At first, Ernst could barely manage to explain and clear his name. But as the number of people increased, Ernst became too lazy to explain anymore.

Ernst's lack of explanation doesn't mean he's done with it. Whoever caused the mess should be responsible for cleaning it up.

Holhaya was the one who suffered. She was so angry that she wanted to send a lawyer's letter to the Wine Press, only to find that Sherag did not have a law firm.

*Colombian profanity*, what a blunder. This is the first time I've encountered something like this!

Finally, out of desperation, Holhaya contacted his former boss, Xiren, and asked him to send a lawyer's letter from Colombia to the Casimir Wine Newspaper, which barely managed to silence the people at the Wine Newspaper and get the article taken down.

The other party suffered no loss at all, but Horhaya went to great lengths to dispel the rumors! Miss Feathered Serpent held a grudge against her.

Yesterday's brilliance is like a thorn in my side! Kazimir, you're amazing! Just you wait, this grudge will be avenged sooner or later!

Although she really wanted to put up a sign at the entrance of the press conference that read "Reporters of Toothbeasts and Wine Reports are not allowed to enter," this was, after all, a national-level press conference, and as a government spokesperson, she did not have that authority.

Taking a deep breath, no matter how annoyed she was, she could only glare fiercely at the wine reporter in the audience who he had his eye on, then turn her face away and announce the start of the press conference.

"Dear journalists and representatives, good afternoon. I am the host of this press conference, and I am Holhaya, the spokesperson for the Shelag government."

"This press conference will mainly introduce and explain some of the achievements of the Star-Picking Project. After the presentation, there will be ten minutes for questions. Please keep quiet during the presentation. Thank you."

"Now, the press conference officially begins. Before I begin my introduction, please allow me to introduce to all the journalists and representatives present—the first explorer in Terra's history to successfully breach the isolation barrier, the executor of Project Starstrike, an honorary citizen of Sherag, a recipient of the Order of Jeragand First Class, [Starstriker] Safar."

The reporters below the stage stopped their discussions and raised their cameras, pointing them at the entrance to the press conference stage.

This was the first time they had ever heard the name Safar. Before this, the entire Star-Picking Project, from preparation to execution, had been kept secret.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't Ernst who requested secrecy. It's just that the Matterhorn is too high, making the ascent and descent too cumbersome, and there's only one road. Therefore, after the Dome Research Station was built, most researchers, including Christensen, lived directly in the station's dormitories and had no opportunity to descend the mountain. And the few who did go up, such as Nasti, Ernst, and Seria, weren't the type to leak secrets.

The most isolated place in a country that is isolated from the world naturally has a high level of secrecy.

The journalists from various media outlets, the representatives attending the press conference, and a few others who were present in person, such as Duke Windermere, who was there to keep an eye on the Wine Gazette and would behead him if he dared to spread rumors again, were naturally quite interested in this Terran man who had achieved so many "firsts".

After all, he was one of the first people to actually witness the scenery outside the isolation layer.

Unexpectedly, even though the camera lens and people's eyes had been focused on the entrance for a long time, the figure of the "Star Picker" still hadn't appeared.

Just as everyone was wondering what was going on, Holhaya coughed lightly, took a glass jar from under the podium, and placed it on the table:

"Ahem, everyone, I'm here."

Everyone turned their gaze to the table, and immediately, they all wore expressions of disbelief.

"what?"

Holhaya's smile stiffened. She knew it would turn out this way.

After all, Safar's current appearance is indeed a bit... embarrassing to talk about.

Holhaya gently tapped the glass jar. Inside the jar, a small tin man sat in the corner, his head buried between his knees, flames burning on his head.

For some reason, Horhaya even felt that the flames had a slightly awkward quality about them.

Yes, Safar has shrunk.

To be precise, it was Safar's mech body that shrank.

He abandoned the favor of the Machine God when crossing the isolation layer and was punished by the great God of Machines!

Cough cough, of course not.

There are many reasons why Safar has become what it is today, but the main reason is that Miss Miloch simply doesn't have enough materials.

As a Balrog who has "resurrected from the ashes" in every sense of the word, Safar's true form is actually just a small fragment of Originium. He simply fills his entire mecha body with the flames he releases and uses them to control the mecha's movements. To put it bluntly, he is just an "EVA pilot".

However, his original mecha, Dulin 259, was blocked while passing through the isolation layer and was abandoned by Safar. And that mecha, unsurprisingly, was later corrupted by demons and disposed of by Kal'tsit and Typhon.

Ernst hadn't paid much attention to it. The Safar was still alive, though without a body, his consciousness was intact. As for the outer shell, they could just make another one.

But when he approached Miloch, intending to place another order for this meritorious Flame Demon—to commission a cool-looking mecha—he was rejected by Engineer Dulin.

"I'm out of materials."

"I traded all the materials for Dulin 259 for other Dulin engineers by selling alcohol! The materials were supposed to be very sturdy; they didn't break even after being punched three times by Saria. How could they break so quickly?"

How could Ernst answer Milogie's question?

Is it because your mech only has physical resistance and not magic resistance that it has been corrupted by evil spirits?

No, it's best not to reveal matters concerning evil spirits to outsiders. Let me put it another way.

The original mecha was covered in unremovable "Oli Ge" (a type of slang term for a type of jelly), so it had to be replaced.

Whatever the reason, it's simply unusable.

Miloski couldn't produce any new materials in the short term. Unless she took the money, bought some good wine, and went back to Dulin City-State to ask a few familiar pilot friends if they had any suitable materials. But that trip, plus the time spent searching for materials, would take anywhere from several months to over a year, which was simply impossible to do in time.

Perhaps sensing Ernst's hesitation, Milošević suggested:

"Are you really in a hurry? If you are, I actually have a small machine here that I made from scraps... I was planning to keep it as a souvenir. How about you use this as a temporary measure?"