The overlord of the gods is interrogating the alien female spy.

　The little penguin flapped its wings and hopped onto his back with a thud. As soon as it poked its head out from his shoulder, it met those purple grape eyes.

　"Ah... I'm so sorry. I didn't know Ah Xu was talking to someone."

　"Then why aren't you getting down? Don't just jump on other people's computers. Hey... friend..."

　Precys retorted through gritted teeth.

　"Oh dear. I'm really sorry, designer of A-Xu."

　"It's the designer, and the partner."

　Precys added after her words, "This person is a bit too overbearing. Doesn't she realize that her overly familiar manner might make others uncomfortable?"

　"Hmm. Ah Xu's partner. And Xiao Lu. How did you meet?"

　"Ok?"

　Chen Lingxu and Precys looked at the ever-smiling Octopus Lady.

　“Prophet, you should be a little more composed in front of our new friends. You are, after all, a PhD from the Federal Academy of Sciences.”

　"A PhD from the Federal Academy of Sciences?"

　"she?"

　The battle in the market has subsided. Apart from a few unlucky hostages who were injured, most of the hostages are unharmed. The rebel leader, whose body is mostly broken, has been taken into custody by mercenaries from Atam Industries, who say they will take him back to the Sector Government for questioning.

　Chen Lingxu and Precys also followed their two new friends to visit their spaceship.

　"Hmm? You're back. That was quick. But lunch will have to wait a while... Wait, Prophet, why didn't you tell me you were bringing a new friend back?"

　As soon as I entered the spaceship, I heard a surprised voice from a middle-aged man and smelled an enticing aroma.

　"Ed, what delicious food did you make for lunch? And where's Grandpa?"

　"The same old thing. Friston's on the phone with his daughter. He just smiled at his little grandson for a while."

　He came out wearing an apron, and after seeing the number of people, he asked again.

　"Hey robot, do you have a food module installed? If not, what would you like to eat? How about a super spicy electrolyte?"

　"Thank you, but I won't bother. However, I'm very interested in your cooking; may I watch and take notes?"

　? ”

　"Haha, of course. But being a chef is just a side job for me, nothing special, so please don't laugh at me."

　Chen Lingxu stood at the kitchen door, watching the person skillfully toss the wok, stir-fry vegetables, and cut meat.

　"Ed is a military expert, and he also has expertise in mechanical engineering. If Ash needs to update any parts or install weapons, you can ask him for help."

　The little penguin crawled up behind him and introduced him to the other party's identity.

　"Ed is also the captain of this ship."

　"I thought you were the captain, Little Yu."

　"Sailing is too troublesome. Although there is artificial intelligence to assist, an experienced captain is needed to explore some dangerous planets."

　"Hmm... a PhD from the Federal Academy of Sciences, an expert in extraterrestrial biology, a military expert, and possibly a captain with a military rank. And what about Mr. Friston?"

　"The old man is a senior figure in the field of artificial intelligence. He is the one who maintains the artificial intelligence and various systems on this ship."

　"Are they all from the Federal Academy of Sciences?"

　"uh-huh."

　"You've got some real talent here, Xiao Yu. Is your team codenamed the Dragon Team?"

　"Hmm? That's a fun title. But come to think of it, our team doesn't really have a proper title. We're officially known as the Exploration Team under the Federal Academy of Sciences. Hmm... how about we use your title?"

　"Whatever makes you happy. But you didn't bring us here just to invite your friends to visit, did you?"

　"Jie Jie Jie..."

　The little penguin clung to his arm, letting out a sly laugh, much like a villain who had successfully pulled off a scheme.

　"I'm very curious about you. Ah Xu, that Ms. Precys claims to be a linguist, and perhaps her studies involve the field of artificial intelligence, but I have some doubts about her technology. What exactly is your self-evolutionary logic all about?"

　The process of simple artificial intelligence evolving into positronic artificial intelligence is not easy, and the 'humanity' of the robot in front of us far exceeds all the artificial intelligence currently created by the Federal Academy of Sciences.

　The humanity here refers to more than just intelligence...

　The prophet had a hunch that the robot before him... must hold a shocking secret.

　Is this your major?

　"Know a little bit."

　"If I let you know, what can you possibly give me in return?"

　The little penguin in front of him looked around for a moment, then tiptoed closer to him.

　"I can tell you a... big secret concerning the survival of our civilization."

　"Hmm? You go first. I'll think about whether it's worth sacrificing my innocence."

　"You're really good at negotiating. Okay, then I'll give you a hint."

　The prophet beckoned to him, and when he bent down, he began to speak in a low voice.

　"I recently discovered a site of ancient civilization, and the records inside contain..."

　Chapter Twenty-One: The Little Glutton

　"how is it going?"

　The prophet stared wide-eyed at the robot in front of her, patting its arm repeatedly, one questioning emoji after another popping up to express her urgency.

　"If it's just about the Anjou people, we already know that."

　Chen Lingxu suddenly squatted down and reached out to grab the little penguin's ankle.

　"Hey hey hey? What are you doing..."

　To prevent herself from falling, the girl hurriedly grabbed the horn on his head as a handle, and that's how he lifted her up.

　“I didn’t miscalculate, your shoe size is 35, right?”

　"Yes... Ah, you saw my footprints!"

　"That's right, a series of shoe prints, and the pattern on the soles of your shoes is the same. So, the person who left the translation is you."

　What a coincidence that in this vast universe, they actually managed to collide.

　"Wow, it feels like we were destined to meet. No matter where in this universe we meet."

　Looking at the girl in front of him who seemed completely unaware of what she had said, Chen Lingxu glanced at Priss, who was on the other side following Lu and looking at her biological pet.

　"We might be electrons and positrons, and we would only annihilate each other if we met."

　"That only proves that we are naturally compatible."

　"So what does the survival of the Anjou people have to do with the Federation? Have you discovered the existence of a civilization that destroyed them?"

　Before she could say anything more that would attract Pu Xiaomao's attention, Chen Lingxu steered the conversation back to the Anru people.

　"Axu, do you know how many similar civilization sites have been discovered before the Anru people?"

　"I don't know... are there many?"

　“Very few… In our universe, no, in our galaxy, although it has a diameter of nearly 300,000 light-years and is vast and boundless, traces of civilization are very rare on the cantilever arm where the Imperial Federation is located.”

　"Why? Is it because the scope is too broad?"

　Since we're here to talk about serious matters, it would be more appropriate to sit down at the table and discuss it further.

　"Eating fruit... Oh, I forgot you didn't install the food module, hehe. Well then I'll eat it myself."

　The prophet took an alien peach from the freezer, took a bite of it, and continued his story.

　"This is one of the reasons. The universe is too vast and is expanding rapidly, and the distances between galaxies are gradually increasing. Before we have our own way of traveling faster than light..."

　The chances of civilizations meeting in the future will become even smaller.

　"However, our river system... is like a 'carefully pruned' woodland. In our time, there are very few towering trees to be seen. What we can find are only trees similar to us that are not yet truly mature, or some tender seedlings. Most of the other trees have turned into stumps. The Anjou people two million years ago were just such a stump."

　"Could there be a civilization beyond the galaxy level that's experimenting on our galaxy? Stifling its development? What do the honeypot people say?"

　"It's not out of the question. After all, the universe is too vast, and it wouldn't be surprising if any kind of civilization and technology emerged. As for the honeypots... they are aware of this, but their empires haven't yet experienced such a thing, so they can't offer any assistance."

　Chen Lingxu knew what the Imperial Federation was about to face. Although the prophet in front of him only told part of the story, judging from her appearance, the upper echelons of the Imperial Federation should have known about this matter long ago and made countermeasures.

　"Wait, you said before that the function of a stasis field is to preserve things."

　Upon hearing his question, the girl in front of him showed a satisfied expression, as if asking such a question would make her seem very clever.

　"Although the crisis has not yet arrived, we must be prepared for danger in times of peace if we want civilization to survive. The development of static field technology is to preserve the spark of civilization in the face of an insurmountable crisis. I think even if there were a forest trimmer, he wouldn't be able to clean up every single leaf that has fallen to the ground."

　"It's hard to say... If the Anjou people perished because of the other party, they might have simply burned the tree down, leaving only ashes."

　The plan undoubtedly failed.

　This plan might have succeeded before the Anjou people appeared, but now there are no Anjou people left.

　"So we need to think of other solutions..."

　"Dinner's ready... Prophet, you're snacking before mealtime again!"

　"Waaah...don't hit my head...I just wanted to treat Ah Xu and the others..."

　"Stop making excuses. You greedy girl!"

　Ed's appearance put an end to the conversation, and when the cook called for dinner, the people on the ship gathered around the table.

　"Hello."

　Friston was a rather amiable old man, and after meeting him, the prophet's small team was complete.

　Although he couldn't eat, Chen Lingxu, as a guest, could still sit at the table for a while.

　"what about the taste?"

　"It's not bad... but not as good as Ah Xu's."

　Precys sat beside him, and Chen Lingxu looked at her, occasionally glancing at the others, while chatting with Precys during the empathy process.

　"By the way, I just heard the prophet tell you about the Anjou people. Ruins, what do you think of the Anjou people's technology for simulating hive consciousness?"

　But burying himself in his food was getting a bit boring, so Ed brought up a topic.

　"Hmm? The Anjou people's technology..."

　How should we approach this topic?

　Chen Lingxu couldn't very well answer that he had a great time with Precys, could he?

　"Ha, let me start. This Hive Consciousness system, which enables a team to perceive emotions and skillfully use weapons, can be modified and applied to the military or group combat. It can greatly reduce casualties while also mass-producing soldiers."

　Although the effects are somewhat similar, judging from the content alone, what Ed said is different from what Chen Lingxu obtained...

　"Wait, do you have a prototype of the technology you're talking about?"

　To avoid any misunderstanding, Chen Lingxu decided to ask for clarification.

　"I remember it was an implant, Ed, did you manage to make one?"

　The prophet interjected, saying that she discovered and brought back the technology, but while the theory was proposed, replicating it would require specialized tools and personnel.

　“We already have a trial version. I tested it on small land animals, and after implanting it in two different species of birds, their flight frequencies became consistent.”

　"Yes, it would have been better if one of them hadn't crashed into the spaceship and the other hadn't followed suit."

　Lu shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth and complained about the lack of rigor in Ed's experiment.

　"Haha...didn't you still think they tasted pretty good?"

　“Then I understand. What we got is a different kind of device, more of an entertainment device. It serves a similar purpose to this one, but it should be a family version used by ‘couples’ between Anjou people.”

　"There's a family version too? Oh well, I missed it."

　"Even if you get it back, who will you use it with? With Lu?"

　"Who told you to be such a grown man and still not have a wife, Captain Ed? If you had a girlfriend, you could use her, right?"

　After some chatting and laughing, the meal was almost finished.

　"Do you plan to continue exploring the coordinates left by the Anjou people?"