The analysis and research on the Original Body continue, and Taville has specifically paused some less important research projects to allocate personnel to support this research group. They seem determined to catalog every fundamental particle of the Original Body’s remains. In fact, they are almost doing exactly that. All components within the Original Body remains are now listed for analysis. The next step is to completely disassemble it — of course, this is all for research purposes. After uncovering the missing information in the Original Body’s evolutionary process, they plan to restore and properly preserve the sample. Meanwhile, that massive block originally serving as a dormancy facility has also been dismantled into various parts, and I suspect it will soon be displayed in a museum as well.

Actually, we all understand that research on the Original Body won’t advance the current technology of the Empire. It is too ancient, and while the technology used can be termed "lost technology," it holds no value for the present Xyrin Civilization. The components on the Original Body are inefficient and crude. To the scientists of the Empire, it’s as if a 21st-century Earth scientist is facing a medieval water mill. Therefore, from the very start, the research on the Original Body was not to gain any technology but to fill in the many gaps in the historical records of the Xyrin Apostles. The Xyrin Apostles are extremely practical and rarely focus on what is called "cultural development," but this doesn’t mean they are indifferent to the history of their Race and some aspects of spiritual development. This is evident from the Old Empire’s attempt to trace back the history of the Creators. The Xyrin Apostles also place great importance on their origins, despite it not bringing any military or comprehensive national strength benefits to the Empire.

The emergence of the Original Body has excited researchers and caused quite a stir among all Xyrin Apostles. Sandora has ordered the intelligence of the Original Body’s discovery to be uploaded to the public network, and every Xyrin Apostle has received this message. Consequently, the data traffic on the Imperial Data Network almost doubled in the past thirty minutes and is only now beginning to calm down. I can understand their excitement, but what’s a bit frustrating is — I feel like I’ve been left out.

Well, there’s not much to be done about it. After all, the title of Emperor I bear was somewhat picked up along the way, and concerning the matter of the "Original Body," I can’t empathize like Sandora, who is an Angel Envoy. But this isn’t a problem; instead, it allows me to remain calm and thoroughly think about other equally important issues.

Such as the Fourth Civilization, the Fallen Apostles, and more importantly — the Melowa Rebel Army, on which Sandora has already signed an Extermination Order.

No matter what the initial intentions of the Melowa might have been, they have now successfully crossed all lines of the Empire: stealing Imperial property, erasing Imperial emblems, and now even daring to desecrate the ancestral tombs of the Empire. They have managed to achieve a level of destructive behavior deserving of a five-star rating, reaching a point where it’s completely impossible to ignore them.

However, the frustrating part is that in the short term, the Empire probably doesn’t have the spare energy to annihilate them: the areas where the Melowa appear are too distant. God knows how they managed to travel so far; that damned place is deep in the Void, beyond even the reach of the Divine Race. If we were to eliminate the Rebel Army now, we would have to form a massive expeditionary army for the purpose. Conducting a long-range attack in an expeditionary battle without any logistical support isn’t comparable to a homeland battle. Furthermore, we don’t know the current strength of the Melowa, nor the scale of their power in that area. While data indicates that the Melowa Fleet cannot compare to the Empire, it’s also not at a level that can be easily wiped out by sending over a few sub-fleets. Our expeditionary army would likely engage in a somewhat protracted battle. In conclusion, attacking the Melowa Rebel Army now would significantly weaken the strength of the Imperial Mainland.

And on the other side, the Fallen Apostles are still watching like hawks.

The Fallen Apostles, the Fallen Apostles, these enemies are the greatest threat to the Empire right now. With continued contact, both sides have gradually gotten a sense of each other’s territories. In the unique place that is the Void, understanding each other’s world coordinates means that the territories are getting closer to each other. It’s safe to say that the Fallen Apostles and the New Empire are almost at a point of immense tension, where any contact could trigger a fierce battle. In such a scenario, the sudden appearance of the Melowa is undoubtedly the most teeth-gritting situation — akin to carrying a heavyweight stone while suddenly finding a fly on your face. By Dingdang’s name, do you scratch it or not?

This situation is why we didn’t dispatch troops when we initially suspected the Melowa of rebellion and have delayed up to this day. Even today, I still find it difficult to make the decision to eliminate those rebels easily...

However, one thing is certain: the Empire will definitely not spare the Traitors, and even less so those who have the audacity to return and desecrate the remains of Imperial Soldiers after committing treason. Given the Melowa’s penchant for courting death, even if we temporarily don’t send troops, they will only get a few more breaths... The headache now is how to make those breaths as short as possible.

With these heavy thoughts, I returned home from Shadow City, only to find the place surprisingly quiet: Typically, Qianqian and a bunch of Little Ones would be causing a riot in the living room, which was not quite fitting to the biological clock of these little witches.

"Bingdisi suggested going shopping, and Qianqian took a bunch of Little Ones out." My sister came over from the direction of the balcony. Seeing my expression, she understood what I was thinking and offered an explanation.

I glanced outside at the setting sun: "...That fool, going shopping at this hour?"

"With Bingdisi and Qianqian together, you expect law and order," my sister said with a helpless expression and then came over to pat my shoulder. "Take off your outerwear; I’m doing laundry anyway and will wash it with yours."

I casually agreed, taking off my coat and handing it over: Despite having a diligent little maid at home, my sister still likes to do household chores like laundry every now and then; perhaps she will never change this habit. Just like how Qianqian will never realize that she can afford to live in the Imperial Palace and drive a Spaceship like an Imperial Relative. I am very fond of my family’s unchanging serene demeanor, although it occasionally brings some troubles...

My sister glanced at me curiously: "Something on your mind again... Talk to me about it later, I’ll go wash the clothes first. By the way, did you empty your pockets?"

"Uh, oh." I replied absently, plopping down on the sofa, starting to ponder national affairs. From the direction of the utility room came the faint sound of running water, followed by the washing machine’s hum (by the way, despite the availability of advanced technological solutions for many tasks, my sister has a particular fondness for "antique" Earth appliances like washing machines and microwaves, an unexpected cute point, perhaps?), and after a while, my thoughts were interrupted by a brief cry of surprise.

My sister bustled out of the utility room, placing a dripping little thing on the tea table: "Didn’t I tell you to empty your pockets?!"

I looked down to see a drenched Dingdang dazedly crawling around the tea table. Noticing the gaze from above, the Little Thing looked up at me with a silly smile and blew a bubble... smelling strongly of detergent.

Me: "...Dingdang, what happened to you?!"

"Medium spin for three minutes," my sister wrapped Dingdang in a towel. "Let’s not talk about Dingdang for now; what’s going on with you?"

"Sis, you didn’t watch the broadcast on the public channel, did you?" I said as I helped Dingdang wipe the droplets off its wings. During this process, the Little Thing kept gurgling bubbles. This might indicate something terrible: Either the Little Guy had gone foolish, or Dingdang had awakened a very peculiar interest. Given that Dingdang probably can’t get any dumber, I’d say the latter is likely — we might need to keep a stricter watch to prevent this Little One from secretly eating detergent.

I explained to my sister about the discovery of the "Original Body," then brought up the Melowa Rebel Army, along with my headaches regarding military strength and expedition issues. My sister listened and nodded, finally asking, "So, in your opinion, given the current situation, should we mount an expedition against the Melowa? Just considering objective conditions, do you think we can send troops?"

"Of course not," I shook my head decisively. "The front line is already tight on troops; with the Fallen Apostles acting all mighty, sending at least one main troop corps for an expedition at this time is just as reckless as the Melowa."

"There you go," my sister pulled the towel out of Dingdang’s mouth, but the Little Thing wouldn’t let go, hanging mid-air spinning. "We can let them be for a few more days, and after the situation with the Fallen Apostles stabilizes, we can find time to deal with them. But if possible, it’s better to send some Void Reconnaissance Ships over. We now have the coordinates of the original hiding place of the Fifth Fleet, and the Melowa should be active near there. It’s beneficial to first determine the opponent’s details without alerting them."

My sister’s suggestion is spot-on; essentially, this is the best plan for now: send some reconnaissance ships to probe the situation of the Melowa. Considering the long distance of the reconnaissance route and the high possibility of encountering unexpected incidents, perhaps I should order the formation of a special unit consisting of high-tech unmanned reconnaissance ships, specifically to spy on these Melowa, which shouldn’t consume much effort.

At that moment, my sister seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, where’s Lin Xue? Why didn’t she come back with you?"

"Met Fina on the way back; they’re probably still chatting." I waved my hand, and just as I finished speaking, a teleportation gate appeared in the living room, from which came Miss Lin’s energetic voice: "Yoo-hoo, I’m back!"

Then, a Lin Xue beast jumped out of the gate: her timing was quite precise.

Following closely behind Lin Xue, a little girl emerged, dressed in a white princess dress with her long hair fluttering. She hopped and skipped like a restless sparrow, and upon her arrival, she pounced straight in my direction: "Caw! Master! Little Bird is back, caw!"

"Ooof—stomach...stomach..." I inhaled sharply, pushing this startled silly bird out of my arms. She blinked her big, lively eyes, looking over joyfully. A mini Medivh popped out from her hair, chirping continuously, and the two Little Crows forgotten at home by their Mother had already developed a camaraderie with Dingdang. They emerged from some corner, excitedly flew to the Little Crow, and disappeared in a flash.

...How do you break the connection to the Louse Spirit on the Bull Demon King’s body at the first thinking? 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

I pinched Little Crow’s cheeks and noticed a shiny collar around the little girl’s neck. It’s made of metal, with a blue crystal embedded in the middle emitting a faint glow. It seemed this was the result of several days of effort by the experts at the research institute. Initially, Little Crow was sent to Shadow City, hoping the experts could find a way to handle her egg-hatching impulses.

"How is this used?" I glanced at Miss Lin, assuming she knew about the collar since she brought the little one back. She replied, "You don’t need to do anything; it’s a passive equipment. The experts discovered that the arcane energy Little Crow releases while hatching eggs is restricted to a specific frequency. They created a converter specifically for this frequency—this collar on her neck. This converter absorbs the excess energy and stores it, functioning as an emergency battery when Little Bird needs it, ensuring it doesn’t affect her normal life and development. By the way, the experts also believe that this bird’s development speed is a bit too fast. Although there seems to be no side effects, her collar might need at least two or three upgrades in the future."

"Oh, that’s no problem. After all, Little Crow can’t keep growing forever." I patted Medivh’s head, and the little fellow happily snuggled up: "Wearing this feels much more comfortable, caw!"

Feeling more comfortable, I see... Previously, she had to suppress her excessive growth, constantly looking for eggs to hatch. Now that she finally has a release channel, it seems she’s very satisfied with her collar. Alright, in that case, Xiao Xue’s mischievous act is pardoned, though her initial intent of teaching Little Crow to hatch eggs was purely to mess with her father...

"By the way, she didn’t cause any trouble before wearing the collar, right?" I asked worriedly, remembering how she once hatched a Split Lifeform from a ping pong ball, which gave me chills. She couldn’t control her egg-hatching instincts. Did she truly not come into contact with spherical objects at the research institute?

"No... no, caw!" The little one immediately turned her head away, calling out loudly in a flustered manner.

Me: "...Girl Lin! What did she hatch!"

"She almost hatched something," Lin Xue said with a wry smile, waving her hand. "Remember the prison host that super-evolved due to Little Baobao’s influence? It goes to the research institute for a follow-up inspection each week. The experts are analyzing how long Little Baobao’s catalytic ability can last. Last time, during the inspection, Little Crow found it—almost causing trouble, but fortunately, the staff repaired it in time."

I quickly wiped the cold sweat off my forehead, inwardly cursing myself for forgetting about the so-called Main God of a maniacal prison host in Shadow City... Wait, something felt off: "Didn’t that host get kicked into a gourd by Pandora and her sister last time? It doesn’t even look like an egg."

Miss Lin placed her hand on her forehead: "Our bird thought it was a double-yolked egg..."

Me: "..."

Suddenly, I felt this silly little bird was unbearably adorable. A double-yolked egg—how did she even make that connection?

Just then, there was a sound from the hallway, and Yakumo Lan strolled in lazily, stretching, with a lazy, slothful demeanor that screamed of contentment. Needless to say, she must have spent the whole day sunbathing in the yard again. At most, she might knit a glove or scarf for the household while basking in the sun; that’s her maximum workload. Since leaving the exploitative Yukari Yakumo, this once-diligent Nine-tailed Fox has almost instantly regressed into a sloth that eats, sleeps, and sunbathes. Thus, you can imagine why Lan would throw off her original master so readily—she doesn’t have to work at my house! Plus, she can still report back to Yukari!

If Mother Zi... hmm, Sister Zi saw that her fox’s daily "diligent and conscientious" work routine at the boss’s house was like this, I wonder what her expression would be.

Lan moved sluggishly towards the fruit platter on the coffee table, suddenly quivered her tails, leaving no doubt she was alert. Her suspicious eyes turned towards me—no wonder she’s a wild animal, such keen instinct. I hadn’t said anything yet!

"Lan, could you at least do some work occasionally?" I tried communicating with this nearly useless fox, apart from eating. I remembered that the demon fox girl was gentle and obedient, but after a long thought, she wiggled her tail and reluctantly said, "Alright, next time while sunbathing, I’ll sweep the porch for you—with my tail."

Meaning henceforth, she’ll be too lazy to even walk when going out to sunbathe, preferring to slide on her way out?!

Mother Zi, come quickly and see your fox! She’s undergone significant mutation!

"Ahhh—so comfortable, relaxed, and happy... I never realized a life without work could be so pleasant," Lan adeptly grabbed an apple from the fruit platter with her tail and curled up on the sofa next to me. "Lord Zi is indeed great, but there’s so much work beside her... Now that the Great Barrier no longer needs maintenance and demons are being managed, it’s time I retire... Oh, this apple is wonderful! Eating it makes one feel invigorated!"

"It’s Dingdang’s Gold Apple No.2. Its predecessor nearly messed up Hercules; do you think it wouldn’t be amazing?" I tweaked the demon fox girl’s furry ear. "You’re not even as useful as Chiruno; at least that fool knows how to be a fridge."

Lan’s ear twitched, avoiding my hand, then handed me her half-eaten apple: "Alright, alright, take this. Laced with Nine-tailed Demon Fox’s saliva, it’ll bring you good fortune if you eat it."

Me: "..."

After all the fuss, I was finally left completely exasperated, feeling this big fox had entered some incurably pampered state due to her unchecked indulgence. This was perhaps the true meaning behind Yukari’s heavy words when she entrusted her to me: "Demons are unmanageable ferocious beasts." (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast a recommendation vote or a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)