Chapter 681: The Choice
"Calm down, we must remain calm."
"My God! Warships a full thousand miles long—how did they even fly into the sky, and how are they staying there?!"
The sheer scale of the Federal Grand Lead Ships was truly astounding. Even while still stationed in low Earth orbit, people on the ground could easily spot these behemoths.
For a moment, everyone who looked up at the sky was stunned.
Ever since the Infinite Origin Stone struck Earth, legends of aliens on Water Blue Star had never ceased, even giving rise to countless works of fiction.
Some depicted peaceful coexistence between aliens and Earthlings.
Others, however, imagined an alien invasion of Water Blue Star.
Now, they were witnessing the plot of those movies unfold in reality.
Friends?
Everyone yearned for an answer.
The thousand-mile-long dreadnoughts created an unparalleled visual impact, especially as they had deliberately chosen to hover directly above the capitals of major cities.
Their vast shadows perfectly blotted out the sunlight above each nation's capital.
The collective psychological shadow they cast was far vaster than their actual physical shadows.
...
"They've finally arrived."
At this moment, the most excited person was none other than Bu Lan Du, the Emperor of the Seris Empire.
Obsessed with transcendent power, the Emperor now only wished to follow the Master of the Infinite Origin Stone, journey to his world, cultivate immortality, seek the Dao, and attain transcendence.
Having lived a life of luxury, never wanting for anything, he had long grown numb to all other pleasures. The only thing he could not obtain was eternal life.
"Your Majesty!"
Bu Lan Du's appearance was truly unbecoming of a monarch. Prime Minister Mei Lin, who had rushed over, attempted to bring him back to his senses.
Although he, too, dearly hoped that the alien calling himself Bai could resurrect his deceased wife, Bashaka, he felt it was crucial to maintain composure, at least outwardly.
"Prime Minister Mei Lin, do you understand? Humans have limits; they age, they die. But I truly do not wish to age, nor do I wish to die."
The Emperor, who possessed everything, clung to this world more than anyone.
Though only in his early thirties, he could already distinctly feel his body beginning to decline.
"Boom!"
Just as the two were still debating in the side hall, a powerful bolt of lightning struck directly in front of them.
"Assassin!"
Elite guards, alerted by the commotion, rushed in immediately, weapons drawn and hearts pounding with trepidation.
They had never imagined that an enemy could directly strike His Majesty with a bolt of lightning from the sky.
This was a dereliction of duty that merited a thousand deaths.
The lightning bolt had pierced through the roof of the side hall, leaving behind an extraordinarily smooth incision.
It was as if it wasn't lightning at all, but a cut made by an incredibly sharp blade.
The incision was a perfectly standard circle, roughly three to four meters in radius.
From the circular void, a warm, soft beam of light shone in.
The light seemed to originate from one of the colossal ships.
The beam of light solidified into a pillar of light.
Inside the light pillar were several figures.
The highly focused guards immediately aimed their guns at the light pillar.
"Lower your weapons, these are my guests." Bu Lan Du waved his hand, signaling the guards to stand down.
"..." They hesitated.
After all, they, the guards, knew Bu Lan Du's unreliable nature better than anyone.
So, the captain, who was at the forefront, cast a glance at Mei Lin beside him.
"Stand down." Mei Lin had not originally intended to speak, as this was a clear act of overstepping his authority.
A Minister of Interior, unless plotting rebellion, should never directly command the Imperial Guards.
But this was a special time; it was quite possible His Majesty would no longer be His Majesty in a couple of days.
Given Bu Lan Du's obsession with transcendence, abandoning the throne to cultivate immortality would be an entirely normal occurrence for him.
"Yes, sir!"
The Imperial Guard captain knew his actions were improper, but Mei Lin was clearly more reliable in the current situation, and Emperor Bu Lan Du had always been carefree.
"We meet again."
The first to emerge from the pillar of light was Bai Mo.
"Mr. 'Bai', is our agreement still valid?" This was Bu Lan Du's foremost concern.
Bai Mo had promised that as long as they opened a channel for him, he would grant each of them one wish.
Bu Lan Du desired transcendence.
Mei Lin hoped to resurrect his wife, Bashaka.
Yet now, the other party had directly descended, and they hadn't even collected sixty percent of the Infinite Origin Stones.
"You are too slow."
"..." Hearing this, not only Bu Lan Du, but even Mei Lin felt a faint, imperceptible pang of discouragement.
"However, I've decided to give you another chance."
"?"
Bai Mo's lofty tone didn't surprise those who had glimpsed the truth of the world. However, the surrounding guards, who hadn't left, were astonished that their Emperor and the alien were apparently acquainted.
"As long as you diligently manage the migration of hundreds of millions of mortals this time, I can offer the same conditions."
"?"
This time, it was the Emperor and Mei Lin who were dumbfounded.
They had no idea what these aliens were truly up to.
"Emperor of Seris, allow me to explain." A man with a shaved head stepped out from the group.
He was a Holy Progenitor from the delegation, responsible for external affairs.
"In the coming days, we will announce a message to all of Water Blue Star.
This planet will soon be taken over by us Holy Progenitors. All original inhabitants may choose to join our Land of White, or join the Human Federation."
"Wait, what are Holy Progenitors? What is the Land of White? And the Human Federation?" A barrage of new terms made Mei Lin, who was barely managing to think normally, find it impossible to do so anymore.
"You only need to know that all nations on this planet will cease to exist. Every inhabitant will have only two choices: join the Land of White, or join the Human Federation."
"In other words, Water Blue Star... will become a colony of your two nations? Is this an invasion? A declaration of war?"
"War? No such thing. The nations on this planet possess no power capable of resisting us." The shaved-head Holy Progenitor stated this with great satisfaction.
It was truly exhilarating to be an ambassador for a higher civilization, to speak with such grandiosity.
The thirteen super-dreadnoughts dominating the entire globe above were the source of his confidence, even though twelve of them belonged to the Federal Grand Lead Ships, and only one was the Land of White's airship.
"..." Mei Lin was speechless, and so were the guards.
Only Bu Lan Du's expression remained unchanged.
"Can I really join a cultivation sect as a core disciple?" Facing the threat of his kingdom's demise, this was the question the Emperor asked.
Bai Mo inexplicably recalled Ying Huo on Mars, another equally traitorous emperor.
"Your Majesty!" Mei Lin nearly blurted out, "My liege, why do you conspire to rebel?!"
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