Chapter 35: The Emperor’s Audience and a Misunderstood Weapon

Odinxis followed a white-haired, venerable elder, impeccably dressed in a sharp suit, through an opulent and lengthy corridor. They finally arrived before a massive door.

“This is where His Majesty the Emperor will receive you. We are not permitted to approach. Once inside, simply proceed straight ahead. Farewell.”

The elder bowed slightly towards Odinxis, then slowly departed.

Odinxis gazed at the imposing door before him, hesitating for a moment. Only then did he reach out to push open the massive portal, clearly constructed from an exceptionally rare metal.

To his surprise, the touch was warm, not the cold he had anticipated. Its weight, too, was unexpectedly light. Odinxis felt he exerted hardly any effort to open the seemingly formidable door.

The moment Odinxis pushed the door open, the sudden, sharp sound of several soldiers snapping to attention startled him.

He then looked ahead to find a long corridor. At its far end, a grand staircase ascended, so tall that he had to tilt his head back to take it all in. Above the staircase lay a vast platform, and at its center, a man was toying with what appeared to be a star chart projector.

“May I ask if you are—?”

“Oh, so you are Odinxis? My newest vassal, then. Come, pay homage to your Emperor.”

Seeing Odinxis, the man ceased his tinkering. He turned to face Odinxis, and as he moved, a magnificent throne slowly ascended from the flat surface of the platform.

“To be honest, I held little interest in your remote territories. However, since your report mentioned the Zerg, and you provided ample photographic and video evidence, which was excellent, I made an exception to approve your alliance’s admission. Consider yourselves fortunate for your credibility.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, thank you…!”

Odinxis felt as if he were in a fairy tale, a dragon-slaying hero presenting himself before the Emperor. Yet, dragon-slaying heroes were meritorious subjects, while he was merely one who had surrendered.

“There’s no need to be nervous. I know what you’re thinking. But as Emperor, I naturally wouldn’t impose anything excessive upon a subject who has already sworn fealty.”

His Majesty the Emperor nodded.

“After all, I am an Emperor who cares for all under heaven.”

“Yes…”

Odinxis racked his brain, searching for words of praise, but was unexpectedly cut off by the Emperor.

“Unnecessary flattery is unneeded. For now, I’d rather discuss practical matters.”

“Ah, yes…!”

‘Could the Emperor read minds?’

“It’s not that I can read minds; it’s simply that your reactions are far too uniform. It’s always the same routine, and truthfully, I’ve grown rather weary of it.”

His Majesty the Emperor propped his hand on the armrest of his throne and yawned, conveying an air of profound boredom.

“Enough. Let us not waste any more time on such idle chatter; my time is quite precious. Now, tell me your overall operational plan against that Zerg. I want to hear the entire account, from beginning to end, preferably without missing a single detail.”

“Yes!”

Though uncertain whether His Majesty’s words about reading minds were true, Odinxis composed himself. He meticulously recalled every step of their initial campaign against the Zerg, then recounted it to His Majesty the Emperor, detail by detail.

“Oh-ho-ho, how interesting, how interesting. You say you found a main cannon we left behind on a planet? And that single main cannon couldn’t even kill that Zerg? First question: I’m curious, what made you believe what you found was a main cannon from one of our Imperial warships?”

“Be-because it had Imperial script on it…”

“Indeed, Imperial script. It seems standardizing all writing across the Empire has significantly improved recognition. Continue.”

“Uh… it’s just that its power exceeded our wildest imagination…”

Odinxis stammered, his voice growing softer. Having arrived in the Empire, he had witnessed far too many things beyond his comprehension. Even a Stellar Containment Unit, a weapon of fantastical proportions, was displayed as a mere ornament in the Imperial Palace.

He knew that if such an ornament were brought back to his star system for research and development, it could elevate the entire alliance’s technological level by one or two civilization tiers. Yet here, it was merely fixed to a corridor as decoration!

“Hmm, since you put it that way, I suppose I should take a moment.”

His Majesty the Emperor nodded, then suddenly conjured a light panel before Odinxis.

“Take a look at these. Which one resembles the ‘main cannon’ you speak of?”

Odinxis quickly scanned the various warship main cannons, assuming His Majesty wanted him to identify it. He swiftly scrolled through the screen, attempting to locate the invincible, massive cannon that had left such a profound impression on him.

As Odinxis’s finger slid past the final item on the weapon list, having browsed through the Empire’s many monstrous or ordinary colossal cannons, his finger felt cold. In that considerably lengthy weapon list, he simply could not find the so-called “main cannon” he had described.

“If you can’t find it there, I suggest you look on this list.”

His Majesty the Emperor showed no sign of anger. He conjured another light panel and pushed it towards Odinxis.

The first item on that light panel was boldly labeled: *Cruiser Secondary Cannons*.

He hadn’t scrolled twice on this list before a series of incredibly familiar weapons appeared before his eyes.

However, rather than being entirely familiar, it was more accurate to say that it was only a *part* of something familiar.

“Your Majesty… it should be this one…”

“Hmm, let me see. This is the 720 Lightwheel series. I presume what you found was merely a single barrel from this entire wheel? Indeed, with your alliance’s technological level, the construction of such a weapon would be difficult to comprehend. However, the loss of this particular cannon barrel was one of the Empire’s more significant oversights in recent years. To think it could lead to such an outcome! Perhaps I should recall the soldier responsible for that operational error from their agricultural duties and commend them?”

The Emperor spoke with a jocular tone, but Odinxis remained tight-lipped, uttering no sound.

“Very well, I now have a rough understanding of that Zerg’s strength.”

His Majesty the Emperor paused, then rose from his throne.

“Odinxis, heed my command!”