Chapter 1566 - Under the Night Sky (1/2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After discussing the matter with everyone, Lily’s naming sense notwithstanding, her idea to let Zorm utilize the high-speed data network to create a galactic-scale mind chain was a splendid one.
On top of that, Hao Ren was actually fine with the name… But, after considering the fact that the fool actually named his daughter “Lil Pea”, everyone concurred that his naming sense was about as good as the dog’s. Ignoring him was the best form of acknowledgment.
Lily’s idea was quickly put through a quick simulation and given the green light. Nolan ran an analysis based on the bandwidth of the “data highway”, which the droid swarm had set up, and the peak of data flow when Zorm performed any mental functions. She came to the conclusion that the data network relay currently being set up by the busy droids was sufficient for Zorm to transfer his will over to the planet. It would not affect the ecosystem engineering work back on Tannagost.
Inversely, while the central nerves of the First Born on the Executor’s homeworld had mostly withered, creating an artificial nervous system was not a particularly high-tech task. After solving the biggest issue (creating an artificial brain and its programming), getting the engineering droids on the planet to create a batch of artificial nerves was about as easy as building a simple house. The aforementioned artificial nerves were simply a bundle of physical connectors that were tough enough and able to support high-speed transmission in addition to a connector-converter port that could be placed on the First Born’s biological structure. Besides, these neural networks had already been completed before. The first of the works to be completed on Purgatory when they created an artificial brain was the artificial nerves, so this time around, it was a piece of cake.
Now that there were new droid swarms responding to Hao Ren’s command and arriving on the Executor’s star system each day, on top of an increase in manpower, the most repetitive, low-tech jobs could be completed in no time. Nolan even took the opportunity to set up the antenna system used to analyze the crystal’s resonance.
The planet had seen its first peaceful night. For the past thousands of years, such a night was few and far in between.
That night, there were no cries of combat, and it was not just that day. For the past 72 hours, the planet was not subjected to any bombing runs from Zenith, and the long, arduous war finally came to its longest “ceasefire” period.
As night fell, everything quietened down. It was a moonless and starless night. Thick clouds had obscured all forms of light, and darkness enveloped the world. On the scorched and hole-riddled plains, the only source of light came from the forward base, which the droids were busy building.
The shield system of the forward base was now online, and the new energy field separated the argent city of steel from the burnt war zone outside. It was a dark and unwelcoming wasteland on the outside, but a bright and secure base on the inside. The environment gave the outsiders a measure of peace: not easy when you were light years away from home.
Rollie had already snuck out of her room. In true feline fashion, she maintained the finest of her kin’s traditions: to not sleep at night and to run about. Of course, she had her own reasoning: Big Boss Cat lacked any survival skills and needed her to patrol the parameter so that he, Big Dumb Cat, and the other Big Cats at home could sleep safely at night. Lil Pea was on her head as she went round and round, her glowing cat eyes filled with curiosity. This “new place” was pretty right up her alley.
“I’m swheeepy!” Lil Pea was holding on to two tufts of hair by Rollie’s ear to secure herself on the catgirl’s head while grumbling, “You lied to me! Roaming at night isn’t as fun as you said! I wanna swheep!”
“That’s because you don’t get it, nya. It’s very interesting!” the catgirl explained seriously as she tried to keep her head steady so that the little fish would not fall off. “One last round, then we sleep.”
“Last round, okay? Daddy said so. We need to sleep pwoperly or you’ll be a shorty, and you’ll shed scales.”
“I don’t have scales.”
“Fur then.”
On the veranda at a corner of the base, Hao Ren and Vivian, while enjoying the night breeze, caught sight of the roaming Rollie and Lil Pea on her head. The two looked on curiously before Vivian bumped Hao Ren’s arm. “What is Rollie doing out there at this hour?”
“Who knows? Probably hunting for rats.”
Vivian raised an eyebrow. “There are rats over here?”
“Can’t be catching fish, right? She already has one on her head.” Hao Ren shrugged. “Anyway, the base’s security system is already based on authorization, and there’s the barrier as well. We don’t have to worry about that cat running out so just let her have her fun. It’s better than having her scratch the door at midnight.”
Vivian gazed at Hao Ren for a while before she grabbed his hand. “You seem troubled.”
Hao Ren looked up at the cloudy sky, and he realized that he could not hide his troubles from Vivian. This countess, while a mess herself in her lifetime, had exceedingly sharp senses. Otherwise, she would not have flown over moments after he got out for some air.
“We now understand where the Executors come from, and we have witnessed the civilization surviving and completing their salvation as well as legacy transfer on their own. They’ve also discovered the truth about the First Born’s brain-dead condition and found clues linked to the crystal planet. Now, even the matter regarding the First Born here has a proper solution.”
Vivian listened intently without a word because she knew Hao Ren had more to say.
Hao Ren stopped for a bit before he let out a sigh. “But one thing has yet to change: the fact that we are still stuck on this planet.”
Vivian combed her slightly messy hair as she said, “Because of this you aren’t sleeping and are out here getting some air?”
Hao Ren raised his eyebrow in reply. “Isn’t this a huge problem?”