"The other side has sent another request for communication, asking to be allowed to speak with our Majesty the Emperor. And offering a sincere apology for the discourtesy just now. At present she is the highest-ranking person on their side. But what she has to report is indeed very important. She asks us to consider her request for communication. Those are the other side's own words," the secretary-officer reported to Charlotte.
Charlotte shrugged and looked at Zhao Chen and Lilith on the other side of the video window.
"How should we handle it?"
"Let her cool her heels. Ten minutes from now, you have a video call with the other side," Lilith said coolly.
"Me?" Charlotte was somewhat surprised.
Lilith nodded. "Yes; to have our Emperor meet her right from the start would be giving them far too much face; they did come uninvited, after all. But we'll be listening on the side the whole time. If there's need later, I'll step in."
Zhao Chen said in agreement, "Handle it the way Lilith says."
On this side it was settled in a few simple words.
On the other side, it had that so-called high elf commander burning with anxiety.
She could no longer sit calmly in the captain's chair at all,
but paced back and forth on the bridge.
If this exchange failed, they would have no choice but to go back.
True, that seemed to make no difference to their universe.
But at the same time it could not ease the crisis their own universe now faced.
"Has the other side still not replied?" Gladys, the elf woman commander, looked at her secretary-officer; it was who knew how many times she had asked in these few minutes.
The secretary-officer shook her head helplessly and said, "No."
Could the other side truly have given up dealing with them?
Gladys, the elf woman commander, went back to her captain's chair and dropped heavily into it, her face very grave.
She went over her mistakes of a while ago.
Looking back now, she had made far too many.
She ought not to have made contact with the other side with such rash conduct and manner; had she not, it would never have come to this.
Suddenly the secretary-officer cried out, "Report: we've received a request for communication from the starship of the side that spoke with us just now."
"Put it through at once!" Gladys, the elf woman commander, said it without a second word,
afraid that if she were a step slow, the request would be canceled.
The familiar communication window appeared before her; on the other side was that same commander.
"Um… I apologize for some of my less than fitting words and conduct just now. But I truly came with every sincerity. Our two interstellar civilizations can well become friends." Gladys, the elf woman commander, was indeed a great deal better in her manner now than before,
quite a different person.
Charlotte understood it perfectly, and said coolly, "Our Majesty the Emperor has in mind that you are guests, after all. As a matter of courtesy, I'm still willing to deal with you once more."
"Then… might I see… your honored Emperor……" Gladys, the elf woman commander, asked, sounding it out.
But on seeing this Marshal Charlotte frown,
she said at once, "If it truly can't be done, then never mind. Please convey my own respects, and the goodwill of the Sacred Elf Empire, to the honored Majesty the Emperor of the Owl Dragon Empire."
As she spoke, Gladys, the elf woman commander, even made a slight bow.
Sure enough, after a knock or two she was much more 'sensible.'
"Our Majesty is very busy; for now there's no way to arrange for you to see our Majesty. But if there's anything, you may discuss it with me. If the matter truly is very important, I'll pass these words on to our Majesty the Emperor, and once our Majesty the Emperor knows of it, he will decide whether to make time to see you," Charlotte said in an even tone.
"Good, good. That will do too." Gladys, the elf woman commander, having fallen once, had grown a little wiser, and this time did not press for too much.
After all, this chance to deal with them had been hard won, and must not be wasted again by her own doing.
"Then let's begin with……" Gladys, the elf woman commander, began.
Charlotte got in first. "Let's begin with your Sacred Elf Empire. After all, we need to know who it is we're dealing with."
Gladys, the elf woman commander, was somewhat put out, but nodded all the same and said, "That will do too. Then we'll begin with our Sacred Elf Empire. In our universe, that is, at the universe coordinates you probed: our Sacred Elf Empire is the strongest interstellar civilization, and we rule several dozen lesser kingdoms. They obey us and depend on us. In the light of the Elf God and the World Tree, our whole universe dwells in beauty and prosperity. ……"
Charlotte cut in impatiently. "Stick to what matters. Such as your Sacred Elf Empire's present technology level, the strength of its military fleets, its system of government and so on."
Hearing what the other side asked, Gladys, the elf woman commander, paused and hesitated somewhat.
But on reflection, this information was not really secret; anyone from this universe who went to her universe could find it all out clearly with a little prying,
just as they had found out information about the Owl Dragon Empire on coming to this universe.
Of course, some special intelligence she could not possibly tell.
She put her thoughts in order.
"Our Sacred Elf Empire is at present at the sixth grade of technology, and has been advancing all along toward the seventh grade of technology." When she said this, there was pride in the voice of Gladys, the elf woman commander.
She went on, "We have regular interstellar fleets of thirty million warships of every grade and type. Within our Empire, the elves are the supreme higher race. And among the elves too there are different elf races: such as the wind elves, water elves, moonlight elves, night elves, blood elves and so on, as many as a hundred and more. And among them there is one special existence: the high elves. The high elves belong to no single elf race; they are elves who have received the Elf God's grace, who shed their original racial bloodline and evolve into great high elves. Well over seven-tenths of the ruling class within the Sacred Elf Empire is held by high elves. Besides, only high elves may enter the High Council. The High Council is the Empire's highest organ of government, chiefly charged with deliberating every affair of the Empire. Besides that there are the five great Elf Sovereigns. The five Elf Sovereigns and the High Council make up the center of the Empire's power. They lead the Empire toward prosperity and peace!"
As she spoke of these things, this Gladys, the elf woman commander, could not hide the pride on her face; even her eyes seemed to shine.
When they had heard this,
Zhao Chen and Lilith behind the scenes had in the main made out the shape of the Sacred Elf Empire.
Zhao Chen saw that Lilith had already drawn up the framework of a pyramid structure.
At the very top were the five Elf Sovereigns, with a question mark beside them, meaning the standing of these five Elf Sovereigns, high or low, was yet to be defined.
Below that was the High Council, again with a question mark beside it, meaning whether this High Council truly had enough power was yet to be defined.
Below that was the stratum of the high elves, and beside it Lilith had written a gloss: 'Imperial nobility.'
On seeing that gloss, Zhao Chen really did think it very apt.
What puzzled Zhao Chen somewhat, though, was that on this elf woman's lips these high elves had evolved.
Evolved?
Could they actually transform? That seemed rather beyond the biological science Zhao Chen understood.
But it could not be wholly ruled out either.
After all, things like Order, the undead, the hive-race, and even travel through time and space had all appeared.
Could Zhao Chen swear 'evolution' of this kind would never appear?
Even if the next second you told him the M78 Nebula had been found, Zhao Chen would likely only be a little surprised, and not doubt it.
Next, Charlotte asked some more questions, and the other side answered those she could, and evaded those she could not.
When the questioning was done,
Gladys, the elf woman commander, looked at Charlotte. "Marshal, may we go on now?"
"You mean to speak of that danger about to befall our universe, do you?" Charlotte looked at the other side.
Gladys, the elf woman commander, nodded and said, "Yes. This matter is very important. I hope Your Excellency the Marshal will pass on what I say today to your side's Majesty the Emperor exactly as I say it. It bears on the safety of your universe!"
"Go on." Charlotte waited for the other's story to come.
"Your side has used the universe probe scanning device several times, and must surely have some knowledge of the region of universes around you by now. Have you ever wondered why, in so vast a region of universes, only three universes exist?" When she had said this, Gladys, the elf woman commander, paused on purpose.
On Zhao Chen's side, his heart jolted.
For the other side to throw out such a line on purpose was surely done with intent.
Then why?
Could it be that only three universes existing within this region of universes was no coincidence?
But had some cause?
"In truth, very long ago, there were at least three more universes around this region of universes. But now they have all vanished," Gladys, the elf woman commander, said in a deep voice.
"Vanished? How could a universe vanish……" Charlotte suddenly thought of something, and her voice stopped short.
"Order: you must surely have met it already." There was a complicated look in the eyes of Gladys, the elf woman; there was anger in it, and fear.
Charlotte nodded.
"Order is a civilization of the seventh grade of technology, and what it exists for is to devour other universes. And in the course of this, some interstellar civilizations, knowing they could not escape the fate of being invaded by Order, chose to negotiate with Order. Who knows what means that pack of fellows used, but they actually won Order over. They were allowed to survive Order's devouring, but from then on they became Order's claws and fangs. Their technology advanced by leaps and bounds, and they came to have a certain very special technology besides. They began to invade the interstellar civilizations of the universes around them of their own accord. Invasion, massacre, plunder. When they had plundered the prey's universe of everything, they began their true atrocity. Using some technological device like Order's ability, they actually broke the universe apart from within. It wasn't very quick, but at the shortest a year, at the longest ten, and a universe would come to nothing. And it's said it was a kind of technological device that could draw out the universe's energy. The great majority was handed to Order, and the rest taken by those invaders. And so the universes around were destroyed one by one. Until now, in this region of universes, only three universes are left," Gladys, the elf woman, said gravely.
"Those damned invaders call themselves the Devourer Civilization. Because of your exploration, they've already found your existence. If I'm not mistaken, their interstellar fleets are already preparing to launch an expedition!"
Charlotte frowned, and said nothing for a long time.
"Ask her why, when this Devourer Civilization lies geographically closer to the Sacred Elf Empire's universe, the Sacred Elf Empire hasn't been touched." Lilith's voice sounded in Charlotte's earpiece.
Charlotte relayed Lilith's question.
Gladys, the elf woman, answered, "That's because, in the very earliest days, when we were invaded by Order, we used our technology to protect our universe, and let our universe survive Order's hunt. And at the same time we had strength enough that the Devourer Civilization dared not have any designs on us."
"But now things have changed? This Devourer Civilization has begun to covet your universe too. You've felt the danger, so you want to ally with us," Charlotte said.
Gladys, the elf woman, hid nothing, and nodded. "That's so. My visit to your universe this time is on one hand to learn what your interstellar civilization is like. On the other, to find a way to ally with you and hold off the Devourer Civilization's invasion together. They've become utter madmen now. They'll destroy any universe they find. And they now have the strength, and some means besides, to threaten our Sacred Elf Empire. To tell the truth, if not for this action of yours, which led the Devourer Civilization to find you, their next target would surely have been us. If war broke out in our universe, it would surely be a disaster. We don't wish to see such a disaster happen. Nor do we wish to see such a disaster happen in your home. So let us ally, and hold off these damned fellows together!" The voice of Gladys, the elf woman, grew more and more stirred,
with nothing left at all of that graceful, haughty air in her bones of before.
She seemed now, if anything, like some warmonger.
By the look of it, she truly hated this Devourer Civilization.
Charlotte, though, fell silent at this point.
This was indeed a very big matter.
She glanced aside at Zhao Chen and Lilith, silent on the other side of the video window,
waiting for their next arrangement.