Grey's identity caused no small amount of chaos on the Luofu.
Those among the Xianzhou who had studied history immediately thought of the Swarm Disaster that once swept across the cosmos, as well as the Mechanical Emperor's Wars that had exterminated more than half of all living beings.
It was not until Yukong stepped forward that the commotion was finally brought under control.
After a brief yet solemn welcoming ceremony and confirmation of identities.
Although her expression remained somewhat strange, and her gaze kept drifting uncontrollably toward Grey, she still strictly carried out her duty and led the group to a certain Delve within the Xianzhou.
"This is the Delve prepared by the Luofu for all of you. I have already informed the Sky-Faring Commission and the Cloud Knights. Ordinary personnel are not permitted to enter this place."
Looking around, one could see endless grasslands and lush forests. Overhead was a holographic projection of blue skies and white clouds.
The environment was quite beautiful. To provide the delegation with an independent Delve clearly showed how seriously the Luofu regarded this matter.
"Oh, thank you."
"Having an independent space for research is indeed more convenient. Otherwise, we wouldn't even have enough room to place all our equipment and would have to live inside a pocket universe instead."
Midori Fuse, who had accompanied them, nodded.
When they set out, they had also brought along the entrance to a pocket universe as a contingency. Now that the Luofu had provided a Delve, they could stay here for the time being.
A rough estimate suggested that this Delve was not particularly large—about the size of a city—but it was more than sufficient for the research team stationed here.
"This Delve was originally planned for the expansion of the Sky-Faring Commission. However, due to the Xianzhou's shortage of manpower, construction has yet to begin."
"I must trouble you to stay temporarily in the Palace of Astrum. Once the Artisanship Commission completes development here, you may move in."
Yukong said.
"If you have any needs regarding accommodations or transportation, you may inform me as well. I will convey them to the Artisanship Commission on your behalf."
Only a week had passed from the confirmation of mutual delegations to Grey's arrival. The Luofu had only managed to clear out a Delve. The living facilities inside had yet to be built.
"Hmm..."
"If your Artisanship Commission were to build this place up, how long would it take?"
Grey thought for a moment.
"Well..."
Yukong summoned a master craftsman from the Artisanship Commission.
"According to the standards of the Starskiff Haven, merely leveling the land, excavating the foundations, and constructing buildings would take approximately thirty days. If additional structures are required, it would likely take several more days."
"That's too long. We'll do it ourselves."
The group of research lolis shook their heads like rattles.
They could not wait to begin researching this world.
"Houses you build yourself are more comfortable to live in. Mm, and we need to construct a lot of research equipment as well, so we won't trouble you."
"Ah?"
Having the visiting delegation mix cement and build their own houses—no matter how one thought about it, it sounded strange.
"How could we possibly trouble you with such matters? If word of this spread, would not the other ships mock the Luofu for lacking hospitality?"
Yukong tried her best to persuade these hyperactive little girls.
The people of the Starsea Empire, however, seemed completely unconcerned.
As soon as the words fell, construction began immediately.
"Burin is starting work again, burin!"
Amid a chorus of buli, purin, and burin sounds rising and falling in succession, everyone finally noticed that beside the little girls and the Angeloids stood a group of identical Bulins.
The gold, purple, and rainbow-colored Bulins unfolded their rigging.
From within, they began pouring out massive quantities of construction materials.
"???"
Fu Xuan, Tingyun, and the others watched as a curved mechanical rigging manifested out of thin air beside the purple Bulin. After a brief adjustment.
It was as if something were being poured out from within.
Rumble—
A massive container over a hundred meters long and dozens of meters wide and tall was thrown out, packed full of prefabricated building structures and raw materials.
The ground trembled.
The gold Bulin and rainbow Bulin did the same, dumping materials from their rigging with a rapid clatter clatter.
Before long, the containers were piled up before their eyes like a mountain.
"What kind of people casually carry hundreds of containers of construction materials when they go out?! Are you preparing to meet the Arbiter of Heaven-Mending?!"
The Xianzhou people were stunned.
They recalled how the Interastral Peace Corporation would periodically deliver massive shipments to the Amber Lord, and felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
"No, no—more importantly, how are you conjuring so many things out of thin air?"
"This is the underlying logic and foundational cornerstone of the Starsea Empire. Thank you."
The lolis were utterly unfazed.
"Ah, Bulin remembers when we first arrived in the Starsea Empire, Bulin was building cities from scratch too, burin!"
"Now Bulin is even more amazing—super interstellar Bulin! We can build even faster now, burin!!!"
A group of Bulins carried wrenches, drills, and Ultra Rainbow Hammers.
They pried open the containers and briskly began assembling the city's structural framework.
The Bulins possessed ample pioneering experience. Long before departure, they had already prepared everything. All buildings had been constructed in advance, then dismantled and packaged.
Thus, they only needed to assemble them here.
"Chirp!"
At the same time, a flock of small yellow Manjuus appeared from nowhere, marching in neat formation to assist the Bulins with miscellaneous tasks.
"Chirp—chirp—chirp!!"
The craftsmen of the Artisanship Commission watched as the Manjuus formed ranks, shouldering prefabricated panels weighing thousands of pounds while marching in perfect step. They felt as though their eyes had been violently assaulted.
"Was the mushroom hotpot we had for lunch undercooked? Why am I seeing chickens working at a construction site?"
"This is outrageous. I'm reporting the restaurant to the Cloud Knights—lack of skill and endangering lives!!!"
"Ah??!"
While Yukong, Fu Xuan, and the others stared in stunned disbelief.
The Bulins assembled a city before their eyes at a speed visible to the naked eye.
First, they erected the main building for the delegation's residence. Then they constructed the framework of the research center.
Some experimental equipment had also been brought along and was assembled in unified fashion.
The Angeloids handled more delicate tasks, such as placing furniture and cleaning.
"Everyone can live here tonight, burin! But assembling the laboratory is more troublesome—probably three to five days, burin."
The rainbow Bulin hopped about while reporting the situation.
"Thank you, Bulins! Would you like to come eat? My treat. Ah, I can't recognize all your serial numbers, so everyone can come together."
"Okay, burin!"
The little girls and the Bulins chattered noisily together.
"Aba..."
The members of the Artisanship Commission felt like country bumpkins in front of the Bulins.
Their efficiency could no longer be described as one person equaling a hundred.
Under extreme shock, they could not even speak.
"How can anyone build houses using nothing but wrenches, hammers, and drills?!"
"Um... this humble lady wishes to ask—how do you use that thing, knock knock knock, and then... it just turns into something else?"
Tingyun's speech became somewhat unsteady.
She watched as the rainbow Bulin used a hammer larger than a person—the Ultra Rainbow Hammer—to complete every construction step.
Hammering alloy into exterior walls. Hammering it into anti-gravity devices. Hammering it into small shuttles... hammering it into everything she could see.
No matter the size or complexity, if they saw something, they went up and gave it two knocks first.
"You mean like this, burin?"
The Bulin tilted her head, took out a piece of metal, knocked on it a few times, and shaped it into an exquisite little sculpture, which she stuffed into Tingyun's hands.
Tingyun looked. It was a man in uniform, lifelike in expression and attire, more delicate than the works of the finest artists of the Xianzhou. It was probably the leader of the Starsea Empire.
"Bulin gives you a souvenir, burin! Bulin is very busy—we still have to build the laboratory. Bye-bye, burin!"
"You can see even more Bulins in the Starsea Empire, burin!~"
"..."
I don't understand it, but I am deeply shaken.
From welcoming the Starsea Empire delegation, witnessing Grey wave her hand and store away starships, and learning of her dual identity as a super fusion of the Swarm Disaster and the Mechanical Emperor's Wars.
The Xianzhou people had remained in a state of bewilderment the entire time.
Then they saw the Bulins spend half a day hammering, wrenching, and drilling a small city into existence inside the Delve.
Not a single Xianzhou person could maintain composure.
Even Yukong and Fu Xuan, who had seen countless storms in their lives, were no exception.
They looked at each other. Their expressions said only one thing:
"Is this even reasonable?"
"Bulin thinks it's very reasonable."
...
Half a day later.
Within the Xianzhou's Delve, the framework of a small city had already taken shape.
The living quarters and residential district for the Starsea Empire delegation were fully completed. As for the laboratories of the various Research Division departments and their precision equipment, those would require more time.
The once empty grassland world suddenly brimmed with life.
"Ah, it feels just like coming home."
Himeko, Kiana, and the other members of the Astral Express crew naturally came over to meet the delegation from their homeland.
Watching the Angeloids and Bulins moving about, they felt as though they had traveled through time.
"We'll be stationed here for the time being. There are many research projects regarding the Xianzhou and this universe that we plan to carry out. If we have time... mm, we can also go out and look around."
Midori Fuse said.
Thanks to the relatively independent environment of the Delve, there was no need to worry about being disturbed by strange onlookers. Cloud Knights guarded the entrance.
"Oh..."
Having witnessed the Bulins hammer a city into existence out of thin air, the Xianzhou people now regarded the Starsea Empire delegation with even greater curiosity and awe.
Some quick-witted members of the Artisanship Commission immediately began speaking with Grey.
"May I ask—this ability to materialize supplies out of thin air and then construct a city with only three tools—is it some special technique?"
"Huh?"
Grey froze for a moment before realizing they were referring to the Bulins pulling materials from their rigging and building things.
"That's a racial trait. Don't even think about it."
"Eh?..."
"Then we have some engineering questions we would like to consult you about. Might you offer some guidance?"
Pfft—
Grey burst out laughing.
"If you have questions, I can spare some time to take a look. But asking Bulins to guide you? No chance. Nobody understands them except shipgirls."
"Hiss—"
On second thought, that made sense. The Artisanship Commission did not believe they could solve every problem with nothing but hammers, drills, and wrenches.
"Oh, I can indeed exchange some thoughts on engineering when I have time."
A loli from the Engineering Department thought for a moment.
"We're quite interested in the structure of your Delves and the Xianzhou itself. We'd also like to consult you about them."
The Delves on the Xianzhou bore similarities to pocket universes. Both were relatively independent alternate spaces.
However, their fundamental natures differed.
A pocket universe opened up an independent Delve entirely detached from the main universe. Even if the greater universe were flattened into two dimensions or destroyed, those living inside the pocket universe would remain unaffected.
A Delve, on the other hand, was a form of spatial folding technology. Fundamentally, it still existed within the same spacetime. If the Xianzhou were destroyed, the Delves within it would not remain untouched.
However, the cost of creating a Delve was clearly far lower than that of a pocket universe, and it was far more convenient to use—making it suitable for large-scale daily application.
"Uh..."
The members of the Artisanship Commission pondered for a while.
"Delve technology is originally a closely guarded secret of the Xianzhou. However, the General has instructed that since we have signed a cooperative alliance, explaining it to you poses no issue..."
"Only, please do not spread it further."
"Naturally."
The greatest joy of the Research Division was collecting unique technologies from various worlds. The Starsea Empire did not lack funds. The purpose of trade agreements was precisely to facilitate such exchanges.
"It is simply that Delves rely on numerous secret Xianzhou techniques. Learning them may not be easy..."
"No problem. You have your techniques, and I have my Bulins. Show us the blueprints and explain as you wish. If we can't build it, I'll admit defeat."
...
"Ah, we have so many research topics here."
After roughly constructing the base framework of their settlement.
The delegation gathered together and began discussing enthusiastically.
Grey selected elite personnel from various departments, including the Life Sciences Division, Engineering Department, and Physics Department, intending to conduct a thorough investigation of this universe.
Swipe—
Nanobots opened a holographic interface.
"Let's set a few goals first. There are quite a few interesting things in this universe."
Lines of projections flashed across the display.
"In the short term, we need to master the Synesthesia Beacon and conduct some technical exchanges with the Xianzhou, especially to become proficient in Delve technology."
"Mm... I admit that thing is far more advanced than a translation module. The geniuses here really do have some skill."
Long ago, in order to solve communication issues between different civilizations, a genius scholar developed the Synesthesia Beacon.
Its core concept was that the cognitive activity of sentient beings primarily manifested as internal language. Much like how people unconsciously "read aloud" in their minds while reading, forming thoughts.
If that was the case, one could bypass the "translation" process altogether. By linking perception directly and converting it into internal language encoding, the recipient's own linguistic cognition system could automatically process and reconstruct it.
In other words, with a single injection, one could understand any language in any corner of the universe. For the Starsea Empire, its value was self-evident.
"Oh, we should test the Synesthesia Beacon's universality within the Starsea Empire and other worlds. Maybe we can even use it to communicate with Outer Gods!"
The lolis noted it down on the task list.
"As for mid-term plans... we should pay a visit to the Genius Society. And I'm very interested in the anti-organic equation."
"Efficiently eliminating all organic life in an entire universe—so awesome!!!"
Grey remained deeply fascinated by the mechanical rebellion in this universe.
"Ah???"
The other research lolis looked as if they had seen a ghost.
"Ah, no, don't misunderstand. I mean, perhaps in the future we can apply that system to alien species in other universes. Let me summarize the reasons for their mechanical rebellion's failure, optimize it, scale it up, and make it even better. Mm."
"..."
The research lolis had a feeling she was going to cause something big.
"As for the long-term plan... we should start looking into matters related to the Aeons and the Path. We'll need help from the Magic Division."
"Their power involves Imaginary energy and philosophical concepts. It's more troublesome. There are quite a few people in the Starsea Empire who control concepts. If we can replace them—or ascend further..."
The Research Division fell silent for a long time.
They realized that whether it was replacing an Aeon or ascending to become one, it would be an enormous undertaking.
It would inevitably involve conflict with other civilizations, Emanators, and perhaps even Aeons themselves.
"Mm... if Commander becomes an Aeon in the future, can we all become Emanators?"
Midori Fuse raised her hand.
"Maybe?"
Grey put her hands on her hips.
"Actually, we could crown ourselves. Even if we can't become Aeons, the next tier down would be fine."
As she spoke, she lifted her head.
Her gaze pierced through the holographic dome, through countless spaces.
Reaching toward a higher-dimensional space.
The ultimate creation of artificial intelligence technology seemed to lock eyes with an ancient Aeon.
All things are questions. All things have answers.
Nanobots had always adhered to the principle of using technology to solve all things—including complex mathematical laws and unknown technologies.
Of course, the object of inquiry also included the god embodying that very principle.
"...If even a mere celestial computer can ascend to godhood, why shouldn't I give it a try?"
...
A little later.
Seeing that the Starsea Empire delegation had temporarily settled in, Fu Xuan, Yukong, and the other leaders of the Six Commissions refrained from further disturbance.
After instructing the Cloud Knights to guard the entrance of the Delve and keep away idle onlookers, they each returned.
Swipe—
Within the Palace of Astrum, Jing Yuan's holographic projection appeared.
"Apologies. Alliance affairs have been numerous of late, so I had to trouble you all to receive the Starsea Empire delegation on my behalf."
"I hear the delegation caused quite a stir in the Starskiff Haven? Was the Luofu's reception sufficiently courteous?"
"...General, it is truly a pity you did not meet them in person."
Yukong sighed.
"They are... extraordinarily unbelievable. Unlike any world we have encountered. I even suspect that the girl named Grey Tempest is a member of the Genius Society."
"Oh?"
Jing Yuan grew interested.
After listening to their summary of the situation.
"Artificial intelligence, you say... Perhaps she truly has some connection with Nous. Do not slight them."
Because of the Anti-Organic Wars, the Xianzhou had always been particularly wary of artificial intelligence—especially those possessing self-awareness.
However, the Starsea Empire delegation were foreign guests and could not be judged by ordinary standards.
There was even a robot within the Genius Society who had received Nous' favor, persuading the Interastral Peace Corporation to abandon its extermination policy toward inorganic lifeforms in favor of peaceful coexistence.
The Xianzhou treated such special figures with great importance.
"In Diviner Fu's opinion, what other unique aspects does the Starsea Empire possess?"
Jing Yuan turned to Fu Xuan, seeking the Divination Commission's view.
"..."
Fu Xuan paused for a moment, recalling the shocking abilities of the Bulins, the Angeloids, and the Manjuus.
The delegation had built an entire city for themselves—something unheard of and unseen.
Whether it was the Bulins' abilities or the very existence of the Manjuus and the Angeloids, all of it challenged her worldview.
"The Starsea Empire possesses many inconceivable aspects. Some matters leave me utterly baffled and require divination to calculate and deduce..."
"Oh? You mean?..."
Jing Yuan and the others grew even more curious.
Fu Xuan considered for a moment, then offered the simplest analogy:
"Even the chickens they raise can build houses—and faster than our Artisanship Commission."
—
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