Chapter 1021: Chapter 1021: Tree Elf Agents
Actually, the busy everyday life is quite interesting, this is an idea that came to me after I was with Lilina, personally guiding... well, involving myself in the work of the tree elves building their home for a few days.
The tree elves need a new home, and this issue was presented before everyone after we resolved all the issues of the Sleepers. They have a population of 2.6 billion, with an independent cultural system and were created by a Life Goddess of unknown name as weak divine creatures. These characteristics mean that we need to provide this race with an independent planet as their new home.
Currently, they are temporarily residing on the Mother Star. However, the Mother Star lacks the facilities and resources needed for carbon-based colonists to survive. Gaia has started up three massive ecological domes, but these can only meet the short-term needs of the tree elves. The highly active ghost energy environment on the Mother Star is also a potential fatal threat to ordinary races, so they need to relocate as soon as possible.
The tree elves are the last clan of the Old Empire, having completed the final task entrusted to them by the Old Empire and bringing crucial intelligence to the New Empire. All this has made Sandora and I have a special affection—or to put it plainly, fondness for these pointy-eared elves, so we arranged extra privileges for this race: preparing a planet for them in the Shadow Space.
The Shadow Space has now expanded to an incredible size. According to Bubbles, it is now equivalent to the size of a galaxy—referring to its total border size. In fact, the peripheral areas of the Shadow Space gradually transition into no-man’s land, finally connecting to the Void, so about a quarter of the space is unusable. But even if it’s equivalent to three-quarters of a galaxy, that’s still an impressive size. It’s hard to imagine that originally its prototype was merely a projection of K City into Other Space. The current expansion of the Shadow Space has temporarily ceased, and it is estimated that it won’t expand again for a long time. Currently, its size is the optimal level as determined by Bubbles—too small would waste the bandwidth of the Shadow Space control network, and too large would lead to decreased stability.
In such a vast space, the areas we can utilize are still limited. Many military facilities, even behemoth facilities like Planet Fortress manufacturing plants, only cover an area the size of a stellar system. Ninety-nine point several nines percent of the Shadow Space is idle area. Sandora is planning to gradually fill these blank areas with colonization stars and military fortresses over the coming millennia, and now the tree elves have become the first permanent residents of the Shadow Space who are not of Xyrin origin. We created a small stellar system about one hundred astronomical units away from the Mother Star Gaia. The sun of this stellar system was picked up by Little Baobao during her last outing...
Uh, I’m not mistaken, it was indeed picked up by that girl. You know, Little Baobao likes shiny things. Last time, she led Ji Shanshan and a bunch of Royal Guards out for a wander and happened to see a very bright star from a suitable angle. Her Highness the Princess ordered it to be picked up on the spot, accompanied by Qianqian—they dragged it back without realizing it. Once it was confirmed that there was no life around that constant star, the Royal Guard actually dragged it into the Shadow Space. However, Little Baobao lost interest in it once it was brought back: Her Highness had wanted a bright, egg-sized ball, not this nuclear reactor with a radius of 780,000 kilometers; she didn’t expect her shiny toy to be this big up close.
This somewhat bungled constant star has been idly sitting in the Shadow Space for several months now, previously serving as a testing ground for Misakas’ detectors. Now it finally has a use. It has been refurbished, with its aging heavy element core reset, reactive waste removed, supplemented with sufficient hydrogen and helium crucial for stellar health, and it has even shed some weight to smarten up and serve as the sun for the tree elves.
The new stellar system currently has only three planets. The innermost one is a resource-rich mineral planet, found in a barren Sky Zone and brought back for the tree elves as a source of industrial material for future development. The second planet is located in the habitable zone of the new stellar system, where the tree elves’ new home lies. This planet is slightly larger than Earth—its surface environment is about the same as that of the Green Star. It was previously a retired planet battleship known as "Dawn of Warfare." The planet battleship’s shield generator and armor layer were destroyed by a Shepherd’s suicide spaceship during the Great Nebula battle, and it hasn’t been fully repaired to this day. "Zero" level planet battleship technology from early days was primitively inefficient, and Taville obtained lots of crucial new technology from the War Song, so this type of retired planet battleship was essentially rendered obsolete. Sandora had been troubled by how to find new uses for these war relics, and now we finally found one: housing for the tree elves. This starship, which has endured many battles, has been re-covered with a thick crust, re-established with rivers, lakes, seas, and an atmosphere system. Once the basic atmospheric balance stabilizes, immigration can begin. It now has a new name: Oasis (yes, the name originally belonged to the small world within the core of the Green Star). This name was unanimously decided by the tree elves’ Navigators, who hoped to commemorate their homeland in this way.
At the outermost part of the new stellar system lies the ancient starship which has completed its historical mission: the Green Star.
The Green Star is no longer suitable for sustaining life. Its core is highly cooled, its mantle structure completely destroyed, it lacks sufficient geological change drivers. More importantly, the green gel crystal layer that covers its surface has degraded after thousands of years of exposure to harsh environments, even possibly withstanding the Void, which resulted in that gel coating becoming a life-forbidden zone. The cost of removing its shell and transforming the Green Star would be enough to manufacture three colonization stars of the same specifications. After consulting with the elderly tree elves, Sandora and I decided to abandon the reconstruction of the Green Star, and instead place it on the outermost edge of their new stellar system as a historical monument.
As for the original Oasis Star located in the core, it has been relocated outside by space technology. It now looks unsightly, nothing like the verdant utopian scene it once was. After the Mother Tree was stripped from it, countless massive ravines and deep holes that span the entire planet were left behind. In the caves, you can only find plant ruins of enormous scopes. After one ancient complex device after another failed, the tree elf Navigators completely gave up on repairing these things. This planet, slightly smaller than the Moon, has now become the Green Star’s moon in the new "Oasis" and orbits its Mother Star once every 22 days.
On Oasis—this word will hereby exclusively refer to the new home of the tree elves—Lilina and I personally participated in the inauguration ceremony of the transformation project alongside the Great Clan Leader, representing the tree elves, and the former captain of the Green Star among the tree elves, the eldest elder of their kind. When the first atmospheric control tower was lowered by the carrier from the far low orbit to the surface and began operating with a rumble, the Great Clan Leader gently sighed.
"We have finally arrived. Thank you for your kindness," the Great Clan Leader said.
In fact, I almost said just now: No need to be so formal, we’re all family—but I didn’t, because Lilina was there to pinch my little finger in time, this girl knows all too well the kind of person I am by now.
"Well, actually, the tree elves didn’t have that deep of ties with the Empire at the start of their journey, did they?" asked Lilina, looking up at the towering atmospheric control tower on the vast plains in the distance, which was one of the most important structures in their new home.
"The tree elves are a race that values commitment," the Great Clan Leader thought for a moment before adding, "and when we couldn’t find the brakes any other way, our navigators didn’t know how to turn those deep and complex ancient devices back on..." meaning that their mission journey over these countless millennia was entirely because they couldn’t stop.
I suddenly felt that this old lady was being a bit too blunt—was it appropriate to say that to my face?
The Great Clan Leader was already too old, and when I met him in the control room on the Green Star, the Old Master was already somewhat bewildered. Today, he seemed even more hunched over. The former starship captain still wore his uniform, and now he was standing alongside the other elders, looking toward the towering atmospheric control tower on the distant plain, one of the most important structures of their new home. When the first atmospheric control tower was lowered from the low orbit by the carrier and began to rumble into operation, the Great Clan Leader heaved a gentle sigh.
"We’ve finally come to our destination. Thank you for your kindness," said the Great Clan Leader.
Actually, I almost said: why the formalities, we’re all family—but I didn’t say it because Lilina pinched my little finger just in time, this girl knows exactly the kind of person she’s hanging around with now.
"Actually, the tree elves weren’t that close to the Empire when they first set sail," Lilina looked up and glanced at the towering atmospheric control tower in the distance on the vast plain. That’s one of the most important buildings in their new home. "I didn’t expect your loyalty level to be so high."
"Tree elves are a race that values commitment," the Great Clan Leader thought for a moment, then added, "When we couldn’t find where the brakes were..." meaning that their mission of several millennia had been completely unstoppable.
I suddenly thought that this old lady is a bit too blunt—you think it’s suitable to say this in front of me?
The Great Clan Leader was already accustomed to speaking so loudly, and responded just as loudly, "Yes, the mission is complete. This is the new home for the Tree Elf..."
"Are we going to live on the surface?" the old man shouted loudly, "Oh, fine, go find my log, have the youngsters prepare some air tanks, who knows when the atmosphere might leak again..."
The Great Clan Leader helplessly spread her hands at me: "He’s confused again, still thinking Green Star is on the journey."
I looked around, the place was full of old age, all Green Star navigators were elderly, the Clan Leader, an old lady herself, was actually the youngest in the navigator group. They had spent long periods in active duty during the journey, spending too much time out of the hibernation chambers. When Green Star set sail, most of the navigators were in their prime, but now, their Captain couldn’t even remember his own name—though he still remembered his Captain’s log. I thought, perhaps we should solve the issue of these old people before the Tree Elves move into their new home; they deserved compensation for the harsh millennium-long journey, and I should be able to provide them with whatever they want: youth, life, a healthy physique, even a chance to live again in an infant body—these didn’t seem difficult at all, at most requiring Dingdang to once again fix her own loopholes...
Yet when I proposed this, the Great Clan Leader and several navigators simultaneously shook their heads.
"It’s enough, this lifetime," an old man with white hair laughed philosophically, "Tree Elves can live more than a hundred thousand years—that’s according to the New Empire’s calendar, the God-given Mother Tree granted us a long lifespan. Compared to other short-lived races, most Tree Elves spend these years extravagantly. But I believe that at least we, old folks, lived more meaningfully than other Tree Elves. We accomplished something seemingly remarkable; there’s nothing left to long for in this lifetime. The ancestors of the Tree Elves left a saying: ’The traveler’s soul will inevitably grow weary, now we just want to rest without further requests.’
I felt I should respect their choice, so I didn’t insist further but promised that as long as the navigators made any requests, the Empire would try its best to fulfill them.
As I left the New Oasis with Lilina, she brought up some of her plans.
"The New Oasis Star still needs some time to develop, the Tree Elves won’t entirely migrate to their new home for a while, so they’re temporarily dispersed in other worlds. Our Macro World is developing rapidly; in many worlds, the ’Time-Space Administration Bureau’ became an organization that can significantly influence world dynamics—even though it’s not publicly acknowledged. Now, many dispersed Tree Elves are temporarily residing in Macro Worlds, arranged by local reviewers or special envoys; part of them is residing in various bases under the local administration’s bureau, while some are taken in by nearby families, through which I discovered some interesting traits of this race."
Seeing my curiosity, Lilina smiled triumphantly.
"They truly are natural travelers—or should I say, diplomats. Tree Elves can easily adapt to cross-world relocation, and some younger ones, who previously spent long periods in hibernation, are keenly interested in this life of living in Otherworlds. They quickly adapt to the new world’s customs and culture, mastering local etiquette without a teacher. Those arranged to live alongside local residents proved even more surprising; I initially worried they might disrupt the daily life of those families responsible for hosting them, but the feedback indicates they blended harmoniously with everyone: these gentle-tempered elves are born to be goodwill ambassadors!"
Honestly, I was previously unaware of these minor details, though I knew Gaia was initially responsible for temporarily settling these elves, they were later transferred to the Immigration Management Department, which was linked to the Time-Space Administration Bureau. It seems Shadow City, the military capital, isn’t suitable for arranging a population of 2.6 billion, so these Tree Elves were sent across Macro Worlds to temporarily settle, originally as a contingency move, but apparently... the elves are adapting well?
"Of course, there are exceptions," Lilina added, "those navigators and crew who stayed alert throughout the journey, and the last batch of Tree Elf civilians who entered the hibernation chambers, they are weary of any form of travel. These Tree Elves occupy roughly ten percent of their race, about two to three hundred million, these individuals desire a stable homeland more, so we prioritize settling these two to three hundred million, fortunately, the initial Ecological Domes group of New Oasis Star can accommodate them, which inadvertently reduces our workload."
"And then?" I instinctively felt Lilina had more plans; she’s accustomed to mentioning minor things first, with significant ones following.
"Then? Then we have 2.4 billion agents left," Lilina shrugged, "Boss, haven’t you noticed? Your Empire has a colonial bureau, local colonial governors, and fleets, yet lacks liaison officers running between various colonies, and envoys interacting with lower worlds, it’s abnormal! Each world’s reviewer acts akin to colonial governors, tasked with quarterly reports in Shadow City, not reporting in person for trifling matters. The Empire soldiers in the Time-Space Administration Bureau shouldn’t be constantly running around either. Many members in the Macro World are remote and desolate places, yet communication requires sending someone from the Command Center—if your Empire were likened to an Earth country, the current situation resembles having a senior official dispatched from the capital to inspect whenever a mountainous village’s pigs aren’t breeding; don’t you find it odd?"
I thought for a moment, shook my head: "I never noticed before..."
"Of course, the most crucial reason is that Imperial soldiers are really unsuited as envoys," Lilina displayed a defeated expression, "currently, when communicating between Capital Worlds and border worlds, those dispatched are predominantly Imperial soldiers. I’m not saying these big-headed soldiers aren’t smart, just that... waiting for the other nation’s president to sign an agreement while chambering a bullet is probably something only your big-headed soldiers would do..."
I: "..." Damn, it seems this has actually happened!
"Connect with the people, connect with the people," Lilina displayed an anguished expression, "Macro World was established initially as an organization oriented towards lower civilizations, yet you assigned a group of Imperial soldiers as messengers; where have you seen the neighborhood collecting water and electricity fees being done by the Liberation Army uncles?"
I was finally defeated by Lilina’s endless wonderful metaphors, raised my hands in surrender: "So you’re planning to have the Tree Elves join the Time-Space Administration Bureau and serve as... what was it called?"
Lilina seriously replied: "Liaison officers, you see, those Tree Elves are composed and kind, possessing patience and responsibility, affinity for working with ordinary civilizations, and they are a vassal race of your Empire, akin to the Azeroth Salvation Army or Eden Federation Government Army, they can be considered your confidants. Furthermore, they can all be absorbed as Goddess believers, since the Life Goddess Sect, jointly promoted by you and Sister Sandora in the Macro World, is the ’national religion’, as you know, believing in the one in your pocket equals believing in you, ahem... I mean, research reveals that Goddess believers can spark goodwill among Macro World residents. Consequently, Tree Elves might become the most common liaison officers in the Macro World, they can replace your Imperial soldiers in errands across various worlds, you can spare a massive military force, enabling the Time-Space Administration Bureau to escape daily complaint calls...
Did this girl have to deliver a weak spot blow in the last sentence! Imperial soldiers with dull brains, who have they provoked?—well, admittedly, they’ve provoked quite a few ’who’ regularly...