243: Tu Nan, General

Tu Nan returned to her human form before long.

One had to say, the two Majesties' hobbies were remarkably consistent when it came to forcing her to turn into a cat.

She guessed James had come to tip her off; the real Your Majesty was likely on his way back, while this double had brazenly appeared before her.

To pretend she hadn't noticed anything, she headed to the meeting room after getting dressed.

Work.

The mountain of work immediately left her with no time to dwell on this shocking discovery; besides, when Hain's Video Call silently projected amidst the images of a group of discussing Female Beasts, Tu Nan realized she had to deal with this matter first.

She hoped that after being provoked by her, Hain had truly seen reason.

Everyone in the team only paused for a brief moment before ignoring the boss's gossip and continuing their heated debate.

Compared to the matter of who the Young Master's father was, which team could secure more resources and support was what truly concerned them.

Hain seemed to have returned to normal, offering precise suggestions wherever his input was needed.

Zhuang Qi was especially grateful to him.

If it hadn't been for Hain's connections, he would have worried about being thrown out whenever he stepped into the territories of those politicians or nobles.

After a few hours passed, when Tu Nan signaled that she was leaving first, Hain suddenly called out to her in front of everyone.

"Tu Nan." He looked at the already standing Tu Nan, appearing melancholy once again.

"What is it? I'm going to rest, I'm very tired." Tu Nan didn't intend to waste time with him.

Hain suggested seriously, "I think the Children are at the age where they start recognizing people. Why not start bringing them to the meeting room tomorrow?"

"They can play on the side, and I can coax them during breaks, or even teach them."

"They..." Tu Nan understood his concession and show of weakness.

Sighing inwardly, Tu Nan glanced at him, nodded, and seriously agreed.

An exciting day passed like that. After coaxing the Children to sleep, Tu Nan prepared to sleep behind a screen in a corner of the living room.

Your Majesty suddenly returned to the room.

Tu Nan had no choice but to throw on some clothes and come back out. Pretending she hadn't noticed anything, she asked in surprise, "Your Majesty? Is the post-war meeting over?"

She poured a glass of water for The Emperor and handed it to him.

The Emperor paused for a moment, took the glass and drained it in one gulp, then sat down in the living room still holding the glass.

"Yes, the front line wasn't serious this time. They were being overly cautious, so I just did a round and came back."

He's helping to cover it up, Tu Nan confirmed.

The Emperor didn't want her to know all this, so she would just act as if she didn't.

Tu Nan observed the Your Majesty before her carefully, only to find that these two people looked incredibly alike—height, build, appearance, they were exactly the same.

No wonder they hadn't been discovered.

Except... this Your Majesty's complexion had turned very pale again, whereas the one from during the day seemed to have a good complexion.

Then what exactly was he keeping such a double for?

It couldn't be because his health was poor and he wanted to take the organs he needed from the other person, could it? Tu Nan speculated maliciously.

Then why would he also give the other person the identity of a Silver Armored Knight?

This increased the risk of exposure. If the other person was just an organ donor, wasn't it dangerous to keep them so close to himself?

What was Your Majesty thinking?

Tu Nan realized that discovering a secret had only brought more questions.

Obviously, James was in the know; as The Emperor's personal physician, he was deeply involved in this matter.

Who else knew?

Tu Nan deduced backward, memories flashing through her mind like pages of a book being flipped.

The Empress Dowager! That's right, the Empress Dowager must also know.

Tu Nan thought of the several times her attitude had changed.

That double was far less cautious around her than Your Majesty; he was even somewhat indulgent. Tu Nan always felt like he was waiting for her to expose him.

He was like a wicked child, possessing a kind of innocent malice while holding great power.

He was like he was watching a play. Tu Nan finally thought of a suitable description.

Yes, the other person seemed to be dropping clues bit by bit, waiting for and enjoying the process of her discovery.

But since Your Majesty was unwilling...

She planned to keep up the act until the end; it wasn't difficult.

It was just her specialty.

***

But soon, regardless of who it was, their focus shifted.

A suitable Star Worm Point had finally been found.

Kong Jiamu sent people to clear all the Star Worms in the vicinity. The Special Operations Team was in a small starship, with synchronized video being transmitted to the flagship.

"Confirm the coordinates again," Tu Nan ordered.

The coordinates were reported again by Shou. Tu Nan called out to the System.

[Did you receive it? Get ready, five people.]

[Understood, come on.]

[Is the signal still 'colorful black'?] Tu Nan found it hard to describe her feelings upon hearing such a term.

[They'll understand once they see it. As long as they hold on until they see the signal, it'll be fine.]

"Depart. I wish the mission success," Tu Nan gave the order.

The Emperor stood beside her, silently showing his support.

Five small starships entered the Star Worm Point, with the five members of the operations team on only one of them.

The other ships were their escort ships.

There were still many Star Worms inside the Star Worm Point, but it was a very unstable space, unsuitable for intense combat; otherwise, the collapsing space would prevent anyone from escaping.

Communication between the inside and outside of the Star Worm Point was also impossible.

Once they entered, those outside could only wait.

This wait lasted for a whole week.

Fortunately, they finally rushed out safely.

Five people, including Kong Jiamu, stood neatly before Your Majesty and Tu Nan.

Except for Shou, whose face remained hidden behind armor, the expressions on the other four people's faces still carried a daze from being shocked.

They brought back video data, but it couldn't be read, so they had to describe the sights they had seen orally.

After searching for a full day, they saw the signal; inside the completely lightless star point, it was indeed a kind of shining black.

Following the guidance, they saw Him.

That was an existence suspended outside of time and space.

Black tentacles, like roots, plunged into the Void Realm in all directions, as if devouring the future or resonating with Chaos.

They saw Star Worms of species never before recorded slowly gestating within those roots, then maturing, detaching, and leaving.

The sphere's tentacles brushed past them, and they immediately felt filled with power.

But when they tried to enter the sphere, a sense of "it must not be so" automatically arose in the depths of their minds.

Your Majesty listened to the account in silence.

"He truly exists," he said to Tu Nan.

They had explored Star Worm Points long ago, only to find they were truly just fragile spatial passages; years ago, scientists had even suggested renaming these passages as spatial rifts.

"What is the method He mentioned for dealing with the Star Worms?"

Now that it was confirmed, Your Majesty activated a privacy screen and immediately asked Tu Nan.

Tu Nan maintained a faint communication with the System; just to forge the "waves," she fabricated a set of explanations.

Although she eventually needed the Children to go to the System to resolve everything, the true reason couldn't be told. She couldn't risk the Children becoming keys, or rather, becoming tools.

Besides Your Majesty and their fathers, what if someone else had other ideas?

For instance, being snatched away, or being used to threaten Your Majesty?

Or some insane person trying to take "a part" of them to try and claim that immense credit?

So she said this.

"The Star Worms are constantly stealing the abilities left by God. In three more years, they will steal the core ability."

"He is unwilling."

"But starting from some unknown time, the beastmen could no longer establish contact with Him."

"He said He created me through the hands of the Nursery, but I cannot bear His power, whereas the Children can."

[It does seem to be the case...] Even the System was a bit puzzled.

Tu Nan bit her lip, looking anxious about the Children getting involved.

"He decided to distribute the power to the Children, using this method to preserve it and prevent the Star Worms from continuously growing stronger."

"But this requires the Children to go to His true form. However..."

[Right, right, right.] The System nodded, not realizing it had been led astray.

Tu Nan pretended to be listening, then relayed.

"His power is still too strong and needs to be shared. At least four people are needed."

Tu Nan looked at Your Majesty in shock.

"If He is so strong, why can't He get rid of the Star Worms?" Your Majesty asked calmly.

[Ah~ I'm reconstructing the data chain... hurry up and find a way to smooth it over.] The System started to slack off.

Tu Nan pretended to relay; after a while, she answered, "Because of His divine office, Your Majesty. He says He can only create, not destroy."

Tu Nan murmured, "He said He thought about completely dispersing His energy and annihilating Himself. But this energy is the cornerstone of this world." Her eyes widened slightly in terror. "He said if that happened, both the Star Worms and the beastmen would die."

[...]

The Emperor was silent. It sounded like it only required Tu Nan's Children to go to His side.

As an Emperor, this choice shouldn't be difficult to make.

But Tu Nan, as a mother, was she afraid? Was she willing?

He looked at the Female Beast standing beside him, staring at him.

Only to see her hesitate repeatedly before suddenly, as if making a firm resolution, asking a world-shaking question.

"If this is a gift left to this world by God, then shouldn't your child have a share as well?"

The Emperor looked at her, his whole body stiffening. What did Tu Nan mean by that?

Looking at Your Majesty's contemplative gaze, she realized there was no better time than this.

"Your Majesty, do you want a child?"

Tu Nan asked with utmost seriousness, almost as if she were proposing a motion in a court session.

The Emperor gripped his power ring.

As an Emperor, he shouldn't have hesitated, but now, he was carefully deciphering the true meaning behind Tu Nan's words.

Why was Tu Nan making this suggestion?