Chapter 532

The Pope first pressed his fingerprint, and after the fingerprint lock was unlocked, he brought his face close to the sensor for a retinal scan. This verification method is beyond Terra's technological level.

"Authentication successful!"

The emotionless, mechanical voice filled Andon with an indescribable sense of panic.

The door swung open with a roar, the sound of gears turning like an old house finally seeing the light of day again.

The Pope stood at the very front, turned around, and sighed softly:

"Andon, the answer you seek is here. Successive popes have taken it upon themselves to protect what lies behind the door, prioritizing it even above the lives of all the Sarkaz."

Actually, you should already know without me saying it: Sea Creatures has never been an isolated individual. If we had sent people to rescue Tide Stone Town back then, although we could have temporarily repelled Sea Creatures, we would have soon faced annihilation."

At this point, Andon was no longer listening.

The sight behind the gate surprised him so much that he almost forgot to breathe.

Rows of life support devices, resembling space hibernation pods, contained countless Sarkaz. Their eyes were closed, their fates uncertain.

Several robotic arms were operating automatically, appearing quite busy. And in the center of the front, surprisingly, stood a figure five or six meters tall— Sarkaz?!

In an instant, Andon felt his head buzzing as if it were about to explode. Were they mass-producing Sarkaz using Sarkaz bodies here?

"Androids?"

Xi stood on the Rock platform as they flew, arm in arm with her lover. Looking puzzled, she asked, "..."

"Could it be Alien Technology you obtained?"

"You could say you are, or you could say you aren't. In any case, it's technology from Pre-Civilization, not from this land."

Shi Lei had already discovered the mysterious area deep beneath the Grand Cathedral when he attended the Summit of All Nations.

No matter how well Laterano hid, they had nowhere to hide from the Psychic Scan.

Those rows of biological Incubation Pod looked like something out of Resident Evil. If he hadn't heard Anmatar mention them in Sami, he might have really misunderstood.

After Shi Lei successfully closed the Stargate and obtained the Storage Unit device, he consulted Anmatar about the Pre-Civilization and learned many unknown details.

For example, the North-South Stargates were built in the Pre-Civilization.

If they are discovered by a cosmic force called the 'Observers' in the future, they can escape through any Stargate.

The Star Pods were the work of Pre-Civilization, designed to prevent other cosmic civilizations from discovering this planet.

There's also the Sea Creatures, another Ocean Cleaning Project launched by Pre-Civilization. After tens of thousands of years of being released, the Sea Creatures Tribe have completely broken free from the control of the Creator.

Anmatar has lived in northern Sami for many years and is unaware of what Sea Creatures has evolved into. He simply warned Shi Lei to be extremely careful and not to provoke him lightly.

The Originium that has caused disasters over the past century, as well as various natural Catastrophe that have swept across Terra carrying Originium, were all released by Priestess, one of the survivors of the Pre-Civilization.

Priestess's whereabouts are currently unknown, and Anmatar also doesn't know where she is. However, he tells Shi Lei that there is a survivor from the Pre-Civilization, namely the Doctor from Rhodes Island.

Shi Lei had collaborated with him many times and long considered him a friend. Given that the Doctor had been suffering from amnesia since waking up in Chernobyl, it would be unfair to provoke him if he didn't remember anything from the Pre-Civilization.

Therefore, Shi Lei turned a blind eye and tried his best not to Pre-Civilization matters in front of the Doctor.

Then there's the Sarkaz, who are Androids created using technology from Pre-Civilization.

According to Anmatar, the Sarkaz, formerly known as the 'Tiracaz,' were the Native of this planet.

The Pre-Civilization used the genes extracted from them to create the Sarkaz. To distinguish them from the Sarkaz, each Sarkaz was equipped with a halo.

The Laterano Commandments are essentially the survival rules for Androids set by the Creator. Similar to the laws of robots, they are rules that every Sarkaz must abide by.

If a regular Sarkaz violates this rule, they will be stripped of their Empathy privileges. With all amplification privileges disabled, Sarkaz will degenerate into Sarkaz.

Sarkaz, such as the Pope, have higher authority, but Anmatar is not entirely clear on the specifics.

Shi Lei wouldn't easily reveal information that would cause a huge uproar if it were exposed. He only told his bedmate while they were flying in the sky.

Xi is a fragment of the consciousness of the Sui Beast. It has lived for over a thousand years without aging, indicating that it has entered immortality. In the future, it will most likely stay by its side forever.

As for Texas and Mudrock, they are likely to live to around a hundred years old at most. This number could increase as productivity increases in various countries.

They're not even thirty yet, so thinking about things seventy or eighty years from now is too far-fetched. Shi Lei is a person who lives in the present and just wants to enjoy every day with them.

He told Xi about the Androids, not worried that she would leak the secret, treating it as a little secret between lovers.

Before long, Rock platform arrived at the Requiem Church.

Using the rock-forged Moon Wheel Sword that Lappland always carried, Shi Lei accurately located her position. After landing in the courtyard from the sky, he led Xi to find her.

Cecilia's mother's funeral was completed ahead of schedule thanks to Andon's Gasser. The body is currently being cremated, and the ashes will be placed here after the cremation.

Aizel's decision to stay by Cecilia's side was not only his personal wish, but also a requirement for his official promotion.

Lappland, with her keen sense of smell, immediately came to greet them upon noticing their return.

"So, is it done?"

Shi Lei nodded, glancing at the dejected Cecilia, but did not go over to disturb her.

After they left the room, Shi Lei inquired about Cecilia's personal intentions. Now an orphan with no parents, it was time for her to consider her future.

"Cecilia, do you want to stay in Laterano City, or go somewhere else?"

"I... I don't know..."

Shi Lei is wealthy and can sponsor her upbringing. However, continuous sponsorship would diminish Cecilia's ability to be self-reliant, so sponsoring her until adulthood is just right.

"If you want to stay in Laterano City, I will cover all your daily expenses until you come of age."

If you don't want to stay here, I'll take you to Lungmen to study. There, you'll be surrounded by children your age, and you can transfer in and study with them."

Seeing Cecilia's troubled expression, Shi Lei smiled and patted her head, comforting her:

"Don't rush, I'll probably stay in Laterano City for about three days. Just give me your answer before then."

After saying that, he left his contact information with Aizel, telling him to take good care of the child and to remember to call him if anything happened.

After finishing all that, Shi Lei took Xi and Lappland back to the Central Hospital to meet up with Exusiai. Since she wanted to stay here with her sister Lamyuan, she decided to stay a few more days.

Not long after Shi Lei and his two companions entered the ward, they happened to run into Fiamma and Mostima, who were returning from the Grand Cathedral.

Although Lamyuan is currently recuperating, she has not given up her work at the Papal Hall and informed them:

"All the lost individuals apprehended at the hospital have been released."

Fiamma was taken aback by this, feeling utterly perplexed. Perhaps they could glean information about Andon from the lost souls, but they hadn't expected him to be released so easily.

"Is this His Holiness the Pope's intention?"

"Yes, you'll be going through the proper procedures at the Fifth Hall, using Notary Office agreement to register with Rhodes Island."

Not only did they release the people they had arrested, but they also arranged for her to work for a pharmaceutical company, which puzzled Fiamma.

"Why?"

"How would I know? I only know someone who's a mouthpiece. Besides, that company isn't bad."

As someone who has worked with Rhodes Island, Mostima has some authority to speak on this matter:

"The Glimmering Night Watch, you've got the best choice. Traveling the world with Rhodes Island, you might just find out some news about Andon."

"Please shut up!"

Fiamma disliked the nickname Mostima had given her, and her voice suddenly rose. But she quickly realized Shi Lei was there and apologized profusely.

"I'm sorry, Mister Zhongli. I wasn't targeting you, it's just..."

"Hehe, it's nothing. But she just mentioned Andon, are you looking for him?"

Fiamma glanced at Mostima, without going into details of the mission, and gave a general overview:

"Yes, we've been looking for him for eight years."

Before Shi Lei could speak, Lappland interjected:

"Hey, that monk in the Requiem Church is named Andon. He has gray hair and a very bright halo around his head."

"What?!"

Fiamma was shocked upon hearing this. After a brief thank you, she immediately went to the Requiem Church.

She is very efficient and her determination to capture Andon is even stronger than Mostima's.

After searching for eight years, I never imagined Andon was hiding in Laterano City! No wonder we couldn't find him!

Seeing this, Mostima apologized and followed his partner out to avoid any accidents.

During the few hours Shi Lei spent at the hospital, both Inner City underwent tremendous changes.

Fiamma first arrived at the Requiem Church, but Andon was nowhere to be found. She tracked him down to the Grand Cathedral, only to learn that the Pope had met with him privately and released him.

This led to a major argument between Fiamma and the Pope, or perhaps it was a one-sided venting of her anger. The outcome of years of investigation was something she simply couldn't accept.

Afterwards, Fiamma accepted the mission assigned by the Papal Hall and prepared to go to Rhodes Island to relax. Mostima would also accompany her, leaving Laterano for a while.

When Oren's unauthorized departure was exposed, it was discovered that he was connected to an organization secretly attempting to overthrow Laterano. However, the Pope pardoned him upon hearing the news, only stripping Oren of his post Messenger of All Nations.

Cecilia took two hours to make her decision: she wanted to stay in Laterano City. Aizel promised Shi Lei that he would help her register her household registration and would take good care of her in the future.

The exciting news that Liyue was providing Alien Technology spread rapidly through Cross-border Communication Network, sweeping across the continent like snowflakes in winter.

Whether the leaders of the Terra Nations acknowledge it or not, this land is about to enter a new era.

Liyue Era!

Because Shi Lei alone elevated the technology of the Terra Nations to a level that spanned hundreds of years.

He then spent three days in Laterano City before returning to Liyue City with Xi and Lappland.

Exusiai wanted to spend more time with her sister, so she didn't leave with her. Since she didn't have much to do lately, she planned to stay there until she was ready to take a bus back home.

Since outsourcing all of Penguin Logistics' orders to Fengchi Logistics, the Messenger have been sitting back and counting their money, no longer needing to return to the Lungmen headquarters. The Emperor, also wanting some peace and quiet, gave everyone a year of paid leave.

During Shi Lei's three days in Laterano, leaders from Terra Nations came to make contact with him one after another.

Some national leaders still have a businessman's mindset, thinking that his claim of providing Alien Technology is just a gimmick. He publicly says he'll share it for free to gain a good reputation, but then asks for a so-called "friendship price" when they actually make contact.

But when they actually received these high-tech technologies, enough to spark an energy revolution, for free, they were truly impressed by Shi Lei's grand vision. The potential of these technologies is immeasurable, and it would be reasonable to charge exorbitant prices for them. But he kept his word and didn't charge a single penny for what he said was free.

As the saying goes, He who takes a man's money is bound to him; he who eats another man's food is bound to

Seeing that the other party hadn't taken a single penny, the leaders of the Terra Nations were somewhat uneasy. They had no relation to Shi Lei and couldn't accept this gift with a clear conscience.

After repeatedly confirming the value of these Alien Technology with domestic scientists, the leaders, on the same day, announced the establishment of visiting delegations, tourist groups, and trade caravans on the official accounts of government agencies within the Liyue Circle, signifying increased interaction with Liyue in the future.

They wanted to repay Shi Lei for providing the technology by promoting Liyue's economy in various ways. It would be unreasonable to do nothing.

More importantly, this Alien Technology Sharing is only the first batch; there will be three more batches in the future. If we don't show a positive and friendly attitude now and maintain our eligibility for future acquisitions, we'll really be losing more than we gain later.

Shi Lei learned of this information, but did not comment on it online or in public.

He now has enough resources and money from the fees he receives from Cross-border Communication Network subscriptions to support the population of over 50,000 in Liyue City and Guili City.

When Shi Lei has enough wealth, money is just a number to him. If he were to publicly say that he is not interested in money, I believe many people would understand.

Upon returning to Liyue City, Shi Lei, as usual, left internal affairs to his subordinates. He rarely went out, focusing his attention on Texas and Mudrock, who were pregnant and awaiting childbirth.

With the help of Hegre and Theresia, Liyue is experiencing an unprecedented period of prosperity. The people live in peace and contentment, and their lives are vastly different from what they used to be.

Theresia was grateful for this.

For thousands of years, the fate of the Sarkaz Demon King seemed predetermined. No matter what changes she made, she would ultimately walk a path paved with thorns and blood. She could only either destroy others or be destroyed by others; there was no other way. But she found a completely different path with Shi Lei.

As long as Shi Lei lives, the Sarkaz can avoid getting bogged down in war. They can recuperate in Guili City and live the peaceful life they've always dreamed of.

As for dominating the world, forget about it.

In the past, the Demon King ruled the world to allow the Sarkaz to live with more dignity, but now he has achieved that.

Theresia was content as long as her Sarkaz compatriots were doing well. Afterward, she sent people to Kazdel to bring the Old Man and children Guili City. Those refugees who didn't mind the city being full of Sarkaz were also given houses in the city as long as they signed a pledge not to cause trouble.

The Sarkaz, who had been wandering around the world, flocked to Liyue after learning of its beauty. Most of them went to Guili City, which at its peak had a population of 60,000.

Thus, not only is the Sarkaz Orthodoxy in Liyue, but Liyue is also the country with the largest number of Sarkaz.

The people of the world have long suffered from war and discrimination, and people are flocking to seek refuge with them. Seeing that there were not enough houses, Shi Lei spent a day expanding a large Economic Trade Zone in the Liyue Outer City. In addition to providing comfortable residences, he also built an offline trading exchange.

While Shi Lei was building Cross-border Communication Network, the resulting Online Shopping took a bite out of the profits of many capitalists.

Limited by their individual strength, they knew they couldn't contend with Liyue and could only accept reality with resentment.