The Shacha Royal Capital was a purple planet, and everything on it belonged to the emperor.
The sky was purple, and so was the land. Between them hung a thin energy membrane that kept the planet in perpetual daylight, without sunrise or moonset.
This membrane served as both a defensive shield and a projection screen.
On ordinary days, what it showed, where, and for how long was largely decided by competitive bidding among the major financial conglomerates.
Of course, whenever something important happened, the cabinet took control and broadcast images across the entire planet.
Today was one such occasion.
From the northern continents to the southern oceans, from deep in the mountains to the purple-lit metropolitan districts.
Every member of the Shacha People in the capital could clearly see what was happening outside the imperial palace projected across the sky.
The hundred members of the Ziwei delegation were receiving a grand, lavish diplomatic welcome.
The emperor personally greeted them outside the palace, with the entire cabinet in attendance. An honor guard of 180,000 royals and nobles performed the majestic, solemn national anthem: Shacha Forever Night.
Almost no other species could understand this anthem. It was music created entirely through technology, and even the Shacha People themselves relied on genetic information to be moved by it.
They had encoded this music deep within their genes. Whenever they felt the vibrations of its melody, they experienced happiness, pride, wonder, excitement, and other emotions.
It was as though their artistic sensibilities had been given physical form. Their bodies instinctively appreciated the melody, resonating with it on a physical level.
Ziwei's enormous Saint Ship lay moored in space, while Huang Ji led Lin Li and the others down through the air.
A hundred thousand pale-purple clouds of gas appeared around them, supporting everyone as