The Vought, the Ecclesiarchy, the Astartes Chapter, the Holy Terra Alliance, the High Lords of Terra, a federal system spanning the five continents—among countless other changes, they all left Luo Ji at a loss.
The ideas of "humanity," "society," and "the world" that he knew had become completely disconnected from this world. More importantly, he couldn't understand—why had religion permeated every corner of this world?!
What were the Ecclesiarchy and the Emperor?!
His mind was full of questions, but when he saw the reverence in Zhuang Yan's eyes, he was smart enough not to ask. Instead, he chose to remain silent.
Luo Ji had never been stupid.
On the contrary, he was quick-witted. In a society that revered "religion," asking the questions on his mind would only bring him more trouble!
So he chose to stay silent.
Beside him, Zhuang Yan continued chattering away, telling him about the "Emperor" and the "Ecclesiarchy," as well as the Adeptus Mechanicus.
"The Adeptus Mechanicus?"
Luo Ji frowned, instinctively disliking the term.
"Machinery" should have symbolized human industry, not been tied to some damn "church."
"That's right. See those enormous ring-shaped structures?" Zhuang Yan raised a hand and pointed her slender, fair index finger toward the vast, still-bright rings circling the entire sky. "They're the great creations of the Adeptus Mechanicus, miracles of the Omnissiah. It's thanks to the Machine God that humanity was able to break through the Trisolarans' 'Sophon' blockade and create such magnificent works!"
"You mean—these things were built by the Adeptus Mechanicus?!" Luo Ji stared at the enormous rings, so astonished he could hardly believe his eyes. He'd assumed that humanity had undergone a technological explosion while he was asleep, leading to the construction of these huge orbital structures around Earth. But now, it clearly seemed that wasn't the case.