When he heard the Chief's voice again, Lox took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the tumultuous, complicated emotions in his heart.
He noticed that this projection was no simple preprogrammed construct. The spark in those profound eyes, that gentle yet all-seeing gaze, even the subtle shifts in the smile at the corner of the mouth—all of it showed that it possessed considerable intelligence and the ability to react independently.
It was more like a carefully preserved fragment of consciousness—or rather, a special personality avatar.
Looking at that familiar face, Lox blurted out a thought he had held in for a long time, his words carrying a trace of barely perceptible grievance and complaint.
"I have a question. Why is it that every time... every time I see you, it's only a projection? There was a recorded projection on the Red Alert, and now there's another projection here. Can't you show up in person just once?"
The moment those words came out, the atmosphere became somewhat delicate.
The Emperor's lips seemed to twitch upward ever so slightly. Malcador, Trazyn, and the others wore stunned expressions, clearly not expecting Lox to ask such a question at this solemn moment.
The smile on the Chief's projected face visibly froze as well. His gentle, wise expression showed a rare flicker of something resembling embarrassment.
He cleared his throat, apparently unsure how to answer such an overly practical question for the moment.
"Lox," the Emperor's deep voice sounded at just the right time, carrying a faint, imperceptible note of defense, "my teacher had his reasons for leaving this projection. Now is not the time to dwell on minor details."
He turned to the Chief's projection, his gaze earnest. "Teacher, it is fortunate indeed to see you again. But why did you come here? How