"Since the last era, we have planned to raise you into our most powerful leader. Now, you can finally shoulder this great responsibility. All the Heavenly People will cheer your return."
A resolute face appeared on the video feed. His slightly archaic commander's uniform marked him as a man of extremely high rank, and everyone around him stepped back behind him.
"Right, let me introduce myself. I belong to the Xi clan, bear the surname Xi, and my given name is Hong. I am the current supreme commander of the Heavenly People Empire of Faith's expeditionary forces, overseeing all matters concerning the ascension plan. According to our traditions, you will assume control of our forces upon our return to the Milky Way."
"Xi Hong, siphon. Nice name," Xi Yan said after a moment's thought.
"Plenty of people have made that joke about me too, Lord Smoker."
"Likewise. Also, I'm a reformist."
True to its reputation as an ancient power carrying humanity's oldest cultural heritage, the Heavenly People Empire of Faith still preserved the distinction between clan names and surnames.
After Xi Yan asked about it with interest, he learned that every supreme leader of the Heavenly People belonged to the Xi clan, whose name came from Human Emperor Fuxi in ancient mythology. It later branched into the surnames Xi, Yin, and Hao, and every Heavenly People emperor throughout the Four Eras had come from these three families.
They had originally placed the Xi clan's psionic mark on Xi Yan's soul. Not only had it enhanced Xi Yan's psionics power, it also served as a form of identity verification, establishing the legitimacy of his bloodline as emperor of all humanity.
Yes, children, the Heavenly People Empire of Faith was hardly science fiction at all. It was more like an empire out