"So, do you want to, or not?"
Elo appeared indifferent, his stance clear: "Personally, I don’t want to. As an emperor, I must."
Vian rubbed her forehead, seemingly unwilling to argue in circles with Elo any further. Instead, she asked bluntly:
"So, how do we solve this?"
Elo chuckled lightly, exuding a hint of composure:
"I do not spread Transcendent knowledge, but that does not mean humanity cannot explore the Transcendent, nor does it mean I forbid humanity from developing it.
This is your right—I have no authority to interfere, nor the right to deprive you of it. I fully respect your choice."
The cabinet members lowered their heads in respect.
"Until now, human civilization has not produced any Transcendent Beings, nor has it generated Transcendent knowledge or technology.
But on our journey into the future, we will inevitably encounter civilizations that possess such knowledge.
If you desire the Transcendent, you are free to seek it from them."
The cabinet members' expressions turned serious; they knew that this path to the future was filled with endless possibilities.
"Although I have, in many ways, facilitated humanity’s development of the Transcendent—
even playing a crucial role to some extent—
at the very least, none of this was directly initiated by me. I am not the root of the problem.
If suffering arises from the Transcendent in the future, I can at least tell myself—this was your own choice."
Vian listened to Elo’s words without showing any sign of being moved.
She pursed her lips and, with the same unwavering tone, stated:
"Now, human civilization has also chosen this path.
If a disaster truly occurs in the future, that too will be a choice made by humanity itself, and no one else is to blame."
Elo nodded, his tone calm:
"I understand. I have no right to interfere with their decisions, nor do I have the right to deprive them of the rights they rightfully possess."
He paused slightly before continuing:
"But likewise, they have no right to interfere with my decisions, nor do they have the right to deprive me of my right to choose the future."
Vian looked at Elo helplessly. "Do you really have to be this conflicted?"
Elo nodded, his expression frank: "Yes, because this way, I’ll feel better."
Vian frowned slightly, her face full of concern. "Others will think you're indecisive."
Elo chuckled, completely unconcerned: "I think it's fine."
Elo’s words made the cabinet members present laugh.
They sincerely hoped that the emperor would always maintain this personality.
Even if he occasionally seemed a bit indecisive, it was precisely this humanizing trait that reassured them.
As for the Transcendent, the emperor had already clearly stated how to obtain Transcendent knowledge.
They firmly believe that the human civilization embarking on this journey with the Emperor will surely achieve unimaginable accomplishments in the Transcendent field.
Although the emperor’s support was limited, even that limited support was something other civilizations and races could only dream of.
For instance, Life Sharing—even if they encountered the worst possible outcome on their journey—death, Life Sharing ensured that they could be revived.
This alone was already a miracle.
More importantly, the emperor had made it clear that others could use the system.
This meant that even without mastering Transcendent knowledge, they could still obtain Transcendent abilities.
Though these abilities originated from the system, from the emperor himself, wasn’t this proof of their close relationship with him?
It is precisely because of this that they firmly believe the Federation's future will be incomparably brilliant!
Elo paused for a moment, swept his gaze across the crowd, and then calmly said:
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
"Since you have no objections, I will have Alaya release the video publicly."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Prime Minister immediately followed up, his expression growing more solemn:
"Your Majesty, although we have already reported the general situation of the Ark, there are still some critical matters that require your personal decision."
Elo seemed to have anticipated this. He nodded slightly:
"I know, but for the upcoming meeting, I want it to be publicly broadcasted live."
Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister’s gaze instinctively fell on the Grand Princess—Vian.
It was obvious that he was hoping she could persuade the Emperor to change his decision about the live broadcast.
Vian keenly caught the Prime Minister’s look, but could only offer a helpless smile, conveying a clear message:
If I could persuade him, things wouldn’t have come this far. Just let him be.
The Prime Minister had nothing more to say and could only accept this reality.
At that moment, his mother, who had been sitting quietly nearby, frowned slightly, her tone carrying a hint of displeasure:
"Are you really planning to go on television looking like this?"
Only then did Elo notice that his attire was somewhat too casual—clearly, he hadn’t paid much attention to such details before.
He lowered his head and glanced at his wrinkled loungewear, feeling a bit awkward.
Instinctively, he reached up and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to make himself look a little neater, but it was obviously of little use.
The cabinet members, however, were evidently unconcerned.
To them, the Emperor’s attire and bearing were irrelevant, as his very existence represented unquestionable authority.
In fact, they even believed that appearing in such an unpolished state would bring him closer to the people, strengthening his public image as an approachable ruler.
After all, in their eyes, an emperor who, upon awakening, immediately devoted himself to state affairs without concerning himself with formalities was the ideal leader.
Vian helplessly held her forehead and sighed softly, "I really have no way to deal with you."
However, a fleeting smile flickered in her eyes, revealing that she wasn’t truly bothered.
Elo chuckled, unfazed by Vian’s teasing.
Still, he couldn’t help but reach up and run his fingers through his hair again, clearly somewhat conscious of his hairstyle.
The truth was, Elo had always cared a great deal about his appearance.
He has a habit—he must take a shower before going out.
Although it is a shower, the main purpose is to wash his hair, with the bath itself being incidental, simply to make himself feel more refreshed.
This habit had persisted since he was sixteen.
Sometimes, he would even shower twice a day—once before going out and once again after coming home.
The shower after returning home was more about washing away the day's exhaustion and fully relaxing himself.
But now, no matter how hard he tried, his hair refused to cooperate. In the end, he had no choice but to give up.
Not because he didn’t care about his appearance, but because he knew there was a better, faster solution.
Just as Vian was about to speak, Elo’s appearance underwent a drastic transformation.
The messy strands of hair vanished, and the wrinkled white loungewear seemed as if it had never existed.
In its place was a well-tailored dark suit, with smooth lines, fitting perfectly and sharply.
His hair looked as if it had just been professionally trimmed, with flawless details.
At a precise length of 5 to 7 centimeters, it was neatly styled into a crisp 3:7 part, giving him a completely refreshed look and instantly elevating his demeanor.
Everyone was dumbfounded, and the entire room fell into a brief, deathly silence.
Vian swore to herself— from just now until this moment, she hadn’t even blinked, yet Elo’s entire appearance and attire had undergone a sudden, earth-shattering transformation, as if reality itself had been rewritten in an instant!
And the most chilling part—there had been no sign of it happening at all!
Everyone present could vouch for Vian—throughout the entire process, there was no shifting of light, no spatial distortion, no visual effects.
Everything was like post-production editing, as if someone had directly cut out the entire process of changing clothes and grooming—leaving only the final result!
Elo casually ran his fingers through his hair, feeling that his hairstyle was now perfect. Finally satisfied, he gave a small nod.
Vian swallowed, a wave of indescribable shock surging in her chest. Unable to hold back, she asked, "What... just happened?"
Elo responded calmly, "The system’s [Instant Outfit Switch] feature."
Vian looked completely baffled. "And that is...?"
"Ever played an RPG? Your game character equips gear or changes outfits instantly, right?
Aside from those high-budget AAA titles, who would bother making a full animation just for putting on equipment?"
Upon hearing this, Vian felt as if countless alpacas were stampeding through her mind, but in the end, all she could do was voice a strong complaint: "That’s a game! This is reality!"
Elo was completely unfazed by her reaction. He nodded and said indifferently,
"That’s right. Reality isn’t a game—but that only applies to ordinary people.
For some Higher Beings, what you call reality is nothing more than a game.
Do you really think that, at my peak, I hadn’t reached that level?"
He paused, swept his gaze across the crowd, and continued,
"What is Life Sharing? Isn’t it just the character respawn mechanic from a RPG?
And Ark Little World? It’s nothing more than a safe zone in a game.
Even Alaya, at her prime, could achieve things like this—let alone me at my peak.
So really, the [Instant Outfit Switch] feature is nothing to make a fuss about."
The cabinet members, upon hearing this, had expressions of undisguisable shock, because they understood all too well what this implied.
Vian swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly. "By that logic… what exactly is the Federation? And what is Alaya?"
Elo let out a light chuckle and replied casually,
"Alaya is the game administrator, the system is the game server, and we… are the Fourth Scourge."
Vian clearly had no concept of what "Fourth Scourge" meant, but she could tell that Elo was making a joke and couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
Some cabinet members quickly searched their memories and soon recalled a report about Elo frequently playing video games.
The report had analyzed a 4X grand strategy game, which mentioned a term known as "the Fourth Scourge."
In the game, the first three major calamities were:
- The Machine Apocalypse – The awakening of machines, leading to the eradication of all factions in the galaxy.
- The Galactic Locusts – Interstellar marauders that consume the entire galaxy.
- The Void Demons – Horrific entities from the void, annihilating everything in their path.
The Fourth Scourge, however, referred to the player base itself, because they deliberately disrupt the game’s narrative.
For example:
Systematically purging entire species and civilizations across the galaxy, including their own territories and allies.
When NPC factions attempt to unite against the first three calamities, players backstab them and sabotage their alliances.
Players had different motives for doing this, but for many, it was simply because—it was fun.
The first three calamities were scripted into the game and therefore predictable.
But players were completely unpredictable, their destructive potential and influence far exceeding anything designed by the game’s mechanics.
When Elo said "We are the Fourth Scourge," he was implying that:
The Federation had the potential to reach the level of a Fourth Scourge, becoming an existence beyond the reach of any other civilization or species.
The only hope for the world is that "the Fourth Scourge" is both friendly and just.