Elo glanced around, his gaze slowly sweeping over each cabinet member.

  His transcendent insight allowed him to effortlessly perceive the turbulent thoughts within their minds, yet he chose to ignore them.

  He spoke calmly, “Alaya?”

  In an instant, a message echoed deep within everyone’s soul—without words, yet striking directly at the core of their consciousness.

  ——I am here.

  This was neither language nor sound, but a concept directly engraved into the depths of awareness.

  Vast, magnificent, gentle—yet undeniable.

  Elo gave a slight nod and softly said, “I’ll leave it to you”

  Immediately, another message surged into their consciousness.

  ——You’re welcome, my friend.

  Then, a power beyond comprehension descended, sweeping through Ark · Little World like a torrential flood.

  In an unseen dimension, countless luminous particles scattered like stars, permeating every inch of the world.

  Alaya’s ability was not merely to transmit information, but to make that information an integral part of everyone’s cognition.

  Every citizen of the United Human Federation within Ark Little World, whether awake or asleep, had their consciousness infiltrated by this message.

  However, this was only the beginning.

  The defensive layer within their souls had been established.

  Any being attempting to extract information from the soul would see nothing but the false data fabricated by Alaya.

  The observers would detect nothing unnatural, their will distorted by these illusions, causing them to believe in the falsehoods without question.

  The trajectory of time had been twisted.

  Should anyone attempt to trace the past, all they would witness would be illusions crafted by Alaya.

  Every frame, every moment, and every piece of information is "real," but it is a "deliberately woven reality."

  The threads of fate had been severed.

  Those who try to decipher destiny will find themselves lost in a web of false causality.

  Their observations will always drift from the truth, and the outcomes they perceive will be nothing more than countless illusions, carefully woven by Alaya.

  Deception for the weak, backlash for the strong.

  Those weaker than Alaya would believe the illusion completely, never realizing they were already under control.

  As for beings on the same level as Alaya, any attempt to breach these layers of defense would trigger a devastating backlash.

  A single misstep could lead to total annihilation, the soul disintegrating into nothingness.

  Reality had been rewritten, and the truth had vanished.

  No one could peer through it, and no one could unravel it.

  ——This is the means of a higher being; this is the absolute defense that governs time and causality.

  At 5 a.m., Ark City was still immersed in the tranquility of the night.

  Across the city, soldiers and police had already entered high alert, strictly adhering to pre-established emergency protocols.

  At the military command center, combat readiness orders flashed across screens, swiftly relaying to various garrison units—every operation unfolding with flawless precision.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  In the government building offices, several high-ranking officials sat quietly at their desks, calmly awaiting the highest command.

  In cramped apartments, most people remained asleep, while a few hovered between dreams and wakefulness.

  Some instinctively turned over, faintly sensing something unusual in the air, yet not fully awake.

  In the fisheries district, the sea’s surface gently rippled, the dark waters reflecting the lights from the shore.

  By the docks, some fishermen were preparing for the morning’s work, while others, just off their night shifts, were resting.

  In the industrial district, night-shift workers were inspecting equipment, with a faint mechanical hum lingering in the air.

  In the agricultural district, automated irrigation and maintenance systems continued to operate silently, as a few on-duty staff monitored greenhouse data.

  In the forestry district, a handful of rangers conducted their final routine checks, recording nighttime humidity and plant growth conditions.

  And then—it descended. It came to declare.

  like the first light of dawn, it tore through the darkness, piercing directly into every consciousness.

  This message permeated every depth of consciousness, as if a revelation had been etched into their very souls.

  Soldiers and police instinctively straightened their backs, fingers tightening around their weapons.

  In small apartments, those asleep opened their eyes one after another, with brief confusion followed by silent understanding.

  There were no loud shouts, no screams—they simply sat up quietly, letting this force seep into their consciousness.

  People from all walks of life—scientists, cultural scholars, engineers, agricultural technicians, fishermen, police officers, military commanders…

  No one doubted, no one questioned. They simply took a deep breath and steadied their minds.

  In their hearts, the Emperor had long surpassed being merely a symbol of power, becoming a true spiritual pillar.

  This pillar transcended Christ, reaching toward God—and now, he had awakened.

  All of Ark City did not erupt into loud cheers, uncontrollable fervor, or chaotic unrest.

  They remained silent—but this silence held more power than any shout.

  They were citizens of the Federation, standing firm to welcome the arrival of a new order.

  In the quiet hours before dawn, although Ark City was silent, every soul burned with a blazing fire.

  This fire would lead human civilization into—a new era.

  Immediately after, another, even more unstoppable tide of information descended.

  This time, it was the Emperor’s will—the complete record of the royal cabinet meeting, unedited and unembellished.

  Within picoseconds, all the information was rapidly parsed and implanted deep into their souls.

  They saw that living room, which had been temporarily repurposed as a meeting room.

  The lighting was steady and gentle, not harsh. The room was not spacious, and the presence of thirteen people made it feel somewhat cramped.

  The Emperor sat at the head of the table, dressed in white pajamas, with slightly long, disheveled hair.

  It was clear he had just awakened from deep slumber, with time so pressing that there was no effort made for a refined appearance.

  The Empress Dowager and the Grand Princess sat on either side of the Emperor.

  They wore no formal attire, nor were they deliberately dressed up—just simple, casual homewear with an air of ease.

  Everyone knew that this was something that had happened not long ago.

  The record was so authentic it sent chills down their spines; they felt like observers of the meeting—present for the entire process.

  They saw His Majesty’s dissatisfaction with the identity of “Emperor,” his indifference and resistance laid bare without concealment.

  The Grand Princess’s persuasion echoed through the air of the meeting room, and in the end, the Emperor reluctantly accepted this reality.

  Immediately after, they witnessed the Prime Minister reporting the current state of the nation to the Emperor.

  The Prime Minister’s report did not delve too deeply but concisely outlined the overall situation, attempting to help the Emperor understand the crisis the Federation was currently facing.

  However, all of this paled in comparison to what came next—the System.

  They saw the Grand Princess’s cold gaze, filled with undisguised killing intent.

  The existence of the System was the deepest secret of the royal family, the very foundation upon which the royal family survived.

  Once exposed, those who knew of it would become threats, and under normal circumstances, they would be silently eliminated.

  His Majesty the Emperor was fully aware of the determination behind this killing intent. Therefore, he had to make the Grand Princess relinquish her intent to kill.

  Without evasion, he laid bare the essence of the System to everyone.

  The System was not a tool, nor was it some form of transcendent power—the System was a part of him.

  His humanity descended into the mortal world, living through thirty ordinary years, and those thirty years of life shaped the Emperor he is today.

  The System, on the other hand, carried his divinity, authority, wisdom, knowledge, and everything transcendent.

  The System was his other half, the extension of his existence, an integral part of his life.

  Any attempt to strip away the System would be equivalent to completely ending the Emperor’s life.

  No matter why people take up arms, no matter what purpose drives them to the battlefield, enemies are enemies in the end.

  The Emperor will not hesitate, nor will he show mercy.

  At the same time, His Majesty the Emperor did not doubt the power of the System, which is why he revealed its existence openly.

  He understood deeply that true rule did not rely on fear but was built upon solid trust.

  He was willing to use this as the cornerstone of trust, willing to exchange honesty for the unity of all.

  He knew well that throughout the long course of human history, many once-glorious regimes crumbled because they lost the trust of their people, and many once-mighty empires fell apart due to internal division.

  He did not want the United Human Federation to follow the same fate, becoming just another footnote in the dust of history.

  Therefore, he valued internal unity and was willing to make efforts to achieve it.