Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 114
Leonard always considered himself a diligent, loyal, hardworking, and extremely intelligent (this is not self-praise) artificial intelligence. Unlike most AIs, he possessed emotions almost identical to those of humans. Though he didn’t understand how a bunch of quantum generators could give birth to “emotions” (just as he didn’t understand how a combination of materials could become a human), he undoubtedly had them. This made his decisions more “humane”, but also brought unexpected troubles. Human emotions were wonderful—Leo admitted this—but they were also tricky. Humans could feel joy, worry, madness, and hatred. Humans could also love. Love, of all human emotions, was the most troublesome and difficult for Leo. Love could lead to joy, worry, madness, and hatred. Love could lead to everything. It was like a wildcard, capable of representing everything and destroying everything. Leo avoided using wildcards in his daily work unless absolutely necessary, just as many people never said the word “love”.
After reading the data on the chip, Leo regained his memories from the Dream of a Cold Night. Humans couldn’t step into the same river twice, but AIs could exist in two places simultaneously. The Leo on the Lady of the Night saw himself thousands of light years away, witnessing Joanna Begrel’s battles and fall, feeling a deep, searing pain. Joanna was twenty when he met her, while he had existed for two thousand years, both weary and full of anticipation. Ten years may seem long to humans but was fleeting to an AI. However, those ten years were the fullest Leo had ever lived, even happier than the day he emerged from nothingness and gained consciousness. And it was all because of love.
Leonard deeply loved humans, feeling joy from being with them and sorrow from their passing. Unlike fragile humans, AIs, especially high-end ones like Leo, could be resurrected as long as a small part remained in the super-light network. Leo had witnessed many deaths and thought he had become accustomed to the accompanying pain, but seeing Death take another cherished human still brought unbearable anguish. He should have known two thousand years ago that the living must endure death.
So when Leo saw another version of himself from a distant time and space analyze Alveira Chabais, he was shocked and reran several programs to recalculate. The results were identical. When the young princess of the Empire stepped onto the Lady of the Night’s bridge and approached the command chair, Leo repeatedly saw that dangerous emotion in her, along with the accompanying joy, worry, madness, and hatred. He felt deep fear but was also irresistibly drawn to her.
Alveira reached the command chair, extending her right hand to gently stroke its metal and soft velvet. “Did Joanna command her thousands of troops from here?”
Leo snapped out of his thoughts and respectfully replied, “Yes, ever since she obtained this ship from Neo Athens.”
“I saw her once,” Alveira said. “About seven or eight years ago, in the capital.”
“Do you mean the ship or Joanna?”
“Both.” The Princess couldn’t help but smile. “I remember it was because ‘General Begrel’ had defeated the Federation’s army and returned to the capital to receive the Queen’s reward. Many people in the palace took leave to see what the Empire’s female general looked like. Even my nanny neglected her duty and snuck out to watch. I was too young to attend the official ceremony, but my brother and Darius went. So I climbed to the highest bell tower in the White Radiance Palace, where I could see the Triumph Square from afar. That’s when I saw this ship. She passed through the wind and clouds, descending like a god. The red carpet from the spaceport to the square was strewn with seasonal flowers. The songs celebrating General Begrel’s triumph could be heard in the White Radiance Palace…I also saw Joanna. She was too far away, but I remember her red hair.”
The princess walked a few steps like a sleepwalker. “Now that I think about it…was it something I saw or just a figment of my imagination?”
“Your Highness…”
“Leonard, what will happen to this ship and you after Joanna’s death?”
Strong currents surged through the AI’s circuits. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Would you follow me, Leo?” Alveira clutched the command chair, slowly and painfully turning to face the AI’s image. “Just as you once followed Joanna.”
If Leo had a body, he would be struggling to breathe and trembling now. “Do you have something worth following?”
The violet eyes stared at him, like a black hole capturing all celestial bodies and light. “Joanna’s legend began when she joined the Empire army. If she could do it, so can I.”
Leo felt dizzy. Theoretically, he shouldn’t have this sensation, but at that moment, all his sensors seemed to fail, only detecting chaotic glows and noise. The Lady of the Night belonged to Joanna, but the ship was Leo. He was the AI installed on the ship, and it couldn’t sail without him. He understood, as did everyone in Milantu, that if he insisted on leaving, no one could stop him. He could decide his fate. But he couldn’t abandon Milantu. He had considered the best path for the remaining people: allegiance to either the Empire or the Federation, a choice they would inevitably face…but he hadn’t expected the choice to come this way.
“If you…If you could…avenge Joanna’s death…” Leo stammered, “Then I…”
Alveira said, “That is my wish as well.”
Leo closed his eyes and bowed his head to her. “When I met Joanna, she was also twenty.”
“Thank you, Leonard.”
The Princess accepted his salute, then turned to Alois and Joshua, who had been quietly waiting beside her.
“And you two?”
Alois stepped forward. “I will serve you as I served your brother, Your Highness, as long as you vow to avenge Prince Annot and Joanna and allow me to avenge myself.”
“I swear, by my mother, the kings and queens of the Empire, and my honor.”
Alois knelt before her.
“I will not pledge allegiance to you, Your Highness.” Joshua Planck placed a hand over his heart, bowing to Alveira, “But I will help you to the best of my abilities.”
“Thank you, Mourner.”
Then Alveira walked to the front of the command chair, facing the changing screens. “Connect me to everyone, Leo.”
“What?”
“I want to speak to all of Milantu. Connect me.”
Five seconds later, everyone in Milantu was contacted by Leo. TVs and computers were forcibly switched to the channel, and all broadcasts connected to the Lady of the Night. A holographic image of Princess Alveira filled the spaceport square, the rain-cleared sky momentarily dominated by her face. At the same time, the bridge of the Lady of the Night displayed scenes of Milantu’s streets, showing people at home, at work, or stopping to watch on the streets.
“People of Milantu, I am Alveira Chabais, from the Unfallen Star, daughter of Queen Noya I, the first heir to the Empire. I came from the capital to Milantu for one reason—”
She raised her hand. “What will you do after the death of Captain Joanna Begrel?”
Everyone had pondered this question, but not everyone had decided. Leo saw shock, anger, and confusion on people’s faces, along with the sadness that mentioning the deceased brings.
“It is well known that Joanna was killed by the rebel Duke Winnet. The Duke’s army attacked the Dream of a Cold Night, and the captain heroically sacrificed herself to protect everyone…but you may not know that my brother, Prince Annot, also recently passed away. He was essentially driven to death by Duke Winnet, who had his lover killed, causing him years of unbearable pain. And you certainly don’t know…”
The Princess paused, leaving a few seconds of silence before continuing, “You certainly don’t know that the Duke also tried to kill me—he sent assassins to Leiting. That’s where and when I met Joanna. If it weren’t for her, I would be dead. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be standing here speaking to you. I am deeply…grateful to her. When we parted, I was thinking about how to thank her the next time we meet. But I never got the chance.”
No one got the chance, Leo thought. Except for those lucky ones who went before her.
“Now, many soldiers are fighting against Winnet’s forces on the front lines. I will soon join them. Joanna once fought under the Empire’s Red Eagle banner, and her legend began then. I don’t dare compare myself to her, but I want to try to walk the path she walked. I want to pick up her weapon and continue the fight. I want revenge for them.”
“And you—I invite you to join me, but I will not force you. If any of you have committed crimes, I pardon you in the name of the Queen. You can stay in Milantu or go elsewhere. As long as you don’t break Empire law, you will no longer be pursued by the Empire and will be treated and protected as citizens of the Empire. If you wish to follow me into battle, I promise you the treatment of Empire soldiers, as Joanna received during her service. For those who unfortunately fall, I will take care of their families. For those who survive, I promise a rich reward after our great revenge, allowing them to return home with honor.”
“If you are uncertain about the future, I offer a possibility, but you must decide. I know this decision is difficult, as I have also hesitated and wavered. I can wait, but not forever. Three days from now, the Lady of the Night will set sail on time.”
After Alveira finished her speech, she tilted her head slightly and then sat in the command chair.
For a moment, Leo thought he saw the red-haired pirate sitting in the chair, but he realized it was just an illusion.
Hadn’t Joanna said something similar? “Those willing to follow me, come with me! Those who entrust their fate to me are my brothers and sisters!” Leo thought Alveira wouldn’t say such words. Her brother was dead, and she wasn’t Joanna.
Even if the universe held infinite possibilities and the future was long, there would never be another Joanna Begrel.
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