Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 154
Darius Bayes walked into the greenhouse of White Radiance Palace amidst a storm of lightning and thunder. As he stepped through the alloy glass doors, the harsh winds and relentless rain of the outside world were immediately left behind. Inside, the greenhouse was filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers, as if it were an entirely different world. Darius removed his rain-soaked overcoat and handed it to the attendant standing by the door. The attendant bowed and left, leaving Darius alone in the greenhouse. The admiral knew that when he exited the greenhouse, the attendant would be waiting in the same spot with his coat dried and pressed—if he were to leave alive.
Darius wore a meticulously pressed military uniform under his overcoat, the stars on his shoulders gleaming. He was an officer of the Empire, and even in his final moments, he would fulfill his duties, defending his nation and dying with the dignity of a soldier.
He walked with heavy steps deeper into the greenhouse. Though the violent storm outside was muffled, leaving the greenhouse in a state of calm, Darius’s heart was in turmoil, much like the stormy weather in the capital. He had spent much of his childhood wandering this greenhouse, playing hide-and-seek or war games among the trees and flowers with Annot, his cousin. When Alveira was old enough to join them, she would play as well. But after Darius went off to military school, his visits became rare. He still remembered the large banyan tree where Annot loved to hide, thinking no one would find him there. Alveira’s favorite tree was one that bore sweet and sour fruits. Darius recalled returning to White Radiance Palace during a holiday, only to find the fourteen-year-old princess directing his senior, Lagrange, to climb the tree and pick fruit, while Annot cheered from the side.
But the person who spent the most time here was the Queen herself. She cherished the greenhouse as much as she did the palace gardens, as if this were her true court. Darius had come today to pay his respects to the Queen. He knew he would find her here. She was always here.
Sure enough, by a spring, Darius saw the Queen dressed in black. She stood silently amidst the vibrant flowers like a shadow, yet her presence was overwhelming, eclipsing everything around her, even the thunderstorm raging above. Was she always like this?
Darius looked at the Queen and realized she was looking at him too. Behind the long black veil hanging from her hat, her deep purple eyes pierced through him like an arrow striking its mark. A chill ran down Darius’s spine, his body trembling with cold and fear. The person before him was Queen Noya I, his aunt, his queen, the woman who had raised him as her own. She had once been so kind, so gentle, but now she radiated a chilling aura, like a cruel queen ruling over a kingdom of ice.
When did she become like this?
Darius knelt, bowing to the Queen. He lowered his head deeply, trying to hide the unease on his face. “Your Majesty, Darius has returned.”
“It’s good that you’re back. You must be exhausted. I heard the battles were fierce. Were you injured?”
“No, Your Majesty. I am fine.”
Her voice is still the same, and she still cares about me! How could she be… How could she possibly be… Has she always been like this?
Darius’s hand, resting on his knee, clenched into a fist. He opened his mouth, but his voice trembled as he spoke. “Your Majesty… I have something I must…”
“Go discuss it with Alveira and the ministers. I don’t want to hear about it.” She was always like this, uninterested in state affairs, leaving everything to her ministers.
“Your Majesty, this matter…” Darius furrowed his brows in pain. “I must ask you personally.”
The Queen remained silent.
“Do you… hate my mother?”
Darius felt her heavy gaze fall upon him.
“Why would you think that, my child?”
“Because she… made that decision for you. She agreed to let the Empire Academy create an artificial body, to transplant your brain into it, allowing you to live on. Do you resent her for making that choice?”
“You know?” The Queen’s voice suddenly changed, losing its usual lethargy and becoming sharp and interested.
“Twenty years ago, when my mother brought me to the capital to visit you… I was outside the hospital room, eavesdropping.” The memory of that time flooded Darius’s mind, bringing a bitter taste to his mouth. Now, the decision-maker, Marquis Madonna, had passed away, while the Queen, once hanging by a thread, had been given a new lease on life in a different form.
“Then you must have also heard me say that no matter what decision Madonna made, I would not blame her. I accepted the choice she made for my fate. I didn’t hate her then, and I don’t hate her now.”
“Then why… why did you do this!” Darius shouted in anguish.
“What are you referring to, my child?”
“You are the ‘Fifth Artificial Intelligence,’ aren’t you? Or should I call you ‘Human Intelligence’?”
A bolt of lightning split the sky.
The Queen’s face behind the veil broke into a smile. “You’re much smarter than I imagined, Darius. When did you start to suspect this secret?”
“I’ve always had doubts… but it was only just now, after hearing you speak, that I was certain.”
“It seems you don’t know the story behind Human Intelligence,” the Queen’s voice was soft and soothing, as if she were singing a lullaby instead of revealing a long-hidden truth. “The fact that I became Human Intelligence was entirely by accident. No one expected it to happen to me. The Empire Academy had been researching artificial bodies and human intelligence for many years—ever since Emperor Naser I ascended the galaxy’s throne, this secret research has never ceased. There’s a story passed down through the royal family: Emperor Naser feared the ultimate weapon created by the Old Earth scientists and intended to develop a method to rival it by exploiting the time difference. After 1,400 years of research, the technique of brain transplantation had finally matured. The goal of the generations of scholars at the Academy wasn’t to create independent human intelligence but to connect multiple human brains to enhance computational power, achieving the level of advanced artificial intelligence. However, before this research could be experimentally tested, I was in a car accident. That was twenty years ago.”
Darius knew what had happened afterward. Dr. Shannon, representing the Academy’s expert team, persuaded the Queen to transplant her brain into an artificial body, but the Queen couldn’t make a decision, so she called on Marquis Madonna to choose for her. Madonna chose to let her cousin live.
“After the transplant, I survived. But it wasn’t much better than death. Although I had a body, I was still an anomaly. What kind of human is one who survives only with a brain? If I’m not even human, then what am I?… These questions haunted me, making me lose interest in worldly matters, and I immersed myself day and night in pondering the meaning of my existence. During these long contemplations, I stumbled upon a small program embedded in this artificial body, which was connected to a computer at the Academy, monitoring my health. I found that my consciousness could enter that computer through this interface-like program and operate the computer as easily as I could my own body—it was almost the same! Didn’t the cyber hackers of the past connect to the superlight network in a similar way? But I was special—I didn’t have a body, only a brain, so I was even more unburdened! I easily infiltrated the Academy’s internal system and accessed all the research data accumulated over the years. I finally understood what Emperor Naser was afraid of. It was a terrifying monster called the Yasha, the most powerful, fearsome, and blasphemous creation of the ancient Earth scientists. No wonder the Empire Academy spent a thousand years and countless resources trying to find a way to counter it!”
“Driven by fear of this monster, I relentlessly searched for information about it, only to be disappointed by how little there was. So, I looked further afield. I roamed the superlight network, reached the Federation, and hacked into their central secret system, stealing their information. Do you know what I discovered, Darius? It turns out the Federation has been conducting similar research all along! But they took a different path, aiming to create a weapon even more powerful than the Yasha to destroy it. It seems that whether in the Empire or the Federation, our ancestors all shared the same fear of that monster on Old Earth, which transcended time and space!”
“I had initially intended to gather intelligence from Neo Athens as well, but Neo Athens was protected by three advanced artificial intelligences, so I couldn’t break in and had to give up. However, the information I obtained from the Federation was already enough to shock me. I learned that the most advanced artificial intelligence could control the Yasha, making it obey its commands! The Federation even sent someone to Neo Athens to steal that advanced AI, but unfortunately, they failed—the thief they hired betrayed them at the last moment, selling the chip containing the AI to someone else. That’s when I had a new idea. Isn’t my current situation similar to that of an artificial intelligence? I’m even more advanced than an AI. I can easily do things they cannot! If that’s the case, then there’s no need for me to fear the Yasha anymore. If it dares to leave Old Earth, I can control it! Think about it, Darius—controlling the ultimate weapon that transcends time and space—wouldn’t that make me the ruler of all universes?”
The Queen burst into laughter. Indigo lightning made everything around them fragmented and monochromatic. The Queen spoke incessantly as if she were releasing years of pent-up silence, pouring out everything within her.
Darius was so shocked by the truth that he couldn’t move. “You didn’t have to do this!” he said sadly. “You are the Queen of the Galactic Empire. With just a word, countless people would lay down their lives for you! Why would you want to control the Yasha?”
The Queen’s laughter abruptly stopped. She looked at Darius Bayes with her purple eyes, as if seeing a stranger. “Would you join forces with ants to defeat an enemy, my child?”
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