Abnormal crossing

Chapter 161 Wings of the Sky
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The overly down-to-earth mechanical voice made Gu Wei think that he had returned to Earth, but this sense of déjà vu only lasted for a few seconds before his attention returned to reality.

I only see this moment.

As the Tongliao Khan slowly emerged from its warp state, the distorted starlight outside the star curtain re-condensed into a stable viewpoint.

And in the distance of the starry sky.

A planet completely different from Mold stands in the sky:
From space, the planet looks like a blue-green gem set in black velvet, with the clouds displaying spiraling, fluid patterns, as if paint were being stirred by an invisible brush.

Outside the star, there are several sets of ring-shaped orbital stations operating at different inclinations. The exact number is unknown, but there are about four or five on the side facing the spacecraft alone.

However, the most eye-catching structure is a huge orbital building in the Arctic region, much larger than a conventional orbital station, shaped like outstretched wings, exuding a strange sense of transcendence.

“That is the ‘Wings of the Sky,’ the orbital palace of the Boska royal family,” Ophelia said, taking the initiative to introduce the magnificent building as everyone’s attention was drawn to it. “This palace was built more than 1,900 years ago, with a main wing spanning 170 kilometers. It consists of six nested domes, each of which operates independently using levitation technology.”

"The golden nodes on the wings are the royal family's exclusive interstellar ports, which also serve as the docking area for the royal guard fleet. The area where my father lives is on the top floor and is called the Winter Palace."

Upon arriving in Boska for the first time, Sina gazed at the colossal structure from afar for a moment, then swallowed hard. "Your Highness Ophelia, may I ask how many members the Boska royal family has?"

“Royal family members?” Ophelia blinked and counted on her fingers, “I don’t know the exact number, but there should be over a hundred thousand living members who are related to us by blood in some way.”

“No, no, no, you misunderstood,” Sheena shook her head quickly, pointing to the palace in the distance, “I meant the royal family members who are entitled to live in the palace.”

“That’s far less,” Ophelia said, following Sheena’s gaze to the palace called ‘Wings of the Sky’: “Among the hundreds of thousands of royal members up there, more than 80 percent have very rare bloodlines and their status is only slightly higher than that of ordinary people—for example, they are not invited to the banquet during celebrations, but they will receive some royal allowances or gifts, etc.”

"Of the remaining 20%, a significant portion live on other planets. After all, it's somewhat incongruous for collateral bloodlines to remain on the throne planet in every sense. Anyway, after deducting all the miscellaneous expenses, there are about a thousand people who can stay in the palace, and with servants, it's about 20,000."

Sheena fell silent upon hearing this, but it was clear from her clenched fists that the girl was not at peace with herself.

With only 20,000 people including servants, they built such a luxurious and enormous palace.
Putting aside construction costs, the annual expenditure on supporting suspension and maintenance alone is probably astronomical.

Then consider the people of Mold, who are meticulous about saving every resource.
Sheena sighed.

Just as Hina was feeling somewhat down...

A cold voice suddenly came from the communicator: "Attention all incoming spacecraft, this is the Boska Third Orbit Control Station. Halt immediately and state your purpose. Failure to answer will result in coercive measures!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Wei glanced at Cohen, who was accompanying him not far away.

Just half a day ago, the commander of the First Fleet of the Mold Star Defense Force had uttered something similar.
Seeing this, Jokowen gave Ophelia a wink, and she immediately understood and walked to the control panel: "I am Ophelia, identification code 奝圉卛."

"Identification confirmed. Welcome back, Your Highness, Sixth Princess," the voice on the communicator paused for a few seconds, "However, the spaceship you are traveling in is not a model registered with the royal family."

“This is my uncle’s spaceship,” Ophelia said calmly. Although she was young, she was still a princess and had the poise and experience to back her up. “He came to visit my mother. If you still want to ask who my uncle is, then I think it’s necessary to ask my father to replace him with a new station chief.”

The communicator paused for a moment: "Passage permission recorded. Please follow the navigation beacon."

Then, with a "beep," the communication was cut off.

Ophelia turned to Jokowen: "Uncle, it seems to be going pretty well."

“It’s too early to talk about this now,” Joe Cowen’s image waved his hand, indicating to his niece not to rush: “In StarCraft, what you’re saying is called popping champagne. Back in the day, a mech team called Purwuri did something like that in the finals of the mech competition. They were leading 3-0 against Lanmi CA in the first half, and their captain at the time, DeFanke, said something similar in the locker room. As a result, they were overturned by Lanmi CA in the second half.”

Ophelia blinked and nodded, seemingly understanding.

After a while.

A round, mechanical construct resembling a general floated from the control station to the side of the Khan and sent a set of beacons toward the spacecraft.

The AI ​​immediately began sailing according to the beacon's directions.

Two hours later.

The Khan flew to the Arctic region of Boska and stopped at the interstellar port of the royal palace.

Gu Wei, Milo, and the others stood outside the hatch again, but this time it wasn't the Fluttering Fluttering that opened it, and their positions were also further back than when they were in their normal roles:
Princess Ophelia stood at the forefront, flanked by the Jokovian android concealed by Hibiscus, followed by Sheena and Cohen, and then the fluttering, or rather, the Khan's crew of 'crew'. A moment later.

The Khan's hatch slowly opened, and a chilly aura rushed in.

Below the gangway, a line of attendants in silver-gray uniforms were waiting, led by an elderly man with gray hair and a serious face.

“Sixth Princess,” the old man bowed slightly, his voice as rigid as his expression, “Welcome back to Boska.”

Ophelia's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, but she quickly regained her princess-like composure: "Thank you for your hospitality, Chief of the Interior Lynn. This is my uncle, His Excellency Jokowen, the governor of Morde Star."

Before Ophelia could speak, Chief of the Interior Lynn's gaze shifted to Jokowen's android, and he bowed even more deeply: "Your Excellency, I have long admired your name. I am Lynn Dort, Chief of the Interior of the Royal Family. His Majesty specifically instructed that the best room be arranged for you."

“Thank you for your trouble,” Joe Cowen nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Lynn for a moment. “Dort. That surname seems familiar. Oh, I remember now, who is Myron Dort to you?”

“Merlendort?” Lynn was taken aback, and the expression on his face finally changed from cold and rigid: “That’s my father. I’m his only son. You know him?”

"Aha, I knew they looked a bit alike!" Joe Cowen clapped his hands happily, his movements clearly showing genuine joy despite being an android limb.
"I met your father at Adele's wedding. I remember he was the Royal Household Secretary at the time. It seems you're following in your father's footsteps?"

Lynn smiled and bowed slightly: "I am honored by His Majesty's favor in allowing me to succeed my father's position."

Joe Cowen nodded in agreement. Such positions, similar to royal butlers, were usually hereditary. “Your father was no ordinary man. I still remember how knowledgeable he was. We even talked about the future development of Boska and Mold back then—by the way, how is he doing now?”

Hearing Qiao Kewen's last words.

Lynn's smile suddenly froze, and he quickly lowered his eyelids, his expression returning to its original calm: "Governor, more than fifty years have passed since that wedding. With the passage of time, not everyone can be like you, with only a few black hairs at the temples."

Qiao Kewen was also taken aback at the sight, but quickly understood: "Your father, he..."

Lynn sighed: "He passed away twenty-two years ago at the age of one hundred and three, which can be considered a peaceful death."

Qiao Kewen opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something comforting, but in the end he said apologetically, "I'm sorry, please accept my condolences."

Yes
More than fifty years have passed since that wedding, which, even in the vast universe, is more than a quarter of many people's lifespan.

Within the labyrinthine zone, which is quite backward in all aspects.
People who are a little older find it hard to withstand the impact of this period of time.

Don’t say anything else.

Speaker Gray, far away in Molde, despite the various means by which Jokowen increased his holdings, is now nearing the end of his life, with only about ten years left to live.

This was only because Speaker Gray considered that Mold needed someone to help Jokowen 'look after the house'. If it weren't for this burden or need, Speaker Gray would never have accepted Jokowen's decision to spend so much money to extend his life.

If Speaker Gray was like this, then it goes without saying that old Lynn, who was of lower status and older than him, was even more so.

However, Qiao Kewen has been working away from home for many years, and most of the life and death he has witnessed are related to exploration accidents, so he is indeed less sensitive to life, aging, sickness and death.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit somber, Ophelia, who was standing next to Jokowen, quickly spoke up to ease the tension: "Chief of the Interior Lynn, where are my father and mother now?"

“His Majesty is not at the palace. He went to inspect a project in the Southern Hemisphere today,” Lynn quickly composed himself, looking at Ophelia with a hint of apology. “After all, Your Highness and Governor Jokowen’s visit was too sudden. Even if His Majesty were to depart immediately, it would take some time to return. Princess Adele, on the other hand, had no scheduled activities today and waited for you in her reception room after receiving a notification from the railway station.”

Hearing that her mother was waiting for her, Ophelia's expression immediately relaxed a lot. After all, she was only a fifteen-year-old girl: "Chief of the Household, Lynn, please lead the way."

Upon hearing this, Lynn looked up at Joe Cowen, her tone hesitant: "Governor Joe Cowen, would you like to settle in first, or..."

“Let’s go see Adele first. I haven’t seen her in real life for a long time,” Jokowen smiled. “As for the entourage, let my crew members go with us. Many of them haven’t met Adele yet. If they don’t meet her this time, they don’t know if they will have another chance in their lifetime—after all, I’m probably not coming back for decades.”

"."

Joe Cowen's reasons were quite convincing, so Lynn hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement:

"In that case, please follow me."

(End of this chapter)