The Final Odyssey, the fantastical journey of a cat boy

Meanwhile, in Cangtao City, the capital of the Fayun Kingdom, at the White Lotus Palace.

As the slender figure strode towards the main hall gate in the glow of the sunset, two Grand Duke's guards, dressed in white cloaks embroidered with gold trim and silver-plated ceremonial breastplates, recognized him and quickly stepped aside: as noble fox-type new humans, their keen sense of smell identified him even faster than their sight.

Dr. Iskander Lomonosov—at least, that's what people called him. No one knew exactly which doctorate the title "Doctor" referred to, nor had anyone ever seen him produce any diploma from a higher education institution.

However, none of this matters. Since the former Grand Duke's "accident" three months ago, this scientific archaeologist has been a regular visitor to the White Lotus Palace as an "advisor" to the Transitional Council.

Compared to the old humans, the new humans are generally taller, stronger, and have more animalistic features than the women. Iskander Lomonosov is a complete anomaly among them: although he always claims to be an "adult man," the figure of this mysterious scholar with waist-length white hair looks more like that of an upper-grade elementary school girl.

His head only reached the breastplates of two guards, and his limbs were so thin that they seemed unable to support the long robe he wore. His round face still retained a bit of adorable baby fat... Of course, according to his own explanation, all of this was the result of "some kind of accident caused by ancient genetic engineering."

However, even with a face that could evoke feelings of both attraction and guilt, the two guards still felt a strong sense of oppression when Iskandar Lomonosov approached. Although both were low-ranking nobles with some blood relation to the Fayun-Lindenhild family, they could easily sense that they were not qualified to stand with him.

Even the tiny cat ears on the other person's head are considered a sign of "impure" lineage in the Kingdom of Fayun, attracting strange looks.

"I need to see General Rissimer." At the palace gate, adorned with white lotuses symbolizing the Duchy of Fayun and the Capricorn emblem, the captain of the guards approached Iskandar Lomonosov. Of course, he dared not stop him; it was merely a routine matter, a matter of registering the visitor's purpose.

"General Rissem... is currently hosting a banquet for noble representatives from the south; this is important official business. Please wait a moment..." The captain of the guard seemed somewhat troubled. "You know, as the head of the Transitional Council—no, the Regency Council—he's always very busy..."

"My only important official duty is the cause of human happiness, justice and fairness," Iskandar Lomonosov said. "I want to see General Rissimer at the Fishing Hall and tell him that I have thirty minutes left."

"Even if you say that, Doctor, we still..." The captain of the guard's fox ears were pressed tightly against his head with nervousness and anxiety, and his fluffy tail was tucked between his legs. "Could you please be a little more understanding?"

"By the way, Antemius is also attending my 'tea party,'" Iskandar Lomonosov glanced at the captain of the guard. "Are you going to keep that impatient brat waiting a while longer?"

"I...I...I'll go report right away!" The captain of the guard finally softened his stance, and like a fox encountering a pack of vicious dogs, he darted into the palace gates. The other noble guards also trembled: even though the royal family of the Pan-Pacific Empire no longer had the power to command the world as it once did, even the former Grand Duke Fayun would never dare to use words like "boy" or "that guy" to refer to the current Emperor Anthemius III.

Then, two high-ranking attendants in white suits led the impatient archaeologist into a pavilion on the east side of the palace.

This unassuming two-story bamboo house sits above an artificial river cleverly integrated beneath it. The second-floor balcony extends slightly towards the river, allowing residents to enjoy the view while fishing directly in the water.

It is said that this design originated from the northern Kingdom of Penglai, brought by a princess of Penglai during a marriage alliance between Fayun and the Kingdom. However, Iskander Lomonosov had no interest in appreciating the fishing palace from an artistic perspective. He chose this location simply because it was far enough away from the other buildings within the White Lotus Palace, and its internal structure was simple enough to make it difficult to eavesdrop on by human or technological means.

After arriving at the second-floor balcony and finding a meditation cushion to sit on, the archaeologist of science took out a triangular cone-shaped instrument and placed it in the corner. Then, like a monk practicing meditation in the past, he began to sit upright, holding his breath and concentrating, while placing a large hourglass beside him.

After arriving at the second-floor balcony and finding a meditation cushion to sit on, the archaeologist of science took out a triangular cone-shaped instrument and placed it in the corner. Then, like a monk practicing meditation in the past, he began to sit upright, holding his breath and concentrating, while placing a large hourglass beside him.

As the golden sand in the hourglass was about to run out, a tall, thin man ascended to the second floor of the fishing hall, accompanied by a series of hurried footsteps.

Although fox-type new humans are generally taller and thinner than others—such as cat-type new humans who are considered "unclean" in Fayun—the black-haired man in front of him was still excessively tall and thin, looking just like the "Slender Man" from urban legends of the old civilization era.

Because of his immense height, the man's fox ears even touched the bamboo ceiling of the Fishing Hall, which was more than two meters above the floor. Most of the time, Admiral Rissmer's appearance could easily exert a powerful psychological pressure on those who met him for the first time.

However, standing before Iskandar Lomonosov, who was less than 1.4 meters tall, he appeared rather awkward and uneasy—after all, few people knew that the current chairman of the Regency Council, Grand Duke Susie's advisor, and the chief minister of the Duchy's cabinet, General Rissimer, was not actually the most important person in the Duchy of Fayun.

"Twenty-nine minutes and twenty seconds," the archaeologist said, glancing at the tiny markings on the hourglass. "Luckily, you're not late."

"Well... it will take time to end the banquet, especially since I can't leave the nobles with a bad impression," Admiral Rissmer said anxiously. "Of course, I'm not saying your business isn't important! I just..."

"Alright." As a beam of light shot out from the top of the triangular cone-shaped instrument that the archaeologist had previously placed, a somewhat haggard middle-aged man appeared between the two. This man had wolf ears and fangs, a thick beard around his thin face, and deep-set eyes with lines left by too much thinking, much like an old wolf that had weathered many storms in its pack. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"It is my greatest honor, Your Majesty." Admiral Rissmer knelt on one knee, clasped his hands together, and bowed to the image—although theoretically, this was only necessary when meeting the Emperor in person. However, in his view, there was really no difference between seeing the image and seeing the Emperor in person.

"Time is limited, let's get straight to the point." Unlike Admiral Rismer, the petite archaeologist didn't bow at all. Instead, he took out a multi-functional personal terminal produced in the old civilization era, turned it on, and said, "Mr. Antemius, the evidence that has emerged in the past two weeks clearly shows that the crisis I warned you about has already begun."

"I have recently received a report from the Imperial General Staff regarding the latest situation in the Northwest Lands," the weathered middle-aged man said after a moment of contemplation. "More than one report mentions activities involving autonomous weapons and what appear to be technological creations from an old civilization... and all of these have occurred in areas where there have been no previous sightings."

"Not only that," Iskandar Lomonosov raised a hand to brush aside the long silver hair that fell from his ear. His hair was so long that it would be blown by the evening breeze every now and then, obscuring his vision. However, no one dared to suggest that he cut his hair a little shorter. "According to reports from the surviving militia, garrison troops, civilian survivors, and military police at the front, these autonomous weapons have all shown extremely high aggression."

"So, it seems your 'worst-case scenario' is coming true..." Anthemius III frowned, his wrinkles deepening with his worried expression. "Could it be that the people of the old civilization are really returning?"

“Wrong,” the archaeologist of science raised a slender hand and then gently shook his fingers. “When describing this, we should use the present continuous tense, not the future tense.”

"Well……"

"well……"

Both Admiral Rissem, sitting to the side, and the Emperor of the Pan-Pacific Empire, thousands of kilometers away, appeared sullen—ever since this scientific archaeologist had suddenly appeared in the imperial capital more than three years ago, he had brought far more bad news than good.

But it is precisely for this reason that he has irreplaceable value to the empire.

The emperor still remembered how, on that evening, this archaeologist, whose nationality, household registration, and personal identity were all unknown, walked directly into the back gate of the palace as if he were taking a stroll in his own backyard.

That rarely used gate wasn't guarded by ordinary soldiers, but by an ancient civilization's security system excavated from the ruins. According to the experts responsible for restarting and testing this ancient system, its detection subsystem possesses exceptional multi-spectral detection capabilities, effectively countering electromagnetic interference, optical stealth, infrared concealment, and even the simplest and most blatant smokescreens and camouflage, while also identifying intruders.

Linked to the detection subsystem is a cluster of general-purpose defensive weapons. Under the control of an ancient intelligent fire control program, this system can flexibly switch modes according to the different forms of threats faced, selecting the most suitable one from non-lethal stun grenades, live ammunition, and energy weapons.

However, on that day, the guards on duty at the palace gate discovered that an unidentified person with long silver hair and a petite figure ignored their orders to stop and walked straight towards the palace gate. Not only was he not attacked by automated defense weapons, but the alarm was not even triggered!

Since only members of the royal family have such authority, upon seeing this scene, all the guards immediately racked their brains, trying to figure out when this petite, white-haired princess had appeared in the royal family.

By the time they finally remembered that the current emperor Anthemius III only had one melancholy prince like himself, and that even if the royal family had a princess, she could never be such a small white kitten, the other party had already raised a hand towards the palace gate.

Then, the ancient armored gate, weighing over ten tons, opened automatically for him, just like the Red Sea parting before Moses.

After that, knowing that the visitor was no ordinary person, the guards temporarily detained Iskandar Lomonosov while reporting the situation to the emperor. Anthemius III then summoned the mysterious visitor, who gave his name, profession, and purpose.

This self-proclaimed "Doctor" archaeologist of science claims that the world will undergo tremendous changes in a few years. The former inhabitants of Earth—those ancient humans who were expelled at the end of the old civilization era and are said to have disappeared into the depths of space—have not perished, but are stirring and ready to return to this world at any moment.

At that time, the new humans will return to their rightful place: gladiators, pets, playthings, slaves, and the lowest-ranking servants.

Before that day, the Emperor received petitions almost every year from several self-proclaimed "prophets" and "sages" who claimed to have foreseen a terrifying future where the old humans would reclaim the world. Of course, these men were later proven to be nothing more than madmen and frauds. But Iskandar Lomonosov was different. After meeting the Emperor, he quickly demonstrated his profound knowledge of the technology and history of the old civilization.

Then, in the following months, this archaeologist of technology successfully predicted several anomalies and accidents related to the relics of the old civilization and provided corresponding solutions. All of this eventually forced Anthemius III to admit that he was not like the previous "prophets".

After that, Anthemius III continued to act at Iskandar Lomonosov's request: to fund his investigations and excavations around the world and to collect records about the Old Age of Civilization for him in various archives and document collections.

Finally, on the advice of scientific archaeologists, he even made an extremely bold decision to support a group of nobles from the Duchy of Fayun, led by General Rissmer, allowing these ambitious men, whom he had previously looked down upon, to control the duchy. He then secretly exerted pressure on the various lords to acknowledge the fait accompli.

All this is because archaeologists believe that the most effective weapon against the impending return of the Old Humans lies within the territory of Fayun. More precisely, within the forbidden grounds of the Fayun-Lindenhild Grand Duke's estate. Since neither the former Grand Duke nor any adult member of the Grand Duke's family would allow the excavation of the forbidden grounds, he had no other choice but to act in this manner.

"In that case,... is it too late for us?" After a long silence, Admiral Rissmer bit his fingernails and asked in a trembling voice, "Have the old humans really returned?"

“Absolutely true,” Iskandar Lomonosov replied. “Although only a very small number of them have appeared so far, and the situation is relatively under control, it won’t last long—the legacy left by the old humans is far greater than we imagine, and its power is astonishing.”

"Then... what about the ancient weapon you mentioned, found in the Grand Duke's 'forbidden area'? Is it really useful?"

"I cannot give a definite answer to this question—because the effectiveness of any weapon can only be confirmed after it has been put into practical use," the archaeologist of science smiled slightly. "However, the good news is that I have already put this weapon into use."