Yang Ming perfunctorily agreed a few times.
A comrade from the proletarian class of the revolution!
What noble lords, dog emperors, oppressive mountains over the people’s heads, that definitely... definitely means adapting according to the conditions of the Milky Way.
A wise man does not eat losses before him.
Before leaving, Yang Ming sent a message to Admiral Thomas, saying that the Elder Council was taking him to meet the Emperor.
Admiral Thomas quickly replied:
["This is the highest honor, I hope that after listening to His Majesty’s teachings, you will gain more insight and anticipation for the future. I will celebrate your success later and fulfill our agreement."]
Simply translated it means:
Yang Ming—The Elder Council is trying to steal the limelight from the Military Department.
Thomas—Used to it, this is a rare opportunity to meet His Majesty, seize it well, our promise still stands.
Only then did Yang Ming feel relieved.
The influence of the Elder Council in the Empire was far less than that of the Military Department; he naturally knew what weighed more heavily.
The one who came to fetch Yang Ming was Elder Pison, a tall, thin old man with snow-white hair, an Honorary Earl and a hereditary Baron, a member of the central deliberative council of the Elder Court, significantly influencing the civil law direction of the Empire.
Inside the Elder Court, there were various internal mechanisms, with the most core naturally being the Elder Council that ensured legislative power.
During the New Calendar Reform of the Empire, the powers of the Elder Council were greatly reduced, emphasizing the authority of various political departments, and a supervisory organization was set up for the Elder Court.
Upon seeing Yang Ming, Elder Pison showed a meaningful smile and gave Yang Ming a big hug.
"Oh, go easy, easy, mighty White Ghost, this old body of mine can’t withstand your patting."
—A supposed sense of humor is a common ailment among the Imperial Nobles.
Yang Ming smiled and said, "Elder, do I need to change clothes?"
"No need, just wear your military uniform," Elder Pison smiled and said, "but you need to modify your epaulets, you are an indispensable member of the Supermodified organization, and naturally, you should wear the epaulets of the Supermodified when you meet His Majesty."
Yang Ming cursed silently in his heart, nodded cheerily, and started the boring and lengthy exchange of pleasantries.
A fleet of sixteen warships escorted the transport ship carrying Elder Pison and Yang Ming.
They underwent two jumps and returned to the border of the New Federation.
From afar, Yang Ming saw thousands of ships surrounding an enormous spacecraft.
How to describe this spacecraft?
The body of the ship was 20,000 meters long, enormously bigger compared to the surrounding ships. It didn’t have huge cannons that matched its ’body size’, but rather resembled a space carrier with many attachment modules around it, seemingly able to accommodate millions of unmanned attack drones.
On the upper levels of the warship were dozens of terraced structures, where one could see brightly lit interiors, akin to a metallic city endowed with an engine capable of jumping.
This was the Emperor’s flagship, the Emperor Star, the Imperial ’doomsday warship’ only His Majesty was entitled to use.
Yang Ming finally understood why they had come several hours early.
The layered security checks before boarding the ship took over two hours.
It was evident that the Emperor’s Imperial Guard was extremely wary of Yang Ming, the renowned White Ghost; they checked him over ten times and even required Yang Ming to wear a special bracelet.
If you’ve come, then settle in.
Yang Ming kept smiling, showed no impatience, and even flirted a few times with the young lady who searched him.
By the time he finished the security check, Elder Pison had taken a nap and came back rejuvenated, leading him through a lavish crystal corridor to a thick alloy door.
"Just a moment, His Majesty will summon us soon."
"By the way, dear Hanton, are you familiar with the protocol? Generally, we need to kneel before the Great Emperor, but as a military man, you may give a military salute...you understand what I mean?"
"Do I also need to kneel?" Yang Ming asked softly.
"It would be best," Pison cautioned, "His Majesty’s summons will be televised."
Yang Ming raised an eyebrow.
They wanted the White Ghost to bow in submission to the Emperor’s Power?
If so, many citizens of the Empire might perceive the White Ghost as a lackey of the Emperor’s Power, destroying the image Yang Ming had painstakingly cultivated overnight.
Sorry, but he could not afford to lose the hearts and minds of the people; that was his true value before the Emperor’s Power.
"I am a military man."
Yang Ming smiled, giving his answer.
Elder Pison smiled and nodded, apparently not displeased at all.
The heavy alloy door slowly opened.
Yang Ming looked forward, instinctively straightened his back, his gaze acquiring a sharper edge.