The man in the white robe was named Nian Deng, the Governor of the Silver Feather Army, and also the Commander of this massive Fleet.
Just one hour later, Nian Deng boarded a small spacecraft and arrived at Ruyi City, where he met Bai Zhongqi.
The moment Nian Deng truly beheld Bai Zhongqi, his display was as exaggerated and excited as it had been during the video call. He did not act like an ordinary Iridium Star citizen but directly knelt at Bai Zhongqi's feet, which even startled Bai Zhongqi. The white-robed Silver Feather warriors following Nian Deng did the same, performing a special kneeling ritual of the Silver Feather Army, reserved for one person only — the Chancellor.
With legs joined together, their upper bodies lay straight on the ground, their hands placed apart on either side of their heads, four fingers closed together with thumbs pointing upwards. While kneeling, their eyes were closed.
Bai Zhongqi was quite uncomfortable with being knelt to, so he quickly said, "Please rise, Governor Nian Deng, and the other warriors as well."
As Nian Deng stood up, Bai Zhongqi couldn't help but marvel once again. The Silver Feather warriors were very tall, seemingly all above two meters, yet they did not appear as burly and robust as a Sergeant Major, but rather lean.
With tears streaming, Nian Deng said, "Chancellor, we've drifted for four thousand years, through dozens of generations, and finally, we've found you. Now the Silver Feather Army has its soul again, we have our roots once more."
Bai Zhongqi, somewhat surprised, said, "You've been away from Iridium Star for four thousand years?"
Nian Deng nodded and said, "Yes, to be precise, it has been 4,081 years. During this time, we became a wandering civilization, without a fixed abode. But our objective never got blurred, and that was to find you."
Bai Zhongqi was well aware that time flows more slowly for objects of greater mass (a statement which is not actually accurate). Yet, the Silver Feather Army had only passed four thousand years since leaving Iridium Star, which was a significant deviation.
As expected, Nian Deng continued, "In these four thousand years, the Silver Feather Army encountered crises but also opportunities. We fought against the fiercest enemies, and we also engaged in exchanges with many civilizations. About two thousand seven hundred years ago, our ancestors passed through a wormhole and entered another universe, where we encountered civilizations vastly different from those in our original universe and gained some ancient civilizations' inheritances. The Silver Feather Army learned how to calculate wormhole crossings between universes. Although wormholes capable of such crossings might not appear for thousands of years, in these two thousand years, we've only crossed through wormholes three times. It is this time, by good fortune, that we've achieved our goal that we held firm for four thousand years — to find you."
Bai Zhongqi couldn't help but express his admiration. The Silver Feather Army, having become a nomadic civilization, indeed took a completely different path from the United Empire of Iridium Star. Unlike the step-by-step, solid advancement of the United Empire of Iridium Star up a technology tree, the Silver Feather Army patchworked themselves into a powerful civilization.
"Then, how did you confirm my identity?" Bai Zhongqi raised the question that troubled him most.
Nian Deng delicately took out a silver mirror from his chest, which clearly displayed a photo-like image — in the center stood Bai Zhongqi, adorned in the white garb of the Chancellor, with dozens of white-robed Silver Feather warriors beside him.
This turned out to be a group photo taken five thousand years ago!
It deeply shocked Bai Zhongqi's heart. For a long time, he had thought of the First Universe as nothing more than a game world, with Xu Lanzhou and the R19 Fleet as people who had crossed over from a game. They called him the Chancellor, and Bai Zhongqi simply felt he was a player controlling the game. But the so-called person who led the Twelve Knights and the Silver Feather Army to unite Iridium Star and single-handedly established the United Empire of Iridium Star was supposed to be nonexistent.
He thought that the memories of Xu Lanzhou and the others were false, to some extent they were like bionic humans, lacking real life experiences.
Yet the photograph in Nian Deng's hands had overturned his notions.
"No... it can't be possible, perhaps this photograph was randomly generated." Bai Zhongqi was hesitant in his heart, "But if it was created later, there would have been no need, right? If it really was a game turned into reality, why would there be a need to pursue such detailed authenticity?"
His face twitched unnaturally, and he again recalled the strange dream he had just had. If the white-robed knights in his dream were the Silver Feather Army, then could their arrival be something he had precognitively known? Since when did he have such superpowers? Or was it all just a coincidence?
If it really was a precognitive dream, would the other things in the dream happen as well?
Nian Deng took something else from his chest and presented it with both hands to Bai Zhongqi, who subconsciously accepted it, then realized with a shock that Nian Deng had handed him a crimson gemstone!
"His Majesty initially bestowed the Twelve Knights of Destiny with twelve Universe Artifacts, giving our Governor of the Silver Feather Army this divine stone, the true nature of which is unknown. For thousands of years, this divine stone has guided the Silver Feather Army multiple times and has become the symbol of faith for successive Silver Feather Governors. Today, I present the divine stone to you once again, asking you to shine your glory upon the Silver Feather Army anew."
Bai Zhongqi was left somewhat stupefied and even the atmosphere turned a bit awkward; the meaning of Nian Deng giving him this stone was roughly to bless it and then return it to them as a talisman. However, Bai Zhongqi held onto the stone, unable to let go.
It wasn't that he didn't want to release it, his mind was playing out an astounding scene.
It was as if the game interface he used to see on his computer had reappeared, and then a dialogue box popped up:
"Complete the mission: Defeat Teizene's initial invasion fleet; Mission Reward: The lost Silver Feather Fleet."
Bai Zhongqi felt at a loss, he suddenly experienced a strong sense of fear. When his real life became like a game, he couldn't help but be horrified. Was the world he existed in not reality at all? Was he just a character being manipulated by someone else? Was his entire world just a game?
When he let go of the crimson gemstone, the game graphics in his mind disappeared. But when he picked up the stone again, everything that had just transpired seemed to have never happened, as if the game graphics he saw in his mind were merely an illusion.
Bai Zhongqi didn't know what to do with this sinister crimson gemstone; these artifacts were more mysterious one than the next. The first one he had used to create Spratly Island, or Homeland Titan; the second he had given to his artificial intelligence to host the soul, making her into a true life form; and the third, he simply couldn't comprehend its nature at all, it had only shown him a game interface once.
At least, Bai Zhongqi knew that the Silver Feather Army had now become part of his forces. Although they were not reined in by the Supreme Command, their loyalty might be the highest of all.