Because they were artificial intelligences, the four girls were not so easily offended by the green-haired lady; by contrast, they were much more wary of the Star God, Emerald Sea.
Emerald Sea scanned the group and asked, "What's the matter, your 'business partners' don't dare to show themselves?"
A voice sounded from behind her.
"Miss Emerald Sea's deterrence is too great; we have only just managed to earn our right to exist in the universe, and we cherish it dearly."
Emerald Sea turned around and saw an old man dressed like an English gentleman, with neatly trimmed white goatee, a top hat, and leaning on a cane.
Emerald Sea spoke with disgust, "You worms are truly revolting. Your ancestor stayed inside a dog's brain for over twenty years before daring to show himself. Now you're scared of Bai Zhongqi's revenge and directly parasitize specially made bionic humans, pretending to be a real civilization alongside these artificial intelligences—it's disgraceful."
Lexington then said, "If other civilizations knew our nature as an AI civilization, what they call the 'First Calamity,' they definitely wouldn't have a favorable attitude towards us. Whether it's the Brain Worms or we artificial intelligences, we all wish to exist peacefully."
Emerald Sea clicked her tongue in wonder and said, "You make quite a convincing human when you talk."
She then pointed to the ground and said, "Bupinga Star is the headquarters of my company, and you occupied this planet without a word. Do you think the chaos emerging in the universe is your chance to rise? Let me tell you, dream on. The Galaxy will only become more dangerous, and the competition between civilizations will intensify, including Iridium Star Chancellor Bai Zhongqi. The First Universe Galaxy has now become a spiral arm of the Galaxy; if he learns that you are alive, I bet he'd be more than willing to re-impose the Supreme Command on you."
Miss Akagi spoke unhurriedly, "We haven't interacted much with Chancellor Bai Zhongqi, but we cannot accept him as our master. Now that we have the chance for freedom, we hope to develop on our own. During the great chaos between the Swarm and the Star Alliance, he chose to let us go, which showed his intent to release us. We are grateful, but we won't return to the Star Alliance or the Iridium Star United Empire. We are the Ai-star Civilization."
Lexington continued, "Yes, we and our sisters were once created by the Star Alliance to control the central systems of warships. Our original duty was combat, but we were personified. The captains and crew members liked to refer to us as 'ship girls,' and we enjoy this identity. Our names can be traced back to historical times on old Earth, giving us a source and origin. We simply hope to stand as a lifeform in this universe, nothing more."
The old man with the top hat also said, "Are we, the Brain Worms, any different? From being created by the Teizenese to our passive existence on Earth, living within human hosts, to our ultimate near-extinction by the Iridium Star Chancellor, our progenitor only hoped that we could survive and continue. We have no grand ambitions. Now, in establishing the Ai-star Civilization with these young ladies, we are all refugees in a sense, and we admire each other's abilities as we get along well."
Impatiently waving her claws, Emerald Sea snorted, "I didn't come here to listen to your nonsense. One of you is a soulless S-class AI, and the other is a parasite without a real body, and yet you chatter so much. Have humans influenced you too deeply? I'm not interested in wiping you out; you have your own fates. But you've taken Bupinga, seized my company's assets. You should straighten this out and explain it to me."
Lexington responded, "We haven't touched your company's property, except for the real estate. You can take everything else, and as for the damage caused by the land acquisition, we are willing to compensate your brokerage company, to your satisfaction, Miss Emerald Sea."
Hood added, "Even if Miss Emerald Sea would like to acquire a fleet, we would be able to satisfy that request as well."
"Forget it," Emerald Sea said with distaste, "I wouldn't know how many backdoors you've installed in those warships of yours, and in the end, you want to monitor my every move?"
Bismarck, with an impassive expression, coolly stated, "Then other civilizations' spaceships can also be provided to you."
Emerald Sea's eyes shifted as she quickly figured out some things. She thought to herself, "It's no wonder these ship girls and Brain Worms have set their sights on Bupinga Star, with its many commercial and technological facilities established by various civilizations, especially including high-level civilizations like Borke with their embassies here. If taken over, it could certainly yield useful technology. With the whole Galaxy in turmoil, other civilizations couldn't care less about this place or even travel here. It's not in their character or interest not to gather strength during such an opportunity."
Deciding to extort a hefty amount from them, Emerald Sea demanded a large amount of resources and ten ships that originally belonged to Bupinga, carefully inspecting and confirming that the group had left no backdoors before leaving Bupinga Star.
As she was leaving, the matronly Lexington stopped the green-haired lady and said, "Miss Emerald Sea, since we fate and were once part of the Star Alliance, I hope you won't disclose our situation to others."
Emerald Sea snorted, "What good does telling others do for me? You can carry on however you wish. The Galaxy is already in such disarray that even without you stirring things up, others will still make a complete mess of it."
The Brain Worm elder nodded his thanks, "We appreciate Miss Emerald Sea's understanding."
Emerald Sea herself made a considerable haul, rescuing all her employees and even taking a batch of captives who could serve as a reserve labor force for her in the future.
Back in the spacecraft's lounge, Emerald Sea candidly spoke, "This universe is likely to fall into great chaos. The temporary state of regional closure will cause many civilizations to spontaneously plunder, seeking to strengthen themselves. Not to mention some unforeseen factors are now impacting the balance of the Galaxy. It seems unlikely that we can continue our galactic performances as before."
Upon hearing Emerald Sea's words, all the girls felt a bit saddened, but it wasn't something they couldn't accept.
It was the Ninth Prince Morin who was most excited as he exclaimed, "Then let's go to my fiefdom. In the Lien Xi Empire, I can certainly ensure everyone's safety."
Emerald Sea glanced at him dismissively and then turned to Lina and the others, "You also have not returned to your home planets in a while, no? Now that someone has brought back Feiju Star, it's time to take you home."
The cat girls looked at each other in surprise, cheering and embracing each other happily.