Under the azure starfield, the palace of the Wushen Empire was ablaze with festive crimson. From the imperial gates to the Grand Shaman Hall, long silk banners fluttered with red lanterns inscribed with Yue tribe characters. Within the hall, sensual music mingled with heat waves pouring through the doors as eunuchs and maids scurried frantically.
On the dais, the dragon-robed emperor, though advanced in age, beamed with joyous wrinkles. Vassals presented gifts: "This coral king from the Western Sea took half a month to retrieve. May Your Majesty's life match the heavens' eternalness!" The mountainous gifts forced eunuchs to remove excess.
A minister proclaimed, "For the August Person's eighty springs, all realms celebrate. Thus, universal pardon!"
The abrupt edict left officials uneasy. An elder statesman quavered forward: "Sire, forgive all... but not the heretics. Reconsider!"
The emperor clapped his forehead jovially: "Too much birthday cheer muddleed me." Turning sternly to an attendant: "Your memory serves better than mine?"
The terrified vassal boomed: "Divine Grace decrees universal pardon—heretics excepted!" Peace restored, goblets clinked once more.
Suddenly, the three thousand captive heretics' fate arose. The empire's justiciar intoned: "Trial by law. The bandit chief Blake deserves death by a thousand cuts, his lineage purged."
Commotion erupted: "Blake's hereditary marquess! Boliang Marquis betrayed his own kin to capture Blake—reward them, not purge!"
The emperor nodded: "Discuss rewards later." As revelry resumed, ominous calm shattered.
A white-robed elder burst through palace doors, golden threads depicting fauna swirling on his garments. "Grave portents, Sire! A cosmic anomaly—"
The emperor's cheer dissolved. "Great Shaman, speak!"
Breathlessly, the shaman revealed: "Stars unveiled a titan—likely the Demon Progenitor freed from its ancient prison. Prophecy foretells our empire's annihilation should this evil manifest!" Panic gripped the hall.
The emperor pounded the dais: "Verify this sighting!"
"Certainty, Sire. That celestial behemoth... it feeds Demon Progenitor rumors. To avert prophecy, we require tomorrow's cleansing fire—"
Before dawn, imperial guards stormed provinces. In the capital's dungeon, rats orchestrated chaos among the densely packed. A gaunt youth in rags stared through his cell's slit window—Blake, whose fist crashed against stone but failed to breach the warlock's wards.
"If escape were possible..." His followers' battle-cries faltered against reality: "Against legions? Madness." Morose silence settled until guards' whispers confirmed their imminent fiery sacrifice.
Light-years away, Damian's starfaring train entered orbit. "Resource-rich planets detected—harvest at maximum efficiency. Target data?"
[Planetary Profile: Yuexing (S360E)
Classification: Terrestrial Planet
Mass: 5.4678×102? kg
Diameter: 162,034 km
Temp: 20°C
Rotation: 27h 25m 39s
Lifeforms: Humanoid Yue Tribe (Supranatural Level 0.3)
Civilization: Pre-Industrial, Monolithic Continent (Current Nightfall)
Language: Partial Decryption InProgress]
Damian's eyes sharpened. "Near-human? Intel on sociopolitical structures?"
[Civilization Primer: Theocratic Monarchy: "Wushen Empire" ,Linguistic Isolation: No Digital Networks—Stealth Infiltration Impossible .Recommendation: Cultural Osmosis Precedes Contact]
Damian's brow furrowed. "Primitive societies complicate data acquisition. How to proceed?"
[Strategic Advisory: Prioritize Linguistic Decryption. Deploy Guilds for Sociocultural Reconnaissance. Personal Embarkation Urged—Neuropsychological Decline Detected]
Damian scoffed: "Overstepping, AI. My mental state—"
[Crux Argument: Supranormal Threshold: Host at Tier 3 vs. Local Population's Tier 2 . Vehicular Safeguard: "Absolute Guardian" Protocol Activates Under Threat]
"Overcautious system... but prudence isn't misplaced." Damian's gaze turned toward Yuexing's moonlit continent. "Prepare linguistic matrices. Our approach demands finesse—no crusade yet."