42. Letter of Authorization
[No, why am I wasting my breath talking to you? Delivery takes time, so why don't I just grab the little cutie before the interstellar express delivery arrives?]
It wasn't until Pimin received the space jammer delivered by the interstellar express that he suddenly realized why the man had deliberately provoked Queen Thetia.
He was buying time for the delivery of the package.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and turn on your computer!" A man's tense shout rang out in the main live stream room.
Pi Min hurriedly and clumsily opened the box, pressed the power button hard, and finally activated the space shield before that strange pulling sensation came.
Although Her Majesty meant no harm, she genuinely disliked being petted like a cat.
That's too humiliating.
From the perspective of the live stream, Pi Min's live stream also began to flicker violently. Thanks to the existence of the space jammer, no one at the scene felt anything unusual.
[Really? That's a space-blocking device, and you just gave it to an ordinary player like that.]
[What a pity, I was just about to catch it and pet it.]
[That comment just now was from Princess Orianna of Planet Octo, right? She did want to adopt the streamer as a pet.]
[This streamer is interesting. Her Majesty the Queen likes her, the Lord of Illusion Stars likes her, the Lord of Earth likes her, and even Princess Orianna likes her.]
...
While the viewers in the live stream were marveling at how the streamer had become the darling of the audience, Pi Min's gaze remained fixed on the main live stream in the upper left corner of her field of vision.
"Lord of Earth, thank you!"
The live stream of the Cosmic Drift game is real-time; both parties open their live stream rooms simultaneously, creating an effect similar to a video call.
Upon hearing her words, the man in the main live stream beamed with joy: "You're welcome. Consider it a thank you for your earlier reminder. You're not a cat or dog that anyone can pet. Is that reasonable?"
At this point, his eyes suddenly sharpened, and he said coldly, "Remember, we are human beings, a legitimate intelligent species existing in the universe. Anyone who dares to extend a claw towards us, don't hesitate, chop it off!"
Just then, the door was suddenly kicked open.
The camera in the main live stream suddenly switched, and the Empress of the Thetian Empire stormed in from outside the door with a group of attendants.
"Lord of Earth, have you forgotten that space shields can block space jumps, but they can't block spaceships?"
Wow, is forced love coming? My blood is boiling!
[No way, this is being broadcast live across the entire universe!]
[Your Majesty, calm down! There's no need to offend the entire alliance for the sake of one man!]
...
The audience expected to see the Earth's ruler in a state of panic, but to their surprise, even at this point, the man remained calm and composed.
He could even continue to provoke the Queen as before: "Come on, do it! If you have the guts, do it right here! Let the whole universe know how despicable and shameless your Thetian insect race is!"
Upon hearing his words, Her Majesty the Empress, who had been looking at him with the eyes of a cat toying with a mouse, instantly darkened her expression: "Is this how you see me?"
"Otherwise what?"
Upon hearing this, Her Majesty the Queen lowered her proud head instantly, her entire being enveloped in a gloomy and dejected atmosphere.
After a long while, her voice finally rang out again, faintly.
"I have said it before, I have never failed to obtain what I desire. Your fate and that of Earth were sealed the moment I first saw you. You will marry me, and I will make Earth a protected area for the Thetian gods. This is the most dignified way to end this farce. I can assure you that I will be gentle with you."
Anyone could hear the suppressed anger in her voice; these words were clearly an ultimatum.
Unfortunately, the Lord of Earth still showed no intention of backing down: "What kind of tenderness? The kind that says 'I love you' while inserting an egg-laying needle into my body? I'm sorry, I can't handle that!"
The Queen of Theia suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with anger: "You would rather watch your own kind die in a pointless way than marry me and lead all mankind to become part of the great Theian gods?"
The Lord of Earth calmly met her gaze, his voice sharp and stern: "Don't dream about it, I will never agree! Invasion and plunder do not become sacred and romantic just because they are cloaked in the guise of marriage. Your Majesty, you underestimate me. I am not one of those brainless protagonists in romance novels."
"Since that's the case, then I won't stand on ceremony with you!" Her Majesty the Empress smiled slightly, her eyes flashing with a determined light. "Intelligent beings are not private property. Even if all of humanity owes you money, you have no right to disregard everyone's wishes and throw everyone into the space drifting game without their consent."
The Earth Lord remained calm and composed, saying, "No, it's legal according to the Private Property Protection Law promulgated by the Interstellar Alliance."
“It is indeed legal, but once the debt is paid off,” Her Majesty the Queen approached the man step by step, her gaze piercing, “everyone then has the right to decide whether to withdraw from the game, right?”
The Lord of Earth smiled and shook his head: "It can't be paid off. This debt has to be calculated from their ancestors and ancestors. Over generations, it has become an astronomical figure."
The two locked eyes; one was confident and resourceful, the other had come prepared.
Finally, Her Majesty the Empress coldly curled the corners of her lips: "Don't worry about how big the number is, I've paid it all for them. I don't believe that my mighty Thetian Empire can't repay the debts of a mere level zero civilization."
"Wait a minute, you have no right to pay off the debts of all humanity on your own." A ripple finally appeared in the man's previously calm eyes.
Her Majesty the Queen shook her head, her face full of confidence: "It's alright, I will distribute the debt transfer documents to all of humanity through the game. Everyone just needs to sign the authorization form."
At this point, she suddenly turned to the camera and appealed in a rousing tone: "Listen up, all of humanity! If you sign the authorization letter, I can help you exit the game and allow you to have a normal life again. I will allocate an Earth-like planet near the capital star for you as your future residence. You don't want to continue to wander and face life-or-death tests every day, do you?"
Ever since being banished from Earth by the Lord of Earth and entered the cosmic drifting game, everyone's spirits have been constantly on edge. Who wouldn't want to quit the game and return to a peaceful, normal life? Queen Thetia's move can only be described as insidious.
Pimin was shocked to discover that her crew members were beginning to look at each other, itching for something to happen. If even the crew members carefully selected by the mastermind were like this, what about the others?
At this moment, the screen in the main live stream room was filled with excited comments from the players.
[Really? Can I really quit the game?]
Is a signature all that's needed?
Don't we need to pay some other price?
...
“It’s true, of course it’s true. No one would question the credibility of the Thetian Empire.”
"Of course there is a price to pay. The price you need to pay is to live and work in peace on the Earth-like planet that I have bestowed upon you."
...
As she answered the players' questions, Queen Thetia glanced provocatively at the Lord of Earth, a cat-and-mouse smile returning to her face.
At this point, the man no longer cared about arguing with her. He hurriedly faced the camera and shouted, "Don't sign! Don't sign! Don't sign! Everyone listen up! Those who are not of our kind are bound to have different hearts! Do you really think it's better to have an alien as a creditor than to have me, one of your own kind, as a creditor?"
He took a deep breath, and with an expression of unprecedented solemnity, he shouted hoarsely at the camera: "Whether you believe it or not, continuing the game is the only chance for human civilization to continue!"
"Hehe." Her Majesty the Empress chuckled, arms crossed, calmly observing the flustered man before her. "Someone's already signing it. Looks like they don't trust you."
Seeing that persuasion was ineffective, the man sighed deeply, and with a sorrowful expression, made a starting gesture towards the camera, as if he had made up his mind.
"Since that's the case, there's no other way. Don't give them a chance to sign it all; load the special copy immediately!"
[Special instance loading...]
As soon as he finished speaking, the familiar system notification sound rang in the ears of all players in the area.
The scene suddenly shifted, and everyone was simultaneously pulled into a special instance.
Pi Min was shocked to find herself standing on a street, where she had been sitting in the control room of the Home. The street was filled with maglev vehicles she had never seen before, and three suns shone overhead.
A memory even appeared out of nowhere in her mind. She was now an ordinary civilian on the planet Kirini, living a boring nine-to-five life. Just now, the entire planet had just held a referendum to decide whether to join the Thetian Empire and become one of its provinces.
The referendum resulted in her joining, and she, as one of those who voted in favor, was now preparing to head to the central square to participate in the celebration.
[Dear players, you don't actually think becoming a protected area for the Thetian Zerg is a good thing, do you?]
Suddenly a voice rang in my ears, but it wasn't the familiar game notification sound; instead, it was the Earth Lord's slightly mocking voice.
[To help you face reality, this server will be opening a special instance, "The Happy Life in the Protected Area." Enjoy! Please note that this instance is based on true events, and all characters have real-life counterparts.]
The man's voice was languid and casual, as if he had been forced into a game he didn't want to participate in and was reluctantly giving commentary, but his tone carried an undisguised annoyance and impatience.
The story begins with a seemingly ordinary national referendum. The entire planet Kylini is holding a referendum on whether to join the Thetian Empire and become one of its provinces.
At this point, he even let out a sneer.
[Yes, it's a province, not the protected area Her Majesty the Queen promised you. Do you really think the arrival of the Thetian insectoids is out of goodwill? You have no idea what you really mean to those insectoids.]
Everyone thought it was just a trivial vote, like countless others before. No matter who the president or prime minister was, whether they joined or left the coalition, ordinary people would go on with their lives. No one told them that every gift of fate came with a hidden price.
...
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