Relics from the mythological era (4)
Chapter Summary: A brief summary of the previous chapter.
Much later, after I had been imprisoned by Gratian in the Empire as a slave in his bed for a long time, I learned by chance how ridiculous I had been, constantly blaming myself for the destruction of life on Earth. I thought it was because the fire during my laboratory restart hadn't completely burned away the water bacteria; one or two had escaped into nature, accumulating layer by layer, until the disaster struck at that particular point. I had personally caused the deaths of so many people, so many innocent people, animals, plants, all life that breathed and multiplied on that land. I fell into deep despair and depression, feeling responsible for the death of every single life.
Gratian forced me to take medication, all sorts of anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs, but I refused. I felt my suffering was atoning for the lives lost. He had no choice but to pin me down on his bed and try to distract me in other ways. In the throes of orgasm, I could indeed forget for a brief moment, but afterwards, a torrent of tears would overwhelm me. He pleaded with me countless times, "Caesar, no, please don't do this, okay? Please..."
My pain deeply wounded him. He dared not tell me that the Earth's water bacteria plague was actually a deliberate poisoning incident; the mastermind was Caligula, the executor was Yang Luo, who had long been lurking in the underground revolutionary organization of the Alliance, and the tacit acquiescer was the Emperor. Gratian, his arrogance and cowardice were exactly the same as the boy who tried to grab the beam of light when he was a child; for so many years, he had always been a child at heart. He was so innocent yet so cruel; after committing his crime, he dared not tell me, only knowing to hide from everyone and cry in secret.
Estravan was a rare pacifist within the Alliance at the time. Since the start of the war, he had been dutifully serving the nation that had become a war machine. He consistently warned his colleagues in the Alliance Parliament that continuing the fighting risked national annihilation. No one listened to him, or rather, some did, but they believed that maintaining national dignity and the decency of politicians was more important than saving a single life. Until the water-decomposing bacteria spread, the white fog expanded widely, and the Earth was plunged into a hell of fire, water, high temperatures, and steam, Estravan, listening to the screams of people on Earth's communication channels, roared, "When will you understand, and how many more will die, that human lives are not numbers, not tools for you to measure your political achievements and keep your jobs?"
The Allied politicians later offered their explanations. According to surviving historical records, they claimed their decision to fight the Empire to the death was not impulsive. On one hand, they believed it was crucial to preserve the spirit and national structure of the Earth Republic Alliance; only by inflicting pain on the Empire would it compromise, allowing the Alliance to negotiate better outcomes. On the other hand, they considered the current sacrifices necessary to prevent future Allied members from suffering even greater harm under the Empire's brutal rule; a desperate gamble was the only option. In their earlier propaganda (and in fact, many Allied politicians later believed they were merely making empty promises), the Empire was portrayed as so evil that even the most eloquent words to describe depravity, sin, and horror could not adequately describe it. Therefore, wasn't it natural that the Empire, after annihilating the Alliance, would leave no survivors? Thus, shouldn't a desperate gamble be undertaken to secure a glimmer of hope?
Thus, inspired by this belief, they joined the incited masses in shouting, "One hundred billion die for the emperor!" And so all the women, children, and the elderly joined them in chanting the same slogan.
——tbc——
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