A face was getting closer and closer. Laplace looked up blankly, only having time to see Elizabeth’s closed eyes and long eyelashes before his lips became wet.

Elizabeth kissed him.

He also closed his eyes and tried to respond to Elizabeth. His fiery emotions entangled him and all his worries gradually dissipated.

Laplace suddenly felt that perhaps there would always be regrets about some things.

“Um…”

After the two separated, Elizabeth responded to Laplace with a firm look and beautiful eyes, and said with a slight smile:

“Trust me, how could I change?”

“You won’t change,” Laplace murmured, “You will always be my unsolved proposition…”

At this time, Old Tom interrupted the two and said:

“Laplace-sama…there is something you must know.”

“What happened?” Laplace turned around.

“The hibernation chamber… has been activated.”

Old Tom’s words exploded like thunder, and Laplace stood up, the fire in his silver eyes burning.

He doesn’t allow anything to get out of his control.

……

Laplace walked quickly through the corridor, with Old Tom and Shelby escorting him on his left and right.

They came to the core area on the lower level of the Ark. The hibernation chamber was nearby and was directly powered by the factor reactor of the Ark. Even when the energy of the entire ship was sharply reduced, it still had the highest level of power supply authority.

The entrance to the hibernation room was already filled with Valantia guards, who lined up on both sides of the road and saluted immediately upon seeing Laplace.

Laplace crossed the road and stopped at the door of the hibernation room.

Before opening the door, he turned his head to look at Old Tom and said:

“Mr. Tom, if I remember correctly, your last name is Philos, right?”

“Yes, the ancient Philos family.” Old Tom nodded.

Of course, he knew what Laplace’s asking about his last name meant at this time – the Philos family had been an ally of the Valantia family in ancient times. Both families had produced many talented people due to their excellent intellectual genes, and they were still inseparable allies.

Although the concept of family has been weakened in modern times, when Laplace entered university, he was still automatically assigned to Professor Tom Fellowes. Although his fame soon overshadowed the old professor, Laplace still tacitly carried out a lot of academic research exchanges with old Tom at the suggestion of his father, providing a lot of convenience for the latter.

What Laplace meant was to let Old Tom choose his side, no, it should be said that he had already chosen the side for him.

“If necessary, I can directly cut off the hibernation power supply. I wrote a backdoor in the terminal,” said Old Tom. “If the hibernation is not restored according to the thawing process, the hibernator will quickly die of exhaustion.”

“Well, hold your swords, then,” Laplace said, “and let us meet these usurpers.”

Laplace took two steps forward and pushed open the door. The blue light from the hibernation room shone in, outlining the soldiers’ armor. The [Archon] also gathered his soldiers here.

At the end of the room, six hibernation chambers lay quietly among the cables. Three of them had been turned off, with cold blue air coming out of them. The hibernation chambers looked like coffins sinking in the underworld.

And in front of the coffins, the gatekeeper of the underworld was sitting behind a table – the only archon who had not gone into hibernation.

“You brought your firearms. Do you expect us to sit and wait for death like uncivilized gorillas?” The [Consul] said coldly, holding out his hand. “Come on, let’s talk.”

Extra) Tower of Babel (Part 9)

Looking at the tall figure of the [Consul] in military uniform, Laplace frowned, and the cold light in his silver eyes shot across the room like a knife, causing the soldiers on both sides to shudder.

Silver eyes quickly scanned the soldiers, faces one by one quickly shuttled through Laplace’s sea of ​​memory, and then found the bubble that belonged to them.

Laplace remembered the names and faces of everyone on the spaceship. These soldiers were not all the direct soldiers of the [Consuls]. Many of them were originally laborers, and were obviously developed into soldiers.

In just half a year, these [Consuls] had secretly developed their own power, which was deeply embedded in the crowd and was difficult to eradicate.

If a frontal attack is launched, the number of casualties may result in the Ark not having enough manpower for maintenance. If the mechanical labor units are activated in advance, the force for pioneering will be greatly reduced.

After weighing the pros and cons, Laplace crossed the room under Shelby’s escort and sat down opposite the Archon.

“Anregen Yad Persiphuns,” Laplace said coldly, “that’s your name, isn’t it?”

“I’m surprised that you seldom call people by their full names. I thought remembering names wasn’t that important to you.” The [Consul] pretended to be surprised.

“You should thank the person who made you so important,” Laplace glanced at the soldiers on the side, “You tried to murder me, and now you want me to negotiate?”

“Murder? You’re kidding. As an executioner, you’re one of the few who would rush to splash blood on someone else’s clothes.” An Ruijin’s golden eyes narrowed slightly.

He placed a photo on the table – it was a laborer’s ID photo. Laplace recognized it at a glance as the man who had murdered him not long ago.

“This is a good friend of ours. He was killed by you and your guards not long ago, and his body was taken away by the soldiers of House Valantia.”

“That’s because he shot me,” Laplace pointed to the bandage on his shoulder. “The surveillance camera recorded everything.”

“But the camera has been destroyed,” An Ruijin said coldly, “You obviously covered up your crime.”

Laplace sneered. It was obvious that An Ruijin was trying to put the blame on him with clumsy lies and focus all the contradictions on himself.

Until that tower is built, they will always try to overstep their authority.

“You want to pin the murder on us, then punish us and deprive us of the right to enter the hibernation chamber,” An Ruijin said in a cold voice. “How clever! Of course, your purpose is also very simple. After landing on the mainland island, you hope to be surrounded by people from the Valantia family so as to monopolize all the resources of the [Spark] plan. I can understand all of this.”

Laplace listened quietly to the lies An Ruijin made up, without a trace of emotion in his silver eyes.

“So, you think that as long as you enter the hibernation chamber in advance, I can’t do anything to you?”

“Once the hibernation chamber is activated, if it is terminated prematurely, the resuscitation medicine will be consumed, and these medicines are limited,” An Ruijin said, “If you destroy it directly, it’s a pity. I think the hibernation chamber should not have any extra backup.”

“I can kill you.” Laplace said calmly.

“Then I wish you good luck. After all, our military strength is far less than yours,” An Ruijin raised his hands, “but you cannot understand how deep our roots are. As long as the Ark wants to fly smoothly in the sky, you will not be able to wipe us out completely. By then, I hope you can avoid the swords from the crowd while you are sleeping.”

An Ruijin’s words obviously hit Laplace’s soft spot. He could understand how strong this kind of ideological erosion was. Even during the Great Union period, the Pershipens family was known for its leadership. Half of their family’s bloodline came from the Qilang area, and they happened to be the rebels who had not yet surrendered to the Great Union.

Laplace certainly believed that Shelby could protect him, but what if there was an oversight? Or, what if those people found a way to kill Shelby?

At this moment, the weights placed on the scale by both sides are already balanced enough.

Laplace cannot stop Anrejin, and Anrejin cannot stop Laplace, otherwise, no one can land safely on the continent of Admir.

“Can I ask why?” Laplace said.

“You are not the only one fighting for the continuation of the flame,” An Ruijin said calmly, “In fact, many of the facilities and parts on the Ark are funded by the Pershipens family. Although these Archons may not be good enough, you must understand that people are imperfect, and it is these imperfections that have become part of the differences between us. Party unity and fighting against dissidents has never been a way to protect civilization. You are not interested in continuing the flame, right?”

“Are you going to tell me that you are pure?” Laplace asked sarcastically.

“Yes, I am pure,” An Ruijin opened his arms, “Maybe you don’t believe it. Well, I think this is our difference, isn’t it?”

……

After the negotiations were completed, both sides finally laid down their weapons and began to cooperate reluctantly.

Of course, the list of people who would enter the hibernation plan was also confirmed: four [Archons], plus Laplace and Elizabeth.

According to An Ruijin, giving up two seats to Laplace was their greatest respect for the Valantia family’s foresight, and it was an unprecedented concession and gift.

After all, Elizabeth was Laplace’s lover, and she couldn’t do much to help in the continuation of civilization.

But Laplace felt like he had lost his soul.

Elizabeth refused his request to go to the future with him. She was unwilling to abandon her unborn child and planned to raise the child alone on the Ark.

She was a considerate and good wife. She did not complain about Laplace’s abandonment of her at all, and even promised that she would always wait for him. However, this kindness became a knife stabbing into Laplace’s heart at this time.

Yes, Elizabeth is so perfect, so perfect that one wants to stare at her forever.

She is an unfinished proposition, just like the boundless starry sky. Laplace wanted to complete it in his lifetime.

However, the starry sky will always be above our heads, and Elizabeth is only human.

She will grow old, she will change. Laplace dare not imagine who will greet him when he leaves the hibernation chamber.

Will that person still be the current Elizabeth?

After experiencing the changes of the Archon, Laplace felt more uncertain than ever before.

The Ark in the stratosphere was still bound by the gravity of the ground, but Laplace felt that he was losing everything he controlled.

Extra) Tower of Babel (Part 10)

Tonight is the last day that Laplace stays at this point in time.

The next morning, he would enter the hibernation chamber and send his consciousness and body into the future.

Laplace pushed open the bedroom door and saw Elizabeth with her long hair. She was sitting quietly on the bed in her nightgown, with her white jade legs stretched straight and her two little feet swaying, like a girl playing in the lake. Her sapphire eyes were as rippled as the sea, and Laplace saw his own reflection in them.

“Hey.” She greeted quietly.

“Yes.” Laplace nodded.

He took off his clothes, got on the bed and knelt beside Elizabeth. He reached out and gently stroked the girl’s cheek and pulled all the hair on her cheek to the side of her head. He wanted to take a good look at Elizabeth’s face.

Elizabeth stared at Laplace in silence, her hands tightly grasping the bed sheet, as if she didn’t want anything to leave.

Then, they kissed each other, and they plunged into the sea of ​​desire together, and the distance between their souls became negative. The wrinkles on the sheets deepened as they rolled, like time carved into a stone slab – Elizabeth’s time would continue to be carved, while Laplace would stay where it was.

The full moon passed slowly outside the window, the Ark sailed calmly above the stratosphere, and the vast sea of ​​clouds rolled, unchanging forever.

After a long time, when all the sweat had dried up, the two lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling together.

“When you come out, I will be much older,” Elizabeth breathed softly, but with a smile on her face, “By then, maybe you will have to call me Scholar.”

“Ah.”

“Would you mind? That I was getting older?”

Elizabeth seemed to have said this casually, but she could not hide the worry between the lines.

Laplace turned to look at Elizabeth. The girl’s sapphire eyes reflected the starlight, like stars falling on the sea.

“Mind.” Laplace said softly.

“It has come to this, even if it means you can just lie to me a little.” Elizabeth said softly.

She stroked her bulging belly, a soul was beating inside, that soul carried a lot, including everything about Laplace and Elizabeth. It was the wall that separated the two, but also the chain that connected them.

“I don’t like lying, Elizabeth,” Laplace said.

He stretched out his hand and gently stroked Elizabeth’s red face. Her face was dotted with beads of sweat, making it look even more delicate.

“Hmph, when Hermes is born, I will teach him to protect his mother,” Elizabeth pouted, “I will tell him that if his father doesn’t like his mother after he comes out, he must seek justice for her.”

“He does sound like a leader.” Laplace smiled.

“Of course, he is very powerful! He kicks my stomach from time to time! It seems that he is eager to fight.” Elizabeth smiled gently.

At this time, Laplace moved closer to her, held her in his arms, and gently stroked the back of her head.

“Elizabeth, it’s time to say goodbye,” Laplace said softly.

“Don’t be so deep…we’ll see each other again.” Elizabeth muttered.

Late at night, the two fell asleep in each other’s arms.

That night, Laplace had a dream. He dreamed that the stars above his head solidified into a whole piece of gem, beautiful and dazzling, and would never change, just waiting for his research.

He is a scholar under the starry sky, destined to seek the truth.

……

In the morning, Laplace woke up and slowly sat up.

Elizabeth also got up with him. On this morning when they were about to part, the invisible bond between them awakened them at the same time.

“Is it time…” Elizabeth rubbed her eyes, “Hmm… I’m so sleepy…”

“Go to sleep,” Laplace said softly, “You don’t have to see me off.”

He kissed Elizabeth’s lips, and she felt a tingling sensation. She closed her eyes, her mind becoming blurry.

Then, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen.

“Well……!”

Elizabeth’s eyes suddenly opened, and a pair of silver eyes occupied her sight, which was still calm.

She struggled, but Laplace held her back tightly, and their lips had not yet parted.

A heat surged from her abdomen, spreading on the sheets, emitting heat in this somewhat cold morning – it was blood, Elizabeth’s blood.