However, we must always fulfill our responsibilities.

Old Tom finished his coffee, picked up the plate with Tom Fellowes engraved on it from the table, and hung it on his chest.

He was going to wake up the [Consul] and arrange the land reclamation task.

……

Old Tom came to the core area on the lower level of the Ark. He was looking for Laplace.

Next to the hibernation room, there is a room called the “treasure house”. This room is guarded by the soldiers of the Valantia family all year round. Laplace himself often stays in it. He rarely comes out in the past twenty years.

When Old Tom arrived at the door of the “treasure house”, Shelby was stationed there. When he saw Old Tom, he nodded and then knocked gently on the door of the treasure house.

“Let him in.” A voice came from the communicator.

“Just like before, don’t look at her,” Shelby ordered Old Tom.

Tom nodded and walked into the treasure house. It was actually just a very small room, very dark inside, with very little light coming from the small ceiling lights that looked like the starry sky above and the freezer in the middle of the room.

Laplace was sitting next to the freezer, with one hand on it, his face made look a little darker by the blue light from the freezer. Twenty years seemed to have left deep scars on him. He was no longer the handsome boy he once was, and his messy stubble made him look like an old man.

But Old Tom knew that what was in those silver eyes remained unchanged—he was still very calm.

During these twenty years, he stayed in this small room, gazing at Elizabeth’s face alone, crossing time in his own way.

“…”

Old Tom followed Shelby’s instructions and did not look at Elizabeth in the freezer. Instead, he looked directly at Laplace and said:

“It’s time to wake up those who hibernate. It’s time to pioneer.”

“It’s earlier than we expected,” Laplace’s voice was hoarse, “Herames and Edward, are they okay?”

“Vital signs are normal,” said Old Tom.

“Then don’t wake them up, let them continue to hibernate.”

Laplace’s words surprised Old Tom – since he was going to awaken those [Archons], why not just awaken the two children at the same time?

In fact, Old Tom had asked this question a long time ago: Since Laplace chose not to hibernate himself, why not wake up the two children and let them grow up before pioneering? In this way, the Valantia family will have more say during the pioneering period.

Laplace’s answer was simple: he had research to do and had no time to raise two children.

This argument did not hold water in Old Tom’s mind, for the pioneering days would have been even busier than they were now, and even less suitable for children to grow up in.

But he was not in a position to ask more questions, as Laplace always stayed alone in the treasury, eagerly studying his treasure – the eternally youthful Elizabeth.

“Okay, I’ll do as you say,” Old Tom nodded. “Since the Archon is about to be awakened, would you like to go there in person to…introduce the current situation to them?”

“Of course, but I’ll come later,” Laplace stared at Elizabeth in the freezer, “When you go out, let Shelby in. I need to tell him something.”

“I see.”

Old Tom turned and left, leaving Laplace alone in the room.

In the brief moment when the door was closed, Laplace kissed Elizabeth through the freezer, like kissing a fly in amber.

Elizabeth’s sleeping face remained at the moment of her death. She was so peaceful and beautiful, but Laplace knew that she would no longer give him the beauty of the starry sky as before.

This is a starting point, he is going to witness the real starry sky.

“Honey, I’m going to build the Tower of Babel.” He murmured softly.

……

Extra) Tower of Babel (Part 13)

Three days later, An Ruijin’s frozen consciousness slowly thawed, and as a warm current flowed from head to toe, he opened his eyes.

The vague voice seemed to come from far away, and white shadows flickered and whispered in his sight.

“… Vital signs normal… Disconnecting life support…”

“…Pupils are responsive… Thawing process continues…”

An Ruijin realized that he was waking up. He struggled to break free from the cold cage to check the surrounding situation. At this time, someone leaned close to his ear and said something:

“Glayu Yad lives forever.”

An Ruijin’s pupils trembled slightly, then he relaxed his whole body and closed his eyes.

It seems that Laplace did not get what he wanted.

A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. Although he didn’t know how long he had been sleeping, it seemed that the situation was in his favor.

……

Twelve hours later, An Ruijin drove his electric wheelchair into the conference room and came to the long table.

The other three [Consuls] were already seated at the table. They were all in electric wheelchairs. Their bodies had not yet fully recovered after hibernation, so they could only move around in their wheelchairs.

However, they all looked fine. From the fragments of their conversation, they had heard that Laplace did not enter the hibernation chamber and spent twenty years alone on the ship.

“You did a good job, An Ruijin,” a [Consul] wanted to stand up and greet An Ruijin, but in the end he found it difficult to stand up. “Twenty years is enough time for him to curb his arrogance.”

“Yes, we are all wanderers, but he thinks he is the savior,” said another [Consul] coldly, “The operation of the Ark cannot be separated from anyone.”

“I heard that he spent twenty years in the room with his dead wife,” said the [Consul] wearing cherry wood ornaments in the corner, “Maybe he has gone crazy.”

After listening to the speeches of the three [Consuls], An Ruijin cleared his throat, glanced at the door and said:

“Everyone, since the Continental Island Reclamation Plan has already been implemented, I think we still need to accept him. Laplace von Valantia is a genius in scientific research after all. Without him, the pace of reclamation will be much slower.”

“Of course, if he doesn’t act as a leader and just acts as a screw, I think I will praise him,” said a [Consul]. “Now it seems that we should be able to guide him in that direction, right?”

“That’s true, but please observe etiquette in the meeting later. After all, he is currently the controller of the Ark.” An Ruijin said.

“I heard that he didn’t thaw his two children?” The Archon asked, “Did he realize that he couldn’t protect them anymore?”

“Even if he can’t protect us, we still have to protect them,” An Ruijin’s eyes added a hint of warning, “Children are the spark of civilization and cannot be used as bargaining chips.”

“You’re right.”

The three [Consuls] started talking and laughing, while An Ruijin kept staring at the table, thinking about something.

The table in front of him was still the same as it was twenty years ago, spotless, the oak-colored tabletop was simple and quaint, and clearly had been carefully taken care of. Not only this table, but the entire Ark was the same as it was twenty years ago, with no changes, which made An Ruijin feel at ease, but also vaguely felt a little weird.

He couldn’t say anything, so he could only try to dispel the worries in his mind. After all, what followed was the early stage of pioneering.

At this moment, the door was pushed open, and the [Consuls] who were talking suddenly fell silent and turned their eyes towards the door.

A middle-aged man in a white coat and unshaven beard strode into the room. He looked much older, with an unkempt scholarly demeanor, completely different from the man he was twenty years ago, full of vision and ambition.

But when he walked into the room, no one dared to speak.

An inexplicable smell rushed in along with Laplace’s fluttering white coat, which immediately made An Ruijin alert. He had served in the army before, and he had only smelled this kind of smell on Laplace during that period of his career.

To be on the safe side, he immediately passed this information to his secret party through coded language, asking them to be vigilant at all times.

As for the other Archons, it was not until Laplace sat down opposite them that they realized there was no need for them to be quiet—there was nothing for them to be in awe of, as Laplace was not currently in a dominant position.

But still no one broke the silence.

“…”

Laplace scanned everyone at the table with his calm silver eyes. His index finger tapped lightly on the tabletop, as if he was calculating something.

After a while, he said:

“Did you all sleep well?”

A [Consul] was determined to break this low-pressure atmosphere, and said after clearing his throat:

“Laplace von Valantia, thank you for your dedication and hard work in operating the Ark for the past twenty years.”

“No, I didn’t pay anything,” Laplace said calmly. “No need to be polite, let’s get straight to the point. This meeting is to finalize the plan for the land reclamation, and it’s up to you to choose.”

Laplace said, snapping his fingers. The room darkened, and a holographic projection slowly emerged on the table.

This is a holographic map of the continental island, with different regions marked on it, from the continuous snow-capped mountains in the north to the gentle plains in the middle, and then to the islands in the east. Of course, there is also the rich and fertile land in the southwest, with various natural parameters marked on it.

“According to the Archon Code of the Spark Project, you will select the ecosystem that best suits the civilization you represent, project the embryo warehouse under the command of the Ark, and command the pioneer team to carry out reclamation work and pass on the culture of the previous civilization.”

Laplace continued to tap the tabletop as he spoke, preparing several areas for the Archons to choose from.

“Come on, let’s start with you.” He looked at the female consul wearing a cherry blossom headdress.

“Wait, I have a question,” An Ruijin interrupted Laplace, “Excuse me, why is the southwestern area not open to us for selection?”

“Because I want that area. It’s the most fertile land.” Laplace said calmly.

Everyone was speechless, while An Ruijin frowned slightly, as if he had noticed something.

“If that area has the most abundant resources, we should work together to cultivate that land, and then spread the fire of civilization outward in a fan shape, so that we can…”

“Cooperation? Hahahaha, you said cooperation?”

Laplace suddenly stood up with a loud laugh, his silver eyes gleaming coldly like sharp swords, making it impossible to defend against him.

Almost at the same time, the floor beneath everyone’s feet suddenly began to project an image – a vast continent was vaguely located below the sea of ​​clouds, a lush green.

“If you really know how to cooperate, there will be more than one Ark, but dozens, hundreds, or even thousands!”

Laplace snapped his fingers, and the room lit up. Everyone realized with horror that there were soldiers standing in all four corners of the room. They had been hiding their presence with optical camouflage and were only now coming out.

An Ruijin responded immediately. His soldiers had already arrived outside the meeting room and were ready to break in at any time.

He actually revealed his trump card after just a few words. Has he been driven insane by twenty years of loneliness?! No… Even if we use force, we cannot easily hand over the fate of civilization to Laplace.

At this time, An Ruijin heard the panicked voice of the secret party in his earphone:

“No… Lord An Ruijin! We… We can’t provide support! How could… That madman…”

Almost at the same time, the walls on all sides of the conference room became transparent, and a rapidly descending scene appeared around everyone.

An Ruijin raised his head and looked up through the transparent ceiling. He found that the Ark was getting farther and farther away from him.

Laplace detached the entire conference room from the Ark and it fell rapidly toward the earth!

……

Extra) Tower of Babel (Part 14)

The moment Laplace entered the conference room and closed the door, the room quietly broke away from the Ark and quickly fell towards the Admir continent.

Looking at the misty and illusory sea of ​​clouds around him, An Ruijin’s pupils widened and his hands on the table kept shaking.

No…this madman, twenty years have driven him crazy!

He wants to die together? He wants revenge? No… Impossible, then why does he…

An Ruijin’s thoughts suddenly became very confused. He never dreamed that Laplace would play this trick. According to his understanding of the only son of the Valantia family, Laplace longed for control and hoped that everything was under his control. Even if he had a plan, he would not put himself in danger.

And now, a steel coffin fell from the sky. Laplace actually lured them here personally and closed the coffin lid for them personally!

“Don’t waste time thinking. You don’t have time to think.” Laplace glanced at the watch on his hand nonchalantly. “It will only take three minutes for us to crash into the mainland island. By then, we will all die.”

Looking at Laplace’s calm eyes, An Ruijin’s fear doubled: Could it be that in just these twenty years, he has been able to throw himself into the chess game and treat himself as a bargaining chip?

Impossible… Laplace must have a backup plan. He would not just put himself in the gambling game…

But the question is…what if you guess wrong?

“You lunatic,” the [Archon] with the cherry blossom headdress roared, “What do you want to do? If we all die, who will continue the flame?”

“I will continue,” Laplace said calmly, “If you cooperate, then I will not die, only you will die.”

“Do you think we are stupid?” a [Consul] yelled, “Impossible! We can’t hand over the future of mankind to you!”

“Then enjoy the last three minutes.” Laplace took off his white coat and threw it to the soldier beside him. He was wearing a formal vest on his upper body, and his tight chest revealed the curves of his muscles. He had never fallen in the past twenty years.

Veins bulged on An Ruijin’s hands, and his brain was working rapidly, thinking about how to break the current situation.

The Persiphons family has never been a popular group in the Great Union. They have a history as old as Qi Lang’s, and traditions of both glory and solidity. This makes them somewhat out of place in the Union’s system as they are difficult to shape.

An Ruijin had always felt that the ancient temperament running in his blood would help him overcome all difficulties and spread the fire of civilization into the future. But now, his thoughts kept dispersing as the scenery around him rapidly descended, and he couldn’t concentrate at all.

Only three minutes.

“Why… did you do this?” An Ruijin calmed down and said, “Is it for revenge? Are you blaming us for the fact that you spent twenty years away from home?”

“No, it’s not you who took away my time,” Laplace said, “it was the birth of my second son, Edward von Valantia, who deprived me of the power to travel through time and space. Even if I want to settle accounts, I should look for him, not you.”

“Then why can’t we talk it out? We never intended to deprive you of your status, we just wanted to gain the same status.”