Chapter 675 "Arise"

Chapter 675 "Arise"

About an hour after the emperor's journey had commenced, the activity in Proxima A reached a dramatic crescendo.

Ptssss, A soft hiss echoed as air escaped from a pod that began to open. The lid slowly rose, revealing a stunning dark elf woman lying peacefully inside.

She remained still for a moment longer before her closed eyes began to flutter and then slowly open, revealing striking green eyes that gradually came into focus.

“Mh...” she groaned slightly as she grasped the edge of the VR pod, using it for support as she shifted from a reclining position to a seated one.

“Although I believed it was real, I still had a slight suspicion that we were merely part of a simulation undergoing a test,” she said, her voice initially crackling. As she spoke, her vocal cords gradually adjusted, growing clearer with each word, signaling their first true use after being constantly stimulated by the pod to prepare for movement when the time for their awakening came.

“It’s good to be skeptical and question things, but what makes you believe that you’re not in another simulation now?” a voice from outside the pod asked, prompting her to turn toward the source of the sound.

“Ayaka,” she called out, her voice warm with emotion and her face lighting up with happiness at the sight of her.

“Before I even opened my eyes, I felt a welcoming connection. Although I can’t quite explain it, my subconscious knew this was the real world and was welcoming me,” she continued, quickly gathering her thoughts and responding after her initial emotional reaction.

“I’m looking forward to meeting you after everything is over,” Ayaka replied with a smile, extending her hand to Rayyan. She had watched Rayyan grow from childhood to becoming the head of Proxima’s government.

Ayaka looked forward to their future meeting, whether Rayyan would be part of an allied government or as a representative of the imperial government. This meant that their next face-to-face encounter would only happen after the emperor’s arrival and his meeting with the tree folks, which would be after six months.

As a result, they would not meet in person for the next six months to allow for a smooth integration process without interference. All bases and infrastructure that were to support the exploration fleet personnel on the planet had been deconstructed, and everyone had evacuated back to their respective ships within the exploration fleet.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. Regardless of the decisions that are made, I and everyone else will never forget the grace you’ve shown us. We will do everything in our power to return this favor to the empire, the imperial family, the exploration fleet who cared for us, and to you and Lee, who raised us as your own children,” Rayyan said as she shook Ayaka’s extended hand. Her face conveyed the sincerity of her words, showing that she meant every bit of it.

“I appreciate your sincerity and hope we can meet again under the circumstances we both hope for,” Ayaka said with a smile.

“But where is he?” Rayyan asked, looking around as spaceships maneuvered, finalizing everything before handing control over to the awakened military personnel from among the Proximians.

“The admiral called him back to the fleet quite some time ago. I don’t know the exact reason. Why are you asking? Did you miss him already?” Ayaka responded, gently teasing Rayyan.

“I wanted to see if there would be any sort of connection feeling, since he played a significant role in our creation,” Rayyan explained, blushing slightly from Ayaka’s teasing.

“Good idea, but it seems your hypothesis will have to wait until our next meeting,” Ayaka said, glancing at the lander approaching to pick her up. “It doesn’t look like he’ll be returning anytime soon.” She added as she looked at the glasses that informed her being the last person remaining on the planet, with the rest of the personnel having already evacuated.