028 Chancellor Arrives
Bai Zhongqi's current mood was quite complex. On one hand, there was the joy of uniting with the people of Iridium Star and potentially preventing a catastrophic apocalypse on Earth; on the other hand, there was the twist in his budding romance, which had just begun to show promising results. He was somewhat worried about Han Jiaxue, but there was nothing he could do at the moment except handle the pressing issues first.
Speaking of which, the facilities on this wavecraft had amazed Bai Zhongqi. All sorts of technologies beyond his imagination made the journey much more comfortable and enjoyable. Lying on a bed that perfectly contoured his spine and relaxed his entire body, he marveled at how the people of Iridium Star truly knew how to enjoy life. This was the VIP lounge on the wavecraft, essentially a small bedroom complete with a bed, a desk, and various convenient electronic devices for both work and leisure. The style didn't resemble the luxurious and elaborate decoration found on Earth but was filled with a futuristic simplicity and refinement, focusing intensely on industrial design and user experience.
Bai Zhongqi did want to try using the electronic devices here, but he didn't even know how to turn them on. He attempted to activate them by voice command, but the various devices in the room didn't respond. He felt embarrassed to ask the Iridium Star people outside the room how to operate these devices, as doing so would clearly expose his unfamiliarity with Iridium Star technologies.
Meanwhile, outside the room, Xu Lanzhou was also preoccupied.
"Sacred Falcon, activate the ship's logistics service system and produce a set of attire suitable for the Chancellor," Xu Lanzhou commanded the shipboard AI directly. As a main battleship, the Sacred Falcon was equipped for long voyages and needed substantial logistical support capabilities, not only featuring well-equipped living areas and a section for producing fresh food but also possessing some industrial capability. Daily necessities like crew uniforms and various life essentials could be manufactured directly aboard the ship. More importantly, the Sacred Falcon could even construct universe fighters. It was quite rational; during long voyages and battles, universe fighters were a standard expendable item. When operating far from the Empire's interstellar bases, any loss of fighters needed to be replenished, demanding that main battleships have the ability to manufacture replacements.
The industrial capability of Iridium Star was extraordinary, and even constructing complex combat equipment like universe fighters was not too difficult. Iridium Star had mastered atomic-level material forging and direct shaping, essentially a manufacturing technology millions of times more complex than the latest 3D printing technology on Earth. Unlike Earth's 3D printing, which used powdered materials sintered together resulting in poor material characteristics and limitations in use, atomic substance construction technology of Iridium Star directly structured materials at the atomic level and crafted them into the required shapes as programmed. Whether it was metal crystals, inorganic composites, or even bionic cellular structures, Atomic Substance Construction technology could quickly build them and significantly simplify the product's assembly complexity.
Take the shell of the wavecraft, for instance. Earth's method of constructing airplanes and ships by piecing together external shells and adding thousands of other parts to form a shell contrasts sharply with the wavecraft's use of atomic substance construction technology, which molded the shell in one go. Furthermore, the outer shell effectively served as a complex piece of equipment with multiple uses; the interior and exterior materials had different properties, thus it could seamlessly transition from the shell to landing gear and entrance doors.
This technology also boasted high versatility. Whether producing a piece of military attire or a universe fighter, it only required different programming and raw materials, all of which could be manufactured by a single atomic substance construction device. Of course, these devices varied in size; smaller units could produce larger equipment, but at a cost of increased time. Devices used to produce civilian consumer goods differed naturally from those used for constructing interstellar warships.
The Sacred Falcon housed four large atomic substance construction devices primarily for replenishing warfare equipment and manufacturing spare parts for ship maintenance. Additionally, there were ten smaller devices for producing daily necessities and even for manufacturing military rations. Other ships did not boast as many atomic substance construction devices; Dart Class light frigates, for instance, only carried one small device suitable for basic maintenance and fulfilling daily needs. However, smaller ships typically operated alongside main battleships or larger vessels, which could support them with their larger atomic substance construction devices if necessary.
Such powerful industrial equipment made producing a set of attire for Bai Zhongqi far from a trivial task of using a cannon to kill a mosquito. Fortunately, even though the people of Iridium Star did not know what the Chancellor looked like, they possessed designs prepared for his attire. In essence, the Chancellor's attire was a version of Iridium Star's military uniform but lacked military insignia; the collar pins, cufflinks, and stitching patterns were more refined to signify a high status.
The everyday uniform worn by soldiers of Iridium Star was a genuine product of high technology, automatically adjusting to temperature, protecting from external harm, and integrated with intelligent systems, among others. However, their military attire did not differ significantly from Earth's, as it bore more symbolic significance and identity display.
The wavecraft soon reached the Iridium Star Fleet, stationed twenty thousand kilometers from Earth's surface. Xu Lanzhou, always meticulous and attentive to details, came to the VIP lounge's exterior, saluted Bai Zhongqi, and said, "Please wait a moment, Your Majesty. I have instructed someone to prepare the Chancellor's attire for you."
Bai Zhongqi nodded appreciatively at Xu Lanzhou. Undoubtedly, if he had met the military and civilians of the Iridium Star Fleet in his pajamas, even if Bai Zhongqi truly exuded a powerful and charismatic leadership presence, it would have disappointed those who saw him.
Xu Lanzhou also sent over a palm-sized personal service robot that was very small and cute, with a pink casing that looked like something a girl would use. This was Xu Lanzhou's personal service robot, which she had named Xiao Dou. Han Jiaxue had become hopeless about the Chancellor's taste and styling, but she couldn't let the other citizens of Iridium Star feel the same despair, so she decided to manage the Chancellor's styling herself.
She swiftly set some programs for Xiao Dou and then silently left the room. Before Bai Zhongqi could figure out what was happening, Xiao Dou zoomed up, announcing, "I am pleased to serve you. Xiao Dou will help craft a refreshing appearance for you, please cooperate with Xiao Dou's service."
The little device first flew to Bai Zhongqi's face, hissing as it sprayed an unknown liquid with a hint of the fragrance of cosmetics, though fresher and more natural. Two mechanical arms, neither industrial nor cold, extended and began massaging Bai Zhongqi's face to help the liquid absorb.
Almost the instant it finished applying, Bai Zhongqi felt much more comfortable, his face free from excess oil and his skin tight, seemingly with smaller pores. What was more miraculous was that his dark circles had vanished completely.
Next, Xiao Dou flew to the top of Bai Zhongqi's head, activated a small fan to blow his hair around, and a short beam of milky white light shone from the end of a mechanical arm, rapidly moving across Bai Zhongqi's scalp. Clearly, Xiao Dou was cutting his hair, and in less than twenty seconds, Bai Zhongqi's haircut was done. Xiao Dou then sprayed a different kind of liquid, presumably some sort of hair gel. With movements of the mechanical arms, Bai Zhongqi's hair was slicked back into a shiny and neatly combed style.
Several other services followed, including body cleaning, nail repair, dressing, and even what seemed to be foundation application. All in all, after Xiao Dou finished, Bai Zhongqi looked in the mirror and surprisingly felt he could star in a K-drama. Although he had delicate features and rather fair skin, he didn't look "creamy". Dressed in a uniform-like Chancellor's clothes, he appeared quite masculine.
Bai Zhongqi couldn't help but marvel. Although it was just a small personal service robot, it was incredibly useful. Iridium Star people utilized their technological achievements in every possible way. On Earth, even with personal services for bathing, skincare, and haircuts, it would take at least an hour or two, and girls might take even longer to put on makeup. But Xiao Dou had managed to groom Bai Zhongqi in just about ten minutes.
Now, Bai Zhongqi looked at himself and truly felt like a Chancellor.
However, no matter how impeccably groomed he was, he still had to carry his backpack and bring his computer to meet people. After all, he was not here to accept the worship of the people of Iridium Star but to find a way to truly control the Iridium Star Fleet.
Though Xu Lanzhou was a resolute and spirited military woman, she also had a clever mind. She had sent Xiao Dou to style Bai Zhongqi, while also instructing the high-ranking members of the fleet's committee to prepare for the Chancellor's arrival, managing both fronts without delay.
When everything was ready, Bai Zhongqi stepped out from the Wave Boat and saw a group of solemn and respectful Iridium Star citizens. Clearly, these were mostly senior officials from the Fleet, and many of them could hardly conceal their excitement upon seeing Bai Zhongqi. However, Bai Zhongqi could still detect that the older Iridium Star citizens didn't share this excitement. On their faces, he read skepticism and uncertainty, but most of all, curiosity about him.
The legendary Emperor of the Empire, who allegedly lived for five thousand years, was from another universe and still looked so young, just like someone in their twenties.
Bai Zhongqi knew that many Iridium Star citizens wanted answers, and he too was here for answers.