Chapter 440

It is still an endless desert, still the Machine City, but the current Machine City is a world of difference from the original one.

The original Machine City was desolate, with low-rise buildings; each room was a small, individual unit that could just barely accommodate one person lying down, but now these are all large buildings.

The cold and desolate Machine City suddenly became lively. Although there were no street stalls or hawking, there was human presence. Men carried steel, constantly building houses; women used the remaining materials in the Machine City to cook; children played with each other, engaging in all sorts of games, and machines even helped out.

Things went as Old Man Homan said. After the initial joy passed, a rejection and disgust for machines appeared in the hearts of the humans. Some even took out their emotions on the machines, using all kinds of extreme methods. However, after Old Man Homan and others who saw the situation clearly persuaded them, this movement of rejecting machines gradually came to a halt.

"Humans are rational after all. The help machines provide to humans far outweighs the threat, so they will soon accept machines again, and it won't be like what we worried about initially." Ye Nan looked down at the Machine City from a high vantage point, like a king inspecting his territory.

This feeling was very strange, making Ye Nan feel like he was high above everyone else. He finally understood why ancient Western emperors built castles; the feeling of standing high up and overlooking all living beings was so marvelous.

"It's also because rational people are, after all, still the majority; actually, most people are just following the crowd." Melina Shilu looked at a machine being dismantled and reassembled with some heartache. "But I think the way humans treat machines should change a bit."

Melina Shilu turned her head to look at Ye Nan, feeling it was necessary to change the way humans treated machines. "You also know that machines have feelings too. Although they don't have their own joys and sorrows like humans, perhaps one or two machine lives with their own joys and sorrows will be born."

Upon hearing this, Ye Nan fell silent. This kind of thing should indeed be guarded against. In fact, the reason machines treated humans that way might not be without factors of revenge. After all, any normal living being with its own thoughts would not like someone who abused it.

"But..." Ye Nan looked down, but his mind was a mess. Admittedly, what Melina Shilu said was correct; humans and machines should coexist peacefully, but how to arrange it stumped him.

After all, machines and humans are two completely different species, and the birth of machines was because humans needed tools. Making humans cherish their own tools seemed, no matter how you looked at it, a bit difficult to force.

Just like those animal rights activists in the past who constantly demanded that others not eat dog meat, and even used violence to attack shops selling dog meat, doing all sorts of extreme things. At the time, Ye Nan thought they were 'meddling in other people's business,' so now, being asked to be the one to 'meddle in other people's business,' he was absolutely unwilling.

However, Melina Shilu is an intelligent life form, and Ma Kusi is also an intelligent life form. If it cannot be handled well, conflicts will erupt sooner or later.

"Got it." A flash of inspiration crossed Ye Nan's mind, and he shouted happily: "How about this, we enact laws specifically targeting machines, making humans cherish machines. After all, machines are not dogs; they are not in a relationship of eater and eaten with humans, so it won't cause widespread opposition."

"Just like the environment, the government in the past could enact bills specifically targeting the environment; we can also introduce bills specifically targeting machines, using bills to manage human behavior."

"That's great." Melina Shilu also became happy. "I'll draft the laws."

"Wait." Ye Nan immediately stopped Melina Shilu and said, "Let them do it instead. Let those former council members draft this law. I believe they can do it well."

For Melina Shilu to draft the laws—not to mention whether she would strictly stop humans—just her identity alone made it unsuitable, as she is an intelligent life form.

Boom!

A pressure wave arrived suddenly. From the initial faint sensation to the subsequent rising of a strong wind, it signaled that something was slowly approaching the Iron City.

Ye Nan raised his head and looked up at the sky, only to see a huge steel warship slowly descending from the sky. This steel warship was a full ten thousand meters long, covering almost the entire Machine City, causing the Machine City to lose its sunlight.

"It's Noah's Ark." A hint of joy appeared on Ye Nan's face. He was all too familiar with the suddenly appearing steel warship.

"Has Sister Ma Kusi come?" Melina Shilu's face showed joy first, then disappointment. Ma Kusi's arrival meant that Ye Nan was no longer hers alone; Ye Nan could not continue to accompany her every moment. She had a competitor.

"Pity, he still refuses to hold a wedding even now." Melina Shilu sighed inwardly. She knew she had no chance.

With a roar, Noah's Ark landed outside the Machine City, and the people in the city felt the earth shake and the mountains sway.

"They're here."

Ye Nan grabbed Melina Shilu, released his energy to envelop her, and then rushed toward the landing point of Noah's Ark like a meteor.

The entire Noah's Ark was embedded in the earth, slightly collapsing the ground where it made contact. Ye Nan landed in front of Noah's Ark, dissipated his energy, and rushed straight up.

The hatch opened, and a group of women poured out. The first to come out was Angela, and unlike before, she was standing now.

"Angela, you're better." Seeing this scene, Ye Nan was ecstatic. He rushed up in one stride and hugged Angela. "Haha... you're finally better. I've been worried about you during this time; I didn't expect you to give me such a surprise."

"I missed you too." Angela rested her head on Ye Nan's shoulder, and tears wet Ye Nan's shoulder.

Jessica and Ai Li stood behind Angela, also with smiles on their faces, their eyes misty with tears.

"I missed you all too." Ye Nan pulled Jessica and Ai Li into his embrace together and hugged them tightly. "I'm back, I'm finally back."

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back." Dr. Ashford, Stark, Peter, and Mary also stood behind, looking at Ye Nan, filled with joy.

"I'm back." Ye Nan roared, his voice shooting straight into the sky, stirring the clouds above into a mess.

"He's back, he's back." More and more people poured out of Noah's Ark, crowding together, looking at Ye Nan, their faces also filled with joy because their Emperor had returned.

"So he really is the Emperor of the Space-Time Empire."

The citizens who ran out because they discovered the commotion were stunned when they saw this scene. Only then did they realize that Ye Nan claiming to be the Emperor was not a lie, but that he was a real, genuine Emperor. At this moment, they pondered what Ye Nan had said in Zion, and they realized they seemed to have no way out.

"However, joining such an empire doesn't seem too bad either."

After the initial excitement, Ye Nan and a group of his confidants walked into the Iron City and finally settled in the high tower where Ye Nan was located.

"Melina Shilu, now you can tell me what exactly happened with my memories back then." Ye Nan asked suddenly, drawing the attention of everyone else.

"I know you had unspeakable reasons for not saying anything back then, but now, you should tell me."

Ye Nan looked around; everyone present was his closest person, yet Ripley was missing.

"Fine." Melina Shilu agreed readily. "Actually, the reason you lost your memory back then was entirely because of your battle with the Chaos Gods."

As Melina Shilu narrated, the memories Ye Nan had forgotten gradually revived.

Back then, when he traveled back from the dimensional universe, he encountered the Chaos Gods. Only then did he know that Tzeentch and Slaanesh had long ago planted a seed in his heart. After he traveled back, he became the coordinate for the Chaos Gods, and the two great evil gods broke through the cosmic barrier and followed him here.

"In the battle, you unfortunately lost." Melina Shilu glossed over the battle lightly and then said, "However, just at this moment, a giant hand slapped both evil gods back into the Chaos World, and at the same time, snatched Ripley and the Unicorn away. By the way, when you were in a coma, a black policeman appeared beside you and asked me to pass a message to you."

"What message?" Ye Nan clenched his fists, trembling uncontrollably. He finally understood what the memory he had forgotten was, and he also understood why Melina Shilu refused to tell him. It turned out to be this humiliating history.

"He asked me to tell you: 'There have been many who have saved the Lord. Whether it is magic, immortal arts, or other powers, none could save the Lord, but no one has tried technology yet.'"

"Does he mean for me to develop technology?" Ye Nan understood the hidden meaning of Death in an instant. He was telling him to develop technology.

"Other immortal arts and magic have failed. It seems that guy didn't just pick one person, but they all failed, which proves that neither immortal arts nor magic can rescue that existence trapped in the Heart of the Galaxy. The only possibility is technology, which no one has tried yet."

"So, I must go save him." Ye Nan's bones collided constantly, making a crackling sound. That guy who had always helped him finally revealed his fangs and also revealed his ultimate goal.

"I will go save you, but I will settle the score with you for snatching Ripley away."

"Don't be like this." Melina Shilu shook her head. "Don't let anger destroy your reason. We can't deal with him for the time being."

"Don't worry." The gloom in Ye Nan's heart was swept away, and he suddenly laughed. "I won't lose my reason. I understand the gap between him and me very well."

"Meals must be eaten one bite at a time, and the road must be walked one step at a time. I won't be impulsive again."