The Red Empress smirked when she saw him back down and said casually, "That's what I meant from the start. For me, it's always been mutual. You helped me, and I helped you. Simple."
Ethan's mouth twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything. By then, he had reached his destination and entered a grand room, luxuriously designed and filled with various amenities. He sat down on one of the sofas, waiting for his brother—an NPC of the game.
Despite knowing that, the NPC was so realistic it was hard to believe. As a reincarnated individual, Ethan was always amazed by the technology around him, constantly wondering just how far technology could truly go.
Yes, indeed, Ethan was a reincarnated individual. After dying in his previous life, he was reborn far in the future—on something as absurd as a world ship. It was a vessel almost twice the size of the Moon, carrying billions of people who were fleeing from the Milky Way toward the Andromeda Galaxy.
Humanity as a whole, along with other native races such as elves and beast clans of foxes, cats, dogs, and more, were abandoning the galaxy. They were forced to flee after an invasion by a powerful race they could not defeat. After countless battles and failed attempts at resistance, they finally learned the truth: the enemies they had been fighting were merely a vessel race, servants of an even mightier power that sought to take control of the galaxy and rule over all life within it.
This truth was hard to accept. Humanity and the other races would lose their freedom and autonomy—things they had never lived without.
After much deliberation, the decision was made to escape the Milky Way entirely.
But that decision was far easier to make than to carry out.
Despite all their technological prowess, no native power of the Milky Way possessed the technology required to directly access the Andromeda Galaxy. They were trapped, stranded in a dying galaxy, while the enemy's advance continued at a steady pace. Their defenses were barely holding, and the sense of urgency weighed heavily on everyone's mind.
Time was running out.
It was then that the Indus Imperium's emperor stepped forward and revealed one of his empire's greatest secrets. The Indus Imperium had already developed a partially completed but fully functional quantum gate.
This gate was capable of covering more than seventy-five percent of the distance to the Andromeda Galaxy in a single jump. With a second jump, they could reach their destination, the Andromeda Galaxy. The journey would take more than six years, but the quantum gate had fully stabilized.
This revelation sent shockwaves through the minds of the other major galactic powers.
The Xia Dynasty, which traced its origins back to ancient China.The Cosmic Union, born from the ancient homeland of the Russian Federation.The United Stellar States, originating from ancient America.
These powers had all risen from a single world and, over thousands of years, expanded into vast galactic empires that ruled thousands of star systems. Alongside them stood the Grand Elven Empire, the Nine-Tailed Empire, the Beast Empire Coalition, and two other great powers that once held complete dominion over the Milky Way.
All of them were stunned by the Indus Imperium emperor's announcement.
Above all, none of them had ever imagined that such technology had already been developed—secretly—by the Indus Imperium.
Upon further clarification, they learned something even more shocking. The Indus Imperium had already begun preparations to leave the galaxy. Their plans were more than halfway complete.
This final revelation sent another wave of shock rippling across the entire galaxy.
Although the emperors, empresses, and presidents were furious that such crucial information had been kept from them—and that their intelligence agencies, which should have discovered it long ago, had known nothing—they all recognized that the Indus Imperium had played its cards extremely well. They quickly hid their frustration, suppressing those thoughts and emotions before they could show on their faces.
Soon after, they declared their intention to join the Indus Imperium in leaving the galaxy. The Indus Imperium agreed, though not without demanding a cost. What that cost was, Ethan had no idea, as it was never mentioned.
After a full twenty years of planning, and with thousands of world ships carrying the majority—if not all—of the surviving populations of their respective empires, they formally exited the Milky Way. One by one, the massive fleets passed through a colossal ring-like structure, larger than a star in the Solar System itself.
With that, all the world ships departed the galaxy.
Now, five years had passed since they entered the quantum tunnel, steadily moving toward the Andromeda Galaxy. In a few hours, they were finally expected to exit the tunnel—only to enter another one shortly after. This second passage would be shorter, lasting around one and a half years.
After that, they would finally arrive in the Andromeda Galaxy.
It was something many across the fleet were excited about. Ethan felt the same, though not as strongly. Most of his time was spent inside his gaming pod, immersed in the game. He was nearing its final point and was about to become the first among billions of players to complete it, unlocking new maps and receiving a unique gift he had been looking forward to.
The sudden sound of boots broke him out of his thoughts.
Ethan turned toward the door and saw his brother, Duke Maximus Cross, entering the hall with hurried steps. His expression made it clear that he was deeply frustrated about something.
Seeing this, Ethan immediately shifted his focus and regained his composure. Slipping back into the role of an emperor, he smiled and said, "Come, sit, Maximus."
Maximus did so, looking at Ethan with expectation. He clearly wanted to say something, but as he opened his mouth, he closed it again, as if unsure where to begin.
Ethan chuckled softly. "Speak your mind, brother. There's no need to hesitate over your thoughts."
Brother emperor , I can't accept this ," Maximus said, his voice echoing in the vast hall.