The emperor's declaration was like dropping a bomb on the New Fontainebleau Palace, and everyone was shocked and speechless for a long time.
After a long while, Celia pressed her throbbing forehead and said, "Your Majesty, the sentence 'I am going to undergo genetic surgery' can be stated in a straightforward manner, and there is no need to use any rhetorical methods..."
In any case, the emperor's determination is very firm. Coincidentally, there are miraculously fewer state affairs these days—the so-called relatively few means that even the poor people in the military department who have nowhere to vent their energy don’t have to work overtime until three o’clock every morning—and the emperor’s decision to undergo genetic surgery has been unanimously agreed by the Senate In support, Elder Longfellow even personally delivered a speech encouraging the imperial doctors; so the matter of genetic surgery was quickly confirmed on the emperor's schedule.
— Celia’s attitude towards this is relatively easy-going: do what you like, as long as you feel happy. People who have lived for more than 500 years already regard appearances as delusional. It doesn’t make much difference to Heinrich whether he is an eight-year-old boy or an 80-year-old man, even if he is the number one rock star in the galaxy or a steel pipe. As for the gigolo, as long as the people of the empire have no objections, what can the Alliance have to say
But in line with the principle of mutual respect, before entering the operating room on a sunny afternoon, Heinrich still had a cross-galactic video communication with Celia.
This kind of communication is probably the biggest privilege that Heinrich has used in recent years. Although as an emperor, he has many privileges, but Heinrich always tries to avoid indulging in power, which weakens the hard-won qualities of being strong and down-to-earth as a soldier—for example, he once cultivated diamond fruit. It was not easy to remove it from the commonly used fruits in the palace, and because of the popularity of Heinixing shellfish, black workers picked it, and publicly (against their will) stated that they hated eating shellfish the most, thus avoiding the popularity of this food among the aristocratic class. Crazy and popular... The throne of the emperor does not mean doing whatever you want, on the contrary, when you have greater power, you will inevitably have to bear greater self-restraint and imprisonment.
As the poor and white founding emperor, Heinrich was beyond reproach in other respects. The only personal desire that made the Senate give in was to use the space station to communicate with Celia across the galaxy.
Because there are too many space stations to be transferred, this method of communication occupies a relatively large wave frequency, so it is generally used in the military, and theoretically it should not be used for private conversations. If you really want to get to the bottom of it, every time the emperor talked to Celia, what he said should be: "A certain item of the border trade agreement between the two countries last week..." It should not be: "Hilda's little classmate today Bedwetting again, what? How do I know why he keeps wetting the bed?"
Fortunately, the chiefs of the space station garrison all expressed that they can help the emperor provide this personal convenience, please don't worry about using it. ——Heinrich also suspected that behind their enthusiasm, they actually hid their ulterior motives to eavesdrop, but... only God knows how much they eavesdropped on the content of the conversation.
"I'll be in the operating room in half an hour, and I'm in the biochemical center." Heinrich held the baby sucking his thumb, and said to Celia solemnly: "Polls show that they all want to see me young. , so the imperial doctors picked a genetic sample from a long time ago as a backtracking point... "
Judging from the three-dimensional projection, Celia is sitting in the shuttle, probably going to the House of Representatives or the Grand Court for a meeting. He held his chin to look at Xiaojia's chubby face, and said for a while, "Actually, you look very good now, but you are indeed getting older, and your health is prone to hidden dangers."
"Your energy is no better than when you were in the war. You got up and ran for three days without sleeping. Now you feel like your skin has peeled off after arguing with the Senate." Heinrich finally couldn't help asking: "The number of genetic operations accepted by the people of the alliance is much higher than that of the empire. How did you do it? Large-scale genetic adjustments that have lasted for thousands of years, or simply tampered with the survey samples?"
Celia gave him a mysterious expression back, "State secret."
Heinrich: "…"
The emperor failed to spy on the information, and sat back on the bench in the waiting room very dissatisfied.
Celia stretched out her hand to caress Xiao Jiageng's pink and tender face, and the fingers of the three-dimensional projection hovered over the baby's skin. Xiao Jiageng opened her bright eyes and looked at him curiously.
"Actually..." Celia suddenly said, "I was too late to do genetic surgery once before, and it was delayed until I was very old..."
Heinrich asked curiously, "Huh?"
Celia laughed, "It's the middle of the league. The technology of replacing cells is not as mature as it is now. After the genetic surgery, you have to rest for a few months. In a few years, because of frequent accidents in various parts of the league, there was no time for surgery. There are some problems with the functions of various parts, and the physiology is rapidly aging at a terrible speed... "
"How old?" Heinrich asked with great interest.
Celia said seriously: "Seventy."
emperor:"… "
Countless mud horses roared past the corridor.
"That's not the point," Celia said seriously: "The point is that I was sick back then, my eyes couldn't see the light or the wind, and I was trapped on a border planet like a blind person. At that time, the situation was special and I couldn't leave. I couldn’t do genetic surgery either, so I had to go to a temporary hospital to have an operation on my eyes, but on the way to the hospital, I lost my way with Kaleyan and the others, and walked alone in the dark for a long, long time... "
Heinrich's ears moved, and he smelled a familiar smell inexplicably.
"Fortunately, a kind military cadet led me to the operating room. Ah, I jumped in the queue when I got into the elevator. That was the first time in my life that I enjoyed the treatment of the elderly." Silia rested her chin and said with emotion: "I don't know. Why do I feel a little nostalgic..."
"...do you remember which planet it is?"
"Forget about which asteroid. During the First Galactic War, many residents were evacuated, and the uninhabited asteroid was burned by exhausted energy. It's a pity."
Heinrich frowned unconsciously, and a vague image emerged in his memory. But before he had time to think about it, the doctor knocked on the wall at the end of the corridor: "Your Majesty, the operation cabin has been adjusted, you can come in!"
"You go," Celia stood up from the car seat, waved and said, "I'm also at the Grand Court, let's talk tonight."
"..." Heinrich got up in a daze, and hugged the drooling and biting thumb to the medical staff.
"Wait—" Suddenly he turned around and wanted to say something, but Celia had already turned off the communication, and the image of the last wave of hands disappeared into the air in an instant.
"Your Majesty?" the doctor asked strangely.
"..." Heinrich was silent for a moment, and finally said: "It's nothing, let's go."
·
The emperor walked towards the operating room. The late spring sunlight of Egret Star passed through the window sill and reflected on the silver-white metal floor of the medical center. The slight reflection swayed in his eyes, like the distant light shining in the deep sea, gradually making a series of scattered pictures float up in the back of his mind.
— that was many years ago indeed, when he was really, really young...
Memories are like covered with a thick layer of gray, with a light shake revealing a hazy light and shadow.
When Seth Heinrich was seventeen years old, his classmate Aaron was injured in a military academy combat exercise and was sent to a temporary hospital on an asteroid nearby for treatment. After the exercise, Heinrich went to visit his classmates. It was autumn, the clear blue sky was cloudless, and the hospital path was covered with thick golden yellow leaves, which made a crackling sound when they stepped on it.
Heinrich strode across the forest path towards the white hospital building at the end. Suddenly at this time, a low voice came from not far away: "—Excuse me, is there anyone?"
Heinrich turned his head unexpectedly, and saw a white bench beside the road, on which sat an old man with bandaged eyes.
Although the old man has gray hair, he has a clear face and a tall and straight figure. He is wearing a neat white shirt, and his sitting posture and voice reveal a well-educated demeanor, which makes people feel a sense of intimacy at first glance.
Heinrich turned around and said politely, "Yes, do you need any help?"
The old gentleman laughed.
"I'm going to operating room R39, but I got separated from my family. Young man, I can't see the way, can you take me there?"
This was not a problem for Heinrich at all, he had a full day off after the exercises, which was ample time. Besides, no one would stand by when they saw a blind old man asking for help on the road, so he helped the old man up and walked towards the hospital building.
Autumn is the best season on this planet. The warm breeze blows the earth and the sky is as clear as blue, which makes people feel open and cheerful. Heinrich took a deep breath of the sunny air, only to hear the old gentleman ask kindly: "Is the view nice?"
"Umm yes... sorry, I forgot you couldn't see."
"It's okay, I've only recently lost my sight, too."
"It should be very uncomfortable, right? I think you still walk very..."
The old man maintains a good figure. He walks tall and straight, but he hesitates when he settles down. It is obvious that he is not a person who is used to the darkness. Heinrich's eyes moved to his face, and he suddenly felt that this aging face was a bit familiar—but he couldn't tell exactly where it was familiar.
"It's true that I'm not used to it, and sometimes I'm a little anxious." The old man paused and said, "Young man, are you here to visit?"
"Well, one of my comrades-in-arms was injured, and I came to visit him."
"Oh? Are you a soldier?"
At this time, Heinrich was only a military student—but a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy always has a desire to grow up, and he is more open to talking to strangers without any scruples. After hesitating for a few seconds, Heinrich lied in a subtle sense of vanity: "...well, I'm a mech soldier."
In fact, this is not entirely false. Heinrich was indeed an elite student of the mecha team in the military academy. In the ancient earth era, he was equivalent to a fighter pilot student. No matter where he was, he would definitely be admitted to become a professional soldier. It’s just a matter of time Sooner or later.
"The number of armored soldiers is very small." The old man was a little surprised: "Then you are really amazing, which army is it?"
"Well... the Sixth Corps," Heinrich shyly reported the name of the Corps he had always wanted to join.
Unexpectedly, the old gentleman smiled slightly, and then said nothing more.
Probably due to lack of energy in his heart, after a while Heinrich also felt regretful, coughed and whispered: "I'm sorry, but I'm actually just a mecha cadet in a military academy... The mechas of the Sixth Corps are strong, and I have always wanted to enter maybe in a few years I'll be able to go there after I graduate from military school..."
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, the old gentleman burst out laughing, and Heinrich blushed suddenly: "I just—"
"No, no, no, I didn't mean to make fun of you," the old man waved his hands again and again: "It's just that the Sixth Corps is on duty in the capital, Lan Xixing, and it's impossible for mecha soldiers to appear here, so when I heard it just now-hahaha …”
Heinrich was so embarrassed that he couldn't help it. He covered his face for a long time before sighing heavily: "It's a good thing I said it myself!"
"It's a good thing for people to have ambition," the old man continued to smile, and educated: "Young people should set a goal to motivate themselves, and it is reasonable for mecha soldiers to want to enter the Sixth Corps..."
For some reason, the seventeen-year-old Heinrich heard the meaning of jokes from these words, and hurriedly interrupted: "No, no, don't talk about me. Old man, you are so familiar with military affairs. Could it be that you were also in the army when you were young?" in?"
A smile appeared on the corner of the old man's lips again, "Well..."
"Then what type of army are you?"
"What do you think?"
Heinrich just wanted to get rid of the embarrassment quickly, and said casually, "Are you an officer?"
"yes."
"Well, the battleship command department?"
The old man smiled and asked, "Why do you think so?"
Heinrich originally wanted to say that it was because you looked like a high-ranking official in the warship command department, and this old gentleman really has that kind of dignified, reserved, and personable upper-level person who has a good temperament and education at first glance. People style.
But thinking about him as a military student, it is too bitter to say such words to retired old officers, and he is also suspected of being flattering, so he shook his head and said: "I guessed randomly... Officers are not usually commanders. Yes? You just look like it."
"I was indeed a commander on the front line." The old man said, for some reason Heinrich felt that he seemed to have seen through his concerns, and his tone sounded very moderate: "But now that the alliance's military power is being reformed, most of the officers are from the bottom soldiers. Selection and training. Even those who have graduated from the command department must first be sent to the local garrison for training. Only soldiers who have emerged from the flames of war can take on the responsibility of leading and protecting subordinates."
He turned to Heinrich with bandaged eyes, and said gently, "I'm just an old man, not a big man, please don't worry."
The old man lowered his head, and at that moment his posture was very modest and elegant. The sun reflected his thin and tall figure, and his slender fingers naturally hung down by his side.
Heinrich's eyes froze.
After the infiltration of time, these hands have exposed the traces of wind, frost and time, but the strength of youth can still be seen. The marks on the tiger's mouth are quite obvious from this angle, and the edges are slightly gray - that's the gun cocoon.
It is the irremovable trace caused by the micro-pulse current caused by holding the handle of the electromagnetic gun tightly for a long time.
The young Heinrich seemed to realize something, and suddenly there was an inexplicable feeling in his heart.
·
That day when he sent the old man to the door of the ward, two tense-looking officers greeted him in the distance, and they saluted with a snap. The old man seemed to be able to see the general wave of his hand to stop them, and turned to Heinrich with a smile: "Thank you, young man, I can come back thanks to you, otherwise I don't know what to do..."
"You are serious, this is what I should do."
The old gentleman said kindly: "What's your name?"
Heinrich looked ahead, and at the end of the corridor, several plainclothes stood up, and while putting their hands into their bulging pockets, they walked towards this side vigilantly and vigilantly. The two officers with livid faces before were also staring at him closely, their posture was like a mechanical frog with a wind-up, and if there was anything wrong, they would immediately pounce on him to snatch people.
"... Albert," Heinrich said casually, "my name is Albert. It's just a little favor, you don't mind... I still have to visit my friends, so I'm leaving."
The old man patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Go, young man. Mecha soldiers are amazing. If you keep this kind of ambition, the country will wait for you."
When Heinrich left in full view that day, he was actually a little nervous, but he couldn't help but look back before going downstairs. The old man stood sideways in the corridor, his eyes still looking at the direction he left, and there seemed to be an imperceptible smile on the corner of his mouth.
... It looks familiar... Heinrich frowned, thinking suspiciously.
Where did you see it...
The seventeen-year-old Heinrich only regarded this as a small episode in his life, and then he only mentioned it to Aaron a few times, and then forgot about it. Unexpectedly, he really left the military academy and became the professional soldier he had always dreamed of—but not in the mecha team of the Sixth Corps, but the personal bodyguard of the supreme military commander of the entire alliance.
When he spoke of his dream on this asteroid at the edge of the Milky Way, he would not have imagined that just one year later, the hand of fate would push him to the first unattainable peak in his life; When Vin Silia asked on that autumn path, "Is there anyone?", he would never have thought that what he called was the overlord of the entire Galactic Empire two hundred years later.
It was as if there was an invisible hand in the dark, arranging their first meeting when they were beyond recognition, and then letting them pass each other on a long journey.
——It wasn't until a random afternoon hundreds of years later that fate hid behind time and revealed a sly smile.