Chapter 9 Chapter 8 The Dream of Green Island

Planet Coppel.It was already one o'clock in the middle of the night, and the lobby of the Fedora Club was empty, but the waiters had to stay there—because there were two officers in the booth who hadn't left. Both of them are still very young, only around thirty, but the military ranks shown on the military uniforms make people dumbfounded. The soldier standing and admonishing him had brown hair, a tall and straight figure, and four silver eagles on his silver shoulder straps—obviously, this young soldier was already a lieutenant general.For soldiers in their thirties, if they are promoted step by step, they are generally no more than a major at most. Therefore, for the waiters in the club who are used to seeing soldiers of various ranks, this talent is a bit unbelievable.

But what was even more surprising was the soldier on the bar who was drinking red wine with his head up: on his epaulets were a pair of golden eagles flapping their wings!That is...the absolute master of the military empire, the dictator of more than 50 billion people—Marshal Bisha von Phidias! "Bi Xia, it's already a little bit faster, let's go back. The driver and the guards have been waiting outside the door for a long time." "Let, let them wait." "Bi Xia, the alcohol you drank today has exceeded the upper limit set by yourself - tomorrow you have to face the affairs of the entire country! You should go back and rest."

"Shut up, Kenan! To hell with the fucking country, I'm going to stay here - who dares order me?" There was a long silence, so quiet that only the sound of red wine gurgling into his throat could be heard.The waiter stared blankly at this scene, unable to believe that the high-ranking dictator actually appeared in this bar late at night.Suddenly, as if drinking too quickly, the red wine choked the marshal's throat, and the ruler of the empire bent down and coughed violently. "Cathy! Cathy!" The waiter hurriedly greeted his companion, "Bring the towel!"

However, after waiting for a while, the female companion in the background did not agree.The waiter murmured and didn't dare to be negligent, and immediately turned around and twisted a hot towel, and handed it over respectfully. "Bi Xia? Are you okay?" Kenan took the hot towel from the waiter and wiped the drunken man's face.However, Phidias suddenly pushed his hand away, his eyes flickered strangely, he stared straight at a certain place in the dark corner of the bar, and suddenly murmured: "Oh! There she is... Kenan, look ! There she is!" "Who?" Kenan asked subconsciously.

"Dai, there's Dai!" Phidias' voice, wet with alcohol, was a little strangely shaken, he raised his hand, and murmured, "Look, she smiled... Oh, she's leaving! She's leaving! " Lieutenant General Kenan was shocked, and he turned his head like lightning, only to see the back of a waiter leaving behind the door leading to the wine cellar from the dimly lit bar—because of the light, the figure was somewhat blurred, but the other side The red hair still shines in the dimness! "Stop!" Lieutenant General Kenan blurted out, ready to catch up, but was stopped by Phidias: "Oh, no, don't speak to her so loudly! It will scare her—let her go...whatever What about her..." Drunken, Phidias smiled strangely: "Just now, she was standing there talking to me, Kenan... did you hear that?"

"What?" Kenan stared at the figure hidden in the darkness, and subconsciously answered Bi Xia's words. "She was saying: 'Come this way, come this way!'—repeatedly, repeatedly..." Phidias' voice dropped, becoming more drunk, "Although he didn't make a sound, But I understand the mouth shape... Ah, Kenan, Dai is calling me..." "Bi Xia, you must have misjudged the person!" Lieutenant General Kenan felt a little uneasy. For some reason, that fleeting blurry figure made him feel a certain danger.He decided to ask Major General Alex to lead the Intelligence Department staff to investigate today's affairs early in the morning.

But... Daisy de Moore has been turned into powder in the vast space, and it is absolutely impossible to live again.Could it be that everything the marshal said was just his illusion?Things...maybe not that simple. "Let's go." A few hours later, after a long period of silence and nap, Phidias, who was lying on the bar, suddenly stood up, and his expression seemed to be a little sober.However, he didn't say anything about what happened just now, he just stood up a little staggeringly, and walked out the door.Kenan had no choice but to follow, full of doubts. The door opened, and the bitter cold wind came oncoming, and the personnel who had been waiting outside the door surrounded them. Albert immediately came up and put on a thick military cloak for the Marshal to block the cold night of Koppel.

When he staggered down the steps, Marshal Phidias raised his wrist and looked at the luminous watch, and murmured: "Ah... So the new day has already started for three hours?" Blown by the cold wind, the Marshal's voice The last trace of drunkenness was gone, he turned his head and said to the driver: "There is no need to go back to the mansion, just drive the car to Rembrandt Palace." "Marshal, are you going to sit in the office until dawn again?" The guard Albert knew it was useless, but still tried his best to dissuade him, "For the sake of this empire, please take care of your health!"

"For the empire?" Phidias sneered suddenly, and got into the space shuttle without saying anything. "Good morning, Marshal." He yawned and sat down in the second conference hall for a while, when he heard someone greet him at the door—a familiar voice, bright and self-confident.Marshal Phidias frowned imperceptibly when he heard that voice.Turning around, I saw the cabinet minister and CEO of the Imperial Economic Planning Agency entering the conference room: Mrs. Alicia von Phidias. His wife, still in the uniform of a major general, greeted him refreshedly, exactly the same as usual.

"Oh... Alicia, sit down. Good morning." Marshal Phidias suddenly felt a little uncomfortable—it was a little strange.As a couple with the highest status in the empire, this is the first time they meet every day! He couldn't help but ordered a cup of coffee with ice cubes and drank it alone.However, his wife didn't ask him about his staying out all night last night. She just opened the file in her hand and began to prepare for the speech at the meeting. "What a strange couple..." Looking at this situation, Albert, the marshal's personal bodyguard, couldn't help but muttered in his heart with a wry smile.

Perhaps because of his wife's attitude of "nothing to do with himself", the Imperial Marshal's uncomfortable mood has been calmed down quickly. He nodded to the government officials who filed into the conference hall, his eyes were cold and calm.When the time came, he ordered Albert to remove the half-drunk coffee from the table, and brought a glass of low-alcohol red wine as usual, and began to listen to the reports of everyone in the meeting. Time passed by every minute and every second, so, in the reports and instructions of the superior and the subordinate, the prototype of the new imperial economic planning outline was drawn up.In the end, the Marshal personally instructed Mrs. Alicia von Phidias, the director of the Economic Planning Agency, to implement it.Alicia immediately stood up and responded to the Marshal's order with a standard military salute. Her beautiful blue eyes were full of enthusiasm for challenging work, and her demeanor was capable and calm. "Okay, the meeting is over and dismissed." Following the marshal's voice, all the participants stood up together, gave a military salute, and then left in order. "Alicia, do you have anything to add?" Just as the headmistress was packing up her things and preparing to leave, the Marshal suddenly asked, turning the glass of red wine in his hand, looking at his wife with a half-smile , "Or... would you rather go 'home' and tell me?" "Report to Marshal, I have said everything I want to say at the meeting." After bowing slightly to the officer, the beautiful cabinet minister walked out of the conference hall without looking back, "I have nothing else to say .” "Hey, Albert," looking at his wife's back, Phidias raised the corners of his mouth, and smiled a little strangely, "Look, I'm really an unattractive husband..." After saying a word, He quickly grabbed the glass and drank it down in one gulp, then stood up. "What's the second item on the agenda?" Phidias asked the guard beside him while putting on his military cap again. "From 9:00 to 11:00 after the meeting, the marshal will go to inspect the military technology research institute under construction in the capital." Alper mechanically read the schedule, "Then from 11:00 to 12:00, At the 60th birthday celebration for the old General Moore, there will be a speech... Then, from 12:00 to 1:00, the Marshal and his wife will be in the Winter Palace with Damin Couric, the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce on the neutral planet Let's have lunch together to discuss the import of materials for this year." "The itinerary report for the morning is complete." After reading, the guard couldn't help but glance at the marshal. "Ah, Albert, don't look at me with such pitiful eyes!" Seeing the young man's eyes, Marshal Phidias couldn't help but smile, put on his gloves and walked out, "Maybe, ten years later, you will also be like that!" So do I!" "Yuan, marshal!" The poor guard was frightened by this bold joke, stuttering and unable to speak. The marshal laughed loudly, and teased the young soldier who had graduated from the military academy for less than a year: "Oh, when I was nineteen years old, if I heard such words, I would be shocked! But in this world, Anything is possible." Phidias habitually walked rapidly through the corridors of the Rembrandt Palace with a soldier-like pace.Suddenly, he stopped in front of a painting, and the guard who followed him almost ran into it. Albert was surprised to find that it was a portrait of Disraeli that caused the Marshal to stand up suddenly! "Karl? It's been a long time since I noticed it..." The Imperial Marshal stood in front of this famous painting called "Legend of the Fallen Sun", and suddenly sighed softly - there were thousands of extremely complicated expressions flashing across Marshal Bi. The eyes of the young military academy graduates on one side can only barely discern the pride, stubbornness and loneliness in them. Naturally, this nineteen-year-old boy did not know that fifteen years ago, in front of this portrait at the Rembrandt Palace, Bishop von Phidias, who was still a military student, set the To exceed the oath of the soldier in the painting.In the following fifteen years, countless bloodbaths and changes of rights whizzed by like the wind. The young man who swore in front of this painting has now become the master of this huge empire. ——However, standing in front of this painting, he still only sighed softly. The eyes are still full of unfulfilled ambitions and longing for everything. On the screen, Disraeli stared at the exploding star outside the cabin, stroked his chest with his hands back, tears flickered in his ice-blue eyes, and the silver medallion exposed between his fingers shone with silver light. "Vivia..." Suddenly, the Marshal blurted out the name. ——I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but for a moment, Albert seemed to see the eyes of the two soldiers inside and outside the screen... there were tears! "Report to Marshal, it is estimated that the first phase of the institute will be completed in November this year." While walking on the construction site, while listening to the report of the person in charge, Marshal Phidias frowned slightly, and ordered: "Try to speed up the construction progress - if you need anything, just ask the General Administration of Materials." "Yes, Marshal!" Colonel Stoke Jansen, who was in charge of engineering, replied respectfully. Marshal Phidias nodded and continued to walk on the construction site - as one of the military's large-scale projects this year, the institute will immediately invest in the development of a series of cutting-edge technologies after completion, including four-dimensional space jumping flight and dark matter control utilization.All of this will play an inestimable role in enhancing the military power of the empire, and will also be more conducive to accelerating the war of galactic unification. The investment of seven billion crowns is not a small amount, but Phidias has always clearly known what he needs and how to obtain it.Therefore, he paid attention to strategy and tactics, but never underestimated technology and the economy of the rear. From this point of view, many historians in later generations not only regarded Phidias as a pure military strategist, but also praised him as a military strategist. Excellent political talent. At 10:45, the accompanying adjutant, Major General Alex, had already begun to arrange the return journey, but the Marshal of the Empire was still carefully understanding all aspects of this top-secret project, walking and talking with his subordinates around the construction site. "Ah? Here—" Suddenly, Phidias stopped, looked around, and his eyes suddenly dimmed.Colonel Jansen was taken aback, and hurriedly looked around to see what was wrong. Surrounding it is a red saffron tree known as the "tree of the overlord" in the Milky Way. This tree can reach a height of ten feet when it grows up, towering into the sky, making other plants unmatched.However, because the root system of a tree needs a large growth range, a tree will occupy a space close to 100 square meters, so on a planet like the capital Koppel, there are only a few people who plant this kind of tree It's just a park. The land in front of me has been requisitioned by the military for re-planning and construction. These red chamomile trees have been uprooted one after another, cut off branches and leaves, and piled up neatly. In order to meet the construction period, the military industry is working in full swing. The ruler of the empire stared blankly at the only remaining tree in the construction site, his eyes were a little dazed, and he suddenly asked a very strange question: "Colonel, what was the purpose of this place before?" The person in charge didn't expect the marshal to ask this question suddenly, and he was speechless.Fortunately, the secretary beside him was well prepared, and quickly replied on behalf of the chief: "Report to the Marshal, this place was a municipal park before it was requisitioned!" "Is it really a park?" Marshal Phidias frowned slightly, staring at the few dozen remaining red chamomile trees, walked over and stroked the trunk of one of them, and asked after a long time, " Is it...a park called 'Green Island Dream'?" For some reason, his hands and his voice trembled a little, as if he was staring at something. "So the marshal also knows? Yes, it is indeed the Dream of Green Island Park." The secretary replied respectfully, as if afraid of something wrong, and immediately added, "Actually, there have been very few people in this park since it was built, and it has been almost deserted all the time. , so it was requisitioned as the land for the research institute.” "I know this—there have been very few people in this park..." Marshal Phidias raised the corner of his mouth strangely, and whispered, "So, even if someone is lost in it It's not easy to find someone to ask the way..." Colonel Jenson had listened intently to every word the marshal said, but at this moment he scratched his head in bewilderment—what was the marshal thinking?Is there something wrong with this forest? "Poor Dai, she's been staying here all this time, waiting for me to take her home..." With both hands firmly pressed against the tree trunk, the whisper-like voice became more and more erratic.That phantom sound seemed to resound again, echoing in my ears from far and near—— "Brother Bixia, why are you always in a daze? Let's talk, shall we?" "Wait for me! Wait for me, Brother Bixia! You, you are walking too fast, I can't keep up..." "A bomb is pressed into my body... Hurry up, throw me out..." ... Standing in the red laurels forest, suddenly, all the words from the past blew past my ears like the wind, as clearly as if that person was whispering in my ears.At this moment, looking at the countless subordinates surrounded by him, Phidias felt as if he was standing in a completely strange world—a dreamlike unreal and empty world. "Brother Bixia...take me back, home..." At the last moment of her death, she looked at herself with infinite trust.However, poor Dai, she will never be able to return to Koppel—just as he left her alone in this park fifteen years ago, he left her alone in that dark and cold space again! "Stop construction around here! Don't move any plants or trees here..." Suddenly, the entourage only saw the marshal suddenly ordering in a strange voice, while tugging at the collar of his military uniform irritably, as if he was out of breath, his face was pale. Extremely pale, "Stop work immediately! Keep this piece of red chamomile forest... don't move any more!" "Marshal, are you feeling well?" Seeing that the Marshal's expression was wrong, Albert hurried over. "It's nothing." Even though he said that, Marshal Phidias' tone was obviously disturbed, and he had already tore off the first discipline button on his military uniform, and his breathing was a little short. The colonel ordered almost viciously: "Listen, this area must not be constructed! I will instruct the planning department to send a new red line map - before that, if there is a grass missing here, I am the only one to ask!" "Yes, yes!" Colonel Jansen, in a cold sweat, accepted this inexplicable order inexplicably. Fortunately, Major General Alex appeared in time to rescue him: "Marshal, the inspection time is up! The convoy and guards are all ready, please set off to the Carnival Palace to celebrate the birthday of old General Moore!" "Old General Moore?" He repeated it in a low voice, and the marshal's voice trembled a little—it seemed that there were some great waves fluctuating in his heart. This blind and only surviving founding father has been treated very well after the young soldiers came to power, and he was never implicated or punished even after his daughter defected.Although he has a bad temper and experienced ups and downs in his life, he still lived to his 60th birthday in good health. Perhaps to appease the older generation of soldiers, Marshal Phidias treated this old man whom he called "Uncle Oletto" kindly, and held a grand birthday celebration for him every year.Although it is often seen that the bad-tempered old man is furious at the dictator, it is strange that the marshal, who is also stubborn and staunch, has silently endured it without any resistance. However, Marshal Phidias was silent for a moment today, but uncharacteristically said to Major General Alex: "No...Alex, temporarily cancel this arrangement for me—just say that due to my poor mental state, today I will Can't make it." Major General Alex looked at the marshal in surprise, not understanding why he suddenly changed his attention when he said everything well in the morning - but such a tired voice indeed reflected that the person in power was extremely unhappy status. "Marshal, please go back to the car and have a rest." Albert came up worriedly to support the marshal. "Okay." The Imperial Marshal agreed verbally, but his eyes were still fixed on the only small piece of park green space left.After dozens of minutes, he reluctantly put down the hand that was rubbing the tree trunk, turned around and got into the special car. A group of people left in a mighty way.Only the person in charge of the project was still in shock, standing blankly by the tree.After a long time, his eyes fell on the tree unintentionally, and he came back to his senses in surprise—he almost cried out, but he held back immediately, and just leaned over to take a closer look carefully. "Look, what is this!" This is a long dead red lotus tree.On the dark red trunk, a thin alloy wire was tied crookedly—obviously something from many years ago.Because with the growth of the tree, the alloy wire has been deeply strangled into the tree body, and even a small sign tied to the wire has also sunk into the tree.However, due to the superior texture of the alloy, the handwriting on the card is still clearly visible despite years of wind and rain. The strokes are immature, obviously a child's handwriting—— "Wish: Happy Birthday to Brother Bixia! Daisy 04/11/0027"