Unfortunately, the general didn’t want to go with them. Disclaiming his distaste of playing gooseberry, Degurechaff further stressed that the sight of Lila and Gemini together was making him feel somewhat depressed at his marital status. When all was said and done, the general was already in his forties, having devoted his life to the military and the subsequent defence of Ark City.

And yet, Gemini knew that he was also a very eligible bachelor in the eyes of Ark City’s upper class…which was the second problem. Like every other city and nation, Ark City had factions that varied in influence. Most of them were headed by a senator, and these factions loved to squabble over policy-making and whatnot. Deals were made through trades and influence, and it was very fortunate that the military and deployment of martial powerhouses were decided based on the thoughts of the military leaders and the Paragons in attendance, or else nothing would have been achieved.

So, if General Degurechaff was to be linked to a faction through marriage…well, there was probably going to be political carnage for some time. The man himself was aware of this, and more than once, he had expressed his desire to the other Paragons to go incognito inside Ark City to find a true lover.

As to how that went…no one knew.

But there probably wasn’t much success, judging from his depression.

“I see,” said Lila. “Humans and beastfolk are quite like us, then. Ars had all these little groups too, and no one could ever get anything done if the Exemplars didn’t step in.”

Gemini laughed. “Seems to be a trend everywhere. Honestly, humans, beastfolk and demons aren’t really all that different, are we?”

The two continued to joke around until they reached their destination. The lobby of the Congress building was rather desolate, as per the norm. Most senators wouldn’t even show up and vote on policies that had little to do with their faction, unless a Paragon forced— sorry, asked — them to.

And as usual, the hardworking Senators Guo Ming and Harlinder were lazing around the lobby. The daily session was over, and the two Senators loved chatting with each other after an hour of proposals and votes. Since the attacks by the primal demons had ended, these two were ramping up their lazing sessions even further.

“Constellation Gemini, it’s rare to see you in these parts,” said Senator Guo Ming. “You wanted to talk to us?”

“To the whole of Congress, actually,” said Gemini. “Basically, I got some information from the Memory Sifter that needs to be disseminated to the entire Congress.”

“From the Memory Sifter? You got to visit her again?” Senator Harlinder asked.

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Gemini nodded. “Yeap. Got some useful tips for my own too, but she also compiled an entire file on her thoughts about the impending invasion in four years. I think the Congress needs to see it — there’s quite a few things inside.”

He slid the file over to Guo Ming, who began to leaf through it. The senator’s eyes turned into a blur as he scanned through word after word, and his brow began to crease. Gemini could understand why — the document had contained some very alarming information. Emily had extrapolated the advancement of technology in warfare, based off the two world wars back on Earth.

Using the Second Extermination as a model for growth on Orb, she had predicted the types of weapons that would be used in the clash four years from now, and she had arrived at a conclusion.

Whatever artefacts and tactics that would be used in four years’ time would be comparable to Ark City’s own. And when the Demon God’s forces faced resistance of their level, the great god would probably think about the stubborn nut in Ark City…and then attack it with overwhelming numbers.

At which point, it would be a slaughter.

Her conclusion was as such: Ark City must leave the Wildlands before the Great Divide came down. The Demon God, like the other great gods, had an intelligence that surpassed mortals. And with the forces at his disposal, casually smashing a city or two in his home turf wasn’t going to be anything hard. The Memory Sifter hadn’t even bothered to model how long they could last; there was a little note appended to the side saying that Ark City, if attacked under the direction of the Demon God, wouldn’t last a day.

Ominous, if nothing else.

“So, we are well and truly screwed,” said Senator Guo Ming.

“Can I?” Harlinder asked.

“Go ahead.” Guo Ming passed her the file and said, “Which option should we pursue, Gemini?”

“Can we teleport back to the Five Lands again? That seems to be the best way,” said Gemini. “The others all rely on the Crater of Purple Rain, which means that someone must be left behind. And not to mention the dangers of a giant refugee convoy.”

“Well, there’s this…mass driver thing the Memory Sifter proposed. But I don’t get how it works,” said Guo Ming.

“Hmm.” Gemini thought for a moment. “Like a giant carriage, I guess. You’ll have to leave this to the specialists. The last one — turning Ark City into a floating city — has to be worked out by the experts too. I’ll just bob my head or something if you ask me for my opinions.”

“That’s probably for the best. I’ll get the people under me to work out the feasibility of each plan,” said Senator Harlinder.

“It’s not feasibility,” said Gemini.

“It’s something we must do,” Lila added on. “Emily said that even if we had to expend all our resources, we cannot tarry this project.”

“Emily?” Senator Guo Ming furrowed his brows. “Ah, you’re on speaking terms with the Memory Sifter? Impressive. How did you do it?”

Lila shuffled her feet awkwardly, and Gemini came to her rescue.

“You just have to interest her,” said the Constellation. “Then she’ll open up. Of course, if you’re going to talk about boring stuff, she’ll also get bored, right?”

“Hmm. What did the two of you talk about?” Senator Guo Ming asked.

Gemini patted Lila’s shoulders. “Don’t ask, and we’ll still be friends.”

He flashed a smile, but the rest of his face was stormy. The senator shuddered, and then took a few steps back, muttering something about a small convoy of ants passing through. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Lila and Gemini left — they only wanted to deliver this file to a senator.