Starlight of the Apocalypse

The leader saw that everyone was silent and slowly began, "Let me tell you a story. In the history of the Huaxia people, there was once a king who was defeated by another. Originally, he planned to commit suicide for his country, but his ministers advised him to surrender. They took the initiative and, together with the queen, served the victorious king for three years, doing menial tasks like taking care of horses, grinding rice, and pushing a millstone. To never forget such humiliation, the king slept on firewood every night and tasted bitter gall before every meal. Later, when he returned to his own country, he worked hard for over twenty years, eventually rising again and defeating the king who had humiliated him."

The leader became more passionate as he spoke, "When our ancestors founded the 'Starfire' alliance, it was because they did not want humanity's flame to be extinguished. Our forebears survived floods, earthquakes, beasts, and wars, and yet they persevered and multiplied. No matter what we face, we have no reason to abandon the continuation of civilization, nor do we have the right to deprive our descendants of the right to live!" He paused, coughing lightly.

"Since ancient times, the weak have had no diplomacy. As long as humanity can survive, we have hope! The AI rebellion was the bitter fruit of our own making. The mech army is merciless and will not give us any chance for negotiation. But the Giant Clan, though arrogant, at least has no intention of destroying us directly. If history requires a sinner, I will take the blame, for the survival of humanity!" With that, the old man looked firmly at the others.

The room was silent for a long time.

It was Ishicel who spoke first, "I understand, but I have a question."

The leader nodded, signaling her to continue.

"If we agree to become their slaves, how will we convince the public? Will this immediately cause a split within the alliance and put us in an even more passive position?" Ishicel, the South American representative, asked.

After hearing the leader's speech, most of the people in the room, though unwilling, were inclined to bear the humiliation for the time being. So, they began considering Ishicel's new question.

After a pause, Nick suddenly spoke up, "Honorable Leader, distinguished representatives, what do you think of this idea? Humanity's civilization, no matter the region, has always had a religious faith. Especially in these last two hundred years, where survival has been uncertain, people have longed for a savior, for the appearance of heroes..."

"Yes!" The Australian representative understood his point and interjected, "The technology of these giants is very similar to the magical powers and divine arts in ancient legends. We could refer to them as the 'Divine Clan,' with mortals serving the gods and the gods protecting the people. This could work."

"Then we could build statues and shrines in the underground cities, allowing the people to mentally accept their orders. On the other hand, we should strive to learn from them, whether it be their advanced 'technology' or their magic, so that we can accumulate capital for the resurgence of human civilization!" The European representative quickly added.

Because of the time constraints, they voted quickly. The proposal passed with 3 votes in favor, 1 against, and 3 abstentions. They agreed to discuss the implementation details after the negotiations with the Divine Clan.

Returning to the hall, they found that Soya and her companions were happily enjoying the food, clearly fond of Earth's cuisine.

Upon seeing them, Soya didn't wait for them to sit down and smiled, "Have you reached a decision?"

The leader slowly walked over to Soya, took a deep breath, and said, "Princess, on behalf of humanity, I accept the proposal of the Divine Clan."

"That's good! I don't want to fight with you cute little mortals," Soya smiled.

"We also have many legends of gods in human history, including stories of great giants. So, we were wondering if we could ask the beautiful princess and these two gentlemen to serve as models for statues that we will place in each of the underground cities, for the people to worship?" The leader continued.

"Sure, it doesn't matter to me. You won't be seeing my father; he's not as good-looking as me, so just model it after me!" Soya said, touching her lips.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, wondering how she could talk about her father that way. It seemed she had been indulged for too long. But looking more closely, it was clear she had the confidence to back it up.

"You little leader, what's your name again? It's interesting!" Soya said happily. "Now that we've reached an agreement, let's sign the contract!"

The leader nodded slightly, instructing the staff to prepare the signing table, chairs, ink, and pens, waiting for her to bring out the contract. But there was no movement, which puzzled everyone.

Soya laughed, "What are you all doing?"

Nick stepped forward and said, "Princess, aren't you here to sign the contract? The pens and ink are ready. Please bring out the contract!"

Soya looked surprised, "That's not how we do it. We don't want the table. Though you humans are our slaves, we don't need all of you. You're too many for us to take care of!"

Everyone stared blankly, wondering how the master who had called them slaves was now saying she couldn't afford to keep them all.

Seeing their confusion, Soya explained, "We'll select some of you who are smart enough, mark them with a sign, and then we can summon them when needed, just like summoning other creatures." At this, her attendant brought out an object with a hexagonal base.

Everyone understood her meaning, but inwardly, they were even more frustrated. It seemed humanity was now reduced to being "summoned beasts."

After some discussion, they decided to select 1-2 elites from each of the 13 remaining underground cities (2 from cities with populations over 50,000, and 1 from cities with fewer people) to serve the gods as "Divine Envoys." Soya and her group stayed temporarily in Kedu, while passing on the selection criteria and acting as models for the statues.

The leader of the Divine Clan, Soya's father (now referred to by humans as the "God King"), received the news from his daughter and decided to have her return, while the selected elites would come to the Holy City for the sealing. He had an uneasy premonition...

Unlike most underground cities, Blackstone City was located beneath an oasis in a desert, making it relatively habitable. As a result, it was one of humanity's second-largest cities, with a population of 90,000.

"Wow, there's a lake! I'm going to take a bath first. Little girls, don't peep!" Bo Yi shouted when he saw the lake.

"I'm not interested in your macho body!" Sophia laughed.

"Yeah, after all this dust and sand, it's time to wash up!" Yuwang added.

"Well, I guess we'll see if the fishing nets work now, hehe," Chang Xi joked.

The group drove to the lake, and Bo Yi began removing his clothes.

"Are you really going to bathe?" Yuwang said, rubbing his forehead. "Let's take care of business first!"

"I'm just lightening the mood. If you really want to see, I'm too shy!" Bo Yi said, adjusting his clothes and following along.