"Yes, my lord." Sebas bowed slightly, "However, you might find the existence of the Primordial Energy Room somewhat unsettling."
This single sentence caused Shen Shi's expression to change slightly.
A sudden conjecture crossed his mind.
Staring closely at Sebas in front of him, he asked word by word, "Why do you say that?"
"This is based on my understanding of you, my lord." Sebas maintained his apologetic posture, "In order to serve you better, I need some time to understand you, and I apologize for any discomfort caused earlier."
Although the central AI of the warship can link consciousness with its master through a personal terminal, this link is passive and cautious.
Therefore, no matter how advanced an AI is, it always needs time to develop mutual understanding.
At this moment, Sebas already had some understanding of Shen Shi.
For example, he reassessed the sensitivity to emotions; if it were now, he wouldn't say the word "ghost."
Shen Shi understood this as well.
Yet, after a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Take me there."
Here, on his warship, he could allow himself discomfort but not the lack of understanding.
This determination, born from his desire to control, was also conveyed to Sebas.
He once again bowed, "As you wish."
The floating disc underfoot automatically began to operate; Shen Shi did not feel any inertia. This wondrous experience dispelled some of his unease; after all, this time he was here to thoroughly understand his warship.
After passing through a membrane emitting gentle light, in just the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of a metal door.
Shen Shi was surprised again and couldn't help but ask.
"Is the speed of movement within the warship this fast, or is the Primordial Energy Room located close to the entrance?"
"Only you have exclusive access to the corridor." Sebas answered.
This is actually to allow the captain to quickly inspect the conditions of the entire warship.
It also serves to prevent the warship from being invaded by outsiders.
Whether in attack or retreat, the captain's safety can be maximized.
Shen Shi could only say, the products of the future world are far more comprehensive than he imagined.
However, his gaze was currently fixed on the metal door before him.
"Can it be opened?" he asked.
This was the first door he had seen since boarding the warship.
"Your will is everything." Sebas said, as the seemingly heavy door slowly slid open. Shen Shi saw a flash of light on its back, accompanied by a faint smell of charred air.
He did not ask what it was.
He just directed his gaze inside the door.
It was a cold and strange room, filled with a dense array of black "jars," along with many exposed pipes. What made it strange were the patterns on the walls, including the floor, which were slowly changing inexplicably.
Just by looking at these patterns for a bit longer, Shen Shi felt dizzy.
It was as if he were watching hypnotic patterns.
Quickly, he turned his gaze away, not focusing on the patterns, and his senses immediately improved slightly.
Could this be the discomfort that Sebas mentioned?
Shen Shi relaxed slightly.
His gaze fell on the "jars."
"What are these?" He asked while stepping inside, his steps somewhat lighter.
"Primordial Energy Batteries." Sebas replied, but did not follow him inside, merely continuing, "My lord, you should not approach closer than forty centimeters to the Primordial Energy Batteries; you might experience a consciousness impact."
Shen Shi instinctively halted.
But at this very distance, he felt it.
Coldness, despair, oppression... and bewilderment and fear.
This persistent stream of emotions from outside felt like mist enveloping him bit by bit.
His expression changed.
This feeling... reminded Shen Shi of the time in the virtual market when the Collector lost control of his emotions, resulting in a consciousness attack.
Although it's a completely different feeling, and although this level cannot compare to the Collector's at that time.
"What exactly is inside?" Shen Shi's throat moved, his expression somewhat frightening.
"E-5 type Primordial Energy Battery." Sebas responded unchanged, but the cultivated tacit understanding took effect. He seemed suddenly to understand Shen Shi's meaning and continued, "The raw materials come from a wise civilization called Middleton, under the E-level civilization of the 'Mude' system, the fifth generation individual."
Shen Shi remained silent.
Even though he did not know what kind of civilization "Middleton" was, the words "wise" and "individual" were enough to imply that inside these jars were intelligent creatures!
Intelligent creatures like humans!
Locked in here as "batteries," forever emitting such despair!
Shen Shi held his breath, pursed his lips, said nothing, and then retreated.
There was no notion of "releasing" them to cause trouble.
But he still endured some unspeakable emotional impact.
Until the door closed, after a long time, he slowly exhaled a sigh of relief.
"What is the 'Mude' system?" he asked, "Explain it in a way I can understand."
"You can regard it as a powerful interstellar social system." Sebas' tone gradually slowed, "At the top of this system is the ruling class 'Pasture Master', under which all subordinate civilizations are divided into seven levels, sorted by letters. G-level is the lowest, typically being primitive races invaded, captured, and bred by force."
Shen Shi had heard this name from the Collector.
The original statement was "No civilization within the Pasture Master's territory would dare to sell immigrant warships to us."
Why wouldn't they dare sell?
Thinking about the alien invasion three years later, some logic seems already clear.
Shen Shi turned and closely stared at Sebas.
"Tell me, what level is humanity? I allow you to search the Independent Information Library for the answer!"
"It's D-level, my lord." Sebas responded quickly.
"Will they be made into Primordial Energy Batteries?" Shen Shi asked again.
"Every twelve Mother Star years, it is required to submit sufficient benefits, otherwise, five percent of the individual count will be taken as punishment." Sebas' tone slowed even further.
Clearly, the deepening "tacit understanding" already enabled him to know what discomfort these words would bring to Shen Shi.
However, this time there was no trembling of Shen Shi's body.
Because this was the answer he had already guessed.
"No wonder..." he said softly.
No wonder more, stronger warships can't be bought.
No wonder the Collector would say those words.
The humanity of three thousand years later still never achieved real strength.