4

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*"How did it end up like this?"* Liza wondered as she found herself in her current situation. She was now tied up outside what appeared to be a large metal dome. The terrifying creature that had captured her had left her there while it entered the dome.

All kinds of thoughts began to flood her mind, and she remembered the situation where she had been chased by goblins in the forest. It wasn't the first time she had been attacked by monsters or animals, so she wasn't nervous.

At first, there were five goblins, but with a few quick strikes, she had managed to kill one and severely injure another. Using her speed, she ran toward the edge of the forest to avoid being hindered by the trees.

*"Damn it,"* she cursed, spitting out a bit of blood as she recalled how easily she had been subdued without being able to put up any resistance. She, who prided herself on being the strongest girl in the village and had even defeated many boys, had been effortlessly defeated.

As her captor took his time, she tried to free herself several times but failed. The rope she was tied with seemed to be made of metal, but it was too light for that and far more durable. Despite all her strength, she couldn't loosen it even a bit.

Unable to escape or free herself, she could only accept her situation, and her mind began to think about what would happen next. Soon, her thoughts turned to Oliver's appearance, and she began to wonder what kind of creature he was.

*"Scaly body and strange magic... Is he a demon?"* She shuddered at the thought and tried to free herself in every way possible. Although no one in her village had ever seen a demon, she had heard stories from the merchants who came to trade wood in her village.

A being of great power that feeds on the flesh and agony of sentient beings and devours their souls. Creatures made of pure evil that must be eradicated on sight. The little information about them was spread by the Church of Light, but since her village was small and far from the cities, she could only speculate.

To her, her captor seemed completely demonic. To her despair, moments later, Oliver emerged from the dome holding a syringe and a strange small device. He began to approach Liza, who struggled to get up and started shouting at him.

*"STAY AWAY, DEMON! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU DO ANYTHING TO ME!"* Liza yelled, glaring at Oliver with anger. Her stubborn and aggressive nature made the man hesitate for a moment, but calmly, he held her down. Liza closed her eyes, fearing the worst.

She felt something cold being placed on the left side of her forehead, followed by a chill spreading across her skin and a small electric shock. *"Can you hear me now?"* Oliver's voice echoed directly in her head, startling her. She opened her eyes and stared at him in confusion.

With a click, Oliver removed his helmet, revealing his handsome face and black hair with a slight white tint. His red pupils captivated Liza for a moment, putting her in a trance. *"To talk to me, just think the words, and I'll hear them,"* Oliver's voice sounded in her mind again, and she was startled once more when she didn't see his mouth move.

*"How are you in my head?"* Liza thought, and Oliver smiled at her while pointing to the small device near her ear.

*"I placed a communicator called a Focus on you. It allows us to communicate through brainwaves,"* Oliver explained. This device was designed to overcome the language barrier between humans in the Empire, which spanned hundreds of worlds, allowing for clear and quick communication.

**(Author's Note: It's similar to the Focus from Horizon Zero Dawn.)**

Liza and Oliver stared at each other in silence for a few moments. *"I'm going to collect some of your blood. Don't move,"* he said, breaking the silence. He gently touched Liza's arm before releasing the cap.

She remained quiet as Oliver stretched her arm and inserted the needle. Despite the slight sting, she made no sound, and soon a small tube of blood was collected.

*"Well, my name is Oliver. And yours?"* he asked. Liza continued to look at him with some suspicion but soon replied, *"My name is Liza. Are you a demon?"* she asked directly. Oliver paused for a moment before chuckling lightly.

*"No, haha. I'm a human, just like you. Relax. By the way, are you hungry?"* he said while rummaging through his bag and pulling out a block of synthetic starch and a bottle of water. It wasn't very tasty, but it would stave off hunger.

Liza looked at it curiously for a moment before quickly eating the bar. Soon, the two began to talk calmly.

---

Elias paced worriedly around his house. It was already night, and his sister still hadn't returned, making him nervous. *"Did something happen?"* He clenched his hands. His parents were away from the village with the trade caravan, negotiating supplies in the city.

His sister, despite being mischievous, always came back, but today was different. Moreover, when he returned to the village, he received news that a goblin nest had been discovered in the forest, and some villagers had been attacked.

His sister was strong—he knew that—but he still worried. *"Maybe I should go look for her,"* he thought, but he knew that searching now would only result in two people being lost. *"I'll look for her tomorrow. I hope she's okay."*

Elias lay down on his bed and tried to sleep in vain.

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**(Sovereign System 

Glory Points: 603 

Current Territories: Colonial Base - 1 

Monthly Glory Points Production: 1 

Current Troops: 0 

Heroes: 

Oliver Ironseed (Faction Leader) Level 1 

Technology Gacha- 

Enemies Eliminated: 3 Goblins, Losses: 0, Points: 3)**

Oliver checked his system after finishing his conversation with Liza and setting up a tent for her to spend the night. Although it wasn't very polite, he still didn't trust her enough to bring her aboard the spaceship.

**(Sir, the tests for microorganism resistance are complete.)**

*"Good,"* Oliver said upon hearing the computer's notification. He entered the ship's small laboratory and approached the analysis and medicine machine. A tube containing his blood was ejected, and he grabbed it, injecting it into his arm with a slight grimace of discomfort.

What he had done was essentially cultivate antibodies against the local microorganisms captured in the samples he had collected earlier. By placing his blood in an artificial environment controlled by the machine, he allowed his blood to develop natural antibodies at an extremely accelerated rate.

*"Computer, analyze this sample,"* he said, placing Liza's blood into the machine. He then approached a nearby panel, and data about her blood and genetic sequence were displayed.

**(Genetic sample: 82% similar to common human DNA. Slight anomalies caused by excessive energy in the atmosphere.)**

Oliver placed both hands on the counter as he thought deeply about everything that had happened so far. Many questions arose in his mind: Why were there humans on this planet? Why was the biodiversity so similar to Earth's?

These were questions he still didn't have answers to—only theories. However, from what he had learned from Liza, none of them seemed very likely. According to their earlier conversation, this world had humans and many sentient species with various civilizations.

They were currently in a human kingdom to the south of the continent called Tristan, or something similar, which bordered a hostile empire and two allied kingdoms—one composed of beast-like semi-humans and the other a dwarven kingdom.

There were several other kingdoms, empires, and countries across the vast continent, with countless intelligent species fighting for supremacy. However, Liza didn't seem to know much beyond common knowledge.

*"When the Empire arrives here, it's going to be a bloodbath,"* Oliver muttered to himself, though he didn't seem too concerned. Deep down, he knew he would likely start wars during his colonization.

But not now. With his new information, he had to make new plans, new strategies, and immediately start building an army if possible. However, he now faced a serious problem.

He lacked technology. The Empire would never allow a colonization ship to carry cutting-edge technology, especially military equipment. There were only models for a few construction drones and common work machines. It would take months of his own research just to develop a functional gunpowder weapon and even longer to establish an industry.

*"Everything starts with a first step,"* Oliver thought, clenching his fist with determination.

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