"General Labu, our Zela Star will absolutely not participate in your war with the Nova Empire. We hope you will lead your army away from here!"
The old captain, with a stern expression, spoke to the holographic image in front of him. The image showed a strong, blue-skinned Kree.
Clearly, he was negotiating with the general of the Kree fleet opposite him.
The Kree general shook his head dismissively:
"Ryder XX, I will say this one last time: you have no choice. Either obey the orders of the great Kree Empire, or we will completely destroy your fleet and make Zela Star a new slave Planet of the Empire!"
"I'll give you half an hour to consider. If you don't reply in half an hour, I will launch an attack."
"Think carefully about the conditions I told you earlier. I'm sure you won't be foolish!"
With that, without waiting for the old captain to reply, the other side directly cut off communication.
Upon hearing this, the old captain was so angry his back molars almost shattered.
"This is too much! Absolutely outrageous!"
"Ryder XX, it seems this captain is also your current emperor of Zela Star."
Adam's face showed a surprised expression.
He had long known from Silver Surfer that although Zela Star was technologically advanced, it was also a Planet with an imperial system. He just hadn't expected the emperor of Zela Star to personally lead the expedition, which showed some courage.
In the Universe, the system of a Planet and its technological level actually have little to do with each other. It's not that the more developed a Planet's technology, the more advanced its system.
On the contrary, many Superpowers still use an imperial system with centralized power, where the emperor's orders are inviolable. This allows them to be sufficiently united and powerful.
The ruler of the powerful Kree Empire is named Supreme Intelligence, an artificial intelligence that embodies all Kree science, philosophy, military, and thought.
This artificial intelligence can be said to be the emperor of the Kree Empire; its commands are absolutely correct and undeniable for the Kree.
If you can't understand, imagine if Qin Shi Huang had unified Earth and developed technology to the point of flying out into the Universe, he would also establish an existence similar to the Kree Empire.
"I didn't expect that after more than a thousand years, the Ryde family still rules this Planet. It seems they've done well."
Silver Surfer nodded, looking at the old captain with a relieved expression.
As Adam looked at Silver Surfer's expression, his heart suddenly stirred:
"Wait, Norrin, I remember your name is Norrin Ryde. Is there some connection between you and this Ryder XX?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you?
I am Ryde XIV. To protect my people, I agreed to become Galactus's slave and help him find other Planets to devour."
Silver Surfer scratched his head and replied.
Adam was also stunned upon hearing this. He really hadn't expected Silver Surfer to have this identity.
But thinking about it, if Silver Surfer were truly just a normal scientist, how could he have replaced Zela Star as Galactus's slave? After all, he was not like Tony or Banner.
Tony and Banner might appear to be scientists, but in reality, they are both powerful Superheroes.
Imagine this: Galactus comes to Earth to devour it, and then Einstein suddenly jumps out and says, "Don't devour Earth, I'm willing to become your slave and help you find more Planets in the future."
Isn't that ridiculous? Galactus probably wouldn't even look.
But if it were the ruler of Earth, leading a cosmic fleet in a frantic counterattack against Galactus, and then, after defeat, stepping forward to declare his identity as the ruler of this Planet and saying those words, it would be different.
"Didn't you say you had no relatives left on this Planet?"
Adam asked again.
Silver Surfer spread his hands:
"I wasn't married then, and I had no children. More than a thousand years have passed, and I thought the royal family would have long been replaced by another family. I never expected it would still be our Ryde family."
"Alright, then let's go talk to your descendant. He seems almost worried to death."
Adam nodded, then he and Silver Surfer approached Ryder XX and lifted the invisibility spell.
He thought this was good. With Silver Surfer's identity, things would be easier later, and his spaceship and new identity would be settled.
"Ancestor!"
"Hero King!"
Adam and Silver Surfer, having revealed themselves, hadn't even had time to state their identities or explain why they were there, when the current old emperor of Zela Star, upon seeing Silver Surfer, exclaimed first.
At the same time, the high-ranking imperial officers around them also exclaimed, though their titles for Silver Surfer differed.
This scene made both Adam and Silver Surfer pause.
"So many years have passed, and you still remember me?"
"Ancestor, you are the greatest emperor of our Zela Star. Your twin statues still stand in the largest square of the capital, and the first page of every history book is entirely dedicated to your deeds."
"So how could we forget you!"
Ryder XX explained, his face full of excitement.
It turned out that after Silver Surfer, the scientist-emperor, sacrificed himself for Zela Star, transformed into Silver Surfer, and left, the partially retired Grand Emperor had no choice but to resume the position of emperor.
To continue the royal Bloodline, the 230-year-old Grand Emperor began selecting consorts from across the Planet and, through various means, finally had a child before his death, who inherited the throne.
That child grew up listening to stories of his half-brother, Silver Surfer, and worshipped Silver Surfer greatly. So, he had twin statues of Silver Surfer erected in the Grand Square of the capital.
The so-called twin statues referred to one depicting Silver Surfer in his original form as a normal Zela Star person, and the other in his current Silver Surfer form.
He also actively promoted Silver Surfer's deeds through history books, museums, and extended movies and television, bestowing upon Silver Surfer the title of "Hero King."
This meant an emperor who was like a hero.
Therefore, as soon as Silver Surfer appeared, everyone immediately recognized him.
However, Adam had his own interpretation of this story.
He felt that the young emperor's worship of his half-brother was false. It was highly likely that he was young at the time and feared that other ambitious individuals in the Empire would seize power, so he deliberately publicized the royal family's contributions to Zela Star to win over the people's hearts.
"He who wins the people's heart wins the world" also applies to countries on other Planets.
As long as everyone remembered the story of Ryde XIV saving Zela Star, they would always remember the good deeds of the royal family, and the royal family's position would be unshakeable.
Of course, this was also a good thing. At least now they wouldn't have to waste words convincing the current emperor, and their seniority had also skyrocketed, making them an ancestor and an ancestor's friend.