The Hope was far too massive; utilizing it to traverse the atmosphere would have inflicted too great an impact on Gemini. Thus, we took the shuttle back to the surface of Gemini. I hadn't observed it closely before, but now it was clear the planet was a wreck. Beyond the fires raging from crashed warships littering the ground, the impact of the explosion had shifted the orbit of Moon Phobos, and Simumu had piloted a massive warship down into the atmosphere. This caused massive fluctuations in the oceans, resulting in floods affecting half of the Jin Kingdom and the Wanma Kingdom. The Dual City State, situated inland, was less affected by the flooding, but it suffered a devastating bombardment from the U-Star warships, leaving half of the city obliterated.

Ma Xiaoda stood silently before the former Hall of Civil and Military Virtue. Everyone disembarked from the shuttle and stood with him, gazing upon the ruins before them. I sighed, "Ma Xiaoda, I apologize. I failed in my duty to protect you. We should have evacuated the surface population sooner."

Ma Xiaoda shook his head. "Zhao Qian, I should be grateful to you. You have given so much for us, even fighting those machines with your own flesh and blood. That moved and impressed us all. But a person is still just a person; one individual’s energy has its limits. If we are not to be bullied by them, we must develop our own machinery to be even more advanced than theirs. I will study hard and become a king for a new era."

Ma Xiaowei and Ma Xiaorui each took an arm of Ma Xiaoda, one on either side. "Imperial younger brother, you've grown up..."

Ma Xiaoda suddenly smiled and pointed at the ruins beneath his feet. "Destruction signifies rebirth. I will dedicate my heart to building the new city. Brother-in-law, you should be going home now. My two sisters constantly bother me; you absolutely must take them away, or I won't play games with you anymore."

Ma Xiaowei’s face turned cold. "Imperial younger brother, you were just talking about growing up, and now you’re acting like this again. I won't pay attention to you anymore."

Ma Xiaoda waved goodbye with a smile. "Go on, go on. Go home with my brother-in-law. Come back to visit me and Father Emperor when you have time."

I said to Ma Xiaoda, "You don't need to worry about the reconstruction of Gemini. We will leave behind one Fortress-class warship, supported by one thousand cruisers, to garrison the planet. The Fortress contains a large contingent of intelligent robots; they can complete the rebuilding work in at most one week. The only thing we need to consider is what face Gemini will show the universe going forward."

Ma Xiaoda grasped my hand. "Brother-in-law, I will listen to you. I will do whatever you tell me to do."

I replied, "Gemini is a green planet. Although the underground civilization has developed to a considerable degree, the surface remains pristine—the sky is blue, the water is clear. This is the most suitable place for humanity. We shouldn't let it become as polluted as Earth again. With our understanding of wormholes shortening interstellar travel time, how would you feel about uniting our two planets, if you don't mind?"

Ma Xiaoda exclaimed excitedly, "Brother-in-law, I've been waiting for you to say that! Don't you know what my attitude is? Shall I have the Dual City State join your Earth Federation? You can guide the development of Gemini. With your prestige and strength, the Jin Kingdom, the Wanma Kingdom, the Underground City, and the Fish People will all listen to you. We will do exactly as you instruct."

I agreed, "Very well, as long as you have no objections, I will handle this immediately upon my return. My plan is for Gemini to forgo heavy industrial production; everything will be centered around habitability. We can develop the surface, the underground, and the seas together. Earth's population capacity is already overloaded, while this place is sparsely populated. Controlled immigration is necessary. Furthermore, we can build holiday villas here. In this era of universal space travel, people tired of urban life can come here to relax. As for tourism, I consider it optional because tourism brings ecological damage. Moreover, the Dwarves and Fish People are different from what we call normal humans; we must not let them feel like they are being treated as monsters."

Cheng Susu interjected from behind me, "What you said is both right and wrong. Everything is a contradiction; there are opposing sides. If properly managed, developing tourism is not impossible. Also, there will certainly be surprise when Earth humans first encounter the Dwarves and Fish People, but we must not deliberately isolate or avoid them. As time passes and they gradually integrate into our social sphere, I believe those improper preconceptions will naturally fade away."

Dragon Girl and Little Raindrop nodded in agreement. I conceded, "I’m not an expert on these matters. Perhaps we should discuss it more when we get home. Frankly, I’ve been quite disheartened recently; I’m even starting to doubt if I’m getting old."

"What's wrong?" the women asked with concern.

I confessed, "In my mind, I always believed I was invincible, capable of conquering anything, but events have repeatedly dealt me setbacks. I think I should just go back to Earth to retire—raising children and tending to some chickens might be quite enjoyable."

"You..." Dragon Girl gave me a sidelong glance, and the other women looked similarly wistful. Little Raindrop chirped, "Brother, are you still dwelling on not being able to handle the U-Star fleet? Honestly, must you see yourself as the savior? In terms of one-on-one combat, no one here can beat you—not even Dragon Girl or me. In a short amount of time, you elevated Gemini's technology to an unprecedented height. While you might not have defeated the U-Star fleet outright, you significantly stalled their invasion. According to the data, the U-Stars took thousands of years to achieve their level of technology; they were defeated by you. I am from ten million years in the future, and even on Earth in this era, it took nearly four hundred years to establish the base under the T Desert. Dragon Girl is a remnant of an ancient civilization; not only did she inherit ancient technology, but she also developed in secret within the Moon for six thousand years. Compared to you, we have all fallen short."

I chuckled. "Hearing you say that, I sound quite formidable."

The women spoke in unison, "Of course you are! In our hearts, you are the invincible great hero!"

Hero or not, I'll accept the title for now; after all, it’s my wives showing their affection. Truthfully, the Gemini incident was a major blow, but it also made me realize a crucial principle that I've always stressed: an individual's power is ultimately limited. The lone hero is not suited for the future era of the greater cosmos. Developing technology to manufacture peerless weaponry is what I must focus on. However, besides war, can there not be other pursuits among highly intelligent beings? Perhaps I should properly interrogate Simumu. The main control computer in the Moon Phobos base held no data on the Sgajdi Empire, not even information about their home planet. I suspect there should be something else we can develop besides conflict between us.

The problem with Ma Xiaoda’s situation is straightforward. Cheng Susu is an expert in design and possesses exceptional aesthetic sense; entrusting the reconstruction of Gemini to her would be excellent. But the most pressing matter is returning home first; traversing between Earth and Gemini doesn't take much time anyway.

Ma Xiaoda had no objection to Ma Xiaowei and Ma Xiaorui returning to Earth with me. Moreover, crossing wormholes had become routine, and they could easily return to visit family when they missed home. Consequently, the two sisters decided to safely accompany me back. Next, we should pay a visit to the Underground City; after all, we owe Ximen Yan's father an accounting.

Dragon Girl, Little Raindrop, and Little Hui were all extremely fond of Ximen Yan. Allowing Ximen Yan to return home to play with my son would surely make for a wonderful companion, and she was beautiful, plus it wouldn't interfere with matters of intimacy. The three girls had no issue with Little Yu'er accompanying us back to Earth for observation and study. Furthermore, they insisted I take them to the Fish Capital to see genuine Fish People. In their eyes, the current Little Yu'er was already utterly different from the Fish People; what kind of mermaid is one without a tail?

The losses sustained in the Underground City were lighter than those on the surface, and thanks to their advanced technology, they had already managed partial recovery. Ximen Tian personally received the envoys from Earth in the grand hall of the Underground City. When his daughter mentioned they were merely my wives, he remained composed.

Since I held no official position, everyone preferred to call me by my name. "Zhao Qian, now that the U-Stars have been defeated by us, and the connection between Gemini and Earth is about to open, do you have any good suggestions for the future of us Dwarves?"

I replied to Ximen Tian, "City Lord, if you trust us, the security of Gemini from now on will be the responsibility of our Earth Federation fleet. Gemini should cease redundant weapons production. Furthermore, its production level is not just a tier below Earth's; you can save time and energy for other pursuits."

Ximen Tian responded, "I can doubt anyone else, but I have absolute trust in you. Even the U-Stars must be utterly incapable when faced with the Earth Federation's warships. What worries could I possibly have? I have always advocated winning people over with virtue; this is why the Underground City has avoided developing weapons for so long. I am very happy to accept your suggestion."

I said cheerfully, "It's wonderful that you think so, City Lord. The Underground City need not produce weapons, but you can utilize your existing technological foundation to manufacture high-precision electronic products. Firstly, Gemini is a massive market for these goods. Secondly, you could export some to Earth. You could even develop industries like food and textiles; these are daily necessities, and I am sure they will sell well. Moreover, in the future, Earth will need to import energy crystals and various minerals from Gemini. I hope you won't be stingy with them. Of course, we will pay for them. Transactions can be settled using Diamond or Gold."

Ximen Tian clapped my shoulder. "Zhao Qian, are you still treating me like an outsider? Yan Yan told me she wishes to return to Earth with you. She is my only daughter, and her mother passed away early; it would be a lie to say I don't miss her. You have saved us multiple times and helped us repel the U-Stars without asking for compensation. If I were ungrateful, I wouldn't be human."

Ximen Yan said, "Father, why are you saying such things? You yourself said Zhao Qian is not an outsider; this is what he ought to do."

I assured him, "City Lord, I will treat Yan Yan well, please do not worry. She will not suffer any grievances on Earth. If you miss her, you can take a spaceship to Earth, or have Yan Yan return to Gemini regularly to visit you. As for the energy crystals and minerals, we will settle payment according to regulations. After all, those resources require effort to mine; they aren't cabbages from our own backyard that we can just pick up."

Ximen Tian laughed. "Still calling me City Lord? Doesn't that sound a bit distant?"

I replied helplessly, "Uncle..." Calling me Father-in-law still felt premature, as no formal proposal had been made. However, spiriting away his daughter without proposing seemed indefensible.

With Ximen Yan settled, we then traveled to the Fish Capital. The primary reasons were that Dragon Girl and the others wanted to see the merfolk, and Little Yu'er was still there, and I needed to ask if she wanted to come with us. Due to the language barrier, we didn't communicate much with the Emperor of the Fish Kingdom, but the Dragon Girl and Little Raindrop managed to convey our general intentions. They explained that after the war, the Fish People needed a period of peace and stability to recover, and we offered to guarantee their security through our federation's protection, even suggesting joint development in the aquatic territories, provided the Fish People recognized our overall jurisdiction. I think the Emperor, seeing the might of our fleet and the obvious intelligence difference, agreed to the general terms to stabilize his people.

The secret of the wormholes was far more complex than I had imagined. If it hadn't been so, Little Raindrop and Dragon Girl wouldn't have spent two years researching and taming them. During that time, they had recklessly piloted warships through several times, but due to insufficient control over the mysterious forces within the wormholes, they ended up traversing to uninhabited galaxies.

Although they slowly discerned the patterns of travel within the wormholes, because they initially had no idea where I had traversed to, they could only search galaxy by galaxy. There are millions of wormhole exits in the universe, and they had already been adrift outside for nearly a year. They had assumed this too would be a lifeless galaxy, but unexpectedly, a miracle occurred right here.

A temporary farewell to Gemini; Earth truly was my home.