In fact, this phenomenon of gravitational influence had long become so familiar on Earth that people almost ignored it entirely.
It was the tidal effect of the oceans. The sea would rise and fall, and the reason for this was the gravitational pull of the moon. When the moon was above a particular part of the ocean, the average height of the water there would increase. As the sea level rose, the tide would come in.
This was the same principle behind the distortion of the star’s shape under the gravitational influence of a white dwarf, changing from a sphere to an oblate spheroid. The only difference was the scale, one small, one massive.
Now, the white dwarf had already moved away from the star, but within half a day, it would reach its farthest point and then curve back along its orbital arc, once again drawing near to the star and pulling it back into an oblate shape.
Xiao Yu remained in place for an entire month. During this time, the two celestial bodies overlapped countless times and separated again just as many times. By now, their orbits had stabilized. They were revolving around each other at a minimum distance of three million kilometers and a maximum of ten million kilometers.
A binary star system could be treated as a two-body problem, and the two-body problem already had two well-defined solutions. In other words, the motion of a binary star system could be calculated with extreme precision. The system was currently in such a state, one star on the inner orbit, the other on the outer, both rotating around an invisible point in the void.
That point was their barycenter. Unless acted upon by external forces, they would continue this orbital dance in peace for countless years, perhaps until the end of the universe. Of course, over such long spans of time, the white dwarf would periodically absorb additional stellar material, triggering bursts of brightness tens of thousands of times stronger than normal, declaring its existence to the cosmos.
Now that events had reached this stage, the data Xiao Yu had gathered was already sufficient. As such, he quickly lost interest in staying. The vast fleet once again mobilized, over three million ships slowly accelerated, moving away from the binary system.
This time, they traveled a distance of forty billion kilometers before finally escaping the gravitational influence of the twin stars. Then, Xiao Yu took his belongings and immediately entered into curvature flight. His destination this time was a red dwarf approximately four light-years away. Based on his observations, there were two rocky planets and three gas giants orbiting that red dwarf, all rich in resources.
It was exactly the kind of place best suited for Xiao Yu’s development.Curvature flight did not interfere with life aboard the ships. Inside the vessels, everything proceeded as usual. After more than a month, the scientists had fully recovered and were once again absorbed in their busy work. Luka Two continued leading the Social Committee in its research into biological psychology and social models; Luka Three, heading the scientists of the Natural Science Academy under the Central Research Academy, pressed on with the miniaturization of the negative matter cannon; and Luka Four led the Life Sciences Division under the Central Research Academy, tirelessly pursuing breakthroughs to extend the lifespan and physical abilities of intelligent beings.
The recent crisis of the small universe had not affected the daily lives of the common people among the hundred-plus species under Xiao Yu’s command. To them, the past year had been no different than any other. They still went to work, played when they had leisure, rejoiced when they were happy, and grieved when they were sad. They had no idea that their lives had once dangled on the edge of hell.
But now, one thing was deeply impacting them, Senya, the genius scientist of Species Number Two, who had repeatedly made major breakthroughs and received many rewards from the master, was getting married today.
Senya’s wedding would be broadcast live across all news media aboard the Home Forty One. In fact, all factories and schools would be given the day off to celebrate the occasion. Every scientist would attend, an event of this scale and grandeur was an immense show of respect for Senya.
Xiao Yu was deliberately cultivating this kind of atmosphere. He hoped to leave an impression in the hearts of every scientist and every ordinary person, that he rewarded and punished clearly. Xiao Yu wanted them to understand, however much you contribute to me, I will grant you that much honor in return.
So far, this policy of Xiao Yu’s had progressed quite well.
A total of over 19,000 scientists had received wedding invitations from Senya, and in addition, around a thousand other prominent figures were present at the ceremony. Those who were not qualified to attend gathered before large screens in public plazas or watched the grand event from their homes.
A vast number of shops began offering free food and drink. Slogans and banners were everywhere in the city. The entire Home Forty One felt as festive as a New Year celebration.
When word first spread that Senya was getting married, countless innocent young girls had their hearts broken, while an equal number of boys secretly rejoiced that this troublemaker was finally tying the knot.
This was a love that transcended race. Those who were infatuated with Senya weren’t limited to members of Species Number Two. Under Xiao Yu’s influence, as aesthetic preferences gradually became unified, creatures from many other species had fallen for him too. On this day, Xiao Yu even had to multiply the security force several times over to prevent the surge of suicides from excessive heartbreak, and to stop crazed young women from violently crashing the wedding in an attempt to halt the ceremony.
“This kid Senya… he’s practically a heartthrob for the ages. Even more popular than I was back in Earth’s era.” Xiao Yu mused to himself.
At the wedding venue, everything was proceeding in perfect order with the help of numerous service robots. Rodel, the species leader of Species Number Two, was joyfully greeting guests. The atmosphere was lively and filled with the sound of congratulations echoing from all directions.
Senya, dressed in a sharp, tailored outfit, looked even more handsome and charming than usual. Even by human standards of beauty from Earth, there was not a single flaw in his appearance today. Feili, in her pure white wedding gown, looked like a celestial maiden descended from the heavens.
“Who exactly is this officiant you keep talking about?” Amid the clamor, Feili leaned in close to Senya’s ear and asked quietly, “Everyone’s pretty much here, and the ceremony’s about to start. We can’t begin without the officiant.”
With confidence, Senya gave a slight smile. “Just wait a moment. The officiant will be here soon.”
“Hmph, mysterious as ever. I don’t believe there’s anyone more suitable to officiate than Lord Three, unless it’s the Master himself. But the Master is so busy, how could he possibly care about something as trivial as our wedding?” Feili rolled her eyes at him, half annoyed and half embarrassed.
Senya merely smiled and said nothing.
“Today, we are all gathered here to attend the wedding of Mr. Senya, an outstanding scientist who has made countless contributions to our master and to our society.” Once the crowd had mostly arrived, Luka Two, the highest-ranking individual at the venue, began to speak. “Today is a day of joy and celebration. I believe this feeling is shared not only by Senya and Feili, but by all of us. In recent times, under the Master’s leadership, we worked together and overcame difficulty after difficulty, finally achieving ultimate success. And in that process, this young man, Senya, made an indelible contribution to our final victory.”
“So I believe all of us have come with the sincerest of emotions to congratulate Senya.”
This video was broadcast to every screen aboard Home Forty One. Countless people were watching attentively.
“The Master has said before, the greater the contribution, the greater the honor. And today, the Master is fulfilling that promise. In just a moment… the Master will bestow upon Senya the highest of honors, as a wedding gift.”
“Scientists are the core of our entire social system. In this vast and dark universe, only science allows us to survive, to avoid becoming captives of other races. Only science can grant us longer lives and more comfortable living conditions. So I hope that all of us scientists, including the students currently studying in schools, will take Senya as our role model and strive to contribute more to the advancement of our science.”
Luka Two’s words were met with thunderous applause. He pressed his hands down slightly to quiet the crowd and then smiled, saying, “I imagine everyone thought I would be officiating this wedding. But I’m sorry to say, you guessed wrong. I’m not the officiant. There is someone even more suited for this role. Now, let us welcome the supreme ruler of our fleet, the leader of all our species, Xiao Yu!”
With great passion, Luka Two stretched out his arm in a welcoming gesture. Behind him, a three-dimensional projection system that had already been set up flickered to life. A figure in a black suit appeared.
It was none other than Xiao Yu.
Feili’s mouth dropped open in disbelief as she stared at the scene. She murmured to herself, “The Master… it’s really the Master? The officiant at our wedding… is actually the Master?”
Senya beamed as he said, “Dear Feili, now do you believe me? That’s right. The highest existence in our entire fleet is officiating our wedding.”
Watching the still-stunned Feili, who had yet to recover from her shock, Xiao Yu smiled and walked forward, saying, “That’s right. Today, I will be the one to officiate your wedding.”