"Question: are shipgirls considered mechanical lifeforms or ordinary lifeforms?"
"Question: when the Eternal Snowfall was put away, where did it exist? In a higher-dimensional space, or was it dismantled and reconstructed?..."
After subduing the Ex-Machina, Setsuna brought Holou aboard the Eternal Snowfall.
Naturally, this loli goddess proceeded to ask eight million more questions, following behind Setsuna and Grey while asking about everything under the sun.
"Be good. Once we finish handling things here, you can stay in the Imperial Grand Library for years if you want."
Setsuna rubbed her head, handed Holou a tablet, and let her roam freely around the ship.
"Waaah—so cute!"
Members of the Research Division surrounded her immediately, their eyes sparkling as they stared at Holou.
"So this is an Old Deus? She looks almost the same as a human. Mm, what is that ink pot for?..."
"Can you come help me with an experiment? Please!..."
As the first Old Deus captured by the Starsea Empire—and one currently in loli form—Holou received intense attention from every member of the Research Division.
They all wanted to study this mysterious existence ranked first among the fifteen races.
"Objection: the contract I signed with the Commander exchanges my joining the Starsea Empire for answers to my questions and access to the Imperial Grand Library."
"I have no obligation to serve as an experimental subject."
Holou raised her objection seriously.
"...Eh?"
Tesla, Einstein, and the research lolis exchanged glances. They truly could not suppress their curiosity.
As non-combat personnel, they had little to do while the Commander conquered the world and other races, so they naturally wanted to conduct research in the meantime.
Being told to wait until returning to the capital felt like having a hundred claws scratching at their hearts.
"Hmm..."
Einstein spoke first.
"Joining the Starsea Empire should also include assisting our work, right?"
"Objection: this clause can be infinitely interpreted in different ways. Grey attempted to use it to make me provide companionship sleep services to the Commander. I request a clear definition."
Holou puffed her cheeks as she answered.
"What? Companionship sleep?..."
Several research lolis looked as if they had just heard something unbelievable.
Thinking about it, even if the combined ages of the Research Division were added together, they still would not equal Holou's age.
"Want a lollipop?"
"Rejection: this method of temptation is ineffective against Old Deus."
Holou lowered her head, scrolling through the tablet while speaking.
The technological creations of the Starsea Empire gave her a novel experience. After sleeping for hundreds of millions of years, she had awakened to an entirely new world.
For the God of Doubt, it was also a fortunate thing.
"..."
Facing the stubborn little girl, Tesla thought for a moment.
"You really don't want to participate in our experiments?"
"Confirmation: I refuse."
"Have you heard of Honkai energy? The power the Commander used earlier to activate your divine core?"
"Eh?"
Holou froze. She had heard a completely new concept.
"Question: please provide a detailed explanation."
"Do you know the three theories and methods for surpassing the speed of light?"
Tesla continued.
"Additional question: please explain this as well."
Holou's face filled with anticipation.
"Help us research the power of Old Deus, and I'll tell you."
"...Alright. What do I need to do?"
"..."
Kayo Senju watched with a black line across her face.
"That easy to deal with? She should sit at the same table as Aqua in the future..."
...
While Setsuna finished dealing with the Ex-Machina and lured Holou away.
Various teams continued carrying out efficient conquest operations across the planet Disboard.
Whoosh—
A white, gold, and black interstellar cruiser skimmed across the ground at extremely low altitude.
Inside the control room, the Dragon Empery shipgirl with a high black ponytail scanned the situation below.
"Mm..."
Harbin activated the sensors, constructing a holographic image of the terrain beneath them.
"Our target is the Demonia, the species that attacked humans earlier."
"Uh, they seem different from the Elves and the Seiren... more like an accidental byproduct?..."
Kanae checked the data beside her.
The Demonia had almost no concept of civilization. They were failed creations produced long ago by a mutated Phantasma known as the Devil.
A bug had occurred during the creation of a new race, resulting in the Demonia.
Unlike Elves or Dwarves, they had no fixed appearance. Their forms were random, more like monsters from a game.
They occasionally gathered in groups, but usually acted purely on instinct, far from reaching the level of a "civilization" and completely different from other intelligent races.
"Let's give it a try."
Harbin transmitted a message to the Demonia below.
"This is the Starsea Empire. If you possess intelligence and wisdom, please—"
"ROAR!!!—"
A mass of grotesque monsters roared toward the ship.
Their eyes were filled with brutality. Weaker Demonia fled under the pressure, while stronger individuals interpreted the presence as a challenge and responded with continuous roars.
Several winged Demonia capable of flight lunged at the ship, attempting to tear apart the alloy armor with claws and fangs.
Bang—
Unsurprisingly, they slammed into the shield.
The Demonia's simple minds could not comprehend what they had encountered. They attacked the energy shield again and again in vain, smashing themselves until they were bloodied.
"Looks like they have no intelligence. Basically wild beasts."
Harbin shrugged and opened communication with Setsuna.
"Commander, the Demonia have no conquest value. They can't even be considered a civilization."
"Then capture a few and make use of their research value. Send them to the Life Sciences Division and the zoo for study. Maybe they can be useful for creating Honkai Beasts or extracting genes in the future."
Setsuna gave the order without hesitation.
"Also look for their leader. See if any possess intelligence. Monsters that are too aggressive or dangerous should be eliminated directly."
Although Disboard nominally had fifteen races, he did not mind if a few fewer remained.
Beast-eared girls like the Werebeasts or Dwarves could at least act cute and serve as pleasant mascots. As for other monsters, wiping them out was fine.
"Understood."
Bzzzt!—
The starship's high-energy weapons streaked across the sky.
When efficient extermination was required, interstellar warships demonstrated astonishing efficiency.
Point-defense turrets wove a close-range fire net, kinetic rounds turning everything on the ground into bloody mist.
A few enormous monsters were beaten to the brink of death before being locked onto by the ship's main cannon, charged, and fired.
Blinding beams descended from the heavens, reducing all enemies to dust.
"Wait, Sister Harbin, give us a chance to show off!!—"
"The Commander just gave me Herrscher powers and I haven't even properly fought yet!!"
The butterfly sisters felt that maybe they should pilot their own ship next time.
...
The capital of the Dwarves.
Boom!!—
Gudako piloted the Strelizia as it descended from the sky.
"Ha!"
She looked around. Honestly, the Dwarves in the No Game No Life world were much better than those from other worlds.
They were short humanoid beings.
Aside from some having horns and darker skin tones, they were not very different from humans.
"What?!—"
The Dwarves stared in shock at the red-and-white mecha descending from the sky, along with the Heroic Spirit squad and Angeloids following behind.
Dwarves excelled at forging and had built many ships, but they had never seen such an outrageous giant mech.
"Ahem, long story short, you've probably received the Commander's message, right?"
Gudako cleared her throat and looked at the nervous Dwarves gathering around.
"We are the Starsea Empire, here to take over this world."
"From now on, you will accept imperial rule. Mm... I heard you have great talent in forging?"
"The Starsea Empire has plenty of job opportunities for you in the future. This would be a good place to build a processing base..."
The manufacturing talent of the Dwarves was somewhat similar to Bulin. Through sheer "I think therefore it works" power, they could create things even without understanding the principles or technology behind them.
In a certain sense, the technological level of the Dwarves was the highest among all races on Disboard.
"Anyone object? If not, have your leader come with me to meet the Commander..."
Before she could finish speaking, a burly Dwarf marshal stepped forward.
"I refuse."
"Oh? The Dwarf leader? You're the one who invented the E-Bomb?"
Gudako raised an eyebrow.
In the original No Game No Life plot, events had begun because of the E-Bomb deployed by the Dwarves.
"You know about our plan? Then you should understand that I cannot accept your conditions."
"Conquest? Even if we cannot defeat you, we can still perish together."
Roni crossed his arms as he replied.
By deploying E-Bomb weapons, the Dwarves had gained the ability to challenge higher-ranked races.
They even held greater ambitions, such as competing for the Suniaster.
Submitting to another race was unrealistic for the currently ambitious Dwarves.
"Dwarves will never be slaves!!!"
The grand marshal raised his arm and shouted.
Smack—
The Strelizia slapped him flat onto the ground and drew its spear.
Boom!—
A small light lance followed up, blasting a huge crater into the earth.
"What did he just say? I didn't hear clearly, sorry."
Gudako coughed lightly.
"Who wants to repeat it for me?"
"..."
The other Dwarves fell completely silent.
"...He said we are willing to serve the Starsea Empire loyally and dismantle and surrender all E-Bomb weapons."
"Oh, you should've said that earlier. What a pity."