Chapter 537: Fortress of God

The Citadel space station, which is the political, cultural, and financial center of the galactic society of the Mass Effect world.

It has a total length of 44.7 kilometers, a diameter of 12.8 kilometers, and a total weight of 7.11 billion tons. It is the largest man-made celestial body in the entire galaxy, bar none!

At this time, the Normandy II spacecraft is in the same orbit as the Citadel space station, and is flying synchronously with the Citadel at the same speed... because, ah, it needs to wait for authorization to enter the port of the Citadel sanitation area Otherwise, those defensive cannons are not just a joke. Any unknown ship that dares to approach without permission will have no better ending than being bombarded and killed!

Especially after Saren's surprise attack on the Citadel, although on the surface it seems that there is not much change here, but in private, the Council of the Citadel has already secretly enhanced hidden security measures, such as more patrol fleets around Come back anytime for reinforcements, or more star cannons, missiles, pulse weapons, and more.

"Wow~!"

"It's amazing... Is that the God's Citadel space station we're going to? It looks really big..."

o(??Д??)っ!

Speaking of which, it seems that this is the first time Anne has seen a space station as big as this!

Even in her Federation of Heroes and in her Koprulu star area, there was no man-made celestial body as large as this one.

That's because the development model of technology in the Koprulu sector is completely different from the core technology of this world!

The current Federation of Heroes has mastered the fusion energy core and the convenient and fast long-distance warp technology, and of course the space gate technology that the Protoss race is good at. There is no need to follow the example of the intelligent life in this world. It is also troublesome to build fixed and large mass effect repeaters in the galaxy to serve as transmission nodes, and there is no need to run to the largest mass effect repeater like the huge castle in front of you A huge city that can live in is built on it.

After all, compared to man-made space stations, except for military ports and other special-purpose space stations that have to be built in space and at key points of defense, the various races in the Koprulu sector still prefer to directly occupy a planet , and then building colonies one by one on the surface will be more cost-effective!

Moreover, when a war starts, the planet will be more resistant to fighting and beating than the space station, right?

"By the way, Big Sister Shepard!"

"Can the Citadel Space Station, which looks like an octopus, really be closed and turned into a big ship?"

(?????????????)?

Lying on the window of the battle command room of the Normandy II bridge, she was blinking her big eyes and staring at the big space station of the Citadel in the distance. After looking at it for a while, Annie asked hurriedly what Coordinating the various tasks of the crew, Captain Shepard, who was about to wait for the port entry permit, asked.

If she was the captain, she would have ordered to rush in, why would she have waited here for a long time?

"Annie..."

Turning his head to look at the little girl in the distance, a commander with short red hair had to sigh.

"If you want to play, please go to other more fun places outside,

Or go to the second floor below, where there is the crew entertainment room... Here, it is the bridge and the combat command room, not where you come to make trouble! "

Shepard has been a little puzzled since the beginning: who the hell brought this little guy here? She never remembered that she had ordered this little guy to enter the most critical place of this kind of ship!

Could it be...

Is that Miranda? Was it that guy who got impatient with the other party, and threw the other party here without authorization? !

"Of course I know!"

"But……"

"Compared to the entertainment room below that has nothing interesting, people now think... this place is more fun than the one below!"

(???????????)??

For this Normandy II spaceship, when Annie was on her way to the Castle of God yesterday, she visited all four floors from top to bottom, whether it was the captain's room, the combat command center, the crew cabin or the engineering department, etc. Go through it again.

This broken spaceship is far worse than her magic battleship Führer back then!

So, Annie doesn't want to go anywhere now, she just wants to wait here to fly to the space station that looks very big and big, and then have a good time playing all day!

"..."

"Hasn't the port of the Citadel sent permission to enter the port?"

After being choked alive by the other party's seemingly reasonable words, and unable to refute at all, Shepard, who didn't want to pay attention to the brat in the distance, could only shake his head and let the other party lie on his back. Xuan Chuang continued to look outside, but asked the inbound navigator on the other side.

It's just like what the little girl said, they have been waiting here for a long time.

"Sorry, sir!"

"The reply message from God's Castle shows: They are still checking our information, please wait patiently!"

After operating on the blue holographic interface screen for a few seconds, the navigator regretfully turned his head and explained to Captain Shepard behind him.

Without permission to enter the port, they could only wait as they are now, watching other spaceships and warships come in and out and stare blankly.

"Keep waiting, enter the port as soon as you get permission!"

"Yes! Sir!"

"..."

Shaking his head, Shepard vaguely knew why, so he had no choice but to turn his head and walk towards the little girl who was still lying on the window over there.

Although her spaceship clearly has invitation letters from the Star Federation Council and the Citadel, it is obvious that it will still be blocked by the port for so long!

In fact, it's just because: her spaceship, this Normandy II, is actually an improved version of Normandy that Cerberus stole the data of the Star Alliance and the Citadel for production and copied, and the one she was blown up before. The original Normandy is so similar, and it has no record yet, so it is truly a naked "black household" ship, so it is understandable that it has been reviewed for a long time.

If a ship like theirs without registration information can sail directly to the port area of ​​the God's Castle without going through verification and inspection, then it will be hell!

If anyone can go in casually, it is not she, Shepard, who is here now, but other terrorists, pulling a boatload of antimatter warheads or ordinary fission and fusion warheads and running to the Citadel If there is a suicide attack inside, the defense of the space station of the God Castle in the distance is useless, and it is even less likely to survive until now.

"Sister Shepard, when can we go in? We've been waiting for more than 20 minutes!"

(ー`?? ー)

After looking at it for a while, Annie became a little impatient.

It would take so much time just to enter a port... She almost wanted to teleport in by herself! In that case, you only need to 'swoosh' and run inside, so you don't have to wait for the spaceship to dock!

"Don't ask me, I don't know either!"

Shepard stood by Xiaojia's side, and looked at the huge space station he had fought for in the distance together with Xiaojia... Looking at the God's Citadel in the distance with its armguards open, it just quietly Its own orbit revolves between the blue nebulae of the Serpent Nebula.

The Citadel in the distance is divided into the ring area and the guard area. The core Citadel Council and related military and government departments are all in the ring, and millions of residents from all over the galaxy live on the inner wall of the guard area. There are blocks in the city...

Once upon a time, this place was the gathering place for the rich and powerful of all races in the entire galaxy...

Of course, it must still be now!

However, Shepard felt that some of those guys must not know: the castle of God is the most dangerous place in the entire galaxy, right?

At the beginning, if she hadn't tried her best to stop Saren's conspiracy, those guys of all races in the galaxy who think they have a house and status in the God's Citadel space station would have become the first harvest targets of the Reapers. up!

"It should be soon..."

"How fast is soon?"

(???????)?

"..."

(????_??')

"Did you build this space station?"

(*???????????)?

"no!"

"Then who did it?"

⊙(??◇??)?

"have no idea!"

Even though he said so, Shepard actually knew it.

Based on the information she obtained from her investigation, she guessed that this Citadel space station was not actually built by the technology of the long-extinct Prothean in the last era... because she did not think that the Prothean Advanced technology can create a repeater as big as the Citadel!

Also, those mysterious races called "Nurse Workers" in it are proof that the Citadel was actually made by the Reapers! Those biochemical Zerg who only work step by step and maintain the Citadel have many similarities with the Reapers or Gatherers that Shepard has seen!

If there is no connection between the two, she will not believe anything!

According to records……

When the Asari of this era were the first to discover the castle, they also discovered the defenders who filled the entire castle—the nurses! They seem to be a very docile multi-legged Zerg, and their purpose of existence seems to be only to maintain and repair the huge Prothean space station.

The records in the Citadel space station show that previous attempts by multiple parliamentary races to communicate and study the 'Nurse Workers' all failed.

So, in the end, they had to announce that it is illegal to interfere with or hinder the activities of the 'Nurse Workers' at any time! And just acquiesced in that way, allowing those eight-legged insect-like biochemical robots that are not under their control to carry out due diligence maintenance and repairs on the castle day and night.

And Shepard still remembers that before she was "dead in battle", she had completed a mission. Then, the Salarians sent her an email and said that they found that the "Nurse" took 50,000 years to activate A hidden switch?

If combined with the reaping harvest of the reapers she investigated almost every 50,000 years...

It is obvious that the construction of the Citadel space station must be inseparable from the Reapers!

Also, Shepard learned from a beacon that Prothean's VI said: They have changed the settings of the guardians of the God's Citadel before, cutting off the connection with the Reapers. Otherwise, it is completely useless! And this can also coincide with the way Saren had to raid the Citadel back then, planning to turn on the repeater and let the Reapers come to the Milky Way!

To sum up, as far as she knew, the Citadel Space Station should be made by the Reapers!

It's just that, in a hurry, she didn't want to talk about this kind of thing with the little girl in front of her, and she didn't want to talk too much with the politicians in the Castle of God!

If they hadn't died imminently, they certainly wouldn't have believed her.

"In that divine castle, is there such a delicious thing?"

(??ω??)?

Annie didn't care what Shepard beside her thought, she just continued to ask the questions she liked.

"Of course there are!"

More than just delicious food, there are countless dignitaries or rich people of all races in the Citadel space station, which is the political, cultural and financial center of the Milky Way! Under such conditions, if other people try their best to please them, then it is simply not too much!

Whether it's eating, drinking, playing, or even other illegal activities, there are simply too many to count! In that decadent city, the rich and powerful can literally do whatever they want!

"What about fun?"

(╯▽╰)?

"..."

"There are too!"

Shepard's eyelids twitched, and she couldn't understand, this kid, besides eating, drinking and having fun, doesn't he have anything else to do?

It seems that we have to find a way to quickly find a place to settle this bad guy, and then let him go to school properly! Of course, it's definitely not acceptable here at the Citadel Space Station. She, Shepard, can't afford the other party to live and study here.

"Great! I'm going to have a big meal inside later, and then have a good time playing around!"

<(￣︶￣)↗[GO!]

"..."

"Annie, of course it's okay if you want to play, but do you have money?"

Although he really didn't want to dampen the enthusiasm of the other party right now, Shepard still reminded the other party in a funny way. Going to the Citadel space station to eat and drink, such a thing, even Shepard dared not even think about it!

"Money? Are gold and gems okay? I have a lot of that kind of thing!"

U.S. dollars or something, that will definitely not work!

That kind of green banknote, here in the Milky Way, is just a piece of waste paper that is thrown on the ground and no one picks it up. It doesn't have any monetary value! So, Annie herself is left with those golden golds, which are common in at least most worlds,

"..."

"The Citadel doesn't accept broken items, nor does it accept any minerals...they just want star coins!"

Knowing it would be like this, Shepard was almost amused by the other party's naive thoughts! Gold and gems, if they can be used as currency, she can just find a planet or asteroid rich in minerals, and she can get a lot of them!

In the entire Milky Way, the most indispensable and least valuable thing are all kinds of minerals! On the other hand, the most valuable and scarcest thing is that magical zero element! They are the hard currency of the entire galaxy except star coins!

Even, they are more circulated than star coins, and more popular!

(lll￢ω￢)

"..."

"Star coins... what are star coins, are they gold coins?"

??(??????????)??

If it's gold coins, Annie said that she also has them, and she has many, many, which must be enough for her to eat, drink and have fun for a long time.

"Star coins are money, a virtual encrypted currency that can circulate throughout the galaxy. When they are usually placed in their respective general tools, they are just a string of numbers!"

Shepard raised her left and right hands, and there was a multi-purpose tool module on her wrist, as long as she wanted, she could check the number of her star coins or use them at any time.

"Ah? Then just drag it a little bit and show me. I'll see what the star coin looks like."

??(?????????)

After thinking about it, Annie immediately raised her hand.

On the wrist of her left hand, there is also a light and delicate universal tool, which was made for her by an uncle with a doctorate in the engineering department. In the Milky Way, she reluctantly took it with her.

And now, for the first time, it's being used for protection money from the great Captain Shepard!

"..."

"for you!"

The corner of his mouth twitched, and after hesitating for a while, Shepard still manipulated his multi-purpose tool silently, transferring a little bit of star coins to the other party.

"Huh? Why are there only ten?!"

￣へ￣

"Sister Shepard, please don't be so stingy, give me tens of thousands of star coins and you won't die!"

(｀へ??) σ!

Annie was furious. How stingy would this person be to only give him ten pennies? Although she didn't know the specific value of the star coins, ten star coins or something would definitely not be a lot of money! Back then, when she just joined the defunct S.H.I.E.L.D., Uncle Coulson and the others gave her several wads of green bills at once, for fear that she would be hungry and have no money to buy something to eat!

But now, look at this bad guy Shepard, who... just gave him ten stars? It is simply unreasonable!

"..."

"This is the operational funds for our Normandy II. I don't have much money myself, and I have to pay tens of thousands. Stop dreaming!"

"Ten star coins is a lot, little guy, you have to be content!"

As soon as he stretched out his hand, Shepard directly pushed away the other side's little head.

Because the money in her hand is not hers alone, and she doesn't dare to spend it casually, let alone give this little guy too much! And once the overdraft affects the subsequent expenses and supplies, it will be difficult to continue the task she shoulders.

What's more, she is not the parent or guardian of this little devil. Now she is providing food and drink for the other party, and she has to find a chance to arrange for the other party.

"But... what's the use of only ten star coins? Can they let me have a big meal?"

(??_??)?

Annie, who was a little unclear about the purchasing power of star coins, could only ask again after being puzzled for a while.

"..."

"Don't even think about the big meal! When the time comes, just go and buy a few candies or some snacks yourself!"

If it is on another planet or a cheaper space station, the purchasing power of ten star coins is indeed enough for this little guy to eat a big meal or something, but... here in the Shenbao space station, there are no thousands of star coins, that is Don't even think about it.

After all, this place is a high-consumption super interstellar city, and the prices of various things are simply ridiculously high!

"But, I don't like candy!"

"Amoline's mother told me that if children eat too much sugar, it will be bad for their teeth!"

(??_??)...

This bad guy actually only gave him ten pennies to buy a piece of candy... Annie thinks that now she has the urge to throw ten thousand candies with the Reality Gem to kill him! She finally came to this place called God's Castle space station, how could she just go to buy a candy?

What is this taking her great Queen Anne for? Is she, Queen Anne, the kind of kid who can be dismissed with a piece of candy? !

Only a big meal can satisfy her; only a big meal can make her feel happy; and only a big meal can give her the mood and desire to continue playing happily in this world!

In short, a delicious and delicious meal can give her the motivation to stay well!

"Whether you like it or not is up to you, anyway, I won't give you any more star coins."

After directly turning off his own multi-tool, Shepard hugged his arms and looked down at the little guy who was still dissatisfied and pouting angrily.

Other things are easy to discuss, if you want money, it will definitely not work! She, Shepard, will never give the other party another penny!

"Sister Shepard, you are not only poor, but also a miser!"

(????.??????)

"Huh? And then?"

If the aggressive method had worked for her, Shepard, she wouldn't have fought the Reaper relentlessly for so long.

"..."

"How about this, Sister Shepard, I have a lot of big Ivans here, how about...I'll sell them to you for 10,000 star coins each, do you want to?"

(????????)??

"Excellent value! I have many, many of these things. It's no problem to sell you ten or eight of them!"

Annie, who was persecuted and delusional back then, couldn't sleep without the big Ivan who didn't bring a hundred boxes. Fortunately, after she was in the same Koprulu sector, she had a high prestige and let the Federation's entire The Academy of Sciences honestly got her those scary things and chubby robots.

"??"

"What is Big Ivan?"

Shepard doesn't quite know what the other party is talking about, but she seems to have a vague impression of something like 'Big Ivan'. It seems to be the weapon code name of a certain country on Earth?

But what it was, she kind of forgot.

"It's a good thing that is launched after it is activated, and then "boom" to the ground, and half the planet is blown up!"

(‵▽′)ψ

Annie raised her small fist and gestured.

Her big Ivan not only has a short-range warp device, which is suitable for launching strikes against the enemy from a long distance outside the line of sight, but it can also launch within the line of sight! However, the guy who does that must be prepared to die with the enemy.

"Ha! Are you talking about that kind of super nuclear weapon? How can you have something like that?"

After being stunned for a while, Shepard finally remembered what 'Big Ivan' was.

"I really do!"

ヽ(`Д??)??

"Okay, you have!"

"Hmph! Then do you want it? If you don't want it, I'll sell it to someone else!"

"Haha! Whatever you want, little guy!"

Of course Shepard wouldn't believe that the kid had those dangerous items that the Citadel Convention stipulated for weapons of mass destruction (WMD)! Even the Star Alliance is very strict about the management and use of nuclear weapons, let alone the little girl in front of me.

"..."

"Sir! The authorization code for calling at the port has been received, may I ask you to enter the port?"

At this time, the navigator suddenly turned around and asked.

"Enter the port immediately!"

Hearing that the matter that he had been staring at for a long time could finally be resolved, Shepard, who didn't want to continue to entangle with someone, turned around and walked towards the captain's position. She didn't want to continue to entangle with that little guy who wanted to play with her star coins!

Those money, that's their operational funds, where can I give it to the other party to eat, drink and have fun?

What's more, the consumption level of the cities in the Citadel Space Station is so high, no matter how much I give, how can the little money that Cerberus gave me be enough for this brat to spend casually?

So, it's better not to give it at all!

"Yes, sir!"

"Normandy II issued a docking request... The request has been approved, and now it is entering the port!"

"Crew attention, prepare to enter the port, if you need to leave the spaceship, please prepare in advance, and accept the review by the port staff in turn..."

"receive!"

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