Hexi's question was as precise as a scalpel, slicing through the carefully maintained facade of calm Artoria held, striking directly at the core.
Worried about going back on the deal? Worried about secrets? Or worried about... danger?
The air inside the observation room seemed to freeze. Outside the porthole, the silver-white research Planet rotated quietly, and the artificial celestial bodies emitted a constant faint glow, reflecting the calm yet undercurrent-filled confrontation between the two inside.
Artoria met Hexi's azure eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through the soul, without flinching or answering immediately. Her hands, resting on her knees, tightened slightly, her knuckles turning white. Hexi did not press her, but simply waited quietly, that patience and pressure belonging to the Heavenly Base King, settled over thirty thousand years, silently permeating the air.
A few seconds of silence felt as long as centuries. Artoria knew that any evasion or concealment before Hexi would likely be futile, or even counterproductive. The other party was the pinnacle of wisdom in the known Universe; any lie would be fragile in the face of absolute information and logical analysis.
She needed to reveal some truths—truths sufficient to gain trust, yet not so much as to place them in greater danger. More importantly, she needed to convey an emotion, one that could transcend cold logic and calculated interests, potentially touching the other's feelings.
Artoria took a slow, deep breath, as if to pull all the heaviness, fatigue, and the heat hidden beneath the ice into her lungs before slowly exhaling. When she spoke again, her voice remained calm, but beneath that calm surged an indescribable, almost stubborn tenderness and determination.
"Your Excellency Heavenly Base King," she said softly, yet every word was clear, "I am indeed hiding something. It is not a lack of trust, but... an instinctive protection. You are right; my companion's existence itself is a massive secret, perhaps even... in the eyes of many, a taboo, a 'mistake'."
She paused, seemingly weighing her words, her gaze drifting toward the endless starry sky outside the porthole before slowly returning to Hexi's face: "You ask what I am worried about. I worry about many things. I worry that after your side understands her entire composition and essence, you will view her as an 'alien creation' that needs to be 'parsed' and'studied', rather than a 'life' that needs to be'saved'. I worry our exchange will turn from an equal flow of knowledge into a one-sided extraction and interrogation. I worry even more..."
Artoria's voice dropped even lower, carrying a nearly imperceptible tremor, yet she spoke that sentence with absolute clarity:
"I worry even more that when you see her cold mechanical shell, her composition so different from flesh and blood, and her strange soul wavelength originating from another set of World rules... you will overlook that she also thinks, feels, grieves, and rejoices... she can love, and be loved."
"She is not just a 'construct life', a 'research subject'." Artoria's gaze became sharp and burning again, the long-suppressed fatigue and sorrow of a traveler now transformed into a near-declarative, reckless sincerity. "She is my comrade-in-arms, my family, and my... lover. She is the person I crossed Worlds for, carrying guilt and despair, just to find a way to save. Regardless of what she is made of, her origins, or whether she is a 'miracle' or a 'mistake' in the eyes of others, to me, she is her, unique, and an existence worth giving everything to bring back."
Inside the observation room, there was silence. Only the faint hum of distant machinery operating and the steady yet distinct breathing of the two women remained.
The calm on Hexi's face was finally broken. For the first time, her azure eyes showed clear, undisguised astonishment, followed by deep reflection and a... highly complex, indescribable emotion. She had seen too many life forms, from carbon-based to silicon-based, from energy bodies to information life, and had witnessed countless loves and hates between Angels and mortals. But a traveler from another World, declaring love for a 'mechanical creation' so openly and resolutely, and using it as the core motive and bargaining chip... this completely exceeded her usual realm of experience.
A lover? A... mechanical life? For her, she was willing to expose herself and risk contact with a completely unknown god-level civilization?
Reason analyzed at high speed: this could be a negotiation strategy, using emotion to gain sympathy; it could be a cognitive distortion, where the subject anthropomorphizes a powerful tool or creation and projects emotion onto it; it could...
But intuition, or rather, the 'perceptual cognition' accumulated from observing countless lives and parsing countless emotional patterns over thirty thousand years, told her faintly that the deep pain and obsession in the eyes of this interdimensional traveler, that reckless sincerity, was not fake. It was a... soul-burning sincerity.
"Lo...ver?" Hexi repeated the word, her tone slightly odd, as if tasting the weight of the term in the current context. "Even if... she is not of the same flesh and blood as you? Even if her form of existence might challenge your definitions of 'life' and 'love'?"
"Definitions are set by people, Your Excellency Heavenly Base King." Artoria did not back down, her tone even carrying a hint of faint mockery, whether for herself or the so-called 'definitions'. "In my homeland, and on the journeys we've taken, we've seen starry behemoths that feed on energy, collective consciousnesses formed by plant networks, and even fading shadows of gods sustained by faith... Life forms are so diverse, and the expressions of love so complex. Why must the resonance of soul and consciousness be attached to a specific material vessel?"
"My feelings for her have nothing to do with whether she is composed of neurons and flesh, or precision gears, energy circuits, and lines of code." Artoria's voice grew low but even more firm. "It only relates to who'she' is. It only relates to the life and death we've faced together, the joys and sorrows we've shared, and the promises we've made. This 'connection', this 'bond', transcends form, transcends rules, and perhaps... even transcends life and death. This is the reason I must save her, and the only confidence I have to stand here and negotiate with you—I know what I want, and I am willing to pay any price I can afford for it."
Hexi fell silent. She no longer looked into Artoria's eyes but turned her gaze toward the floating 'technology tree' list, her fingers unconsciously brushing over entries like 'Consciousness Repair', 'Rule Adaptation', and 'Idealistic Application'. The only sound in the observation room was the silent flickering of data streams.
After a long time, Hexi let out a soft sigh, one that carried a rare trace of fatigue and a deeper sense of inquiry.
"Surprisingly candid, Captain Hua Ling. And an... impressive emotion." Hexi's tone returned to its usual rationality, but the sharp scrutiny seemed to have faded slightly, replaced by a more complex attitude mixed with respect, curiosity, and an indescribable emotion.
"Your reasoning exceeds pure interest calculations and adds a... variable that I cannot completely model with the Sky-based Computing Cluster," Hexi admitted. "Emotion, especially in such an extreme form, possesses driving forces and potential behavioral patterns with immense uncertainty. This is both a risk and perhaps... a kind of guarantee."
She looked up, meeting Artoria's gaze again: "I temporarily accept your explanation and your stance on protecting your companion's secrets. Your concerns have some merit. Although Angels pursue knowledge, they are not Raiders without a bottom line. Our definition of 'life' is also broader than that of many civilizations. At the very least, an existence with a stable high-level consciousness capable of complex emotional interaction has the right and value to exist within the Angelic code."
"However," Hexi's tone shifted, becoming serious and pragmatic again, "trust is mutual, Captain Hua Ling. You've shown your 'weakness' and some of your chips, but it's not enough. To trade for the Angels' most cutting-edge technical support, even touching upon taboo fields, you need to show more sincerity, and... the 'hard value' of the knowledge you hold."
Her gaze fell on the 'Exchangeable Knowledge' section of the list, specifically on 'Idealistic Rule Application' and'Special Materials'.
"I need to see something more substantial than just a catalog and overview," Hexi said. "The 'Idealistic Rule Application' you proposed runs almost contrary to our technology tree based on materialism, genes, and Dark Energy. To assess its value, and even discuss the possibility of combining it with existing technology, I need samples, verifiable data, and... at least one complete, even if basic, 'demonstration' or 'principled instance'."
Hexi leaned forward slightly, the powerful aura belonging to the Heavenly Base King and a top scientist permeating the air once more: "Show me, Captain Hua Ling. Not with word descriptions, not with theoretical deductions, but in the most direct way you can, show me how 'rules of another World' leave a mark in our Universe. This will be the... key step in whether we can continue deep cooperation and whether I can secure you the authority to access those 'cutting-edge technologies'."
"At the same time," Hexi added, her tone brook no dissent, "your companion needs to undergo a more detailed, non-invasive comprehensive scan. Of course, the scan will be conducted under your full supervision and operated by me personally, limited only to assessing the extent of injuries and life-form characteristics, without touching core consciousness or memories. This is a necessary prerequisite to ensure the treatment plan we provide is targeted. If you cannot even accept this, then unfortunately, our communication may end here."
The pressure was back on Artoria. Demonstrate 'magic'? In front of the King of Angels? And let 2B undergo a scan?
Artoria's fingertips felt slightly cold, but her eyes were exceptionally clear. Hexi's request was reasonable, even more 'lenient' than she had expected—at least it gave her a chance to demonstrate and strive, without forcibly demanding dissection or consciousness reading.
"I accept the scan of my companion, provided it is operated by you personally and limited only to injury assessment," Artoria said slowly; this was the bottom line. "As for the demonstration..."
She paused, as if gathering courage or mobilizing power. A moment later, she raised her hand, palm upward.
There were no violent energy fluctuations, no dazzling light effects. But in the air an inch above her palm, a faint yet pure, ice-blue light quietly lit up. That light was not driven by Dark Energy, nor converted from stellar energy; it was 'colder', 'quieter', as if coming from the depths of the soul, resonating with some ancient concept of 'cold' and'silence'.
The light flickered slightly. The surrounding temperature did not seem to drop significantly, but Hexi keenly perceived that the 'thermal motion' within that tiny space was being forcibly slowed down by some invisible force, tending toward'stillness'. This wasn't lowering the temperature, but... at a microscopic level, imposing a conceptual influence toward 'freezing'.
Next, Artoria's other hand traced through the air, her fingertips as if dipped in invisible ink, leaving behind shimmering silver trails of strangely structured patterns. It was not any known energy code or divine language, but a more ancient, more direct symbol that seemed to resonate with some 'texture' at the bottom of the World—a simplified version of a basic Asgard rune representing 'protection' and 'isolation'.
The moment the rune was completed, a layer of transparent film, so thin it was almost invisible and shimmering with faint light, instantly expanded with Artoria at the center, enveloping a one-meter radius around her. Hexi could feel that her own Dark Energy waves, emitted for unconscious probing, were deflected and slid away with a certain 'refusal' when they touched that film. This was not an energy barrier, but more like a... 'definitional refusal' of specific types of 'interference' based on'symbols' and 'will'.
The entire process lasted less than five seconds before Artoria's face turned visibly paler, and fine beads of sweat even broke out on her forehead. The ice-blue light and silver rune dissipated along with it, as if they had never appeared.
"With my current state and the 'rejection reaction' of this Universe, I can only do this much." Artoria's voice carried a hint of imperceptible weakness, but her eyes remained bright. "This is not the entirety of my World's power system, just the crudest application. But it demonstrates another possibility: not relying on gene engines or Dark Energy drives, but through one's own spirit, will, and the sensing and resonance with certain underlying'symbols' or 'concepts' of the World to trigger rules and produce effects. We call it... 'mystic' side power, or 'magic'."
In Hexi's eyes, the light of data streams flickered wildly, almost overflowing. She did not speak, but stared intently at the place where Artoria had just cast her spell, as if wanting to use her gaze to permanently imprint the remaining, infinitesimal rule ripples. Her body even leaned forward slightly due to extreme excitement and focus.
"Conceptual interference... symbolic resonance... acting directly on the rule base rather than the energy level..." Hexi murmured to herself, her voice carrying an uncontrollable tremor. "Though weak, though laughably inefficient... the path is completely different! Completely different! This... this is practically... a key to another dimension!"
She suddenly looked up at Artoria, the light in her eyes so hot it could almost burn: "Continue! More details! Principles! How is this 'resonance' established? How are 'concepts' defined and captured? What is consumed? Spirit? Will? Or some 'medium' we haven't discovered yet?"
Seeing Hexi looking as if she were about to pounce and demand answers, Artoria felt a sense of relief. She had gambled correctly. To this Heavenly Base King, to this peak of wisdom in the known Universe, a brand-new, subversive field of knowledge held an unparalleled allure.
"Your Excellency Heavenly Base King," Artoria's voice appropriately carried a hint of fatigue and earnestness, "this is my sincerity. But more principles, details, and the deeper knowledge I possess... we need to exchange those step-by-step on the basis of deeper cooperation, and under the premise that I can confirm my companion receives effective treatment. You see..."
Hexi took several deep breaths to barely suppress her nearly boiling desire for research. She closed her eyes, seemingly engaged in high-speed communication with the Sky-based Computing Cluster. A few seconds later, she reopened them, the frenzy in her eyes receding slightly, replaced by the rationality and decisiveness of a ruler.
"I've received your 'ticket', Captain Hua Ling." Hexi's tone returned to calm, but beneath that calm was an uncontrollable, about-to-erupt passion for exploration. "It is precious enough, and... interesting enough. I, Heavenly Base King Hexi, guarantee with the wisdom and reputation of the Merlot Heavenly Court that we will seriously consider your request and arrange for an injury assessment of your companion as soon as possible."
"Now," Hexi stood up, her silver hair moving without wind, showing an unquestionable authority, "take me to see your companion. Let's see what kind of trauma this... 'lover' is enduring, for whom you would cross Worlds and face Holy Keisha just to save."
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