Hexi's words were like cold silver hammers, striking Artoria's heart word by word. There was no ready-made solution, no omnipotent salvation from the Angels, only a blurred, thorn-covered path with an unknown end—and she was the only one walking it.
The observation room fell into a nearly stagnant silence. Outside the porthole, that silver-white Planet continued to rotate at a leisurely pace, the artificial celestial body emitting a constant, cold light that reflected the shifting expressions on Artoria's face—from the ignition of hope to the gloom of being extinguished by reality, to a bone-deep bewilderment, and finally, freezing into a nearly hollow calm.
The system... had fallen completely silent. Ever since it last used its source power to demonstrate "magic" for her and ultimately activated the emergency protocol, using its "life savings" to trade for the ephemeral eligibility to buy a "ticket home," that electronic voice—always a bit lazy yet always supporting her at critical moments—had never sounded again. Even time within the Serenitea Pot seemed to have stagnated, and the icon for the Kamera was a deathly gray. She had tried calling out, tried linking, but there was only a void of silence. To preserve that sliver of a "way out" and because of its previous overextensions, the system had fallen into a deep sleep of unknown duration.
Now, she truly had only herself. Alone, facing a completely strange Universe ruled by gods, with a technology tree of unimaginable height. She had to learn, understand, and even utilize knowledge belonging to "gods" to complete a "surgery" that even the King of Angels admitted had slim hopes and extremely high risks, all just to preserve a flicker of consciousness that could be extinguished at any moment.
Where lay the road ahead? Where lay hope?
She looked at 2B, sleeping quietly in the life-support pod; that pale yet still beautiful face, the pain condensed between her brows seemed to seep into Artoria's own soul. Images flashed uncontrollably in her mind: the cool, loyal silver-haired figure when they first met, the clumsy yet sincere confession under the moonlight, the determination of fighting side-by-side in a World of ruins, the moment she was pushed away at the last second while the other was swallowed by light, and those azure eyes that had forever lost their luster, leaving only emptiness... and, under that warm sunlight, the gentle and compassionate sigh of mother earth as she handed her that green seedling representing "love and rebirth."
What she carried was never just one person's life and love. It was also that entrustment, a heavy trust that spanned destruction and rebirth, placing the final hope upon her.
"Do I... still have a choice?" Artoria heard her own voice ring out in the silence, dry and raspy, yet strangely without a tremor. She seemed to be asking Hexi, yet also asking herself, asking that existence in the unseen that might be watching and had given her the final gift.
Hexi did not speak, only watching her quietly. In those deep blue eyes, there was scrutiny, assessment, and perhaps a nearly imperceptible trace of complex emotion regarding this persistence itself. In her thirty thousand years of life, she had witnessed too much persistence, too much madness, and too much light blooming or being extinguished in despair. The gaze of this traveler from another World was so similar to some of those, yet because of her cross-universal background and that heart-palpitating aura of the "Root," it appeared exceptionally... heavy and extraordinary.
After a long silence, Artoria slowly raised her head. The bewilderment and emptiness in her eyes receded like a tide, replaced by a nearly burning, pure resolve left after all emotions had been incinerated. That flame was not hot; instead, it carried an ice-like chill, yet it possessed a will sufficient to burn away all thorns.
"Your Excellency Heavenly Base King," she spoke, her voice having regained its calm, even clearer and more stable than before, "I choose to try. I will try the 'Dark Plane' plan you proposed."
Hexi nodded slightly, not surprised by this answer. Someone who could struggle this far from outside the World would not give up easily.
"But," Artoria continued, her gaze like a torch, looking directly at Hexi, "as you said, I know nothing about the Dark Plane, about Information Lifeforms, or about your civilization's high-level technology. I need to learn, to understand, to start from the beginning and master the knowledge sufficient to create a new 'information home.' This is by no means the work of a day, and I... have no time to waste."
She took a step forward. Though her figure seemed slight before Hexi, her straight back and the unquestionable light in her eyes made her seem to emit an aura no less than that of any deity.
"Therefore, I implore you," Artoria's voice was not loud, but it carried a power as decisive as a clanging sword, "to allow me to follow you and learn in the time to come. I need a teacher, a guide who can lead me to quickly understand the essence of the Dark Plane, the principles of information construction, and the related risks and taboos. In the known Universe, in the Merlot Heavenly Court, I cannot think of anyone more suitable for this role than you—Heavenly Base King Hexi."
She bowed slightly, a posture befitting a seeker of knowledge, but her gaze remained level, without servility, only frankness and determination: "I know this request is extremely presumptuous, and I am aware that what I wish to learn may involve your civilization's cutting-edge or even core knowledge. I cannot promise any equivalent return, except for the knowledge I can provide regarding the rule system of my own World, and... an Otherworld traveler's remembrance of the grace of guidance. But I implore you, for the sake of my companion's remaining sliver of consciousness that could dissipate at any time, and for the sake of... my having no other choice, please give me this opportunity."
Artoria paused and added, her tone carrying a desperate honesty: "I do not dare to hope to become your student; that would be an encroachment upon your status. I only ask to be a... temporary, special observer or assistant, to receive some guidance and clarification when you are conducting research or have free time. I am willing to abide by any rules you set, accept any tests, just to step onto that... path of salvation more quickly."
As her voice fell, the observation room sank into silence once more. There was only the faint hum of energy flowing in the life-support pod and Artoria's own steady yet heavy heartbeat.
Hexi watched Artoria quietly. On the silver-haired Heavenly Base King's face, beneath her usual rationality and scrutiny, a tiny ripple passed. Become her teacher? Even if only temporarily? This request itself was bold to the point of absurdity. She was the Heavenly Base King, the core of wisdom for the Merlot Heavenly Court, the top scholar in the known Universe; her time and wisdom were incredibly precious. In thirty thousand years, very few had received her personal guidance, and every one of them was a brilliant junior within the Angel Civilization.
Yet this visitor from another World had almost zero foundation in Angel technology, carried huge secrets and goals, and was even connected to some unimaginable existence that emitted an aura transcending the Universe. Teaching her was not as simple as imparting knowledge; it meant bringing her to the edge of the Angel Civilization's core knowledge circle and bearing the corresponding risks and responsibilities.
But...
Hexi's gaze swept over the life-support pod again, over the remaining, heart-palpitating "Root" glimmer on 2B's chest, and finally fell back on Artoria's eyes, which burned with the flame of resolve.
There were too many things about this traveler that interested her. The disparate application of rules, that miraculous "storage" space, the transcendent existence that might lie behind her, and... this astonishing will and pure emotion that would stop at nothing, even daring to seek learning from a god, all for the sake of saving a loved one. This in itself was an extremely precious "sample" worthy of in-depth observation. More importantly, if her companion truly was related to that level of "Root," then helping them might... also be forging an incalculable bond of goodwill.
Risks and opportunities coexist. And for Hexi, who had lived for thirty thousand years, the mysteries of the known Universe had mostly been explored; the temptation of such challenges and possibilities from the "unknown" even outweighed the risks themselves.
After a long time, the corners of Hexi's mouth curled into a faint yet meaningful arc. It was not a smile in the usual sense, but more like a scientist discovering an unprecedented, highly research-worthy new subject, revealing a complex expression mixed with interest, caution, and expectation.
"An interesting proposal, Captain Hua Ling." Hexi's voice returned to its usual cool rationality, but with an added, indescribable hint of interest, as if she had found a new toy. "Teaching a student from another World, who knows almost nothing about the basic rules of the known Universe, to learn knowledge of the level of constructing a Dark Plane and stabilizing Information Lifeforms... this is indeed an unprecedented challenge."
She walked slowly to the observation window, looking out at the eternally rotating silver-white Planet. With her back to Artoria, her voice drifted over: "I can agree to give you the status of a 'temporary learner' and allow you to observe and ask questions while I conduct related research. I will also plan a learning path for you and answer your doubts based on your progress. But..."
Hexi turned around, her gaze sharp as lightning: "I have several conditions. First, the learning process will be extremely difficult, even painful, involving a massive amount of knowledge indoctrination, mental restructuring, and practical simulation operations; your mental will must be able to endure it. Second, all the knowledge you learn must not be leaked to any third party in any form without permission, especially to forces like the Demons or Styx. Third, during the learning period, you must fully cooperate with my research, including but not limited to limited testing and analysis of your 'Otherworld rule' applications to enhance mutual understanding. Fourth, and most importantly, regardless of whether you ultimately succeed, this event and what you learn will be under the strict monitoring and recording of the Sky-based Computing Cluster. Are you willing to accept?"
Without hesitation or bargaining, Artoria met Hexi's gaze and gave a deep, solemn bow.
"I accept. Thank you, Teacher Heavenly Base King." She did not use "Excellency," but rather the closer and heavier title of "Teacher."
Hexi looked at Artoria's straight back and lowered head, a nearly imperceptible light of what might be admiration flashing in her eyes.
"Very well." She nodded and waved her hand. A soft light enveloped the life-support pod, slowly drawing it into a temporarily generated stable force field. "Then, the lessons begin now. Your companion—I will place her in the highest-level Stasis Field in Heavenly Base City to slow the dissipation of her consciousness. As for you..."
Hexi's gaze landed on Artoria, as if she had already seen through her physical shell to the soul about to be washed by a sea of god-level knowledge.
"The first thing you need to do is to completely understand what the 'Dark Plane' actually is. It is not energy, not matter, and not even entirely information... It is the other side of our Universe, the 'reflection' of reality, the 'underlying database' and 'operating interface' of how all things function. To construct a stable 'home' suitable for your companion's consciousness, you must first learn how to'see' it, how to 'touch' it, and how to... 'think' and 'construct' within it."
"Prepare yourself, Artoria." Hexi's voice was calm and steady, yet it heralded the start of a storm. "The path you are about to take is one where a mortal attempts to understand and harness the authority of gods. And the first step of this path is often the most difficult, and the most... dangerous. I hope your will is truly as resilient as you have shown it to be."
Artoria stood up straight, the last trace of bewilderment in her eyes gone, leaving only a chill and determination like quenched cold iron.
"I am ready, Teacher."
Whether the road ahead was thorns or an abyss, a sea of knowledge or a treacherous peak of consciousness, she had no other choice but to move forward. With her body as the boat and her soul as the sail, she would steer toward that distant shore of saving her loved one.
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