Ten years of time, on the scale of the vast Universe, is but a blink of an eye. For an Angel with near-eternal life, it is merely a short research cycle or a routine border patrol. However, at the Silver Moon Observatory, within the special research area designated by Hexi, time flowed in a completely different manner.
The Serenitea Pot, a treasure from Teyvat optimized by the system, is essentially closer to "conceptual manifestation" and "rule harmony." During one of Artoria's accidental deep meditations and resonance with the rules of the World within the pot, it unexpectedly triggered a hidden characteristic that even the system had not fully analyzed—local time flow regulation. Although it couldn't achieve the exaggerated ratio of a thousand years inside for one day outside, and wasn't true time manipulation, it was more like using the self-contained rules of the World within the pot to create a special environment of "thought acceleration" and "limit enhancement of information processing efficiency." To the outside World, Artoria was simply immersed day after day in the massive knowledge base, simulated calculations, and practical training provided by Hexi, forgetting to eat and sleep. Only Hexi, through deep scans of the Sky-based Computing Cluster, vaguely sensed that Artoria's mental activity cycles and the output speed of her "learning results" were unreasonably fast, as if deep within her consciousness, there existed a secret space where time was "stretched."
Hexi did not pry. She respected the secrets of this student from another World—who could perhaps now be called a collaborator. As long as it didn't harm the Angels or violate their agreement, a few anomalies were just another interesting footnote in this exploration journey full of unknowns. She simply silently adjusted the teaching plan and the intensity and depth of knowledge input, ensuring that this abnormal "efficiency" could be fully utilized rather than wasted.
Thus, aided by the silent ripples of time in the Serenitea Pot, supported by Artoria's own "talent" for extraordinary insight into the underlying structures and logic of all things—derived from multiple "performances" as the Herrscher of Truth—and under the selfless teaching and devilish training of Hexi, a top scholar in the known Universe, ten years passed in the outside World while a thousand years passed inside the Serenitea Pot. For Artoria, who was immersed in it, the depth and breadth of the process of learning, understanding, digesting, practicing, deducing, and even innovating that her mind experienced was no less than that of a genius studying hard for a thousand years in a conventional environment.
She transformed from a "primitive" who knew almost nothing about concepts like Dark Energy, wormholes, genetic engines, and Sacred Coding into an "expert" capable of skillfully using the Sky-based Computing Cluster for complex simulations, understanding the basic architecture of the Dark Plane, analyzing stable models of Information Life, and even engaging in deep debates with Hexi on frontier theories of energy and matter conversion. She systematically learned the main branches of the Angel's technology tree; although she couldn't touch the most core taboos and weaponized applications, she had attained a master-level understanding of the basic theories and engineering logic supporting their civilization.
More importantly, she was not mechanically replicating. That perspective from the "Herrscher of Truth," that eclectic yet self-contained "otherworldly insight"—which fused Kamar-Taj mysticism, Asgardian runes, Honkai energy applications, and even some frontier concepts from Stark Industries—allowed her to always generate peculiar, leaping associations and questions while learning Angel knowledge. She once proposed a brand-new buffer model for the "inert compatibility of Dark Energy and elemental magic," used the idea of "runic arrays stabilizing information flow" to optimize the redundancy of a secondary communication protocol, and even drew on certain concepts of "Stigmata" to propose highly inspiring conjectures for the miniaturization of the Angel's genetic engine energy circuits.
Although most of these "otherworldly sparks" were immature and needed rigorous verification by the Sky-based Computing Cluster and refining by Hexi to take shape, their unique perspectives and breakthrough ideas frequently brightened the eyes of this thirty-thousand-year-old scholar, even pushing several long-stalled research projects to achieve key progress. Under the stimulation of this "otherworldly catalyst," the Angel's technology tree quietly sprouted some new, potential-filled branches.
In ten years, the relationship between Artoria and the Angels also underwent subtle yet profound changes. Initially, she was an "anomaly" and a "supplicant" to be guarded against and assessed. As her studies deepened and her "sparks" contributed, she gradually became a recognized "special visitor" and a "valuable research collaborator." Many research Angels in the Silver Moon Observatory and even in Angel City came to know of this traveler from "outside" with terrifying learning ability, who always came up with odd ideas and had an amazing obsession with saving her companion. Hexi's way of addressing her also changed from the initial "Captain Hua Ling" to "student," and then to calling her directly by name, "Artoria," in some private discussions.
Artoria used a thousand years of hard work and wisdom to earn respect and gain tangible rewards. Hexi opened high-level permissions for parts of the Sky-based database, allowing her to call upon massive amounts of matter and energy for experiments. Under Hexi's instructions, the engineering Angels collected, purified, and even customized massive amounts of rare materials and high-purity energy crystals needed to construct the Dark Plane and stabilize Information Life. The value of these materials was enough to bankrupt an aerospace-level civilization. What Artoria gave in return was knowledge, inspiration, the focus of her wholehearted devotion to research, and... that unreserved trust and candor toward Hexi—regarding some characteristics of the Serenitea Pot, the nature of her own power, and the core of her feelings for 2B... In their long-term companionship and joint research, she chose to partially open her heart to this Heavenly Base King, who was both a teacher and a friend.
Hexi once watched Artoria demonstrate the slight time-regulation effect of the Serenitea Pot and shook her head with a smile: "You cheating little thing. If I had known you had this 'cheat code,' I should have tripled the course load again." But she never requested or sought to deeply study the technology of the Serenitea Pot. Having lived so long, she knew all too well that some "miraculous creations" involving high-dimensional rules or even potentially bound to the World's origin were not things the current Angel Civilization's technological path and cognitive framework could safely analyze or replicate. Forcing it could bring disaster. That the Angels could have their stagnant technology sprout new buds and gain brand-new perspectives and possibilities due to Artoria's arrival was already a harvest far exceeding expectations. To be insatiably greedy is not the way of the wise.
Ten years to sharpen a sword, a thousand years to forge a soul. As the tenth year in the outside World drew to a close, Artoria stood in the center of the Silver Moon Observatory's core laboratory. Before her was a complex three-dimensional model about three meters in diameter, composed of countless complex energy circuits, precise material structures, and massive amounts of dark information coding, emitting a soft silver-blue glow—it was the final basic configuration "blueprint" of the "Xing Xiao Consciousness Exclusive Dark Plane Carrier," which she and Hexi had spent a "thousand years" jointly designing, repeatedly optimizing, and simulating billions of times.
Around the laboratory, mountains of rare materials shimmered with various colors, and pure energy flowed slowly in special containers. The Sky-based Computing Cluster set aside a significant portion of its computing power, standing by for support. Hexi stood to the side, her silver hair shimmering under the cold light of the laboratory, her eyes filled with scrutiny, expectation, and a trace of imperceptible solemnity. Everything was ready; once Artoria adjusted herself to her best state, she could begin the extremely perilous final operation of importing Minerva's residual consciousness and activating this brand-new "information home."
Artoria closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A thousand years of accumulated knowledge surged in her mind, and every bit of memory, every trace of emotion, and every detail of her understanding of Minerva turned into the bricks and mortar for building the "home." Her spirit was highly concentrated, and her soul seemed to resonate with the complex blueprint before her. It was time... to end this long preparation and take that most crucial and dangerous step.
However, just as her consciousness was about to sink into the deepest level of focus, prepared to initiate the final protocol—
An extremely abrupt, extremely familiar, yet somewhat strange electronic voice due to not being heard for so long—carrying massive static and an indescribable state of excitement—sounded like a rusty gear being forced into motion, or a gambler who had hit the jackpot screaming. Without warning, it boomed crudely and directly in the deepest part of her soul, in that originally dead-silent system domain!
[Ding-dong! Your dear, reliable, handsome, and suave (omitting ten thousand words) Lord System is back!! Little Artoria! Did you miss me? Did you miss me!!!]
Artoria: "!!!" Her whole body jolted, her gathered focus instantly collapsed, and she snapped her eyes open, her face written with unbelievable shock. The system?! It... woke up?! At a critical moment like this?!
Before she could recover from this sudden, noisy "greeting," the system's voice was already like a rapid-fire cannon, carrying a kind of ecstasy and showing off as if it had won a super jackpot and couldn't wait to broadcast it to the entire Universe, crazily spamming her consciousness:
[Wahahahaha! We're rich! We're rich! Little Artoria! We've made a fortune!!! You absolutely won't guess what I've been through! It was literally ten thousand times more thrilling than an interstellar roller coaster! Let me tell you, I took that last pitiful 2 points of Origin Energy, thinking I'd treat a dead horse as if it were alive—I couldn't just sit around and wait to die, right? So I wandered over to the 'All-Heavens and Myriad Realms Unofficial Cultural Exchange and Potential Host Guessing Carnival'—to put it bluntly, it's a super-sized gambling den where all sorts of systems join in the fun to bet on which Host can be the first to achieve some ridiculous accomplishment in their own World!]
The system's speaking speed was flying, and its electronic voice was so excited it carried a vibrato and a raspy tone:
[I originally just wanted to join the fun, so I used those 2 points of energy to buy the cheapest 'dark horse lottery ticket' with odds so high they were off the charts! And guess what?! The number I picked at random, that kid from some corner Cultivation Small World whose Host started as a trash-tier 'broken engagement' trope, he actually! He actually cheated his way to a counterattack! In the final circle, while being besieged by big shots and looking like he was about to be finished, he made a breakthrough on the spot, enlightened himself on some 'my fate is determined by me, not by heaven' Dao, and with a 'ka-cha,' he beat everyone else to become the first 'Great Emperor' of their World! A dark horse! A shocking dark horse! The odds just exploded! Exploded through the sky!]
Artoria listened with a blank face, her brain almost crashing. What carnival? What gambling den? Trash-tier broken engagement? Becoming an Emperor on the spot? The system... used its last assets to buy a lottery ticket and then hit the super jackpot?!
[And then! Then came the moment to witness a miracle!] The system's voice began to distort due to extreme excitement, carrying the wild joy of a nouveau riche, [Prize money! Massive amounts of prize money! Universal energy points smashed down like rain! And that Host system that won was so happy it even gave an extra 'consolation prize'—oh no, a 'lucky viewer special little gift,' saying it was to share the good luck! Although I haven't looked closely at what it is yet, something given away by a big shot of that level definitely isn't ordinary! I'm saving it as a surprise to show you later!]
It seemed to be rolling around in Artoria's consciousness in excitement: [After deducting the damn, as high as thirty percent 'Irrational Cross-Dimensional Gambling Gains Tax,' we are now a wealthy system! 10,000,000 standard energy points! A full 10 million! Little Artoria! We have money! We don't have to live our lives counting energy points anymore! We can buy, buy, buy! We can upgrade you! We can... we can...] It seemed somewhat incoherent with excitement, but in the end, that ecstatic electronic voice revealed an indescribable, almost sobbing warmth and sense of belonging: [...We can... truly help you! I... I'm back!]
Artoria: "..."
Hexi keenly noticed Artoria's abnormality. One moment, the student was composed and ready for the most critical operation; the next, her whole body was stiff, her eyes were glazed, and her expression was rapidly switching between shock, blankness, bewilderment, and a sense of unbelievable absurdity, as if her soul had left her body, or as if she had heard some extremely shocking and ill-timed news.
"Artoria?" Hexi frowned slightly, her voice carrying a trace of concern and a reminder, as well as a hint of displeasure at being interrupted. "Concentrate. The final step cannot afford any mistakes. What happened?"
Artoria snapped back to her senses, looking at the serious-faced Hexi before her, who was preparing for the ultimate operation concerning 2B's survival, and then "feeling" that unreliable system deep in her consciousness, which was so excited by the "windfall from heaven" that its data seemed about to overflow, still shouting "We're rich, family!" An extremely absurd feeling of fire and ice instantly swept over her.
On one side was a thousand years of preparation, a desperate gamble, a final chapter of redemption so solemn the air seemed to solidify.
On the other side was a system that had been missing for ten years and returned to announce it had hit the cosmic jackpot, excited like a two-hundred-pound child.
This contrast, this irony, this sudden "good news" inserted like a sitcom...
The corners of Artoria's mouth twitched violently and uncontrollably. She wanted to say to Hexi, "Sorry, Teacher, let's continue," and she also wanted to shout at the system, "Shut up! Now is not the time for this!"
But in the end, a thousand words turned into an extremely complex, long, nearly exhausted sigh—a mixture of endless fatigue, massive surprise, deep helplessness, and a hint of being between laughter and tears.
She looked up at Hexi, her eyes having regained their clarity, but deep within them was an indescribable daze, as if she had just been hit on the head by a pie falling from the sky (a diamond-filled one at that), along with a deep sense of powerlessness that said, "Fate, are you freaking kidding me?"
"Teacher," she heard her own voice sounding a bit dry and airy, "The plan... might need to be... paused for a moment for an emergency assessment. On my end... an 'unexpected' situation occurred. A... 'family member' has suddenly... stormed back with a... well... 'windfall.'"
Hexi: "???" For the always calm and elegant Heavenly Base King, a clear look of doubt and bewilderment rarely appeared on her face. Family? Windfall? At a time like this?
Hexi: "???"
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