The warmth and playfulness in the Dark Plane continued for who knows how long, until that immense joy of recovery gradually settled into a peace flowing deep within their souls. Only then did Artoria suddenly remember that in the real World, a crucial benefactor and mentor was still waiting for the result.
She gently loosened her arms from the embrace with Minerva, her fingertips still lingeringly entwined with those silver strands of hair. Minerva seemed to sense something as well; her azure eyes looked at her, filled with inquiry.
"We should go out," Artoria's voice was soft, carrying a hint of reassurance. "Teacher Hexi is still outside waiting for our news. It was she who gave me the opportunity and provided the knowledge and resources that allowed me to get to where I am today. We must go tell her the good news, and... formally thank her, and... introduce you."
Minerva nodded gently, a solemn look appearing in her eyes. Although she had slept for a thousand years, she wasn't completely unaware of the outside World. Especially those fragments of information about "Teacher Hexi" from Artoria's thousand-year journey had long since made her understand how important this never-before-met King of Angels was to them as a benefactor. "I understand. She is your teacher, and also... our benefactor."
"And this fellow," Artoria glanced at the system sphere nearby, which was striking various strange poses with its rainbow-colored glowing body in an attempt to attract attention. "It... is quite special. It's my... family, and also a very important partner. I'll tell you the details later. For now, let's return to reality."
The system sphere's display screen immediately lit up with a "(oﾟvﾟ)ノ Understood!" expression. Then, with a "whoosh," its metallic body turned into a streak of light and merged into the depths of Artoria's consciousness, leaving only a smug electronic voice echoing in the Dark Plane: "This system is going back first to organize the 'meeting gift' for that Heavenly Base King. Guaranteed to give her a big surprise! You two catch up first, hehe..."
Artoria shook her head helplessly, giving Minerva a "get used to it" look, then focused her mind, her consciousness withdrawing from the Dark Plane like a receding tide.
In the core laboratory of the Silver Moon Observatory, time didn't seem to have passed much. Artoria slowly opened her eyes, her azure gaze still carrying a trace of lingering mist, but the thousand-year weight and fatigue had been swept away. In its place was a bright and gentle spirit, like a gemstone that had become even more dazzling after being washed by wind and rain.
Hexi hadn't gone far; she stood quietly before an observation platform in a corner of the laboratory, her silver hair like a waterfall and her posture upright, like an eternal mountain. Feeling the return of Artoria's consciousness, she turned around, her calm gaze falling on Artoria's face. Then, a flash of realization and faint relief crossed those eyes that saw through the World.
"It seems you succeeded." Hexi's voice was as calm and elegant as usual, showing little emotion, but Artoria could feel the affirmation contained beneath that calmness.
"Yes, Teacher. It was a success." Artoria took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed solemnly and deeply to Hexi. "Artoria has successfully fulfilled the mission. Minerva's consciousness has been successfully migrated and stabilized within a Dedicated Dark Plane Carrier. For this grace of rebirth, Artoria and Minerva will be eternally grateful."
Hexi nodded slightly, accepting the bow naturally. She deserved it. Not just for providing knowledge and resources, but for the trust and guidance that gave Artoria the possibility to carve a path through a desperate situation.
"No need for such formalities. This is the result of your own efforts, the reward for your thousand years of persistence." Hexi stepped forward and gave a slight assisting gesture, but her gaze turned with interest toward Artoria's side—it was empty, yet in Hexi's perception, she could detect a very faint but exceptionally stable and harmonious fluctuation of dark information that didn't belong to Artoria herself, closely orbiting her like a planet around a star. "How is... she?"
Artoria straightened up, an undisguised smile of joy and tenderness blooming on her face. She didn't answer directly but reached out her right hand, palm up, as a faint silver glow swirled around her fingertips. It wasn't the silver light of her own power, but a softer, more reserved radiance. The glow flowed and converged in her palm, gradually outlining a clear human silhouette—silver hair like the moon, a black dress like the night, a cold and exquisite face, and eyes as blue as the sea. It was exactly Minerva's appearance. However, the figure was slightly transparent, emitting a faint, moonlight-like shimmer. It wasn't a physical body but a highly stable projection composed of pure Dark Energy and information streams.
"Teacher," Artoria's voice carried a nearly devout solemnity. She turned slightly, her gaze falling tenderly on the projection beside her, then looked back at Hexi. "This is Minerva. My... life's true love."
Minerva's projection seemed a bit unaccustomed to this "manifestation" method, especially in front of Hexi, a Heavenly Base King who radiated an invisible majesty just by existing. She bowed slightly with a bit of restraint, performing a salute in the most solemn way she knew. Her azure eyes were clear and earnest: "Teacher... Hexi. Thank you... for your guidance and help to Artoria. Minerva... is deeply grateful." Her voice was synthesized directly through the projection; it still carried a bit of the rawness of someone just waking up, but the sincerity and gratitude within were clearly discernible.
Hexi's gaze fell upon Minerva's projection. It was calm and profound, as if it could penetrate this layer of energy and information to look directly at the essential nature of the soul. She watched for a moment, a nearly imperceptible flash of admiration crossing her eyes. Such a pure, stable Information Lifeform that harmonized so highly with Artoria's mental fluctuations was rare even in the long history of the Angels. Even more precious was that will which remained unextinguished after enduring catastrophe, as well as the unfeigned gratitude in those clear eyes and the undisguised deep affection for Artoria.
"No need for formalities, Minerva." Hexi's voice softened slightly, carrying an elder's recognition for a junior. "Your existence itself is the best answer to Artoria's thousand years of effort. Welcome to this... World that might still be a bit unfamiliar to you."
Receiving Hexi's response, Minerva seemed to relax a bit. The posture of her projection was no longer so tense, but she still maintained a proper stance, standing quietly beside Artoria, her hand naturally interlocked with Artoria's. Despite it being only a simulated tactile sensation of energy, those clasped hands seemed to contain immense strength, speaking of a vow to never leave or forsake one another.
Artoria felt Minerva's movement, and a warm current surged in her heart. She looked at Hexi and continued to explain: "Minerva's current state is that of a pure Information Lifeform, relying on the Dark Plane carrier I built for her. Through Dark Energy and specific information coding, she can project her consciousness into the real World, interacting with me and the outside World just as she is now. Although she has temporarily lost her original mechanical body, her consciousness is complete, her memories are intact, and her emotions... remain." She paused, her tone becoming more determined, even carrying a nearly solemn promise. "Furthermore, the Soul Link between her and me has stabilized. From now on, her Dark Plane is my anchor, and my existence is her harbor. We will remain together in this form forever. Sharing life and death, inseparable."
Sharing life and death, inseparable. Simple words, yet they weighed as much as a thousand catties. This was not just a vow of love, but the most complete delivery and binding of two souls' ways of existence after enduring hardships.
Hexi listened quietly, a faint light swirling in her silver eyes. She didn't judge whether this choice was right or wrong; for eternal lives, the forms of emotion and existence were the most complex subjects. She merely nodded slightly to show she understood. "A very special bond. Then, what about the other... 'family member'?" Her gaze swept over Artoria with a hint of inquiry, clearly referring to that noisy "existence" with the peculiar energy reaction in the Dark Plane earlier.
A helpless yet warm smile appeared on Artoria's face. "It... is in a rather special situation. It's a Symbiotic Contract partner I formed during a chance encounter in my early years, similar to a high-level auxiliary intelligent lifeform. It's quite... lively and has a bit of a childish temperament, but it's not bad at heart. It also provided unexpected and crucial help for this success. You can consider it... one of my family members." She didn't explain the system's origin or its "sudden wealth" experience in detail, only summarizing its nature and role.
Hexi remained noncommittal upon hearing this. Angels were always cautious about unknown existences, especially those involving high dimensions or special contracts. But since Artoria said so, and the other party had indeed provided help at a critical moment—she still vividly remembered that strand of strange pale golden aura—she wouldn't press further. Everyone had their own secrets and destinies.
Just then, Artoria seemed to receive some information, and her expression became a bit subtle, as if she wanted to laugh but was holding it back. She cleared her throat and said to Hexi, "Teacher, it... well, my 'family member,' to thank you for your help over the years, has specially... prepared a thank-you gift. It said... it hopes you won't look down on it."
As she spoke, Artoria raised her other hand. With a flash of light in her palm, a flat "box" appeared. It was about the size of a palm, made of a material that was neither metal nor jade, with countless fine silver runes flowing across its surface. The box had no interfaces or decorations, only a slightly recessed pattern resembling a palm print in the center.
"It said it used... well, used some of its own'savings' to exchange for this in 'certain places.' Inside, it seems to have recorded some... knowledge and information it believes might be valuable to you and the Angel Civilization." Artoria tried her best to relay the system's smug "praise me, praise me" words in a calm tone, but her heart was pounding. That fellow, the system, called it a "small gift," but judging from its cockiness and the complex information fluctuations coming from the box that even made her heart skip a beat, this thing was likely anything but simple.
Hexi's gaze fell upon the peculiar box. With her eyesight and knowledge, she instantly realized that the material of the "box" itself and the information coding structure within far exceeded the technological scope of the current mainstream civilizations in the known Universe. It even shared similarities with certain ancient relics of the Angels, but it was more... advanced and complete. When her perception tried to probe deeper, it was blocked by a soft yet indestructible barrier. The complexity of that barrier surprised even her.
"Oh?" Hexi's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. She reached out and took the "box." It felt slightly heavy and as warm as jade, yet it possessed a strange energy affinity. Her fingertips lightly brushed the silver runes, which actually flowed slightly like living things, emitting an even brighter luster.
"It said," Artoria continued to relay, her tone a bit strange, "opening it requires... uh, requires your mental power to resonate with a specific frequency of Dark Energy. It's a... security measure. The information inside is said to be... an outline of part of the basic and advanced technology tree of a defunct super-civilization that once reached the level of 'Void Creation and Rule Modification,' as well as some... related higher-dimensional physical constant models and deductions about the underlying rules of the Universe... It also said it might be 'just a little bit higher' than what the Angels currently possess?"
By the time Artoria finished, she found it a bit absurd herself. A technology tree a level higher than the Angel Civilization? Void Creation? Rule Modification? Where on earth did the system get such a thing from its "lottery"?! This wasn't a "small gift" anymore; it was practically... an immeasurable "grand gift" sufficient to cause upheaval in the entire known Universe!
Hexi's originally calm and expressionless face finally showed a slight crack upon hearing "Void Creation, Rule Modification" and "just a little bit higher than what the Angels currently possess." A rare, extremely sharp, and even shocked light flashed in her eternally rational eyes. Her fingers holding the "box" tightened almost imperceptibly for a moment.
As one of the main gods of the highest civilization in the known Universe, and as the Heavenly Base King, she knew all too well what this "gift" could mean. While the Angels' technology stood at the peak of the known Universe, it wasn't without bottlenecks, especially in fields involving the Void, Ultimate Fear, and the fundamental rules of the Universe, which were similarly shrouded in mist. The value of a technology tree and theoretical models from a higher-level civilization—even if only "partial" or just "conjectures"—far exceeded the resources of thousands of planetary systems for the Angel Civilization and for a scholar like her!
She I took a deep look at Hua Ling, her gaze as if trying to penetrate her soul to see that mysterious "family member" hiding deep in her consciousness who had sent this "grand gift." After a moment of silence, Hexi carefully put away the peculiar "box," not attempting to open or probe it deeply on the spot. This gift was too heavy—heavy enough that even the Heavenly Base King needed time to digest it and a safer, more private environment to treat it with caution.
"This 'family member' of yours," Hexi's voice returned to calmness, but Artoria could hear a trace of unusual solemnity and... inquiry beneath it, "is very... interesting. I'll accept this 'gift.' Thank it... for me."
She didn't speak of the gift's value, nor did she ask about its specific source. Some things were understood without being said. She simply noted this karma and, at the same time, gained a deeper understanding of Artoria and the "bonds" around her. This girl, who seemingly came from a "backward" World, and the people and things around her always seemed to bring unexpected... surprises, or rather, shocks.
"Yes, Teacher," Artoria replied respectfully, feeling relieved in her heart. At the same time, she gained a new understanding of the system's "generosity." Just how many incredible things had that fellow obtained after winning the "lottery" once?
"Minerva has just awakened, and her consciousness still needs to stabilize. You and she also need time to adapt to this new form of existence." Hexi's gaze became peaceful again, returning to her composure as a mentor. "The Silver Moon Observatory will reserve an area for you. If you have any needs in the future, or if there is any progress in the research of Dark Plane Information Lifeforms, you can come to me at any time."
This was a clear indication that she would continue to provide protection and support.
"Thank you, Teacher!" Artoria and Minerva thanked her solemnly once more.
Hexi nodded slightly and said no more. She turned, her silver cloak tracing an elegant arc, and her figure gradually blended into the lights and shadows of the laboratory, leaving this space entirely to the two lovers who had just crossed the boundary of life and death to reunite in a new form.
Watching Hexi leave, Artoria let out a long sigh of relief, the tension she had been holding finally relaxing completely. She turned to look at Minerva's projection beside her. Their eyes met, and without needing words, a deep warmth and the joy of surviving a disaster flowed between them.
"Let's... go home first," Artoria said softly, tightening her grip on Minerva's hand. Home—that little house in the Serenitea Pot they had decorated together, filled with memories.
"Mhm, let's go home." Minerva replied softly, a faint but incredibly real and peaceful smile appearing on the face of the projection.
Meanwhile, deep within Artoria's consciousness, the system sphere was smugly rolling around in its "little treasury." Its display screen constantly flashed emoticons like "(￣︶￣)♦ All according to plan!", "With this system on the job, one is as good as two!", and "See how that Heavenly Base King was stunned! Hahaha!", clearly extremely satisfied with the effect of its "gift-giving."
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