The transport ship sailed steadily along the predetermined route to the Chi Wu Star System.
Time inside the ship passed slowly, measured by the standards of the Angel Warriors.
Having left behind the omnipresent solemnity and busyness of the Merlot Heavenly Court, the journey itself brought a peculiar sense of tranquility, somewhere between a mission and a trip.
Artoria did not stay in the rest cabin specially prepared for her, which was comparable to a luxury suite.
After the initial novelty and the slight awkwardness of being with the Zhuifeng Squad, she quickly adapted to the rhythm of life on the ship and even began to actively participate in it.
"Lord Artoria, this is the ship's navigation log and peripheral space monitoring brief."
An Angel Warrior with short light-brown hair—a member of the Zhuifeng Squad, codenamed "Liu Ying"—handed a data pad to Artoria, who was watching the stars in front of a small observation window.
Her tone was respectful but no longer the rigid, purely task-oriented style from the beginning; it had gained a touch of natural familiarity.
"Thank you, Liu Ying."
Artoria took it and quickly browsed through the information.
She discovered that these briefs were not cold numbers and coordinates; there were often brief, handwritten notes from Chasing Wind or other members in the margins, such as "Slight spatial ripples detected in XX area, suspected natural phenomenon, marked," or "Asteroid belt ahead, composition stable, no abnormal energy reactions," and they even thoughtfully attached star map comparisons.
"Do you... always record things this detailed when you go on missions?" Artoria asked curiously.
She knew the Angel Warriors were disciplined, but this level of detail still surprised her.
Liu Ying smiled, revealing a small, sharp canine tooth, which softened the sharpness of the warrior slightly: "Not for routine missions. But this time... Captain Zhui Feng said that you might be interested in the cosmic environment along the way, so he asked us to record it as intuitively as possible. Besides," she blinked and lowered her voice slightly, "Heavenly Base King Hexi instructed us privately to let you learn more about the handling of details in actual combat."
Artoria felt a warmth in her heart; her teacher had considered even such details.
She nodded and looked at the data pad seriously, asking Liu Ying directly whenever she encountered terms or annotations she didn't quite understand.
Liu Ying answered patiently, occasionally adding interesting anecdotes or dangerous situations she had experienced, making the dry data come alive.
Gradually, Artoria became familiar with the ten Angel Warriors of the Zhuifeng Squad.
They no longer just called her "Lord Artoria"; in informal settings, they would communicate in a more casual manner.
Artoria learned that Captain Zhui Feng seemed serious but was actually meticulous and took great care of his team members; she learned that Deputy Captain "Lie Feng" was a cannon-control fanatic whose eyes would light up whenever various shipboard weapons were mentioned; she learned that "Liu Ying" was skilled in information analysis and tracking; she learned that "Bedrock" was the team's most reliable defender and heavy gunner; she learned that "Qing Yu's" infiltration and reconnaissance abilities were outstanding...
She also asked them for advice on some basic combat skills, tactical coordination of the Angel Warriors, and even some customs of the Merlot Heavenly Court.
The Angel Warriors were initially surprised by the approachability and strong thirst for knowledge of this "Star Vault Steward," but they were soon infected by her sincerity and the occasional "naivety" that didn't match her powerful technical talent, and they were happy to share with her.
Of course, they always maintained the proper distance and respect, but this respect gradually incorporated recognition of "Artoria" as a person, not just because of her status.
On the fourth day of the voyage, Artoria was conducting her daily psionic control practice in the ship's small training ground.
She attempted to maintain the stability of multiple energy sensing nodes simultaneously and simulated controlling micro-mechanical units for tactical maneuvers.
This was excellent training for her fine motor control and multi-threaded processing capabilities.
The Zhuifeng Squad happened to be on rotation for rest, and several members were also in the training ground performing routine physical and tactical movement exercises.
Seeing Artoria's training method, they all showed interest.
That control method, which relied purely on mental power and barely depended on Dark Energy interfaces, was completely different from the combat mode of the Angel Warriors.
"Lord Artoria, this control method of yours must be a huge mental burden, right?" Lie Feng couldn't help but ask; she had just finished a set of high-intensity energy resistance training, with sweat beads on her forehead.
"Yes, it is; it requires high concentration." Artoria stopped her practice, wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, and explained, "But it's fine once you get used to it. Moreover, this direct mental link has a faster response speed and is harder to be interfered with by conventional information warfare means."
"It is indeed very unique." Captain Zhui Feng had walked over at some point.
He observed the faint traces left by Artoria's control of the energy nodes, his eyes filled with evaluation. "It is very suitable for your 'one-person army' concept. However, in complex electromagnetic environments or high-intensity energy interference, stability might need additional safeguards."
"Captain Zhui Feng is right; this is also one of the topics I am currently researching." Artoria humbly accepted the advice.
Communicating with these battle-hardened Angel Warriors always gave her new ideas and reminders.
"Lord Artoria," Bedrock, who had been relatively silent, suddenly spoke, its voice deep, "You... seem to not be very used to commanding us?"
Artoria was taken aback for a moment and nodded somewhat embarrassedly: "Well... to be honest, a little bit. I know you are here to protect me, but I always feel... that it is not quite right to treat you purely as guards. You are all excellent warriors, and you should have more important missions..."
Captain Zhui Feng looked at her, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appearing on his stern face.
"You don't need to have any burden, Lord Artoria." Captain Zhui Feng's voice was steady and powerful. "We are warriors; obeying orders and completing missions is our duty. The Queen and the Heavenly Base King gave us the task of guarding you, which is our most important and glorious mission at present. You are our protection target, but at the same time, you are also the... core of this operation."
He paused, seemingly weighing his words, and then said clearly, word for word: "Before we set off, Heavenly Base King Hexi specifically summoned me. She asked me to convey a message to you."
Artoria immediately held her breath and looked at Captain Zhui Feng.
Captain Zhui Feng met her gaze, repeating the tone Hexi had used at the time, calm yet with unquestionable depth: "She said: 'Tell little Artoria, as she wishes, do what she wishes to do.'"
"As I wish, do what I wish to do..."
Artoria repeated this sentence silently in her heart, and an indescribable heat surged from the bottom of her heart, instantly dispelling the last trace of awkwardness and anxiety brought by her status and the pomp.
Her teacher meant... do not be bound by the status of "Star Vault Steward," do not be restricted by the duties of the guard squad, and certainly do not be constrained just because she was under the wings of the Angel Warriors.
Act as an ordinary visitor who had come to observe and learn, act according to her own heart and judgment, and do what she believed should be done.
As for safety, as for the potential consequences... they were there, the Angel Warriors were there.
This trust, this letting go, made Artoria feel heavier, and also incomparably free and powerful, more than any tight protection and comprehensive arrangement.
"I understand." Artoria raised her head, the confusion and hesitation in her eyes completely dissipated, replaced by a clear firmness. "Thank you, Captain Zhui Feng. Please also thank my teacher for me."
Captain Zhui Feng nodded slightly and said no more.
From that day on, Artoria's state on the ship became more relaxed and proactive.
She still respected the duties of the Zhuifeng Squad and would not make excessive or dangerous requests, but she began to participate more actively in discussions about voyage affairs and would even discuss some tactical ideas with Captain Zhui Feng and the others.
She also began to use the equipment on the ship, combined with some materials in her Dark Plane "warehouse," to conduct some small-scale validation experiments and equipment fine-tuning.
Minerva always accompanied her quietly, occasionally performing some adaptive physical control exercises in the training ground.
Her starlight body was equally mysterious to the Angel Warriors, but that pure energy fluctuation and unconditional gentleness toward Artoria soon won the favor of the Zhuifeng Squad.
They could feel that this special "companion," its very existence, was Artoria's greatest stabilizer and power source.
The voyage continued in a calm and fulfilling daily routine.
Until one day, Liu Ying, on routine monitoring, issued a warning: "Abnormal energy accumulation reaction detected 0.3 light-years ahead. Readings are chaotic, mixed with solar wind disturbances and... unnatural spatial folds. Preliminary judgment is that it may be a local spatial turbulence caused by a collision between a small-scale interstellar dust cloud and an unknown energy field, or it may be... an artificially set interference or trap."
The atmosphere on the bridge instantly became solemn.
Captain Zhui Feng immediately entered command mode: "Full ship on Level 1 alert. Main engine power reduced by 20%, activate active detection array. Lie Feng, warm up weapon systems. Qing Yu, prepare to release stealth reconnaissance units. Bedrock, check ship hull shields."
The Angel Warriors instantly took their places, their movements swift and silent, demonstrating extremely high professionalism.
Artoria and Minerva were also invited to the safety observation area at the back of the bridge.
Artoria was not panicked; instead, she was eager to try. She looked at Captain Zhui Feng: "Captain, do you need me to do anything? My detectors and some... small things might be able to provide an additional perspective."
Captain Zhui Feng glanced at her, remembering Hexi's instructions, pondered slightly, and nodded: "Yes. Please synchronize your detection data to the warship's secondary tactical network, channel 7. Be careful, do not activate high-power or obviously characteristic devices."
"Understood." Artoria closed her eyes, her mental power sinking into the Dark Plane.
Several flat, disc-shaped objects, no larger than a fingernail, with shimmering surfaces, appeared silently in her palm, and then, as if they had life, they followed the extremely subtle temporary spatial cracks she opened and were deployed outside the transport ship.
These were "psionic probes" she had created by combining the Mechanic's heritage and Angel material science.
Relying on her own mental power to drive and receive signals, they emitted almost no conventional energy fluctuations and were highly covert.
Almost at the same time the probes left the ship, the conventional stealth reconnaissance units released by Qing Yu also sent back a clearer picture.
The space ahead was indeed like a stirred ink pool, with blurry yellow and dark red in the visible light band, various energy radiation readings jumping irregularly, and spatial curvature showing unnatural folds and fracture zones.
"High-energy particle stream detected!"
"Spatial folds are moving! There is something inside!"
"Warning! Multiple hostile energy signatures detected! Matching database... it is the Taotie's advance reconnaissance craft! At least three! They are hiding behind the turbulence!"
Lie Feng's voice carried a hint of excitement: "Target locked! Main gun charging! They can't run!"
"Wait." Captain Zhui Feng stared at the tactical panel, his brow slightly furrowed. "The energy reaction is wrong... too neat. It's like bait deliberately exposed."
Almost as soon as his voice fell, Artoria, through the more delicate spatial structure perception fed back by the psionic probes, captured a hint of extremely subtle fluctuations, different from the rough energy of the Taotie, carrying a cold and dead meaning.
That fluctuation came from deeper within the turbulence zone, the back of a spatial fold.
"Captain! 15 degrees to the left of the turbulence center, depth 2 units, there is a hidden unit! Energy signature... but weaker, more... insidious!" Artoria immediately shared the information.
Captain Zhui Feng's eyes sharpened: "Karl's direct troops? There really is an ambush! Correct the lock! Lie Feng, prioritize striking the hidden target! Qing Yu, interfere with the Taotie reconnaissance craft's communications! All ships, prepare to evade impact!"
The transport ship's stealth field fluctuated slightly, revealing its menacing muzzle.
However, before Lie Feng could fire, that spatial fold hiding the deadly danger suddenly, as if gripped by an invisible hand, twisted and compressed violently, and then— Boom!
A silent explosion erupted in the vacuum.
There was no fire, only terrifying spatial collapse and violent psionic turbulence instantly sweeping out, swallowing and crushing the nearby Taotie reconnaissance craft together with that spatial turbulence!
The power of that self-destructive attack was far beyond ordinary, clearly intended to eliminate traces, and perhaps even to... force out or test something.
"Evade!" Captain Zhui Feng ordered sharply.
The Dawn turned nimbly, energy shields fully open, narrowly brushing past the erupting spatial turbulence, and the hull vibrated slightly.
When the turbulence subsided, only the spatial ripples slowly calming down after the violence remained in that area, along with some metal wreckage of the reconnaissance craft.
The hidden Death Singer and his possible accomplices had long since disappeared without a trace, not even leaving a single energy trace, as clean as if they had never appeared.
"They ran." Lie Feng lowered the control lever unwillingly.
"It was a test, and also a warning." Captain Zhui Feng's expression was cold. "Karl knows we are here. Or rather, he knows that an 'important person' has arrived. Using the lives of a few Taotie small fries to test our bottom line and see our reaction."
He turned to Artoria, his gaze filled with praise and a hint of lingering fear: "Lord Artoria, thanks to your early warning. If we had attacked the Taotie reconnaissance craft directly just now, we would likely have been affected by that hidden self-destruction, or exposed more strength."
Artoria shook her head, still shaken: "I just happened to... that kind of energy feeling was very bad."
She recalled the descriptions of God of Death Karl and his subordinates, "Void" and "Death," in the materials, and a shadow was cast over her heart.
Before she even arrived on Earth, trouble had already come to her door.
This "great play" where the gods gathered was indeed full of murderous intent at every step.
"No need to worry." Captain Zhui Feng's voice returned to calm, but with steel-like firmness.
"This is just the prologue. Since they have already made a move to test us, we should also let them know that the guests of the Angel Warriors are not to be spied on or provoked at will. Continue forward, maintain the highest alert. We... proceed according to the original plan."
His gaze swept over every member on the bridge, finally falling on Artoria, and he nodded slightly.
"As you wish, Lord Artoria."
The Dawn adjusted its course, accelerated again, and moved firmly toward that blue star field, which was becoming increasingly shrouded in mist and hidden murderous intent.
The real stage was just ahead.
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