Chapter Forty-Nine

Chapter Forty-Nine

Baisha cautiously moved forward.

As she fully stepped through the crystal door, it slowly closed behind her, stirring up a fine dust on the ground.

……

Cecil Ronin watched from a distance as Bai Sha's figure disappeared behind the door, his gaze carrying a trace of contemplative thought.

At this moment, Wei Li sent him a communication request.

Cecil Ronin chose to answer, and a pale blue holographic screen unfolded before him. Wei Li asked, "Your Majesty, has the young princess entered the Crystal Sky?"

The Emperor nodded in response.

"I wonder which 'Angel' the young princess will bring back with her," Wei Li sighed softly.

Cecil Ronin speculated, "Based on previous experiences, it's likely to be 'Michael.'"

Michael is the most responsive "Angel," known for his cheerful and generous nature, integrity, and bravery. Although somewhat belligerent, his capabilities are indeed formidable—most importantly, he's the most approachable among the remaining three "Angels." Bai Sha won’t find it exhausting to deal with him and won’t need to worry too much. If Bai Sha had to choose, she would certainly prefer a guardian that's easier to handle.

"Actually, any of the 'Angels' would be more than sufficient to guard the young princess," commented Wei Li.

Besides Michael, there are two other "Angels" who respond to summons.

One is Gabriel, who was the foremost among all angels during the Silver Age, highly respected and elegant, possessing great leadership qualities.

Honestly, meeting this "Angel" under Bai Sha's current circumstances would be quite awkward. Gabriel would likely disapprove of Bai Sha’s current half-baked state, especially with her indecision about succeeding the throne... Once Gabriel meets Bai Sha, he would undoubtedly implement a rigorous 'tiger parenting' approach, determined to mold Bai Sha into the legendary 'wise ruler'—a prospect neither Bai Sha nor even Cecil Ronin himself would likely endure.

Hence, Cecil Ronin sincerely hoped it wouldn't be Gabriel who appeared.

The last "Angel" who could respond to the summons was Uriel.

Uriel usually has little presence because the Imperial records on "Angels" seldom mention him. And since the Ares Royal Family has rarely summoned angels over the past thousand years, they naturally didn't want to waste the precious opportunity on lesser-known angels, preferring to summon those about whom they knew more.

Urial's combat strength was undoubtedly formidable.

Although never summoned by anyone, he had awakened on his own once... on the day the "Angel" Raphael exhausted his energy.

Raphael was peaceful and kind, knowledgeable and wise, a mentor and friend to anyone. Other "Angels" bore shades of the post-Silver Age's shadow, but Raphael remained earnest and innocent.

Raphael's combat ability was primarily defensive; he could erect massive barriers to withstand enemy assaults. However, this wide-range defensive capability meant consuming a vast amount of energy. Each of Raphael's awakenings rapidly depleted his remaining energy.

Until, in a certain war, he encountered a unique King-class Star Worm that could directly absorb human psychic energy. Surprised, Raphael erected barriers for the Imperial troops to protect them from psychic drain, but he nearly exhausted all his power in the process.

In the end, Urial voluntarily broke the limits of the Crystal Heaven, descending like a divine warrior to the battlefield to slay the King-class Star Worm. He also witnessed Raphael's fall and collected his "remains" to take back to the Crystal Heaven after the battle.

Throughout that battle, Angel Urial spoke only two sentences to the Imperials.

One was "Step aside," and the other, "Begin the counterattack."

The first, said before slaying the King-class Star Worm, signified him as a one-man army; the second, after successfully killing the Star Worm, indicated the instantaneous reversal of the battlefield situation due to him.

Urial came and went in haste, hardly making eye contact with any Imperial. This starkly contrasted with Raphael, who was always surrounded by Imperials. He maintained a strong distance from them, constantly reminding them that he was an "Angel," a sacred entity, but not truly one of their comrades.

Such an Angel would surely disdain the trivial duty of guarding Baisha, wouldn't he?

—In sum, considering all information, it seemed only Gabriel and Michael would likely accompany Baisha. Relatively speaking, Michael was a better choice, something Baisha himself could probably discern.

Cecil·Ronin even began considering which palace in Youdu Star to use for hosting Michael. Perhaps he should also prepare some fine wine. Michael liked drinking but never got drunk, making him a fussy yet non-materialistic guest.

Meanwhile, inside the Crystal Heaven.

The massive door closed, plunging Baisha's vision into darkness.

Everything before her was shrouded in fog, enveloped in a gray aura. The pitch-black ground stretched endlessly into the distance, its horizon edged with a faint, distant white light.

Bai Sha cautiously stepped forward, hearing her footsteps as if treading on some icy surface. With each step, bright purple markings appeared on the ground, their patterns like frost flowers, casting an eerie glow in the dark space.

She walked for about three minutes and entered a space resembling a prayer room.

Several bright, columnar amethysts were clustered together, hanging upside down from the ceiling like chandeliers, illuminating the surroundings; black chains pierced through the walls, coiling around the amethysts like lurking dragons.

In the center of the prayer room was a black device shaped like a four-sided pyramid, with different patterns carved on each side: a horn, a sword, a cross, and the Tree of Life.

On the side with the Tree of Life, a line of small characters was carved at the bottom:

"I saw a star fall from heaven."

Baisha: "..."

Baisha vaguely remembered her uncle mentioning that one of the four angels had already entered eternal slumber. It seemed this Tree of Life represented that permanently sleeping angel.

This angel was no longer an option; she had to choose from the remaining three.

But how to choose? She had never seen these angels before. Was it like opening a mystery box?

She recalled Cecil Ronning's advice: not every angel would respond to her.

Since it was a two-way selection process... she decided to call them one by one, choosing whoever was willing to come.

Baisha summoned Little Baijiu to choose between the three sides engraved with the horn, sword, and cross.

Little Baijiu flapped its wings, hovered in the air for three seconds, then dove down decisively towards the side with the sword, chirping twice.

Baisha actually preferred this pattern as well—she found the sword engraving particularly cool, aligning perfectly with her aesthetic.

True to her psychic entity, Little Baijiu seemed in sync with her thoughts.

Baisha reached out to tap the sword engraving.

After waiting three seconds, nothing happened.

Baisha hissed in frustration, realizing she had no idea how to actually summon an angel. Her uncle had left her in Crystal Heaven without any instructions.

Little Baijiu, originally hovering beside Baisha, tilted its head curiously, flapping its wings to land on the slanted side of the black device engraved with the sword. It continuously kicked at the engraving.

“Chirp, chirp, chirp!”

The tiny feet moved with surprising speed, almost sparking with friction.

Baisha stood aside, stroking her chin thoughtfully: “Do I need to recite some kind of summoning spell?”

As she hesitated, the pyramid-shaped device finally responded.

The side engraved with the sword began to glow. A golden, half-bodied apparition gently floated out, dancing brightly around the room like a little ghost.

A line of text appeared above the ghostly figure.

Baisha slowly read out loud: “Why do you summon an angel?”

Blinking, Baisha coughed softly, speaking tentatively, “Because I am too weak and need someone to protect me… Does that reason count?”

As she spoke, Little Baijiu, as if seeing something fascinating, carefully flew next to the golden spirit, circling it enthusiastically with loud chirps.

The golden spirit: “…”

Receiving her answer, the spirit did not verbally agree or disagree. The golden phantom suddenly disintegrated, turning into countless specks of light, quietly fading away.

The device in front of Baisha moved, the side with the sword receding inwards. Simultaneously, a muffled rumbling noise came from her left. Turning her head, she saw a new passage appear on that side.

Baisha, with her psychic entity, proceeded towards the new pathway.

Xiao Bai Chirp flew ahead, moving slightly faster than Bai Sha, scouting about three steps in front of her.

The path underfoot was unexpectedly smooth and cold, as if meticulously polished by the most precise machinery—Bai Sha carelessly lost her footing on a slope, stumbled, and slid down the passageway like a slide, heading deep into the tunnel.

...It's best she doesn't find out who made this passageway so slippery!

About thirty seconds later, with a loud "bang," Bai Sha finally came to a stop, and the passage also reached its end.

She looked around and found herself in a circular room. The walls reflected a faint cold light, seemingly made of some special metal, and the only item in the entire room was—

A huge blue crystal coffin.

Bai Sha: "..."

She stood up, dusted herself off, rubbed her slightly sore legs from the fall, and walked towards the coffin.

Inside the coffin lay a person.

The person was lying in a very orderly position, legs straight and together, hands crossed over each other, resting on the lower abdomen, with a tranquil and serene expression between the eyebrows.

He looked remarkably young, with light golden short hair and facial features so stunningly handsome they seemed almost inconceivable—a radiant, subdued appearance that seemingly overcame all imperfections typical of human physiology.

Bai Sha remained motionless for a moment.

The person in the coffin opened their eyes.

Those eyes were like the purest emerald beads, the slightly raised corners of his elongated eyebrows conveying a faint, imposing aura as he opened them.

The man gently pushed the coffin lid aside and slowly stood up, lifting his gaze to Bai Sha.

His face was vivid yet serene. Bai Sha saw her own reflection in the youth's beautiful eyes, which contained nothing but her.

Dressed in a white uniform with golden trim, the young man knelt on one knee before Bai Sha, his trousers clinging to his calves, outlining a meticulous silhouette.

"Angel Uriel, at your service to the royal bloodline," the youth said, his voice slightly hoarse yet melodious, "I shall fulfill your wishes to the best of my abilities."

Bai Sha stood frozen for a few seconds.

"Uriel?" she inquired, "Is that your name, or a code?"

The youth answered gracefully, "In the present, I am only Uriel."

...Only Uriel?

Bai Sha gazed at his face, as pure and captivating as the stars, feeling that his reply was utterly sincere, devoid of any complex emotions.

Bai Sha belatedly realized: He truly was a bio-robot.

Even if his expressions were lively and he appeared indistinguishable from a human, fundamentally, standing before her was an antique from the Silver Age, a biotechnological being who had approached immortality through mechanical means.

"You can stand up; just call me Bai Sha," she said.

Upon hearing this, the young man stood up, his gaze towards Bai Sha loyal yet serene.

He resembled an overly handsome and graceful knight.

Bai Sha was still somewhat unaccustomed to his radiant beauty and coughed lightly, "So, are all angels like you?"

Uriel did not speak, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Bai Sha initially wanted to ask if all angels were as handsome as him, but reconsidered her words and instead pointed at the crystal coffin behind them, "Er, I mean, do you usually sleep in these kinds of coffins?"

Uriel paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, each angel's resting space is personally arranged. I don't know what other angels' resting rooms look like..."

As he spoke, he seemed to realize that having just a coffin here was indeed a bit too simplistic.

"No worries, you can stay with me from now on. There are many vacant palaces on Youdu Star, and there are also many unoccupied but well-maintained rooms in my palace. You can pick any." Bai Sha quickly found a suitable approach to interact with Uriel, placing herself in a supervisory role, warmly introducing the perks for her soon-to-be employee, "If you have any preferred decorative elements, you can tell me, or directly inform my steward. He will arrange for a designer to redecorate it to your satisfaction."

Uriel seemed surprised, "Your Highness, you seem to have forgotten that I am a bio-robot."

Bai Sha was somewhat puzzled, "Don't you have the same senses as humans?"

"I do," Uriel gently removed his white glove, revealing his flawlessly pale fingertips, "The only sensation I lack is pain."

He drew a dagger from his waist and cut his wrist without hesitation. The blade parted the skin, revealing faintly blue veins. Golden blood slowly oozed out, quickly turning transparent and disappearing, and the wound healed visibly within five seconds, returning to its original state.

Throughout the process, Uriel did not even blink.

"You see, Your Highness. I know my appearance is very similar to humans, but the actual me is fundamentally different from humans..." As he was explaining that there was no need to put much effort into decorating a room for a bio-robot, he noticed Bai Sha rubbing her eyes and, breaking off the topic, asked with concern, "What's wrong with your eyes?"

"Nothing, it's just that since you woke up, I haven't blinked." Bai Sha spoke somewhat sullenly, "But I see you haven't blinked till now and seem just fine—I now believe that bio-robots far exceed human limitations."

Uriel: "..."

He found that Bai Sha always had some unexpected reactions.

"You can close your eyes for a moment, don't rub them with your hands," Uriel's sigh spread gently in the vast room, sounding increasingly tender, "Do you need my help?"

Bai Sha: "How can you help me? There's no eye drops here."

Uriel did not respond.

As Bai Sha spoke, she felt herself being lifted lightly – it seemed Uriel had picked her up.

A dazzling white light flickered before her; she opened her still-blurry eyes, instantly stunned by the sight before her.

Uriel's enormous, silver-white wings unfolded behind him, stretching to the other end of the room. They carefully wrapped around Baisha, enveloping her in their embrace.

Baisha looked up in surprise, her eyes meeting the elegant lines of the young man's fair neck. His skin shimmered with the cool luster of jade, accentuating his collar in a snow-white purity. His emerald eyes gazed down at Baisha, like two gentle pools of green water.

"I'll take you out of here right away."

Uriel said, his tone brief and resolute.

Baisha: “…”

Though a mechanical angel, he is indeed a "birdman" with real wings!

Baisha quickly composed herself and asked, “But aren’t we still underground?”

“I know a fast way to the outside,” Uriel pondered for a moment, then added, “It's the passage I created when I last left the Crystal Sky.”

Baisha: “???”

"Created?" What does that mean?

Before she could inquire further, a whooshing sound filled her ears. Vaguely, it reminded her of the time she underwent auxiliary awakening with Cecil Ronin—back then, she was a free bird.

Now, she was soaring again!

Baisha felt the fierce wind around her, but Uriel’s wings protected her. Combined with her subconscious use of psychic power, she was spared from any cuts by the knife-like gales.

After what felt like an eternity, the tumultuous noise around her ears abruptly ceased.

Uriel: “Your Highness, you can open your eyes now.”

Baisha moved her hands away from her face and instinctively turned her head to look outside—

They had flown above the palace complex.

It was the moment of daybreak, with a cold sliver of morning light enveloping the palace, adding a serene and majestic aura to its originally splendid beauty.

Uriel asked Baisha with concern, "Where is your palace? Do you need a physician right away?"

Baisha replied somewhat speechlessly, "I'm just having a bit of trouble opening my eyes, there's no need to alarm a physician, is there?"

Uriel nodded agreeably, "Sorry, it's just that you mentioned you were somewhat frail—"

Baisha: "When did I say I was frail?"

Uriel: "...When you summoned me earlier, didn't you say you needed someone to protect you?"

Baisha took a deep breath, leaned on Uriel's shoulder, and said earnestly, "What I meant by 'weak' was that I lack strength, not that I'm physically weak!"

The angel hesitated for a moment, frowning slightly, "But your spirit body..."

Baisha patted his shoulder, "Have you never seen a genetic mutation?"

Uriel: "..."

The angel was at a loss for words.

He apologized to Baisha for his misunderstanding.

Then, under Baisha's guidance, Uriel brought her to the front of her palace and gently landed on the soft green lawn. After Baisha steadied herself, Uriel released his hands, and the silver-white wings behind him gradually vanished.

Baisha looked curiously at Uriel's shoulder blades, always feeling that these beings called "angels" were full of secrets. They indeed carried the mechanical technology from the Silver Age, many aspects of which Baisha couldn't see through, let alone guess.

After a while, Baisha took a few steps out, then suddenly remembered something:

"Oh no, my uncle is still waiting for us outside the gate of Crystal Sky."

Saying this, Baisha sent a communication request to Cecil Ronin. He answered instantly, but her emperor uncle's expression was somewhat peculiar.

Cecil Ronin: "How did you manage to call me? Is there a signal in Crystal Sky?"

Baisha showed Cecil Ronin the background behind her, somewhat embarrassed, indicating she had already returned to her palace first.

Baisha: "Uncle, I'm already out of Crystal Sky, you don't need to wait there anymore."

Cecil Ronin's expression briefly blanked, then he frowned slightly, "How did you get out?"

Could there be a flaw in the defense system surrounding Crystal Sky?

"Uriel helped me escape," Baisha said, gesturing for Uriel to join her in the frame, "Look, Uncle, I've successfully found a guardian. You promised before to take me to see the mechs—"

"Hold on a second," Cecil Ronin's voice grew calmer, "What did you say the name of the person beside you is?"

Baisha: "Uriel."

The Emperor standing outside Crystal Sky: "..."

What are the odds—it's not Michael, not Gabriel, but Uriel, who has never been summoned before?

Cecil Ronin didn't know what kind of character this Uriel had, but Uriel's combat prowess as an “angel” was beyond doubt.

"Oh right, Uncle. Uriel said the last time he rushed to the frontline, he created a passage directly from Crystal Sky to exit. Isn't that passage still unblocked?" Baisha asked, "Would you like to check it out with Uriel?"

The Emperor: "..."

The Emperor: "I'll go take a look."

If memory serves, the material used to construct Crystal Sky was special and couldn't be replicated by the empire, so they made do and patched up that passage.

Now it seems, it's open again—!

Talk about being put to work right off the bat.