179. Angela: Lemuen is Someone Who Can Be My Mother
"Didn't you say you'd grant her some of her wishes? Why don't I see her happy at all?" the Tarnished asked Xiling, observing the scene outside through magic.
Xiling looked at the strange substance in his palm, condensed to its extreme and radiating a soft, warm light:
"How would I know? I don't understand the heart of a machine-doll... Oh, no." Xiling's lips curled into a smile.
"Strictly speaking, she's no longer a machine-doll."
"She's a real girl now."
Yes, at this moment, Angela was no longer a cold, steel mechanical creation.
The essence that constituted her existence had been completely reshaped by Xiling—flesh and blood, bones, nerves, body temperature... a complete, pure human girl.
Hadn't she once longed to become human?
Xiling granted her that wish.
Hadn't she once yearned to escape the prison of the library and see the outside world?
Xiling granted her that wish as well.
But… the price of stepping through that door…
"Is this the Seed of Light from those four days?" Xiling's gaze refocused on the pulsating ball of light in her palm.
"Fortunately, its nature is relatively mild… otherwise, I might not have been able to so easily extract and suppress it."
In his perception, the will and power emanating from the flowing aura of light were terrifying.
"This thing is the Seed of Light? This energy density… is far more astonishing than my Holy Grail!" The Tarnished leaned closer, his eyes gleaming with pure amazement.
Xiling gently tapped the light with his finger:
"After all, this thing can truly change The City, so it's normal for it to be powerful."
"Xiling," Dan Heng's voice was as calm as ever, but a hint of seriousness flashed beneath the calm expression he had, "Are you sure you want to… house this thing within your body?"
In their original plan, to re-launch the Seed of Light, they must first recover the light, and Xiling would serve as the vessel in this collection process.
However, after witnessing firsthand the terrifying energy fluctuations emanating from the Seed of Light's physical form, doubts began to creep into everyone's hearts. This energy was far too immense.
Even if Xiling himself was already outrageous, but…
"Yeah, shouldn't we think of another way?" Kevin crossed his arms, his brow furrowed.
"I feel like this thing is going too far."
"Xiling, how about… sealing it inside your Starry Cloak?" Kiana stepped forward, her eyes filled with worry.
"That's right, Xiling, the Starry Cloak is safer!" Kyuushou immediately chimed in.
Even the somewhat awkward Elaina couldn't help but speak up: "It's best not to let this thing come into direct contact with your body."
Luo Tianyi frowned delicately: "Xiling… how about you think about it again? I have a feeling… there's a sound… in that ball of light?"
"A very strange sound…"
Only Placidusax remained silent, standing quietly to the side.
Xiling saw the worry in his companions' eyes, but he had his reasons for doing so.
"Don't worry!" He patted his chest forcefully, a confident smile spreading across his face.
"I'm a hero! What haven't I weathered? I'll be fine!"
Before he finished speaking, amidst the gasps of surprise from the others, Xiling's hand slammed down—forcing the dazzling yet chilling light into his own chest!
The instant the Seed of Light entered his body, Xiling's body shuddered violently! It felt as if invisible roots had instantly pierced the deepest part of his being, and a faint voice echoed in his mind. Xiling groaned, staggering back several steps, instinctively clutching his forehead.
"Hey! Xiling!" The nearest Tarnished caught his swaying body, his voice tense.
"Are you alright?! How are you feeling?!"
The others instantly gathered around.
"I told you that there was something wrong with that thing! Now something's really happened!" Kiana rushed anxiously to Xiling's side.
"Where are you feeling unwell? Tell me quickly!"
Elaina, a step too late, stopped at the edge of the crowd, her fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of her witch's robe.
Xiling shook his heavy head vigorously; the discomfort came and went quickly.
He took a deep breath, looked up at his companions' worried faces, and scratched the back of his head somewhat sheepishly.
"Oh, it's nothing! You guys made such a fuss, making me seem like I'm so fragile…"
"That's pretty much it," the Tarnished said, relieved to see him still smiling.
"After all, everyone knows you have a kidney deficiency."
"You're the one with a kidney deficiency!" Xiling immediately retorted, jumping up and down.
Seeing him regain his energy, the weight on everyone's hearts finally lifted slightly.
"Alright, everyone!"
Xiling straightened up and snapped his fingers crisply.
"The plan is officially underway!"
"Step one," Xiling's voice was resolute, "We will make the arrival of the Fire Moths earth-shattering! We will dispel the fog shrouding L's Nest, letting everyone see... a new flame has been ignited!"
"Step two," his voice carried a chilling killing intent, "We will use the destruction of the Five Fingers Gang to proclaim to this decaying city—the era of the Fire Moths has arrived!"
"Step three," his tone shifted to firmness and declaration, "The Silver Church will represent my banner, our creed, our protection—without fear of any oppression or persecution!—clearly imprinted in the hearts of everyone!"
"Step four..." Xiling's lips slowly curved upwards. Without a word, his companions around him—Kiana, Dan Heng, Kevin, the Tarnished, Kyuushou, Elaina, Luo Tianyi... even the silent Placidusax—all revealed knowing smiles.
"The World Wings… we should pay them a visit."
"If they're willing to listen to us…we'll cooperate."
"If they disagree…we'll agree for them."
"As for the final step…"
"Launch—the complete Seed of Light!"
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Dense fog shrouded the remains of the L-nest. Angela, like a puppet, trudged through the smog.
Her feet felt the cold, damp ground, each breath carrying the stench of dust and decay.
"Where…am I going?" This simplest question had become an unsolvable puzzle.
The once crystal-clear goal had been stripped away, leaving only confusion.
"Should I…keep going like this?" Exhaustion began to creep over her. Just then, from the depths of the fog ahead, a strange sound faintly came.
The piercing clang of metal clashing! The screams of humans! And…the nauseating, viscous sound of some kind of liquid splashing!
"What's going on?" Angela instinctively turned to leave.
However, it was too late. A figure covered in blood burst through the mist!
The man's face was smeared with blood. Seeing Angela alone, his face contorted with savage elation.
"Die!!"
Without a word, without hesitation, a blood-stained cleaver whistled through the air as it slashed down at Angela!
"Useless."
Angela stood rooted to the spot, her eyes barely flickering.
Based on the opponent's muscle exertion and the blade's trajectory… this level of attack couldn't possibly inflict any effective damage on her sturdy mechanical body.
Warm liquid splattered onto her pale cheek.
A sharp, tearing pain exploded instantly from her left shoulder! Angela looked down in disbelief.
Bright red blood gushed from the deep, gruesome wound on her shoulder, exposing the bone.
"Why...why?"
"Am I not...a robot?" Before the confused words could fully escape her lips, a boot slammed into her stomach!
"Ugh—!" The excruciating pain made her vision go black, and she flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the cold, hard ground!
A dull pain shot through the back of her head, and her vision blurred. More blood gushed from the wound on her shoulder, and she could feel the warmth of life rapidly draining away with the warm liquid. Consciousness quickly faded.
The madman, wielding the knife, with a bloodthirsty grin, approached her step by step, the shadow of death completely looming over her.
"...My end..."
"...Is this...my final outcome?"
She, who had paid any price just to live, after finally gaining the freedom she had longed for, was about to meet her end so briefly, so absurdly?
"I...don't want to die..." Darkness engulfed her last vestiges of consciousness like a tidal wave.
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"Angela! Angela!!"
"Why...why did you do this?!"
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"I just...wanted to live..."
"I...don't want to die..."
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Angela suddenly opened her eyes! Before her was an unfamiliar, pristine white ceiling.
"A ceiling I've never seen before..." Her brain went blank for a good ten seconds before she belatedly realized she was still alive.
...All the injuries on her body had disappeared.
Angela slowly sat up. The soft cotton blanket covering her felt warm and comfortable, yet it felt utterly unfamiliar.
"Where...am I?"
The door was gently pushed open. A pink-haired woman in a white nun's robe walked in. A smile played on her lips.
"You're awake? How are you feeling?"
Angela tensed instantly, her eyes fixed warily on the unfamiliar woman before her.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Lemuen, a nun from the Silver Church." Lemuen looked up, her gentle gaze falling on Angela.
"And you? Can you tell me your name?"
"...Angela."
She hesitated for a moment before finally uttering her name.
"Angela..." Lemuen repeated softly, "It's a beautiful name."
"Was it...you who saved me?" Angela asked the crucial question directly.
"No, it wasn't me." Lemuen gently shook her head.
"It was my companion who saved you."
"Don't you remember what happened? Like...what sounds did you hear? Or who did you see?"
Angela tried to recall. The last images before losing consciousness were only thick fog, excruciating pain, and the looming shadow of death.
"...I have no recollection." She answered firmly. She had absolutely no memory of any rescuers.
"I see…" Lemuen nodded thoughtfully, without pressing further.
"Oh, right!"
Angela seemed to suddenly remember something crucial. Ignoring Lemuen's questioning gaze, her hands flew over her body. Beneath her palms was warm, soft skin; her fingertips could feel her ribs and the throbbing of her heart. Her breathing caused her chest to rise and fall.
Finally, she stopped, staring blankly at her hands.
"I've become human!"
This conclusion made her even more incredulous.
For some reason, a strange emotion welled up inside her—a mix of resentment, confusion, and heartache.
Even when she was expelled from the library, she was only confused about the future, perhaps even lost her way in life.
But when she discovered she had become human… she felt inexplicably ridiculous.
She didn't need what she craved; she inexplicably walked out of the library, inexplicably was stabbed, inexplicably transformed from a machine into a human—it was all so inexplicable.
She didn't know what was wrong with her, but she felt an intense pain in her left chest, pounding, constricting, and spasming with unprecedented force! It brought waves of dull, suffocating pain!
Tears—this liquid she had observed and recorded in countless humans, yet never understood its meaning—surged uncontrollably from her eyes! She began to sob uncontrollably, her thin shoulders trembling violently.
Just then, an incredibly soft embrace gently and carefully held her.
"It's alright…it's alright…" Lemuen's voice whispered in her ear. She gently patted Angela's trembling back, her movements soothing and rhythmic.
"It's all over... You're safe... No one here can hurt you anymore..."
This gentle comfort was like flipping a deeper switch. All the loneliness, fear, despair, and bone-deep weariness that had been suppressed for countless lifetimes, completely frozen within her mechanical shell... could no longer be contained at this moment!
"Waaaaah—"
An even more turbulent, heart-wrenching cry erupted, like the mournful howl of a wounded cub. Angela buried her face deeply in Lemuen's warm chest, the soft fabric of her nun's robe quickly soaked through with scalding tears.
She cried until she was completely exhausted, as if trying to wash away millions of years of accumulated coldness and bitterness.
Lemuen didn't speak, but simply held the broken soul in her arms tighter and more tenderly, her hands gently and firmly patting her back, as if cherishing a lost treasure that had been found again.
Time seemed to lose its meaning. After what appeared to be an eternity, Angela's violent sobs finally subsided, leaving only intermittent sniffling.
She slowly lifted her head from Lemuen's soaked chest, revealing swollen, red eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. An unprecedented sense of shame made her almost unable to look him in the eye.
"I...I'm sorry..." her voice was hoarse, "I'm sorry you had to see this..." She didn't even understand why she was apologizing for something like this.
"People cry, it's normal." Lemuen smiled nonchalantly, gently wiping away the tears from her cheeks.
"Tears are never a sign of weakness; there's nothing to apologize for."
Just then—a loud, abrupt gurgling sound—came clearly from Angela's abdomen.
This made her instinctively place her hand on her stomach, her brow furrowing.
Having once been a robot herself, she didn't understand this feeling either.
It was a feeling called hunger.
Before she could even process what was happening to her body,
Lemuen smiled and naturally took her hand.
"Hungry? Let's go eat."
"...Mm."
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T/N: Had been busy with work, will continue with the translation after I finish with work