Heavenly Base King Hexi left the Core Laboratory of the Silver Moon Observatory. Her figure appeared composed as her silver cloak brushed against the shimmering corridor, her steps remaining elegant. However, anyone who knew her intimately would have noticed that beneath the Heavenly Base King's eternal, perfect poise—which seemed to see through everything yet remain indifferent—her fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly. Deep within those silver eyes, usually filled with the light of reason, a storm was surging, powerful enough to overturn the stars.
She did not return to her main control room, nor did she go to any area where Angels were on duty. The silver light made several turns through the complex passages, quietly entering a top-secret Personal Silent Room. This was the deepest part of the Silver Moon Observatory, shielded by layers of space-time, conceptual encryption, and even protected by some Void Technology. Unless Hexi proactively granted access, even Holy Keisha's Knowledge Treasury could not glimpse a single detail within.
The silent room was empty, save for a non-physical "workbench" floating in the center, constantly circulating silver data streams. Hexi walked to the workbench, her silver hair moving without wind as an invisible force field instantly expanded, completely isolating this small space from the outside world. Only then did she slowly raise her hand, palm upward, where that flat "box"—neither metal nor jade and inscribed with strange runes—lay quietly.
Previously, in front of Artoria, she could maintain a basic calm and the dignity of a mentor. But now, facing this "civilization-level" gift alone, she no longer needed to hide the forcibly suppressed excitement, shock, and even a faint, indescribable sense of trepidation.
Her fingertips brushed over those flowing silver runes once more, but this time, it was no simple probe. Mental power as vast as a galaxy and Dark Energy refined to the extreme were carefully injected according to the incredibly complex specific frequencies and structures she had analyzed the moment they touched.
"Buzz—"
A low hum sounded, one that seemed to strike the soul directly. On the surface of the seemingly simple "box," countless runes—finer than a hair by the billion times—suddenly lit up. This was no simple glow; it was as if they were performing some supreme logic of the Universe, a manifestation of rules, a dance of logic. The box floated above Hexi's palm, rotating slowly, and from the palm-print-like depression in its center, it projected a beam of light condensed to the extreme, containing no redundant information.
There was no massive flood of data, no complex verification process. That beam of light naturally interfaced and merged with the mental imprint Hexi had proactively released, which represented her knowledge foundation and thinking patterns. In an instant, a vast amount of structured, breathtakingly logical information flowed into the depths of her consciousness in an incredibly efficient and "friendly" manner that Hexi had never imagined.
This was not a simple indoctrination, but a guided "display" and "teaching" that matched her current level of cognition, progressing layer by layer.
Hexi's breathing completely stopped the moment she came into contact with that torrent of information. Her eyes, which had witnessed thirty thousand years of galactic changes and deduced the rise and fall of countless civilizations, suddenly contracted to the extreme. In the depths of her pupils, it was as if countless stars were being born, annihilated, and reorganized!
"Basic theory... the seventh deconstruction model of the essence of matter... the unified expression of energy and information within the framework of Eleven-dimensional String Theory..." she murmured unconsciously, her voice trembling in a way she didn't even notice. Some of these theories coincided with certain cutting-edge conjectures of the Angels but were deeper and more fundamental; others completely overturned the physical understanding of the Known Universe, instantly dispelling the mists that had troubled the Angel Civilization for tens of thousands of years, revealing the awe-inspiring and incredibly magnificent threads of truth behind them.
And this was just the foundation! Like the foundation of a skyscraper!
As her understanding deepened, the information flow began to reveal even deeper content.
"Preliminary rule interference... feasibility verification of local constant tampering... non-destructive extraction and stable application framework for Void Energy..."
Hexi felt her heart as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand. The Void! This was a field the Angel Civilization was both wary of and forced to study deeply, yet they had always seen it like flowers through a mist, even paying a tragic price. Here, it was actually being analyzed and deconstructed in a systematic, even "elegant" manner, pointing out several clear application paths! Those Void technologies once regarded as taboo, costly, and unstable were, in this knowledge system, merely "basic modules" that could be safely and controllably applied under a larger framework!
And yet, this was still not all! The information flow continued, pointing toward even more core and trembling domains.
"The underlying logic and energy consumption model of information materialization... primary principles of concept endowment and rule weaving..."
"Enough!"
Hexi abruptly cut off the mental connection. The light emitted by the "box" instantly dimmed as it fell back into her palm, the runes on its surface returning to their calm flow. On her forehead, a fine layer of cold sweat had unusually appeared. Her chest rose and fell slightly, and for the first time, a nearly "uncomposed" solemnity and... a hint of lingering fear appeared on her exquisite face.
It wasn't that she couldn't handle more information, but that she... didn't dare! And she couldn't!
Just the portion she had just received, which accounted for less than one-third of the total information in this "box," contained a depth of knowledge, technological foresight, and impact on the existing worldview that had already far exceeded her estimates—no, it exceeded her boldest imagination!
This wasn't a matter of being ahead by a few thousand or tens of thousands of years. This was a fundamental dimensional gap! It was like a primitive person looking up at controllable nuclear fusion, or a feudal dynasty facing a complete modern industrial system. It was a total technological and cognitive barrier where even imagining its boundaries was difficult!
The thirty thousand years of accumulation of the Angel Civilization—the Insightful Eyes they were so proud of, the Holy Atoms, the Heavens Blade Judgment, and even the Sub-biological Engine and Holy Body she had poured her heart into... in the face of this knowledge system, they were as crude as a child's building blocks. Many parts were even built upon incorrect or incomplete underlying cognitions! What was recorded in this "box" was the crystallized wisdom of a super civilization that already stood on the threshold of "creation and definition." Even if it was just the foundation and some advanced content, for the Angels, it was no different from obtaining an ultimate textbook on "Building a God-level Civilization from Scratch." Moreover, many of the ideas and principles within had the potential to connect with and validate the Angels' existing technology tree; it wasn't a completely incomprehensible heavenly book!
The value of this "gift"... Hexi couldn't even estimate it. Packing up and selling the entire Merlot Heavenly Court and the tens of thousands of years of accumulation of the Angel Civilization would probably not even amount to one-ten-thousandth of it! No, it was simply inestimable! This was a priceless treasure sufficient to allow any civilization to undergo a complete transformation and even lead the Known Universe into a brand new era!
"The road must be walked step by step. A meal must be eaten bite by bite." Hexi closed her eyes, calming her violently fluctuating thoughts, and whispered this most simple of truths. The shock just now made her understand why this knowledge had been set with such complex unlocking conditions and why it only showed her a portion. It wasn't stinginess, but protection! With the current overall technological level and cognitive framework of the Angel Civilization, rashly coming into contact with more core content would be more harmful than beneficial, potentially even triggering a cognitive collapse or a technological disaster. It would be like giving an ancient person the complete blueprints for controllable nuclear fusion; they couldn't even create the most basic materials, and forcing an interpretation would only lead to self-destruction.
The giver of this "box," or rather, Artoria's mysterious "family member," was clearly well-versed in this.
This "gift" not only provided the treasure but also the "key" to unlock it and the "user manual."
The ingenious method of information transmission, perfectly aligned with her cognitive level, was a guide in itself, while also setting an invisible "safety lock"—the knowledge barrier itself.
It allowed one to see hope and direction, yet required one to be grounded, climbing step by step, with no room for shortcuts.
After a long while, Hexi slowly opened her eyes. Her silver eyes still held traces of shock, but more prominent was a near-burning excitement and longing belonging to the top-tier scholar, along with a heavy sense of responsibility.
She carefully put the "box" away; this was no longer just a gift, but the most core treasure for the future of the Angel Civilization, whose importance even surpassed Holy Keisha's Knowledge Treasury!
She had to contact Holy Keisha immediately.
With a thought from Hexi, the white crystal terminal in front of her shimmered. A stable and secret ultra-long-range encrypted communication link was established, connecting directly to the most powerful information processing hub in the Known Universe—Holy Keisha's Knowledge Treasury core.
"Hexi?" Holy Keisha's calm, majestic voice, carrying a hint of imperceptible laziness, echoed in the quiet room.
Usually, when Hexi contacted her via this highest-privilege, most secret channel, it was inevitably about something extremely important and highly sensitive.
"Holy Keisha." Hexi's voice carried a rare, slight tremor that even she hadn't noticed—not out of fear, but an irrepressible excitement, like discovering a new continent.
"I need you to immediately enable the 'Absolute Silent Reception Mode' of the Knowledge Treasury with the highest authority, and prepare the highest-level information buffering and isolation protocol."
"I have a piece of... information that needs to be synchronized with you. The magnitude, importance, and... subversive nature of this information far exceed what you or I can imagine. It... might change everything."
Holy Keisha on the other end of the communication was silent for a moment.
She knew Hexi too well; for this Heavenly Base King, known for her calm rationality, to use such a grave tone, and even with hard-to-suppress excitement in her words to describe "information," the weight of it was self-evident.
"Granted." Holy Keisha's voice remained calm, but that laziness had vanished, replaced by the absolute solemnity belonging to the King of Gods.
Almost as soon as the words fell, Hexi felt that the reception preparation on the Knowledge Treasury side was ready, entering the highest level of alert and reception status.
Without hesitation, Hexi packaged the remaining content—which she considered relatively "basic" and "safe," yet sufficient to demonstrate its subversive value, accounting for about one-tenth of the unlocked information—after filtering out the most sensitive, advanced, and potentially uncontrollable parts.
Together with her personal brief explanation of the source of this "gift," she packed it into a highly encrypted, multi-protected data stream and transmitted it via the dedicated channel.
The information stream transmission was complete, and the communication channel fell into absolute silence.
It was so quiet she could hear her own slightly accelerated heartbeat—a rare occurrence in her thirty-thousand-year life.
She knew Holy Keisha was receiving, decompressing, and initially comprehending this information.
She also knew that given Holy Keisha's wisdom and insight, the impact she received would be no less than her own.
Time ticked by, and every second seemed to be stretched out.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Holy Keisha's voice came through the communication channel.
That voice was still Holy Keisha's voice—calm, majestic, and in control of everything.
But this time, beneath that eternal calm, Hexi clearly captured a hint of... an extremely subtle stagnation, something almost impossible to appear in the tone of the King of Gods, Holy Keisha.
Yes, stagnation.
It was as if a precision instrument running at high speed had suddenly encountered an incomprehensible, unparseable command, causing a momentary glitch.
It was also like a wise man gazing at the starry sky, suddenly seeing the vast, boundless truth behind it that overturned all common sense.
"Hexi." Holy Keisha spoke again, her voice slower than before, every word seemingly weighed with great gravity.
"These... pieces of information... that you transmitted..."
She paused rarely, seemingly searching for the right words.
Finally, that eternally elegant and composed voice carried a hint of almost imperceptible, unbelievable... dryness.
"...Are you sure this is only one-tenth of that 'gift'? Or is it the part you deemed 'relatively basic' after your screening?"
Holy Keisha, the King of Gods of the Known Universe, Holy Keisha, had a tone at this moment that actually carried a hint of near-verification, a question suppressing immense shock.
Hexi could even "imagine" that at this moment, on the throne in the Merlot Heavenly Court, Holy Keisha's unchanging expression for ten thousand years likely had a crack.
This impact was too great.
"I am sure, Holy Keisha." Hexi's voice returned to calm, but beneath that calm was an equally suppressed excitement of discovering a treasure of truth.
"This isn't even half of what I have already unlocked. And according to my estimation, what I have unlocked might not even be one-third of the total information in this 'gift.'"
"As for the source... it can be absolutely trusted. It was Artoria, that girl from another world, who gifted it as a token of gratitude for the... special existence beside her."
"The reason is some... insignificant help and guidance I provided her over the past thousand years."
She paused, her tone carrying a hint of hard-to-conceal, almost "boastful" meaning, even though this was so rare for her:
"Now, do you still think that my decision on a whim to take in this 'troublesome' student from another world and provide protection was... unnecessary?"
On the other end of the communication, it fell into a long silence again.
This time, the silence lasted even longer.
It was long enough that Hexi almost thought the communication had been interrupted.
Finally, Holy Keisha's voice came through again.
The voice had returned to absolute calm, even deeper and more... solemn than before.
But Hexi could hear that beneath that calm, a more terrifying power was gathering after the monstrous waves had been forcibly suppressed.
"Hexi." Holy Keisha's voice was resolute, carrying an unquestionable royal command.
"Immediately list that girl named Artoria, and her partner Minerva, on the Angel Civilization's highest-level 'Eternal Dear Friend' list."
"Their authority shall be equivalent to retired meritorious veteran Angels. No, in terms of certain resource allocation and information sharing, give them treatment second only to you and me, equal to Apocalypse King Morganas true name."
"All their needs in the Angel Nebula, as long as they do not violate the fundamental principles of the order of justice, the Angel Civilization... no, I, Holy Keisha, promise in the name of the King of Gods, will unconditionally and with all my might satisfy them."
Holy Keisha paused, her voice low and powerful, every word weighing a thousand jin:
"As for this... 'gift,' you, Heavenly Base King Hexi, shall be fully responsible for the research."
"Establish a special research group with the highest level of confidentiality; members are to be selected by you personally, and their loyalty and ability must be absolutely reliable."
"Research progress and core results are to be mastered directly by only you and me."
"Before fully digesting, understanding, and establishing a controllable conversion path, any form or degree of leakage is strictly prohibited. This is the highest prohibition."
"I understand." Hexi responded solemnly.
This was exactly what she expected and the most secure way to handle this "gift."
"Additionally," Holy Keisha's voice softened a bit, carrying a touch of complex meaning, "thank your student for me, as well as her... 'family.' Angel Civilization will remember this gift."
The communication was cut off.
Hexi stood where she was, light flowing in her silver eyes.
She lowered her head and looked again at the seemingly inconspicuous box in her hand.
A faint, yet real and joyful smile, which would shock anyone familiar with her, slowly curled at the corners of her lips.
She knew that from today on, everything would be different.
The Angel Civilization, her, Holy Keisha, and even the future of the Known Universe had quietly turned onto an unprecedented path filled with infinite possibilities, and inevitably accompanied by unknown risks and challenges, all because of that girl from another world and her "family."
And she, Heavenly Base King Hexi, would personally push open this door leading to a new era.
The first step was to thoroughly digest and understand this... "little gift" that would make any God-level Civilization go crazy for it.
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