GA: Chapter 110: Development Within a Civilization — New Members Join the Group
But things were different now. Queen Kesha was still alive. The original timeline wouldn't play out.
Even though she had become the heir apparent, she no longer carried the same suppression of love that the memory copy had shown. That particular weight simply didn't exist here.
"What about you, then?"
Bai Xuan looked at Tenshi Hikari and spoke evenly.
"I don't know what data Sacred Kesha entered into the Knowledge Treasury regarding me — but if she ran the match at all, she wouldn't have only matched me against Angel Zixin."
"What was my compatibility with you?"
"Me?"
Hikari blinked, tilting her head slightly.
Queen Kesha genuinely hadn't told her that. But it would almost certainly be lower than Zixin's.
"What — have you taken a liking to me?"
She didn't actually know, but that hardly stopped Tenshi Hikari from teasing him.
There was something oddly entertaining about poking at this composed, boyish face of his. The calm never seemed to crack, which only made it more fun to try.
"Pure curiosity, nothing more."
Whether it was Tenshi Hikari or Angel Zixin — Bai Xuan genuinely couldn't summon anything resembling love toward either of them. Whatever fondness he felt was rooted in the personalities and qualities they'd shown in their respective stories, and anything shallower than that was simply physical — the kind of appreciation any person might feel for a refined face, an elegant and dignified presence, a figure that drew the eye.
He hadn't severed himself from feeling, and he wasn't indifferent to women. It would be strange if he had no thoughts at all. But that was the full extent of it.
"I have no objection to Angel Zixin coming here — but her strength won't find any real challenge in this world."
"The conflict between humans and mutated beasts isn't something she can casually insert herself into either."
Whether it was how the angel civilization had carried itself in the original story, or the conversations he'd had with Hikari directly — he held a genuine degree of goodwill toward the angel civilization.
Sacred Kesha's order of justice. Nearly thirty thousand years of upholding it, writing an epic with their own lives — one that belonged to the angel civilization, and to the ideal of justice itself.
Compared to the demon civilization that worshipped freedom without restraint, or even the prosperous-sounding Blazing Sun civilization —
The angel civilization was incomparably better to the smaller, weaker civilizations of the universe.
Without the angel civilization to hold them in check, the demons would scatter corruption and depravity however they pleased, treating the lives of others as utterly worthless.
And the Blazing Sun civilization — for all its talk of prosperity — had descended upon Huaxia a thousand years ago in the world of Yong Heng Zhi Zun, leveling several cities and leaving behind a death toll in the millions.
Beside them, beside any of the other civilizations — the angel civilization wasn't just good. It could genuinely be called great.
That was part of why Bai Xuan was willing to allow Zixin to come to this world.
Whatever their underlying intentions might be, on a purely instinctive level, he felt warmly toward the angel civilization.
And beyond that — even if Angel Zixin tried something, he was more than capable of restraining her.
For no other reason than this: this was Earth.
"I understand. Development within a civilization."
"Even if you show some favoritism toward your own civilization, different perspectives lead to different conclusions."
"There are things you cannot avoid doing. Things you must do."
Tenshi Hikari understood perfectly well why Bai Xuan was doing this. Pressure, anger, fear, wariness — these were the raw materials that drove a person, and a civilization, to grow.
If Bai Xuan were simply a warrior, he wouldn't need to think about any of this. He would only need to follow orders.
But he wasn't.
His ability had already destined him to become the god of this planet — the god of this civilization.
Naturally, he couldn't act like a warrior and offer limitless protection to the people of his nation, even though he had every ability to do so.
It was the same for Queen Kesha. With her Fourth Generation Divine Body — the Sacred Divine Body — if she personally intervened in every battle, not a single angel soldier would ever fall.
But then what?
If Kesha were ever lost — what would become of the angel civilization?
It would probably be far more fragile than anything shown in the original story. Far less capable of bearing the weight of what came next.
For Bai Xuan, the very last thing he wanted was a civilization that existed only by leaning on him.
And while the two of them were still talking, the chat group's flat, mechanical chime sounded in both their ears.
"Ding — group member [Lin Fengjiao] has joined the chat group."
"Ding — group member [Martial Arts King] has joined the chat group."
"Ding — group member [The Oldest Godslayer] has joined the chat group."
After all this time — new members again?
Tenshi Hikari and Bai Xuan raised their eyebrows in almost perfect unison. They exchanged a look, and by unspoken agreement, ended the video call.
Compared to the matter of Zixin's arrival, new members joining the group were clearly the more pressing thing right now.
In the chat group:
Lighthouse Richest: "Welcome, new members. And just to note — I was first."
Ordinary Group Leader: "So childish, fighting over something like that. Though how did he beat me when I moved this fast?"
Ordinary Group Leader: "Welcome, new members."
Worst Spirit: "Welcome, newcomers. Information about the chat group should already have appeared in your minds. If you don't believe it, please don't go around provoking people carelessly — you might accidentally offend one of the heavy hitters in here. If you have doubts, the memory copies are worth looking at."
Worst Spirit: "They're formatted like animated shows or dramas, but they're genuine records from other worlds."
Worst Spirit: "Komai has picked up my old welcoming duties quite nicely."
Worst Spirit: "Well done."
Worst Spirit: "Scratching head .jpg"
Worst Spirit: "Hehehe, I'm not that good."
Lin Fengjiao: "Excuse me... fellow practitioners, is this some kind of illusion technique?"
In the world of Jiangshi.
Master Nine stared at the virtual screen visible only to himself, while Wencai and Qiusheng stood nearby casting glances at him that suggested they were questioning his sanity.
"You really can't see it?"
Master Nine asked again.
"Master, have you been possessed?"
"There's nothing there..."
Wencai and Qiusheng watched him with growing concern. He'd been perfectly fine this morning — how had he ended up like this after lunch? Was something wrong with the food?
The thought hit both of them simultaneously. Their expressions shifted, and they immediately started pressing on their own throats, trying to bring up whatever they'd eaten at noon.
Master Nine had no attention to spare for them. He followed what the girl called Komai had said and searched through the information that had appeared in his mind. Sure enough — knowledge about the chat group was there, exactly as described.
"A platform spanning the myriad worlds. A chat group enabling communication with people from other worlds."
The look on Master Nine's face was one of sheer astonishment.
"Spiritual energy, magic, chakra, Devil Fruits... entirely different energy systems."
In the world of Campione.
Marquis Voban searched through the new information that had appeared in his mind, and with every passing moment, the excitement on his face deepened.
"A path distinct from martial arts, Taoist arts, magic, and the Campione system — a completely new road. Interesting. Truly, genuinely interesting!"
At the summit of Mount Lu.
The faintest smile crossed the face of Grandmaster Luo Hao.
The path of the Campione — which had seemed to be drawing toward its end — felt in this moment as though a new direction had suddenly opened before it.
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