Chapter 52: I Keep an Eye on Morgana: Who Keeps an Eye on Kayle

If Hrefeng had heard Hexi’s inquiry, he would have indicated that he was helpless as well. The extinction of male angels in the angel civilization was destined the moment the Heavenly Palace Order collapsed.

For over twenty thousand years, Kesha pondered solutions, finally arriving at the idea of betrothing the next Angel King, Yan, to Ge Xiaolun, the Galaxian Power who carried modified male angel genes.

Was this a good idea?

Indeed it was. Ever since the establishment of the Heavenly Palace Order and the release of their true nature, the underlying code of male angels could never be reversed; male and female angels were destined to be unable to coexist.

Hrefeng had anticipated this long ago. From the moment he raided the City of Angels and took away a population ratio of 1/3 to 2/3 for the sexes, he had already calculated everything.

Part of it was for reproduction, and part of it was his deliberate design of having fewer males and more females, allowing female angels to be more tolerant of the inherent flaws of male angels in their interactions.

In the newly emerging Tianyi Civilization, would there still be male angels who abused female angels?

Yes! But very few! Unless they had a death wish!

Whether it was the foundational principle of the Tianyi Civilization or the supreme laws revised by Hrefeng, they strictly stipulated that within the Tianyi Civilization, "men and women are equal, and all races are equal" (vassal civilizations not included).

This was Hrefeng's primary will, and any male angel violating this rule would face severe punishment. Under his supreme will as a grand dictator, nearly ten thousand law-breaking male angels were executed.

Subsequently, through propaganda directed at the next generation and a series of activities promoting intersexual friendship among male and female children, the customs corrupted by the Heavenly Palace Order were gradually erased and corrected.

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At the core of the Sky-Base Nebula, Hexi's personal laboratory resembled a cold sanctuary.

Nineteen years after the Battle of Anger Sea, this place was practically the sole heartbeat of the angel civilization's technological leaps.

Azure data waterfalls flowed along the walls, with a massive annular main console suspended in the center, surrounded by countless precision instrument arrays dazzling to the eye, the low humming being the eternal pulse here.

Hexi stood before the main console, her long silver hair cascading over her shoulders, reflecting the complex formulas and energy models scrolling across the screen. Her fingertips swiftly tapped and swiped in the void, yet her brow was tightly furrowed.

"The upper limit... is still not enough..." she murmured to herself, tinged with a rare trace of frustration.

Before her was a holographic projection of the core architecture of the Sky-Base Computing System.

This system had once supported the technological miracle of female angels rising from weakness during the uprising to reversing the tide at the Battle of Anger Sea—the improvement of the Flaming Sword, the Dark Energy Destruction Network, the popularization of second-generation genes... Every single item was steeped in her dedication and the computing power of this system.

Yet at this moment, this computing core that had once looked down upon the known universe appeared to Hexi like an old, rusted, and overburdened engine; it was far too backward.

She was currently deducing a model for a brand-new space jump engine, inspired by the reverse analysis of Hrefeng's bizarre escape route during the Battle of Anger Sea.

The model required simulating energy turbulence and dimensional folds across hundreds of millions of spacetime nodes, a complexity far exceeding any previous project.

The Sky-Base Computing System groaned under the unbearable burden, core temperature warnings flashed frequently, and the deduction progress bar crawled like a dying snail, ultimately freezing completely at a critical node as a blinding red light erupted on the screen, signaling a computational collapse.

"Warning: Computational resource pool depleted. Core matrix load at 127%... Model deduction failed," the cold synthesized voice ruthlessly declared.

Hexi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The chilling air carried the scent of ozone and energy fluid characteristic of the laboratory.

She knew the bottleneck was right here. The Sky-Base Computing System, the proud masterpiece she had built with her own hands, had reached its ceiling.

The territory of the angel civilization was expanding (largely thanks to Liangbing's efforts), the demographic structure was distorted, and the boundaries of technological exploration were extending infinitely.

The old tools could no longer support the challenging and crisis-laden future she foresaw.

A single word—a word that existed only in ancient legends and taboo literature—emerged clearly in her mind: Celestial Computer.

The River of Gods Civilization, that prehistoric giant long buried in the river of time, whose core for steering stars and unraveling the mysteries of the universe in legend, was a celestial computer named the "Clock Tower."

It was not a mere machine, but a super-computing matrix spanning the entire territory of the civilization, possessing sufficient computing power to simulate the Big Bang, deduce the rise and fall of civilizations, and even touch upon ultimate mysteries.

"Sky-Base Computing Cluster..." Hexi opened her eyes, her silver pupils burning with an almost paranoid flame.

This was her answer, her mission. In order for the angel civilization to stand unshaken in the future cosmic landscape, and even advance further, she had to build a celestial computer belonging to the angels.

This was not merely a breakthrough in scientific research, but the cornerstone of civilization's survival.

She began frantically retrieving all fragmented records regarding the River of Gods Civilization's "Clock Tower," energy theory models, and the frontiers of spatial topology... The screen was instantly flooded with massive amounts of information.

Just as she was immersed in this grand and profound blueprint architecture, the light barrier at the laboratory entrance slid open silently.

Kesha's figure appeared at the doorway.

She was not wearing her iconic silver-armored battle skirt, but rather a simple, elegant silver robe, her long golden hair casually tied up, lacking the sharpness of a battlefield queen, and possessing instead a profound fatigue belonging to a ruler.

Her gaze swept over the cold equipment of the laboratory and Hexi's focused profile, finally landing on the red light representing computational failure.

"Still fretting over that 'computing power ceiling'?" Kesha's voice was calm, devoid of emotion, as she walked in slowly.

Hexi did not turn back, her fingertips still sliding through the void to pull up another set of data streams.

"Mmm. The old system can no longer support the next step of exploration. I'm conceiving... something bigger."

Her tone carried the slight vagueness characteristic of researchers lost in thought.

"Something bigger?" Kesha walked up to the main console, looking at the dazzling star maps and formulas, "Bigger than the Flaming Sword? Bigger than the Dark Energy Destruction Network?"

"Much bigger." Hexi finally stopped her hands, turned around, and met Kesha's silver eyes directly. "As big as the River of Gods' 'Clock Tower.' A celestial computer capable of truly supporting us in analyzing the universe and planning the future."

"I call it the 'Sky-Base Computing Cluster.'"

Kesha's golden pupils constricted slightly. The River of Gods' "Clock Tower"—that was the computer of Taiyin, the current lord of Deno and founder of the Super God Academy.

She remained silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking: "This requires... unimaginable resources."

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"Yes, unimaginable," Hexi acknowledged frankly. "But it is worth it. Without it, we might be helpless in the face of the next civilization-level crisis."

Kesha did not immediately respond to Hexi's grand blueprint for a celestial computer.

She walked over to the massive observation window, beyond which lay the eternally rotating stardust belt deep within the nebula, magnificent yet cold.

Her fingers unconsciously traced the cold window frame, leaving faint traces.

"Hexi," her voice dropped lower, carrying an imperceptible worry, "I came to talk about... Liangbing."

Hexi's gaze shifted away from the magnificent blueprint models and fell upon Kesha's back.

She saw the heaviness emanating from that back.

Liangbing... this name had almost become the precursor to some storm within the council chamber today.

"What is she up to now?" Hexi's voice was very calm, betraying no emotion.

Kesha turned around, her golden eyes reflecting the starlight outside the window as well as a deep, helpless resignation: "What else? The Sky-Devouring Nebula... is like a bottomless abyss."

"Her legion is either conquering or on the way to conquer. Although..."

Kesha paused, seemingly weighing her words, "she brought back vast resource star systems and rare minerals."

"She even provided new habitats for those transformed and intermarried descendants, somewhat easing... the population pressure."

She shook her head slightly, her resignation deepening: "But at what cost?"

"Hexi. Do you know the reports coming back from those conquered planets? Resistance is bloodily suppressed, ancient civilizations are forcibly shattered and assimilated into the so-called 'New Order.'"

"Devastation of life and land... that phrase is now being applied to us angels! Liangbing's 'Sky-Devouring Order' is becoming a new source of fear!"

A trace of heartache tainted Kesha's voice: "I worry that she is... going astray. The collapse of the Heavenly Palace Order is a cautionary tale."

"Fighting violence with violence will ultimately breed only new tyrants and deeper hatred."

"I warned her to mind the boundaries, but the effect... was minimal. She is immersed in her game of conquest, enjoying the thrill of expanding territories, and will no longer listen to persuasion."

Hexi listened quietly, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the console.

Of course she knew of Liangbing's expansion.

Those faint energy burst signals captured by the Sky-Base Computing System from distant star regions, those interstellar broadcast fragments carrying despair and curses.

All were silently telling the story beneath the iron hooves of the Sky-Devouring Legion. Kesha's worry was precisely that tense string deep within her own heart.

"You and I both know Liangbing's temperament," Hexi finally spoke, her voice cool. "Stubborn and proud."

"Once she sets her mind on something, not even nine star-beasts can pull her back. Simple persuasion is useless on her."

"Then what do you mean?" Kesha looked at her, carrying a hint of expectation for a solution.

Hexi pondered for a moment, a sharp light flashing in her silver eyes: "Blocking is inferior to channeling; suppression is inferior to guidance."

"Since she won't listen to us, let's send someone she can listen to, or at least someone she is forced to 'listen' to."

"Oh?" Kesha raised an eyebrow, "Who?"

"Who has the capability to 'monitor' our Sky-Devouring King?" Kesha uttered the word "monitor" with profound meaning.

The corner of Hexi's mouth curved into an extremely faint, barely perceptible arc: "This person is your capable subordinate, an old veteran whose loyalty is unquestionable, and whose abilities are outstanding—both wise and brave."

"More importantly..." She paused, looking straight into Kesha's eyes, "she has a fiery temperament, fears no authority, and... sometimes might not even give me, the Sky-Base King, full face."

A figure instantly flashed through Kesha's mind—a figure always standing tall, with a gaze as sharp as a knife and executing orders without compromise. Her expression tightened slightly: "Could it be...?"

"Senior Guard Angel, Ruoning," Hexi clearly spat out the name.

Kesha fell silent. Ruoning... was indeed the most fitting candidate.

Her seniority, her battle achievements, her prestige within the Angel Legion, and her almost rigid loyalty to the "New Order" and to Kesha herself qualified her to monitor a queen.

More importantly, Ruoning's "uprightness" was notorious; she would not cower out of awe for Liangbing's royal might like others might.

"Mmm..." Kesha nodded slowly, complex emotions swirling in her golden eyes. "Indeed a good candidate. Ruoning... she has the ability and the courage."

She paused, her gaze refocusing on Hexi with an unquestionable sense of entrustment: "Then I leave her to you."

"Hexi, you will be the one to brief her on her ideology, clarify the scope of her responsibilities, the monitoring procedures, and... the bottom-line content she needs to focus on."

"Make sure she clearly understands the weight and difficulty of this trip."

"Good," Hexi answered concisely.

Kesha did not linger further, as if shedding a heavy burden or simply pushing away another hot potato.

She cast one last look at the complex models suspended in the air representing the prototype of the "Sky-Base Computing Cluster," and turned to leave the laboratory.

The heavy alloy door slid shut silently, isolating the cold scientific sanctuary once again.

Hexi stood in place, watching the direction where Kesha had disappeared, while deep within her silver eyes, an elusive glimmer flashed and vanished.

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A few days later, on the outskirts of the Sky-Base Nebula, beneath an ecodome meticulously maintained.

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This place simulated the most idyllic natural environment of the angel homeworld. The air was filled with a refreshing, sweet floral fragrance.

Hexi and Ruoning walked side by side along a path paved with glowing cobblestones.

Ruoning wore the standard fine-silver armor of a senior guard angel, looking neat and sharp. Her steps were firm, her posture upright like a javelin, carrying the resolute face of a soldier.

Her gaze was sharp, and even in such a beautiful environment, she habitually scanned her surroundings with instinctive vigilance.

Hexi, on the other hand, wore a simple researcher's casual attire, her silver hair loose.

Her temperament was completely different from Ruoning's—calm, restrained, like a bottomless cold pool.

"Sky-Base King, Queen Kesha said you summoned me because there is an important mission?"

Ruoning's voice was crisp and decisive, getting straight to the point.

Hexi did not answer immediately, instead walking slowly to a massive cluster-crystal flower tree, her fingertips gently brushing against a falling petal, watching it dissolve into specks of fluorescent light the moment it touched her skin.

"Ruoning," she began, her voice calm and rippless, "what do you think of the Sky-Devouring Nebula...?"

Ruoning's brow furrowed imperceptibly before returning to normal, her voice still steady: "The Sky-Devouring King has expanded vast living space and resource reserves for the angel civilization, achieving monumental merit." A standard official evaluation.

Hexi turned her head, her silver eyes looking straight into Ruoning: "Only merit? No... cost?"

Ruoning met Hexi's gaze, her sharp eyes showing no evasion, open to the point of being razor-sharp: "There is."

"Conquest inevitably entails sacrifice. The actions of the Sky-Devouring Legion... are at times excessively ruthless."

"The methods used to suppress resistance on some conquered planets... violate the path of benevolence advocated by the 'New Order,'" she stated bluntly, without the slightest embellishment.

"Good." The corner of Hexi's mouth seemed to curve, or perhaps not. "Queen Kesha and I are worried about precisely this."

"Liangbing... she is too focused on expansion itself, ignoring the methods of expansion and the long-term impact."

"Fighting violence with violence will only plant the seeds of new disaster. The lesson of the Battle of Anger Sea must not be repeated."

She paused, looking into Ruoning's eyes, and clearly articulated the core directive: "Therefore, Queen Kesha and I have decided that you shall proceed to the Sky-Devouring Nebula to serve as the 'Order Inspector.'"

Ruoning's gaze tightened sharply. "Order Inspector?" This title alone carried immense weight and challenge.

"Yes," Hexi nodded. "Your responsibility is to represent the Blade King and the Sky-Base King in monitoring all military actions and internal governance within the Sky-Devouring Nebula."

"The focus is on: ensuring all conquest actions comply with the basic principles of the 'New Order,' prohibiting unprovoked slaughter of civilians, limiting excessively cruel punishments, and monitoring the fairness of resource allocation."

"And you shall have the authority to directly report to the two queens, raise inquiries, and intervene regarding any behavior that may violate the spirit of the New Order."

Ruoning straightened her back, a light unique to soldiers accepting important missions igniting in her eyes: "Understood! This subordinate understands! I will certainly do my utmost and not fail the trust of the queens!"

her voice carried resolute firmness. This responsibility precisely matched the stringent standards of "justice" in her heart.

However, after the brief surge of passion, the expression on Ruoning's face did not relax; instead, she fell into a deeper contemplation.

She remained silent for a full dozen seconds, her sharp gaze seemingly piercing through the brilliant cluster-crystal flower tree before her, casting towards a more distant and complex core of power.

"Sky-Base King."

She spoke again, her voice still steady, yet carrying an almost icy sharpness.

"I am going to monitor the Sky-Devouring King, Liangbing!"

"Then... who monitors the Blade King, Kesha?"

Hexi's fingers, which had been caressing the petals, paused imperceptibly.

She slowly turned her head, her silver eyes focusing for the very first time on Ruoning's resolute and open face with a trace of scrutiny and probing.

Ruoning did not retreat in the slightest from her gaze, continuing: "According to the design of the New Order, the angel civilization is co-ruled by three kings, mutually monitoring one another."

"Theoretically, the responsibility of monitoring the Blade King, Kesha, rests upon you, the Sky-Base King Hexi, and the Sky-Devouring King Liangbing."

Her words were clear and logically rigorous, like a precise scalpel dissecting the core contradiction beneath the high-sounding rhetoric.

"Then, if I may speak frankly, Sky-Base King, what you demand of me—fearing no authority, conducting impartial supervision, and exercising oversight over the supreme power holder—can you, first of all, achieve it yourself?"

She took a slight half-step forward, her gaze blazing like a torch: "Can you, or rather, will you, according to the regulations of the New Order,"

"exercise truly effective supervision over our nominal and actual number one person, the Blade King Kesha?"

"When her will conflicts with the New Order, can you question Kesha the way you demanded I question Liangbing?"

The air seemed to freeze at that moment. Cluster-crystal petals fell silently, drawing cold trajectories between the two.

Hexi quietly looked at Ruoning, her face devoid of any offended anger, gradually, slowly, displaying a most complex expression.

Within it lay surprise, amusement, scrutiny, and even a trace of... indescribable interest, as if observing something fascinating.

The corner of her mouth finally curved into a clear arc, a profound, near-sighing smile.

Her voice was very light, yet like an ice pearl dropping into a jade plate, crisp and piercing.

"Angel Ruoning, you've really hit my weak spot."

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