This was Yu Sheng's first ti eting "Boundary Council" mbers aside from Baili Qing, and it was in a situation he had never imagined.
The young girl who called herself "Hong" looked even younger than Baili Qing, and her frail and sickly appearance almost made people suspect she had health issues—but it all seed to be just a facade. Yu Sheng was nearly certain she was an "Alien Species" and likely a part of so eternal species like Baili Qing.
This was not only because of her excessively low body temperature, almost stagnant heartbeat, and inhuman aura, but more so because of the subtle... presence she occasionally showed when speaking.
A presence of worldly experience, of having long held a position of power.
Hong was also not unfamiliar with the mbers of the travel agency, and even though it was the first eting, she could accurately call out the nas of everyone beside Yu Sheng, indicating she had been paying attention to them for a long ti.
This was within Yu Sheng's expectations—he knew he and his team in the travel agency had caused quite a stir. If the council mbers didn't keep an eye on the travel agency, it would be odd. He just didn't expect...
How should I say... the "human presence" within the Boundary Council wasn't as high as he imagined...
Baili Qing's gaze suddenly fell on Yu Sheng's face, suspiciously scanning him up and down as if she saw through his thoughts, but she refrained from speaking.
Hong directly steered the topic back to the main issue: "Now let's discuss the intelligence you have—we urgently need firsthand intel on the 'Saint Realm' and the 'Gate of Eden.'
Yu Sheng quickly organized his thoughts and expression, speaking solemnly: "Simply put, the biggest problem now is twofold. First, there's a suspected second energy reaction of the Gate of Eden underground in the Saint Realm, but we can't find the exact location; second, the issue with the 'Shadowless Skeleton' is still unresolved, and it might be the true mastermind behind the Venerate Saints Monastery."
At this, he paused, and Hu Li quickly added: "We encountered the head of the Hidden Monastery presiding over the ritual site when passing through the 'Gate of Eden.' The priest on site called him 'Holy,' but halfway through, that 'Holy' vanished, which is quite suspicious."
"Holy…" Hong frowned slightly, "I have already understood the intel you sent to Baili Qing before. Now you suspect that the essence of this 'Holy' might just be a puppet controlled by the Dark Angel?"
"It might even be part of the Dark Angel itself," Yu Sheng nodded, "In the 'Ti Trap' ford by the Gate of Eden, we found so clues, which likely are remnants left by the first batch of Hidden Monastery sect mbers landing on this planet centuries ago—back then, they weren't 'Hidden Monastery,' acting more like extre pioneers judging by their remnants, but they started being influenced by a certain 'voice' when landing on this planet..."
Yu Sheng then recounted to the "Boundary Council" all his experiences from his first attempt to approach the Gate of Eden until now, along with so of his thoughts and conjectures.
Initially, Hong listened with a calm smile on her face, but by the end, she had unknowingly begun to frown.
"...So, if the notebook you found was left by the current 'Holy,' he might have been influenced by the voice of the Dark Angel for centuries..."
"Enough to 'marinate' a person from the inside out," Erin, sitting on Yu Sheng's shoulder, nodded emphatically, "It might even replace him entirely—he's almost a derivative of the Dark Angel now, spouting tentacles from his mouth."
Yu Sheng frowned and turned to the little figure on his shoulder: "Your taphor is apt, but can't you use a different expression? Don't forget you're half a converted Dark Angel yourself."
"My vocabulary is limited, what do you expect?" Erin retorted, "Aren't you, as a writer, just as amazed when you first saw the Star Gate?"
Yu Sheng: "..."
But Hong didn't seem to mind the puppet's peculiar taphor, her eyes were still fixed beyond the large panoramic window not far away, seemingly gazing at the lush planet floating in the abyss of space.
The United Fleet's orbital bombardnt on the Hidden Monastery's ho planet continued, and ships kept jumping through the Star Gate into the battlefield.
Yet, this battle that seed to have a clear outco wouldn't end quickly.
Resistance from the "Saint Realm" was exceptionally fierce—as the ho planet of the Hidden Monastery, this seemingly harmless garden planet was almost a fortress-like stronghold. Every major city and industrial complex on its surface was protected by powerful fortress shields and dense anti-air defenses, and the radar's last scan showed complex and nearly impenetrable underground barriers beneath these cities, with even larger fortress structures hidden inside the planet, each being a tough nut to crack.
Apart from the orbital battle—although the spatial disturbance from the Star Gate transmission destroyed nurous defense nodes in the planet's sky, many space defense platforms and ard satellites survived the impact, with maneuvering platforms on the planet's far side moving along the orbit towards this direction. These remaining space defense forces were resolute in their combat, matching the zeal of the "Generational Guardians" from the Star Gate, already inflicting considerable damage on the United Fleet.
In fact, if it were rely these defensive forces, Hong was confident her fleet could take down this fortress planet. She had conquered tougher fortresses before, in the most challenging battle, spending twelve years heating the atmosphere and oceans of a planet until the feudal clique occupying it surrendered amidst catastrophic global weather events—the fleet's orbital dominance and the Star Gate beside it fueled her confidence unless "Saint Realm" could transport the entire planet away, otherwise, she couldn't imagine what thods the cultists could use to win this battle.
But the hidden Gate of Eden and the uncertain status of the Dark Angel introduced unacceptable variables into the situation.
"We must quickly figure out where those cultists have hidden their things," she slightly turned her head, "Ah Qing, we need to conduct a more comprehensive planetary scan on this planet—and we might need to use your 'eyes'."
"Understood," Baili Qing nodded, "I'll go make preparations for the 'docking'."
Then she nodded to Yu Sheng and the others, made her greetings, and turned to leave the ship bridge.
Baili Xue hurriedly floated and followed her up.
"This ship is equipped with a powerful planet scanning array, combined with Ah Qing's power, we should be able to find the location of the 'Gate of Eden', or at least its general direction," Hong turned his head to look at Yu Sheng, "But the key is the 'Shadowless Skeleton' connected to that gate..."
"Leave this part to , just give the coordinates when you find the gate," Yu Sheng said imdiately, "On such a large planet, your radar is definitely more effective than slowly fumbling my way there."
"Hmm," Hong nodded lightly, then suddenly seed to rember sothing and quickly said, "Oh, there's one more thing, Ah Qing and I thought you might... be interested."
Yu Sheng was sowhat curious: "Oh?"
"At the Hidden Monastery border, when I engaged with the Star Gate defense forces," Hong slowly said, "I encountered a 'Living Saint'—possibly the one you encountered before. But their condition was... strange."
Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow: "...Strange?"
"They were in an unstable state and, upon appearing before , turned around and killed all the Hidden Monastery Sect present, then... attempted to share a candy with ."
Yu Sheng: "...?!"
Suddenly, Luna, who seed to have been in a daze the entire ti, turned her head sharply.
...
Deep within the Mass Effect, a unique chamber known as the "Observation Room" had been activated.
In the vast chamber, a low humming sound echoed, as circular spiritual energy amplifiers hovered high above, shimring with flowing luminescence. Beneath the transparent floor, countless intersecting cables and crystalline conduits converged towards the center of the room, coalescing on the central platform.
On that platform sat a chair—a "throne" that seed out of place in the technologically advanced spaceship.
It was cast from pure white tal, adorned with nurous dragon motif reliefs, the armrests ticulously carved into the shape of dragon claws, and the high backrest crafted into a majestic dragon head with its mouth agape. So large as to be sowhat unnecessary, the back of the chair even had a pair of ornantal dragon wings installed—wings that extended from both sides and folded in front of the "throne" like two imposing screens.
This exaggerated, luxurious, and ostentatious throne stood high in the room, illuminated by a beam of light from the ceiling, exuding an air of flamboyance.
Baili Qing stood before the platform, her eyes twitching slightly.
From the mont she entered the room to this point, every step she took forward felt weary and heavy.
"...Hong did it on purpose." She said, her face tense.
"Yeah, last ti you asked her, she admitted it," Baili Xue's eyes circled around her ear, producing a 360-degree surround sound, "Her original plan was to create a stereotypical cave in this room for you, piling half a ton of glass balls next to the chair, saying she wanted you to sleep in sothing shiny—because you loved shiny things when you were little."
"...Shut up."
"I don't have a mouth."
Baili Qing took a deep breath.
Baili Xue instantly quieted down.
Then Baili Qing sighed softly once more, finally stepping towards the "throne" specially prepared for her, designed by Hong herself, with a gait heavier than before.
"Co on, let's 'see' what secrets this planet holds together."
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