novelraw Chapter 568: Mother Goddess Bless Us
Chapter 568: Mother Goddess Bless Us
Within the Shelter of the Spirit World, relying on the faint light emitted by Little David beside her and a bit of starlight leaking from the gap in the ceiling, Alajina carefully examined this highly unique "Cardinal" before her.
Because the starlight was very dim, she wasn't sure if it was caused by the scarlet mist lingering around the gap in the Shelter that she had glimpsed from the corner of her eye a moment ago. She didn't dare to look in that direction again because of the warning given by this strange Cardinal just now.
Alajina was completely unfamiliar with this place. Naturally, she wouldn't court death by ignoring the advice and engaging in dangerous behavior.
Facing the Cardinal's question, Alajina hesitated for a moment before saying,
"I am Alajina."
"Ah, Alajina, what a nice name..."
The red-haired young man before her slowly floated to a spot not far in front of Alajina. Although his words sounded mechanical and monotonous, a warm smile hung on his face.
Such a smile unwittingly dissolved a bit of Alajina's wariness. She couldn't help but look at Little David floating beside her and ask,
"Your names are the same."
"Ah, because the general manufacturing technology came from my mom and dad. They liked me very much, so even though they had other units and corresponding independent consciousnesses later on, they still used my name to name the other units. However, I am the first unit created by mom and dad, and I've never seen the independent unit beside you... This is truly strange."David slowly turned his head to look at Little David, his facial expression revealing obvious confusion. Alajina also couldn't help but press for more information,
"Are your mom and dad... Angels?"
"No, David's dad is a Holy Progeny, while his mom is a Transferred Person. But strictly speaking, it sounds a bit strange because dad has no clear gender, and mom is a male. Alajina only needs to know that they are very important existences to David. But I haven't seen them for a very, very long time... Right, does Alajina want to visit my home as a guest? It's right inside the Shelter."
"Transferred Person... What is that?"
"Oh, um, that's what the Holy Progenies call mom, but David doesn't know what it means either."
"..."
When mentioning "mom and dad," David's flawlessly handsome, androgynous face revealed extremely obvious sorrow. But soon, he put on a bright and sunny smile again, pointed to the pitch-black space behind him, and invited Alajina.
Alajina glanced at Little David, who had suddenly fallen silent beside her. It seemed that he was also extremely wary of this suddenly appearing "senior" or "mother unit." She hesitated for a moment, not knowing if she should advance with this strange Cardinal.
But there was nothing around her here, and she hadn't forgotten what she came here for...
"Are you the only one here?"
"One? Oh, if Alajina means David... Yes, David is the only 'one' here."
"What about those Holy Progenies? Shouldn't this be their Shelter?"
"...I don't quite remember what exactly happened. The storage module inside my unit seems to have suffered damage. I only remember a very small portion of things from a very, very long time ago. I remember that the Angel Youfeile was responsible for building the Shelter at that time. But I forgot why I am here and where exactly the other Holy Progenies went. I have no way to leave here to find them, so I can only stay here in standby mode, waiting for them to return."
David's tone was innocent, but to Alajina's ears, it sounded extremely pitiful, like a child who had lost his parents but forced a smile. This couldn't help but evoke a bit of compassion in her.
And Little David, who had originally been silent beside them, suddenly spoke up excitedly after hearing the name "Youfeile" from David's mouth,
"My Creator! So she was the one who built this place!"
David smiled and nodded. He turned his head and looked expectantly at Alajina beside him, asking her again,
"How about it, Alajina? Want to go take a look at my home?"
"...Alright, lead the way."
"Great! Over the years, David has always decorated the home quite nicely. I also checked when I just woke up, and there shouldn't be too many things damaged... Please follow me!"
"Okay."
Alajina hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to follow the Cardinal before her deep into the so-called "Shelter" to find out the truth. Having him as a guide to lead the way was much better than wandering around blindly by herself.
She always felt that this place was very dangerous. Perhaps the danger wasn't within the Shelter, but... outside the Shelter?
David turned around, jumping for joy, exposing more of the damaged parts beneath the white robe on his back to Alajina. But without noticing it at all, he flew into the darkness, gesturing for Alajina to keep up.
As Alajina left following David, she didn't realize that the starlight seeping in from the damaged ceiling in this place suddenly dimmed. Even the terrifying scarlet mist twisted and surged outward...
In its place was a remarkably cold, water-like moonlight, a blend of deep purple and silver-white.
The surroundings of the deep and serene corridor were completely undamaged. David, who was leading the way in front, suddenly spoke up to warm the atmosphere,
"Right, Alajina, David forgot to ask you. What are you here for? Because I feel like it's been a very, very, very long time since any living creature has come here."
"I..."
What should Alajina say? Tell him that she actually wanted to come here secretly to take some things away, but ended up being discovered by him?
"She wants to see if there's anything of value here that can be of use. If possible, she wants to take some good things back to Reality."
But Little David beside her wasn't polite at all, stating her purpose for her in advance.
At this point, Alajina had no choice but to explain it herself,
"I need some weapons for self-defense or Relics that can make me stronger. This is very important to me. Otherwise, my husband is very likely to be snatched away by other women."
"Ah... I see. There are still many treasures left behind by the Holy Progenies and mom and dad here. They've been sitting here for a long time. I'll take you to see them later, and you can take all of them away."
To Alajina's surprise, David was incredibly easy to talk to. Upon hearing her purpose, he turned his head and said with a smile, almost without thinking.
"Huh?"
Not only was Alajina stunned, but Little David beside her also spun in circles excitedly,
"Mother Goddess bless us! This is truly wonderful, Alajina. But I forgot to tell you before coming here that my teleportation has a capacity limit. You cannot carry too many or too large items to teleport with you, otherwise an accident is very likely to occur... Mother Goddess above, Little David must take safety as the top priority."
In reality, they didn't walk for long before reaching the end of the dark corridor. Opposite the many doors at the end, David familiarly opened a large door that wasn't completely closed, revealing the spacious area inside.
"We have arrived, Alajina."
Looking inside, it looked like a workshop in a factory or a laboratory in a research institute. Within the spacious area were many machine tools used for manufacturing certain items, various chairs covered in machinery, protection cabins connected by lines of some sort, and a room full of blueprints.
Alajina originally thought there would be ventilation or windows to look outside, but it was still sealed tight by stone bricks here. This couldn't help but remind Alajina of David's earlier words about "not looking outside."
But she didn't press the matter. She just watched David smile and sit on a chair. Then, looking around the room full of mechanical parts, he couldn't help but say apologetically,
"Sorry, Alajina, there's nothing here. David temporarily has no way to entertain you."
Alajina shook her head and replied,
"Mother Goddess above, I am already very grateful that you could invite me over."
David smiled brightly. Somewhat awkwardly and shyly, he tugged at the long white robe on his body, revealing some ceramic crack-like marks on his fair thighs, and then said,
"Thank you, Alajina. David is very happy to hear what you said. Can I be your friend? Mom and dad would definitely be very happy if they knew... Of course, it's okay if you're unwilling; David won't mind."
Even as he said this, David's expression suddenly became nervous, as if the energy supply section within his chest cavity would stop working if Alajina spoke words of refusal.
A faint smile appeared on Alajina's usually serious-in-manner face, and she couldn't help but say,
"Of course, no problem, David."
"That's great, Alajina. David will cherish a hard-won friend like you, and I will also help you snatch your husband back. David is very good at doing this kind of thing."
"...Very good at it?"
David nodded and said with great confidence,
"That's right... Then may I ask, how is the relationship between Alajina and your husband?"
"I rarely see him, but our feelings are very deep, and we already have the reality of being husband and wife. I want to marry him very much, but there are always other women causing trouble between him and me..."
For some reason, Alajina emphasized the words "reality of being husband and wife" very heavily.
After hearing this, David went through an analysis that appeared to be extremely intense based on his jumping-around expression. Then, he excitedly held up three fingers and said,
"Alajina, I have decided to name the operation to snatch back your husband 'Operation Snatch Love,' and I have prepared upper, middle, and lower strategies for this."
"...What did you say? Operation Snatch..."
"According to my analysis, there are probably three possibilities as to why your husband would be snatched away by other women. First, your power and charm are truly too weak, holding no attraction to your husband at all; second, the power and charm of the other women are truly too strong, which is what lured your husband away; third, your husband is just a scumbag who treats feelings casually, insatiably greedy, wanting both this and that..."
Alajina opened her mouth and then said,
"...Mother Goddess guarantees, the third is absolutely impossible."
"It's okay if it's impossible; the methods are universal. Let's listen to the upper strategy first. My upper strategy is to increase your own Rank and power, and it can also change your appearance, making you more charming and feminine."
"...Will it be more powerful than a Phoenix? More charming than a Phoenix?"
"Phoenix?" David didn't know why she suddenly mentioned Phoenix, but after a slight pause, he continued, "Of course. Although the upper strategy still cannot cross the Gate of Mythic, it is naturally more than enough when compared to a Phoenix below it."
"Then, what are the specific methods?"
"I plan to implant some very strong Prosthetic Bodies into you, such as your entire skeleton, replacing your whole arm, loading some high-power Particle Weapons inside your chest cavity, etc. Besides that, I can also change your appearance a bit, modify your face, and sculpt your body."
David enthusiastically pointed to the various drill bits and blades placed on the operating table nearby, leaving Alajina instantly speechless.
After a good while, she finally said somewhat hoarsely,
"What about the middle strategy?"
"Ah, the middle strategy. I can find some powerful conscious semi-finished Relics for you. These Relics were all forged later by my dad and the Angel Gabriel. Although they can't compare to true Teardrop Relics, they are undoubtedly extremely powerful Relics as well, the great culmination of the Holy Progenies' forging techniques. They are much more powerful than the Relic on your body. A person controls the artifact, and the artifact also assists the person. In this way, you will also become very powerful. I remember there are some Relics that can raise your charm, making your husband unable to stop being infatuated with you."
"...And compared to a Phoenix?"
"Hm, probably a fifty-fifty split with a Phoenix, assuming it isn't a very powerful Phoenix. You only need to tame those conscious Relics, preferably taming a few more to meet your diverse needs... There's just a tiny drawback. If you want to use those Relics, you'll have to pay a small price. After all, taming them isn't easy either."
"What is the price?"
"I'm not too clear about it either, but David thinks it will probably, maybe, perhaps be 'a billion times' harder than completely mastering the sword Relic on your body."
"...Then what about the lower strategy?"
"The lower strategy is simply to use external objects like Cardinals... Primarily because the Shelter's energy is disconnected, so there's no way to start the machine tools. There are less than a hundred Cardinals left here, and they are all very low-level Cardinals as well. Furthermore, Alajina will also have to physically move them out bit by bit."
Alajina parted her lips. She didn't want to consider the upper strategy at all. She was very proud of her body and didn't want anything implanted; she basically wouldn't consider this option.
She originally wanted to ask David about the Relics in the middle strategy, seeking some decent Relics for her own use. But when she realized that using that kind of Relic would only make her about equal to a Phoenix, wouldn't using other things still leave her inferior?
Then, what about the third, lower strategy?
Alajina quickly grasped the key point. Perhaps the Cardinals weren't weak; her previous experiences in the Stormsea and Naris's glory also reminded her just how exaggerated the Cardinals were. It was just because the machine tools couldn't be started.
"Then how can the machine tools be started? Can the Shelter's energy be turned back on?"
David pursed his lips, looked at the extremely dark surroundings, and shook his head.
"They can be turned on, but I forgot where the energy switch is. It should be somewhere inside the Shelter. If the machine tools could be turned on, I could also repair my body. I don't remember how my body got damaged. Although it hasn't affected my core functions, this is the body mom and dad made for me after all. I don't want to see it become like this..."
David lifted his somewhat tattered white robe, revealing the smooth-as-jade yet slightly damaged skin underneath, covered in ceramic-like cracks and scars.
But after taking off the white robe, David's expression suddenly turned distressed, as if he remembered something.
"However, Alajina, even if the energy can be restored, I might not be able to operate the machine tools anymore."
"Why?"
"Because my external links seem to have been artificially cut off and closed. I cannot construct a network, link to, enter, or manipulate other Cardinals, nor can I manipulate the machine tools to manufacture Cardinals. The current me can only stay in this body made by mom and dad. Although this is also nice, I won't be able to help you..."
Little David beside them shook his head and said, realizing after the fact,
"No wonder I didn't receive any reply when I sent a signal here requesting a link. So your link was cut off and locked."
Alajina looked at David and asked,
"Who closed your link? Is there any way to turn it on?"
"I forgot who closed it. But if it isn't to help Alajina, whether it's linked to the outside or not doesn't matter... If Alajina needs it, I can research it myself. Perhaps I'll find a way to open it after some time. Until then, I can look for the energy switch inside the Shelter and think about how to turn on my locked external link switch. Alajina can take some Cardinals back first. They have manual physical control methods, so they can be operated without artificial intelligence."
So they can be operated manually without A.I.... No wonder Naris and the Black Chieftain could utilize these Cardinals.
She nodded and, following David's point, saw many neatly arranged, high-quality Cardinals. But she didn't go to take them directly. Instead, she looked at David sitting on a chair, smiling brightly at her.
It was as if, in her eyes, this existence wasn't some cold machine, but rather a living child who had been separated from his parents.
She parted her lips and couldn't help but ask,
"What about you, David? Do you need me to help you do anything? I will definitely do it, I promise."
"Help me..."
David was slightly startled. Then, he shook his head and said,
"I don't have anything I need you to help me with, Alajina. I am here waiting for my mom and dad to return. Other than that, I don't want anything else."
"What about your mom and dad? Where are they? Maybe I can help you find them."
"They..."
David thought for a moment, clutching the light radiating from his long, curly red hair as if he had a migraine.
"They... I don't quite remember exactly where they went. It seems... they are somewhere outside, somewhere outside the Shelter..."
"Outside? You mean... the Spirit World?"
Alajina looked at the enclosed room around her and was momentarily stunned.
"Hm, yes. David seems to remember that they are outside. But it's very dangerous outside, extremely dangerous for both me and Alajina, so I can only wait for them to return here. If we want to go outside to look for them, we need very, very strong power. If Alajina knows such a powerful person, please ask them to go outside and look for my mom and dad on my behalf. I miss them very much."
"...Okay. With the Mother Goddess as my witness, I will remember this."
"That's great, Alajina. From now on, you are David's best friend. You'll come back later, right?"
"Yes."
"Then take some Cardinals back first. It's just that I don't know if these Cardinals can beat that bad person who snatched your husband... Hm, if it doesn't work out, just make a few more trips. But it's best not to come too frequently. You came from within the world; frequently traveling through the Crevice in a short period of time will definitely be discovered by Him."
"Him?"
"Hm, I don't know who He is either; dad told me. Anyway, just come once every few days, Alajina."
"...Okay, I promise."
David smiled and nodded. He stood up and took Alajina over to pick out some Cardinals, explaining to her what these Cardinals could be used for along the way.
Under Little David's watchful gaze, she picked up four intact Cardinals, which was the maximum amount she could carry.
Afterward, amidst David's bright smile, Alajina decided not to stay any longer and called Little David to send her back.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"
The same sound of splitting the air, the same feeling of weightlessness, the same colorful sea of subconsciousness, until Alajina's feet firmly stood on the ground again. The surrounding air suddenly became fresh and full, the surrounding temperature slowly rose, and dazzling light filled her view. Meanwhile, the few perfectly intact Cardinals tightly held in her hands still tangibly existed and hadn't disappeared...
All of this wasn't a dream, but Reality.
"We have arrived, Alajina. Please rate Little David's service this time!"
"..."
Little David's voice came from beside her, but Alajina didn't have time to reply. She just suddenly collapsed weakly on the ground, her body panting uncontrollably.
She placed the Cardinals in her hands on the ground, looking at them from left to right. In order, they were a flying device that could grant the wearer rapid flight capabilities and featured hollow Particle Weapons, a Mantis Cutting Tool that could be used for close combat, a Particle Shield that could automatically hover, follow, and defend, and a Burrowing Snake-Shaped Cloaking Device for surveillance...
These Cardinals... They could be considered strong, but they could also be considered weak. However, these were Cardinals after all, such miraculous Cardinals that even Naris might not have completely mastered! And she had just met David, who possessed the entire treasure trove left behind by the Holy Progenies as well as the manufacturing methods for Cardinals!
This was only the beginning.
She stared expressionlessly at the Cardinals lying flat on the ground. Her breathing slowly calmed down. Then, she closed her eyes and, subconsciously, prayed with devotion,
"Mother Goddess bless us... Mother Goddess bless us..."
Outside the Frostwood Sycamore Tree, the north wind howled. The sky gradually darkened, and consuming the setting sun bit by bit was the incredibly gloomy sky, as well as the extremely cold and incredibly lonely moon.