Chapter 99: The Escort

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Xu Yiyi lowered her gaze at the shattered remains of Xu Weiyi. Behind her, Qu Shixin stepped onto the twisted deck of the warship and entered the command center.

Qu Shixin said nothing. He slowly approached the wreckage of Xu Weiyi and knelt down on one knee.

Staring at the pitiful mechanical body before him, Qu Shixin felt a lump rise in his throat. He couldn’t help but recall the jokes they had shared earlier.

Now, the sharp cosmic alloy blades that formed Xu Weiyi’s body were deeply embedded in his own bones.

“Mr. Xu is beyond saving,” Xu Yiyi said quietly to Qu Shixin. His fingertips gently brushed over Xu Weiyi’s body, which still retained some of the heat from the battle. Though possessing divine powers, Qu Shixin did not withdraw his hand; instead, he shifted his gaze to the lifeless eye sockets.

“Old Director Xu once said machines don’t need feelings, but before the fight, he told me that he would, like a human hiding a final letter, leave all his memories to you.”

Qu Shixin’s eyes never left Xu Weiyi as he spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.

Hearing Qu Shixin’s words, Xu Yiyi trembled slightly. “It seems he knew I would come and held on until I arrived.”

Her voice crackled with static, like an old tape recorder stuck in a loop of sorrow.

“All the technological data, information about the Supreme Core Platform, even some records about the higher beings of the mechanical civilization... it’s all here.”

“His feelings...”

“Are here as well.”

Qu Shixin sighed, wiped his slightly stinging nose, and stood up. He took off his coat and draped it over Xu Weiyi’s remains.

“Divine Attendant Qu,” Xu Yiyi suddenly spoke, her voice gradually regaining a mechanical calmness, “I want to see the High Priest.”

Qu Shixin nodded silently, then turned toward the door, motioning for Xu Yiyi to follow.

“Let’s go.”

“The High Priest needs this information.”

“As for Old Xu... he wouldn’t want to see us crying over a pile of parts.”

Xu Yiyi nodded silently and followed Qu Shixin.

As they stepped out of the Wanderer, twilight was creeping over the horizon of Tianhai Star. The war had not lasted long, but it felt like living through an endless year.

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Qu Shixin quickly led Xu Yiyi back to the site where prisoners were being held. The people of the Star Source Civilization were preparing to load the defeated Saivi warriors onto transport ships, their wrists and necks locked with specially designed shackles.

Some Saivi hung their heads low, while others scanned the unfamiliar humans around them. They were to be taken to Sky Dome Star for trial before the Heresy Tribunal.

Among the many captives, Qu Shixin immediately noticed Saivis. Standing at the front line, he was striking. His black battle armor had been stripped away, revealing a dark gray combat suit beneath, adorned with an insignia—apparently the emblem of the Saivi civilization.

This fleet leader who had invaded the Star Source Civilization showed no sign of defeat. As Qu Shixin approached, he remained motionless.

“Aren’t you afraid to die?” Qu Shixin asked, stepping in front of Saivis. The foreign words were quickly deciphered by Saivis’s mental firewall and translated into his native tongue.

“Yes,” Saivis replied.

“But the glory of the Saivi civilization rests on every Saivi... on me.”

Hearing the question in this setting, Saivis laughed strangely, then straightened his posture as if some invisible force was supporting his spine.

“My comrades have died in this war,” Qu Shixin said coldly. Then a dazzling bolt of electricity shot toward Saivis, curving sharply before striking the ground in front of him.

The powerful force sent sand and stones flying, some hitting Saivis’s cheek, yet he showed no sign of alarm or pain.

“So you are a potential individual... It seems the fleet’s defeat was inevitable.”

Saivis sighed upon seeing Qu Shixin’s attack. Looking at those around him, he seemed to have reached a realization.

“I do not know what a ‘potential individual’ is, but under the Star Father’s protection, we will surely triumph.”

“You are a pure soldier. I respect you and your civilization.”

“I have no right to judge you. Under the Star Father’s watchful eye, you will be personally interrogated by the High Priest.”

Qu Shixin dispelled his divine powers and gestured for others to escort Saivis alone to his ship. He then patted Xu Yiyi, who was staring intently at Saivis, and they left together.

After all the captives were loaded onto their respective transports, the ships took off simultaneously, heading toward Sky Dome Star.

Meanwhile, the Saivi fleet was temporarily grounded on Tianhai Star, awaiting researchers from the Oracle Institute to begin technical recovery.

The Star Source Civilization’s technology allowed for rapid travel within the galaxy. Before long, they arrived at the outer space of Sky Dome Star.

Qu Shixin’s ship was the first to reach their destination.

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As they entered Sky Dome Star and passed through its clouds, Saivis’s gaze was drawn to the scene outside the porthole.

He had seen many planets scorched by war and others ruined by overdevelopment.

Charred rocks, twisted metal wreckage, poisonous gases billowing in the atmosphere.

But the world before him was like a perfect paradise. The surface was cloaked in emerald vegetation, the oceans shimmered like crystal glass, and the cities glowed like radiant vines along broad avenues, harmoniously coexisting with the natural landscape.

“This is your sanctuary?” Saivis’s voice was filled with awe. Planets benefiting from ecological integration technology often became homogenous, resembling artificial virtual environments.

He had never witnessed such pristine natural beauty on a technologically advanced homeworld, as if the environment had never been sullied in the slightest.

“What exactly is your so-called ‘Star Father’?”

Staring at the landscape, the image of a figure moving freely through the cosmos resurfaced in his mind. Although Saivis had never encountered any godly faith, he couldn’t help but ask the question.

“He is the Creator and the Guide.”

“All civilizations in this universe are children of the Star Father.”

“Perhaps the Star Father once guided your civilization as well.”

Qu Shixin looked down at the Central Temple, his face radiant with faith.

Although Saivis felt no personal resonance, he nodded silently, maintaining respect for another civilization’s belief.

The ship had yet to land when those aboard sensed the scenery shift instantaneously. When they opened their eyes again, they were standing before the Star Pavilion of the Central Temple.

Saivis had yet to comprehend what had just happened, but Qu Shixin, accustomed to such phenomena, humbly extended his hand and knocked on the pavilion’s door.

The moment his knuckles rapped, the massive doors of the Star Pavilion slowly began to open.