Gifts, it's a good thing.

It can be a sum of money, or a jewel, a hint of kindness, a status, or a victory: no one can accurately summarize the types of gifts in the world, but everyone will have no doubts about one thing:

A true gift, a symbol of warmth, joy and beauty from the heart, may not be precious, but it contains a hot, heavy heart, which will melt the heavy ice between each other, showing blessings and hearts that words and actions cannot reflect.

In essence, a gift is a kind of giving, a gentle vehicle to convey information, emotion, and will.

Therefore, no one does not like gifts: just as no one does not like luck and victory, after all, no matter what time and place, whether it is a saint or a thief, a king or a farmer, receiving a gift always brings the most essential happiness.

Even the Palm Print, which has survived for more than 6,000 years, thinks so.

In fact, Machado remembers very clearly that his friendship with the Lord of Mankind originated from one gift, or rather, many gifts.

Of course, the mutual gift between the Lord of Mankind and the Palm Seal Holder cannot be a mundane thing, and what the Emperor gave to Machado is the most precious and precious thing that the Palm Seal Holder has received in his 6,000 years of life throughout the galaxy.

That's a will.

A belief.

A freedom for the Palm Sealer to walk over the desolate Terra once again, breathing the air filled with the smell of sulfur and rancidity.

A confidence that allowed Machado's mind to truly emerge from millennia of chaos and self-deception, and to look at this bizarre world with a rational eye.

Perhaps, the first encounter between the Palm Seal and the Lord of Mankind was not good, but in the end, the Emperor [released] him and [rescued] him, and he took Machado to the cold, cruel and beautiful real world, and with almost childlike enthusiasm and innocence, he gave Machado his first gift from the Emperor among the frescoes that were waved wantonly.

It was a hegemonic ambition that bordered on madness, it was the most righteous ambition and fantasy, it was enough to burn the galaxy, it was enough to ignite the star's faith, it was enough to shed a tear to nourish a race and civilization that had long since entered the land of death.

It was a manifesto, an ambition, a volume of documents, a friendship......

It was a dream.

A big dream that left Machado trapped and willing not to wake up again.

From that day on, the name of Machado gradually faded, and the Palm Seal began to walk in this vicious world.

As the first true follower of the Emperor, he witnessed first-hand how he went from being alone to becoming the master of the Praetorian Army and the Empire, to the Lord of the Holy Terra, to the father who had failed to do so: to this day, he has worn the supreme crown of the Lord of Men and walked the world.

Even centuries later, even today, when Machado sees the ordinary figure in the golden light, he still thinks of that day, he remembers the day when the emperor had not yet put on the armor and crown that he hated most: at that time, the emperor was a happy and enthusiastic figure, his words simple but sincere, accompanied by rough brushes scribbling on the walls, outlining his vision of human civilization.

At that time, the emperor was not the master of mankind who could be invincible to the real universe: but he still possessed enthusiasm, and he also possessed the most fiery sincerity and sincerity, and he could also show the most touching smile from the depths of his heart.

If it's the emperor......

Then this conversation will not be difficult at all.

Thinking of this, Makado could only sigh secretly: as a participant in the whole process of the genetic prototype project, as a person who has worked hard for these human demigods, the palm seal holder knows from the bottom of his heart what the most lethal weapon will be against these emperors' heirs.

Not bullets.

Not psionic powers.

It's not a beam of light that can destroy the world from the muzzle of a battleship.

Rather, from the Emperor, from the Lord of Men, from the mouth of their Genetic Father, the most sincere words, the most heartfelt encouragement, the most sincere confession, and the softest plea.

When the emperor was able to sincerely reveal his inner thoughts, communicate and talk in a sincere tone, and tell the plight and achievements of the original body from his heart's help and encouragement:

Even with the simplest words, no primordial body can resist this power.

——————

Pity.

They have lost that emperor.

No one is omnipotent, not even the current lord of mankind, and when the emperor puts on his golden armor and takes up the greatsword he hates the most, and becomes the spokesman for conquest and hegemony, he naturally loses his place as a father.

He can only be eternally silent, serious, eternal, and indifferent.

Over time, after numerous rulings and ruthless wars, even Machado himself wondered if the emperor had gradually forgotten some of the things he had done.

The fiery Nios, like the sun in the crowd, the Lord of Babel who could be anyone's friend.

Is he still there?

Does he remember his former strength?

Does he still understand, and how he remembers, how to build a friendship between them?

——————

As Machado stood at the junction of dim light and shadow, he looked at the face that belonged to the Lord of Humanity, and at the somewhat stiff smile.

The palm printer sighed in his heart.

He didn't know the answer to that question.

He can only ...... That's where the hope lies.

——————

Compared to the worries of his old friend, the Lord of Humanity seemed lighter, brighter, and more confident.

Although Morgan's strange behavior forced the Emperor to shine again, it was not enough to make him anxious: as the creator of all primordial bodies, the Emperor knew the truth about each of his children, he knew the core of Morgan, and he knew that this failed creature who blended into chaos and subspace more easily than Magnus was in many ways different from her brothers.

Whatever Morgan sees, the emperor is not surprised, nor does he ask excessively: he doesn't care.

After all, on the whole, there were only a few clouds on him, and no matter which one of them his daughter was frightened by, it would not cause the Lord of Humanity to feel unplanned trouble: he knew that Morgan must have seen worse, and that her fright would only be an instinctive retreat, not a source of fear that would shake the mind and will.

Again, since Morgan can stand alive in front of the Lord of Mankind at this time: unless the power of the subspace personally intervenes, nothing can completely knock down this selfish lady spiritually.

That's enough.

This shows that Morgan is a worry-free heir: the lord of mankind naturally does not need to worry about more.

Now that Morgan has proven that she can take care of herself, there is no need to spend more time on her: the emperor's energy is limited.

The Lord of Humanity even felt a long-lost joy: the return of an heir at last symbolized a temporary ease of letting go and work, rather than more red tape.

Thinking of this, the Lord of Mankind took out the gift with a much lighter movement: of course he remembered to bring it, and he was not so busy that he would forget such a trivial matter.

He prepared gifts for his daughter.

Three servings.

He has carefully selected them.

Although one of them had a small accident.

And the other gift, there are still some unfinished places......

As for the third......

That should be considered a gift...... bar.

A brief moment of hesitation and hesitation echoed in the human lord's heart, but when he lifted his head and saw Machado's anxious eyes, the emperor returned a smile that reassured his old friend.

After all, things can't get any worse.

With this in mind, the Lord of Humanity pulled out the first gift from the rift he was carrying.

——————

At this moment, neither Morgan nor the Palm Seal could help but cast their eyes on the Emperor's palm: in the broad palm of the Lord of Humanity was the first gift, which was placed in a seemingly ordinary box, but it exuded a power that would make any psyker feel haunted.

Without selling it, the Lord of Men opened the box: a fruit lay peacefully in the useless cushion.

It was a golden apple.

Compared to the [Silver Apple] formed by Morgan's previous kneading of the soul of her blood relative, it is like the sun at noon and the dim moonlight, there is no comparison.

With the slightest glance, the palm seal could feel the surging power in the fingers of the fruit: it was not a power that could be contained by a single person or a country, and in the golden fruit, there were unimaginable soul fluctuations.

That's the emperor of Randan.

At the first sight of it, Morgan recognized what the golden apple was: it was the emperor of Randan, the invisible star that devoured countless souls and wails, a delicacy that could make her salivate just by looking at it.

She could have paid any price to get this creation, and this seemingly small precious fruit could repair the scars of her soul even as much as the souls of other genetic prototypes.

For Morgan, it meant food like never before, a supreme tonic that would fill a crack in her mind: she longed for a creation that surpassed all the stars in the Milky Way.

The emperor held the box, he did not approach Morgan again, but let the fruit slowly rise, let the infinite power and soul imprisoned in it, slowly drift towards Morgan's face, the Lord of Mankind chose to speak slowly at this time, his voice carried an unquestionable steadiness.

[Morgan, my daughter, this is the first gift I have brought. 】

[I know your fetishes, I know what you are hiding from your diet, this is not a fatal topic, everyone has some secrets of their own. 】

[All along, you have not stepped on the real bottom line, which is worthy of recognition and reward: I will tolerate your little problems, my daughter, after all, in this galaxy, there is never a shortage of aliens that need to be extinct. 】

The Emperor spoke, his voice low and slow, but Morgan listened with the most solemn mind, and when the words of the Lord of Mankind extended to the end, he looked directly at his daughter and slowly asked a seemingly inconspicuous question.

[Until then, I rejoice in your self-control, Morgan, my daughter, and I am confident that you will not let this joy be dusted. 】

[Right?] 】

He whispered, his fingers swaying slowly in the air, and the golden apple rested in front of Morgan, in a place she couldn't reach.

The pause silenced Morgan for a moment.

She seemed to organize her words for a moment before she spoke slowly.

[Father.] 】

[Whether it is now, or in the future. 】

[I will not show hunger and greed to any offspring born of the descendants of Divine Terra, nor will I target anyone who refuses to submit to the subspace. 】

[I will plunder everything: except for those who live in the physical universe, the purest and purest human beings. 】

Morgan's words drifted slowly through the gloomy hall, and her complex words silenced the Lord of Humanity for a moment before nodding.

The Emperor did not seem satisfied, and he had the most instinctive suspicion of this complicated and fancy answer, but after thinking about the words for a moment, he chose to relax.

He waved his hand, and the coveted creation of the Spider Empress was close at hand.

Looking at it, Morgan involuntarily stretched out his hands and stretched out the fruit in front of him in the most reverent gesture.

She looked at it, at the golden apple, and her pupils were also dyed with a golden color, shining brightly: Morgan felt for the first time that the golden light was not entirely bad.

Beside him, Makado watched quietly, the colors flickering in Morgan's pupils: a smile appeared on his face for the first time.

A genuine smile.

——————

Yes, that's it.

A suitable gift, a gift that will really help your daughter.

Morgan must have known how chaotic Emperor Randan's soul was: being able to make it an edible gift was not an easy task for the Lord of Mankind.

But it is precisely this fragmentation and hands-on effort that can embody the greatest value of a gift: sincerity.

This is due to the sincerity of the emperor, who is willing to devote himself to his daughter, who is willing to know about her difficulties, and this soul fruit also means that he knows some of Morgan's secrets, but turns a blind eye.

Nothing soothes a restless heart more than these secret safeguards.

Morgan needs those.

Looking at the twinkling gaze of the Lord of the Second Legion looking at the golden apple, Machado even felt a little relieved.

Very good, it looks like the emperor is still ......

"Whew!"

But before the reassuring thought could linger in the palm of the hand-print's mind for a moment, he heard an unpleasant voice:

It was the sound of flames.

——————

Flames, golden flames.

When the golden apple landed firmly in Morgan's palm, countless flames drilled out in the blink of an eye: suddenly, the Spider Empress's hand was scorched by these unique flames, she instinctively flinched, clenched her teeth, but refused to throw away the treasure that she did not refuse, and could only hold the burning apple tightly, and let her palm feel a disgusting heat.

Her soul was even sobbing in pain, for the flames tortured the soul far more than the body.

Morgan frowned, it took her a moment to get used to the feeling of being burned by the flames, then she looked up at the emperor.

【…… Father? 】

"That's my flame, my daughter. 】

The Lord of Humanity's face was flat, and it was obvious that all this was expected by him, and he slowly spoke after a while, and there was an extremely innocent naturalness in his voice.

[The soul of this alien emperor is the most chaotic and poisonous, and in order to make it a gift to you, I burned it with my flames and cleared the poison. 】

Morgan blinked, she endured the sharp pain in her palm, endured the cry of some kind of flesh burn coming from her soul body, she lowered her head and glanced at the burning golden apple in her palm.

It's shiny, but if you look closely, you can see that there seems to be something wrong with it, like ......

Scorched?

The Spider Empress narrowed her eyes, she wisely did not pursue all this, but looked directly at the golden light in front of her as much as she could, and asked a question of her own.

[Are these flames accidentally left on them?] They burn all the time. 】

This question sent the Lord of Humanity an expression that bordered on consternation.

[Flames? 】

Of course not. 】

Those flames are part of this gift, Morgan. 】

[They will stay there forever, even if you eat it.] 】

【……】

Morgan breathed deeply.

[It may ...... It's going to burn my soul, father......]

I know better than you how resilient your soul is, Morgan. 】

The emperor waved his hand casually.

[I am your creator, and I am well aware of your abilities and limits. 】

He said, then lifted his head slightly, and uttered a long sentence that was rightfully spoken.

[The fruit is a gift, its power and the flame it carries, are part of this gift, if you want to receive this gift, accept this power, then you need to receive these flames as well. 】

[There is no 100% profit in the world, my daughter, behind any success there is a shadow of loss, you must understand this, because your situation is more dangerous than any of your blood relatives: those beings in the subspace may find you at any time, and their best is the power of unearned gain. 】

Therefore, I chose to leave those flames behind, let them burn in your soul, and use burns to remind you to always be calm and cautious. 】

You're going to need them. 】

Yes, they are suffering. 】

But suffering will also be part of the gift, they are your strength, they are your reality, they are the challenges and enemies you must face: I will not shy away from this, and I will not force you to make a choice. 】

You can choose to endure or face pain, whether you eat the fruit or not, you will get a way of thinking to face the challenges ahead: this is the true core of my gift. 】

[You can skip it and keep a cautious mind.] 】

[You can also eat it and understand the price of power.] 】

[I gave it to you. 】

[Now, it's up to you to choose.] 】

——————

He spoke, rightfully speaking, as he watched indifferently as Morgan's soul was scorched by his flames, his will returning to the coldness and rationality of being an emperor.

He even has some pride: Morgan has received more rational words from him than other primordial beings: he is no longer pure affection and doting, he is helping his daughter see the world clearly.

Pride, of course, is something to be proud of.

In this way, the Lord of Men watched as his gift was held in the hands of his own daughter, and she seemed to be silent for a long time, not saying a word, but bowing her head until the Lord of Men ordered the box to come to her.

Morgan silently placed the burning golden apple in the box, her pupils flickering where the emperor couldn't see, allowing her to slowly spit out her words.

[Thank you...... Father. 】

[It's okay, my daughter. 】

The Emperor smiled, and out of the corner of his eye caught the person looking directly at his palm, and the Lord of Humanity turned his head, smiling reassuringly at his friend, and patiently awaiting Machado's response.

But Machado just grimaced and slowly retreated into the shadows.

……

He might be in a bad mood?

Such doubts ran through the mind of the Lord of Humanity until the words of the Palm Seal broke into the mind of the Lord of Humanity in a way that only two people knew.

——————

"Wonderful preaching, Your Majesty."

[It's just the normal feelings of some people, Machado, there's nothing to show off.] 】

“……”

A sigh from the palm printer.

"But have you ever thought about it, Your Majesty?"

"It's a gift, a gift that shows your love as a father, and it should be kind, even doting."

"That's my mother's business, and my father's job is to teach the truth, my friend. 】

"Then why don't you do that to those previous primitives?"

[Because they don't know much, and Morgan is different: I don't want them to know too much if I could, and the ignorant can naturally be happy, and my daughter, as a person who has glimpsed the truth, will naturally be treated differently.] 】

[Besides......]

[Isn't that bad?] 】

The emperor is asking: he is really asking, with confusion and sincerity.

“……”

The only answer to him was the silence of the palm print.

"Is there a second gift, my majesty?"

[Indeed, my ......]

"Get it out!"

“……”

"Wait, did you put any other love on that gift?"

[There should be no ......]

"Then take it out!"

【……】

It seems that Machado is indeed in a bad mood.

So thought the Lord of Men.

——————

Morgan silently put away the box.

For this gift, she ...... for a moment

Can't find the right adjective......

She wanted to close her eyes and slow down her spirits, after all, the scars left by those emperor's flames were genuine.

But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, the Lord of Humanity began to move.

A new crack opened, and the Emperor proudly pulled something out of it.

[I remember, you have already met your brother Riemanrus, my daughter?] 】

[In Duran, father, we used to fight side by side. 】

[Have you seen his athletic footage in battle?] Especially when it comes to duels? 】

[Hmm......]

Morgan was silent for a moment, Johnson's name drifting through her mind.

[Not really. 】

The Lord of Humanity nodded, not caring about the subject, but slowly pulling out the second box: the one that was constantly trembling and emitting some kind of metallic chirp.

[You should know, my daughter, I once gave Riemanrus a gift. 】

[It was a spear, a divine weapon called the Bacchus Spear, one of the greatest weapons I had personally forged. 】

[Yes, father, I think I've seen Riemanlus holding it, and it's an impressive weapon. 】

[Yes......]

The emperor smiled, and there was an ancient nostalgia in his smile.

[I have created two of these weapons, taken from the names of two gods in one of the oldest and most absurd myths. 】

[The Spear of the Sun God, it has been held in the hands of my champion warrior, the chief of the Forbidden Army, Waldo, from the beginning, and has made great achievements with him. 】

[And the other, the Bacchus Spear, I gave it to my son Riemanlus after the Battle of the Ring of Fire, which was a reward, promise, and expectation for him, and he reciprocated.] 】

[However, what everyone doesn't know is that just like there were more than two main gods in that ancient mythology, there is more than one existence called the Emperor's Spear that I have created. 】

As he spoke, the Lord of Mankind slowly opened the somewhat long box, and in this box, there was a dazzling and most brilliant silver light.

Morgan looked at the light, she certainly understood what the emperor's words meant, and at this moment, even her breathing was heavy.

Beside him, Machado's breathing was as heavy as Morgan's.

It's good, it's good.

Everything is still under control.

The emperor will not disappoint after all.

[The opposite of the sun and the god of wine, reason and sensibility. 】

[In addition to this, the weapon I want to give you is the third choice. 】

[Spear of Eros.] 】

The box slowly floated in front of Morgan, and the Lord of the Second Legion stepped forward with great respect, and she gently brushed the light to see the real scene in the box.

[Father's ......]

[Father...... This ......]

[This ......]

【……】

【……】

[It's just a piece of iron, huh? 】

Morgan reached out and, in her words of disbelief, tapped on the box in front of her, the piece of iron that had no rules: it looked so rough that it had not even been forged by a hammer.

[Because I didn't finish it, my daughter, like a lot of my works.] 】

But I believe you can get it done. 】

The emperor smiled.

[I have given it to you, this is a unique raw material in the galaxy, which will not be recorded in any book, the most precious and precious metal, you only need to complete the simplest steps, and you can do it. 】

[Shape, forge, give it a unique meaning and history, and find the true power it contains.] 】

When you understand all this, that is when you really get this gift. 】

The emperor spoke, smiling, and he watched as his daughter lowered her head and silently put away the box, without saying a word.

【……】

【……】

[I...... Got it...... Father. 】

She looks ...... Still satisfied?

The Lord of Humanity was a little uncertain, and he turned his inquiring gaze to his friend.

But this time, Machado ignored him.

The Palm Sealer silently retreated into the shadows, as if he didn't want to care about these things anymore.

【……】

Maybe he's tired.

The Emperor thought so.

(End of chapter)