"What do you usually feed it?"

"Salmon vegetable cakes, cat sandwiches, meatballs, and mousse cakes."

“……”

"Can cats eat mousse cake?"

"It's a happy eater anyway."

"It's normal, after all: after all, it's better fed than the vast majority of people in this galaxy: what about this alien, is it your emergency reserve food for this cat?"

"No, it's the second cat."

“……”

"It doesn't look like a cat at all."

"Not long ago I thought the same thing, but now my mind has changed: if you don't believe it, you can pet its head, this little creature has learned to purr like a cat."

“……”

"It's a miracle of biology."

[Orion]'s golden eyes flashed with a cold light, and she sighed meaninglessly, but instead of stretching her fingers to the quiet alien next to her, she continued to rub the fat cat that was rolling comfortably on the ground under her petting.

And this Morgan's original pet named "Battle Shuai" slumped on the ground at will, allowing Orion's slender fingers to caress back and forth between its back and skull: as a feline creature with psychic talent and a certain amount of intelligence, after accompanying Morgan for more than 20 years, [War Shuai] seems to have undergone some kind of benign mutation, and can make a lot of intellectual behaviors beyond people's imagination of animals.

This can be seen in its treatment of outside creatures: when confronted by Morgan's children and men, the original pet is more or less arrogant, walking around the tables of the Daybreaker and the Mortal Assistants, taking the fish and cake it likes, rinsing its mouth with the tea in the cup, and if it is in the mood, it does not mind having the diners pet its tail as a reward for this passive feeding.

The years of such arrogance continued for a full decade or so, until everyone on the battleship became familiar with it, until a new generation of dawnbreakers and mortal heirs grew up, until the primordial pet became a natural phenomenon on the Queen of Glory.

In this way, [Warlord's Haunt] became the second worst weather condition on the entire [Dawning Goddess]: the first worst was naturally [Conrad's Haunt], and the latter was also the only legendary character who could steal food from [Warlord] in reverse, which made him even strangely popular among the children on the lower deck.

And in the face of Morgan and the stellar maidens portrayed by Morgan, the fat cat, as the original pet, will show absolute docility and well-behaved: although theoretically speaking, it has never seen Orion, but it seems that according to some kind of soul fluctuation and reasons that cannot be explored at present, [Battle Marshal] can still clearly identify the intimate relationship between Orion and Morgan, and change his attitude in time to let Orion touch him.

Such a differential treatment was naturally seen by the two star maids, so. These two metal creatures, who were in fact related by blood, just glanced at each other, and naturally extended the matter to themselves.

"Even a beast like this, after a long time at our mother's side, becomes very different from its own kind that lives in the wild: even more intelligent than some arrogant mortals."

"It's called the Brain Cat: that's the scientific name."

"I know what it's called, Virgo: when I was in Avalon, I had to deal with no more than fifty smuggling cases a year involving Brainy Cats, which were incredibly lucrative on the black market: and that's why I've seen a lot of Brainy Cats, so I was able to find out what was different between this one and its kind."

"Although the Brain Cat has always been known for its extremely high IQ, even compared to its most cunning kind, this one's intelligence and psionic fluctuations seem too strong, and it has even developed a human expression: if it lives long enough, it may actually be able to build the foundation of civilization in its own mind."

Virgo chuckled.

"According to you, Orion: if this fat cat can live for hundreds or thousands of years, and live into the world to come, will it still be some kind of sacred relic: maybe the dawnbreakers of the future will gather around it to listen to the ancient wisdom."

"Where's your wisdom, O ancient strong-brained cat?"

Behind Orion's exaggerated tone, the two stellar maids laughed at the same time.

But soon, Orion retracted her smile and became serious.

"Don't be so happy, my dear sister: don't forget that we are also an eternal creation made by our Mother, that is, this is most likely our future, worshipped by a group of Dawnbreakers as fearless ancients?"

“……”

"It's chilling."

Virgo imagined it for a moment, and couldn't help but shudder.

Orion, on the other hand, gently scratches the fat cat's chin and listens to the comfortable purring.

"Beasts like this are very obviously affected around the Primordial, and creatures like the Astarte warriors or mortals, as well as creatures like us, seem to be similarly affected: Virgo, you've been taking care of this guy, haven't you noticed any changes in it?"

"Changing ......"

"In those two decades, it has tripled in weight: is that a change?"

“……”

"Sounds like a perfect match for our mother."

“……”

"If you continue to say that, Orion: then I'm going to arrest you for leaking secrets."

"Isn't there a rumor-mongering attached to it?"

"It's not a rumor."

“……”

The two Stellar Handmaidens looked at each other and were silent for a moment, then burst out laughing merrily: whispering to their Creator, their Mother, behind their backs, like this, made both Stellar Handmaidens feel a certain forbidden pleasure.

Orion, with her red hair, returned to seriousness first, holding the fat cat like a ball of snow in her arms, and while petting it, she walked to the stairs under the throne, and deliberately bypassed a certain Dark Warden who was happily enjoying the mousse cake next to her.

"Do you know why I left Avalon and made the trip to Holy Terra?"

"Is it because it wasn't the mother's own order?"

"Of course: I could not have been negligent without her orders, but for me personally, there were some personal reasons for coming this time, and I had some questions that I would like to get from my mother personally."

"Questions?"

Virgo frowned.

"Your thinking is already a big problem in itself, Orion: the knowledge and abilities that Mother has given us are exactly the same as the responsibilities we need to fulfill, and if you have a problem that you are completely unable to solve, then the only answer is that you have crossed the scope of your responsibilities and come to the territory that Mother does not allow you to set foot in."

"That's a mistake, Orion."

"If you say it, Virgo, this is indeed a mistake, but I don't think the same way as you, and I don't think it's entirely wrong."

Orion shook her head, although she was also a stellar maid, she and Virgo clearly had some fundamental differences in their thinking, although this disagreement was not fatal or obvious.

"So, Virgo: do you think it's best for us to carry out the initial plan that our mother had already laid out for us when she designed us, like a clockwork pendulum?"

"Or else?"

The first created stellar maid frowned, and some of Orion's metaphors made Virgo feel disgusted by the underlying logic.

"Do you have any new ideas?"

"It's not a new idea."

The slender fingers slowly kneaded the fat cat's somewhat rough hair, and in Orion's golden pupils, there flashed a light that was diametrically opposed to that of Virgo: unlike the original maid who had been staying by Morgan's side, the third star maid who was placed in the legal department of Avalon was in charge alone, and obviously had a higher level of independence and time to think.

"I just think that although the initial plan set up by my mother for us is indeed perfect to the point of being almost blameless, in reality there are always more accidents and unexpected situations, and the number of them and the bizarre circumstances often exceed my mother's expectations at the beginning: then in this case, if we can develop according to the actual situation and expand our own energy in an orderly manner, then it is not a bad thing for mother, is it?"

"There's something wrong with your words, Orion: how do you know that your behavior to expand your abilities is orderly? And not a Magnus-esque act? ”

Virgo's eyebrows twitched, and she didn't hesitate to sneer at her sister, while Orion's brow furrowed like a majestic mountain after only a brief search in his memory template for the meaning of the word Magnus.

"I'm just giving me an idea, Virgo, you don't need to insult me with such a bad word, I didn't betray our mother!"

"Oh, what about Killiman?"

“……”

"It doesn't make much difference."

Orion gritted her teeth, but she didn't hold out for long: after putting the fat cat in her arms on the ground, patting its hairy buttocks, and letting it run away, the top head of the Avalon Legal Office smiled, walked all the way to Virgo's side, and took a cup from the teacup she was holding as a symbol of some kind of reconciliation.

"I'm not here to quarrel with you, Virgo, I'm just here to tell you what is going on in my mind, and besides, you need to think about the reality of the situation: you can stay with our mother for a long time, so all you have to do is listen to and remember her every word, and I am different, we have to walk around the galaxy for her benefit, and we have to start thinking for ourselves."

"The mother did not allow this behavior."

"So, that's my personal purpose for this trip to Terra, I'm going to ask her for permission to think about herself in person, and I'm going to stop if she doesn't allow it: but I can't think of a reason why she's banning me."

“……”

Virgo was silent for a moment, and she didn't continue to refute Orion's words, although that didn't mean she agreed with the idea: she just didn't want to get into a dispute with the other stellar handmaidens who were also Primordial creations without the express instructions of her mother, after all, when Morgan shaped them. The harmony between each other has been engraved in the underlying operating logic.

"Maybe: but I still can't agree with you, Orion."

"I didn't want you to agree with it: even the father of my mother's genes, among the twenty primordial offspring he created, there are countless examples of incompatibility, and you can be calm about my advice beyond my expectations."

I'm not here for this either: it was my mother's call that brought me out of Avalon and into Holy Terra, and I brought with me countless vital documents and archives from all of the Far Eastern Frontier, which she would use in her communication with someone who held the seal, according to our mother's words. ”

Virgo tilted her head, disturbed by a slight voice: she took the moment to glance at the black watchman next to her, and saw that the robed figure was sitting on the ground, touching her neck uncomfortably, looking like she was choking.

"I remember my mother telling me that she would discuss with the Palm Sealer about taxation over the entire Far Eastern Frontier: this seemed to be one of the most important purposes for her visit to Terra."

He poured a cup of tea and handed it to the black watchman rolling around on the ground, and Virgo's brow was the same as Orion's just now.

"Mother really plans to pay taxes to the Empire?"

"I don't know, but if the attitude of the emperor and the palm seal is really extremely resolute, I don't think my mother will completely tear their faces with them in this matter, but as long as she has the opportunity, she should still escape these taxes."

"With this money, wouldn't it be good to use it to build more warships?"

"That sounds like you're not good for the Empire, Orion."

Orion only grinned in the face of her sister's teasing, not hiding the contempt in her pupils.

"Empire, what does it have to do with us?"

“……”

"Indeed."

"So what's next, Orion, what are you going to do?"

"I want to ......"

——————

"I'll be away for a while."

"It won't be long."

As they were about to advance to Qunying Square, the Midnight Ghost, who had been hovering beside Morgan, suddenly spoke.

After everyone had taken the picture at the gate of the palace, the genoplasms dispersed, all of them having something to do on their own, not to be together all the time: the photo was like a memento of some kind of travel, symbolizing a brief goodbye.

Riemanlus took his heirs and left with the long-awaited Praetorian Army to complete his mission; Johnson takes his high-ranking knights to oversee the Dark Angels' recruitment; Morgan, who had done this first, was able to roam around Terra's palace at will, not even having any Janissaries with her, and they seemed to be on their way to something more important.

For the first ten minutes, the Midnight Wraith remained the same as always, like Morgan's loyal shadow, following behind the Lord of Avalon, and he behaved very well-behaved, only occasionally moving at high speed to tease the passing patrolling Praetorian Army.

But just as they were about to reach the Heroes Square, the Noslavo man suddenly became a little restless, as if he sensed something, like a bird eager to migrate, and kept expressing his desire to leave for a while.

At first, Morgan was a little reluctant: although she was sure that Kant had become less desperate than he had been under her education, this was Terra's palace after all, and if the Midnight Ghost did anything more for her, Morgan would not be able to protect her troubled brother as much as he had done before.

But her resistance still couldn't come from Conrad's almost pleading tone, and in the end, Morgan nodded, and originally prepared to go to Qunying Square. The plan to see the sculptures of the genetic prototypes has also been scrapped for the time being.

The Midnight Ghost was almost impatient to move in the other direction: at the end of that path, Morgan could only faintly see a spire, a spire that didn't exist.

Before leaving, Conrad seemed to sense something, and he turned his head and whispered a word to the Lord of Avalon with a smile that was inexplicable enough to make Morgan feel a little uneasy.

"Walk on, keep going, go to the amber palace, then open the door and walk in: Trust me, Morgan, you won't regret it."

[Let's be clear.] 】

"I've made it very clear: someone is waiting for you there."

Conrad grinned, the nostalgic stubbornness returned to his face, and before Morgan frowned and raised his hand, the Midnight Wraith instinctively dodged, fled away from the Spider Queen's attack range, flicked his arm as a farewell, and disappeared at the end of the road.

"Must go! Morgan! ”

【……】

Morgan raised an eyebrow, but she didn't say anything more, and then, as Conrad had instructed, she headed for the amber palace in the distance: as for the statues in Qunying Square, it was not too late to bring her brother to see them later.

It's just that......

Who's waiting for her?

Morgan was slightly suspicious, and her pace couldn't help but quicken a little, and almost in the blink of an eye, she came to the amber room that Conrad had commanded.

The Lord of Avalon instinctively hesitated as she pushed open the magnificent door, and then she pushed open a crack in the door to get a glimpse of the room: it was an infinite amount of light, and the light came from the reflection of countless magnificent crystal creations.

These creations are priceless, but they don't matter: what really matters, Morgan can see.

Between these priceless treasures, she saw ......

A piece of falling wings.

(End of chapter)