After tens of thousands of years, Angel Civilization had not declined. Instead, it had grown ever more prosperous. In just a thousand years, the angels' territory had continued to expand, and the number of Subordinate Civilizations had increased considerably. Hua Que saw it all and took great joy in it.
People said he was getting old and had an extremely strong desire to control his throne. Hua Que admitted that was partly true, but not entirely. Angel Civilization had become what it was today through his own efforts. In his spare moments, he often wondered: if he truly passed away one day, would his sons be capable of protecting this vast foundation he had built? He did not know.
A gentle mountain might be peaceful, but it was still a failed mountain, at best no more than a mound of earth. A sea without waves might be calm, but it was still a failed sea, at best nothing more than a pool of stagnant water.
And as the sons of Angel King Hua Que, they possessed the finest genes and the strongest bodies. But if they intended to rely on those advantages alone and merely indulge in comfort, then Angel Civilization would sooner or later be destroyed in their hands.
It was precisely because he had considered this that Hua Que began allowing his sons to fight for the position of heir. Within permitted limits, they could develop their own power and distinguish themselves through competition. Whoever made it to the end would possess incomparable strength in both body and mind, and Angel Civilization would become even more prosperous because of him. After all, only a fine uncut jade could become priceless through constant polishing, could it not?
Of his four sons, the two younger ones were still difficult to judge, but Hua Que already knew the two eldest well enough.
There was no need to say much about Hua Ye, the eldest. The Old Angel King had the biggest headache over him. Because his busy affairs had left him with too little supervision, Hua Ye had developed that foul habit of never being happy without women at such a young age. Honestly, without the utmost support of He Zheng and his son, Hua Ye would have long since been eliminated by Hua Tuo.
As for Hua Tuo, the second son, he had been intelligent since childhood and had a strong sense of purpose in everything he did. But he also had a flaw: he was too arrogant. In his arrogance, he looked down on everyone, whether it was Right Wing King He Zheng or his son He Xuan. More excessively, he had once given Hua Ye this assessment: "Angel Palace City's first-class protected waste!" Look at that. Was that any way to speak about his own older brother?
The Old Angel King sighed bitterly to himself.
Under everyone's expectant gazes, Hua Ye slowly stepped out from the crowd. After arriving at the center of the hall, he first straightened his collar before placing a hand over his chest in salute. Every movement was proper and unpretentious. The more important the occasion, the more careful he had to be. He did not want Old Second to catch any weakness because of a momentary lapse.
Seeing the upturned curve of Hua Ye's lips, it was obvious that he was fully confident of surpassing Old Second this time. Hua Que nodded and slowly said, "For more than a hundred years, warfare has been nonstop around Fei Luo Star. Eldest, you managed to suppress them all in barely over a decade. You did very well."
"They were only some trash. With He Xuan devising strategies for me, naturally they were no trouble to deal with..." Hua Ye paused before continuing, "But Father, the birthday gift I brought you today is not just this~"
"Oh?" Hua Que was somewhat surprised by that. "Low-level wandering civilizations often appeared in border regions like Fei Luo Star. Most became cosmic bandits because their resources were too scarce to sustain themselves. They repeatedly invaded and harassed Angel Civilization, and that has always been a problem that troubled me. Your ability to eliminate them has eased one of my worries...
"If even that does not count as a birthday gift, then honestly, Eldest, I am already looking forward to the surprise you will bring me!"
Hua Ye chuckled and kept everyone in suspense. "Father, have you ever heard of a substance called Neutron Rock?"
The moment his words fell, everyone in the hall began whispering among themselves.
"Neutron Rock? What is that? Does it have something to do with neutron stars?"
"No idea. It is probably some kind of precious material~"
After thinking for a moment, Hua Que said, "Neutron Rock is a high-density substance formed when a star reaches the end of its life and collapses into a neutron star. Every cubic centimeter weighs several tons. It is extremely rare. Could it be... Eldest, did you get hold of some?"
"As expected of Father, your knowledge is truly vast!" Hua Ye flattered him at exactly the right moment. Then he snapped his fingers toward the distance. Su Ma Li stepped out from the crowd, respectfully saluted Hua Que, and pulled a Light Energy Projection device from his robes.
At Hua Ye's signal, Su Ma Li ignored the surrounding discussions and tapped the instrument a few times. Once a palm-sized Light Energy Projection materialized, he grabbed it and pushed it toward the center of the hall. The image gradually enlarged, flickered a few times, and soon became clear.
Within the pitch-black expanse of space flew a massive flagship. On its deck stood a humanoid statue dozens of meters tall. Its posture was upright and imposing, its expression lifelike. Even the folds and scales of its armor had been carved with astonishing realism. It possessed an unmatched, domineering majesty. Who else could it have been but Hua Que?
"This is..." Hua Que straightened in his seat. Even with all his experience, he could not help widening his eyes.
Hua Ye was very satisfied by his old man's reaction. Walking beneath the Light Energy Projection, he said smugly, "Five years ago, while we were pursuing a group of cosmic bandits, we spotted a strange planet. It looked as though something had smashed it flat. Out of curiosity, I ordered people to investigate it. By sheer coincidence, they discovered this enormous piece of Neutron Rock!"
Feeling the astonished and stunned gazes around him, Hua Ye could not help feeling proud. He continued, "I figured Father would definitely like something so rare. Then I thought, rather than bring it back bare, why not create a statue of Father that would endure forever? We can place it in the square of the Tiangong Ship, where it will stand in your place, looking down upon everything in the Heavenly Palace and receiving the worship of countless people for eternity!!"
He swept his gaze around the hall, his voice rising from low to high, sonorous and forceful. Not to mention everyone else in the hall, even the Old Angel King felt his blood stir at the words. That very image had already appeared in his mind.
"Ah~" Hua Ye put on a show of sighing. "You know, Father, Neutron Rock is far too dense, and carving the Divine Statue was extremely difficult. We only officially completed it a few days ago. And because of its weight, even with the help of the Anti-Gravity System, the flagship's takeoffs and landings nearly exceeded its load capacity. We could not transport it back on your birthday. I hope Father will not blame me..."
"Eldest, it is rare for you to be so thoughtful. You truly considered Father's needs so thoroughly~" Hua Que smiled faintly, clearly moved by him.
Having received his father's praise, Hua Ye unconsciously puffed out his chest. He looked exactly like a peacock that had just laid an egg. As he returned to his place, he did not forget to wink at Hua Tuo, his face brimming with smugness.
"Neutron Rock that weighs several tons per cubic centimeter, carved into such a huge Divine Statue... I... I cannot even imagine how heavy it must be..."
"Indeed. But what I am most curious about now is how the First Prince managed to carve the Divine Statue, considering its density~"
"It seems the Second Prince may lose this time..."
The buzzing discussions continued. While marveling at Hua Ye's grand gesture, people could not help looking unfavorably on Hua Tuo. Everyone understood that a Divine Statue made from Neutron Rock would not be damaged in ten thousand years—perhaps not even in a million or ten million years. To an Angel King who cared so much about appearances, that was extraordinarily meaningful!
Yet surprisingly, Hua Tuo did not show the defeat one would expect from having "lost the contest." Instead, a faint smile rested on his lips, as though he were saying, I had wondered what special birthday gift Eldest could produce. So it is merely a Divine Statue made from Neutron Rock. How disappointing...
It was not just Hua Tuo. Left Wing King Miller was the same, standing there like an old monk in meditation, looking utterly uninterested.
?!! At the sight, Hua Ye's heart abruptly skipped a beat. Tilting his head, he asked in a low voice, "Hey, He Xuan, did you find out anything about the birthday gift Old Second prepared this time?"
"The Second Prince only returned to the Heavenly Palace half an hour ago. There was too little time, so I found nothing!" He Xuan replied.
"Tch~" Hua Ye smacked his lips, his expression turning unpleasant. "I spent a full five years creating that Divine Statue. I prepared for so long. Nothing better go wrong at the end..."
He Zheng, standing before him, gave a derisive snort. "There was naturally a reason I told you to create the Divine Statue. No one in the entire Heavenly Palace understands the Angel King better than I do. Even that boy Miller is no exception... Your Highness, you catered to his preferences. It will be hard not to win. Just rest easy~"
Thinking about it, Hua Ye realized that was true. He Zheng had served his father more than a thousand years longer than Miller had. With that thought, his irritatingly smug grin returned. He loudly urged, "Hey, Old Second, stop hiding it. If you have something good, bring it out and let everyone see it~"
As everyone turned their eyes toward him, Hua Tuo slowly walked to the center of the hall. Sunlight fell upon him like a golden outline. His handsome, resolute face and the calm, noble air radiating from his entire body made every beautiful woman in the hall blush and race with excitement, wishing they could offer themselves to him.
Damn it, I never thought there would come a day when I became someone else's backdrop! Hua Zhen was consumed with jealousy.
Only after saluting the Old Angel King did Hua Tuo begin speaking at an unhurried pace. "As everyone knows, in order to adapt to modern warfare, the Scientific Research Council of the Heavenly Palace created a Dark Alloy Weapon specifically for the military. It is the Standard Longsword we currently use. Because it contains trace amounts of Dark Alloy, it possesses a certain degree of Dark Energy conductivity..."
"Hey, hey, Old Second, everyone is waiting to see your birthday gift. What are you rambling on about?" Hua Ye interrupted from the side.
But Hua Tuo ignored him completely and continued eloquently. "However, there is an unavoidable problem in making this weapon: the ratio of Dark Alloy added. Too much, and the Dark Element damages the blade, making it unable to retain its form before it collapses. Too little, and it breaks down because it conducts too much Dark Energy. In order to overcome this challenge, Father, you have invested no small amount of resources into the Scientific Research Council~"
"That is indeed the case. Compared with flagship warships, Dark Alloy Weapons may cost less to manufacture, but the number scrapped in warfare every year is enormous..." Hua Que sighed. "All right, Old Second, stop keeping us in suspense. The birthday gift you prepared for Father today should be related to this, correct?"
Hua Tuo smiled and turned to look behind him. Soon, his stone-faced guard approached carrying a sleek case like those commonly seen in science-fiction films, stopping before him with it held level.
Everyone in the hall craned their necks. They were all deeply curious what the Second Prince had that gave him such confidence in defeating the First Prince.
The case slowly opened. Everyone's eyes lit up as they finally saw what was inside. It was an exquisitely designed longsword. The blade was entirely silver, cast thin and gleaming with a faint chill. The hilt bore intricate carvings, elegant and noble, while the edge was incomparably sharp, like autumn frost.
Hua Tuo gripped the longsword in his hand, a confident curve forming on his lips. He declared loudly, "The Dark Sacred Silver Longsword. It is forged from Dark Sacred Silver and several other materials. Although it cannot store energy, its strength is the highest I have ever seen. Anything before it will be cut in two. Compared to ordinary Standard Longswords, calling it a divine weapon would not be excessive. And this... is the birthday gift I have prepared for you, Father!"
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