Keisha, Who Wanted to Retire

After reading Ye Chen's information, it was easy to see traces of another civilization behind him.

He Xi wasn't particularly bothered by it. After all, the universe was vast, and many Aerospace Civilizations had arisen over tens of thousands of years—not to mention all those that had come before.

It was perfectly normal for a lucky person like Ye Chen to come across the legacy of some fallen Aerospace Civilization.

"Tsk, tsk. The little guy's got some skills, especially when it comes to talking people around. He's even good at brainwashing—not that you're any worse at it, you old battle-axe."

As she spoke, He Xi shot Keisha a teasing look.

Keisha's face darkened at that. "Oh, shut it. I don't brainwash anyone. It's all down to my personal charm."

"Right, right. It's all your personal charm. After all, you are the Queen of the Gods."

Grinning, He Xi slipped an arm around Keisha's slender waist and teased her.

Feeling the hand at her waist, Keisha's eyes flickered with something unusual. Then she swatted He Xi's hand away, annoyed.

"You old fox. Don't tell me you're pining for a man."

Seeing that momentary flicker in Keisha's eyes, He Xi was delighted.

After playfully bantering with Keisha a little longer, she realized something was off about her.

He Xi couldn't help wondering if spending so much time together had changed Keisha's preferences.

The thought startled her.

They were close friends. How could they develop those kinds of feelings for each other?

Besides, they were the rulers of the Angel Civilization. If they really did fall for each other, it would be a complete mess.

What would the little angels under their command think if they found out?

So He Xi resolved to avoid such intimate gestures with Keisha from now on, lest she encourage any strange ideas.

She would snuff out the little spark that had just appeared in Keisha before it had a chance to grow.

At that moment, she was the utterly ruthless Pipi Xi.

Keisha had just pushed down the strange feeling in her heart when she noticed He Xi giving her a peculiar look. Her eyes darted away.

"Why are you looking at me like that all of a sudden? Is there something on my face?"

"Nothing. Have some tea."

Seeing Keisha act that way only made He Xi more certain of her suspicion. Why else would Keisha be acting so guilty?

Still, she would wait and see.

The two sat on the grass, enjoying the gentle breeze, blue skies, drifting clouds, and fluttering butterflies. They looked utterly at ease.

But neither of them felt quite as peaceful as before.

"Battle-axe, what do you think we should do about A Zhui?"

Keisha gazed at the scene before her and pondered for a moment. "A Zhui has already made the Guardian Angel Oath to this little guy.

"At this point, what can we do but let them be? Still, that boy was out of line, tricking A Zhui like that. And he did it without even informing me, the 'Matriarch.' Even if the matter's settled, we can't just let him off. He needs a little punishment, so he understands that deceiving an angel comes at a price."

He Xi nodded in agreement.

Ye Chen really had handled the matter poorly. If A Zhui had been a retired angel, that would have been one thing—Keisha would have had no say in it.

But A Zhui was still an active Battle Angel.

He had deceived her into making the Guardian Angel Oath. If Keisha, as the "Matriarch," did nothing, what would become of her authority?

More importantly, Keisha needed to prevent anything like this from happening again. She knew that her subordinates might be powerful, but they were far too innocent. Most of them were a little love-struck, and whenever romance came into the picture, they seemed to lose their wits. They simply couldn't outplay ordinary humans.

Wasn't Qingqing in the original story just like that? She abandoned her post and secretly fell in love with a mortal, eventually marrying him.

Who would believe that it was all thanks to that mortal's personal charm?

The little angels were good in every other way, but their romantic foolishness was unbearable. They were also stubborn to a fault: once they set their minds on something, they wouldn't back down, even unto death.

Time slipped by. Keisha and He Xi sat in the warm sunlight, chatting about everything under the sun, their silhouettes slowly drawing closer.

"Old fox, what if we faked our deaths and retired? I'm tired. I want to rest.

"Besides, the Angel Civilization has problems now. Maybe it needs a new ruler to restore order to the universe—or to tear everything down and start anew."

Staring at the blue sky in the distance, Keisha seemed to have made up her mind.

She had noticed the problems in the Angel Civilization long ago and had tried to change things. That was why she had never stopped using the Celestial Computer to model the future.

The future it predicted called for the old ruler to step aside and a new one to take the throne, restoring order to the universe—or for the Angel Civilization to tear itself down and rebuild.

But until now, she had never been able to make up her mind.

The strange feeling that had stirred in her heart just then finally pushed her to decide.

Besides, it had been thirty thousand years since the corrupt, chaotic Heavenly Palace Era. Her own era should have ended by now.

And just as she'd said, she was tired.

He Xi wasn't surprised by Keisha's words. She simply said, "If you've made up your mind, then do it.

"After all, this isn't our era anymore.

"Our old companions have either died or retired. In this vast civilization, only the two of us old relics are left.

"Honestly, if I hadn't stayed to keep you company, I might have retired ten thousand years ago."

"Heh. So you've had designs on me all this time, old fox?"

Keisha's heart stirred at that, and she couldn't help teasing her.

"Oh, give me a break. It's purely friendship. Friendship, all right? Don't get the wrong idea."

He Xi glared at her with her blue eyes, looking like a kitten bristling in anger, and emphasized the point again.

"All right, all right. Purely friendship, got it." Keisha smiled.

Only then did He Xi let it go.

Time passed. After who knew how long, Keisha gazed at the blue sky and white clouds on the horizon and spoke softly.

"He Xi, thank you for everything you've done for me all these years."

"I'm glad you know. So, have you decided where we'll go after we fake our deaths?"

"Not yet. We'll just wander around.

"The universe is so vast. We can stop somewhere and have fun for a few decades, and when we get tired of it, move on. By the time we've had enough, tens of millions of years will have passed."

"That sounds nice. I've been cooped up in the lab every day for tens of thousands of years. To be honest, I'm sick of it."

He Xi didn't mind where they went after retiring. As far as she was concerned, with Keisha by her side, nowhere would be boring.

The two sat on the grass, chatting about everything under the sun and imagining the wonderful life that lay ahead.