The Protoss' Neutrality

"Angel, this is Protoss territory. State your purpose, or we will treat you as an enemy."

Protoss?

He Xi silently noted this unfamiliar term. This planet was full of strangeness, and she couldn't gauge the strength of these two beings who called themselves Protoss.

"I am Angel He Xi, Holy Right Wing Guard. I'm here tracking the Trigonians. I mean no offense to your civilization."

Angels followed Keisha's Justice Order; they wouldn't forcibly interfere with other civilizations, so she felt apologetic for her intrusion. Moreover, the Protoss' innate natural affinity easily won over an Angel's goodwill.

Of course, He Xi had no idea that just a few months ago, this planet had belonged to the Elephant Man civilization...

"Trigonians?"

Tassadar and Alarak exchanged a glance, then, as if reading each other's minds, dropped the subject.

"A massive Trigonian army is advancing on your planet. I came here to warn you and to help you repel their attack."

"And why should we believe you, Angel?"

Alarak said in his uniquely high-and-mighty tone.

To be honest, He Xi felt a bit offended. She wasn't exactly known for her patience.

"Fine. I didn't expect you to take my word for it. I'm just here to deliver a message. When the Trigonians show up, I'll join the fight. But there's one thing I need to ask you."

"Oh? What do you want to know, Angel?"

"Are you Protoss... a Beast Body civilization?"

"Oh... that's what you want to know? Don't you have eyes to see for yourself? Fine, fine, I'll spell it out for you. We Protoss are the most unique existence in the universe. We're neither what you call Beast Body nor God River Body. Protoss are Protoss!"

He Xi barely suppressed the urge to punch Alarak. She kept telling herself, "I'm a lady. I can't lose my temper." Finally, she calmed down.

"I can overlook your rudeness to an Angel, Protoss. But now, I want to see your king."

Tassadar cut in bluntly: "Sorry, the Protoss have no king!"

He Xi was stunned. In this era, Third Generation God Body technology was just beginning to develop, the concept of gods was vague, and the entire universe was dominated by monarchy—basically a feudal society.

A society like the Protoss, without a king, was extremely rare, and usually only existed in pre-nuclear civilizations.

"Fine, then who's your leader? Don't tell me you two are the supreme leaders of the Protoss?"

"You want to see me?"

Suddenly, a new voice came from behind He Xi. She turned around and saw a man who fit every aesthetic standard of a God River Body lifeform.

Angel genes were exceptional; every Angel was stunningly beautiful. In He Xi's eyes, this man was more handsome than most Male Angels she'd seen before, and his bearing was more resolute.

"You... you're a Protoss too?"

He Xi was utterly confused. From the newcomer's words, she could tell he was the Protoss leader, but he clearly looked like a God River Body lifeform.

"If I'm not a Protoss, are you?"

Shen Jun replied with a strange look. He recognized He Xi at first glance. Silver-haired Angels were rare, and one this beautiful could only be He Xi.

In his memory, He Xi was the Angel's tech leader, supposed to be highly intelligent. How could she ask such a... such a silly question?

"Heh..."

He Xi's mouth twitched. You look nothing like a Protoss, okay!

"Forget it, let's skip the small talk. Angel Holy Right Wing Guard, right? I hear you're here to help us repel the Trigonian army? The Protoss appreciate the Angel's goodwill."

Shen Jun said in an unquestionable tone: "The Protoss will defeat all enemies. No need for the Angel to trouble themselves."

He Xi was about to lose it. Her Angel Civilization was one of the most powerful in the Known Universe, and she came with goodwill, yet now she was being turned away by a civilization she'd never even heard of?

And from their attitude, they didn't seem to take the Trigonians seriously. Did they not know the entire universe was in the middle of the Form War, with the Trigonians as one of the main instigators? Even the Angels couldn't guarantee victory.

Where did their confidence come from?

"However..." Shen Jun's tone shifted, and he put on a warm expression. "An Angel is a honored guest. Since you're on Aiur, you should take a good look around."

What... what's happening?

He Xi was dumbfounded. Weren't they just about to send her away? Now they wanted her to stay and sightsee? Was he messing with her?

Of course, Shen Jun didn't want the Angel to wade into Aiur's troubled waters. He only wanted to develop quietly, out of sight of the major civilizations, until the Golden Fleet was assembled, then go on a rampage.

But Aiur's coordinates were already exposed. Given the Angel's conduct, they were unlikely to become enemies of the Protoss—for now. He knew full well that the Angel would win the Form War.

And it was the total victory in the Form War that cemented Keisha's position as King of the Gods. By then, the Known Universe would be covered by Keisha's Justice Order.

One of the most important rules of the Justice Order was to suppress the military development of Aerospace Civilizations. Therefore, the Protoss had to reach the level of a God-Creation Civilization in a short time, or their future growth would be constrained by the Angel Civilization.

So how could they achieve the fastest development?

Simple: war.

The Form War wouldn't end in a few hundred years. The Protoss could join in, learning from a certain beautiful country's approach—making a killing off the war.

While the Angel fought the Trigonians head-on, Shen Jun would lead the Protoss in looting resources. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

The Trigonians would later become the vanguard of the Ultimate Fear, absolute enemies of the Protoss. Shen Jun would only side with the Angel, Lieyang, and all God River Body civilizations.

But in He Xi's eyes, it was different. The Form War was a battle between God River Body, Trigonians, and Beast Body. The Protoss had nothing to do with it—they were absolutely neutral.

Variegated Blue may indeed covet Aiur, but the other Trigon civilizations won't necessarily be hostile to the Protoss.

Once Variegated Blue is defeated by the Protoss, the major civilizations will realize that a powerful new civilization has emerged in the Known Universe—one that is entirely different from the three existing forms and remains neutral.

Then, to increase their odds of winning the Form War, the three forms will inevitably try their utmost to pull the Protoss into their own camp.

That's why Shen Jun allowed He Xi to stay and tour the Protoss civilization. He believed that with her insight, she would surely recognize the power of Psionic Technology, and he wasn't the least bit worried about her stealing Protoss technology.

By showing He Xi a hint of goodwill toward the Angels, Shen Jun was confident she wouldn't give up on such a powerful ally as the Protoss.

As for whether allying with the Angels might be a blow to his pride, Shen Jun felt that anyone who said such a thing must not have used their head. The gene technology of the Super God Universe was incredibly formidable, and he was deeply covetous of the Angels' Super Gene codes.

Compared to the civilizations of the Super God Universe, the Protoss's only weakness lay in their lifespan. Without Super Genes, the Protoss would always face aging and death. Even if their enemies couldn't defeat them, they could simply outlive them—and that was a bitter pill to swallow.

Moreover, the Super God Academy was currently in its honeymoon period with the Angels. If he played his cards right, he might even gain access to the God River's Super Genes. These benefits were far more important than any notion of face.