It wasn’t until almost nine in the evening that Xiao Xue was switched back by Miss Lin. When she appeared in front of us, she looked as wronged as could be, immediately hanging onto my arm and howling, "Dad, can you control your wife!"

Her ruckus made the whole living room go quiet, including the little crow biting on the sofa cushion. I patted Xiao Xue’s head, "Your mom hasn’t even married in yet—how does it feel after half a day?"

Xiao Xue tossed herself onto the sofa, instantly bouncing the silly bird beside her to the floor: "I won’t go to grandpa’s house until I’m reborn; my God, I’ve never met someone who can chat so much—you know how many national leaders my grandpa had pleasant conversations with before he was twenty-five? Luckily, Kennedy passed away early; otherwise, he would certainly have had a talk with him in the cafe..."

For us who had just heard about Mr. Lin’s quirky habits from Miss Lin, Xiao Xue’s recitations weren’t surprising. I picked up the little crow from the floor and patted the dirt while saying, "I was just talking to Lin Xue about this. Don’t laugh, but your grandpa’s stories might be forty to fifty percent believable—after all, the Lin Family is really influential, well, at least on Earth."

Early the next morning, I went to Shadow City with Sandora. Although there wasn’t anything specific that required our direct attention for the time being, we still had to confirm one thing—how Bella Villa was doing. Her free activity time limit is twenty-four hours, meaning until six-thirty this evening, she could stay awake. Sandora and I planned to discuss the establishment of the Caster Corps with her. But before we even reached the military blockade line, I saw a scene that I couldn’t stay composed about no matter what:

Near the gate of Shadow Fortress leading to the military buffer zone, a wild mature lady was idly lying on the guard wall. The top half of this mature lady was a beauty in a cool vest, and the bottom half was a ferocious mechanical scorpion. On the scorpion’s back armor, a bright red number one could be seen... Alright, this was Vega, but what was oddly out of place was that this was a lethargic, muttering Vega.

You must know that the impression Vega gives people on a normal day is always one of boundless energy. She’s always full of confidence, maintaining the sufficient energy needed to execute tasks. Moreover, due to unknown reasons—or maybe it’s because of the simple-headedness of the armored scorpion (as unanimously rated by the Ravens)—Vega is somewhat of a straightforward, happy-go-lucky individual. I’ve never seen her in a bad mood—even if she couldn’t get her hands on concentrated Helium-3 for three days, she’d be just fine.

But now, this Scorpion Sister, who never had a down moment, was lying on the outer guard wall of the base like a beaten eggplant, even her tail hanging limply on the ground, making circles in the dust.

What made Sandora and me think we were hallucinating was that, as we got closer, we saw Vega holding a rose from who knows where, tearing off the petals one by one and muttering to herself... And at her feet was already a pile of rose petals occupying about two square meters.

"Why does this scene feel so déjà vu... Could it be that she finally found her spring... confessed to by some large male arthropod?" I muttered dumbfoundedly, pulling Sandora along as we rushed over, "Vega! Are you off duty today?"

"She won, I was hallucinating, she won, I was hallucinating, she won..." Scorpion Sister continued mumbling to herself. It wasn’t until I called out that she snapped back as if startled, her six mechanical sharp legs scraping against the alloy ground with a screech. In a clatter of metal, she "popped" to attention, saluting me and Sandora nervously, "Sir... Sir! Sincerely apologize, subordinate was just absent-minded! Willing to accept punishme..."

"Alright, alright, it’s non-duty time now, no need to be so tense," I waved to Vega, craning my neck to talk face to face with this over-two-meter-tall Scorpion Sister, which was quite a psychological strain, "What’s up with you?"

While speaking, I intentionally or unintentionally glanced at the pile of rose petals on the ground and the bare branches scattered around. Among these was a small white card with four words written in elegant handwriting: Twin Flower Shop.

"Oh, you went to provide aid?" I raised an eyebrow, saying subconsciously, but as soon as the words left my mouth, Sandora discreetly kicked me from behind—Alright, I admit, saying that was indeed impolite to the Asida Sisters...

"This... this was just on a whim, I heard it could relieve psychological stress," Vega explained with unprecedented shyness, "I ran into a little trouble yesterday, and thought before going back to the factory for repairs, I’d try some self-maintenance..."

"Self-maintenance?" Sandora chuckled, pointing at the flower branch in Vega’s hand, "With that? So what exactly happened?"

Even Sandora asked directly, so Vega had to speak up honestly, with a dejected look on her face: "Last night, I was patrolling near the East District B-3 Gate at 11:26, the military area was completely sealed off..."

Sandora and I shared a vague premonition.

"Then I saw that undisciplined Raven 001 coming from the civilian area, not only exceeding the Raven Corps’ return time, but she also had a bunch of random things hanging on her. Worse, she was whistling at the surrounding residences, throwing spherical lightning everywhere... I stopped her, and then... the habitual conflict ensued."

We were no strangers to the "habitual conflict" that Vega mentioned; it was a daily occurrence between all the Ravens and Armored Scorpions, typically starting with mutual teasing and evolving into a not-so-intense brawl—a rare moment of levity in the otherwise monotonous Imperial Army. But seeing Vega’s current demeanor, last night’s habitual conflict seemed to have taken a toll on her pride.

"Got beaten up in an instant..." Vega said with a mournful face, turning her body to show me her tail. On the energy cannon armor plating at the tail tip, a line of small letters burned with arcane power: First Blood!

"Then, I fought back bravely, and here it is..." Vega continued while turning her body again, showing us the other side of her lower limb’s armor plating with identical handwriting: Double Kill!

Sandora and I looked at the dispirited Vega sympathetically, thinking to ourselves that this Scorpion Lady’s worldview must have been overturned...

"Why?" Vega sighed as if her life had turned gray, continuing to ravage the last rose in her hand, "She won, I was hallucinating, she won, I was hallucinating, she won..."

Alright, now I finally understood what Vega was muttering about earlier.

It’s no wonder Scorpion Sister was so devastated because what happened did indeed defy her understanding. Although the Armored Scorpions and Ravens are comparable in combat capability, their tussles usually left Ravens at a disadvantage. This was because neither side genuinely engaged in battle, at most provoking slightly, and being near their own base meant no one would resort to full-power moves—thus negating the Ravens’ proficiency in long-range and wide-area attacks, while the Armored Scorpions excelled in small-scale, highly complex environments, ensuring that any target within their charge range couldn’t escape their blade. With the Ravens’ barely superior mobility to regular soldiers, melee combat with Armored Scorpions was... Thus, Ravens typically initiated provocations towards the simple-minded Armored Scorpions, but the outcome often was them getting knocked senseless.

However, during last night’s "encounter," Vega was twice killed instantly by Raven 001...

Logically, even if Bellavilla occupied the body of Raven 001, the latter would still be limited by the strength of its body, making it impossible to unleash Bellavilla’s full power. But as a Xyrin Emperor, you really don’t need much power to bully a Scorpion Soldier of a High-level Commander rank. Bellavilla only needs to use two or three tenths of her astounding battle experience accumulated over millions of years to trouble Vega. I’m also one hundred percent sure that one key reason she is teasing Vega is due to the influence of the Raven 001’s soul inside her, which harbors deep resentment towards Scorpion Sister.

"Well, Vega, don’t be disheartened. Here’s what’s really going on..." I exchanged a glance with Sandora and decided to tell Scorpion Sister the truth. Otherwise, with her stubborn personality, she could be brooding over it indefinitely. Upon hearing the truth, Vega’s face lit up like a cloud dissipating: "Ah, so that’s the case. No wonder that sly guy suddenly got so powerful. So... Commander, does that mean Commander Bellavilla is going to frequently occupy Raven 001’s body from now on?"

Though Vega and Raven 001 always seem to be at odds, in my eyes, they’re like an unusual pair of frenemy. They’re the kind who fight when they meet but miss each other when they don’t. If one of them is permanently gone for half the time, the other would feel quite disheartened. However, I quickly dispelled Vega’s worries: "Don’t worry, Bellavilla changes the body she uses every time. With so many mass-produced Ravens, who knows when it will be Raven 001’s turn again. You two can continue your love-hate relationship — oh, by the way, I’ll give you a hint, Bellavilla will release the possession at six-thirty this evening..."

Vega happily nodded and snapped to attention with a salute: "Yes, sir! Understood, sir!" I: "..."

What part of what I said did this guy understand? Why do I suddenly feel like I accidentally messed over that poor Raven? 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

We bid farewell to Scorpion Sister, who was suddenly full of spirit and planning to go to the repair center to get her shell polished anew, and followed the guidance from the Spiritual Connection to find Bellavilla. She wasn’t in Silvia’s little shop, but instead at the front of the Raven Incubator (the production center for mass-producing Ravens, since we’ve always jokingly referred to the Ravens as "crows", the production center itself ended up being called the Incubator, and to this day, it’s even become the official name here), on the Crystal Square, hanging out with her mass-produced clones.

The Raven Incubator is a structure composed of three massive rectangular buildings, and between these three structures, large tracts of lush, vibrant Crystals have grown due to prolonged exposure to Arcane fluctuations and other forms of radiation. Thus, the large open space in front of this building is also known as Crystal Square, which is usually where Ravens gather and rest. When Sandora and I arrived, all the Ravens without assignments were already gathered here, aligned neatly into phalanxes, listening to Bellavilla’s briefing.

"...Therefore, we will soon establish a Caster Corps. But due to the shortage of personnel and since you all seem idle enough, I’ve decided to appoint some of you as temporary commanders for the Caster Corps. This means you’ll soon have the chance to lord it over some new recruits. Let’s start the preselection now and keep it quiet — forget it, everyone from the third to the fifth rows, step forward; there’s really not much of a selection anyway... Everyone else is dismissed."

And so, sixty percent of the Ravens dispersed, going off to do whatever they were supposed to do.

I stood there, my jaw practically hitting the ground, unable to resist shouting out: "Oi! Is this how you select people?!"

Bellavilla waved dismissively without looking back: "Why not? All the Ravens are cloned from the same mold; aside from a few enhanced Commanders, the rest all perform the same way — oh, are you two here together?"

Judging by her speaking habits, she was still a blend of Raven 001 and Bellavilla, and I had the feeling that Raven 001’s personality was dominating — could it be because Bellavilla took the lead in terms of will and memory, balancing out by letting Raven 001’s personality take charge?

"Ravens don’t seem suited to be Commanders, do they?" Sandora looked at the group of magic girls flitting around and chattering in the Crystal Square. They are the most lively among all the Imperial Army units, the least resembling Imperial Soldiers. It’s unclear whether their Mother’s soul had some mutation or if all Ravens from the Old Empire were like this. Whatever the case, it seemed to Sandora that this sort of personality wasn’t fit for leading a corps.

"Have some faith in these kids," Bellavilla said, brimming with confidence. "Though they may seem a bit careless, they are in fact very meticulous and detailed. You can’t harness a huge amount of Arcane Energy without those traits. And more importantly" — Bellavilla pointed to her head — "every Raven holds a part of my experience. These experiences are inherited directly from the soul and can’t be input into the Memory Core by the battle data inputs on the production lines. The ’New Xiang’-produced recruits are the most rigid newbies, relying only on those few battle instructions recorded in the database. Without experienced veterans to guide them, they’ll die in droves on the battlefield."

"Veterans are precious," Sandora sighed, sharing the sentiment. "The three hundred surviving Commanders and the remnant soldiers of the Alaya Legion have all been incorporated into the Reserve Corps, and even then, we’re still short-handed — I didn’t realize even your Ravens inherited your battle experience. They show none of it normally. When on the battlefield, they just unleash every Spell they know, draining their Energy until they collapse and get carried off..."

"Ah, yes, that’s my combat experience," Bellavilla nodded nonchalantly. "What kind of look is that? It makes sense. Ravens are basically remote artillery with very weak survivability, so the best tactic in a large battle is to bombard as many enemies as possible while they’re still alive. Of course, in small skirmishes, Ravens will apply very elegant combat tactics. In the end, we and those Scorpion Soldiers are on completely different paths..."

So, is it true that the Raven King Bellavilla doesn’t get along with the Scorpion Soldiers?

"Speaking of which, when are the soldiers I requested going to show up?" Bellavilla had just outlined a few key points of her concept for the Caster Corps when she suddenly remembered something else. "You said you’d help with the New Army, but aren’t I a solo Commander right now?"

"You needn’t worry about that," Sandora smiled, "according to the good news from Orelia yesterday, Angel City has fully resumed operations. Your first batch of new soldiers is likely to be the Angel Army."

Bellavilla’s eyes brightened at once: "Now that is good news — Xyrin Angels are just my style. Mmm, elegant spellcasters who, like Ravens, can spread Energy Storms across the globe... What’s the scale of Angel City? How much can the Angel Wall load at one time?"

Bellavilla asked some very professional questions; it seems that after the conceptual separation was lifted, she also regained all her memories concerning these matters. As an expert from the Mysterious Side, she probably also has a deep understanding of the secret technique knowledge concerning the Fifteenth Day Zone.

"I’ll send you the details on Angel City," Sandora said, "As for the general situation, roughly two thousand new cores are currently maturing on the East Angel Wall, and in about three days, these cores will be ready for incubation. A week from now, we’ll have a batch of newborn Angels ready to join the troops. In other words, within one production cycle, Angel City can produce two thousand soldiers. One cycle is seven days — a relatively fast production center."

Hearing this, I suddenly felt curious: "Producing two thousand soldiers every seven days — and this is considered fast?"

This production rate can’t hold a candle to the Technology Side! Isn’t the Empire known for its rapid troop production methods?

I still remember the production speed of the Technology Side’s barracks, where a hexagonal building has six production sets, each including two production lines, meaning there are twelve production lines per barrack. Each production cycle yields twelve elite soldiers. Typically, a fully operational barrack completes a production cycle every thirty minutes. Given the architectural scale of Angel City, it should at least correspond to ten large Arsenals, right? The latter producing a terrifying count of 120 Heavy Soldiers every half hour, capable of creating an army of ten thousand in two days — and they aren’t War Puppets! They’re Imperial Soldiers who are stronger fighters and capable of being promoted to Commanders!

In this comparison...It seems the terrifying mass production of the Technology Side directly overshadows the production speed of the Mysterious Side... (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)