Thereafter, for five days together, Zhao Chen went about the several star regions of the Angel Race with the Angel Tilia.
It must be said that the Angel Race's development was very thorough all round; set against it, the former Galactic Alliance's three great empires looked a good deal backward.
"Mr. Zhao Chen, how do you find our Angel Race?" After several days together, the terms in which Tilia and Zhao Chen addressed one another had grown somewhat warmer.
Zhao Chen nodded and said in praise, "Very fine indeed; the degree of development is very high. No wonder your Angel Race can stand as a strong power within this stretch of the universe."
Hearing Zhao Chen's estimate, a thread of helplessness passed through Tilia's eyes, and she said in a low voice, "In former days our Angel Race was perhaps the strongest thing within this stretch of the universe. But now the Demon Race's invasion has brought us face to face with a crisis such as we have never known."
"It is for that very reason that our two sides need to work together," Zhao Chen said, with his face set.
"That is my hope as well. But this business is not for me to decide. Tomorrow I shall take you to the Holy Temple Mount of the lord Holy Angel King; there you will meet with the other two Angel Kings besides, and settle at the last the business of an allied cooperation."
Tilia looked toward Zhao Chen. "To speak honestly, I do not look for much. Because, comparatively speaking, set the Owl Dragon against the Angel Race and it is truly far too small. It will be very hard to establish an alliance of equals."
The meaning within Tilia's words was plain enough already.
An alliance of equals would be hard; but were it in the form of a dependency, there would be a very great likelihood of success.
"Upon that point Miss Tilia need not be anxious. I have the confidence that the value I shall show the Owl Dragon to hold will persuade your three Angel Kings," Zhao Chen said, with the whole thing settled in his breast.
Tilia said nothing further.
"Let me ask — what view do you take of the Machine Race?" Zhao Chen inquired.
Enmity flashed into Tilia's eyes on the instant. "Heretics; evil heretics. Heretics more evil than the Demon Race! Several times within this thousand-year war, had it not been for the Machine Race's attacks, we might well have destroyed the Demon Race long since, and the present case would never have arisen at all."
"And of the Machine Race's strength?" Zhao Chen asked.
Tilia, hostile as she was to the Machine Race, gave an objective estimate all the same. "Very strong, and mysterious; they surpass our Angel Race. But it has not yet come to a pass the Angel Race cannot meet."
"Then in fighting you, has the Machine Race ever used T5-grade interstellar warships?" Zhao Chen inquired.
"Of course they have," Tilia answered him outright.
Zhao Chen's eyes shook slightly.
This answer he had guessed long since; only that he now had it confirmed.
Which left Zhao Chen the more curious about the Machine Race.
Plainly the Machine Race possessed T5 interstellar warships, and had used them in fighting the Angel Race — so why, in the campaigns against the former Galactic Alliance's three great empires, had a T5 interstellar warship never once appeared?
It fitted no logic whatever.
"Have you materials upon it? Might I have a look?" Zhao Chen asked.
Tilia raised a hand and opened a set of materials.
That was the holographic projection of an interstellar warship, painted black throughout, giving one a feeling of a heavy mechanical style.
"This class is the only T5 interstellar warship known of the Machine Race. It is called the T5 Steel-Claw-class Heavy Interstellar Destroyer. Though its fighting power is not strong set against our Angel Race's T5 interstellar warships, there is no helping their numbers. To this moment what we know is that the Machine Race possesses 300 of this class at the least. And at present, within our records, the T5 Steel-Claw-class Heavy Interstellar Destroyers we have destroyed already pass 50. None can say how many of these cursed things the Machine Race has!" said Tilia.
Zhao Chen fixed his eyes upon this T5 Steel-Claw-class Heavy Interstellar Destroyer.
He called back to mind those Machine Race interstellar warships he had seen before, and above all those he had judged to be T5.
Among them was this very T5 Steel-Claw-class Heavy Interstellar Destroyer.
The trouble was… Zhao Chen had plainly seen T5 Machine Race interstellar warships of other classes besides.
Yet neither upon the field against the Galactic Alliance, nor upon the field against the Angel Race and the Demon Race, had these interstellar warships ever appeared.
The fog about the Machine Race grew thicker still.
"There now, I must go back and make the preparations for today's conference. When the time comes I shall come and take you across." Tilia took her leave and went.
And Zhao Chen waited upon the morrow, and his meeting with that council of the Angel Race's three kings.
…………
The next day.
Tilia brought Zhao Chen into a stretch of the star-heavens.
And here Zhao Chen saw his destination.
That was no planet.
It was a mountain!
Just so — a vast mountain floating within the universe!
The vast mountain hung there as though it had been set within a glass case.
Over the whole of it one could see no few points and pricks of light, giving one a feeling of holiness and purity.
"This is our Angel Holy Temple Mount, called the Holy Mountain besides. There are three in all, answering severally to the three Angel Kings." Tilia and Zhao Chen boarded a shuttle and made for that Holy Mountain.
Zhao Chen seemed to have noticed something, and asked, "This Holy Mountain of yours — is it an interstellar craft as well?"
Tilia looked at Zhao Chen in astonishment. "I had heard before that you are a starship engineer. I never thought you would make it out at a bare few glances."
She looked toward that Holy Mountain, and pride showed upon her face. "Just so; it is indeed an interstellar craft. It belongs to the creations at the summit of the Angel Race's technology, and uses a great quantity of T5-grade technology. Though it has no weapon module whatever, it can carry out spatial fold-jumps. And these three Holy Mountains are, for our Angel Race, the very symbol of our faith."
A palace that moved.
The good of such a construction was that in whatever case might arise, the Angel Race's high command could choose to withdraw, or to carry out some other contingency plan.
There would be no train of wretched consequences from the fall of a king-world.
And Zhao Chen noticed besides that no interstellar warship came near a certain region about this Holy Mountain; by the look of it a forbidden zone had been set.
To enter within, one could only travel by shuttle.
Every interstellar warship must berth beyond a certain compass.
This was for the protection of the Holy Mountain's safety.
Further, outside the Holy Mountain's forbidden zone, one could see squadron upon squadron of angel interstellar warships on patrol, and upon the hulls of these angel interstellar warships was golden angel line-work.
Wholly unlike the fleet blazons of the other angel interstellar warships.
Zhao Chen reckoned these interstellar warships should belong to this Angel King's personal guard legion.
Very soon the shuttle carrying Zhao Chen and Tilia entered the Holy Mountain's compass, and came down in the berthing area.
That lay at the foot of the Holy Mountain.
Zhao Chen raised his head and looked at the Holy Mountain's summit; reckoning from here.
The height of this Holy Mountain was 100,000 meters at the least!
"By the Holy Mountain's rule, any craft whatever may come down only at the foot. We must go up by hovering elevator," Tilia explained to Zhao Chen.
Being come, one must be easy in it.
Zhao Chen followed Tilia onto the hovering elevator; and though this Holy Mountain was 100,000 meters high.
Resting upon the hovering elevator, they were up in a minute.
Zhao Chen looked at the vast, magnificent, holy palace before him.
And there rose in him, from the bottom of his heart, a feeling of solemn reverence.