Dimensional Hotel-Chapter 241: Regarding the Aftermath

Yu Sheng had always been curious, but he also knew when to hold back. He could guess—using even his duodenum to think—that Bai Li Snow couldn’t have been born with those strange features. There must be a tangled, astonishing story behind it. If someone made it into a TV drama, it would probably run for over eighty episodes across three seasons, plus a couple of specials at the end. From Yu Sheng’s interactions with Bai Li Qing and from Bai Li Snow’s demeanor, he could plainly see that neither sister wished to share too much of the past with outsiders.

At least for now, he and Bai Li Qing were not close enough to open that door.

So Yu Sheng tucked away his curiosity—for the time being. He had more pressing questions to discuss with this woman who served as Director in the Special Affairs Bureau. After all, his curiosity about the Dark Angels was even stronger.

He cleared his throat, putting on a solemn face as he looked at Bai Li Qing. “So, about Anka Aila… What exactly do you want to know?”

“Everything,” Bai Li Qing answered, her expression barely changing. No matter what, she always seemed able to keep a straight face. “From the moment you all stepped inside that wall until the Angel’s Descent, I want to hear every detail. Of course, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. The Special Affairs Bureau is willing to offer any payment that doesn’t break certain boundaries.”

The last sentence perked Yu Sheng up. He leaned forward. “Can you send the budget for rebuilding two Orphanages to the ‘Hotel’ and ‘Fairy Tale’ accounts?”

Bai Li Qing froze, her stern face still as stone for about five seconds. “…Why two Orphanages?”

Yu Sheng answered calmly, “So I can ask for a bit more.”

“…I didn’t expect this request from you,” she replied, and for the first time in all their encounters, her control slipped so quickly. “I thought you’d want something like special privileges in Borderland or maybe access to the Bureau’s classified database—things that can’t be measured by money.”

“But think about it,” Yu Sheng said with a laugh. “I only recently figured out what ‘Otherworld’ even means. That kind of intel is useless to me right now, especially to someone like me—a ‘newbie Spirit Realm Detective.’ If you gave me full database access, I wouldn’t even know where to start. I don’t even know what I don’t know. And anyway, that kind of thing is pretty abstract. If I really have questions, I can just come to you or ask Song Cheng. If it’s something I’m allowed to learn, you’ll tell me. If I’m not supposed to know it, you have ten thousand ways to keep it secret. Money, on the other hand, is straightforward. Those of us at ‘Fairy Tale’ really do need it—especially for feeding that Nine-Tailed Fox who’s been hungry for decades. You have no idea how expensive her meals are…”

Bai Li Qing looked briefly stunned. It took her a moment to let out the tiniest smile. “You’re quite clear-headed.”

“I’m a pragmatist,” Yu Sheng said, spreading his hands. “My vision doesn’t stretch very far.”

“Fine. I can agree to your request. This is within my power to handle,” she said without much hesitation. “Compared to the impact of an Angel’s Descent on the entire world, what you’re asking is not much at all.”

“Then let’s talk about Anka Aila.” Yu Sheng grinned and shifted his position on the sofa. “It’s a long story—starting from when we first walked into that ‘Umbilical Cord’ rising from the Orphanage into the sky…”

He spoke slowly and carefully, and Bai Li Qing listened just as intently. For a long time, Yu Sheng recounted everything he remembered. Only when some particularly confusing or bizarre part came up did Bai Li Qing interrupt him with a question.

At last, she stood and poured them both a drink. There was a hint of dazedness in her eyes, and Yu Sheng took note of it.

“Unbelievable, isn’t it?” he said, letting out a long breath. “Especially after hearing the truth behind Anka Aila.”

“…A ship from ‘outside,’” she murmured, looking more bewildered than ever. “People have guessed all sorts of things about the origins and true purpose of the Dark Angels. I thought at least one or two of those speculations had to be close to the truth. I never imagined the real story would be stranger than the wildest rumor. A ship?!”

“It was a ship when it set out,” Yu Sheng reminded her, “but after it ‘fell,’ it changed. I have no idea how, but it shifted so much that even the metal itself grew a soul.”

Bai Li Qing fell silent, pondering deeply. Then she heard Yu Sheng’s voice again. “That still leaves one big question.”

“One big question?” she echoed, frowning slightly.

“Is Anka Aila one special case, or are all Dark Angels like it?” Yu Sheng spoke gravely. “Anka Aila was an Exiled Ark. But what about the others? Forest Angel, Goddess of Beauty, Heka’s Star… From what I know, each Dark Angel ‘looks’ different. Not only that, but their abilities vary dramatically. Are they truly the same as Anka Aila? If they aren’t the same, how similar are they?”

Bai Li Qing sank into thought for a moment, then spoke slowly. “Personally, I think they’re all different. At the very least, they can’t all be ‘Exiled Arks’ like Anka Aila. The differences among them are just too great. On the other hand, the intel you’ve brought raises another possibility. Perhaps each Dark Angel experiences some kind of ‘mutation.’”

Yu Sheng nodded in agreement, wearing a serious expression.

“It seems they come into our world from beyond the cosmos,” Bai Li Qing continued. “During that process, they become unrecognizable, as if they’re shaped into forms we can’t ‘identify’ or ‘understand.’ At least with Anka Aila, this transformation wasn’t something the Dark Angel itself triggered or controlled.

“We’ve always seen the Dark Angels as a kind of hostile ‘Intruder,’ but Anka Aila looks more like the victim of an accident. It was ‘flung’ here by some enormous disaster in its homeworld…”

“That still doesn’t mean all Dark Angels share the same story,” Yu Sheng cautioned.

“Exactly. We only know Anka Aila’s story,” Bai Li Qing said with a firm nod. “At most, we can guess that some of the others might be in a similar situation. But even if there are more Dark Angels like Anka Aila, it doesn’t change the danger they pose to this world. Ultimately, if they set off a calamity, they don’t even need ill intent to do it. Their existence alone is a disaster.”

Yu Sheng didn’t reply. In his mind, he saw the Orphanage courtyard where that towering Umbilical Cord reached into the sky, and he remembered the “Angel’s Fetus,” nearly ready to emerge from its nightmare into reality.

He knew she was right.

“What matters more to me now,” Bai Li Qing went on, “is whether any other Dark Angels have a ‘mind’ that can communicate, like Anka Aila. If there are others, how many? And how can we even recognize them?”

Yu Sheng thought for a moment, then looked at her with uncertainty. “You’re not planning to launch me at the next Dark Angel whenever it appears, are you?”

“Of course not,” Bai Li Qing said, sounding perfectly sincere—though she quickly looked away.

Yu Sheng’s eyes narrowed. “[Madam, that’s not very convincing…]”

Then, more seriously, he said, “I have to remind you: in that last incident, we encountered far too many unpredictable variables. A lot of the steps we took can’t be repeated—like the ‘Fairy Tale Book’ we used to communicate with the Dark Angels, or the Cursed Children who acted as a bridge, not to mention that Squirrel, and even the ‘path’ left for me seventy years ago by the Deep Dive team. Without a single one of those pieces, it never would have worked.

“It’s not like I just walked behind a wall and did some ‘talk therapy,’ and the Dark Angel let go of its obsession and died with an ‘ah.’ If you threw me at some newly arrived angel, I’d be the one going ‘ah’—and I might not even get that far…”

Bai Li Qing turned back toward him. “We wouldn’t do something so rash,” she said, looking earnest again. She sipped her drink, then changed the topic. “Earlier, you mentioned that you merged the ‘Fairy Tale’ Otherworld with that Valley of yours?”

“Yes,” he replied. “My Valley has expanded—by more than double. The Bureau agents you sent there all witnessed it. You should get their detailed reports soon. But you’re welcome to go see it for yourself. Now I think it’s quite scenic. There are even clouds in the sky, and a part of the Valley has a Fairy Tale area with day and night cycles. It’s not so dull anymore. You can roam the primeval darkness of the Forest or look down on the mountains from the tall tower… By the way, the princess with the long hair is charging twenty to enter the tower, and it’s not me who’s collecting it—she is.”

He sounded like a tour guide recruiting passengers for a bus, and Bai Li Qing’s expression nearly cracked again. But she was still the Director, so after a quick cough, she asked, “Does that mean you’ve essentially ‘absorbed’ all of Fairy Tale?”

“Not exactly.” Yu Sheng waved a hand. “They just live in my Valley now. Though it seems they might be staying there for a long while, ‘Fairy Tale’ remains independent. Of course, they did say I’m the greatest Guardian of Fairy Tale now. I have to admit, I’m pretty happy about that. But it’s more of an honorary title…”

As he spoke, his face lit up with genuine warmth. He looked even happier than when Bai Li Qing promised to fund Orphanage reconstruction.

She, too, smiled. She hadn’t looked this relaxed since they first witnessed the Angel’s Descent.

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation