Esper X Family – Chapter 610 – Are They… Ugly?

The Memory Spirits were known as the chroniclers of the universe.

They had a natural instinct to record every precious scene.

To document the history they desired, they usually did not live in groups.

Living in groups meant that what could be recorded would be inherently limited.

Even a newly born Memory Spirit would have to go alone to a weak civilization to secretly record it.

Yi Ling had given Ye Yao a detailed introduction to her race.

To ensure the diversity of recorded scenes, Memory Spirits typically scattered across the cosmos, spreading themselves far and wide.

But this did not mean that the Memory Spirits lacked a sense of community.

An individual’s recording efficiency was limited.

The universe was vast, so vast that a single Memory Spirit could spend its entire life and never explore it all.

Therefore, the race would gather again at intervals, sharing and preserving the reserves of other Memory Spirits.

The more historical records they accumulated, the stronger they became. They were a special race that essentially ascended by stepping on the left foot with the right.

However, during the last gathering of the Memory Spirits, the Interstellar Overlord happened to pass by and nearly exterminated the entire race.

Only the strongest, Yi Ling, remained.

They were simply an unlucky race, unfortunate enough to run into that interstellar mad dog.

“After that, the previous Overlord took me and warriors from other races across the cosmos, encountering new civilizations every so often.”

The “every so often” in Yi Ling’s words clearly did not align with human measurements of time.

“Go on.”

Ye Yao lounged comfortably in the soft sofa, her fingers idly curling through Yi Ling’s silky long hair, as if playing with a fine piece of art.

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Yi Ling remained still in her embrace, feeling the warmth of her master’s fingertips and that lazy sense of control.

This body had indeed affected her quite a bit.

Fortunately, she hadn’t forgotten her purpose.

“Higher civilizations take many forms, and their codes of conduct vary widely.

The kind you described, those that value ‘order’ and ‘morality’, avoid interfering with lower civilizations, and target only specific ‘calamities’…

In my records, there is indeed a civilization whose behavior resembles what Lady Tu Sheng described.

However, whether it is exactly the same one, I cannot fully confirm.”

“Oh? Just say what comes to mind.”

Ye Yao’s fingers never stopped moving, her tone casual.

“That civilization was recorded during the previous Overlord’s rampage across the universe.

It lingered nearby for a while, allowing me time to observe secretly.”

Yi Ling’s voice carried a distant, time-spanning detachment.

“Master should have some understanding of the previous Overlord’s style.”

“Mm-hmm—” Ye Yao pursed her lips, a hint of disdain in her voice. “An interstellar stray dog, biting everything it came across, right?”

“Something like that.”

Yi Ling nodded in agreement.

“When the previous Overlord encountered a new civilization, it would most often choose destruction.

Destroying a weak civilization was like brushing away dust, utterly meaningless.

Only those strong enough could spark a trace of its interest.”

“Interest?” Ye Yao raised an eyebrow.

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“Yes, especially pure warrior civilizations.” Yi Ling explained: “Those races that poured all their efforts into the ultimate evolution of individual power, relying on nothing external, honing only themselves.

They could produce dazzlingly powerful warriors.

When the previous Overlord encountered such a civilization, it would often grow excited.

It would initiate the Conscription Ceremony, subduing them with absolute force and selecting the strongest warriors to join its legion.

In its view, only that path of individual evolution was worth its attention.”

“Oh, like the Bluestar Defense Battle not long ago.”

Ye Yao had already seen it for herself. She had to admit, it certainly knew how to play.

“Did it ever hit a wall? It couldn’t really have rampaged around with impunity.”

“Yes.”

Yi Ling answered quickly; the images in her memory surfaced clearly.

“There was once a powerful civilization whose development path was radically different.

They did not focus on individual evolution but poured all their wisdom and resources into creating external tools, giving rise to astonishing technological marvels.

Their fleets were vast and precise, their energy weapons capable of tearing stars apart, their space technology masterful. They could even forge law-based weapons that troubled even the strongest fighters.”

Ye Yao blinked. That sounded exactly like the civilization Tu Sheng had observed.

“And then? Did they fight?”

Yi Ling shook her head slightly.

“The previous Overlord was indeed drawn to that civilization for a moment.

It led us close to their territory, and the two sides faced off at the edge of the star sea.

The tension was extreme, and a great war seemed imminent.”

Perhaps because she had once served as script supervisor for several magical girl side stories, Yi Ling was much more talkative than before.

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She had grown considerably in expression at least.

Ye Yao was very satisfied with the storytelling.

“I want to see rivers of blood flow!”

“Unfortunately, the plot did not develop as Master hoped. After observing the civilization’s structure and individuals in depth, the previous Overlord lost interest and left.”

Yi Ling continued.

“It believed that such civilizations lacked outstanding warriors, and their strength was entirely supported by external tools.

It also concluded that starting a war with that civilization offered no benefit. It would be exhausting and aesthetically unpleasing, failing to stir any fighting spirit within it.

In the end, it led us away from that star region to seek a true warrior civilization.”

Ye Yao was speechless.

“Isn’t that just bullying the weak while fearing the strong?”

She could not even be bothered to mock it.

The interstellar stray dog’s resolve when it entered that self-destructive state back then had indeed been formidable.

In its view, it probably came down solely to worth.

Faced with individual might, it would give everything.

But when faced with strength accumulated through external means, the stray dog could only slink away.

Ye Yao shook her head, not wanting to gossip about a speed bump long retired from the biosphere.

Suddenly, she remembered a crucial question.

Earlier, when she had met Tu Sheng, she had forgotten to ask about the modeling of intelligent beings from the advanced civilization.

Tu Sheng hadn’t brought it up either.

But Yi Ling had clearly seen them with her own eyes, which was a good chance to ask.

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“Yi Ling, back to business.

You said earlier that the higher civilization you recorded, the one that sounds somewhat like Tu Sheng’s description… what did they actually look like?

I mean, what was their individual appearance? For example…”

She chose her words carefully, trying not to sound too deliberate.

“For instance… did their aesthetics align with mainstream tastes?

Or, to put it in another way… are they ugly or not?

You know, I’m, uh… just a tiny bit, just a tiiiny bit visually particular.”

She blinked her big eyes, making a “universe between the fingers ¹ From Overlord where a character said “I was this close to losing” (blatantly lying). ” gesture, trying hard to look like she was asking casually.

But that question of “are they ugly” and the emphasis on “a tiny bit visually particular” perfectly revealed her subtle Fanatic Purifier tendencies.

Could Yi Ling not see through her master’s little thoughts?

After all, she had been turned into a soft, sweet little loli by her.

“Master, there’s no one else here. Mo Qiuli and the others are far away; they won’t hear us.”

Even the fluffy thing disguised as pom-poms on Ye Yao’s head chimed in.

“Exactly, we’re all family here. Mom, don’t hide it, just say your preference loud and clear!”

Ye Yao: “?”

A mere cup like Xing Lan dares to mock her!

She really needed a good topping!

Author Note

Awawa, the fridge is full of old-fashioned popsicles, I’ll just have to make do with these!