Han Sen almost choked. He thought there was something wrong with his ears.
The man sounded like a schoolkid that had just graduated from school. He was a crystallizer with geno armor, and Han Sen thought it was strange that the man was making such a simple request.
"Don't worry. I won't live there for free. When I have grown accustomed to things, I will pay you back," the man said.
Han Sen heard him and coughed. He then said, "Brother, that is not the issue. You can stay with us as long as you want; I have plenty of money, so that's okay. But I have a question: this place is far away from the Alliance, and there is no easy way home. Can you go through the sanctuary and come back with me that way?"
The man shook his head. "I can't go there. But you can tell me where to head. If you do that, I can fly there with my geno armor."
"Okay, but might you get into trouble?" Han Sen sounded worried.
He was an elite that could destroy planets. The barrens wouldn't kill him, but if he started a fight in the Alliance, who knew what terrible things might occur in the fallout
The man smiled and said, "Don't worry; I'm a soldier. I have principles. And due to humans being quite close to crystallizers, I wouldn't think of harming you guys."
"That isn't what I meant. I mean, why don't you wait here so I can get you an identity. I can come and pick you up, too. How does that sound?" Han Sen told him.
"Okay." The man nodded, and he seemed to be in a pleasant mood.
"What is your name?" Han Sen asked.
"My name is Stay Up Late," the man said naturally.
"Stay Up Late?" Han Sen was rather confused by this. He couldn't tell if the man was joking or not.
Stay Up Late's temper was still okay, so Han Sen wished to ask more of him. He asked, "Did the crystallizers create the sanctuary? And what is its purpose?"
Stay Up Late shook his head. "Half-and-half. The sanctuary already existed. We just made use of it. It was supposed to be a place we could fall back to, but now it is our last hope."
"What does that mean?" Han Sen asked, not understanding.
Stay Up Late said, "The galaxy is a lot more complicated than you think. The galaxy is a part of the sanctuary, so we're still inside it If you exit the actual sanctuary..."
The man stopped talking, and this tease made Han Sen's heart jump in his chest He asked, "What will happen?"
"You can see the result. Look at what happened to us, the crystallizers." Stay Up Late looked glum.
Han Sen's face went slack. "You mean, there are even stronger races in existence? Something beyond the capabilities of the crystallizers?"
Stay Up Late had a wry smile, and he said, "Did you ever think about why the sanctuary is called sanctuary?"
Han Sen's face pal. Someone had researched this question before, but the answer was inconclusive. It could have been anything.
The theory that was most agreed upon said that the sanctuary worked to contain the most powerful creatures, and in doing so, ensured the safety of the galaxy.
But now, it seemed as if the creatures inside the sanctuary were actually being protected from something outside of it. And that applied to humans, too.
Han Sen asked a few more questions, but the man got annoyed. He said to Han Sen, "Think of it like this: the sanctuaries are kindergarten."
Han Sen froze. It took him a while to understand what he meant, but when Han Sen asked something further, the man claimed he did not know. But Han Sen thought there'd be plenty of time to ask him questions in the future, and he'd learn all there was to know from him eventually.
"I soaked inside the geno fluid for far too long, but it doesn't seem as if it is working anymore. If it was working, it could purify your body through a process known as God's Baptism." Stay Up Late sighed, looking at the tank.
"You said humans are a small tribe of crystallizers. What does that mean?" Han Sen was not interested in geno fluid, so he asked this instead.
Stay Up Late shook his head and did not answer. He just pointed at the path and said, "You go back now and come pick me up."
Han Sen knew he wouldn't get the answers he wanted right now, so he did as the man said and returned to the Martial Hall.
After going back, Han Sen had no time to do anything else. He purchased an Alliance citizenship forgery and bought a house on another planet for the man.
He didn't dare keep Stay Up Late near him, since Han Sen knew that he wouldn't be able to beat the man until he reached the Fifth Sanctuary. The thought of having him stay in Han Sen's house was like sleeping with a ticking time bomb by his side.
Han Sen didn't think Stay Up Late was a bad person, but he knew he should take precautions. He didn't buy a house on his own planet for the man.
When everything was prepared, Han Sen flew the beetle to pick him up. The beetle had a built-in map, which was good, because he might not have been able to find the man if he had to rely upon the navigation capabilities of an Alliance ship.
Han Sen flew the beetle to Stay Up Late, picked him up, and returned to the Alliance's inhabited space. Han placed the man in his new house and stayed with him for a few days to get him settled and show him how to live an ordinary life.
When Han Sen found an excuse to leave the planet and return to Han Manor, Stay Up Late was there waiting for him.
"Why are you here?" Han Sen looked at him coldly.
"Don't worry, I'm not hostile. If I wanted to murder, no human in existence could stop me, right?" Stay Up Late smiled.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Han Sen asked, putting out his hand.
"My mission is to protect the Main Control Room and the first Son of God. I have to observe you, so allow me to live with you," Stay Up Late said.
"Why do you have to watch me?" Han Sen asked.
"I am looking for a qualifier," Stay Up Late answered.
"What qualifier?" Han Sen's heart jumped. The diary he had found mentioned something similar to that. The diary must have been written by a crystallizer also in search of a qualifier.
It seemed like this qualifier was something important to the crystallizers.
"It means what it means," Stay Up Late said nonchalantly.
There was nothing Han Sen could do, though. He couldn't beat the man, so he had no choice but to take the man home with him.