HHR 131-145 (Patreon)

First Delivery of the Night.

Chapter 131: Phantylia: My Body... My Ambrosial Arbor...

For ordinary people who adhere to a materialistic worldview, the "weight of the soul" is probably a very abstract and unrealistic concept. However, for civilizations and people who have long since ventured into the interstellar sky and possess a broader perspective and deeper knowledge, the soul is not some distant concept.

This universe inherently contains several spiritual beings that resemble souls. According to A Comprehensive History of the Xianzhou, the history of the Xianzhou Alliance's first contact with the pure-energy beings known as the "Heliobi" can be traced back to "The Era of Solitary Navigation," before the Xianzhou people became immortal beings.

These spiritual beings usually possess extremely strong emotional perception and mind-control abilities. Frankly, upon seeing Fu Hua's semi-transparent body, Jingyuan, like Qingque, couldn't help but secretly wonder:

Why did the Marshal suddenly turn into a Heliobi? Could it be that some Heliobi assimilated him during the possession process?

Could he defeat this Heliobi in the Marshal's form? If not, should he try to trick this Marshal-transformed Heliobi into joining the Ten-Lords Commission?

...For some reason, Jingyuan felt as though he was taking another step down the path of becoming Mara-struck, pushing his mind to its limit as he helplessly pondered.

His brother got into trouble, and he had to clean up the mess. His teacher became Mara-struck, and he had to fight her. After finally enjoying a few days of peace, he encountered a Heliobi that had transformed into the Marshal...

Ha, being a general was truly exhausting.

Fortunately, just as his head was beginning to ache, Jingyuan still managed to keenly sense the unusual nature of this "Marshal" before him.

First, although the appearance was almost identical and the physique was as capable and powerful as that of a seasoned warrior, this "Heliobi" in the Marshal's form was incredibly weak. Jingyuan couldn't even sense a trace of The Hunt's power emanating from them.

It was certain that, even though they had taken on the Marshal's form, this "Heliobi" had not inherited the Marshal's power. Moreover, the power contained within them was not particularly strong. At least in Jingyuan's view, it was the kind of power he could easily suppress on his own.

Therefore, the other party posed no danger to the Xianzhou.

Secondly, the silver-haired girl accompanied by the other party was mentally stable and behaved normally. Apart from her exceptionally clear eyes, she showed no signs of being controlled by this "Marshal."

Rather than possession, the relationship between the two seemed to be one of mutual cooperation. The silver-haired girl knew of and accepted the "Marshal's" existence, and the "Marshal" showed no intention of harming her.

Moreover, that wasn't all.

Despite being weaker than himself, Jingyuan vaguely sensed an even greater sense of oppression than that of the Marshal in Fu Hua's eyes, which were remarkably similar to those of the Marshal he knew.

That calmness, that detachment, and that terrifying obsession hidden within her gaze... Let alone an Emanator, even though she had not yet touched the power of the Paths, Jingyuan instinctively realized that as long as she stepped onto the Path of Destiny, then regardless of which path she followed, the moment she obtained the power bestowed by Aeons, she would easily leave him far behind.

Jingyuan's earnest explanation failed to dispel Fu Hua's confusion. Instead, it only deepened it.

Jingyuan could roughly assess Fu Hua's abilities, and with Fu Hua's keen eye, she could certainly tell at a glance that this Xianzhou general was no ordinary person.

On the way there, Welt Yang had already explained the basic facts and rules of interstellar civilization within the Stelle realm.

Therefore, Fu Hua knew very well that Jingyuan, as one of the Seven Arbiter-Generals of the Xianzhou Alliance and an Emanator, had already surpassed Earth's ultimate enemy—the Herrscher of Finality—in terms of individual strength. The Marshal, who ranked above the Seven Generals, possessed even greater power than Jingyuan.

How could such a being possibly need her help?

"Approximately how many years has your Marshal lived?"

Just as Fu Hua's mind was filled with confusion, the Store Manager suddenly asked.

"..."

Jingyuan glanced at the Store Manager, hesitated for a moment, and instead of answering the Manager's question directly, narrowed his eyes and let out a soft sigh.

Kiana and March 7 exchanged glances, both seeing remarkably similar expressions of bewilderment reflected in each other's clear eyes.

Just then, a sudden, chilling cold swept over everyone present. A distant, ethereal bass chant drifted through the air like the incantation of ancient monks.

A terrifying Power of Abundance surged forth, and an invisible domain rapidly expanded throughout the grotto-heaven. Violent tremors rose from beneath their feet like the prelude to an earthquake.

But this was clearly a starship navigating the Sea of Stars. Logically, there shouldn't be an earthquake caused by tectonic plate collisions.

Therefore, this sudden tremor could only have one explanation:

Something had occurred that was powerful enough to shake the entire grotto-heaven.

"My God! What is that thing that suddenly stood up?!" March 7 exclaimed.

Everyone's attention was drawn to March 7's cry. In fact, even without her shout, the strange phenomenon in the distance was enough to capture everyone's attention.

A gigantic branch had risen from the ground, growing wildly, with heavy, ancient Signet symbols hanging from its rapidly extending foliage.

The Ambrosial Arbor, severed thousands of years ago by the Reignbow Arbiter, appears to celebrate its brief release, recklessly encroaching upon every space that did not belong to it.

Jingyuan's projection narrowed his eyes slightly, subtly shifting his gaze toward Kafka, who had removed her makeup. Fu Xuan, her face pale, stared at the towering tree.

"This abnormal energy... Is it the Stellaron?!"

Then, as if realizing something, she looked at Jingyuan before following his gaze to Kafka.

"You thief... you have accomplices?!"

"Oh dear, the dignified Grand Diviner failed to 'foresee' this?" Kafka smiled and stood up. With a slight shake of her arms, the delicate chains around her wrists shattered into tiny ice crystals with a crisp sound, scattering into the wind.

"Tsk, glib." Fu Xuan clicked her tongue in annoyance but didn't use her power to regain control of Kafka. With the Stellaron's infiltration of the Xianzhou Luofu now exposed, dealing with the out-of-control Ambrosial Arbor was clearly more urgent than continuing to trouble the Stellaron Hunters.

She turned toward the Store Manager and Stelle.

"You two... could you temporarily keep an eye on this wanted criminal for me? Also, General, please don't just stand here watching. We need to quickly gather the Cloud Knights and head to the cave where the Ambrosial Arbor is rooted to eradicate the Stellaron's corruption and stop its resurgence."

"Um... though asking this now might be a little inappropriate..." the Store Manager suddenly raised his hand, "I'm rushing back to buy supplies for tonight's dinner service. Can you really handle that thing in such a short time?"

"..."

Fu Xuan felt as though she were about to suffer a heart attack. She couldn't help glaring at the Store Manager.

"What time is this for you to be worrying about dinner?! I'll cover all of your store's losses tonight! No, I'll pay you double!"

"Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but tonight my customers are important too..." the Store Manager said with a troubled expression.

"How about a compromise? I'll handle that for you, and you can watch over Kafka. Maybe stop by my store and make a purchase afterward?"

Fu Xuan immediately retorted, "Ridiculous! Not only is the location of the Ambrosial Arbor a closely guarded secret, but allowing outsiders like you anywhere near it is against the rules! The Ambrosial Arbor is a curse left behind by the Plague Author and has now been revived by the Stellaron. How could it possibly be something that can be dealt with so easily?"

"Hey, don't be so aggressive, Fu Xuan." Jingyuan's projection gently waved his hand. "Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Rules only matter if there's still a Xianzhou to enforce them. In a crisis like this, we follow the rules when they help and set them aside when they don't. We just witnessed this Store Manager's methods. Since he's so confident, he must already have a concrete solution, right?"

The Store Manager didn't respond to Jingyuan's words. Instead, he patted the innocent-looking Stelle on the shoulder and pointed toward the distant Ambrosial Arbor.

"Go. I'm giving you a task. Use the knight's lance I gave you to take that thing down."

"Huh?" Stelle blinked, her beautiful face filled with bewilderment, though her tone was inexplicably eager. "But that lance you gave me... isn't it only for healing? Wouldn't it be more effective to burn it with the Judgment of Shamash?"

"..."

Welt Yang covered his face, feeling an unprecedented sense of helplessness.

Whether influenced by the Stellaron or simply by her nature, after receiving the Judgment of Shamash from the Store Manager, Stelle's fighting style seemed to be heading relentlessly toward a path of destruction.

If he hadn't held Stelle back the entire way and refused to let her unsheathe the Shamash, it probably wouldn't be the Stellaron Hunters being hunted by the Xianzhou Alliance now, but rather the members of the Astral Express.

Not only Welt Yang, but even Kafka showed a conflicted expression.

Logically, Stelle should have been happy to gain power outside the "script." Even if she hadn't gained the Amber Lord's attention on Jarilo-VI according to Elio's script, the opportunity to receive the Amber Lord's attention had never been limited to Jarilo-VI alone. Aside from the existence of the Store Manager—an unknowable and unpredictable individual whom even Elio only described as "having a serious impact on his premonitions"—Elio's script remained absolute. Kafka believed that one day, Stelle would regain the power to protect herself.

The problem was that the Store Manager's influence over Stelle seemed a little too profound.

So profound that it gradually transformed Stelle, who should have belonged with her, into someone shaped by another.

That subtle feeling of having something stolen stirred a long-forgotten sense of unease within the usually emotionally detached Kafka.

"Have you ever heard this saying?" the Store Manager asked, patting Stelle on the shoulder. "CC is greater than the heavens; Special DPS are gods among men."

"?" Stelle tilted her head, her face full of confusion.

"Simply put, while the Judgment of Shamash is a fairly versatile high-damage weapon, the target's main body isn't exposed on the surface. A portion of its HP is always locked," the Store Manager explained. "Besides that locked HP, it also has high regeneration. Abominations of Abundance... well, those who know, know. Although the damage is about the same as scratching a wound, healers are, above all else, very good at healing. So even if you use the Shamash to burn away the exposed part in a single strike, the locked HP and high regeneration allow it to recover quickly."

"Of course, if you keep burning it while it continues growing, it eventually becomes nothing more than a contest of energy reserves. It's not that you can't wear it down, but why waste your strength if you can finish it with a single shot? Don't you think so?" the Store Manager said with a gentle smile.

Welt Yang, being a seasoned gamer, immediately understood.

"So the withering power you gave Stelle through the Black Abyss White Flower also counters the power of Abundance?"

"That's right. One shot, and even a slightly unusual piece of wood would be blown to pieces," the Store Manager replied.

Jingyuan and Fu Xuan exchanged bewildered glances.

"Come on, take out your lance. I'll teach you how to use it."

"Yes, just like that. Separate the black and white sections from the base. Now hold the black one firmly, and repeat after me."

"—I am the black that devours everything. I am the white that nurtures everything. Born before creation, existing after annihilation."

"...Can I skip the chant?" Stelle asked, blushing.

"It's just a little ritual. You don't have to," the Store Manager replied seriously. "Now aim at that piece of wood."

"Aimed."

"Jump."

"Okay... uh... ah?!"

...

Somewhere within the Divination Commission, a beautiful foxian woman stood alone at the edge of a floating corridor, gazing at the soaring Ambrosial Arbor with a meaningful smile playing across her lips.

This was the miracle of Abundance, the legendary Ambrosial Arbor that granted the people of the Xianzhou immeasurable lifespans.

So, if this miracle were used as material, together with a body crafted from a Stellaron, one should be able to achieve true immortality... right?

If I could obtain it, I would never—

—Wait... what was that full moon that had suddenly appeared in the sky?

---

Chapter 132: Phantylia: Pacing, Weeping, Rolling Around

The special effects of the Black Abyss White Flowers were impressive.

The essence of the Xianzhou Luofu is a starship that utilizes space-folding technology to create enormous internal caverns. Therefore, although these caverns don't completely separate the Xianzhou from the outside world—and a gigantic planet occupying nearly half the sky can be seen in the distance—it's impossible for a true moon to float in the sky within these caverns.

When that clear, perfectly round, mountain-like full moon suddenly appeared in mid-air, Jingyuan almost suffered a PTSD attack. In his mind, such a strange sight suddenly appearing inside the Xianzhou could only mean one thing:

His beloved master had unleashed a powerful attack. A real moon was about to fall.

"I will use moonlight as my sword—literally."

Of course, as the Emanator of The Hunt wielding the power of the Lightning Lord, even cleaving a real moon in two with a single strike would be no difficult task for Jingyuan. The problem was... his true self, Jingyuan (a vulgar expression), wasn't even in this grotto-heaven!

The Jingyuan standing here was merely a virtual projection. What could a virtual projection do? Nothing, of course!

Jingyuan's semi-transparent projection stared, his face ashen, at the jade-like full moon suspended in the air. He thought to himself, It's over. This grotto-heaven is bound to be more than half destroyed by my crazed master's sword.

But in the next instant, he suddenly froze.

Instead of the expected lunar eclipse, a sudden metallic clanging sound rang out as countless black-and-white particles surged toward the bright moon like a storm. The powers of creation and decay clung to each other, coalescing into a massive lance that took shape in mid-air.

At that moment, Stelle, as if sensing something, leaped forward, her eyes gleaming with obvious surprise like a child who had finally received a long-awaited toy.

Holy crap, so that's how you use a lance?!

Oh no, this is a huge mistake! If she had known it would be this cool, she wouldn't have resisted that melodramatic chant!

Her body, propelled through the air, slowly came to a stop as the force of her leap was absorbed by gravity.

Seizing the fleeting opening, Stelle, with intense surprise and a touch of regret, flew toward the moon and grasped the massive lance's handle.

Time stood still.

The power of creation, nurturing life.

The power of decay, robbing life.

In that instant, both were completely and utterly transferred into Stelle's body through the knight's lance, radiating intense light.

The feeling of her body and weapon becoming one created a fleeting illusion for the girl named Stelle.

It was as if this body was inherently entitled to wield these two powers that defied common sense.

The momentary suspension in mid-air was fleeting.

Her attention shifted from the knight's lance imbued with dual powers to the vibrant, life-giving Ambrosial Arbor.

A malicious glint flashed in her eyes.

She took a deep breath, letting her gravity-controlled body spin wildly in mid-air. She channeled the force from her center of gravity to her waist and finally through her arms, all of it flowing to the gleaming tip of the lance.

She aimed it at the massive branch and plummeted downward—

"The Holy Lance—"

The Black Abyss White Flower blooming in the night sky transformed into a flowing Stelle of daylight.

"—Bloom!!!!"

To put it metaphorically, it was practically a human missile.

With a deafening roar akin to an explosion, the falling white light mercilessly poured into the trunk of the Ambrosial Arbor.

A dazzling, deathly light roared wildly, the bark bursting open under the immense force while the core wood was ripped away layer by layer by the sweeping storm.

The next second, the ancient script hanging high in the sky dimmed as though a switch had suddenly been flipped.

The Abundance miracle, which should never have perished, began to wither instantly.

The power of decay, in a flash, seeped into the Ambrosial Arbor, which had only just begun to revive. It frantically robbed the giant tree of its life.

First, the newly grown branches began to fall away. Then the bark and inner wood of the trunk visibly shriveled, the grayish-yellow color spreading wildly in every direction from the point where the white light had entered the trunk.

Everyone who witnessed this scene was stunned, especially the fox-woman standing by the floating corridor, her face filled with disbelief.

"No!!!"

After a few seconds of stunned silence, her expression changed drastically. Forgetting her grand plan to overthrow the Luofu and even the mental shock this temporary body would cause the people aboard the starship, she unhesitatingly abandoned her beautiful fox-woman body and frantically detached herself from it.

A wisp of spiritual fire shot out from the fox-woman's forehead.

After leaving the temporary body, the spiritual fire rushed toward the bottom of the Ambrosial Arbor as though in a hurry to be reborn. If she could reveal her true form at this moment, she would most likely be drenched in sweat.

Although she couldn't understand the principles involved, and although she was unwilling to believe that the magnificent feat of Abundance could lose so inexplicably, no matter how unwilling she was to face the facts before her, this spirit fire, which clearly possessed intelligence, could see at a glance that the defeat of the Ambrosial Arbor was a foregone conclusion.

The plan to use that indestructible—bah, that damned indestructible thing—to create a body had clearly failed completely.

But at least the Stellaron that's now integrated with the Ambrosial Arbor couldn't simply fall into the Luofu's hands!

With this thought in mind, the spirit fire gritted her teeth and accelerated toward the root of the Ambrosial Arbor.

The anomaly caused by the Ambrosial Arbor's revival permeated almost every cavern within the Luofu. The Divination Commission, Artisanship Commission, Alchemy Commission...

In the instant the Ambrosial Arbor revived, some were astonished, some were shocked, and some immediately organized various measures to deal with the anomaly. But one group immediately revealed expressions of ecstatic joy.

They were the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, those who had obtained the power of immortality. They attempted to use the power of the Ambrosial Arbor to overthrow the Xianzhou and completely restore the ancient system... and then tragedy struck them all.

The moment she burst into the Alchemy Commission, the spirit fire glanced down and, predictably, witnessed the incompetent Disciples of Sanctus Medicus suffering one mental breakdown after another as they watched the Ambrosial Arbor rapidly wither. Deep within her consciousness, she scoffed disdainfully.

But soon, the spirit fire became the one suffering a mental breakdown.

"No! No! No! How could this be?!???"

Within the Scalegorge Waterscape that sealed the Ambrosial Arbor's mystic root, the spirit fire stared at the now completely deformed mystic root, jumping up and down in despair, crying and screaming.

"Where's the Stellaron?! Where's the Stellaron I went through so much trouble to integrate into the Ambrosial Arbor?!?!"

Leaving aside the Lord Ravager, who was nearly crying in the mysterious, mist-filled space, on the other side, at the Divination Commission, all sorts of computing machines were transmitting tens of millions of data points to the usually deserted instruction hall amid a deafening roar. The petite Grand Diviner was leading dozens of diviners, working there with their brows slick with sweat.

Kafka had already slipped away in the chaos, and Jingyuan's virtual projection, after staring blankly at the withered Ambrosial Arbor for a few minutes, hurriedly vanished, clearly returning to his main body to prepare for the aftermath.

Now, Fu Xuan was the only remaining de facto leader of the Divination Commission.

"The Alchemy Commission's Disciples of Sanctus Medicus are currently being supported by the Cloud Knight forces, but they are suffering heavy losses. According to the divination, the Merciful Medicus will completely fall into demonic darkness within minutes!" someone shouted.

"Immediately notify the General! Have him send more men to support the Alchemy Commission!" Fu Xuan replied rapidly.

"Scalegorge Waterscape has completely lost the aura of the Ambrosial Arbor! As for the Vidyadhara Preceptors..." a diviner said hesitantly.

"Leave it alone. They still have at least thirty-seven hours to fully ascertain the condition of the Ambrosial Arbor. That's more than enough time for the Seat of Divine Foresight to formulate a countermeasure! If Jingyuan comes knocking again asking for advice... just... just tell him I'm not here!" Fu Xuan wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Report! The Matrix of Prescience has detected a Heliobus intrusion into the Ambrosial Arbor!" a diviner shouted.

Fu Xuan's eyes widened in fury. "Why did we run into a Heliobus invasion so soon after opening observation access to the Scalegorge Waterscape?! Could it be that the Demon-Suppressing Tower in Fyxstroll Garden exploded? Allow me to perform a divination... nothing seems to have happened there!"

"No. According to the data comparison results from the Matrix of Prescience, that Heliobus... seems to have a 992% match with Lord Ravager Phantylia of the Antimatter Legion..." the diviner said, his legs trembling and his pupils filled with astonishment and disbelief as he stared at the jade tablet.

Fu Xuan nearly coughed up blood. "Destruction! Destruction! Destruction—Lord Ravager??? Are you sure the divination result isn't wrong???"

"I'd rather the Matrix of Prescience's divination were wrong..." the diviner said, his face contorted with despair.

Fu Xuan covered her face. "A Lord Ravager has appeared in the Scalegorge Waterscape... a Lord Ravager has appeared in the Scalegorge Waterscape... Let me figure out what's going on... no, give me a second to figure it out! (Xianzhou profanity) It's too late! First, report this to the Ten-Lords Commission and the Seat of Divine Foresight!!! No matter what! Tell them to send people! Send people! Before that damned Heliobus, who is suspected to be Lord Ravager, escapes!!!"

Just then, a huge tremor suddenly came from beneath everyone's feet. It intensified within seconds, abruptly interrupting Fu Xuan's roar. Terrifying cracks instantly spread across the floor of the instruction hall.

Her expression changed, and she hurriedly steadied herself.

"What happened now?!"

"This time, nothing unusual happened... it's just..." The diviner, who was calculating the various data indicators of the grotto, wiped away cold sweat, his face filled with despair. "It's just... after the Ambrosial Arbor completely disappeared, many of the anti-gravity devices originally built on it... seem insufficient to support the weight of those buildings. It seems many places have already begun to collapse... um, according to the divination, the instruction hall beneath our feet can probably only hold for about twenty-eight minutes... um, twenty-seven minutes."

"Huh???" Fu Xuan's mind went blank. "It's starting to collapse? The extent of the damage? Artisanship Commission! Notify the Artisanship Commission! Have them send people to repair it immediately!"

"The collapse on the Artisanship Commission's side is the most severe. If the buildings contained in that grotto didn't belong to the Artisanship Commission, they would probably have already been completely destroyed." The diviner smiled bitterly.

"I said, five minutes have already passed. Can you please let me leave? I'm in a hurry to get more stock. It's almost five o'clock at my store." The Store Manager picked at his ear.

If it were anyone else making sarcastic remarks, Fu Xuan would likely have immediately erupted in anger and told them to shut up. But the one speaking was the Store Manager. Although it was Stelle, wielding a lance, who had completely destroyed the Ambrosial Arbor, the Luofu had always been extremely wary of him. She hadn't forgotten that the lance which instantly killed the Ambrosial Arbor was a gift from the Store Manager.

Therefore, despite a thousand grievances deep inside, Fu Xuan took several deep breaths and desperately suppressed the urge to roar aloud.

She gave a wry smile, a hint of weariness in her eyes.

"I apologize for taking up your time. I appreciate your contributions to the Luofu, but as you can see, the impact of the Ambrosial Arbor's complete disappearance is not something that can be resolved overnight. Of course, you have already helped the Luofu a great deal, and I will not ask you to do anything more. I have already conveyed your situation to the Palace of the Star-Gazer, and the Sky-Faring Commission will immediately provide you with a list of chambers of commerce that meet your store's supply requirements."

"The Sky-Faring Commission..." Welt Yang glanced at the cracked floor and pondered for a moment. "What are you planning to do?"

The Store Manager looked surprised.

"You ask me what I'm going to do? I only came to the Luofu to obtain some identification to facilitate the operation of my coffee shop. I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce your wife to you."

"Pfft—!!!!" Dr. Tesla immediately spat out. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-wife???!"

Even Kiana and Fu Hua were dumbfounded. Although they knew Dr. Tesla and had a basic understanding of Welt Yang, in their minds the two still had only a purely platonic superior-subordinate relationship.

Wait... come to think of it, this Welt Yang didn't seem to be from their world, right?

That didn't seem quite right either. It should be said that this Welt Yang wasn't the individual they knew, but he was certainly a future version of that individual.

So... these two got together sometime in the future?

Wait! Wait a minute! If these two got together in the future, then why was Welt Yang still running around with a bunch of young people?!

Dr. Tesla clearly realized this problem as well, her death stare instantly locking onto Welt Yang's face.

Welt Yang was drenched in sweat.

---

Chapter 133: Dan Heng: I Feel Like I've Missed SomethingOften, whether one is right or wrong, and whether one feels guilty, are not strictly causally related.Take Welt Yang, for example, at this very moment.Why did Welt Yang come into this world? Because of an accident—an uncontrollable force beyond anyone's control.After arriving in this world, why doesn't Welt Yang look for a way home? Because he can't find it.Therefore, from these two perspectives, Welt Yang can only be considered an innocent victim. His inability to return to his own world is purely out of helplessness; the situation is not the result of his intentions.So, the question arises.Does Welt Yang feel guilty at this moment?Of course he does.He feels so guilty that his entire back is soaked with sweat.Strictly speaking, the Dr. Tesla brought to Xianzhou Luofu by the Store Manager wasn't actually a family member. Even so, by that point, Welt Yang had already forged a deep connection with Dr. Tesla.Just as he couldn't possibly consider Raiden Tesla from 2013 a complete stranger, Welt Yang knew perfectly well that, in Dr. Tesla's eyes, he—the "Welt Yang" from the future—couldn't possibly be seen as a complete stranger.In this respect, Welt Yang was no different from Dr. Tesla.That being said, Welt Yang's interrogation did not immediately begin.Although Welt Yang was sweating profusely with guilt, and although Dr. Tesla, sensing something was amiss, revealed a chilling gaze, although both the Astral Express crew and those accompanying the Store Manager initially adopted the attitude of spectators, the outsiders who had arrived in Xianzhou Luofu for various reasons quickly abandoned their plans to continue their antics under the piercing gaze of the Grand Diviner, who was working like a dog.After all, discussing such family matters in someone else's crumbling home was rather inconsiderate.However, despite the initial bewilderment and panic, both the diviners frantically working in the Divination Commission and the Grand Diviner, who had nearly jumped in shock at the Lord Ravager's news, quickly regained their composure.The sudden withering and complete disappearance of the Ambrosial Arbors, which had always been scattered throughout the Luofu, undoubtedly had a significant impact.However, frankly, for Xianzhou Luofu, it was at most a pressing problem, far from insurmountable and certainly not an imminent disaster.Even if the Divination Commission were to collapse as a result, it would not be a major issue. The people of the Xianzhou were naturally long-lived, and the Artisanship Commission's industrial and construction technology ranked among the best in the entire galaxy.As long as casualties were kept under control and the core Jade Abacus was protected, even if the Divination Commission did collapse because of the sudden disappearance of the Ambrosial Arbors, Xianzhou Luofu's technological level meant rebuilding it would likely take only a few months.For long-lived beings, a few months were merely the blink of an eye.Moreover, the various grotto-heavens were not unprepared for such a situation.While the Luofu's martial culture was not quite at the point where everyone was a soldier, and its galactic navigation was not as aggressive as the Yaoqing's, it was still one of The Hunt's vanguards and was practically always in a state of mobilization, ready for war at any moment. The Six Commissions' emergency response was undeniably swift. Starskiffs filled the skies, and all sorts of ingenious creations were immediately activated. Although property damage was inevitable, once the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus in the Alchemy Commission were captured by the Cloud Knights, all that remained was post-disaster reconstruction."I'll go find the Sky-Faring Commission's director to get the merchant guild list. What are your plans now? Are you going back to the Astral Express, or are you coming to my shop for dinner or something?" the Store Manager asked."I'll ask Dan Heng first," Stelle spoke in her usual flat tone.She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen twice.Galactic Baseballer: Still alive?Dan Heng (Contact me for Archive-related information): ?Dan Heng (Contact me for Archive-related information): I see you.Dan Heng (Contact me for Archive-related information): You actually destroyed the Ambrosial Arbor? How did you do that?Galactic Baseballer: Handsome, right? It's a gift from my adoptive father.Dan Heng (Contact me for Archive-related information): ...Dan Heng (Contact me for Archive-related information): Definitely handsome.Dan Heng (Contact me for Archive-related information): Putting that aside, how's the situation on your end? Has Blade contacted you?Galactic Baseballer: Why would he contact us?Dan Heng (Contact me for Archive-related information): ...I'll just pretend you didn't see him.The aloof young man from the Artisanship Commission surveyed his surroundings. After being revitalized by the Stellaron, the Ambrosial Arbor seemed to possess self-awareness, expanding wildly and extending its roots toward several of Xianzhou Luofu's energy cores. Among them, the Artisanship Commission's Creation Furnace was the most attractive.Therefore, aside from Scalegorge Waterscape, where the Ambrosial Arbor's mystic root resided, and the Alchemy Commission, located within the same grotto-heaven, the area most extensively encroached upon by the Ambrosial Arbor was the Artisanship Commission.Naturally, the moment the Ambrosial Arbor suddenly withered and collapsed, the Artisanship Commission, whose buildings had been devastated by the rampant Ambrosial Arbor corruption—which had destroyed nearly 70% of its structures—became the most severely affected area. Bridges suspended in midair collapsed one after another, while the short-range teleportation device, the Mirror Screen, completely ceased functioning because the Creation Furnace had lost power.At that moment, only the constantly moving Starskiffs had enough capacity to transport personnel to repair the Artisanship Commission.The Cloud Knights who had come to provide support hurried past the young man. He hesitated for a moment before immediately running in the opposite direction of their route.At this point, no Cloud Knight would pay special attention to the whereabouts of a civilian. At most, they would remind them to be careful as they passed. The young man nodded perfunctorily in response while rapidly sending messages on his phone.Dan Heng (Contact me for Archive-related information): Our Starskiff veered off course and is now at the Artisanship Commission. The Cloud Knights traveling with us have been temporarily requisitioned. They probably won't have time to pay attention to me right now. Where are you? Send me your coordinates. I'll find a Starskiff and try to rendezvous with you.Galactic Baseballer: You can fly a Starskiff?Dan Heng (Contact me for Archive-related information): I haven't systematically studied it, but I'm not completely clueless.Galactic Baseballer: Forget it. Just send me your coordinates.Dan Heng (Contact me for Archive-related information): It's very chaotic here at the Artisanship Commission right now. Many Cloud Knights are using Starskiffs to rush over. You guys shouldn't come here yet, right?Galactic Baseballer: I'll have someone open a portal for you.Dan Heng (Contact me for Archive-related information): ?Galactic Baseballer: Remember that coffee shop we went to not long ago? The Store Manager opened a door to the Luofu.Galactic Baseballer: The Store Manager said he hired a staff member who can open spatial doors. Since you haven't learned how to operate Starskiff, why not let her practice her spatial abilities?Dan Heng (Contact me for Archive-related information): ...Dan Heng (Contact me for Archive-related information): Just a moment.The young man paused, quickly glanced around, then found a secluded alley where no one would notice him and quietly slipped inside.Dan Heng shared his location coordinates with you.Stelle held up her phone, showing Kiana the information displayed on the screen.Kiana hesitated for a moment before asking somewhat nervously, "Are you sure it's okay?""Don't worry. The Cocoon's touch can't reach here," the Store Manager said with a casual wave. "Everything has an easy beginning and difficult challenges later. For someone with a Herrscher Core like you, using the power of the Void has never been difficult. The harder part is suppressing the Herrscher Core's corruption of your body. However, this isn't an area controlled by the Cocoon. The Will of Honkai can't influence this place, and the Honkai Energy within you won't possess the same level of agency it has on Earth. While it isn't entirely harmless, for someone with Kaslana blood, adapting to Honkai Energy unaffected by the Will of Honkai is definitely possible.""Even if you do lose control, we can use it as training material for Stelle while she repairs your body," the Store Manager said with a smile. "See? Killing two birds with one stone."Stelle gripped the handle of the Black Abyss White Flower, her face full of eager anticipation."Just in case, let me ask you something first..." Kiana cautiously raised her hand. "When she heals people with the Black Abyss White Flower... does she stab them with it?""How did you know?" Stelle asked, her face filled with surprise."Who wouldn't notice when you pointed the spear at my chest like that?!" Kiana shouted. "I'll die! I'll definitely be stabbed to death before my body is healed!""No way. I've stabbed countless Cloud Knight soldiers who were infected with Mara along the way, and none of them died immediately."Welt Yang supported his forehead."I don't think you should compare Xianzhou people blessed by the power of Abundance to ordinary people..."Fu Xuan, already sweating profusely while handling countless matters, felt the sweat on her back grow even heavier.Her eyebrows twitched, and her expression became numb.Had that Trailblazer just casually said something she absolutely couldn't ignore?"Anyway... anyway, I'll try it. No problem. You... you... don't point that thing at my chest. I'm not that durable," Kiana said with a trembling voice."Alright," Stelle said regretfully, putting away the Black Abyss White Flower.Kiana wiped away a cold sweat, thought for a moment, and closed her eyes.As a faint tingling sensation spread throughout her body, the world suddenly changed in her perception. A massive amount of information and countless parameters flooded into her mind.This wasn't the first time she had actively used the power to directly interfere with space, but compared to the past—when she constantly had to worry about her body collapsing or her consciousness being seized by the Herrscher's will—this was the first time she could fully embrace that power.She suddenly understood why Sirin had always regarded herself as a divine messenger.This truly was a power that belonged only to gods.Space itself had become a canvas in her hands, one she could manipulate at will.Yet she couldn't help chuckling inwardly because she suddenly realized that there were countless places on that canvas she could never reach.Xianzhou Luofu, the starship that had carried civilization beyond its infancy, possessed spatial technology that had already reached a realm Kiana could not comprehend.Is this the divine messenger Sirin was always so proud of? Kiana couldn't help thinking.She suddenly understood why the Store Manager had brought her to this civilization that had long since outgrown its childhood.Just as the Store Manager had said, as people's horizons broadened and their experiences accumulated, they naturally realized that many problems that once seemed insurmountable were not nearly as impossible as they had believed.Following the coordinates displayed on Stelle's phone, she made her way there. Eventually, she located the aloof young man hiding in a secluded alley and used her powers to connect the two spaces.A deep crack slowly opened before everyone's eyes, and the aloof young man cautiously peeked through it.His cold expression visibly softened the moment he saw the Astral Express crew.He looked at the Store Manager, then at the excited Kiana and Fu Hua floating in midair. A hint of surprise flashed across his face, but he ultimately asked nothing and simply turned back to the Store Manager with a nod."Thank you for your trouble.""It's nothing. I'm happy to have someone willing to serve as practice for my employee," the Store Manager said with a chuckle, shaking his head. "But you really dared to walk into a spatial rift opened by someone else? Aren't you afraid of being teleported somewhere strange?"Dan Heng fell silent for a moment before turning his gaze toward his senior on the Astral Express, Welt Yang.Old Yang coughed lightly."Anyway, it's good that everyone's together. Reviving the Ambrosial Arbor has probably exhausted most of the Stellaron's power. The Luofu can make other preparations regarding the Stellaron, so let's head back for now—""Hmm?" Dr. Tesla made a warning sound through her nose."Cough, cough, cough—!!"Welt Yang coughed several times, looking utterly disheveled, before saying with feigned composure, "So, let's go to the Store Manager's coffee shop for a celebration party. My treat.""Yay! Uncle Yang is treating!" March 7th jumped up and down happily.Dan Heng fell silent for a moment.Although he felt it was a little odd to attend a celebration party without having done anything since arriving at the Luofu, he also considered what might happen if that bastard Blade came knocking again. In the end, he calmly nodded."I have no objection."Stelle turned her gaze toward Kiana, her intentions obvious.Just as Kiana rubbed her hands together in preparation to open another portal, a somewhat urgent voice suddenly rang out."Wait, everyone."The voice came from Jing Yuan's virtual projection.He smiled broadly, glancing around at everyone before letting his gaze linger on Dan Heng, whose expression had become somewhat unpleasant. His smile deepened."The fact that such a dramatic turn of events could be resolved so smoothly is largely thanks to the efforts of all you distinguished guests of the Xianzhou. Before you leave the Luofu, would you be willing to visit my Seat of Divine Foresight? I have a few gifts I'd like to present to some of our esteemed guests from the Astral Express and the coffee shop."March 7th muttered under her breath, "A gift? Has he finally had a change of heart and decided to compensate us for all the hard work we've done along the way?""You just need to guarantee that my café will be able to operate normally in the Luofu. As for other gifts or anything like that, I don't really need them," the Store Manager said, waving his hand. "If you absolutely have to give me something, you can just send my share to the Astral Express.""This..." Jing Yuan's expression froze for a moment before he laughed heartily. "Sure, of course! Store Manager, you're quite a character. It seems that after this matter is over, I, the General, will have to patronize your business quite a bit.""You're welcome to patronize my café," the Store Manager replied with a smile. "Of course, if you have any requests and want to use my staff... the General should understand, right?""Of course I know the rules of the transaction, Store Manager. Please rest assured," Jing Yuan said with a smile. "As the General of the Luofu, I'm not so confused that I can't distinguish the positions of both sides."Currently, the Luofu was seeking help from the Store Manager of this café. However, for this café, which could travel between different worlds, the Xianzhou Luofu was not an indispensable destination. Therefore, under these circumstances, Jing Yuan could only seek the other party's help within a scope acceptable to both sides and absolutely could not resort to any forceful means against this café."Good. As long as you know the rules, go back to your work." The Store Manager waved his hand before turning his gaze toward the Astral Express crew with a smile."If you're going to my store, I'll have Kiana give you a ride. Tesla, could you keep an eye on these Astral Express customers for me?""Ah, of course. No problem. I'll make sure to keep a very close eye on this senior member of the Astral Express crew." Tesla's face lit up with a bright smile."You agree, right, Joachim?""...Yes, of course," Welt Yang replied with a sheepish chuckle.

-----

Chapter 134: Bronya's Heavy BurdenFor each world, existing in different times and regions, this turbulent night was destined to be a sleepless one.Leaving aside the Xianzhou Luofu, which had been thrown into chaos within less than twenty-four system hours by the resurgence of the Stellaron, the Stellaron Hunters, the Ambrosial Arbor, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, and the inexplicably infiltrated Lord Ravager, causing turmoil throughout the Six Commissions and most of the grotto-heavens, a similar sense of panic and unease, though stemming from different causes, was rapidly spreading across various organizations on Earth in different parallel universes.In 2013, at Schicksal headquarters, Otto, who had been complaining about how incredibly boring the world had been just a day earlier, now stared intently at Schicksal's Valkyrie roster.Looking at the two S-rank Valkyries marked as "out of contact"—Theresa and K423—he felt a chill run down his spine.Four hours had passed since the people he had been closely monitoring completely disappeared, yet Otto still hadn't taken any effective countermeasures.It was hard to imagine that someone as meticulous as him would sit idly by and watch the situation spiral out of control for four whole hours after such a drastic turn of events. However, it was undeniable that from the moment Durandal suddenly became Spartan, the situation had become something Otto couldn't easily change.The missing S-rank Valkyrie and Herrscher prototype, a café that seemed to house clones of Theresa and Rita, and according to Rita, that café even controlled the powers of the Herrscher of the Void and the Herrscher of Thunder... A strong sense of crisis and an ominous premonition rapidly spread through Otto's mind. Since becoming Overseer of Schicksal, this was probably the first time he had encountered such a difficult situation, even more challenging than facing the first Herrscher of Reason decades ago, because this time he had even lost the possibility of Schicksal directly overturning the chessboard.Having pinned his hopes for Kallen's resurrection on the Herrscher of the Void, he couldn't possibly accept the possibility of the Herrscher's physical body suffering even the slightest mishap.Should he go to Nagazora City himself? Otto wondered. However, he quickly rejected the idea, choosing instead to remain at Schicksal headquarters and continue his imprisonment.He was gambling—gambling that the café, which was completely outside his control, wouldn't affect Durandal's and Rita's loyalty to Schicksal; gambling that the café wouldn't significantly impact his subsequent plans; and gambling that, if he were lucky enough to use the café's power to allow K423 to gain control of the Herrscher's authority in a way that wasn't part of Sirin's plan, it would be a tremendous boon for him.The same panic and chaos occurred at Schicksal headquarters in early 2017 and mid-2018.The reason for the chaos at Schicksal headquarters in early 2017 was self-evident. Any organization, after the disappearance of most of its top leaders, would likely descend into uncontrollable panic. Amber, sweating profusely, rushed frantically through the various departments of the floating island. If Amber hadn't been so unwaveringly loyal to Otto, any ordinary employee in her position would probably have been internally cursing him for his sudden disappearance over the past several hours.Compared to Schicksal in 2013, which panicked but chose to remain inactive, and Schicksal in 2017, which was likewise trapped in futile chaos, the atmosphere at Schicksal headquarters in mid-2018, while somewhat tense, wasn't as chaotic as those two Schicksal headquarters from different timelines.In the spacious conference room, Overseer Theresa, her petite figure suspended at the far end of the conference table, looked utterly troubled."So, after finding Fu Hua and Seele, that former World Serpent executive, Misteln, has mysteriously disappeared again?"There were ten people present in total. One group consisted of Bronya and Raiden Mei, who had completed the "Seele Search Operation," along with the two Seeles—one black and one white—who had been rescued from the Sea of Quanta, and the Herrscher of Sentience. On the other side were Fu Hua, with whom they had only recently re-established contact, and Griseo, who was temporarily residing outside Earth. Facing Theresa were Kiana and the semi-transparent projection of Prometheus, who was located on the moon.Except for Theresa herself, all the attendees appeared at the conference table through long-distance virtual projections provided by Su."Please allow me to correct Your Excellency's wording. Misteln entered that strange space voluntarily. Therefore, her disappearance is far from 'mysterious'; it can only be described as 'expected,'" Prometheus' virtual projection said expressionlessly. "Furthermore, I feel I need to remind you that, strictly speaking, Misteln is not an employee of your Schicksal, and none of you need to bear any unnecessary responsibility for the consequences of her personal choices."The petite Overseer rubbed her temples and sighed wearily."...She's a special individual born from Stigmata, after all. In today's world, besides Schicksal, that woman probably has nowhere else to go. We can't just leave her stranded in the Sea of Quanta.""Hmph, I think that since that girl, like the Herrscher of Sentience, loves to court death, we should just let her be," Black Seele chuckled dismissively, waving her hand. "A so-called 'Rationale' shouldn't just casually perish in a place like the Sea of Quanta, right? That would be too laughable."The Herrscher of Sentience, who had been inexplicably dragged into the conversation, widened her eyes in annoyance."Hey! You trying to cause trouble, huh? I was just thinking your personality might have improved a bit, but you're still as annoying as ever!""It's better than that Herrscher who cried and screamed after finding out Fu Hua had suddenly disappeared," Black Seele chuckled. "Oh, I forgot. You didn't cry and scream. You just almost overturned the entire floating island of Schicksal after you were tricked back to Earth.""You—!!"Overseer Theresa covered her face wearily. Fortunately, everyone else in the meeting room was only a virtual projection.Otherwise, if another fight broke out, the newly repaired meeting room would once again place an undue burden on Schicksal's finances."Speaking of... that strange space..." Seele hesitated for a moment, a bright blush suddenly rising to her fair face. "Could it be the café where Seele and I were taken when we first entered the Sea of Quanta?""Huh?"Everyone in the meeting room gasped in unison. Black Seele and Bronya, seeing Seele's flushed face, felt a sudden jolt in their hearts."I'm sorry. I haven't had a chance to tell you all yet. The moment Hare captured us and took us to the Sea of Quanta, Seele and I were both pulled into a coffee shop by an invisible force." Seele carefully chose her words. "And I suddenly remembered that the coffee shop... seems to have done the same thing to me during the time when World Serpent launched Project Stigma. At the time, I thought it was also part of World Serpent's plan, but I didn't encounter anything similar for a long time afterward, so I never mentioned it to anyone after Project Stigma ended.""That café that inexplicably took us away?" Black Seele frowned. Probably because she recalled the terrifying power she had felt from the red-haired boy in that café. For the first time ever, Black Seele, who dared to casually confront even the Herrscher of Sentience, couldn't help but shudder, her face instantly turning grim."If it was that guy who's even more dangerous than 'Sa'... could it be that Misteln is also...""Wait, what do you mean, a guy who's even more dangerous than 'Sa'?!" The petite Overseer, completely unaware of what was going on, couldn't help but widen her eyes."Is it that red-haired boy?" Kiana suddenly asked, her expression turning serious."Yes, red hair, golden eyes, a very young-looking boy," Black Seele nodded, still shaken. "And... I don't know if it's because that guy is somehow controlling the Sea of Quanta, but I can sense that, for me, who uses the Armor as my power source, that guy is practically an insurmountable nemesis.""Your feeling is correct," Fu Hua nodded calmly. "According to the information Su gave me earlier, in the strange space Misteln went to, there is a transcendent being who has unified the order of the Sea of Quanta. For you two Seeles, whose power source is the Sea of Quanta, that person is indeed an insurmountable nemesis.""And even ignoring that, in terms of sheer power, he's someone we, at this stage, would find extremely difficult to contend with," Kiana continued. "Just before 'Sa' opened the entrance to the Sea of Quanta and prepared to escape the real world, I sensed a very powerful force emanating from that entrance. I initially thought that force belonged to 'Sa's' true form, so when I attacked, I unleashed the maximum output I could draw from the 'cocoon.' Ultimately, it didn't cause him any damage whatsoever; he easily blocked it.""Because of the distance, I couldn't clearly see his face, but judging from the way he cursed at me afterward... uh, the way he complained about me, he did seem like a young boy." As she spoke, Kiana couldn't help scratching her head, feeling a little guilty."Wait!" Theresa was stunned. She was the Overseer of Schicksal, the one presiding over this emergency operational meeting, yet for a moment, she had the strange feeling that she was the only one excluded from it."What do you mean, something more dangerous than 'Sa'?! There's something like that in the Sea of Quanta?! Kiana! Why didn't you report such a dangerous being to me?!""I was reporting it, wasn't I? I only encountered it a short while ago," Kiana said, sounding a little aggrieved."Actually, calling him dangerous is a somewhat biased view," Fu Hua hesitated for a moment. "Based on what Su observed, the being who unified the Sea of Quanta is generally friendly toward the Original World, and unlike Sa, he doesn't endlessly drain the power of the World Bubble.""Is that so? Then there's no problem." The Herrscher of Sentience waved her hand dismissively. "With Su's kind-hearted nature, if he says it's alright, then it's definitely alright. Tch, let's move on. I thought I finally had a chance to show off my power.""That's what I thought too," Seele said softly. "After gaining the power of a Herrscher, Diana took me to that café. The Store Manager didn't give me any trouble because I had drawn power from him. Instead, he gave me a suit of armor that allowed me to control Herrscher powers more flexibly as a gift.""Wait, that outfit was given to you by that boy?" Black Seele paused, then her face darkened. "How did he know your size?"Bronya looked at Seele suspiciously."Can we please not bring up this kind of thing at a time like this?!" Seele's face flushed instantly, her voice barely audible. "And moreover, my powers were only able to materialize by borrowing the rules established by that Store Manager in the Sea of Quanta. Things like body data..."Seeing the atmosphere in the meeting room spiraling out of control in a strange direction, Raiden Mei sighed and helplessly steered the conversation back on track."I also trust Su's judgment, but regardless, now that we know there's such a person in the Sea of Quanta, it is both morally and logically best for us to establish a relationship with him as soon as possible.""Bronya agrees." Bronya withdrew her gaze from Seele and nodded expressionlessly, seemingly lost in thought. "Since he helped Seele, that's equivalent to helping Bronya as well. Bronya thinks we should properly express our gratitude to that Store Manager."Her slightly childlike voice sounded rather strained."Uh..." Bronya's eager expression made Fu Hua hesitate slightly. Her usually serene and aloof face now held an unusual look of hesitation."Well, such an important matter... I think it's best to consider it carefully...""Oh dear, consider it carefully? You Old Timer, you're really getting more and more outdated!" the Herrscher of Sentience said meaningfully. "Even someone like Su said that person's attitude toward the Original World is friendly. And that's Su, the kind old man! You haven't even forgotten Su's memories, have you?""Relax~ Even if that guy really is a bad person, there are so many of us, and Kiana is here too. Are we afraid of him?"---

-----

Chapter 135 The Uninvited Guest

"..."

But Su didn't tell you that the Store Manager and everyone's counterparts have an ambiguous relationship!

Fu Hua wanted to cover her face.

She was, after all, a dignified Jingwei. Although her straightforward personality made her less adept at quick thinking, even with her lack of adaptability, she had accumulated enough experience to handle unusual situations after experiencing so many things.

In most cases, what might seem like a completely new emergency to an ordinary person was, in Fu Hua's eyes, just a routine situation she had encountered many times before.

A dignified Jingwei—what kind of grand scenes hadn't she witnessed?

She had experienced unparalleled despair as well as hope after despair. She had experienced beautiful encounters and friendships along with the pain of parting.

After living such a magnificent and turbulent life, her character should have been as steadfast as a mountain. No matter how bizarre the situation was, it should never have caused her ancient and unwavering heart to waver in the slightest.

But... damn it! How could she possibly tell everyone the truth about that strange being Su had mentioned? Should she simply tell them that their future and past might have been erased by that guy?

Fu Hua truly had a headache. For someone as rigid as she was, agonizing over this was worse than anything else. She would rather be like Durandal and fight a million Honkai Beasts to the death.

In fact, Fu Hua wasn't the only one in the conference room struggling with how to approach the person Seele called the "Store Manager."

Besides her, Kiana, who had caused quite a bit of trouble for that café, also looked somewhat embarrassed.

Compared to Fu Hua, who was good at keeping things to herself and could maintain a calm, detached expression even when she was internally mortified, Kiana's feelings were far more obvious.

Therefore, the instant Kiana's expression changed, everyone in the conference room instinctively turned their gaze toward her.

"What's wrong, Kiana?" Mei asked softly.

"Well, um..." Kiana stammered. "Didn't I mention before? When Misteln asked me to snipe 'Sa,' I mistook the power emanating from the Store Manager for 'Sa's' true form, so... I accidentally used the Cocoon's maximum output... and unleashed a rather... rather powerful attack on him. Although he successfully blocked it... I think I accidentally made him quite angry..."

"Heh heh..." Kiana let out a forced laugh tinged with guilt. She then lightly tapped her forehead with her knuckles, and a five-pointed star popped out with a thud.

"..."

A hush fell over the conference room, and an awkward atmosphere quickly filled the air.

To be fair, after the events of the Twin World Bubble and Phosphorus, and after everyone had completed the intelligence exchange, probably none of the attendees believed Kiana had made a mistake by firing her Finality attack.

Simply put, she had merely followed the plan devised by Misteln and Prometheus, delivering a precise strike to the designated coordinates within the predetermined timeframe.

However, if that shot had affected others besides the intended target, that would have been a different story.

At the very least, after Kiana admitted she had "accidentally made him very angry," none of the attendees felt that the Store Manager's anger toward her was unreasonable.

The reason they were Valkyries was that, despite possessing power surpassing that of most ordinary people, they held themselves to moral standards far higher than those of ordinary people and restrained themselves from abusing that power. Therefore, after learning that Kiana's Finality attack had affected innocent people, even if they didn't believe she had actually done anything wrong, the attendees still felt a sense of guilt toward the Store Manager.

Fortunately, the Store Manager possessed enough power to withstand Kiana's full-force attack. Otherwise, if innocent people had been killed by that Finality strike, Kiana herself would likely have been consumed by guilt for a very long time, unable to sleep at night.

The awkward atmosphere lingered for a moment before the petite and youthful Overseer coughed and spoke, "Anyway, it's good that nothing more serious happened. Kiana, can you confirm the coordinates of that café in the Sea of Quanta? I'll prepare some gifts and apologize to the Store Manager on your behalf later."

"If you want to go to that café, I can help." Before Kiana could answer, Seele raised her hand. "Because it conforms to the rules of the Sea of Quanta, the café's actual position within the Sea of Quanta is very similar to the Cocoon. Its location exists in a space that is quite special even within the Sea of Quanta, so it's difficult for us to reach it through normal means. However, as long as Diana is here, I can visit that café by following its connection to the main body."

Just as the essence of a Herrscher Core is a projection of the Cocoon in Imaginary Space onto the real world, the spirit deer Diana and the flower fairy Flora, as manifestations of power that obey Seele's commands, are also projections of the Store Manager—or rather, of the rules created by the Store Manager.

Therefore, as long as Seele wished to, she could travel to that café, which belonged to no real world, anytime and anywhere through this unique connection.

In a sense, this was probably a form of care from "parents" toward their "daughter."

Although Seele still found it difficult to regard the Store Manager of that café as her father, and the Store Manager himself also was unable to accept the fact that the Sea of Quanta had somehow given birth to his child in such a short time, Seele herself held no hostility toward him and did not reject the special privileges granted to her.

"Then I'll trouble you, Seele," the petite Overseer nodded. "Kiana, record an apology video. I'll prepare some gifts and personally visit the café tomorrow to apologize to the Store Manager."

"Okay~" Kiana nodded with an awkward smile.

"I'm going too!" Black Seele quickly raised her hand. "Seele, before you and Theresa go to that café, let me know so I can return to your body."

"Don't worry so much." Seele smiled faintly. "The Store Manager is a very nice person. I think as long as we visit sincerely, he'll definitely forgive Kiana."

"..."

Black Seele was momentarily speechless.

Deep down, she didn't really think the strange café's Store Manager would harm Seele. Given the power he possessed, if he had intended to hurt Seele, he probably would have done so when he captured both of them last time. There was no reason to wait until now.

But for some reason, looking at Seele's bright smile, Black Seele felt a strange sense of unease and melancholy.

It was as though something important that should have belonged to her was about to be taken away.

Leaving aside the various situations in the real world, on the other side, at the Hyperion Café...

Having finished stocking supplies, the Store Manager stood blankly in front of his café.

The Xianzhou Luofu worked very efficiently, and the captain of the Sky-Faring Commission was a foxian woman with a remarkably decisive style. Although she was puzzled and displeased at being suddenly assigned the strange task of compiling a directory of merchant guilds by the General at such a critical moment, she politely handed the completed directory to the distinguished guests after learning that they had played a major role in defeating the Ambrosial Arbor and had become powerful allies of the Xianzhou.

Everything that followed proceeded smoothly. Although the Store Manager didn't possess Xianzhou Luofu identification, he had already registered a company-recognized credit account through the Belobog guild when he opened the café there.

Furthermore, the Xianzhou Luofu had rewarded him with a considerable amount of Strales for helping defeat the Ambrosial Arbor.

Therefore, after obtaining the list of merchant guilds, he had Kiana perform several spatial jumps, allowing her to become more accustomed to using her powers while procuring goods from the various guilds.

The procurement process went smoothly. In this era of Stelle, the merchant guilds had already mastered advanced spatial folding technology for storing goods. As a result, even this unexpected development did not cause any shortages within the Xianzhou Luofu.

However, after completing the procurement and returning to the café, the Store Manager was stunned by the scene inside the lobby.

Unlike Theresa, who was always slacking off, the Headmistress from the same world as the magical girls was an extremely serious person, so she was naturally very busy. Although she had planned to visit the café that evening, where one of her important students worked, she found it difficult to leave the Magic Academy before finishing her duties for the day. In fact, the Store Manager had never personally met this gentle and admirable Headmistress because, by the time he met Sirin, that world's situation had already become extremely dangerous.

At the same time that magical girls such as Sirin, Theresa, Brolo, and Vollerei risked their lives fighting the Dark Lord, the Headmistress of the Magic Academy was also struggling in her own way.

The Dark Lord of that world was a rule that the lifeforms within the World Bubble could scarcely defy. To oppose that rule, the highly skilled Headmistress created another rule that minimized casualties—the forbidden spell that Sirin and her companions later learned.

It had to be admitted that the Headmistress of that world was not only noble in character but also extraordinarily powerful. Despite being merely a lifeform within a World Bubble, she successfully created a method to delay the Dark Lord's invasion and even secured a sliver of hope for the magical girls who had cast the forbidden spell.

Before the Store Manager arrived in Sirin's World Bubble, its lifespan had already been extended considerably because of the Headmistress's efforts. Without her, the people within that World Bubble would never even have had the opportunity to evacuate the ruined city.

Although the Store Manager had never met the legendary Magical Girl Headmistress, simply knowing her name was Cecilia gave him a rough idea of her personality and how their first meeting might unfold.

It was nearly six o'clock when the Store Manager returned to the café. Before entering, he had mentally prepared himself to meet Cecilia. Although he felt slightly guilty about having "slept with" someone else's adopted daughter, he figured that as long as Cecilia had genuinely cared for Sirin, this gentle woman wouldn't make things too difficult for them.

However, the scene in the lobby completely caught him by surprise.

Cecilia hadn't arrived. While that surprised him, it was understandable that someone as busy as she was would still be working at six o'clock. In fact, it gave him more time to prepare.

The problem was that, instead of the expected customer, several other uninvited guests had appeared in the lobby.

To be honest, given the unique nature of the café, it wouldn't have been strange for the Store Manager to encounter complete strangers. He had already prepared himself to serve unfamiliar customers.

But there was one problem.

Those uninvited guests weren't strangers.

Not to the Store Manager, but to a certain cold-faced young dragon who had come to the café with Welt Yang and the others to celebrate their victory.

Dan Heng gripped his spear, radiating astonishing hostility and resentment.

Directly opposite him stood a man with the exact same face, except he possessed a pair of dragon horns. Behind him stood Jing Yuan, whom he had only recently met, his expression filled with helplessness. Beside him stood a white-haired man with a deeply furrowed brow.

Danfeng, Jing Yuan, Yingxing. Although the Store Manager hadn't heard the latter two names before, Dan Heng recognized all of them immediately.

"Oh dear, young Vidyadhara, don't be so angry!"

Standing between Dan Heng and Danfeng was a foxian woman who had long since died in Dan Heng's fading memories. Despite the tense atmosphere, she continued smiling brightly.

"You and Danfeng look so alike. You must be brothers or relatives, right? Can't we all sit down and talk this through?"

"I have no relatives," Dan Heng said coldly.

"What relatives could the Vidyadhara possibly have?" Danfeng replied calmly.

---

Chapter 136: Type, Moon, Legend, Stab

At the doorway, Kiana leaned close to the Store Manager's ear and whispered.

"That person's voice sounds so much like mine!"

"Well, regarding that..." the Store Manager pondered for a moment, then shrugged. "You'll probably have to ask Sakurai Takahiro."

"Uh... who?" Kiana asked, confused.

"Su, Merlin, Proto-Arthur, Claude, Orb Ring... in short, a rather famous figure in many worlds, though not known as Sakurai-san." The Store Manager smiled. "Just like how your name is Kiana instead of Tao Dian or Rie Kugimiya."

"What... what's going on?" Kiana was even more confused.

Fu Hua rubbed her chin, wondering how she hadn't known that Su had once been called Sakurai-san.

Does Kevin know about this?

The whispers coming from the doorway drew the attention of those in the hall. Dan Heng remained silent for a moment. Although his hostility hadn't subsided, he put away his gun, took two steps back, and rejoined the train crew.

"Where did you get this lance?"

Just as Dan Heng returned to the express crew, a deep voice suddenly rang out.

The speaker was a middle-aged man with white hair. He stood beside Jing Yuan, who looked helpless. With his arms crossed, he fixed Dan Heng with a condescending, scrutinizing gaze.

...

To be honest, the instant the white-haired man spoke, Dan Heng almost thought he was about to hear that mantra again: "Of five people, three must pay a price. You are one of them." As the Astral Express approached Xianzhou Luofu, that persistent figure had frequently appeared in his dreams.

One major reason Dan Heng abandoned his plans and re-entered Xianzhou Luofu was that he had caught a glimpse of the elusive man during this series of events. For years, he had been trying to escape that nightmare, but the moment he returned to Xianzhou Luofu, Dan Heng knew the nightmares that should have vanished with the past had returned.

Perhaps, all these years, he had never truly escaped the cage—his hometown—called Xianzhou Luofu.

Dan Heng clenched his fist, his cold gaze sweeping over the faces of the white-haired man and Dan Feng without answering their question.

As a customer who wasn't a first-timer at the café, Dan Heng had already witnessed a real-life instance of someone from the past suddenly appearing there after resolving the Stellaron incident on Jarilo-VI and hosting a modest celebration with several other train crew members.

According to the information Welt Yang compiled after returning to the Astral Express, the café was actually located in a special dimension called the Sea of Quanta.

Due to the Sea of Quanta's ambiguous spacetime characteristics and the existence of gaps between worlds, this café could, under certain circumstances, appear in different worlds or even different timelines.

As Welt Yang stated, the girl they saw in the café with her head buried in a rather suspicious-looking bowl of soup was someone from the "past" in his original world.

To some extent, this café allowed customers to see people from the past. Originally, Dan Heng hadn't quite grasped the significance of Welt Yang's conclusion, but after encountering a similar situation himself, he felt only an absurd, almost ghostly, sense of disbelief.

...Damn it, who knew that while he was entering this information into the archives, he would immediately run into the same situation as Welt Yang the very next night?

Dan Heng dug his fingers deep into his palm, desperately suppressing the urge to immediately attack the person who looked just like him.

Strangely, he suddenly felt a sense of empathy for the persistent ghost that had been chasing him.

Although this café had brought people from the past before his eyes, the fact that the man was still on good terms with Jing Yuan, the white-haired man, and even the fox-woman who should have been dead meant he had not yet become a wanted criminal of the Xianzhou guilty of the ten heinous crimes.

Even knowing this, upon seeing that face flash through his hazy memories, Dan Heng still felt an urge to stab the man right then and there.

Compared to Dan Heng, who knew more of the inside story and had a better grasp of the situation, the four members of the High-Cloud Quintet standing opposite him were quite bewildered.

For them, who had achieved great feats in the Xianzhou, there was no particular reason to be in this coffee shop at dinnertime. It was simply a matter of getting together for a drink after eliminating another Abomination of Abundance and adding another significant achievement to their record.

For them, with their deep friendship, this was just an everyday occurrence.

Neither special nor particularly important.

However, while choosing a place to have a drink, the fox-woman suddenly noticed a newly opened shop run by the barbarians and suggested they try it out. Dan Feng, Jing Yuan, and Yingxing naturally had no reason to refuse and readily agreed.

Initially, nothing unusual happened upon entering the café. While the décor was quite unique, the group was accustomed to foreign lands, and even Yingxing himself, a short-lived species, didn't find a shop with such an exotic style in Luofu particularly noteworthy. The fox-woman, however, had her eyes light up when she saw so many cute girls among the customers.

Perhaps it was because she was also somewhat of a strange branch of Bug-type Pokémon. Although it was difficult to openly display such unconventional tastes in the relatively conservative Xianzhou, she was, subconsciously, still a woman who unconsciously took pleasure in seeing pretty girls.

Of course, as a long-lived species who had lived for hundreds of years, the fox-woman had a good sense of propriety. Although she was pleased, she didn't do anything impolite toward the other customers in the café.

Just as she was casually planning to order a nice meal and turn around to ask Jing Yuan to send the café's location to his master, who was still reporting to the general, a group of cheerful people suddenly appeared at the door, looking as though they were about to hold a victory celebration.

Among the High-Cloud Quintet, Dan Feng, being the High Elder, was arrogant. Yingxing, an unparalleled prodigy among the short-lived races, had an eccentric personality due to his past experiences of being ostracized by the long-lived species. Jingliu was devoted to the sword and also didn't know how to communicate well with others. Most of them understood that their personalities weren't suited for social interaction, so whenever they gathered, it was almost always the eccentric Bai Heng who took on the role of livening things up.

This time should have been no exception.

Then they saw someone in the group who looked exactly like Dan Feng.

Being the Vidyadhara High Elder, Dan Feng immediately couldn't sit still.

He immediately adopted a condescending posture, assuming an interrogative stance toward the young man who resembled him.

—I am Dan Feng, the current High Elder of the Vidyadhara clan. According to the Vidyadhara clan's rules, I have the right to know the status of every descendant. Vidyadhara descendant, state your identity.

The young man... seemed to have some personal grudge against Dan Feng and immediately drew his weapon.

—I am a Nameless, permanently banished from the Xianzhou. Your Vidyadhara clan's rules are none of my concern.

Dan Feng sneered.

—Hmph, a Nameless? The Sea of Stars may be vast, but it has nothing to do with the Vidyadhara. Besides, don't think I can't see it. Although incomplete, you, like me, possess the power of a High Elder. If your lineage is severed, you will be eternally annihilated with no escape!

Seeing the atmosphere spiral increasingly out of control, Jing Yuan and Bai Heng became extremely worried.

According to Dan Feng's words, the young man who looked just like him was also a descendant of the Vidyadhara. Normally, they had no right to interfere in internal Vidyadhara disputes, but as people of the Xianzhou and members of the Six Divisions and the Cloud Knights, they couldn't simply watch two Vidyadhara fight in an innocent coffee shop. Therefore, Bai Heng could only rely on her exceptional communication skills and try to resolve the conflict amicably, just as she had when they first met.

Unfortunately, neither Dan Heng nor Dan Feng seemed willing to compromise.

Thinking about it, that made sense. Although Bai Heng didn't know much about the young man's situation, Dan Feng, as the Vidyadhara High Elder, was unlikely to yield to someone of Vidyadhara descent.

Dan Heng also had his own grievances. When he arrived in this world alone, he was imprisoned in a jail( Xianzhou profanity)—and constantly subjected to the cold stares of the Xianzhou people. He knew nothing except vague memories. He was even told about the ten heinous crimes committed by his predecessor by outsiders. That was bad enough, but despite knowing nothing, he was punished, banished from the Xianzhou, and accepted it. Yet after his banishment, he was hunted every day by a madman because of Dan Feng's misdeeds. He couldn't kill him, couldn't escape him, and the constant pursuit drove him to the brink of insanity, giving him nightmares every night.

Now, the very person who had committed those ten heinous crimes stood before him with an air of superiority, trying to lecture him using the Vidyadhara clan's rules...

The fact that he didn't immediately hurl insults at Dan Feng was probably a testament to Dan Heng's remarkable self-restraint.

Fortunately, before the conflict could escalate further, the Store Manager and his team returned after receiving their goods.

Upon seeing the Store Manager, Dan Heng ultimately suppressed his indignation and silently rejoined the train crew.

Welt Yang keenly noticed Dan Heng's fluctuating emotions. He thought for a moment, then gently patted his junior colleague on the shoulder.

"Dan Heng, could you please help everyone enter this experience into the Astral Express's archives?"

It sounded like a rather unreasonable request.

At lunchtime, after everyone had already arrived at the dining area, he was being assigned a task that could easily have been postponed.

However, despite being given the task, Dan Heng showed no displeasure.

"No problem. I'll go organize the data from this operation right away."

"Mr. Welt, thank you."

Immediately realizing Welt Yang's intention to help him out of the awkward situation, Dan Heng gave his understanding senior a grateful look, then looked apologetically at Stelle and March 7th.

"March, Stelle, as you can see, I won't be joining you for the celebration party for now."

"Alright." March 7th wasn't stupid. Seeing the awkward atmosphere, she immediately agreed.

Stelle nodded as well. "We'll get together another time. There's a long road ahead."

"Thank you. Then I'll take my leave, Mr. Welt," Dan Heng said.

"Okay, go ahead." Welt Yang nodded understandingly.

"Everyone has private matters they don't want to tell others. Don't carry too much burden in your heart. You're part of the train crew. We'll continue our journey."

"Thank you."

Dan Heng nodded gratefully again. Then, without glancing at the figures who had left such a deep impression on him in his hazy memories, he walked straight toward the door of the café.

"You can't go."

However, just as the young man was about to leave, he was stopped by a man who looked exactly like him.

Dan Heng paused. "Get out of the way."

"I said, you can't leave," the man said coldly. "At least not until you clearly explain your identity."

Jing Yuan and the white-haired man exchanged a glance, remained silent for a moment, and ultimately said nothing. Instead, the fox-woman patted the man's shoulder and whispered, "Dan Feng, don't be so aggressive."

Dan Heng didn't bother with this arrogant man. He had never imagined his own face would one day wear such an unpleasant expression. He stepped aside, trying to walk around the man, but the man extended his arm, staring intently at Dan Heng with an unwavering gaze.

Dan Heng took a deep breath.

He had reached his limit.

But instead of drawing his weapon again or unleashing a torrent of abuse, he made the most sensible choice.

He turned his head and directed his gaze toward the Store Manager.

"Excuse me, Store Manager, someone's blocking my way. Could you please help me with this?"

"..."

The High Elder, who looked down on everyone, frowned as his expression turned slightly cold.

Just as he was about to lash out, he suddenly felt an immense, invisible force pressing down on him.

Chapter 137: Jingyuan: Master? Master, What's Wrong with You?!

Most of the time, the Store Manager preferred peaceful persuasion over using violence to force others to comply.

There are so many wonderful things in the world waiting to be discovered. Why resort to violence at the slightest disagreement?

"Don't you think so, dear customer?" the Store Manager said with a smile, patting Danfeng on the shoulder.

"...Before you say that, could you please remove this pressure?" Danfeng gritted his teeth. "Besides, are you sure you want to turn against my Vidyadhara High Elder clan for the sake of a Vidyadhara criminal who violated our clan's rules and became an outsider?"

"Your personal grudges are none of my business, and whatever conflict he has with the Vidyadhara clan is also unimportant to me." The Store Manager smiled.

"But I'm a shop owner, after all. I can't just stand by and do nothing when my customer is being bothered, can I? If you want to cause trouble for your clansman, why can't you patiently wait until he leaves this café? I have so many customers waiting to eat. I can't just ignore everyone else because of one customer's personal matter, can I? Even if you're a High Elder, does that mean High Elders don't have to be reasonable?"

"...Reasonable? You want to talk to me about rules?" Danfeng sneered. "Then, as a Vidyadhara High Elder, I'll tell you, according to my Vidyadhara clan's rules and the laws of the Xianzhou Luofu—"

"Hey, hey, hey, stop, stop." The Store Manager waved his hand. "First, this coffee shop isn't located within the Xianzhou Luofu's jurisdiction, so your Xianzhou Luofu laws don't apply to me. Second, I have no relation to your Vidyadhara clan, so what do your clan's rules have to do with me?"

"..."

You call this reasoning?

Dan Feng's eyes widened as he felt a tightness in his chest, unable to catch his breath. His face, identical to Dan Heng's, showed an expression of utter frustration for the first time.

Dan Heng's lips twitched as an unconscious, pleased smile curved upward.

For some reason, seeing Dan Feng so thoroughly humiliated by the Store Manager filled him with an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

Jingyuan frowned slightly. Compared to Danfeng, whose mind was somewhat dazed by the Store Manager's words, Jingyuan, who always regarded intelligence as his strength, instantly realized the strangeness of the Store Manager's words.

Knowing that his strength was inferior to Danfeng's, he did not rashly rebuke the other party. Instead, he bowed to the Store Manager and spoke, neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Store Manager, forgive my impertinence, but Central Starskiff Haven is a major transportation hub in the Luofu, and Xuan Ye Avenue is the most prosperous area in Central Starskiff Haven. You have opened your store in Luofu's transportation hub, yet you say that you do not have to abide by Luofu's laws. Isn't that a bit too arrogant and presumptuous?"

"But I did get Luofu's operating license, and it's a special license that doesn't require Luofu's supervision." The Store Manager shrugged, casually raising his hand. A gold-embossed document appeared between his fingers, which he lightly tossed toward Jingyuan.

"Here, look. It even has your own signature."

"Huh?" Jingyuan was stunned and instinctively caught the document the Store Manager tossed to him.

Danfeng stared at Jingyuan in astonishment while Yingxing and Baiheng approached him suspiciously.

"'Special Business License'... Shop Name: Hyperion Cafe. Business Scope: Catering Services... Sale of Weapons and Special Drugs... Security Control of the Xianzhou Luofu??" Baiheng blinked, her eyes gradually becoming vacant. "Issuing Department: Seat of Divine Foresight, Sky-Faring Commission. Issuer: Seat of Divine Foresight, Jingyuan, Sky-Faring Commission Captain, Yukong?"

Yingxing couldn't help but laugh. "How come I didn't know Jingyuan had become a general in the Luofu? Does General Teng Xiao know about this?"

"Ridiculous!" Jingyuan instinctively wanted to tear up the business license, but remembering the Store Manager's overwhelming strength in easily suppressing Danfeng, he ultimately didn't dare.

His face was ashen. His fingers trembled slightly as he gripped the certificate, and his voice turned grim.

"Unauthorized forgery of another person's signature is a major taboo in the Luofu! Store Manager, I advise you to turn yourself in to the Ten-Lords Commission as soon as possible."

"Then tell me, is this signature real or fake?" the Store Manager asked innocently with a shrug.

"..."

Jingyuan was speechless. With the Xianzhou Luofu's technical capabilities, verifying the authenticity of the signature would be a piece of cake. To him, both the business license and the signature on it looked exactly like the real thing.

"What the hell? When did I sign a special business license for this coffee shop in the General of the Luofu's name?"

Jingyuan's expression was bewildered as he muttered to himself, filled with existential doubt. If the signature was ultimately proven genuine, not only would the coffee shop's Store Manager be in serious trouble, but he himself would likely be arrested by the Ten-Lords Commission. His crime would be far more serious than the Store Manager's.

...No, if the signature was genuine, the coffee shop's Store Manager was completely innocent!

The Store Manager had simply been deceived by him, who had impersonated the General of the Luofu. The real culprit was himself, who had issued a license to an unknown establishment without authorization!

"...And let me remind you of something else."

Just as Jingyuan's brain was about to burn out from the document personally issued by "himself," the Store Manager spoke calmly. "The so-called wanted criminal your High Elder wants to apprehend is a supreme ally of the Luofu, having formed an alliance equivalent to the Xianzhou Pact. Theoretically speaking, even according to Xianzhou law, a mere Vidyadhara High Elder has no right to judge the Luofu or an ally with a supreme pact. Understand?"

"Impossible!" Bai Heng, Yingxing, Jingyuan, and the immobilized Danfeng shouted instinctively.

"You guys really won't admit defeat until you see the coffin." The Store Manager sighed and turned his gaze toward the Express crew.

"Did Jingyuan give you the token?"

"..."

Can you please stop calling my name?! Jingyuan thought, sweating profusely.

Issuing business licenses under a false name... signing Xianzhou alliance agreements with other groups under a false name... (Xianzhou profanity), could it be that Jingyuan had been possessed by a Heliobus without his knowledge?!

Reignbow Arbiter above! Believe me! This really has nothing to do with Jingyuan!

"Oh, yes." Welt Yang first glanced at the sweating Jingyuan with a somewhat sympathetic look, then nodded and took out a Jade Abacus.

"Here. Jingyuan just gave us the Jade Abacus of Allying Oath."

"..."

Sweating profusely.

Now he was truly sweating profusely.

The moment the Jade Abacus, which no one in the Xianzhou could fail to recognize, was displayed in Welt Yang's palm, not only was Jingyuan sweating profusely, but even the other three companions with him turned suspicious gazes toward him.

Just as Jingyuan was about to completely disassociate himself from the person who had "issued the operating license for this coffee shop and even handed out a Jade Abacus of Allying Oath," a beeping electronic tone suddenly sounded.

Welt Yang paused in confusion and pulled out his phone, which had just beeped with a text message notification.

Jingyuan: Mr. Welt, excuse me. The Divination Commission has just detected an unidentified energy source approaching the café. According to Minister Fu's calculations, that energy source is very likely my mentor.

Jingyuan: I'm sorry, but for some reason, my mentor is currently in an uncontrollable Mara-struck state. I'm rushing to the café's coordinates as fast as I can. Stelle, a member of the Express crew, should be with you. Please relay this message to her: I heard from Minister Fu that the weapon the Store Manager gave Stelle seems to possess the ability to suppress the Mara-struck. If possible, could she help suppress my mentor? A generous reward will be given afterward.

Jingyuan: Thank you for your help.

"What's wrong?" March 7th couldn't help but ask when she saw Welt Yang's hesitant expression.

"Uh... well..." Welt Yang opened his mouth. "It seems a very troublesome customer is about to arrive."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crisp sound of footsteps approached from afar.

A chilling aura emanated from the sound, causing everyone in the hall to shiver involuntarily.

Everyone instinctively turned toward the door.

In the pitch-black night, a strikingly beautiful woman wearing a black eye patch strode heavily into the already crowded hall.

"Master! You're finally here!" Jingyuan breathed a sigh of relief. He instinctively stepped forward to greet her, lowering his voice. "Master... this coffee shop..."

Halfway through his sentence, Jingyuan suddenly realized something was wrong.

"...Master, why are you wearing an eye patch?"

"...Master, why are you carrying an ice sword?"

"..."

Thud—

Feeling the almost uncontrollable, frenzied power and indescribable chill emanating from her, Danfeng, Yingxing, and Bai Heng, who had witnessed similar situations with their comrades more than once, all narrowed their eyes. Jingyuan was completely stunned, crying out in anguish.

"Master! What's wrong with you?! Mara-struck!!!"

Was it my fault?! Did I disappoint my master because I forged the General's seal?! Will my master return to normal if I confess to the Ten-Lords Commission?!

Bai Heng bent slightly forward, her face full of vigilance as she looked at the heroic beauty emanating malevolent power.

Although the sudden fall of her close friend, with whom she had been chatting and laughing not long ago, into the Mara-struck left her saddened and incredulous, as a pilot who had been active on the front lines for many years, she had long been mentally prepared for the day one of her comrades would fall to Mara.

It was just that no one expected that day to come so soon.

Dan Feng pursed his lips and suddenly channeled all his strength into his limbs. Under the somewhat surprised gaze of the Store Manager, he forcefully walked to Jingliu's side, subtly shielding Jingyuan, Yingxing, everyone else in the coffee shop, and Bai Heng behind him.

Although arrogant, even to the point of being unreasonable, his dignity as a Vidyadhara High Elder would not allow him to harm any innocent person after his close friend had fallen into the Mara-struck.

Jingliu was Jingyuan's master, and Yingxing, being a short-lived species, would find it difficult to contend with a long-life species trapped in the Mara-struck without external assistance.

Therefore, the only ones left to confront Jingliu were himself, the High Elder, and Bai Heng, the aviator.

"Anything else to say, Jingliu?" Danfeng said coldly.

"You ask me... what I want to say?"

To Danfeng, Bai Heng, Jingyuan, and Yingxing's surprise, Jingliu, despite being trapped in the Mara-struck, did not seem to have lost her rationality.

Instead, she asked Danfeng in a tone bordering on sarcasm and rage before suddenly bursting into maniacal laughter.

"Hehe... hehehehehehe... hahahahahahahahahahaha—"

That mad laughter was filled with sorrow, yet it also radiated heartfelt joy. A dark shadow crawled up from Jingliu's feet, and the intense resentment emanating from it caused the four of them to feel an overwhelming sense of oppression.

After the laughter subsided, Jingliu turned to Bai Heng, whose face was filled with wariness and sorrow. Her breathing became rapid.

"Are you... alright?"

"Huh?" Bai Heng was startled and nodded hesitantly. "Not... not bad?"

"Wait, what's wrong with you?" Bai Heng couldn't help but ask. "This out-of-control power feels like the Mara-struck, but you..."

"I managed to maintain a semblance of sanity with the help of some external force," Jingliu said succinctly. "Take my advice, Bai Heng. Stay away from Danfeng... no, stay away from all of us."

"..."

Bai Heng was speechless.

"Are you out of your mind?"

"You can think I'm crazy if you want. After all, I'm deeply entangled in demonic influence. I..."

Jingliu's expression suddenly hardened.

With a clear, piercing shriek, an ice blade shot toward them at lightning speed.

She spun around with her ice sword in hand, lightly tapped the ground, and, with the grace of a dancer, slashed toward the incoming blade.

The slender ice blade traced a sharp arc from the tip of her sword and rushed toward the incoming attack. The instant they collided, a dense aura of sword energy and bitter cold surged in every direction, sending dust and pebbles flying at the café's entrance as icy mist obscured everyone's vision.

The next second, a strikingly beautiful figure with a cold, sharp expression leaped out from the mist-shrouded entrance, her eyes filled with astonishment, hostility, and intense fighting spirit.

Without hesitation, the newcomer swung her sword toward Jingliu's neck, but Jingliu reacted with lightning speed, raising her ice sword to block the attack.

The two swords clashed in midair, locked against each other as both tried to overpower the other.

"Who are you? Why are you impersonating me!"

The newcomer roared angrily, leaving Danfeng and the other three completely stunned.

---

Chapter 138: All's Done

The four members of the High-Cloud Quintet stared in disbelief at the two strikingly beautiful and valiant women locked in combat. One wore a black satin veil, while the other wore a mask of barely concealed anger. What they shared was an almost identical appearance and demeanor; even their sword-wielding stances were virtually indistinguishable.

Watching his two masters clash with their different swords, Jingyuan, who had always prided himself on his exceptional intelligence, finally understood what it meant to have his "mind completely blank."

It was as if a nuclear bomb had exploded inside his head, leaving nothing but a sky full of clouds and the ground ravaged by the blast.

What was going on?

Why was his master Mara-struck?

Why were there two masters?

Could one of them be an imposter?

Then who was the imposter? The one who wasn't Mara-struck, or the one who was?

Which side should he take?

A barrage of questions overwhelmed Jingyuan, leaving his mind in turmoil. He even began to doubt whether the one afflicted by demonic influence was his master or himself.

Could it be that everything before him was merely a hallucination caused by his own demonic possession?

If he were truly under the influence of demonic influence, wouldn't it be better to just slit his own throat?

While Jingyuan was caught in this mental storm, the standoff between the two valiant beauties continued unabated.

Sparks flew in all directions from the point where their swords met.

The transparent ice sword and the blood-red, jet-black sword were locked in a delicate balance in mid-air.

Then, a cold laugh tinged with arrogance escaped Jingliu's lips.

"Heh, impersonating you?"

The valiant beauty who had uttered the accusation was about to rebuke her further when her expression suddenly changed.

She felt an indescribable force surge from the point where the swords met, through the hilt, pressing down on her fingers, arms, and even her entire body in an instant.

Under this irresistible force, the valiant beauty could only slightly bend her knees, barely managing to avoid being thrown off her feet along with her sword. Even so, she was still thrown backward with the rough clang of clashing metal.

Jingliu showed no intention of sheathing her sword. After repelling her opponent, the transparent ice sword, like a deadly scythe, relentlessly slashed toward the valiant beauty's throat.

The valiant beauty gritted her teeth and hastily prepared to react.

This time, not only was the force immense, but the extreme cold that almost froze her flesh also surged from the point where the swords met.

The valiant beauty was thrown back again.

"Impersonating you?"

Jingliu sneered, then, as if possessed, continued thrusting the same weapon toward the valiant beauty's throat with the same motion.

"Impersonating you?"

"Impersonating you?"

"You're saying I'm impersonating you—with your abilities?!"

One sword, two swords, three swords, ten swords, a hundred swords, a thousand swords... In less than a few seconds, their swords clashed thousands of times.

Under Jingliu's berserk, almost meat-grinding, frenzied attacks, the already transparent blade of the ice sword became an almost invisible phantom in everyone's eyes. The sounds of swords cutting through the air overlapped, and deep cracks were abruptly torn open by the storm of blades.

The valiant beauty, her expression bitter, retreated under her opponent's frenzied onslaught. The chill lingering on her neck made her dare not reveal even the slightest opening as she desperately tried to prevent her stance from collapsing completely under the storm of sword strikes.

Kiana stared blankly at Jingliu, her expression filled with bewildered disbelief, as though she had seen a ghost.

This woman... she actually managed to cleave through the surrounding space with just a swing of his sword?!

Not only Kiana, but even Danfeng and Jingyuan wore expressions of disbelief.

They all knew Jingliu's strength, especially Danfeng, who had always been Jingliu's rival.

As the Vidyadhara High Elder, Danfeng was usually quite arrogant toward everyone, but in front of the creator of the Cloud Knights' undefeated reputation, he couldn't be arrogant at all. His spear and Jingliu's sword had clashed countless times on the training grounds over the years they had known each other, yet they had never truly decided a winner.

When fighting him, this legendary, flawless Radiant Light had never displayed such overwhelming strength. Conversely, under the sword of that "Jingliu," deeply entrenched in demonic darkness, he, as the High Elder, would probably be no better off than the valiant beauty at this moment.

Just as the valiant beauty's stance was about to be shattered by Jingliu's frenzied slashes, a thick stream of water suddenly appeared behind her.

The water carried no lethal force, yet it silently absorbed the power the valiant beauty hadn't been able to completely neutralize. With this support, the valiant beauty finally stopped retreating and, without hesitation, turned her head to the side.

As a comrade-in-arms who had fought alongside Danfeng countless times, Jingliu didn't even need to think to understand the High Elder's intentions. The Cloud-Piercing Spear, without warning, shot past her face, aiming straight for Mara-struck Jingliu's brow.

Jingliu's formidable strength shocked everyone in the High-Cloud Quintet, but they hadn't forgotten the fact that she was now deeply entrenched in demonic possession.

Those who fall into Mara-struck are corrupted by worldly desires and lose all humanity. Regardless of Jingliu's actual condition, as long as she was trapped in demonic possession, Danfeng and his companions had only one choice left.

As Danfeng thrust his spear, aiming for a fatal blow, several arrows gleaming with a sharp, cold light flew past Jingliu's back in the blink of an eye.

Aside from Jingyuan, whose mind was still reeling from seeing his two masters, and Yingxing, who was unable to intervene in the battle, the other three members of the High-Cloud Quintet displayed their undeniable teamwork and exquisite battlefield coordination to the fullest.

Although they still weren't clear on the situation—why there were two Jinglius in the café, or whether they could distinguish the real one from the fake in such a short time—for these Xianzhou natives, aiming their weapons at someone who was Mara-struck was always the right thing to do.

Neither Bai Heng nor Danfeng held back.

But unfortunately—

For Jingliu, who had once been a member of the High-Cloud Quintet just like her opponents, everything the past Jingliu could do, she could do with ease.

"Heh..."

With a soft laugh that was neither mocking nor pleased, Jingliu suddenly raised her sword-wielding hand, easily deflecting the spear aimed at her brow. The spearhead failed to pierce Jingliu's skull, but it did knock off the blindfold hanging from her face.

Black silk ribbons danced through the air, then suddenly seemed to ignite and melt away.

At the same instant, without even looking behind her, she flung her free arm backward.

In less than a millisecond, a second ice sword materialized between her fingers, then traced a crescent-shaped arc through the air.

The ice blade skimmed the ground as though it had eyes, shattering Bai Heng's arrows without leaving a trace.

Although Danfeng's Cloud Chant technique had halted her defeat, before the valiant beauty could launch a counterattack, an unprecedented force suddenly surged through the sword.

This force was worlds apart from the continuous strikes of their previous exchange. The water supporting her shattered and scattered instantly, and the valiant beauty lost all control under this stellar-like force, staggering backward.

She had lost.

Despite being outnumbered three to one, the moment Jingliu's blindfold was removed, their combined attack was completely neutralized. Even the valiant beauty's stance crumbled, leaving her in a fatal predicament. Finally regaining his composure, Jingyuan almost couldn't resist rushing into his masters' battle, but abruptly stopped in his tracks.

The reason was simple.

Everyone assumed that with the valiant beauty's stance completely broken, Jingliu would immediately take her opponent's life. But Jingliu didn't do that. On the contrary, after gaining a momentary absolute advantage, she took a slight step back, deliberately relinquishing that fleeting opening.

At the same instant, she dissolved the two ice swords she had conjured and gave a perfectly executed French military salute.

"???"

Including the valiant beauty, who had mentally prepared herself for sacrifice, the High-Cloud Quintet was completely stunned.

At that moment, the Store Manager suddenly let out a sharp whistle.

"Finally! I was starting to think that if they kept fighting, you'd have to bleed quite a bit to compensate for the damage to my store."

"...Heh."

A soft laugh came from outside the door.

The laugh carried a sense of helplessness and indescribable weariness.

Hearing that laugh, Jingyuan's shoulders trembled violently, as though he had finally understood something. He abruptly turned his relieved gaze toward the café's entrance.

A man with an exactly identical face walked into the café with a complicated expression. He glanced around the hall and sighed deeply.

"Compensate for the damage to your shop? Of course, that's no problem. As the Luofu General, I'm not so incapable that I can't compensate a shop for its damages, but..."

A smile almost collapsing appeared on his face.

"This esteemed Store Manager, could you please explain to a mere Luofu General, why such a bizarre scene exists in your café?

"Or perhaps you are actually the legendary Joyseeker, creating a massive illusion on the Luofu that even I have become deeply immersed in and cannot escape from, all for your own amusement?"

As The Hunt's Emanator, Jingyuan had ample confidence in his abilities. Or rather, without the confidence to overcome everything, he would have found it difficult to accept the power bestowed upon him by them.

Even another Emanator couldn't create such an illusion without him detecting even the slightest flaw.

Therefore, only one possibility remained regarding the other party's identity.

Hearing the General's question, filled with exhaustion, despair, and a hint of wariness, the Store Manager innocently shrugged.

"You've already walked into this café. Haven't you noticed anything amiss?"

The General was silent for a moment.

"...I can no longer feel the Power of the Paths."

"Then do you think I might be your... Joyseeker?" the Store Manager asked.

The General, his face full of suspicion, replied, "Theoretically speaking, it's indeed impossible. Since even destiny can be blocked, even if you're the Joyseeker, you still can't unleash your full power without restraint. But as an Aeon, They can do things beyond the realm of reason."

"Then why won't you believe I brought your past selves to this café for my own amusement?" the Store Manager said. "If you truly think I'm that source of amusement in your world, wouldn't bringing together two groups from different timelines be far more entertaining than trapping you in illusions?"

The General fell silent, unsure how to refute the Store Manager's words, and completely shut down.

Bai Heng stared dumbfounded at the Luofu General, who seemed somewhat emo, and murmured.

"My goodness, Jingyuan, you've really become the Luofu General?"

"That's not me," Jingyuan shook his head, "or rather, not the me I am now."

He paused for a moment.

"...Bai Heng, you're so knowledgeable. Do you know if there's anything—or any ability—in this galaxy that can travel through time?"

"Never heard of it," Bai Heng answered instantly.

"I thought so too..." Jingyuan sighed.

There is no possibility of reversing time in this world.

This is common sense, a truth universally acknowledged throughout the galaxy.

—At least, before entering this café today.

Jingyuan first inwardly lamented the nonexistence of common sense, then nodded as he faced reality with cold sweat running down his back.

So, someday in the future, he would become the Luofu General. That sounded pretty good, except... how did his master become Mara-struck?

And what about that "Vidyadhara descendant possessing some High Elder power" that Danfeng had mentioned...

Hiss...

As everyone knows, the Vidyadhara race doesn't have a reproductive system. They continue their race only through reincarnation.

So, that so-called "Vidyadhara descendant possessing some High Elder power" was actually Danfeng himself—or rather... Danfeng's reincarnation?

Danfeng was dead?

Hiss... How did he die?

A normal cycle of reincarnation wouldn't result in such incomplete power, and that Vidyadhara descendant named Dan Heng was also abnormal.

Although he hadn't yet learned the full truth, Jingyuan instinctively sensed... the future was fraught with peril.

Didn't he see that even as the Luofu General, he looked like he was about to die?

While others might not notice, Jingyuan could almost instantly see what was hidden beneath that smile.

That oppression, that weariness, that helplessness...

...The thought of walking that same path himself gave Jingyuan an overwhelming urge to pack his things and run away to Penacony to escape reality.

Hey, that's hell ahead.jpg

Just then, the sound of two people talking suddenly came from the entrance of the café. One voice was youthful and clear, the other gentle and soothing.

"Oh my, what an adorable little girl! Why do you have horns?"

"I'm not a little girl! This is the Xianzhou! Don't judge a book by its cover, little sister from out of town!"

"Is that so? I'm so sorry."

"Uh... don't apologize so suddenly! Since you called me cute, I, Bailu, will magnanimously forgive you."

"Hehe, then thank you for forgiving me. Your name is Bailu? That's a lovely name. Are you also trying to get into this café? I've noticed you've been standing here for quite a while. Ah, did you run out of your allowance?"

"You... you saw right through me! Who are you, you outsider?!"

"I'm just an ordinary headmistress of a magical girl academy. Even so, it doesn't seem right to leave you standing here like this. Cutie, how about we make a deal? You can hug me for a while, and I'll treat you to something nice later, okay?"

"Really?"

"Of course! The headmistress of a magical girl academy never lies!"

"Then you can't go back on your word!"

"Okay, okay~"

As soon as the words left her lips, accompanied by the rustling of clothes, a gentle silver-haired woman entered, carrying a tiny dragon girl.

She spoke with a beaming smile.

"Hi, little Sirin. I've come to see you."

Kiana's body instantly froze.

---

Chapter 139: Jingyuan: How About We Oust the Other Four?

“Ugh…!!!”

Xianzhou Luofu, Cloudford.

Under the pitch-black night, a young figure frantically darted into a cargo container on his sword, his body drenched in cold sweat.

Cloudford was Xianzhou Luofu's largest logistics hub. All goods from different worlds had to pass through the Jade Workshop's unloading docks before being distributed to Luofu's various logistics companies and reaching their destinations. Therefore, almost every available space here was completely filled with containers of various shapes and sizes.

After the resurgence of the Ambrosial Arbor, most freight merchants withdrew from Cloudford. As a result, apart from the automated machines still performing logistics distribution and a few Cloud Knights patrolling, it became an unattended and rarely visited area.

Relying solely on the Cloud Knights' manpower, it was impossible to inspect all the goods stranded here in a short time.

Of course, access to Starskiffs had long been completely cut off by the Cloud Knights, who had taken over Cloudford. The Cloud Knights here wouldn't simply stand by and watch a Starskiff take flight on its own. Regardless, Starskiffs were an essential means of transportation for exiles wanting to escape between different realms. Therefore, even with the Cloud Knights guarding it, Cloudford would inevitably be a crucial stop on any exile's journey out of the Xianzhou.

And indeed, just as the young swordsman who had come to hunt down "Blade" had anticipated, the moment he arrived in Cloudford, his pupils constricted as he saw two figures strolling leisurely among the various Cloud Knights. All the Cloud Knights looked bewildered, their steps unsteady like puppets controlled by strings.

Without a doubt, one of those two was "Blade," who had been imprisoned in the Shackling Prison but had managed to escape. The other was "Kafka," the Stellaron Hunter currently wanted by the Xianzhou.

The young swordsman couldn't understand why the Cloud Knights seemed oblivious to the two of them, but he knew one thing for sure: if he had arrived a few minutes later, these two wanted criminals, who had thrown the Luofu into chaos, might have escaped shortly afterward.

He had just learned the Cloud Knight swordsmanship. Could he tolerate such humiliation? With his blood boiling, the young swordsman didn't hesitate to flash in front of the two Stellaron Hunters, arrogantly drawing his sword, his tone filled with absolute confidence.

"Two wanted criminals, brazenly barging into the Luofu, committing the grave crime of subverting the Alliance, and now trying to run away as if nothing happened—doesn't that seem a bit inappropriate?"

"Hmm...? Why are you making that face, lady?"

For some reason, the beautiful woman in the overcoat pressed a hand to her brow the moment she saw the young swordsman appear. Her beautiful face, a blend of danger and allure, displayed a rather helpless expression.

"Why did you have to stop us at a time like this? I clearly don't want to further escalate the conflict with the Alliance..."

"?"

Just as the young swordsman felt a pang of doubt, an inexplicable, frenzied power rose from the man beside the woman.

The young swordsman recognized the man's face.

After all, less than a day ago, he and Jingyuan had seen this Stellaron Hunter, who had been suppressed by the Cloud Knights, in the Shackling Prison.

...But back then, this man's madness hadn't yet evolved to this uncontrollable level!

The beautiful woman in the coat shrugged, her face innocent.

"If you have any questions, don't ask me. Go ask Blade yourself. I don't know much about Blade's past. Or rather, he has very few memories left. Anyway... that's what you see. If you want to arrest us, I won't stop you."

"This..."

The young swordsman opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word, a chilling coldness instantly seeped into his still-developing body.

Speaking of which, this young swordsman was a renowned prodigy in the Cloud Knights.

Looking across Xianzhou Luofu, let alone the younger generation, even among the adult generals of the Cloud Knights, he was almost unmatched.

When hunting near a distant star, the monstrously huge mechabeast Windguard, created by the Denizens of Abundance, was pulverizing the defense forces as though they were ants. Yet this young boy faced it head-on, claiming its head and routing the enemy to the point of collapse.

As for his subsequent victories, he broke the borisin's Lupine Avarice Formation with Jing Yuan, beheading three Brood Lords. He also fought viciously against the Wingweavers, ultimately sinking their almighty Cloudseizer Fleet. These were just small footnotes in the annals of his courageous swordsmanship.

But faced with the chilling aura emanating from "Blade," the young swordsman's expression suddenly changed. He felt as though something terrifying had abruptly awakened within the man's body.

A surging crimson-black aura, like venomous snakes, seeped from the man's mouth and nose, as well as from beneath his bandaged sleeves. It dripped down his body, falling to the ground where blood-red spider lilies rapidly bloomed amid the deathly atmosphere.

The young swordsman felt a chill run down his spine.

As a member of the Cloud Knights, he had experienced countless battlefields. His rich combat experience made him realize that he could not continue allowing his opponent to unleash his power. He raised his sword, pressed the index and middle fingers of his other hand together, and lightly drew them across the blade. Instantly, six swords gleaming with cold light unfolded around his body.

Without hesitation, he lunged forward and, with a spirited roar, mercilessly plunged his sword into the man's chest.

"Sigh..."

Watching this scene, the beautiful woman in the coat sighed, shook her head in dismay, and whispered,

"General of the Luofu, didn't you inform your subordinates of Blade's condition...? Even I couldn't control Blade in this state for long..."

To the young swordsman's surprise, his sword, aimed at the man's chest, encountered no resistance.

However, the moment it successfully pierced the man's chest, the chill swirling around him intensified rather than diminished.

"Hmph... hehehehehe..."

The low, hoarse laughter grew louder.

The young swordsman's sword was gripped tightly by a hand wrapped in gauze.

"Wh—"

"Jingyuan's lackey."

The man abruptly pulled the young swordsman close, a crazed smile twisting his lips.

"Didn't Jingyuan teach you to assess the situation?"

"Hmph. We Cloud Knights disregard our own lives long before we even enter the fray! Besides, how can we know who will win when the swords have just clashed? With your body that can't be cut down? Abomination of Abundance!!"

The young swordsman sneered without flinching, a sharp glint in his eyes. Suddenly, he unleashed an immense force with his palm, severing the man's body from the chest with a resounding crash.

But at the very instant he split open the man's chest, the young swordsman's heart skipped a beat.

"Abomination of Abundance...?"

"You called me an Abomination of Abundance...???"

A classic, utterly cheesy scene.

Amid a furious roar of utter rage, the bizarrely cracked sword, its blade gleaming, rushed toward his vision in the blink of an eye. Along the path of its tip, the young swordsman inexplicably saw several wildly blooming spider lilies.

Having already unleashed his sword, he had no means to defend against the incoming sword strike. But in that instant, his prearranged sword formation activated.

Six swords flew out in total. These flying swords, with their automatic target-seeking capabilities, were meant to coordinate with his attack. Upon sensing their master's imminent demise, however, they transformed into shields protecting his life. These unstoppable weapons, like moths to a flame, rushed into the blood-red sword strike unleashed by the man, only to be effortlessly cleaved in two.

Although they failed to stop the sword strike imbued with strange power, the young swordsman's sword formation successfully bought him a few precious milliseconds.

Instead of launching another attack, the young swordsman raised his sword to parry the incoming strike while simultaneously stomping his foot.

"Ugh—!!!"

With a metallic clang, the sword shattered. The unstoppable force almost instantly crushed the young swordsman's wrist upon contact. He groaned, gritting his teeth as he endured the excruciating pain in his arm and wrist while retreating. After a few flashes, he finally disappeared into the shadow of a shipping container.

"Kid! Come out!!!"

"You think you're Jingyuan's student? Running away like this!?"

...Come out now, you unkillable monster!

The young swordsman gritted his teeth, hesitated for a moment, and finally, despite his trembling wrist and the excruciating pain, pulled out his phone and sent his master, Jingyuan, the details of the pursuit.

As a Cloud Knight, the young swordsman was never one to be rigidly conservative. The battlefield wasn't a fair fight like a martial arts demonstration. War, by its very nature, was about creating unfairness. Realizing victory was virtually impossible, the young swordsman swiftly changed his strategy.

His failure to accurately assess the disparity in strength was a dereliction of duty. Even if he were killed here by "Blade," the young swordsman wouldn't complain. Even so, he had to truthfully report the situation to the Seat of Divine Foresight. Only then could his master devise a plan to deal with the two fugitives as quickly as possible.

After all, this was Xianzhou Luofu. Those two Stellaron Hunters couldn't possibly stand against the Alliance's power.

Please, General, reply to my message as soon as possible.

...By the way, what triggered Blade? He's a fugitive, so why isn't he running anymore? Why is he searching all over Cloudford?

For some reason, from Blade's wildly furious outbursts, the young swordsman sensed a kind of stifled resentment, as though he had been ostracized.

Just as Yanqing was sweating profusely while escaping Blade's pursuit, the general in whom he had placed so much hope was silently drinking in the otherwise quiet atmosphere.

The people in the hall were divided into two groups. One group sat around a table in silence, while the other had gathered around two tables, their atmosphere considerably livelier.

The two groups were completely separated by the Store Manager using some kind of sophisticated spatial partitioning technology. The silence on one side had no effect on the fervor of the other, and the lively atmosphere on the other side showed no sympathy whatsoever for the silence.

Dan Heng took a sip of his drink, expressionless.

"May I return to my companions?"

"No."

The group, which had been silent just moments before, answered in unison.

"Explain yourself first," Danfeng said. "Judging from your appearance, you should be my reincarnation. You should be the High Elder of this generation... no, of your era. But why does that Vidyadhara descendant also possess the power of the High Elder?"

"And that Vidyadhara girl who possesses the power of the High Elder... why does she look like..."

Danfeng hesitated, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward Baiheng's face.

"Don't look at me. I'm a Foxian, not one of your Vidyadhara clan." Baiheng shrugged, picked up a piece of lotus root cake, and chewed it. A strange laugh suddenly escaped her mouth, and her eyes lit up. "This Ming Lotus Root Cake is so authentic! Not only are the texture and taste perfect, but even that laugh is spot on."

"Aren't you curious?" Yingxing couldn't help but ask.

"What's there to be curious about? I've seen plenty of people who look like me during my travels across the galaxy. The galaxy is so vast; nothing is surprising." Baiheng laughed nonchalantly.

"Besides, didn't Danfeng say that child is a High Elder like him? That's a High Elder! A High Elder who can command the wind and rain and do anything! Why would I need to worry about such a powerful figure?"

"You agree, don't you, Lord Danfeng?" Baiheng looked at Danfeng with a smile.

"..."

Looking at Baiheng's smiling face, Danfeng inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine.

For some reason, despite her bright smile, Danfeng sensed deep, hidden disappointment and melancholy in Baiheng's eyes.

He nervously took a sip of his drink to bolster his courage, but he couldn't understand why he felt guilty. Awkwardly, he changed the subject.

"Let's not talk about this for now. Jingyuan, you..."

"Don't talk to me. I'm in a bad mood right now," the present-day General Jingyuan said quietly. "You shouldn't talk to Danfeng for now, either."

"Since you insist, I won't ask why," the past Jingyuan, who had yet to become General, nodded. "Shall we go on a picnic, the two of us?"

"Let's go. I'll borrow some new space from the Store Manager."

General Jingyuan stood up and, amid everyone's hesitant gazes, walked behind the Store Manager and gently knocked on the spatial barrier.

The Store Manager turned to look at General Jingyuan, snapped his fingers, and the lively atmosphere flowed out from the partially opened soundproofed space. The members of the High-Cloud Quintet on this side listened to Bailu exclaiming, "This is delicious! This is delicious too!" while Cecilia carried her to the other side. They exchanged speechless glances, and the silence grew even heavier.

The Store Manager asked, "What's wrong?"

"Excuse me, could you please open a small space for the two of us?" General Jingyuan asked.

"Alright. Don't forget to add the private room fee later," the Store Manager nodded.

General Jingyuan shook his head with a wry smile.

"Heh... sometimes I really don't understand whether you're generous or stingy..."

"Even if I'm stingy, I can't compare to you. They were comrades before, after all. Are you planning to team up with your past self to exclude the other four?" the Store Manager said.

"There's nothing I can do. People always change, especially us immortals," General Jingyuan replied with a touch of melancholy.

"You've really had a tough time..."

The Store Manager glanced at General Jingyuan with pity.

"I'll give you a Fenghuang Down later so you can sort out your memories. You're the liaison for this coffee shop in Xianzhou Luofu, after all. Don't let yourself become Mara-struck after just one night in my coffee shop and another day at the Seat of Divine Foresight tomorrow. My shop will be in deep trouble."

"Are you cursing me or blessing me...? By the way, what is this Fenghuang Down? Can it help suppress Mara?"

"It can suppress it a little, but it can't eradicate it. After all, you immortal beings face far more than just issues of consciousness. Essentially, your so-called power of abundance ultimately affects the physical body. It's better to use this half-baked power of immortality sparingly."

"Thank you for the advice, but unfortunately, for the Xianzhou, that advice came too late," General Jingyuan said with quiet melancholy.

The Store Manager snapped his fingers again and pointed to a table.

"Go to that table. I've temporarily partitioned off the space there. Would you like some more food?"

"If possible, please do," General Jingyuan replied without refusing the Store Manager's offer. "After all, this conversation might not end anytime soon."

So the two Jingyuans abandoned their companions and formed a table of their own, making Yingxing and Danfeng feel a little awkward. Even Jingliu—the one who had not yet become Mara-struck—wore a complicated expression.

After a moment of silence, however, the usually outspoken Past Jingliu suppressed her deep-seated curiosity and the urge to pull her apprentice back. Instead, she silently sat down and took a sip of the slightly spicy, clear liquor.

Although they were master and disciple in name only, as long-lived beings, the people of the Xianzhou didn't place much importance on seniority.

Therefore, this master-disciple relationship didn't prevent Jingyuan and Jingliu, both members of the High-Cloud Quintet, from interacting as comrades of equal standing.

Besides... sitting opposite them was "herself," someone she still couldn't understand or comprehend why she had fallen into Mara-struck.

Although she hadn't yet become Mara-struck, Jingliu believed that, since she was already at risk of becoming Mara-struck, Jingyuan's wariness toward her was perfectly justified.

She was even considering turning herself in to the Ten-Lords Commission tomorrow. She knew better than anyone the devastation a Sword Master could bring upon the Xianzhou if she were to suddenly and unexpectedly become Mara-struck.

At this point, Jingliu would never allow herself to go that far.

---

Chapter 140: I Can't Say It. Now That Things Have Come to This, I Can't Say It Anymore.

Human joys and sorrows are not shared.

No matter how oppressive and somber the atmosphere was among the High-Cloud Quintet, their separation couldn't affect the cheerful mood on the Store Manager's side.

As the headmistress of the magic academy, Cecilia held a high position in her World Bubble, but she wasn't the type to flaunt her achievements.

Cecilia was naturally grateful to the Store Manager, who ruled the Sea of Quanta.

While concepts like the "Sea of Quanta" and "World Bubble" were somewhat difficult for her to grasp after living in this world for so long, the fact remained that the Store Manager had rewritten the underlying laws of their World Bubble, allowing them to live happily and sustainably within it.

If Sirin genuinely wanted to stay with him, then the gentle Cecilia would never do anything to separate them.

In Cecilia's view, tonight's visit was simply to see what kind of person the boy her adopted daughter had entrusted her future to was.

Yes, in Cecilia's eyes, no matter what achievements the Store Manager of this café had made or what great things he had accomplished, he was ultimately just a young man in the prime of his youth.

As long as Sirin was happy and the Store Manager she had chosen was a boy she could trust, Cecilia wouldn't mind offering her blessings as an elder to the young couple.

She had originally planned to have a simple dinner there, then immediately return to the magic academy to continue her busy work.

After all, with the rules of the Sea of Quanta and the World Bubble completely reshaped, their World Bubble had lost those terrifying enemies that had previously required magical girls to constantly injure and sacrifice themselves to deal with.

From the Dark Lord's Castle, once considered a dangerous forbidden zone, to the ruined Stelle Castle, which they had been forced to abandon, both places had become uninhabited, monster-free lands awaiting redevelopment after the rules were reshaped.

As the headmistress of the magic academy, she naturally took on the responsibility of developing these lands.

Therefore, although the existential crisis of the World Bubble had been averted, at least for the time being, the people of the World Bubble still lived in a rather tense atmosphere.

However, upon entering the café, Cecilia was uncontrollably drawn to a little girl who had sneaked up to the entrance.

The little girl, with purple hair and blue eyes, was incredibly cute. Her fluffy hair made her look like a plush doll, and she even had a constantly wagging tail hanging behind her. Almost the moment Cecilia saw the little girl, her eyes were completely captivated.

With a little trickery, she easily won the right to hug the little girl. Satisfied, she entered the café, only to suddenly freeze in surprise.

Undoubtedly, this was Cecilia's first time visiting this café. Therefore, although she had already learned the basic information about it from Sirin and several magical girls before her visit, she still felt an overwhelming sense of astonishment when the scene in the lobby came into view.

She saw many familiar and unfamiliar faces in the café.

The unfamiliar faces weren't surprising. After all, it was a café, and it was perfectly normal for there to be people she didn't recognize among its patrons.

What surprised her were the several very familiar faces.

As Cecilia's adopted daughter and star pupil, Sirin had long felt somewhat inferior, believing her talent was lacking.

In truth, however, her supposed "lack of talent" was only in comparison to the two most outstanding magical girls in her class, Brolo and Vollerei, who had already skipped grades and graduated.

After the Dark Lord was dealt with by the café's Store Manager, Sirin stayed with Brolo and Trillie. Vollerei, however, suddenly distanced herself from them. Not only did she refuse to celebrate their post-disaster life with Sirin and Trillie, but she also rushed to Cecilia's side. Ignoring Cecilia's objections, she was determined to throw herself into the reconstruction of the ruined city shortly after recovering.

Seeing the magical girl Vollerei's seemingly desperate attempt to forget something through hard work, Cecilia was initially quite worried. In her eyes, these adorable magical girls were not only her prized students but also like her own children.

To understand why Vollerei was behaving this way, Cecilia had secretly followed her more than once, only to... witness Vollerei suddenly split in two.

"If you want to find that guy, go find her yourself!!!"

At that moment, facing another gentle, dark-blue-haired girl who had suddenly emerged from her body, the magical girl Vollerei wore an expression as though she were about to cry. Her roar sounded like that of a distraught woman who had suddenly discovered her husband's infidelity.

"I... I've been looking for you for so long. We could have stayed together forever. Why... you actually... would..."

"Waaaaah—!!!"

Oh dear.

It seemed she had witnessed something incredible.

Watching the magical girl Vollerei run away in tears and seeing the helpless expression on the face of the girl who had suddenly emerged from Vollerei's body, Cecilia, caught completely off guard by this juicy gossip, managed only an awkward but polite smile.

Very well. While she prided herself on being a life coach and didn't mind being a caring older sister who listened to children's troubles, she was utterly inexperienced when it came to matters of the heart.

Although rumors circulated among the magical girls that Cecilia and her husband shared a deep and happy married life—even her adopted daughter, Sirin, believed it—only Cecilia herself knew... she didn't have a husband! She wasn't made of iron. How could she possibly find a husband while simultaneously serving as the headmistress of the magic academy and researching ways to reduce the sacrifices of magical girls?

Whoever started this ridiculous rumor would know.

(In the World Bubble, Shigure Kira, working overtime, suddenly sneezed.)

Of course, whenever Cecilia faced these adorable children as they blinked their curious eyes and sweetly asked, "How can one find a relationship as beautiful as Cecilia's?" or "Cecilia's other half must be a prince charming, right?"

She couldn't bring herself to admit that she actually had no husband, no romantic experience, and no romantic life whatsoever. She simply couldn't bring herself to say it.

So Cecilia, sweating profusely, could only feign experience by spouting platitudes like, "If you don't want to regret it, the most important thing is to never deceive your own heart," before fleeing while forcing herself to appear calm beneath the girls' piercing stares, especially Sirin's.

I don't understand. Your headmistress really doesn't know how to handle matters of the heart!

—And when Cecilia carried Bailu's small body into the café, the instant she saw those familiar faces, a surge of intense shock and the guilt she had felt before beneath those dazzling, piercing gazes rushed over her once more.

For no apparent reason, Cecilia had a feeling that the café was rife with unsettling undercurrents.

Theresa from 2017 had left shortly after the Store Manager and Kiana visited the Xianzhou. Theresa from 2013 followed closely behind, carrying a bug(Kiana) that had been knocked unconscious by a goose(Durandal), and hurriedly returned to St. Freya Academy. According to her message before leaving, she was already preparing countermeasures for "Project Sirin," a plan laid by her kind grandfather.

Rita from 2013 remained in the café. Durandal from 2013, Raiden Mei, and Rita from 2017, all still unconscious after being knocked out, were sound asleep on the second floor.

So, besides the three magical girls from 2017 and Rita from 2013, only a few magical girls who had arrived early remained in the lobby: Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei, and Misteln Schariac, who was looking distressed as she repaired the space outside the door.

In fact, Cecilia wasn't the only one surprised when she walked into the café.

Kiana was the first to be stunned.

Although she had seen many examples of "the same individual from different worlds" in this café, such as "Himeko from Sapphire City," "Magical Girl Brolo," "Magical Girl Trillie," and "Great Guardian Bronya," the moment she saw "Magical Girl Principal Cecilia," her mind still went completely blank.

"..." At the edge of the table, three seats away from Cecilia, Kiana lowered her head and secretly squeezed the Store Manager's hand, then wrote on it with trembling fingers.

Store Store Store Store Store Store Store Manager—!!!

"?" The Store Manager turned his head, looking puzzled.

"..."

"What are you wondering?!" Kiana angrily scribbled on the Store Manager's hand.

"The person coming tonight is... Mom... Lady Cecilia?!"

"Huh? Didn't I say that?" The Store Manager's eyes grew increasingly blank.

"No!!!" Kiana gripped the Store Manager's hand even tighter.

"Not even once! You never said that!!"

"Oh, and then?" The Store Manager raised an eyebrow.

"And then?! And then..."

"Yeah, and then what?" Kiana suddenly felt a wave of confusion.

Putting aside the fact that this Cecilia was a life-form from a World Bubble, even if she were the "Cecilia" from the Original World, what connection would that have with her... with herself, a mere experimental subject born from a cloning experiment? This hero who had already sacrificed herself during the Second Eruption had never even seen her!

Confused, Kiana slowly released the Store Manager's hand, her expression instantly turning dejected.

Meanwhile, Cecilia, while stroking Bailu's warm little head, felt her eyelids twitch slightly.

"Um, hello? Excuse me... is there something strange on my face?"

"Ah, sorry. I was staring at your face," Misteln said with a polite smile. "However, when I entered this café, I truly didn't expect to have the good fortune to meet the person who bestowed this appearance upon me."

This eerie description made the already apprehensive Cecilia tremble even more.

"You... you are..." she asked cautiously.

"Misteln. Misteln Schariac," Misteln said with a smile. "Biologically speaking, you could be considered... ah, no, I should say, the mother of 'Cecilia' from another world who gave me this appearance."

A jolt ran through her.

Although she had anticipated this answer when she saw Misteln's face, so identical to her own, Cecilia still felt her heart skip a beat upon receiving the explicit confirmation.

In truth, she didn't care about having a daughter. Otherwise, she wouldn't have adopted Sirin as her foster daughter in her original world. But for Cecilia, who had been single for over twenty years, an "adopted daughter" and a "biological daughter" were completely different concepts.

What did "biological daughter" mean? It meant a deep affection strong enough for her to have a physical relationship with a man. It meant that her blood flowed through another person's veins. It meant a blood bond she had never experienced in her twenty-odd years of life.

Cecilia swallowed hard, then asked cautiously, "No, I don't know who your father is..."

"I don't have a father," Misteln replied with a smile.

"..." Cecilia's expression froze.

"Ah, but the 'other Cecilia' who gave me this appearance does indeed have a beloved husband." Misteln clapped her hands.

"..."

What does that mean?

Cecilia was dumbfounded, her eyelids twitching.

The "me" from another world found a husband, then had a daughter with someone else??

And this daughter claimed she didn't have a father?

Conflicting emotions swirled through Cecilia's honest and kind heart.

"Compared to the matter of my father, there's something else that's giving me quite a headache."

At that moment...

As if pressing her advantage, Misteln added fuel to the fire in Cecilia's already muddled mind.

"Because of my appearance, well, it always seems to cause some children who were once infatuated with Cecilia... ah, of course, another Cecilia-sama... to develop some rather comical misunderstandings, which sometimes escalate into fights."

"But I'm innocent too. It's not something I can choose at birth..."

"So... although this request might be a little difficult for you, if you don't mind, could you help me clear up some of the misunderstandings caused by this appearance, if possible?"

Misteln smiled broadly.

Cecilia was drenched in sweat.

---

Chapter 141: Family Reunion Ceremony

Probability is a fascinating subject because it tells us that if a monkey lives long enough, it will almost certainly be able to type out the complete works of Shakespeare on a computer after countless attempts.

According to this theorem, if a person's lifespan is long enough, then whatever they see will be unremarkable.

However, the reason something is funny is that even something unremarkable can bring joy.

At least, for Misteln Schariac, a special life form who believes she will live a long time, the opportunity to have this amusing prototype—Cecilia Schariac—brings considerable pleasure from every perspective.

Compared to Misteln, who is overjoyed at finding such excellent amusement, the one being amused obviously doesn't feel the same way.

Misteln's voice, tinged with laughter, completely petrified Cecilia, leaving her back soaked with cold sweat.

Let's review Cecilia's profile.

Cecilia Schariac, a young and accomplished headmistress, is arguably the greatest magical girl in World Bubble history and the creator of forbidden magic. At twenty-eight, she's not much older than Sirin and the others.

Naturally, Cecilia, always busy protecting the world, has never had the chance to shed the title of "single aristocrat."

Of course, Cecilia isn't ashamed of her unmarried status.

After all, even as the headmistress of the magic academy, she hasn't abandoned her mission to protect the world.

Cecilia has always done everything she could to minimize the number of magical girls who were killed or wounded.

She believes in justice, believes evil will ultimately be defeated, and believes the world is a beautiful place.

Until one day.

Her "illegitimate daughter" appeared before her.

Thus, the young, promising, and seemingly fragile headmistress was forced into an unspeakable predicament.

As the headmistress, Cecilia's mind was naturally exceptionally sharp. She immediately noticed a crucial detail that had been overlooked in the other person's words and hurriedly asked, "Um, the Cecilia you're talking about must be the 'Cecilia' from another world, right? Seeing you being misunderstood like this, didn't she do anything?"

"Her..." Misteln sighed softly. "From what I know of her, with her gentle nature that always seems to want to save everyone, she certainly wouldn't have stood by and watched me be misunderstood."

"Then..."

"It's a pity she left this world forever before I was born." Misteln's tone was calm, but a hint of melancholy flashed through her eyes.

"—"

Cecilia choked instantly.

"I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

She wanted to slap herself hard.

An indescribable sense of guilt almost suffocated her.

Rationally speaking, even if the "Cecilia" Misteln spoke of was "herself" from a different world, that person was not the same individual as "herself."

Of course, Cecilia, sitting in this café, shouldn't bear the consequences of that Cecilia's actions.

However, no Cecilia from any world was the type to remain indifferent to tragedy unfolding before her eyes.

Therefore, when the person before her, who seemed to be "her daughter," revealed the cruel truth that "she lost her mother before she was born," a surge of overwhelming grief, coupled with the fear of failing to fulfill her responsibilities, flooded Cecilia's heart.

"It's alright." Misteln smiled, pursing her lips. "To have the honor of seeing your face, Lady Cecilia, is already a great blessing for me. So even if you refuse my request, that's fine. Just seeing your face is enough."

Those words, spoken as though they were nothing serious, were like knives cutting into Cecilia's heart again and again.

"You... you shouldn't say that..."

Cecilia suddenly felt flustered. She released herself from Bailu's embrace, wanting to reach out and gently pat Misteln's head, but hesitated, fearing such an intimate gesture might offend her.

For a woman who had been single for over twenty years, dealing with a "daughter" who also appeared to be in her twenties was simply too much to process.

But just then, the Store Manager's clear, crisp voice suddenly rang out.

"Sigh, are you just going to watch your mother get snatched away by that silly rabbit?"

He nudged Kiana's waist with his elbow, asking in surprise.

Cecilia didn't know that Misteln had the codename "Hare," so she couldn't react to this rather abrupt statement.

Kiana, while understanding the literal meaning of the words, didn't grasp what the Store Manager was trying to say.

She looked somewhat bewildered. "What do you mean? What do you mean by watching my mother get snatched away?"

The Store Manager looked even more surprised. "Isn't Cecilia your mother? You haven't forgotten that silly rabbit isn't human at all, have you? She doesn't have a biological mother."

Those words, like a thunderclap, nearly made Cecilia, already drenched in sweat from Misteln's antics, jump out of her seat.

Kiana was so startled that she almost pounced on the Store Manager. "Y-you, you! Don't suddenly say something like that so loudly!!"

The Store Manager shrugged. "What's there to hide? Sirin's been living here all along. I can't just stop my mother-in-law from seeing the daughter she's raised for so long, can I? Are you planning to hide it forever?"

Kiana stood there dumbfounded for a long time, her mind a complete mess because of the Store Manager's words. "Wait... then when I questioned you about why you didn't tell me the customer was Lady Cecilia, what kind of answer did you give?"

"What kind of answer did I give?" the Store Manager asked, astonished.

Kiana hesitated before saying, "...Anyway, it was something like... it doesn't really matter..."

"It really doesn't matter. She's going to come to my store anyway. You're an employee. You can't avoid her, so what's the big deal?" the Store Manager said.

Kiana's mouth fell open, feeling as though her jaw was about to hit the floor.

"You mean that 'it doesn't matter'?!"

"What else?"

Kiana lowered her head, somewhat embarrassed. "I... I thought..."

"I see. You're having an EMO moment again, feeling unworthy of being Cecilia's daughter, huh?" The Store Manager suddenly understood. He calmly stood up and rubbed his palms together. "With your mother-in-law here, I won't offer any further psychological counseling. I'll just try to smooth things over between you two. Go find her and have a good cry later."

Kiana's face flushed instantly.

"Who would do something so shameful?!"

The Store Manager pretended not to hear Kiana's protest and calmly turned his gaze toward Cecilia, who was for some reason terrified. He smiled.

"Hello, nice to meet you, Headmistress Cecilia. I'm sure you've already heard some things about me from Sirin and the others, so please allow me to postpone my introduction for now."

"...Y-you... hello..." Cecilia nodded timidly.

It was bizarre. She was clearly the elder who should have been assessing the Store Manager's character, yet in that instant, their positions had completely reversed.

Even more bizarrely, both the Store Manager and Cecilia accepted this reversal of roles very quickly. Cecilia didn't feel that the Store Manager had done anything impolite, and the Store Manager didn't think taking the initiative in the conversation was disrespectful toward his mother-in-law.

The two began their conversation in this incredibly awkward atmosphere.

"Let me first introduce that 'Funny Rabbit' who looks a lot like you," the Store Manager said, extending his hand toward Misteln. "Misteln Schariac. As I mentioned before, she is not biologically human, and she doesn't have any 'parents.'"

"That really hurts a little." Misteln chuckled. "I've been trying to become more human myself."

"If you wanted to become more human, you shouldn't have come to my café to get involved." The Store Manager rolled his eyes and sneered mercilessly. "Anyway... while this Funny Rabbit does have some connection to the 'Cecilia' from her world, her birth was essentially an unforeseen accident, and that Cecilia never knew of her existence."

"I see..." Cecilia lowered her head, her expression somewhat dejected.

She pursed her lips and asked softly, "They didn't even know she existed...? Does that mean that when this child came into this world, no one was there to celebrate her birth?"

"..."

The Store Manager fell silent.

After a moment, he sighed.

"That's exactly the kind of thing you'd say."

This woman, who would be as kind as a saint in any world, immediately felt sorry for Misteln after learning about her circumstances instead of becoming angry about being teased.

Seeing Cecilia's dejected expression, even Misteln who was usually quite flippant couldn't help showing a slightly embarrassed look.

Although Misteln was undoubtedly a fun-loving person, as a naturally rational being, her way of thinking was completely different from that of ordinary humans, making it difficult for her to empathize with the plight of others.

But when facing Cecilia, the uniquely "Schariac" concept of "salvation" still stirred something akin to shame within Misteln.

Perhaps only Cecilia in this world could evoke such a human-like emotion in a "Schariac" being like her.

"You don't need to look like that, Lady Cecilia," Misteln couldn't help saying. "First, I must correct a misconception. Although I do have an inseparable connection with you, the individual born from you long since perished within Project Stigma. The me standing here now is merely a second 'Schariac' who inherited the memories, name, and appearance of that deceased will."

"..."

"Lady Cecilia!"

Several magical girls suddenly stood up from the table and rushed to Cecilia's side. Even Misteln, usually so cheerful, couldn't help panicking.

"Uh... you... please don't cry, Lady Cecilia. Did I say something wrong?"

Looking at Cecilia, who had suddenly burst into tears, and the magical girls and Misteln surrounding her in a panic, the Store Manager spoke dejectedly.

"While Schariac's Stigmata contains a great deal of knowledge, it seems to be completely lacking in emotional intelligence. I'll give you a copy of High Emotional Intelligence Communication later. Go study it carefully."

"Your own emotional intelligence isn't much better..." Kiana muttered under her breath.

"Ugh, if I had such low emotional intelligence, how would I have found so many wives?" The Store Manager raised an eyebrow, wearing a proud expression. "Back in the day, I—"

"Stop, stop, stop! That's not the point!" Kiana hurriedly interrupted the Store Manager's self-praise. "Mom... you guys made Cecilia cry! Aren't you going to think of a way to make amends?"

"It's alright. She'll get used to it after crying for a bit. It's better for her to get used to it sooner." The Store Manager waved his hand. "If she doesn't get used to it now, she'll cry herself to death when she hears about you."

"Don't say it so sarcastically!" Kiana's vision blurred for a moment before she became slightly frantic. "I..."

"This... wait... what happened to this child... wait..."

At that moment, a tearful voice interrupted Kiana.

Cecilia stood up and walked out from the crowd.

She turned her tearful eyes toward Kiana, and within those tear-streaked eyes, Kiana saw sorrow, grief, and resolve.

"Please... please tell me... Waaah..."

Kiana was speechless. Faced with those tear-filled eyes, she couldn't possibly utter a word of refusal, so she could only turn a pleading gaze toward the Store Manager.

The Store Manager pondered for a moment.

"Hmm, you know Sirin, right?"

Sirin's heart skipped a beat.

---

Chapter 142: The Mad Demon's Chaotic Dance

Around a table laden with fine food and wine, two Jingyuan from different time periods sat facing each other in silence.

Although it was a café, it was also one that connected different worlds. While seemingly somewhat eccentric, the Store Manager was undeniably professional in attending to customers. Shenzhou-style white porcelain tableware held a variety of exquisitely prepared dishes, while small white porcelain cups overflowed with fine white wine. Logically, with such fine food and wine, the atmosphere should have been pleasant.

However, the two Jingyuan, lost in silence, seemed to have no appetite. They simply stared at the clear liquid in their cups.

The clear liquid reflected their faces—one filled with unease, the other with closed eyes. Finally, the Jingyuan who had not yet become a general couldn't help but speak.

“…I said,” he glanced around and said softly, “is it really okay to just leave them like this?”

The Store Manager’s spatial partitioning technique was quite sophisticated. Although the people at the tables in the lobby couldn't affect each other in any way, light still operated according to normal physical laws. Therefore, Jingyuan could still see the situation at the other tables.

Compared to the two of them, who had managed to secure their own table, the atmosphere at the other tables were utterly chaotic.

The gentle woman who had carried Bailu into the café suddenly broke down in tears, hugging two silver-haired and purple-haired girls. Several girls dressed in rather flamboyant outfits, supposedly magical girls, stood helplessly around the three crying figures.

Stelle and March 7th, the two Trailblazers, stood like gatekeepers behind a red-haired girl with twin tails. They seemed to be enjoying the spectacle and joined her in scrutinizing the sweating express crew seniors.

Two identical girls—one with horns and the other without—sat together with two maids whose grey-gold hair differed in length, quietly discussing whether anything could be improved in the dishes prepared for the evening.

Two girls with silver-gray hair and gray eyes each opened a notebook and linked them together, speaking earnestly while their hands flew across the keyboards.

The Store Manager and several employees were seemingly oblivious, idly munched on sunflower seeds with their legs crossed as they watched the scene unfold with obvious interest.

Even without hearing the conversations from the other side, one could tell at a glance that the atmosphere there had descended into complete chaos.

Even amid the chaos, the diners at the Store Manager's table managed to maintain a semblance of harmony. Even Welt Yang, who was being interrogated by the red-haired twin-tailed girl, evoked a hint of fondness in Jingyuan's eyes, prompting a touch of envy.

Compared to the Store Manager's situation, the plight of his "old friends" on the other side could only be described as tragic.

Within minutes of his future self, now the General of the Luofu, pulling him away from the High-Cloud Quintet group, the atmosphere at that table had plummeted below freezing with a speed that even he found absurd.

The first to raise a question was Jingliu before she succumbed to Mara.

Jingyuan couldn't hear what she asked, but knowing his mentor's personality, he figured her straightforward thinking had probably led her to ask what had happened to the "Her" sitting opposite her in the future.

Unexpectedly, that question ignited the Mara-struck Jingliu. She slammed her hand onto the table, stood up, and conjured an ice sword with lightning speed, pointing it directly at Danfeng. Her lips moved rapidly. Judging from Danfeng's ashen face, she was probably unleashing a torrent of vicious insults.

Just as Jingyuan thought he had never seen his usually aloof master display such aggression, the arrogant Danfeng abruptly stood up as well and launched into a heated verbal exchange with the Mara-struck Jingliu.

Before long, the argument escalated into a full-blown fight. As the Mara-struck Jingliu unleashed a sword strike, Danfeng immediately countered with his Cloudhymn, sending surging water and pristine ice blades flying throughout the space completely isolated by the Store Manager.

If that had been all, it wouldn't have been so bad. It was perfectly normal for someone afflicted by Mara to lose control.

The strange thing was that neither the future Dan Heng nor the past Jingliu, Yingxing, and Bai Heng reacted strongly to the clearly escalating battle.

Jingliu, who had not yet fallen to Mara, had been rubbing her hands together eagerly since the fight began, her face filled with anticipation.

Yingxing, on the other hand, was pale. His eyes darted around in shock and sorrow as he deliberately avoided both the chaotic battle and the Foxian woman beside him.

The usually cheerful and outgoing Bai Heng was unusually expressionless as she silently bit into a moa wing larger than her palm.

Watching Bai Heng tear into the roasted wing, Jingyuan, who had not yet become a general, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but shiver.

For some reason, he felt that the way Bai Heng was tearing into it was as though she were biting into someone's flesh, every bite filled with murderous intent.

"What problem could there be?" General Jingyuan calmly emptied his cup of white wine in a single gulp, letting the burning sensation spread from his throat through his body before releasing a long sigh.

"We're all adults. We have to take responsibility for our own choices."

Jingyuan had always been a highly rational person.

During the centuries he had served as the Luofu General, that calculating rationality, combined with his past achievements, had elevated his reputation throughout the Xianzhou Luofu to an astonishing level.

At this moment, however, the Divine Foresight, who had always calculated every possibility, displayed a rare moment of willfulness that even his younger self found difficult to understand, as though he were silently sulking.

"Want a drink?"

After emptying his cup, General Jingyuan picked up the wine jug and refilled the white porcelain cup.

"This wine is truly excellent. Paired with these novel snacks, it's an unprecedented pleasure. This Store Manager, who travels between different worlds is quite an interesting person. I wonder whether this café plans to offer delivery."

"..."

Although the younger Jingyuan didn't quite understand General Jingyuan's unusual behavior, as the same person, he didn't believe the other's insistence on bringing him away had been pointless.

He could only pretend not to notice Danfeng being surrounded and beaten by the two Jingliu, then braced himself and emptied his own cup in one gulp.

“I have no recollection of ever entering this café,” General Jingyuan said as he swirled his empty cup.

“Although we can be considered the same person, in a sense, we are also two completely different individuals.”

“As the current Heavenly General of the Luofu, all my words and actions are accountable to the Xianzhou Luofu. Therefore, even if you are also 'Jingyuan,' I cannot share the Xianzhou Luofu's confidential information with you,” he said calmly.

“…You don't trust us?” Jingyuan paused for a moment before asking quietly.

“It's not so much that I don't trust you as it is that I don't trust the crimes we, the High-Cloud Quintet, committed against the Xianzhou.” General Jingyuan refilled his cup. “Cultivating trust isn't difficult. As the current leader of the Xianzhou Luofu, I don't mind extending basic trust to everyone I meet for the first time. Without the magnanimity to trust others, a leader can never earn the support of the majority.”

“But destroying that trust is just as easy,” he continued wistfully.

"Even if those people were once your closest friends or the mentors who taught you everything, once you've been betrayed, you must be prepared to struggle against them until the very end.”

“But you still left your…” Jingyuan turned his head and glanced at Danfeng, whose face was bruised and swollen from being beaten by the two Jingliu. His eyelids twitched slightly. “…your mentor, who has fallen into Mara, over there.”

“Yes. My mentor has fallen deeply into Mara and can no longer control herself. With a little guidance, even someone who had not yet fallen deeply into Mara could easily extract most of the truth from her.” General Jingyuan nodded. “So I left her there, using her current uncontrollable state to test whether there was any basis for placing my trust in you.”

As he spoke, a chilling, authoritative glint flashed through General Jingyuan's eyes, and his tone became utterly cold.

“Unfortunately, the final result has truly disappointed me.”

Centuries ago, the High-Cloud Quintet were five inseparable comrades. On the battlefield, they could entrust their lives to one another without hesitation. They drank and talked freely while dreaming of a brighter future. In that atmosphere of deep camaraderie, almost everyone overlooked the fact that the five of them possessed vastly different personalities and values.

Can two people with fundamentally different values become close friends? Of course they can. The prerequisite, however, is that they never encounter issues involving their own political positions or social standing. Otherwise, those enormous differences in values can easily shatter even the closest friendship.

Historical experience teaches every administrator that anyone can chat enthusiastically with members of a group they've never met. Once someone reveals their true intentions, however, it inevitably devolves into a "butt war" whenever members hold opposing views. Countless banned groups have demonstrated this fact and serve as warnings to others. Consequently, most administrators limit discussions to a single topic and strictly forbid butt wars.

On the surface, the tragedy of the High-Cloud Quintet stemmed from an accident—from an invasion of the Abundance that they were unable to withstand.

However, as the leader of the Luofu, after repeatedly reviewing that devastating tragedy, General Jingyuan clearly understood that their fate had never been determined by a single accidental event.

Danfeng was indeed an unforgivable sinner, not only because his crimes caused heavy casualties among the Vidyadhara and indirectly led to Jingliu massacring large numbers of Xianzhou people after becoming Mara-struck, but also because his attitude toward the Abundance was fundamentally different from that of the Cloud Knights, who steadfastly upheld The Hunt.

He still harbored lingering hope for the Abundance.

Compared to all the crimes Danfeng had committed, that was what General Jingyuan truly could not tolerate.

In fact, General Jingyuan was not the only one who found it intolerable.

Upon learning that Danfeng, in an attempt to resurrect Bai Heng, had conspired with Yingxing to cast the Transmutation Arcanum upon her, only to create a monstrous dragon infused with the power of the Abundance that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Vidyadhara and Cloud Knights, not only did the Mara-struck Jingliu erupt in uncontrollable rage and attack Danfeng, but even the Jingliu who had not yet fallen to Mara was left stunned and nearly succumbed on the spot.

You son of a bitch! (Xianzhou profanity.) Using your best friend's flesh and blood for experiments is one thing. Donating the body wouldn't even be completely unacceptable if it could contribute to the future. But you, you son of a bitch, (Xianzhou profanity,) actually tainted it with the power of the Abundance! Is your brain full of stardust?!

The Xianzhou has spent thousands of years telling you one thing: Don't touch the Abundance! Don't touch the Abundance! That stuff is nothing but trouble. It would be one thing if it were someone else, but you're a Vidyadhara High Elder. You fought Abominations of Abundance alongside us and personally witnessed what kind of monster Shuhu was when Bai Heng sacrificed herself! How could you, you son of a bitch, throw Bai Heng into that hell?!

Watching Danfeng being brutally beaten by the two Jingliu, Dan Heng leisurely sipped his warm tea.

Although he wasn't a complete abstainer, he had no desire to drink with the people who had directly caused him to be imprisoned for countless years after his birth and ultimately exiled from the Xianzhou like a stray dog.

"Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! Even if what this guy said is true, I haven't done any of those things yet, have I?!" Danfeng roared, nearly spitting blood from frustration as he desperately tried to evade the relentless swords of the two Jingliu.

---

Chapter 143: Jingyuan's Super Evolution

Danfeng's experience today was nothing short of dramatic, full of twists and turns.

The esteemed Luofu Imbibitor Lunae had never suffered such humiliation in his life. Before entering this café, he had always been the one embarrassing others. He was a High Elder, born with the ability to manipulate water, a renowned member of the High-Cloud Quintet in the Xianzhou Alliance, and few dared to offend him anywhere within the Alliance.

In Danfeng's mind, his name was destined to leave a brilliant mark on the history of the Xianzhou Alliance alongside the High-Cloud Quintet. Such confidence was simply part of his proud nature, but he never imagined that, in just a few system hours, his identity would plummet from a hero destined to leave behind a glorious legend in Xianzhou's history to a notorious criminal—the kind who would ultimately turn against his fellow High-Cloud Quintet members.

At this moment, his hands were tightly bound with rope. His handsome face was covered in bruises, and his clothes were stained with marks left by ice blades. Frostbitten and pierced skin was faintly visible through the holes in his clothing.

Two Jinglius stood coldly before Danfeng, glaring at him. Each gripped her weapon tightly, her face showing utter disappointment that the fight had ended too soon. It was as if the Store Manager of this café had anticipated that their negotiations would inevitably escalate into violence. The surrounding space had been secured to such a degree that even a fierce battle between them wouldn't cause any damage to the nearby main hall.

In the past, even someone as proud as Danfeng would probably have admired the Store Manager's masterful techniques.

But now, he felt no admiration whatsoever.

Danfeng was truly speechless with bitterness. The resentment in his heart was so intense that it was driving him to the brink of madness. Even so, after being brutally beaten by the two Jinglius without any regard for camaraderie, he still couldn't find any way to vent his grievances.

The Jingliu trapped in Mara-struck had little memory of the past left in her mind. For the immortal beings of Xianzhou, falling into Mara was tantamount to death. In fact, for the people of Xianzhou, death was the best outcome for someone trapped in demonic possession.

Even though it had been barely suppressed with the help of external forces, preventing the most tragic outcome of her personality being completely devoured, the power of the demonic shadow continued to corrupt Jingliu's memories and mind.

Under this corruption, most of Jingliu's memories were as untouchable as reflections in a mirror. However, she could still vividly and clearly describe every detail of the "Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae," the event that shattered the High-Cloud Quintet.

Her accusations against Danfeng were detailed, and the evidence was irrefutable. After all, Bailu and Dan Heng, who were also in the coffee shop, served as evidence. Therefore, under her profanity-laced accusations, Jingliu, who had previously been extremely wary of her counterpart, almost instantly shifted her hostility toward Danfeng.

Even though, at this point in time, Danfeng was undoubtedly a comrade worthy of her respect and friendship, the moment she learned that he would one day dabble in the Abominations of Abundance, Jingliu abandoned all thoughts of friendship.

For the people of Xianzhou, especially for a Cloud Knight like Jingliu, the Abominations of Abundance were practically synonymous with poison. When facing anyone who dared to use such power, she would show no mercy—not even to close friends or blood relatives. She upheld the law impartially while trying to minimize their suffering and make their deaths as swift and decisive as possible.

If it weren't for the fact that Danfeng, sitting here, had not yet committed that catastrophic crime, and that this café greatly limited the two Jinglius' power, he would probably already be a corpse in the truest sense of the word.

"Danfeng, oh Danfeng, what can I say to you?"

Just then, a clear voice tinged with melancholy suddenly rang out.

Baiheng toyed with the wine glass in her hand before downing the gently swirling liquid in one gulp.

"You know, when I was traveling around the Sea of Stars, I had the privilege of meeting many ruling classes from different worlds. As you all know, my luck has always been terrible. Even on the safest route, I somehow manage to run into strange things, accidentally veering off course for all sorts of inexplicable reasons."

The others at the table listened silently as Baiheng recounted her past experiences. Even the Mara-Struck Jingliu loosened her grip on the hilt of her ice sword, her expression gradually calming.

Baiheng continued, "My flight path always seems to veer off course, ending up in strange and wonderful worlds. For the people of those worlds, everything beyond their planet is unknown. As you know, Foxians like me are creatures of fantasy in many worlds. So I'm constantly wanted by the people there for all sorts of ridiculous reasons—as an extraterrestrial invader, a man-eating monster, and countless other things. It's infuriating! Am I really that scary?"

She refilled her glass, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"It's only because I'm somewhat eloquent that I managed to smooth things over after a great deal of persuasion. But a starskiff isn't something that can be repaired quickly. In the end, I had to temporarily reside in those worlds, piecing together materials to repair it. You all know how conscious we long-lived beings are of time. Going back and forth like that took several years."

"What does it mean for a Foxian woman whose appearance hasn't changed over several years to stand before short-lived beings who have never seen long-lived species?"

Baiheng raised her glass, drained the remaining wine in one gulp, and let out a long sigh.

"As people of Xianzhou, you should all have a general idea, so I probably don't need to explain it."

Her smile suddenly turned bitter.

"We all know the dangers of immortality, and we understand why the Xianzhou Alliance is so dedicated to eradicating the endless expansion of the Abominations of Abundance. But for short-lived species, immortality remains an irresistible temptation. Even the most brilliant and intelligent people will try every possible means to prolong their lives, revealing all sorts of insane and ugly behavior. The friendships I painstakingly built proved utterly vulnerable before the temptation of immortality. Some tried to force me into submission through violence, while others, realizing violence alone wasn't enough to contend with me, wantonly plundered the resources and wealth of the weak in an attempt to exchange them for the secret of immortality."

"Compared to them, even the Xianzhou Alliance, which has suffered greatly from pursuing immortality, is fortunate. After all, the Xianzhou Alliance ultimately succeeded in obtaining immortality."

Baiheng took a deep breath.

"Later, I realized that the desire for immortality isn't inherently wrong. After all, wanting to live indefinitely is simply the instinct of every living being. Even within the galaxy, there are enormous differences in lifespan between races. To those who can only live for a few years or even a few days, aren't the short-lived species we know simply another form of longevity?"

"It's just that most people can't afford the price that comes with such life-extending power."

The others listened silently to Baiheng's wistful words.

Danfeng remained silent with his head lowered, a flicker of resentment in his eyes.

Given Danfeng's pride, he wouldn't stoop to making excuses for his defeat. Since the accusation of the "Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae" was supported by overwhelming evidence, he wasn't unwilling to bear the corresponding responsibility. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't feel resentment.

Admitting defeat and wanting to win next time were not contradictory.

Besides... had he truly failed?

Danfeng turned his gaze toward Bailu, who was feasting at another table. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

If the Mara-Struck Jingliu was telling the truth, then the sins committed by the "Danfeng" who used the Transmutation Arcanum on Baiheng's flesh and blood were indeed unforgivable.

But if his experiment with Yingxing had truly failed, then why had Baiheng reincarnated as this High Elder? And why had she even broken free from the appearance and form that had bound the Imbibitor Lunae of previous generations?

Just as Baiheng had said, the pursuit of hope was the survival instinct of every living being. That idea itself wasn't wrong. It was simply that the price paid by "Danfeng" was unacceptable to anyone.

Since that was the case—

The instant this thought arose, a chilling sword blade was pressed against Danfeng's neck with a sharp sound.

Danfeng lowered his head, glanced at the ice sword, then raised his gaze to meet Jingliu's eyes without flinching.

"I never kill those who are utterly devoid of the will to live and merely wait to be slaughtered," Jingliu, now consumed by demonic influence, said as she stared at Danfeng with icy eyes and gestured toward the entrance of the hall with her chin. "Stand up and come outside this shop."

"Since you're unwilling to abandon that idea, then before you truly cause disaster, I may as well end your life."

"No. Let me do it," Jingliu, who had not yet succumbed to demonic influence, said coldly. "Our affairs are none of an outsider's business."

"...No. Neither of you can touch him."

Just then, a calm voice suddenly interrupted the conversation between the two Jinglius.

"The Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae did indeed cause heavy casualties in the Xianzhou Luofu, but there isn't a single provision in the Xianzhou Luofu's laws that addresses crimes that have not yet occurred."

Jingyuan, who had not yet become a general, returned with a faint smile on his face.

"...Jingyuan?"

Jingliu, who had not yet fallen into Mara, frowned slightly. After a moment's hesitation, she stepped aside.

After all, if they were discussing sins she might commit in the future, then even if they did not compare to those of Danfeng and Yingxing, her eventual descent into demonic influence and the slaughter of her own people was hardly any better.

In the known future, among the remaining members of the High-Cloud Quintet, only Jingyuan consistently walked the right path, diligently protecting the Xianzhou Luofu.

In a sense, before Jingyuan, no one except Baiheng had the right to speak. Therefore, although both Jinglius harbored murderous intent toward Danfeng, they instinctively restrained themselves and handed the discussion over to Jingyuan.

Danfeng looked at the smiling Jingyuan, his expression complicated.

Jingyuan, not yet a general, walked up to Danfeng and smiled.

"Don't look at me like that. The sins you commit in the future will already be your responsibility. But before anything happens, it's more important for us to figure out how to deal with the troubles that lie ahead than to waste our strength fighting among ourselves."

"I think Master would agree with that, right?"

Jingliu, who had not yet succumbed to Mara, nodded slightly.

"Everyone knows about the year the Emanator of Abundance attacked. Although Danfeng instigated the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae, he certainly did his best when facing the Abominations of Abundance," Jingyuan said calmly. "Danfeng, in principle, I don't have the right to command you now, but you should also understand that after entering this café, those of us who have seen the future can never return to our former relationships. So, starting today, I will take direct command of the five of us. Do you have any objections?"

"No," Baiheng and Jingliu answered first.

Yingxing remained silent for a moment before shaking his head.

"...No."

Danfeng gritted his teeth.

"...No."

"Actually, I don't want to hear such insincere words, but circumstances leave us no choice. Since you've agreed on the surface, I'll treat it as wholehearted approval."

Jingyuan sighed and shook his head.

"Danfeng, I understand the circumstances of your Vidyadhara clan, so... I will support your research."

"What—"

Danfeng looked up in astonishment. Not only him, but both Jinglius' pupils contracted in disbelief.

"Are you crazy?" Jingliu shouted angrily.

"I'm not crazy. On the contrary, I've never been more clear-headed," Jingyuan replied calmly. "The Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae was indeed a terrible disaster, but knowing everything in advance means we can prevent it. Danfeng is the Vidyadhara High Elder. We cannot judge him for crimes he has not yet committed. If we take matters into our own hands and torture him now, what will the Vidyadhara think of the Xianzhou Luofu?"

"..."

Jingliu immediately fell silent.

In terms of swordsmanship, she was Jingyuan's master. But when it came to strategy, even ten of her couldn't compare to one Jingyuan.

Moreover, judging from Jingyuan's already commanding presence, it was obvious that while they had been relentlessly beating Danfeng, he and the future General Jingyuan had also been quite busy.

He had probably already received special guidance from his future self.

"No one willingly chooses to become a sinner, Danfeng, and I believe you are no exception."

Jingyuan smiled.

"The root of the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae was your use of the Transmutation Arcanum to create a monstrous dragon infused with the power of Abundance in Scalegorge Waterscape. Although I don't know why you chose Scalegorge Waterscape for your experiment, now that I know the location, I have countless ways to prevent you from using the so-called Transmutation Arcanum."

"So you should understand that, compared with secretly conducting experiments with Yingxing, the better choice is to keep the entire project under everyone's supervision."

"..."

Danfeng nodded helplessly.

Although he was proud, he couldn't deny reality.

"Do you know about the Black Abyss White Flower?" Jingyuan suddenly asked.

Danfeng instinctively shook his head.

"In the timeline where my future self lives, the Ambrosial Arbor on the Luofu was completely destroyed by this weapon," Jingyuan said.

Danfeng was stunned and abruptly looked up.

"Although it's unclear whether the weapon would be effective against an Emanator-level being, if it's merely a fragment of an Emanator's flesh, directly destroying the power of Abundance contained within it should pose no problem," Jingyuan said slowly.

Danfeng's eyes widened.

"Such a weapon?"

"Yes. Even I, from another timeline, can temporarily borrow it from its wielder."

Jingyuan lowered his voice and spoke to the astonished Danfeng.

"I understand your goals, and I know I can't change your mind. The Hunt and the Abominations of Abundance are irreconcilable. Even if it happened in another timeline, the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae is a stain you can never erase—unless you can prove that what happened there was merely an accident. And the best way to prove that is to turn the sin of the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae into a merit. Do you understand?"

"..."

Danfeng pursed his lips before suddenly asking,

"Why are you helping me like this?"

"What are you talking about? Have you forgotten the promise the five of us made?"

Jingyuan straightened up and gently patted Danfeng on the shoulder, his tone calm and reassuring.

"No matter how far apart we are, we will always gather together to drink and celebrate. In another timeline, we lost that bond. Does that mean we have to become like them?"

That tone sent a chill down Dan Heng's spine.

He looked at Danfeng, whose expression gradually shifted from blankness to determination, then turned toward General Jingyuan, who sat alone at another table.

Sensing Dan Heng's gaze, General Jingyuan turned, wore a sly smile, and raised his glass toward him.

"..."

Dan Heng silently sighed as he looked at Danfeng, who had been completely manipulated by Jingyuan before he had even become a general. A hint of pity appeared in his eyes.

---

Chapter 144: Danfeng's Proposal

After their business was concluded, what followed was a pleasant… well, not particularly pleasant, dinner.

To be honest, before entering this café, today had been a day worth celebrating for these five members of the High-Cloud Quintet from hundreds of years ago. They came from different parts of the Xianzhou Alliance, and their identities and responsibilities varied greatly.

Aside from Jingliu and Jingyuan, who served together as master and apprentice within the Cloud Knights, they rarely had the opportunity to gather as a group.

The reason they had arranged to meet today was the same as that of the train crew members who helped the Luofu overcome the Ambrosial Arbor crisis. They had recently achieved a resounding victory together in the war against the Abominations of Abundance, and after a long time apart, they had finally gathered for a celebratory banquet with all five members present.

Unexpectedly, before the celebration even began, such a massive bombshell fell upon Danfeng and Yingxing.

Although, after a chaotic series of events, Jingyuan finally came up with a concrete solution to Danfeng's problem, a noticeable rift inevitably appeared in the friendship among the five of them.

"Since you've finished discussing your matters, I'll be leaving now."

Dan Heng finished his tea, stood up, and lightly brushed the ice crystals from his clothes.

To be honest, although he had initially been in a bad mood because of Danfeng's arrogant and rude behavior, seeing that annoying man—who had just been beaten black and blue by the two Jinglius before being subtly manipulated by Jingyuan's flawlessly timed psychological tactics—improved even his worst mood.

For a long time before entering the café with the train crew, Dan Heng hadn't quite understood why Stelle and March 7th had been so engrossed in watching their senior train crew member, Welt Yang, being tormented by his wife. But after witnessing the pitiful state of Danfeng, who had been so arrogant just moments earlier, he suddenly understood Stelle and March 7th's feelings.

While gloating isn't exactly a good habit, there's no denying that watching someone you dislike suffer... is truly... (Xianzhou swear word) exhilarating!

Moreover, because of Danfeng's presence, the faint malice Dan Heng had sensed from Jingliu, who was trapped in Mara-struck, had been completely redirected toward Danfeng the moment she saw him.

According to the principles and traditions of Vidyadhara reincarnation, a reincarnated Vidyadhara is considered a completely different individual from their previous life. In most cases, a reincarnated Vidyadhara not only loses most of their memories from their previous life, but their appearance, personality, and even gender can change drastically.

A valiant Cloud Knight in one life might be reincarnated as a delicate woman who cries for hours after being punched.

Such cases are commonplace among the Vidyadhara.

Even High Elders, who have always retained the same appearance, lose most of their memories and the personality of their previous life after reincarnation. Because of this unique reincarnation mechanism, some High Elders throughout history have even experienced self-doubt. Are they truly themselves, or have they merely been imprisoned within this appearance since birth?

During the days when Dan Heng was relentlessly pursued by Yingxing, that man constantly insisted that Dan Heng was Danfeng and had to atone for the sins Danfeng had committed in his previous life. But for Dan Heng, who had been deprived of his freedom since birth, those words were incredibly frustrating.

He hadn't even known what he looked like until the day he left the Xianzhou.

Having retained very few memories of Danfeng, he couldn't empathize with Yingxing's suffering, nor could he regard himself as the culprit responsible for the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae. During his exile throughout the galaxy, Dan Heng was constantly harassed by Yingxing, who came after him day and night. So, when he saw Danfeng, he naturally couldn't look upon his previous incarnation kindly.

Furthermore, when he saw Jingliu enter the coffee shop, his heart skipped a beat, wondering whether this woman had also come to chase him around like that madman Yingxing.

Fortunately, upon seeing Danfeng in the coffee shop, Jingliu, trapped in Mara-struck, immediately shifted all her attention toward him. Even in her Mara-Struck state, Jingliu understood that confronting the original person was far more meaningful than targeting his reincarnation.

Therefore, when Dan Heng turned to leave, Jingliu, still under the influence of Mara-struck, made no move to stop him.

"Wait."

At that moment, Danfeng called out to Dan Heng, who was about to leave.

"What else do you want?"

Dan Heng turned around, his brows slightly furrowed.

"You bore the blame for me... for the 'Danfeng' of your timeline—a burden you should never have had to carry. Logically speaking, I should apologize to you, and I have no right to ask anything more of you."

Danfeng paused briefly.

"Judging from your appearance, you seem to have joined the Nameless, just as Baiheng once did. But you should also understand that the responsibilities of the Vidyadhara High Elder are not something you can simply cast aside."

"So what? Bailu is the High Elder of the Vidyadhara in this generation. I have no intention of challenging her position. Besides—"

"Listen to me first."

Danfeng raised his hand, calmly interrupting Dan Heng.

"I've learned from Jingliu about the injustices you suffered on the Luofu. Of course, from the perspective of the Xianzhou Luofu, they probably believe that the punishment you received was still far from enough to atone for the sins committed by 'me' in your timeline. In fact, after being expelled from the Xianzhou Luofu, you should also understand that everything you experienced—from being imprisoned by the Ten-Lords Commission since birth to ultimately being exiled from the Luofu—was actually a form of protection granted to you by Jingyuan... or rather, out of consideration for 'me.' Isn't that right?"

"..."

Dan Heng paused before nodding.

Before being expelled from the Xianzhou Luofu, he had spent his entire life imprisoned by the Ten-Lords Commission. The only thing he had been allowed to do was read the books provided by the Luofu. Thanks to the knowledge he had accumulated there, by the time he left the Luofu, he had already learned a great deal.

As a result, he had never struggled to survive while traveling between planets. He had even been able to secure a well-paying job at the Interastral Peace Corporation. After accepting Himeko's invitation to join the Astral Express, Dan Heng had taken on the roles of guard and archivist.

Given everything he had experienced and everything he had read, it wasn't difficult for Dan Heng to recognize Jingyuan's care for him. He himself bore little ill will toward Jingyuan.

Since childhood, he had endured countless acts of malice. Compared to those faces twisted by hatred, Jingyuan's smile, although somewhat crafty, had always seemed remarkably friendly.

"Acknowledging that makes things much easier."

Danfeng spoke calmly.

"I have no right to interfere with your free will, nor do I intend to interfere with your current life. Even so, the Vidyadhara need the Luofu, and the Luofu also depends upon the Vidyadhara. Therefore, even if you have no intention of remaining in the Xianzhou Luofu, the lineage of the Vidyadhara High Elder must not end with you. This is for your own sake, for Jingyuan's sake, and even more so for Bailu, who reincarnated from Baiheng."

Dan Heng remained silent for a moment before asking,

"...What do you want me to do?"

"Inherit the Transmutation Arcanum from me once again," Danfeng replied succinctly.

"You should understand that passing on the inheritance of the Vidyadhara High Elder requires performing the secret ritual known as the 'Transmutation Arcanum,' assisted by the sacred artifact known as the 'Dragon Heart.' Once the inheritance is complete, the former High Elder hatches from an egg, while the new High Elder reveals the dragon's form."

"Clearly, the ritual I performed upon Baiheng's flesh and blood failed. I don't know what results Yingxing's research into the Transmutation Arcanum produced, nor why it gave birth to the monster Jingliu mentioned. But according to the Jingliu from your timeline, after performing the Transmutation Arcanum, not only did I fail to hatch, but the High Elder's power also failed to fully transfer to Bailu. Instead, part of it flowed back into you."

"So you're planning to pass the Transmutation Arcanum back to me?" Dan Heng asked.

"Although it's incomplete, I can sense that both you and Baiheng's reincarnation have inherited the High Elder's power. Theoretically, both of you are capable of passing on that power through the Transmutation Arcanum."

Danfeng nodded.

"Giving it entirely to that little girl is certainly one option. But... as an adult Vidyadhara, you probably wouldn't want to place such an overwhelming burden upon a child, would you?"

"..."

Dan Heng fell silent.

Danfeng continued slowly,

"Although that young girl has inherited the position of High Elder, based on my understanding of the Preceptors, they would never truly acknowledge her as the legitimate High Elder. Yet the fact that she still possesses the title means that 'I' never passed on the secret of the Transmutation Arcanum."

"The Transmutation Arcanum is the very foundation upon which every High Elder maintains their authority. As long as the Transmutation Arcanum exists, the power of the Imbibitor Lunae will remain firmly in the hands of every High Elder, whether that High Elder is you or her."

"Now, however, the power of the Imbibitor Lunae has inexplicably split into two. One portion flowed into you, while the other was inherited by that little girl. It isn't difficult to imagine what those Preceptors have done to her in order to control that power. Although the secret of the Transmutation Arcanum has been lost, they will undoubtedly use every means available to uncover everything the girl knows."

"And you, Dan Heng—my reincarnation—I want you to become the anchor that helps that little girl counterbalance the Preceptors."

---

Chapter 145: This Melon Is Fragrant and Sweet

Just as Dan Heng, who retained very few memories, found it difficult to see himself as Danfeng, Danfeng, from the past, also found it difficult to truly regard the "Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae" as his own sin.

However, his pride likewise wouldn't allow his sins to implicate others. He could imagine how unbearable the horrific state he would eventually fall into during the "Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae" must have been.

But in Dan Heng's timeline, after enduring the punishment of shedding his scales, all Dan Heng could do was remain vigilant against the Preceptors' ambitions, doing everything possible to prevent the next High Elder from falling completely under their control.

Now, he had the opportunity to meet his reincarnation through this magical café. Of course, now that they knew the potential future, their future would never deteriorate into the same outcome as that other timeline. At the very least, Danfeng believed that, knowing the exact timing, strength, and even method of the Abundance Emanator's attack, the Alliance would have countless ways to completely annihilate that Emanator, even if the opponent possessed Emanator-level power.

When the strength of both sides is roughly equal, if the side with the intelligence advantage still can't completely destroy the opponent, then its commander is most likely a complete incompetent fool.

Would the Xianzhou Alliance have such an incompetent person? Perhaps. But certainly not someone who could rise to the rank of General.

Since the invasion of the Abundance Emanator could no longer inflict the same devastating damage upon the Xianzhou Luofu as it had in that other timeline, the "Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae" could never develop to the same extent. From that perspective, this magical café, along with Dan Heng, Jingliu, and the others from that timeline, had helped them avoid the worst possible ending, where the High-Cloud Quintet completely fell apart.

Meanwhile, what had happened in that world served as a painful wake-up call. Although they were comrades-in-arms, they were ultimately independent individuals with vastly different values, beliefs, and personalities. Danfeng couldn't simply abandon the possibility of helping the Vidyadhara flourish. Jingyuan, Jingliu, and Baiheng would never stand by and allow Danfeng to amass the power of Abundance. Yingxing... was simply a short-lived species. The seeds of conflict had existed from the very beginning. The Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae had merely allowed them to grow beyond control.

Therefore, from this moment onward, although they remained comrades-in-arms on the battlefield, they also had to examine their relationship with a more realistic and rational perspective.

...Regardless, the "Danfeng" of that world was ultimately the culprit behind the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae. If possible, Danfeng wanted to help his counterpart from another world mitigate the consequences of those sins as much as possible.

Changing Bailu's position and status was the first step he intended to take.

"Okay."

Dan Heng agreed without much hesitation.

Although Dan Heng and Danfeng had very different personalities, they were fundamentally responsible people. Otherwise, after suffering such unfair treatment, Dan Heng would have long since come to hate the Xianzhou Luofu. In reality, although he wasn't entirely satisfied with how he had been treated, he never harbored any hatred toward the Luofu, nor did he ever think about taking revenge. After learning about the sins committed in his previous life, he simply accepted the consequences in silence.

He clearly understood that inheriting part of the High Elder's power was, in itself, an injustice to the current High Elder, Bailu. Therefore, if doing so could help Bailu erase that injustice, Dan Heng wouldn't mind helping Bailu, who had been closely monitored by the Preceptors since childhood.

"Show me your High Elder form," Danfeng said. "Let me see how much of my power you've inherited."

A trace of hesitation flashed across Dan Heng's face. He remained silent for a moment before finally letting out a deep sigh. His expression became solemn as he nodded.

An overwhelming power instantly surged from within his body. The ancient robes of the High Elder swiftly enveloped him. Two dragon horns formed upon his forehead, his black hair rapidly lengthened, and water that appeared from thin air transformed into dragons that roared around him.

"Is this enough?"

Having assumed his usual aloof demeanor, Dan Heng asked calmly.

"..."

For some reason, the instant Dan Heng adopted that expression, Danfeng's face became strangely conflicted.

"You..."

Danfeng hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

"...Why is there such a large opening in your chest? This... isn't this a little too... indecent?"

Dan Heng's face immediately darkened.

"Do you think I wanted this? I'd like to ask you the same thing. Why does a High Elder's attire look like this?"

"No... Logically speaking, a Vidyadhara High Elder's attire shouldn't be this revealing."

Danfeng stroked his chin thoughtfully before speaking.

"...Could this be one of the side effects of the High Elder's incomplete power? That's possible. Since the power is incomplete, the clothing is incomplete as well. That makes perfect sense."

"Perfect my..."

Dan Heng suppressed the urge to swear as he withdrew the High Elder's power. His familiar hooded robe returned.

"Is this enough?"

"Yes. I've seen the power you possess."

Danfeng nodded.

"I'll go back and organize my memories regarding the Transmutation Arcanum. Come back at this time tomorrow."

Dan Heng took a deep breath, suppressing the irritation in his chest.

"I understand. Is there anything else?"

"No."

Danfeng shook his head before turning his gaze toward Bailu and sighing softly.

"Keep an eye on her for us."

"I will."

This time, after everything had been settled, Dan Heng finally returned to the Trailblazer's group.

The moment he entered the Store Manager's area, a cacophony of shouting, scolding, pleading, and the crunching of sunflower seeds filled the air.

Despite the incredible noise, the moment he stepped into the space, the frustration that had been building inside Dan Heng gradually melted away, and even his usually stiff expression relaxed.

The first person to notice Dan Heng's return was a visibly relieved Welt Yang.

"Is everything settled, Dan Heng?"

He looked toward Dan Heng with the concern of an elder.

Dan Heng was about to nod when, in the very next moment, a hand mercilessly grabbed Welt Yang's ear.

"Don't try to change the subject! Tell me! When are you going back?! Are you really going to leave your wife in that world to raise that child named Joey all by himself?!"

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Don't twist so hard—ouch—ah! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!" Welt Yang cried, his face twisted in agony.

"Please... please give me some dignity in front of the children..."

"Dignity? You still want dignity? You've abandoned your wife and son, and you still want dignity?!"

Dr. Tesla was so furious that her pigtails practically stood on end.

"You're giving me a definite answer today! Otherwise, this isn't over!"

"I... How can I give you a definite answer? It's not as though I don't want to go back..."

Welt Yang looked as though he was about to cry.

"Then tell me what you've actually done to find your way back to Earth!"

"Well... I'm not the navigator of the Astral Express... I can't just make decisions for myself..."

Welt Yang's eyes darted around as he desperately tried to change the subject.

"You're simply enjoying yourself too much to go back!"

"Who said that?! That's slander! Complete and utter slander!"

"Slander? Fine. We're scientists—we believe in evidence. Give me a detailed list of every preparation, every plan, and every concrete solution you've come up with to find Earth. If you can do that, I'll let it go. I'll even help explain everything properly to the other me. How about that?"

Dr. Tesla sneered, completely unconvinced.

Welt Yang was drenched in cold sweat, his face filled with utter despair.

"..."

Dan Heng considered the situation for a moment before deciding not to interfere in the personal affairs of his senior Express crew member.

He walked directly across from Welt Yang, standing beside March 7th and Stelle.

"What are those red things you're holding?"

"It seems to be a specialty fruit from Uncle Yang's planet—something called 'Green Jade House,' I think," March 7th replied.

"It's just watermelon."

Stelle happily took another bite of the bright red fruit, juice running down her chin.

"It's so sweet and delicious, Dan Heng. Want a slice?"

"Is there more?"

"Lots."

March 7th also took a bite before gesturing toward the table with her chin.

"Look. There's plenty left. The maid just cut them for us."

"Then I'll have some."

Ignoring Welt Yang's pleading expression, Dan Heng walked over to the table. He picked up a napkin, wiped his hands, then carefully selected a bright red, juicy slice of watermelon.

The moment he took a bite, its refreshing sweetness exploded across his palate.

Dan Heng's eyes brightened.

"It's really sweet and delicious. Eating a few slices while watching the show would be perfect. I'll record this fruit in the Archives later."

"..."

You just admitted you're watching the show, didn't you?!

You actually admitted it!

Dan Heng, you can't be this cold-hearted!

Come save your senior Express crew member!

Welt Yang silently roared in his heart.

---