Chapter 1251

""Ha… I like you, child. I wish this conversation could continue a little longer. Accept my blessing, Yasinthe. When I first saw you, I did have worries…" Tekeli smiled gently, "…but your conviction moved me. If the divinity of the sky is destined to be replaced… I hope it will take over your optimism and tenderness.""

""Your recognition is priceless, General. Please rest… I will surely make good use of your gift.""

After saying that, General Tekeli vanished from her sight.

After successfully obtaining the blessing, Fengjin returned to the tree courtyard and recounted her conversation with General Tekeli to Danheng.

"……"

After listening, Danheng merely gave a soft "hmm," his expression seeming somewhat solemn.

""What's up, Danbao?""

""Nothing, everything seems to be going smoothly. But… I'm a bit concerned about the prophecy you mentioned: 'At the end of the rainbow bridge, the child of the sky will mend dawn and dusk.' For some reason, I feel a faint… sadness from these few words.""

Fengjin, as always, remained optimistic; she had known the prophecy for a while, so she just smiled and said, "Is it because Danbao's personality makes him prone to melancholy? Lady Tingning interprets many prophecies every day; this is just an ordinary one, no need to worry too much."

""Come on, Danbao, don't look so glum. The final stop of our ancestral rites is going to be a long journey.""

""Where are we going?""

""The destination of the final stop is the homeland of Lord Wandi—Xuanfengcheng.""

——

The dragon clan.

""At the end of the rainbow bridge, the child of the sky will mend dawn and dusk…""

Yuan Shengsheng kept repeating that prophecy, eager to derive some meaning from those few words.

""In Norse mythology, the rainbow bridge is a passage connecting the realm of the gods and the human world." Longma Yichiro lowered his arms, crossed his fingers on the table, and added, "Of course, what the rainbow bridge of Wolferos connects may not be the divine realm but rather the sky itself.""

""If Fengjin truly is the destined one of the prophecy, then she is undoubtedly the 'child of the sky' spoken of, who will mend dawn and dusk… heh, that reminds me of a myth from a neighboring country.""

""What?""

""Nüwa mends the heavens.""

The moment Sakurai Nanami's words fell, the conference hall fell into an eerie silence.

""Nüwa… mends the heavens?" Miyamoto Shigeo was the first to frown, instinctively pushing his glasses up, and asked, "But what does that have to do with Fengjin's prophecy?""

Sakurai Nanami's lips curled into a smile: "Perhaps some of the heads present are unfamiliar with this legend, but I believe it may foretell a disaster that will befall Wolferos—Gonggong's angry strike against Mount Buzhou, breaking the heavenly pillar, snapping the earth's ties, tilting the sky northwest, sinking the earth southeast. Thus Nüwa melted five-colored stones to patch the heavens, severed the turtle's feet to set up the four poles, and only then could all things dwell in peace."

""But Wolferos's sky shows no great hole as in the myth, nor any five-colored stones—how could Fengjin patch it?" Kaze no Kotaro swept his gaze over, looking at the cold, beautiful woman."

This actually involves a supposition—no, I now think it's not a supposition but stark reality. The peaceful daily life enjoyed by the Aohema people is in fact sustained by Titans and Demigods bearing burdens unseen by them.

Sakurai Nanami paused, then continued: "We initially thought Nicadoli's madness made him the most threatening Demigod, but in fact, even in his madness he still holds back the Heichi's invasion. Could it be… that Wolferos has long been on the verge of collapse, sustained solely by the Titans of sky, war, and other seemingly unfavorable forces, whose stubborn support gives us the present situation?"

Tachibana Masamune hoarsely said, "What do you mean?"

""Aigle has been mending the sky, just like Nicadoli, constantly supporting Wolferos from unseen places and holding back the Heichi. We've always regarded these maddened Titans as evil gods obstructing humanity, and Aigle's blockade as meant to stop outward exploration. But Laigushi has shown he can bypass Aigle's blockade and open another road, leading me to suspect… that beyond the sky may not be the universe people hope for. If Wolferosians wish to leave here, they must gain Laigushi's consent, not Aigle's permission.""

""If not the universe, then what could it be?""

Sakurai Nanami shook her head regretfully: "I don't know either; this is just my speculation. But perhaps Aigle's blockade of the sky is not entirely meant to curb humanity's exploratory desire; there may be another, more important mission…"

""…protection.""

——

""This is the place, we've arrived.""

Fengjin and Danheng came to a high point of Xuanfengcheng, looking down upon the ruined city-state.

""Lord Wandi has been alone here fighting the Heichi, day after day… I'm worried about his condition.""

Danheng: "He previously sent word via thunderbolt, warning us to guard against the actions of the Fire‑thieves."

Fengjin suggested: "We came here to fulfill an important mission… it'd be best not to interfere with his battlefield. What do you think, Danbao?"

""Agreed.""

Fengjin pointed to a nearby stele: "Over there—those heroic spirits sleeping there are my grandmother."

Danheng looked surprised: "Your… grandmother?"

""Yes, my grandmother Shin Tiya was a warrior who also fought for the Yin Guang Courtyard in the Xuanfeng festival. She fought her way through to the final, just one step away from winning the peace oath for the Child of the Sky, but… she ultimately fell at the hands of the then‑battle overseer.""

""I don't know the details of the slaughter at the festival; I only read in the records that 'it was an honorable duel.'" Saying this, Fengjin's expression grew a bit gloomy, "But behind that honorable duel lies a tragic end. Not long after the festival ended, her wounds worsened, and she eventually died in a foreign land… this stele is the last memorial the Xuanfeng people left in accordance with her wishes.""

""Her death also caused the already tottering Yin Guang Courtyard, under the shadow of war, to finally collapse.""

""The Xuanfeng warrior who fought her to the death…""

""…is Lord Kelatus.""

""……" Danheng's breath caught as he gazed at Fengjin's downcast eyes, "But you still saved his life, even though he took your dearest kin.""

Fengjin nodded: "Seeing him collapsed, gravely wounded, blood flowing incessantly… I find it hard to put into words the tangled feelings I had then. But when I heard that Lord Kelatus had taken that heavy blow to protect Teacher Ting'an, my inner turmoil vanished.""