Chapter 572

"Death…"

At the dining table, the white‑haired man in splendid robes curled his lip in contempt, cutting a piece of bread in half with knife and fork: "Such unnecessary pomp, is it just for yourself?"

The purple Foundation Stone was placed on one end of the scale, red flames rose, and the scale began to tilt.

"Shuju, please do not ignore the facts, take a stand." Topaz shouted at him, and threw his Topaz Stone into the blue flame on the other end of the scale.

"By retaking Pinokangni, the Strategic Investment Department secured another vote of the seven‑person board…" The Green Snake coiled up Jade's calf, "The Stone Heart Ten have always valued results; tonight ought to be thus."

Having said that, the Green Snake threw Jade into the blue flame, increasing the fire's intensity a bit.

"But there are always those who value oaths more; Canggang — in favor of punishment." The speaking girl threw a blue gem into the red flame.

"And agate… that person is probably dead, so I have to relay his opinion." The black bat threw the orange‑red gem to the woman standing in the blood pool; she placed a bright red fruit in her mouth, and blood‑red spread from the corner of her lips: "If you ask me, this was handled too timidly; if it were me, I'd make the scene even more…… a river of blood."

——

Saint Seiya.

This kid won't really be kicked out of the Stone Heart Ten, will he?

In the Pope's Hall of the Sanctum, Leo's Regulus stood with arms crossed, looking regretfully at Shajin's frail figure; in my opinion, he feels it's a waste for Shajin. After all, he too has paid a considerable price for this trip; if we were to kick Shajin out of the Stone Heart Ten now, that would be altogether too unfair.

"The situation is not optimistic." Shi Ang narrowed his eyes, "These people seem to have objections to Shajin's methods, pushing the situation entirely toward approval; if we relied only on Jade and Topaz…"

"I really can't fathom what the Diamond is thinking." The burly Hasgat beside him couldn't help but mutter, "Shajin's ability is beyond doubt; even if we kicked him out of the Stone Heart Ten, does the Strategic Investment Department have anyone more suited to take over this post? If you ask me… Shajin's done a fine job; he should be promoted to P46—it's just a Foundation Stone, let the Diamond handle the repairs."

"You say that so lightly, but it's not you who's doing the work, right?" Pisces' Yaphefika slowly shook her head, "My view differs from yours; I also don't want Shajin kicked out of the Stone Heart Ten, but as a penalty his rank should be downgraded… just like Topaz's."

"Huh? Yaphefika, what do you mean? Do you think Shajin did a bad job on this trip?" Hasgat's gaze flicked harshly at him.

"Don't look at me like that, Hasgat." Yaphefika said calmly, "The Stone Heart Ten regard the Foundation Stone as their own life, but if Shajin destroys a Foundation Stone without any punishment, wouldn't the other Stone Heart Ten members emulate him when handling their own tasks? Even if Pinokangni is important, this precedent cannot be set."

——

"Amber abides by her neutral stance; this vote is her choice. And as a Mech… I believe your life should have more fairness."

A white‑haired Mech woman threw two Foundation Stones into the blue flame, and the weighty Foundation Stones once again brought the scene back into balance.

"Only one vote left…… as expected, in the end it's up to that guy to decide." Shuju rested his chin on his hand and gave a faint smile.

"Four‑to‑four……"

The box suddenly opened, a pacifier made of gems lay quietly inside; a childish voice instantly shifted to a youthful tone, and a brightly dressed "little child" raised the pacifier in his hand, while before him… countless people knelt on the ground in utmost reverence, holding aloft their gems as if the child before them were their sole sovereign.

"It's only natural that this is the result; everyone in this room has always been united. We are of the same kind, gathered together merely to take what we need—so why not drag out this exploitation even longer?"

In his small palm he held aloft a whole miniature, glittering Pinokangni; but in his hand it was no longer a gaudy dream‑city, but a ceaselessly flowing river of gold.

Countless planets flowed likewise with Pinokangni, the molten gold converging into a single point… that very Shajin Stone, restored to wholeness.

Shajin gripped it firmly in his hand.

"Come back; your time has not yet come."

The last gem fell into the blue flame, the scale gradually turned into Diamond, solidifying the two flames.

In the boundless depths of space, eleven streams of light slowly circled and spun around Crips as their core—those were ten Foundation Stones, and the sole, radiant Diamond.

"This too is the Diamond's intent—for the War of the Gods we may go all out. The giant hammer has already fallen; none can stand aside. Since we bear the Stone Heart, let us see through the vow to sacrifice ourselves utterly and carry out Preservation to the end."

"All is offered…… to the Amber King!"

——

Qin Shi Ming Yue.

The shifting, ever‑changing light of the heavenly canopy cast Tianming's excited face into alternating brightness and darkness; hearing the child's solemn tone speak of the War of the Gods, Tianming felt no fear—only irrepressible wonder.

"Uncle, uncle! Did you hear that? He said…… the War of the Gods? Are the gods up there going to start fighting again? Like that wicked woman Huanrong last time, and Xingqiri who always keeps a straight face?"

He forever remembered that sight in the heavenly canopy: Huanrong's massive form, raising a hand to summon the blossoms of the fusang tree that sap people's strength; Xingqiri's Taiyi Dream, governing all beings…… that was already beyond Tianming's imagination in power.

Gai Nie frowned, shaking his head as he said in a low voice, "Tianming, if what that child said is true, then this is far beyond anything an emissary‑level clash could match. The extent of its reach and the magnitude of its power will likely surpass anything we have ever witnessed. You must bear in mind that, no matter how curious you are, the first priority is to ensure your own safety—under no circumstances should you act recklessly."

Yet Tianming still didn't understand fear; his eyes widened even further: "Worse than an emissary?! Are you saying… it has to be even grander? Wow! What kind of scene would that be? Could it be something like overturning rivers and seas?"

"Ah, Tianming, you still don't get it…" Gai Nie sighed helplessly at Tianming's utterly bewildered expression: "This isn't a martial‑arts contest, not a hundred‑schools debate, not a war of seven states—it is a war between gods, its meaning far transcending life and death, its impact extending to countless worlds we know."

Sanghai City, indeed the whole world, in the face of such a conflict might be no more than a mote of dust. All we hold dear could vanish in an instant should the gods' thoughts clash. Think of Xingqiri and Huanrong—they are merely emissaries, yet the mere after‑shocks of their battles are enough to drive birds from a hundred‑li radius and beasts into hiding. Replace them with star‑gods… what a sight that would be.

Only now did Tianming faintly grasp the suffocating weight behind those four words "War of the Gods." The night wind blew; the boy instinctively shrank his neck, feeling for the first time that Sanghai City's night air was icy enough to pierce the bone.

——

After finishing the simulated universe test, Star also received a message from Qiqiu indicating that a major matter needed to be announced.

The content is simple: they received an invitation from Pinokangni's Origami University, planning to hold an academic symposium on exploration at the Moment of the Sun, inviting the Astral Express as a guest.

"An academic symposium… does that mean sitting in a lecture hall, chatting about hundreds of pages of slides for hundreds of system hours?" March 7 scratched his head.

"Don't worry, this boring activity can be left to the adults. Walter and I will attend the symposium as invited, and you three……" Qiqiu smiled slightly, "If you're interested, you can join the university as auditors."