Chapter 597

"Let me think, what should I say at a time like this... Right, how about as a reward for catching me and Blade?"

"In the games Silver Wolf usually plays, there’s always this kind of setting—after controlling your character to defeat a powerful enemy, you get a treasure chest containing rare items."

"...However, the only prize I can offer right now, besides myself, is probably just a few secrets I haven't spoken of yet."

"I know you have many questions you want to ask me—I made you fall into a deep sleep, then woke you up; I abandoned you at Herta Space Station, then lured you to the Luofu Luofu Xianzhou; I owe you many explanations, don't you want to know them?"

Stelle nodded; she was very eager to understand these questions.

There was one more:

Who exactly was she, what had she done before, and why was she chosen to be one of Elio's chess pieces?

But Kafka shook her head:

"However, in the plan, many things are meant to be revealed to you slowly later on—knowing the right answer at the wrong time might lead to the wrong ending."

"...You should be able to understand a principle like that."

Stelle: "..."

She was already considering from what angle and with how much force it would be best to strike the back of someone's head.

Watching Stelle's ever-changing expression, Kafka smiled—a heartfelt smile, a smile from the bottom of her heart, a sincere smile.

Not the hypocritical symbol painted on a mask used for disguise and concealment as before.

"Let me think, what is something I can tell you right now."

"How about this, let me spoil what will happen at Penacony. Everyone wants to know what the future holds, don't they?"

Stelle nodded.

March 7th was instantly filled with curiosity, Welt Yang subconsciously tightened his grip on his cane, and even Fu Bai Xuan in the distance took an involuntary step back, as if the sea breeze had grown a bit stronger.

Kafka began to speak:

"You will enter into a dream, a dream realistic enough to be indistinguishable from reality."

"It will be a beautiful dream, without parting or death, where everyone can reap the fulfillment and happiness they deserve and live happily ever after."

"This will also be a healthy, sunny, and positive experience. You will have many unforgettable encounters and meet some friends who will open their hearts to you."

"Furthermore, you will meet many big shots in the galaxy, oh, and some old friends from your past journeys, though you are now one of those big shots yourself."

"So, please enjoy the upcoming festival to your heart's content."

"How about it, does this news satisfy you?" Kafka waited patiently for a reply.

On a cliff a little further away.

This was the best location Jing Jing Yuan had found based on his somewhat hazy memories, half-guessing and half-searching. It seemed his memory was quite good; he had found the right place.

"An ancient poem says, 'The ancient sea of Boyue, a realm of supreme wonder.'"

The waves rolled on endlessly, one after another, churning with silvery-white foam.

The cries of seagulls echoed, playing elegant music between heaven and earth.

Standing here, even if one did nothing and thought of nothing, simply facing the infinite blue waves that seemed to surround the entire world could instantly broaden one's chest and clear one's mind.

On the cliff, Jing Jing Yuan closed his eyes, feeling the strong sea breeze and resonating with the breath of this hidden realm.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and looked at Dan Heng, who was standing behind him, still maintaining his true form as a High Elder:

"The scenery of this Scalegorge Waterscape is the same as when I last saw it with my own eyes, unchanged. Yet you and I, standing here, have both changed."

"Even if the bodies of long-lived species are immortal, they cannot stand equal to heaven and earth."

"So, do you intend to stop being human?" Dan Heng suddenly blurted out.

Uh... Jing Jing Yuan was instantly rendered speechless.

The situation these past few days has been quite special; with the pre-defense before graduation approaching, the task of revising the thesis is quite heavy, so there might be a day when there is no time to update.

If the update is late on that day, it will be made up the next day.

"Haha, that won't happen."

"The Alliance strictly prohibits all research related to longevity. As a Cloud Knight General, I certainly cannot lead the way in violating Alliance laws and trampling on the rules of the Luofu Luofu Xianzhou."

"If I were so afraid of death and greedy for longevity, why wouldn't I just join the 'Disciples of Sanctus Medicus'?"

"...Oh, wait, that won't work. If I really had such a thought, the 'Emperor's Bow' would use gravity as a bowstring and rain down arrows of light."

Jing Jing Yuan explained with a smile, then turned around to carefully examine the Dan Heng before him.

Black hair, white robes, a handsome face, an heroic air between his brows, and a pair of jade dragon horns pointing toward the firmament.

It was just that his expression wasn't quite the same; he lacked that feeling of the High Elder—standing above ten thousand, looking down upon the world, holding the sun and moon to pluck the stars, wishing to compete with the heavens.

Looking at this face, which was a mix of familiarity and a faint sense of strangeness, time seemed to have dialed back seven hundred years.

At that time, the "Imbibitor Lunae Rebellion" had not yet occurred, the "Shuhu Rebellion" had not yet begun, and all five of the "High-Cloud Quintet" were still present.

Back then, when they were idle, the five of them would find a good place to gather.

It might be some restaurant in Exalting Sanctum, some newly discovered interesting hidden realm, or perhaps right here in this Vidyadhara holy land, the Scalegorge Waterscape.

Come to think of it, it was interesting; among the "High-Cloud Quintet," four were born with white hair, and only the Imbibitor Lunae High Elder, with his long, pitch-black hair, was the odd one out.

Back then, the group often joked about this.

After three rounds of drinks, the young people would cast aside their respective identities. Regardless of who was the noble High Elder or who was the Master Blacksmith of the Artisanship Commission, they would throw worldly titles to the ground, joking with each other without regard for seniority, acting like each other's fathers and sons.

Bai Heng would say Dan Feng didn't fit in and wanted to dye his hair white, to turn the "Imbibitor Lunae High Elder" into the "White Moon High Elder."

Yingxing would say the "Ambrosial Arbor" was always a scourge and that he should just chop it down to forge weapons.

Dan Feng was slightly tipsy, so he put on the airs of the High Elder, saying that his Cloud Hymn technique had already reached perfection, and that these two fellows should at least address him as Imbibitor Lunae; being so young yet lacking respect for their elders, what would become of them in the future, so he would punish them with three cups of wine first.

At this point, Bai Heng would call out "Little Brother Jing Jing Yuan" and drag the bystander Jing Jing Yuan into the fray, while Yingxing and Dan Feng would compete in drinking, neither willing to yield to the other.

There was no helping it; at that time, Jing Jing Yuan was indeed the one with the lowest status among the five.

Cloud Knight Lieutenant sounded like a position second only to the General, but the people present—the Sword Champion, the High Elder, the First Star-Skiff Pilot—could only joke around with the short-lived Blacksmith.

Moreover, Dan Feng was the idol he worshipped and the figure he followed; even to this day, it remained the same...

And on the side, Master Master Master Jingliu would hold her wine cup, watching the new generation of the Luofu Luofu Xianzhou drink and make merry, deepening their bonds.

If they weren't too drunk, Dan Feng would pull them along to tour the various hidden realms of the Vidyadhara, enjoying the beautiful scenery, eating delicious food, and drinking fine wine.

What a nostalgic past that was...

Jing Jing Yuan's gaze moved past Dan Heng and landed on a spot not far behind him, where there was a stone platform that couldn't be called smooth but was at least flat.

Time seemed to have reached the afternoon; the sun was just right, and the warm breeze carried the scent of flowers.

He seemed to see the carefree five again, sitting around the stone platform, drinking wine, admiring flowers, and discussing heaven and earth.

But now, that stone platform was covered in a layer of dirt, and its sides were overgrown with emerald moss.

Things were different, people were different.

Then, Yingxing's words became a prophecy—the "Ambrosial Arbor" was a scourge.

In Star Calendar year 7379, the Emanator of "Abundance," Shuhu, led a massive invasion of Abundant people to plunder the "Ambrosial Arbor."

The "Shuhu Rebellion" broke out.

Although they won this battle, it was a pyrrhic victory.

The "Luofu" Luofu Luofu Xianzhou suffered heavy damage, half of its hidden realms were destroyed, various races on the Luofu Luofu Xianzhou suffered heavy casualties, the common people were slaughtered, corpses lay everywhere, and many entire clans were wiped out.

The Cloud Knights suffered massive losses, with less than one in ten remaining, and General Teng Xiao was wounded in this battle.

Bai Heng died in battle, and the "High-Cloud Quintet" was no longer complete.

With their homeland shattered, comrades dead, and the promising juniors they looked after unable to be saved, Master Master Master Jingliu, who was already of advanced age, was heartbroken.

The "Luofu" Luofu Luofu Xianzhou was half-dead, with every hidden realm filled with people in mourning clothes, funeral rites were held constantly, and the Star-Skiff Haven was filled with people sending off the spirits every day.

Just then, tragic news came from the Vidyadhara hidden realm:

The Imbibitor Lunae High Elder attempted to use the "Transformation Dragon Secret Technique" + Vidyadhara soul + Vidyadhara blood, combined with Bai Heng's fresh blood and Shuhu's flesh, to recreate a High Elder, but instead created a monstrous dragon.

The "Imbibitor Lunae Rebellion" broke out.

General Teng Xiao led the center army, Jing Jing Yuan, as a Cloud Knight Lieutenant, led the flank, and the Sword Champion Master Master Jingliu went together to the Scalegorge Waterscape to fight the monstrous dragon.

The dragon-like monster swam through the air like lightning, its body, burdened with the divine powers of both "Permanence" and "Abundance," was unimaginably huge, enough to swallow the horizon.

During the great battle, General Teng Xiao was critically wounded and dying, passing the Divine Lord to Jing Jing Yuan.

At the critical moment, Master Master Master Jingliu pointed her sword at Dan Feng, forced the truth out of him that the monster's reverse scale was on its head, and after the great battle, she slew the monster.

Bai Heng died, Dan Feng and Yingxing became prisoners, and the Master fell into Mara-struck madness the following year.

The "High-Cloud Quintet" no longer existed.

Bai Heng was someone Jing Jing Yuan greatly admired during her lifetime; her book, "A View of the Cliff Sea Star-Skiffs," recorded the stories of her sword-wielding travels across the world when she was a "Nameless."