Chapter 328: Let's Try
Fu Hua slowly extended her hand toward Zhuge Kongming's forehead, her expression tinged with sorrow. The girl's gaze was vacant, shell-shocked by the truth she had just learned.
Sigurd watched in silence, his face devoid of emotion. He made no move to interfere.
Senti, holding the small and delicate Kongming in her arms, glanced at Sigurd—still as aloof and indifferent as ever—then turned to Fu Hua, whose face was clouded with conflicting emotions. In the end, she said nothing and quietly shut her eyes.
Even someone as arrogant and wild as Senti had no words to offer now.
There were simply too many things she still couldn't do—like defeating Sigurd… or saving a world that had already died once.
"I'm sorry… I was too naïve. These things really shouldn't have been told to you. Maybe… maybe it really is better this way…"
Fu Hua's voice was slow and mournful. But just as her fingers were about to touch Zhuge Kongming's forehead, she saw the struggle and desperate pleading in the girl's eyes.
She stopped.
"Sigurd… there's still a chance, right?"
"Time flows differently here. In theory, we could stay indefinitely. Couldn't we treat this as a research opportunity—for our own world's benefit, if nothing else?"
Sigurd looked at her coldly.
"Has your soft heart reached the point of clouding your judgment?"
His voice was neutral, without accusation, but also without warmth.
Fu Hua lowered her eyes, her tone bitter.
"I… I'm sorry. I tried so hard not to form attachments to this world. I knew the truth, and I thought if I kept my distance, I wouldn't feel compassion. But in the end, I…"
"I'm sorry, Sigurd. If it's not possible, just forget I said anything. I won't let it happen again."
She gave a self-deprecating smile and took a deep breath, trying to bury her moment of weakness once more.
Yes—how could there be room for compassion in the battle between civilization and Honkai?
Even just preserving their own world already pushed Sigurd to the brink. How could she burden him further?
Just as Fu Hua steeled herself again, Sigurd reached out and caught her wrist.
"Sigurd…?"
"Being soft… once in a while… isn't so bad."
At last, Sigurd let go of his coldness and looked at Fu Hua with deep, unwavering eyes.
He understood what this immortal had endured.
She had been cold and ruthless for thousands of years.
She had buried the kind, righteous part of herself long ago, giving her everything to protect civilization.
Even when covered in scars, she clawed her way back from hell again and again, persisting until her people were strong enough to face the end themselves.
She had already sacrificed too much.
And now, she was about to bury the last softness she had only just begun to reclaim.
How could anyone be heartless enough to let her do that?
"Sigurd… you don't need to do this. Just stick to your plan. Don't let my sentimentality interfere."
"Now's not the time for pride, you Old Timer!"
Senti suddenly grabbed Fu Hua's other hand tightly, her grip fierce, her eyes shining with unshed tears despite the scowl on her face.
"That bastard is strong as hell, and I'm here too! You're not allowed to crawl back into your shell! I won't let you! You hear me?!"
No one knew Fu Hua's pain better than Senti.
If this Old Timer who had finally learned to laugh, to frown, even to get headaches—if she were to turn back into that hollow, lifeless puppet from Senti's memories…
Then Senti would rather see the world destroyed.
And in that instant, Senti understood something: she didn't care about saving the world.
She only wanted the Old Timer to live a little easier, to smile more.
That was enough.
"Senti…"
Fu Hua stared at those teary, determined eyes, and the walls around her heart finally crumbled.
In the warm sorrow that blanketed the room, Sigurd let go of Fu Hua's wrist and picked up the feather fan from Kongming's hand.
"Enough lying down. Get up—we're about to start a new research project."
"We're going to save this world."
Sigurd's voice was clear and calm.
Immediately, Kongming stood up from Senti's arms, straightened her clothing, and wiped the blood from her lips with a silk handkerchief.
Her expression turned sharp.
"Your Majesty, please speak. Whatever you require—the entire Empire will obey without question."
In her eyes, a trace of killing intent flickered to life.
The nation is getting better. That much was undeniable.
But the remnants of the old world couldn't be cleansed overnight, and there would always be new rot rising in its place. Still, Kongming had largely grasped the truth now. If it meant the survival of the world—then thousands, even tens of thousands of lives could be cast into the pit without hesitation.
Sigurd slowly fanned himself, eyes gleaming with quiet approval.
"Me too," Fu Hua said softly. "If there's anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask."
"And me!" Senti added, pumping her fist. "This time, I'll cooperate, I swear!"
Fu Hua had spoken for the sake of this world—and for her own lingering compassion.
Senti spoke to keep Fu Hua from once again carving her heart into bleeding fragments.
Sigurd gave a slight nod. His gaze turned to the intricate altar ahead, patterns etched across its surface like veins of ancient knowledge.
"As I said earlier, this is merely a prototype—the first step," he explained. "The second step branches in two directions. One: seek a direct connection to the Imaginary Tree. Two: construct an entirely new anchoring framework capable of replacing it. But in the end… both paths lead to the same conclusion."
He looked to each of them, ensuring they followed.
"Even if you build a structure on your own, the moment it becomes capable of supplying the fundamental components of reality, it will automatically fall under the Imaginary Tree's domain. The Tree is infinite in its reach—but also singular. Creating a structure of sufficient scale is equivalent to connecting to it. The only real difference is whether you're reaching out… or being absorbed."
The group listened quietly, each one doing their best to digest the immense implications of what Sigurd was saying.
Even Senti, usually the most carefree, furrowed her brow and rubbed her chin as if deep in thought.
How much she truly understood was anyone's guess—but at least she was trying.
Sigurd continued:
"Judging by the underlying structure beneath this altar, the civilization before you took the first sub-path: actively seeking a connection to the Imaginary Tree. Realistically, it's the more viable route, even if it still depends heavily on luck."
He paused, then smiled faintly.
"I said earlier that using only the dwindling power within the world bubble itself, both paths would lead to ruin. But now… the three of us are here. We're power from outside the bubble."
"That's this world's luck, a spark of new possibility."
As he spoke, tiny black motes, nearly invisible to the naked eye, began appearing around the altar. A faint blue light shimmered through the engraved runes, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Moments later, a soft, pure white orb of light began to coalesce at the center of the altar.
It was warm. Gentle. Almost alive.
Sigurd lifted a hand, and the light slowly floated toward him, nestling into his palm like a feather caught in a breeze.
"This is what you've been calling 'the power to grant wishes'—the heart of the world. The so-called omnipotent wish-granter."
He gave a half-smile as he waved his fan with one hand, holding the orb with the other.
Then, with casual confidence, he floated the light toward Zhuge Kongming.
"Want to give it a try? Immortality, invincibility, world peace—say it, and it becomes reality."
The glowing sphere hovered inches from her face, its light reflected in her unwavering eyes.
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[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/140631608
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