Mydei continued to cook.
Castorice, Derick, Castorice, Polyxia, Tribbie, Cipher, and even Aglaea were all waiting for him to finish the meal.
Derick and the others were a bit surprised that Aglaea had stayed.
"Teacher, people need to relax sometimes, don't they?" Aglaea said with a smile. "Whether it's the Flamechase Journey or some other method of saving the world, there's not much more we can do for now. At a time like this, even I want to try and enjoy some recreational activities."
Since Derick's arrival, Aglaea's workload had significantly decreased, and the speed of collecting the Titan Core Flames had also increased considerably. Seeing that the collection of the flames was nearing completion, Aglaea intended to use what little spirit she had left to properly enjoy a period of happiness.
"Mm, it's wonderful that you can think that way, Aglaea," Tribbie said, delighted by Aglaea's change.
Aglaea smiled.
Soon, Mydei finished cooking and brought the dishes to the table. Everyone was ravenous and eagerly picked up their spoons to start eating.
While eating, Tribbie was still thinking.
She murmured to herself, "Now we're just missing the Core Flames of the Titans of the Sky and the Worldbearing. We need to consider the Worldbearing Titan last. So, it seems our next step should be to think about how to deal with the Titan of the Sky, Aquila, the Eye of Twilight."
After saying this, she realized her blunder and quickly waved her hands at Derick and the others. "Don't mind me, I was just thinking out loud. We can talk about this after you've all had a good rest."
He had just obtained the power of the Titan of Deceit, and she was already thinking about Aquila. That was hardly letting him rest. Tribbie would rather think about it in secret than deprive Derick and the others of their break.
"It's alright, Sister Tribbie. We don't have to strategize how to find Aquila. Let's just treat this as a casual chat at the dinner table," Derick said to Tribbie.
"Yes, Lady Tribbie, let's just consider it a casual chat," Castorice naturally chimed in, echoing Derick's words.
"Alright then, since it's our leisure time anyway." Tribbie glanced at the sky and said to Derick and the others, "Aquila is not as easy to talk to as the other Titans. The beginning of the Flamechase Journey started with the Sun-ember Knight, Seneos, attacking Aquila, the Eye of Twilight. That was over a thousand years ago. Although Aglaea, Cipher, and I were around then, Seneos lived in the sky, so we don't know the specific details."
Aquila's situation was similar to Nikador's. A fight was inevitable to get any result.
"That's fine. A direct fight is even better. That way, I don't have to think about whether to save their life or not. When it comes to just fighting, I'm not afraid of anyone right now," Derick was quite happy to hear this. Not having to consider saving his opponent made his operations much simpler.
"What a pity. I hadn't even paid them a visit before they fell from the sky. Anything left is probably worthless," Cipher said with a tone of great regret.
Aglaea said to Derick, "Right now, the only one who knows how to get to the sky is the descendant of the Sun-ember Knight, Hyacine."
"Hyacine? Knowing that her ancestor was such a powerful knight, and she is now a healer, I find it very surprising."
As he said this, Hyacine's voice came from behind him. "Derry, what's wrong with being a healer? In this world, there is no shortage of brave and skilled warriors, but there is a greater need for healers to mend their wounds."
Derick slapped his forehead. "My apologies, I misspoke, Hyacine."
"It's alright. Others are also very surprised when they find out my ancestor was the Sun-ember Knight," Hyacine said with a smile, sidling up to Derick.
"It's good that you're here, Hyacine. You can tell us the way to get to the sky," Aglaea said to her.
"Hee hee, my family has a secret art passed down through generations that can build a path to the sky. But it can only be used once, so we must be fully prepared," Hyacine nodded and said.
"Yes, we definitely need to prepare well. Speaking of which, after we deal with Aquila, will we be able to go beyond the sky?"
Hearing Derick's words, the others couldn't help but look surprised.
Go beyond the sky? That was something the people of Amphoreus had never even thought of.
"You… you want to go outside?" Castorice asked, astonished.
"Yes," Derick nodded. "I want to explore how beautiful the outside world is. The ice-covered Jarilo, the patroling Xianzhou Alliance in the cosmos, and Penacony, as well as those other places that weren't in the story but which one yearns for."
Compared to the universe, this Amphoreus was just too small.
The others didn't know how to respond to Derick's idea, but Cipher's eyes lit up. She said to Derick, "In that case, Derry-boy, you have to take me with you when you go to the outside world. The outside world is bound to have more treasures, and my collection will surely grow even larger then."
"Of course." Derick certainly wouldn't refuse.
"You two sure think far ahead," Mydei couldn't help but say, looking at their fantasies.
"Naturally. If we don't think about it now, are we supposed to think about it while fighting Aquila?" Cipher retorted nonchalantly. As she spoke, she scooped a large piece of cake into her mouth with a spoon.
Hyacine earnestly assured the others, "During this time, I will also begin preparations for the journey to the sky."
After the meal, everyone went back to rest.
Derick and Castorice walked hand-in-hand back to the Marmoreal Market. On the way, he gently rubbed his right eye.
"Derick, what's wrong?" Seeing his action, Castorice asked with concern.
"It's nothing, just a bit tired. I need to get some good rest when we get back," Derick shook his head and replied to Castorice.
The real situation was that his second clone had undergone a change. He was now eager to switch to his second clone's perspective and observe what was happening over there.
***
An unknown planet, Ruan Mei's backup base.
Derick manipulated his second clone to walk over to Ruan Mei's side.
Ruan Mei was standing in front of a culture pod, and inside was a jade-like Foxian beauty.
It was Tingyun, or rather, Tingyun in her Forsaken form.
Her features were picturesque, her face exquisite, and her snow-white body was perfectly proportioned. Before, her body was covered in blood and grime, eroded by the substance of Destruction, a sight that was almost impossible to look at. Now, in Ruan Mei's culture pod, her appearance had been restored to its original state.
Derick stared, slightly dazed.
It was important to note that the current Tingyun was not wearing any clothes. And as a Foxian, she was naturally alluring. Just lying there was enough to spark endless imagination.
Control, self-control. My main body is still on the street with Castorice. If I don't keep this under wraps, I'll be in big trouble.
At that moment, the Flame-Reaver probably wouldn't have to destroy the world; Derick himself would destroy it first out of sheer embarrassment.
"Mmm…"
A soft murmur escaped Tingyun's lips, her eyelids slowly fluttering open.
"Not bad. It seems her will to live is quite strong," Ruan Mei said with great satisfaction upon seeing this. She then turned her head to look at Derick's second clone.
"Of course, this is also related to you successfully devouring the substance of Destruction from her body."
Derick understood.
If things had followed the original plot, Tingyun's treatment would have taken much longer. It would have been a long wait until the Astral Express and Jing Yuan had resolved the Phantylia crisis, and even finished the events of Penacony, before Tingyun was fully restored by Ruan Mei.
Now that she had recovered ahead of schedule, he didn't know what impact this would have on the Xianzhou Alliance.
Derick pondered this in his mind.
Meanwhile, Tingyun slowly woke up.
Her mind was still replaying the scene of the attack.
All the starskiffs in the merchant fleet had exploded almost simultaneously. A woman with a stunning figure but radiating a terrifying aura had appeared before her. She had been almost powerless to resist as the woman entered her body. A sharp pain shot through her mind, telling her that her memories were being plundered. Then, the terrifying woman left, having taken on her appearance.
Tingyun tried desperately to stop her, but by then she had already collapsed helplessly, her entire body engulfed in scorching flames.
The burning sensation brought her back to consciousness in an instant. Tingyun couldn't help but force her eyes open.
However, what greeted her was not the wreckage of a starskiff. Instead, she felt like she was in a glass container. The pain in her body had also vanished. In its place, outside the glass pod, a gentle-looking beauty in a cheongsam and a black monster were looking at her.
"What is this situation!?"
She couldn't help but try to push open the glass pod.
When her slender palm touched the glass, it opened with a soft sound. The air that rushed in from the outside made her shiver involuntarily.
It was only then that Tingyun realized she wasn't wearing any clothes.
"Ah!" she yelped shyly. But seeing that there were no other men around, she only covered herself slightly, not overreacting too much.
"This lady, who are you?" she asked Ruan Mei.
"My name is Ruan Mei," Ruan Mei replied softly.
Tingyun lowered her head in thought. A moment later, she remembered and said in a shocked voice, "The… the Lady Ruan Mei of the Genius Society?"
Ruan Mei nodded lightly.
"Oh my goodness!" Tingyun couldn't help but cry out.
"Then what is your identity? Why would you attract such an attack?" Ruan Mei ignored Tingyun's shock and instead questioned her.
"My name is Tingyun. I am a delegate of the Sky-Faring Commission of the Luofu Xianzhou…" At this point, she remembered the attack she had suffered.
"Oh no! Someone is impersonating me and intends to harm the Xianzhou Luofu!"
_____
🔥 PATREON FLASH SALE: 30% OFF! 🔥
Yoo-hoo! ✨ Director Walnut here with a killer deal for you!
For a limited time only, get 30% OFF on Patreon and secure your early access to all content!
What's more, by joining now you'll help us smash our community goal! We're just 20 members away from unlocking 10 BONUS CHAPTERS for everybody!
Be the hero who gets us there! Subscribe with 30% off today!
👻 Join the fun at: patreon.com/Walnutchan