"Well, Generals, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."
"Very well, Miss Lumina. You may leave."
"Goodbye for now." Lumina waved farewell, concluding her conversation with the three Generals. She turned and began walking out of the Palace of Astrum.
"Wait, Miss Lumina! There's something I'd like to ask of you." Watching Lumina's retreating figure, Feixiao hesitated for a moment before hurrying after her.
"Whew... I thought you weren't going to ask for my help after all."
Hearing this, Lumina's lips curled into a slight smile, a surge of joy welling up within her.
"Hm? General Feixiao, is there anything else you need?"
Though pleased, Lumina quickly composed herself, smoothing away her smile and turning back with a completely neutral expression.
As Feixiao jogged toward her, Lumina's face showed only mild curiosity. Even the most seasoned Xianzhou General would find no hint of vulnerability in her carefully crafted facade.
Just as Herta had previously remarked on Lumina's acting skills, if she were to become an actress, she would undoubtedly rise to become a globally renowned, unparalleled superstar within just a few years.
"Um... Miss Lumina, could I speak with you privately for a moment?" Feixiao asked, hinting at a change of location without explicitly stating her request. "It's a personal matter, unrelated to Xianzhou affairs."
Knowing what Feixiao wanted, Lumina nodded without hesitation. "Of course, General Feixiao. If there's anything within reason I can assist you with, I'll gladly help."
"Please, Miss Lumina," Feixiao gestured, then stepped forward to lead the way.
Soon, the two had left the Palace of Astrum.
"Elder Huaiyan, what do you make of this?" Jing Yuan asked, turning to Huaiyan once Lumina and Feixiao had vanished from sight.
"Jing Yuan, are you absolutely certain there are no anomalies within your body?" Huaiyan countered, his gaze probing and solemn.
To understand Huaiyan's perspective on Lumina, the Marshal's view of Lumina, and the Xianzhou Alliance's stance on Lumina, it was essential to determine whether Jing Yuan's Mara-Struck body—which Lumina had "modified"—posed any actual danger.
"None," Jing Yuan replied with unwavering certainty after another thorough self-examination.
Despite his firm assertion, Jing Yuan added, "While I'm confident there are no abnormalities, to rule out any issues I might have overlooked..."
"I consulted the Master Diviner of the Divination Commission and used the Matrix of Prescience for divination. No irregularities were detected there either."
"And now, after being examined by Elder Huaiyan and General Feixiao..."
"Still no anomalies," Huaiyan finished Jing Yuan's sentence.
"Yet your qi and blood have unmistakably returned to their peak levels from your middle age..."
"Indeed..." Jing Yuan sighed with a wry smile. "I was already fretting about how the Luofu would manage without me."
Though he had to endure various interrogations and examinations, at its core, this was a good thing.
After all, given the current state of the Luofu, if he were to leave now, its future would truly be bleak.
This wasn't to say Jing Yuan looked down on Fu Xuan, Yanqing, or anyone else. Their capabilities were certainly sufficient, but their temperaments... were chaotic, to say the least.
Let's not even mention Yanqing for now. Having weathered a major wave of setbacks, he had already shown remarkable progress.
But Fu Xuan... if she were to inherit the General's position in her current state, the Luofu would likely face a deluge of reforms and new policies, wouldn't it?
From Jing Yuan's perspective now, however, these concerns no longer mattered.
Five hundred years—half the lifespan of a Xianzhou person. With a hundred years dedicated to properly guiding Fu Xuan and Yanqing, he could finally enjoy his well-deserved retirement...
"Jing Yuan, you're overlooking the most crucial issue," Huaiyan said, his face grave, his voice heavy.
"She... she actually managed to modify the Plagues Author, a Mara-Struck entity at the Aeon level..."
"This... this is likely beyond the capabilities of a single Emanator, isn't it?" Huaiyan murmured, gazing up at the ceiling of the Palace of Astrum.
"Elder Huaiyan, what do you mean by that?" Jing Yuan's expression instantly turned grave.
Jing Yuan had previously entertained similar suspicions, but he hadn't dared to delve too deeply into them.
"Ah, not quite that," Huaiyan chuckled, noting Jing Yuan's grave expression. "After all, Miss Lumina ultimately failed in her attempt, didn't she? Her failure proves she never reached that level."
"Even if she didn't reach that level, her power must far exceed what an Emanator could possibly match," Huaiyan said calmly.
"This explains why she could so easily defeat Phantylia, who wields the Path powers of both Destruction and Abundance."
Huaiyan's voice echoed through the vast Palace of Astrum, a constant reminder:
Do not provoke Lumina...
-
Unaware of the conversation taking place within the Palace of Astrum, Lumina followed Feixiao to a secluded corner of Central Starskiff Haven.
Even if she had known what they were discussing inside, Lumina wouldn't have commented.
They were talking about her past self, after all.
The Lumina of today was a completely different person.
During her last attempt to modify the Mara-Struck body, she had been blocked by an invisible barrier.
But this time, the moment she saw Jing Yuan, Lumina understood.
Though a barrier still obstructed her, it was no longer an intangible one. Instead, it was a fragile, easily pierced barrier—the kind Lumina could shatter with a single, casual poke.
After scanning the deserted surroundings to ensure no one was watching, Lumina turned to Feixiao, who had already stopped walking. "General Feixiao, please tell me what's on your mind. Speak freely."
"It's... about the symptoms of Moon Rage," Feixiao admitted truthfully.
Feixiao hadn't initially intended to ask Lumina for help, but after succumbing to someone's incessant chatter, she finally relented.
"Moon Rage, you say? I know about that," Lumina nodded upon hearing the term. "You're seeking a way to completely cure it, aren't you?"
"Yes, if such a method exists," Feixiao replied, showing no embarrassment despite being an Emanator of The Hunt seeking aid from an Emanator of Abundance.
"Hmm..." A conflicted expression flickered across Lumina's face. "I do have a solution, but..."
"Please, Miss Lumina, speak freely."
"But..." Lumina's gaze settled on Feixiao's resolute face as she slowly explained, "It requires a small amount of cooperation from General Feixiao."
"As long as General Feixiao cooperates fully, it won't be a problem at all."