["Master Diviner, you're back."]
[As soon as the interrogation concluded, Stelle saw the Master Diviner returning with a squad of Cloud Knights.]
["My apologies for keeping you all waiting. I have uncovered the secrets of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus," Fu Xuan explained with a hint of regret. "I'm sorry, but to prevent leaks of confidential information, only General Jing Yuan and I are privy to the details regarding the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."]
["This is a clandestine organization plotting to undermine the Alliance. They have been lurking in the shadows for years, and this time, with the Stellaron's interference, they could no longer resist revealing themselves. Moreover, this disaster is deeply connected to them."]
["The battle is not going well, yet the Master Diviner leads by example, personally investigating the enemy's movements. It's truly admirable," Welt praised.]
["W-Well, it's not that big a deal!"]
[Fu Xuan, caught off guard by the praise, felt a bit embarrassed. Though she tried to appear humble, the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her. "For matters of divination, a diviner must personally engage to obtain firsthand information to achieve accurate results…"]
[But she suddenly snapped to attention, her amber eyes widening. "Wait a moment! Who said the battle isn't going well? The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have been scheming for a long time, and their methods are formidable, but our forces are not at a disadvantage. How can you say the battle is unfavorable?"]
["You've been waiting for us. I bet you have some task in mind, don't you?" Stelle said knowingly.]
[Fu Xuan gave a slight smile and nodded. "It seems you're already prepared."]
["Ugh, the first time I met your Helm Master Yukong, she said something quite memorable…"]
[At this moment, March 7th, ever the drama queen, ignored Tingyun's displeased expression behind her and mimicked Yukong's tone with a high-pitched voice: "This is an internal matter of the Xianzhou. No need to trouble our guests."]
["But in the blink of an eye, every dirty job gets dumped on us! Even the Interastral Peace Corporation doesn't order people around as much as you do!" March 7th complained indignantly. "And you're not planning to send us to the battlefield to charge alongside the Cloud Knights, are you?"]
["Hehe, of course not. Jing Yuan has given specific instructions. You all are extraordinary allies brought together by fate, embodying the essence of the 'extraordinary.' The Cloud Knights' frontal assault just now was to confront the enemy head-on. The time to employ the extraordinary has come. Please, follow me."]
[Fu Xuan led the group toward the seaside, explaining the history of the Xianzhou Luofu's Alchemy Commission along the way.]
["After receiving the gift of the Ambrosial Arbor, the Alchemy Commission was once the most vital department of the Xianzhou Luofu. After all, it was they who transformed all Xianzhou natives into long-life species, and it was they who derived countless extraordinary technologies from the Ambrosial Arbor."]
["But in the end, the alchemists were not satisfied. They began to take pleasure in manipulating life itself. Their research into the Ambrosial Arbor was like drinking poison to quench thirst—the deeper they delved, the more they craved."]
As Fu Xuan's words played out on the screen, in a palace in Snezhnaya, Arlecchino cast a cold, mocking glance at Dottore.
Dottore, sensing the disdain in his colleague's eyes, spoke unhurriedly: "If what Miss Fu Xuan says is true, then the Xianzhou people are truly foolish beyond measure."
"Hmph… I actually think they did the right thing."
Arlecchino's sharp nails grazed the ice-forged table, leaving a thin scratch. "Those who manipulate life deserve the harshest deaths."
The smile on Dottore's face gradually faded. Though he knew the Knave harbored resentment toward him, he hadn't realized it ran so deep. It seemed the previous Knave was more compatible with him.
"I understand the alchemists of the Xianzhou. For a miraculous tree like that, I, too, would continue researching it. However, I must correct one of Fu Xuan's claims. 'Manipulating life'… that's not an accurate description of the alchemists."
"On the contrary—I believe they were the ones who respected life the most on the Xianzhou."
"Oh?" Arlecchino let out a chilling laugh, as if she'd heard the most absurd joke, her eerie laughter echoing through the empty hall. "You've become quite the comedian, Dottore."
Dottore ignored her sarcasm, continuing in a leisurely tone: "In the end, if one understands the mysteries of life and uncovers the truth behind longevity, many of the Xianzhou's problems could be resolved. Perhaps even the Mara affliction could be eradicated one day."
"If we could thoroughly study the power of the Abundance Aeon… what's the harm in sacrificing a few lives? The Xianzhou is simply too cowardly. To grasp the truth, one must pay a tremendous price."
"Studying the power of a god?" Arlecchino narrowed her eyes. "Don't you think people who entertain such ideas are arrogantly delusional?"
"Gods are merely higher forms of life," Dottore chuckled. "And what of divine power? As a scholar, one must respect all possibilities. Given enough resources and time, I could create a god myself."
——
["'The bell of dawn awakens from a dream within a dream; the haze of clouds gathers and disperses, a body beyond the body'… Everyone, do you see that over there?"]
[Fu Xuan led the group to the seaside, pointing to a cauldron nearby that was still emitting smoke. The swirling mist drifted like celestial clouds, creating a scene reminiscent of a dazzling immortal realm or a palace in the heavens.]
["This is where the alchemists of old pursued the path of immortality. They built cauldrons here, drawing power from the Ambrosial Arbor to turn their visions into reality. Because the mist from the cauldrons never ceases, this place is called the Cloud-Veiled Purple Mansion."]
[A troubled expression crossed Fu Xuan's face as she looked up at the group. "Though the name is elegant, this is a deadly terrain in military terms. As long as the cauldron remains active and the mist persists, we cannot advance a single step."]
["Is this why the Cloud Knights lost control and succumbed to Mara?" Welt asked.]
[Fu Xuan nodded. "Exactly. The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have laced the mist, which spreads throughout the delve, with elixirs that induce the Mara affliction. Unless we can hold our breath while marching, the Cloud Knights will collapse without a fight."]
In Zaun, Runeterra:
"That's strange," Jinx said, pulling her gaze from the screen, her mind filled with confusion. "The Xianzhou Alliance clearly has the technology to fly into the cosmic bank. How could they not equip their soldiers with gas masks?"
"They can't possibly be unable to make something like that, right?" Jinx tossed the crude mask in her hand. In Zaun, where neurotoxic gases filled the air, such masks were a household necessity.
Though Zaun's technology lagged behind Piltover's, and certainly behind the Xianzhou's, the basic knowledge of wearing a mask to counter toxic gases was common sense.
"If the Xianzhou really can't make gas masks, I'm dying to know how they've survived in the galaxy for thousands of years."
Silco, standing nearby, offered an explanation: "They were likely caught off guard. Before the march, Fu Xuan didn't inform the Cloud Knights that their enemy was the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. An ambush under those circumstances is understandable."
"If every soldier in that army were equipped with a mask… they'd need a few more days to prepare the supplies. But the Xianzhou can't afford to wait. If the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus are left unchecked for a few more days, who knows what will become of the Xianzhou?"