Knock knock knock—
Just as Lynelle was still basking in the joy of teasing Silver Wolf, a sudden knocking sound came from outside the room.
"Lynelle, something terrible has happened! Come out quick, you'll never guess what went down at the recent route meeting!"
"Well, well, your friends are here."
Silver Wolf glanced toward the door. "It's that silly-looking big pink-haired one. Seems like Kafka's business is finished over there."
"Are you leaving too?"
"Mhm, I still need to go open the Gate for you all later."
Silver Wolf nodded, her figure gradually turning translucent. "Though you could probably manage it yourself, I'll handle it this time. Can't let you guys take the blame for this one."
"Lynelle?"
Perhaps because March had been knocking for a while with no response, Stelle took the initiative to open the door. "Just now... did I hear talking?"
"Nope, probably just my terminal playing audio out loud?"
Lynelle stood up. "So, what's going on?"
"It's huge!"
March made an exaggerated gesture. "Just now, Kafka came to the Express!"
A few minutes later, the two of them brought Dan Heng and Lynelle, who had missed the meeting, to the passenger cabin.
"Lynelle, Dan Heng, I assume you've both heard about what just happened?"
Seeing them arrive, Himeko got straight to the point. "Just now, Mr. Yang and I discussed it. The information Kafka brought isn't necessarily false, but she's definitely hiding a lot."
"Under Elio's lead, the Stellaron Hunters' every move is a setup. And if we don't enter the Xianzhou, we can't verify whether the Luofu is truly facing imminent disaster."
"So, following the Express's usual practice, we'll decide whether to enter the Luofu via democratic vote."
As soon as Himeko said this, Stelle, beside Lynelle, immediately began sneakily glancing at March on her left and Lynelle on her right.
After all, on the way here, March had specifically told them to vote 'no,' reasoning that they shouldn't give that wicked woman Kafka what she wanted.
Lynelle responded with a knowing smile but said nothing, while Stelle agreed somewhat naively.
"Next, those in favor of entering the Luofu, please raise your hands. Well then... voting begins."
Whoosh whoosh whoosh— Almost simultaneously, along with Himeko and Mr. Yang, March 7th actually raised her hand too, right alongside Lynelle.
Stelle: O.O
Dan Heng sighed, looking utterly resigned.
"March, you..."
"Ehehe... After calming down, I realized we really can't let emotions rule us. What if the Xianzhou really is facing some unsolvable catastrophe? We can't just stand by and do nothing..."
March 7th rubbed her head, giving Stelle a goofy grin.
"Since no one has any objections, then..."
Watching the younger ones still fooling around, Himeko sighed helplessly. "Mr. Yang, since Dan Heng cannot set foot on the Luofu, I'll leave this operation to you."
"Mm, don't worry. As long as we don't run into an Emanator-level powerhouse, I can at least guarantee getting them out safely."
Mr. Yang nodded.
Soon, via the Express's engine, the Astral Express successfully warped to the vicinity of the Xianzhou Luofu. However, just as everyone was ready to roll up their sleeves and head into the Luofu, a minor complication arose on Himeko's end.
"The Gate is only responding with automated messages? No one's manning it?"
Hearing the situation, March couldn't help but shrink her neck in. "This isn't turning into a horror movie, is it...? Those films always start like this!"
"If I recall correctly, there really are quite a few entities on the Xianzhou that could be commonly considered 'ghosts.' Though those Heliobi probably wouldn't come all the way out here..."
Dan Heng stated expressionlessly, attempting to add a dose of reality to March's horror story.
"Eek! T-then, how about Lynelle tries to open the gate with her abilities?"
"No. Even if Lynelle's abilities are sufficient, we shouldn't force the gate open."
Himeko shook her head. "If we forcefully enter under these special circumstances without proper docking authorization, the Xianzhou could easily take it as a provocation."
"Then, before we even solve the Stellaron issue, we might follow in the footsteps of previous Nameless and end up locked away in the Shackling Prison."
"J-jail time again? This time it sounds really different though... Did someone among the Nameless really commit a crime that serious?"
"Judging by the presence of a Space Anchor inside the Shackling Prison, clearly, yes."
Dan Heng provided a definitive answer.
However, Silver Wolf's actions were evidently swift. Before everyone could hesitate for more than a few minutes, the Yuque Gate suddenly returned to normal.
--+--
"Wow, so this is the Luofu... But why are there all these weird containers everywhere?"
March 7th, who had excitedly pulled out her camera ready to take pictures, immediately lost interest and put it away. "Why does it feel like... the guide led us to some strange unloading dock?"
"Because we are living cargo, you see?"
Lynelle said deadpan, delivering a pun. "Hah, get it? Living cargo, like goods? Fits perfectly with the environment here, enough to make one's toes curl."
"Hahahaha..."
The obedient Stelle immediately played along and laughed.
"Ugh, you two..."
March 7th instantly hugged her chest. "If it weren't for the tech vibe everywhere, I'd think I was back in Belobog..."
"Alright, alright."
Mr. Yang, who clearly chatted with 'Shush' often and had built up a resistance to all sorts of puns, interjected.
"Let's first see if we can find anyone nearby. No matter what, we need to find out what's actually happening on the Luofu."
"Find people, huh..."
Hearing Mr. Yang's words, Lynelle immediately opened her little case and released her drone swarm.
At times like these, Lynelle always felt a pang of nostalgia for the cyan-haired girl who used to be by her side.
Of course, she meant missing the other's several-hundred-kilometer panoramic perspective, not missing the buzzing, high-speed vibrating air currents Wendy created.
The former allowed Lynelle to perceive all information within a vast range, while the latter only succeeded in turning Lynelle's brain to mush.
But without Wendy here, Lynelle could only control several drones, navigating the maze-like container stacks to scout the surroundings.
"Hm? Seems I found something already..."
Less than half a minute after deploying the drones, Lynelle successfully located the target: a Cloud Knight covered in wounds.
"Okay, then let's... Huh? Hey! Lynelle, why are you running so fast?"
Watching the pink-haired girl suddenly dash off, the other three exchanged puzzled glances and immediately followed.
Soon, they understood why Lynelle was in such a hurry.
Judging by the knight's horrific injuries, if they were even a little bit slower, this Cloud Knight would have become Cloud/Knight, and not the kind you could piece back together.
"Such severe injuries, and no major medical facilities nearby..."
Stelle's expression was grim. "This person is probably... Huh?"
Before the young Stellaron spirit could finish her lament, she saw Lynelle do something that nearly shattered her worldview.
In Lynelle's hands, a stabilization device materialized instantly.
Then, she proceeded to piece this Cloud Knight back together like building blocks. Next, she manifested a familiar black-and-white lance, which immediately emitted a holy light, helping the knight's broken body heal.
"No matter how many times I see it, Lynelle's abilities remain so... familiar and practical."
Welt Yang adjusted his glasses, a look of feeling on his face.
"Uncle Yang..."
March and Stelle, who had never seen a Xianzhou native before, looked as if their jaws were about to hit the floor. "Th-this can heal him?"
"The Abundance's blessing, quite miraculous, right?"
Just then, Lynelle, finally finished with the treatment, spoke up with a smile.
"If I'd been any later, the Abundance's blessing within him wouldn't have been able to sustain his vitality any longer. At that point, even piecing him back together would have been useless."
"To use a vivid analogy, it's like those math problems kids often get: one faucet fills a tank, two pipes drain it. The Abundance's blessing inside a Xianzhou native is the filling faucet, and their injuries are the draining pipes."
"As long as you plug the leaks before the 'water'—their vitality—drains completely, they can rely on the internal Abundance blessing to replenish it."
"This logic applies not just to Xianzhou natives, but also to Foxians, Lupines, and all other Beings of Abundance who've received lower-level blessings. So if you encounter this situation, don't just write them off as beyond saving."
"I never thought, though Lynelle usually doesn't seem to read much, her understanding of the Abundance is quite profound."
Mr. Yang nodded approvingly.
"Indeed, most people with only a superficial knowledge of Paths might easily confuse the Abundance Path, its blessings, and its Emanators... Lynelle has done her homework very well in this area."
As they spoke, the Cloud Knight who had just undergone the "stitching surgery" gradually regained consciousness.
"Thank you for your assistance..."
"Don't move just yet. Your internal condition isn't stable. Just tell us, who injured you like this?"
Lynelle quickly stopped him from trying to stand and salute.
"Someone... was induced into a Mara-struck state..."
The Cloud Knight struggled to sit up, pointing in a direction. "Over there... Please save the Amicassador! Her name is Tingyun, she's a Foxian..."
With that, the Cloud Knight's head lolled to the side, and he passed out again.
"Don't worry, he should be fine. But it seems things here are already out of control?"
Mr. Yang frowned slightly. "Then who was it that opened the gate for us just now?"
"Never mind that, saving people is urgent. Lynelle, quickly use the drones to scout that direction. Find the Miss Tingyun he mentioned as soon as possible."
"Tingyun, huh..."
While controlling the drones and pretending to close her eyes in concentration, Lynelle's heart began to beat a little faster.
After all, while Stelle and the others didn't know Tingyun's true identity, she knew all too well.
The Lord Ravager—Phantylia—had already hijacked Tingyun's ship before it reached the Xianzhou and taken her form...
If things followed the original script, Phantylia's goal in infiltrating the Xianzhou was undoubtedly the Ambrosial Arbor, wanting to use it to forge a body possessing both Abundance and Destruction powers for herself.
But the problem was... was that still Phantylia's goal now?
Or rather, was it still her only goal?
Back at the space station, Nanook had only glanced at Stelle, but with Lynelle, he had practically tried to reach out directly.
Thankfully, some unknown power from the paths of Elation and Remembrance helped Lynelle block Nanook's gaze.
Otherwise, Lynelle's body might have instantly become a battlefield for Destruction's power and Kiana-chan's influence—
Forget about winning the fight; given how frail Lynelle's body was back then, her death count would probably have shot up by four or five digits.
After the incident, Madam Herta had comforted her, saying Destruction already had an Emanator corresponding to technology [Irontomb], so he probably wouldn't be interested in her. But...
She knew exactly what the deal with Irontomb was too!
With that second-hand Scepter of Lygus' that chipped Nanook's cheek, Nanook was probably more interested in Phainon than in Irontomb.
What if Nanook really decided Irontomb was useless and wanted to create a new Irontomb, or just grab Lynelle and throw her into Irontomb to raise like a gu...?
That would be a real mess, the kind you couldn't smooth over even with two cases of Milk.
However, whether things were truly that bleak, Lynelle felt she needed to wait and see.
After all, maybe she was just being paranoid, and Phantylia had no idea she even existed.
So, Tingyun's—or rather, Phantylia's—attitude upon meeting would be the most crucial thing for Lynelle to observe.
"Found her, Uncle Yang."
Having roughly sorted her thoughts, Lynelle opened her eyes.
"She's not far from us, but it seems she's already surrounded by a bunch of plant-people... We need to get over there quickly."
"Pfft, plant-people... that's actually quite fitting."
March, who was about to laugh beside her, quickly stifled it, afraid of losing karma points.
A few minutes later, the four of them successfully found the surrounded group of Cloud Knights and a Foxian lady with a big, fluffy tail.
Upon spotting the newcomers, Tingyun's eyes instantly lit up.
"Honored rescuers, please, save me!"
The moment they saw Tingyun safe and sound, Stelle, March, and Mr. Yang breathed a sigh of relief. But Lynelle was different; her heart sank.
Because, just then, the look Tingyun gave her... was filled with intense curiosity.
Even though Lynelle should have been the least imposing of the four, Phantylia had locked onto her first. Why on earth was that? So very hard to guess.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.