As a seasoned veteran of the Express crew, Welt truly proved how dependable he could be in a crisis.
After restraining an impulsive Stelle who was agitated by Lynelle's condition, along with a certain famously overprotective train companion who didn't want others risking themselves for his sake, Welt didn't immediately rush to 'retrieve' Lynelle.
Instead, he first tossed his cane out, setting up an anchor point for later.
Given the current circumstances, to ensure he wasn't corrupted by the Destruction, he had to constantly reconstruct his decaying flesh while pulling Lynelle into the Ambrosial Arbor.
Considering his body was in a perpetual state of 'resetting' and might not obey his commands, he prepared his means of movement in advance.
Then, he plunged headfirst into the black mist.
"Mr. Yang... he'll be okay, right?"
"Don't worry, Stelle. Mr. Welt has been with the Express for some time now. He wouldn't do anything he wasn't confident about."
Dan Heng's hand clenched slightly.
"And... I won't let my companions come to harm because of my past. If..."
Beside him, Jing Yuan, already completely exhausted, suddenly lifted his head and looked at Dan Heng.
"...Never mind. We can talk about it later."
Dan Heng ultimately said nothing more, and pointedly avoided meeting Jing Yuan's gaze.
Fortunately, things seemed to go smoothly on Welt's end.
Not long after he vanished into the mist, everyone saw the black fog begin moving rapidly towards the Ambrosial Arbor.
The Arbor itself was rather 'enthusiastic.' Even before Lynelle reached it, it proactively extended its branches, attempting to pull her inside.
Unfortunately, these branches were utterly corroded and disintegrated by the destructive black mist before they could even touch her.
"Eating all that black mist... won't the Arbor get indigestion?"
"It shouldn't. Though I hate to admit it, we've tried every method imaginable against the blight the Plague Author left upon the Xianzhou, even collaborating with the IPC when relations were more amicable. In the end, we still couldn't eradicate it."
Jing Yuan shook his head. "If the leftover Path energy of a single Emanator of Destruction could destroy the Ambrosial Arbor... then the Xianzhou alliance wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to seal it away in the first place."
"Alright, everyone."
After successfully delivering Lynelle into the Arbor, a figure emerged from the black mist.
Though he looked worse for wear, his body shimmering with the blue light of constant reconstruction, Welt managed to remain conscious.
"Lynelle has been successfully delivered into the Ambrosial Arbor. Now..."
"Now, we wait."
Jing Yuan sighed, his face clouded with worry. "Finding a balance between Abundance and Destruction takes time. Let's just hope she isn't too slow... Otherwise..."
Though Jing Yuan didn't finish, both Welt and Dan Heng understood his implication. After all, the act of delivering Lynelle into the Arbor... trespassed against far too many taboos.
While perhaps not reaching the scale of the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae, if no one went to bat for Jing Yuan... Fu Xuan might just see her dream of becoming General come true.
"Enough. There's no point in just standing around waiting here. We should—"
His words cut off abruptly. Jing Yuan's eyes snapped wide open, staring in disbelief at the sky above the Scalegorge Waterscape.
Or more precisely, at a gaze from beyond the heavens.
As if triggered, the Master Diviner, who had been listless moments before, instantly repositioned himself protectively in front of the group.
"That's... Nanook's gaze..."
Jing Yuan's voice felt dry and raspy.
"He wouldn't... personally intervene, would he?"
Jing Yuan's fear wasn't unfounded.
After all, Nanook had a precedent: personally intervening to 'recruit' Celenova from the ashes of an Emanator of Harmony, on the spot elevating a new Emanator of Destruction.
Combined with what Phantylia had said about 'witnessing the birth of a new Emanator of Destruction'...
"Bzzzt— Crackle—"
Before anyone could react, the destructive power that had quieted down within the Arbor's embrace surged once more.
A sickening sizzling sound of corrosion emanated from the Arbor's newly regenerated branches and trunk.
"Oh, for crying out loud!"
Meanwhile, Lynelle, who had just regained consciousness wrapped within the Arbor, couldn't help but curse.
Having already experienced Nanook's gaze once before on the space station, this second time felt almost familiar.
"Kiana-chan, Kiana-chan! A little help here!"
[Don't panic!]
Kiana-chan's voice rang urgently in Lynelle's mind.
[Nanook isn't directly affecting you yet. He's just amplifying the Path energy Phantylia left inside you... Don't stress. I'm adjusting your connection lines right now. If things get critical, I'll teleport you straight back to the Honkai side.]
[As for Nanook... don't worry. The worst he can do is take a body you don't need anymore.]
"?"
A question mark popped up over Lynelle's head.
"Why do I get the feeling this means a 'Dark Lynelle' is gonna show up in some future storyline!"
[Unfortunately, I have the same feeling.]
Kiana-chan's voice sounded resigned.
[But the good news is, this isn't the first time this happened in your first playthrough. I have some experience dealing with it. The bad news is... it's really better if it doesn't happen a second time.]
[That's why I'm not teleporting you out immediately. I'm waiting for a 'turning point' here.]
"Turning point?"
[Call it a hunch you get at my level of power. Or, a more logical explanation is, my sensory range is just a bit bigger than yours.]
"So... where is this turning point?"
As soon as she asked, Lynelle realized it was a redundant question.
Because now, not only could Customer Service Kiana-chan sense it, even Lynelle could feel it—the arrival of another gaze.
She looked up instinctively, her vision seeming to pierce through the Arbor, through the sky of the Scalegorge Waterscape, to a figure among the stars. Its hair resembled magpie feathers, six arms spread wide, emanating infinite compassion and mercy.
"Child of humanity... Thou hast not yielded to the stubborn malady of Destruction. I rejoice in thy fortitude."
Having spoken, Yaoshi, ignoring Nanook nearby, seemed to instantly manifest a phantom before Lynelle, gently kissing her forehead.
A life sigil, resembling a stalk of wheat, flickered briefly upon Lynelle's form.
Then, as if responding to Yaoshi's blessing, the Arbor's power surged with newfound vitality, swiftly overwhelming the corrosive sizzling of Destruction that had plagued it moments before.
"Hmph…"
But before Lynelle could feel relieved for long, a soft snort echoed, and the surrounding power of Destruction received an equivalent boost in strength.
"?"
This time, it was Lynelle's turn to be baffled.
Wait a minute, you two big shots...
Are you using my body as a colosseum or something?
--+--
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.