Chapter 493: Marry Acheron - 493

The questioning at the Matrix of Prescience went smoothly. Everything Samatha had said was true, and there wasn't a single lie in the information about Claretwheel Temple. With Sugata's stored data to back it up, Jing Yuan soon understood the whole story.

The outcome was just as Sylvia had expected.

Jing Yuan felt sorry for what'd happened to Claretwheel Temple, but his position made things difficult. He couldn't decide on his own to offer a group of borisin protection in the name of the Xianzhou Alliance. Especially when they were in the middle of dealing with a borisin Warhead who'd been locked up for centuries.

Jing Yuan gave Sylvia a look filled with mixed feelings. Still, bringing these people to him was far better than having them show up at the Wardance without warning.

By then, Sylvia had already stopped paying attention to Jing Yuan. Instead, she walked over to Samatha with a smile.

"Feeling better about things now?"

"Thank you for your kindness."

Samatha pressed her palms together, grateful that Sylvia had come to their aid when they needed it most. What'd seemed like a hopeless plea for help had taken an unexpected turn for the better after meeting her.

"Save the formalities for later. Once the IPC's transport ship gets here, we can leave."

Sylvia looked toward Sugata with anticipation. Hopefully, Madam Herta would finish her current work soon and find time to deal with the Anti-Organic Equation.

Just as Sylvia was about to leave with the others, Fu Xuan was preparing to check on how the Divination Commission had been running in her absence.

Then, without warning—

Buzz!

A strange wave of energy swept in from the distance, carrying a crimson glow that reached even the Divination Commission.

Sylvia frowned. That light carried the aura of the Abundance.

Samatha, on the other hand, went pale with fear.

"Lady Fu Xuan, that's the Borisin Warhead's heart! It's the product of a miracle of the Abundance! If its power spreads across the Xianzhou, it'll drive every Foxian into a frenzy of bloodlust and slaughter!"

As a borisin herself, Samatha knew that power well. It was the bloodthirsty force passed down through generations of Borisin Warheads.

"What?"

Fu Xuan's brows drew together. She shut her eyes at once and used her third eye to peer into the future. When she opened them again, her expression had turned grim.

Sylvia didn't need an explanation to know something was wrong.

As for Sylvia herself...

Well, she was curious enough to go have a look.

Another product of the Abundance, huh? From the sound of it, this thing was probably on the same level as a fruit from the Ambrosial Arbor.

If it turned out to be decent, she could seal it in a card and add it to her collection.

With that thought, Sylvia glanced at Mei and gave her a look. Then she teleported straight to the Ancient Sea.

--+--

A scarlet moon hung high in the sky.

Beneath it stood General Feixiao, her face grim.

The moment Sylvia appeared, Feixiao turned to look at her.

"Sylvia? What brings you here?"

"With something this big going on, how could I not come take a look?"

Sylvia narrowed her eyes and peered through the red light toward the object at its center.

'Wait... This thing... Why the hell is it a heart?'

Disgust spread across her face.

'Come on, seriously? Aren't you supposed to be a miracle of the Abundance? Even if the Warhead kept you stuffed inside his chest, did you really have to look like an actual lump of flesh and blood?'

Looking at the thick blood still dripping from the crimson moon, Sylvia found herself losing all interest in putting it inside a card.

It was just... gross.

Still, if the Xianzhou couldn't handle it, she supposed she could force herself to take it away. Worst case, she'd give it to Ruan Mei as a gift. Ruan Mei would know how to make the most of it.

"Hey, Feixiao. Can you deal with that thing safely?"

Sylvia pulled out a Storage Card.

After all, if her cards could contain a true miracle of the Abundance, what was one little product of such a miracle?

Besides, from what Sylvia could sense, the crimson moon's energy wasn't all that impressive. It couldn't even compare to the severed roots of the Ambrosial Arbor buried beneath the Luofu.

"No."

Feixiao shook her head and turned toward Sylvia.

"This is Hoolay's scheme. He's forcing me to swallow the Crimson Moon. Its power symbolizes the authority of the borisin Warhead. It can sway people's minds, but it can also cure the Foxians' Moon Rage."

"If I lose control, the borisin will gain a new Warhead. And even if I don't, bringing it back to the Yaoqing would create another problem. Sooner or later, some Foxian would covet its power. There are far too many Foxians on the Yaoqing."

If Feixiao truly swallowed the Crimson Moon, she'd have to deal with suspicion from within the Alliance. Worse, the power it offered would become a ticking time bomb.

Perhaps nothing would happen in her lifetime.

But what about the next generation? Or the one after that?

Sooner or later, some Foxian would give in to greed and try to claim the Crimson Moon's power. They might even dream of uniting the borisin under their rule and bringing them into the Xianzhou Alliance.

That was when the real trouble would begin.

Despite the grim subject, Feixiao's expression had eased somewhat.

"I've heard you have a way to safely contain the Ambrosial Arbor. Would you be willing to lend the Xianzhou a hand?"

Feixiao looked at Sylvia with hope.

If Sylvia could truly take this thing away, Feixiao would give her a Jade Abacus of Allying Oath in the name of the Yaoqing.

Hoolay had spent centuries locked in prison, so he knew nothing about Sylvia's abilities.

Feixiao, however, knew better.

If Sylvia could take away the Ambrosial Arbor itself, then containing the Crimson Moon should be no problem.

"Sigh... Fine, fine. I suppose I can take it off your hands."

Sylvia stepped forward, passing through the growing waves of energy. Her card pierced the crimson light and approached the pulsing heart.

The instant it touched the heart, the entire thing vanished into the card.

The maddening power and thick crimson glow disappeared in a flash.

In Sylvia's hand, red patterns spread across what'd been a blank card. At the center of its illustration was the Crimson Moon, still beating.

"Whoa! So that's how you contain things? That's amazing..."

Seeing the mind-bending power vanish, Feixiao rushed to Sylvia's side and leaned over to examine the card in her hand.

Seeing it in person was something else.

Who would've thought such a remarkable Curio could exist? Not even a trace of energy escaped from it.

'Actually... Why not have Sylvia collect all the other disasters of the Plagues Author that are still aboard the other Xianzhou ships?'

As that thought crossed Feixiao's mind, a familiar ding rang out inside Sylvia's head.

Feixiao's Affection had suddenly reached 70.

--+--

[Target: Feixiao]

[Affection: 70 (Trust)]

[Relationship: Ally]

['So, this time it's the frail, sickly little sister's turn?']

['Come to think of it, the thing you just took away could've cured her body, and now she's thanking you for taking it.']

['You've got quite a talent for this, huh?']

[Reward: One Green Gacha Pull]

--+--

"Well..."

Sylvia looked at Feixiao's high Affection, the free gacha pull, and the Crimson Moon Heart in her hand. Her feelings were a little complicated.

She really hadn't done anything today, yet benefits kept falling into her lap.

She'd taken everything worth taking, and somehow people were still thanking her for it.

Sylvia handed the Storage Card to the curious Feixiao.

"I'll be straight with you. I'm planning to give this thing to a genius I know as a favor. If you're going to change your mind, now's the time. Once I hand it over, you won't be getting it back."

"If you hadn't been here today, who knows what might've happened? How could I have the nerve to ask you to hand over your spoils?"

Feixiao had no interest in keeping the Crimson Moon. She smiled and returned the card to Sylvia.

If she'd been forced to swallow the Crimson Moon herself to suppress its power, even Feixiao couldn't guarantee she wouldn't lose control.

Of course, there wouldn't be a new Borisin Warhead in that case.

Jing Yuan and Huaiyan would've killed her on the spot.

The fact that Sylvia could seal the Crimson Moon away so safely was already more than enough reason for Feixiao to be grateful.

"All right, then. I'll keep it."

Sylvia put the card away.

The thing wasn't of much use to her anyway. She already carried the Ambrosial Arbor, so if she ever needed the power of the Abundance, she'd have no reason to rely on an inferior product like this.

Still, as she'd said before, it would make a suitable gift for Ruan Mei.

Nothing too grand, but nothing cheap either. Just right for maintaining a good relationship.

"By the way, how are things going over at the Shackling Prison?"

After all, the borisin had launched a full-scale prison break. The Ten-Lords Commission had let some of it happen on purpose, but that didn't change the fact that a large number of borisin had broken in and plenty of prisoners had been released.

The worst of them had already been dealt with, but Sylvia had no idea what'd happened to the rest.

"Hmm, it should be fine. Let me just..."

Feixiao stopped halfway through her sentence.

She descended from the sky, skimmed across the water, and fished out a weakened borisin.

Sylvia watched Feixiao toss him onto the boat and leaned closer with curiosity.

"You actually left one alive?"

"This one's the leader of the borisin involved in the operation. I kept him alive on purpose. We might be able to squeeze some useful information out of him."

Feixiao planted a foot on the borisin, looking as bold and confident as ever.

You'd never guess she was injured or suffered from poor health.

"I see."

Sylvia glanced at the half-dead borisin, then took out her phone and sent Ruan Mei a message.

[Sylvia: I've got the heart of a Borisin Warhead. It's the product of a miracle of the Abundance. Interested?]

[Ruan Mei: ?]

[Ruan Mei: A Borisin Warhead? Wasn't he captured by the Xianzhou?]

[Sylvia: He happened to be breaking out of prison, and I ran into him.]

[Sylvia: So, interested? If not, I'll give it to Herta for her collection.]

It might be a little disgusting, but it was still worthy of being called a Curio. Herta would probably find it interesting too.

[Ruan Mei: That'd be a waste on her.]

[Ruan Mei: Bring it to me when you have time, darling. I'll thank you in advance.]

Sylvia couldn't help laughing when she read Ruan Mei's reply. She wondered how Herta would react if she saw it.

[Sylvia: Sure. I'll bring it over in a few days.]

As for Feixiao's illness and the flaws in the Foxians' bodies, those could wait until Sylvia met Ruan Mei in person.

Sylvia put away her phone.

Only then did she notice that the boat beneath her feet wasn't heading toward shore. Instead, it was taking her straight to the gates of the Shackling Prison.

"Where exactly are we going...?"

"My subordinates sent word that Hoolay locked the prison gates from the outside. Since we're headed there, I might as well drop this guy off."

Feixiao grabbed the borisin leader and led Sylvia toward the massive gates, which looked as though they'd been forged from bronze.

She opened them from the outside. And standing on the other side was a whole group of people Sylvia knew.

--+--

"Whoa! Sylvia, you came to rescue us too!"

The pink-haired girl squealed with joy and threw herself toward Sylvia.

Behind her, Stelle watched March 7th's actions, then glanced down at the baseball bat in her hand.

After a moment of thought, Stelle approached from the other side and wrapped her arms around Sylvia. She clung to her like a human pendant.

"Hoolay bullied me! Hurry up and get revenge for me!"

Sylvia looked at March 7th, who wore a look of disgust, then at Stelle, who was putting on quite a performance. She couldn't help smiling.

"Hoolay's already dead. Who exactly am I supposed to take revenge on?"

"He's dead already?"

March 7th's eyes widened, and she blinked twice.

When Hoolay had first climbed out of the Shackling Prison, his bloodthirsty aura had been downright terrifying.

And now, just like that, he was dead?

"General Feixiao was waiting outside. Why would you think Hoolay could make it out alive?"

"Well, you've got a point~"

March 7th chuckled, looking a little sheepish.

Feixiao glanced at Sylvia and the others. As she handed the captured borisin over to Hanya, she teased them.

"You Astral Express folks sure are close."

"Well, there aren't many of us, so it's only natural we'd be close."

Sylvia answered while turning toward Dan Heng, silently asking with her eyes whether he'd run into any trouble.

Dan Heng shook his head.

Things had been dangerous, but no one had suffered any serious harm. The worst casualty was probably Xueyi, whose puppet body had been destroyed.

But according to Hanya herself, Xueyi did that sort of thing all the time. Since she used a puppet body, losing one looked far worse than it really was. For her, it was practically an everyday occurrence.

Yunli and Yanqing were also standing behind the group.

From the looks of it, Jing Yuan had thrown all the younger members of the group into the Shackling Prison to get some hands-on experience.

Without a word, Hanya dragged the captured borisin back into the prison.

The remaining borisin inside hadn't been fully subdued yet, but with their leader gone and Cloud Knights on the way to reinforce the prison, it was only a matter of time before the last of them were suppressed.

The group planned to head to the Wardance and attend the opening ceremony.

But just as they were about to leave, Yanqing stepped forward.

"My apologies, but I still have evidence that the borisin were working with the Vidyadhara Preceptors. I need to deliver it to the General as soon as possible so he can decide what to do. I'm afraid I won't be joining you for the opening ceremony."

"...I'll come with you."

The moment Dan Heng heard that, his interest was piqued.

He volunteered to accompany Yanqing, eager to give the Preceptors some trouble.

As for Sylvia, she considered the fact that this involved the Vidyadhara. There was a good chance Bailu might get dragged into it as well.

"Then I'll go to the Alchemy Commission and find Bailu. This could be a good chance for her to establish her authority."

Bailu was fairly strong these days. She wasn't quite at the level of a High Elder, but she was above the average Pathstrider.

Of course, if Bailu had no interest in taking the position of High Elder so soon, Sylvia wouldn't force her to inherit it. The Vidyadhara had already gone centuries without a proper High Elder. Waiting a little longer wouldn't hurt.

But whether Bailu wanted the position or not, Sylvia planned to give her that High Elder Light Cone.

The Light Cone wasn't of much use to Sylvia anymore, but it'd be a perfect fit for Bailu.

As for everyone else, Yunli had just finished fighting and wanted to visit Lingsha and Bailu at the Alchemy Commission, so she decided to go with Sylvia.

Moze naturally stayed with Feixiao.

Feixiao, having just finished her own battle, planned to head to the Wardance and enjoy the festivities.

March 7th and Stelle had no intention of getting involved in Vidyadhara affairs. Dan Heng and Sylvia had their own identities and standing, so it made sense for them to take part.

But the two girls were complete outsiders. Getting mixed up in the matter would only cause trouble.

And so, they decided to tag along with Feixiao and enjoy the Wardance instead.

--+--