The comments scrolled past.
Dan Heng and Hyacine both suppressed the surging emotions stirred up by the notebook.
The two exchanged a glance. Then continued searching nearby for anything of value.
Because the retreat had been too hurried, many things had been rummaged through and left in disarray, mixed together.
This undoubtedly made the search more difficult. The materials were all kinds of strange and varied.
Nothing useful had been found for the time being, but there were quite a few complaint letters.
From Dan Heng's observation, these complaint letters were still sealed intact, with a thick layer of dust accumulated on them.
This proved that the person being complained about had never even opened them, but simply discarded them casually.
That did fit Anaxagoras's personality. However, aside from these ordinary complaint letters, there were also many "weighty" ones.
These letters generally bore seals with different patterns. Dan Heng flipped through some of these stamped letters.
Basically, every well-known school within the Grove was represented here.
For a moment, Dan Heng didn't know whether to say that Anaxagoras's influence was too great, or that he was simply very unpopular.
"Why else would they call him "the Great Performer"?"
Hyacine noticed the letters in Dan Heng's hands and leaned over to explain, "When Anaxa established his school of thought, the first thing he apparently did was read his own work to everyone."
"Are the Titans truly an accurate reflection of what humans think gods should be? Worlds created by gods are indubitably perfect, but what of Amphoreus? Only foolishness and insensitivity everywhere you turn!"
Dan Heng nodded in agreement, then asked, "...An uncanny impersonation. What happened after?"
"They marched him straight to the seat of judgment before he could finish."
Hyacine smiled awkwardly. "Though what he took on in the end was more a debate than an actual trial. He had to address every one of the scholars' allegations, or face expulsion from the Grove."
As Hyacine recounted, in that trial, Anaxagoras argued fiercely against the gathered scholars, debating each challenger one by one.
In the end, he defeated all of them decisively.
This little anecdote made Anaxagoras feel even more vivid as a person.
After that, the two continued searching. Another notebook was found.
It was a continuation of the previous experimental record!
....
[The previous approach... has flaws.]
[Fusing human "souls" with Titan creations does not purify golden blood.]
[Even pure Titan creations are contaminants to the Chrysos Heirs' golden blood.]
[Soul fusion between humans and creations merely repairs impurities of the soul or maintains a connection to dying souls.]
[...]
[While creation myths tell us that Chrysos Heirs and other creations were all made by Titans, their nature differs fundamentally.]
[The Titans' creations are no intermediate products of an alchemical process, and the Chrysos Heirs are closer to the Titans than the creations.]
[In other words, I should not have considered Titan creations equal to Chrysos Heirs.]
[The hypothesis I should focus on is one pointed towards the Titans themselves.]
[...]
[Such rare chances to study Titans demand a meticulous selection of research subjects.]
[Living Titans prove impossible to restrain.]
[And dead Titans offer no insights worth pursuing.]
[But dying Titans, they are the perfect research subjects.]
[...]
[Only by understanding the fundamentals of creation can we ensure perfection at the moment of everything's birth.]
[Through my own hands, I will melt a Titan and reach the true essence of the soul...]
...
When the contents of this notebook were presented to the audience through Hyacine and Dan Heng, the comments fell silent for a moment.
Then it exploded!
....
: Holy shit, Anaxagoras wants to melt a Titan????
: I'm too naive, never in my dreams did I think this was his ultimate goal!
: Dan Heng's face went dark!
: Crazy, crazy, crazy! No, this isn't just crazy, he's completely insane!
: 666!
: So it started this early?!
...
Not just them. Even Dan Heng and Hyacine showed shock, staring at the notebook in disbelief.
With the two notebooks laid before them, the truth was already about to surface.
"My biggest fear... It's come true... After going through his notes, I think I can piece it all together now:"
Hyacine said with a grim expression.
"Anaxa was carrying out experiments on soul transmutation."
And Anaxagoras treating both Titans and humans as alchemical materials was undeniably extreme.
Moreover, his experimental results revealed a terrifying fact.
Titan constructs, as beings directly derived from Titans, actually were incomparable to the Chrysos Heirs.
In terms of purity, the Chrysos Heirs and Titans were the closest!
It was precisely because of this that Anaxagoras arrived at a "reasonable" hypothesis, that the Chrysos Heirs and Titans share the same origin!
...
: No wonder Anaxagoras refused to cooperate with Aglaea after entering Okhema.
: These data points are insane. Combined with what we saw before, it's basically certain, the Chrysos Heirs can become Titans!
: Before, it was already 90% likely, but having data to support it is a whole different story.
: With this data, overturning Amphoreus's civilization system would be as easy as resetting it.
: Kephale! Danger!
: Compared to Anaxagoras's speech at the Grove, this is the real blasphemy!
: The purity of Chrysos Heirs blood being closest to Titans, who could've imagined that…
: The truth of Amphoreus is getting more and more interesting!
...
As the barrage went wild with discussion, Hyacine arrived at an even more chilling conclusion.
When the black tide was approaching, the Grove had planned to send Cerces' Coreflame to a safe place, but an accident happened along the way, and Anaxagoras lost his life in the process...
But Cerces took over his body and "resurrected" him.
But… now it seemed, none of this might have been an accident.
"Put yourself in his shoes. Knowing that the black tide was closing in and your time was running out, what would you have done?"
"...I'd put my theories to the test, no matter the cost." Dan Heng narrowed his eyes and said quietly.
"Exactly. When the black tide came, the true reason Anaxa headed to the Luminary Throne was... to transmute and fuse himself with the Titan's Coreflame."
"Judging from how he reacted after the event, the results came as a surprise. Maybe he failed to consider the possibility that Cerces would make a similar decision."
Hyacine followed Dan Heng's line of thought and speculated. But the truth was probably nothing like what they imagined.
An indescribable sense of unease lingered in Hyacine's heart. She didn't stay any longer.
Instead, she pulled Dan Heng along and quickly headed toward the lab that belonged to Anaxagoras.
Before the fall of the Grove, this had been Anaxagoras's private lab.
And now, it stood open to them. After the two entered, they discovered that everything inside had been cleaned up thoroughly.
It was obvious.
After Anaxagoras met up with Okhema's reinforcements and defeated the Flame Reaver, he had briefly returned here and taken away everything of value.
Which also meant, the things recorded in those notes were still being researched by Anaxagoras.
Hyacine couldn't help but murmur in confusion, " what? There's only one Titan left in the world now-"
She stopped midway.
Dan Heng also immediately spoke, ""To conceive an entity of perfection, one must first understand the principles of creation"... If Anaxa is in Okhema now, then that means..."
"...He's after Kephale!" The two spoke in unison.
Everyone had been deceived! Anaxagoras's true goal was to refine the souls of the Titans!
And now, his only target was Kephale. They could no longer concern themselves with the Dead Titan.
At the very least, Stelle still had about fifteen days left to live. It wasn't an immediate crisis.
But if Anaxagoras were to lay his hands on Kephale's divine vessel, whether he succeeded or not… Everything would spiral beyond expectations.
And the audience, upon learning the truth, were also filled with urgency.
They couldn't wait to see what was happening on Anaxagoras's side. All the buildup had already been laid out.
They were just waiting for Anaxagoras to ignite that flame! Whether it would bring destruction, rebirth, or some other ending,
it left the audience wildly imagining. And MiHoYo didn't keep everyone waiting long.
The scene shifted at this moment.
Once again returning to Dawncloud Cliff!
Beneath the divine body, Anaxagoras and Cerces stood there without restraint, gazing directly at that towering presence.
Here, no one could disturb them. And so Cerces spoke freely.
"Child of humanity..."
"You didn't go to such lengths for an audience with Kephale just to ask him a few questions, did you?"
Cerces floated quietly beside Anaxagoras and asked.
"Hmph. So you figured it out."
Anaxagoras crossed his arms, staring at Kephale. "If I were as foolish as a dromas, perhaps I'd throw myself down and prostrate before their greatness, begging for the gods' prophetic wisdom. Well, sorry to disappoint, but I'm no dromas. Alas, I am a human, standing tall on two feet, possessing both intellect and pride."
"Heh... Before such power, does it make any difference whether you're a human or a dromas?" Cerces shook her head and replied with a smile.
"I'm sure you're familiar with the story of the Styxians. When the raging waves threatened to swallow them, they didn't just give up and become sitting ducks. No, they constructed a dam that kept the roaring tide at bay, chaining down the mad Phagousa."
After recounting that past, Anaxagoras continued, "They call me a blasphemer, Cerces, but that doesn't mean I deny the existence of gods. It's just..."
"...As I see it, Titans are simply a force that mankind has yet to find a way to tame."
The interest in Cerces' eyes deepened. This Anaxagoras was actually attempting to grasp the power of gods, equating gods with humans.
He had even brought up the past of the ocean Titan Phagousa.
"Oh? If power that rivals the Titans' is what you crave, why not conform to the prophecy and brave the trial?" Cerces questioned him.
Anaxagoras let out a cold laugh and continued, "Hah, why stop at harnessing the power of the Titans when I can do so much more?"
"The source of life is what I wish to grasp... To understand what makes up the soul, and to learn what we really are."
"Thanks to you, I've had the chance to personally verify — in more ways than one — that the soul indeed ceases to exist in "Death." But where there is death, there is life, and where there is an end, there must also be a beginning."
"How, then, is a soul born? That was the only unknown variable left in my calculations."
Just when the audience thought Anaxagoras's goal was to refine Titan souls, the man standing here gave an unexpected answer.
Alchemy? Refining Titans?
No. Those were merely processes, not the answer.
Everything the audience had seen in the notes, the truth they had speculated, was only part of the experimental process.
After so many twists, the audience felt like fools before this man.
Just as the barrage filled with question marks, an unexpected figure arrived.
It was Castorice.
"Professor Anaxa..."
"I'm here."
Castorice stopped not far away, hands folded in front of her skirt, looking toward him.
Anaxagoras wasn't surprised at all. After all, he was the one who had summoned her.
"Stelle's life hangs by a thread, I must ask you to refrain from taking any unnecessary steps." Castorice took a breath and spoke sincerely.
"What is this…?" Cerces, standing to the side, didn't understand.
Anaxagoras raised a hand, stopping her from speaking.
He looked directly at Castorice and said bluntly, "Of course, I'll bring this to a conclusive end and give you the answer you so desire."
"However, in accordance with the principle of "equivalent exchange," I must also demand from you what I need."
This was a transaction. Castorice wished to save Stelle's life, and Anaxagoras would grant that wish, while using Castorice to achieve his own goal.
"...As you wish."
"Don't you care to know what the price might be?" Anaxagoras questioned Castorice.
"It's a matter of uncovering the truth about the Death Titan, and Stelle's survival..."
"This may be the only time I can ever save someone's life. There is no need for me to think twice." Castorice's gaze was resolute.
"I see. In that case... let the show begin."
Anaxagoras nodded in satisfaction, then spoke to Cerces within his mind.
"Didn't you want to know what I intend to do?"
"Now, watch carefully."
Cerces questioned him from the side, "Indulge me: Am I correct to say that you intend to prove Thanatos' whereabouts and prove the nature of our existence now?"
Anaxagoras did not immediately answer but turned around, spreading his arms wide, mirroring Kephale's equally outstretched form from afar.
"Before I begin, I must confess I had been stuck in a cognitive trap all this time."
"As unrelated as these two propositions may seem at first glance, they are, in fact, logical equivalents. They are merely two different ways of telling us about what the soul is at its core."
"The reason I say this is as I've mentioned earlier: The answer was hidden in my journey unto death."
Castorice interrupted him with a concerned voice, "Anaxa... you were in the nether realm?"
"Yes — I am but a living dead man now — but that's not important. What truly matters is — I overheard a conversation between heroes."
"That's not all... Remember how I said you were a part of that conversation too, Cerces?"
Hearing this, Cerces was completely bewildered. She had already explained that it wasn't her.
But Anaxagoras ignored her, the madness in his eyes growing ever stronger, the origin of everything in Amphoreus lay within the words he was about to speak…