Phainon's face lit up with joy when he saw the person before them. The man who had spoken was none other than Anaxagoras, the very person they were looking for.
Phainon immediately smiled and raised a hand in greeting.
"Teacher Anaxa, long time no see."
But before he could even finish his sentence, the man opposite him, arms crossed, raised a palm to stop him.
"Hold it. Don't call me Anaxa. Call me Anaxagoras."
Phainon's smile instantly stiffened. Teacher Anaxa always corrected their way of addressing him. But "Anaxa" was so much easier to say than "Anaxagoras." He had no idea why his teacher was so particular about it.
After correcting Phainon's form of address, Anaxagoras turned his gaze to Dan Heng. "Phainon, aren't you going to introduce your companion?"
Only then did Phainon remember Dan Heng was with him. Just as he was about to make the introduction, Dan Heng spoke up himself.
"I am a Nameless Guest from the Astral Express. My name is Dan Heng, and I serve as a guard."
"The Astral Express... a Nameless Guest... a companion of Mr. Fu Zhu?" Anaxagoras's expression was one of surprise, mixed with a hint of delight.
Dan Heng noted the expression on his face and was a bit surprised himself.
Was this another person who had dealings with Fu Zhu?
"Has Your Excellency, Anaxagoras, met my companion?"
"First, just call me Anaxa, it's easier to say. Second, Mr. Fu Zhu saved my life."
Dan Heng didn't think much of it, but Phainon, standing beside him, had a dramatic reaction.
What the heck? Talk about preferential treatment!
Phainon looked at Anaxagoras, feeling wronged.
"Teacher Anaxa..."
"Hold it. Don't call me Anaxa. Call me Anaxagoras."
"But, why can Dan Heng call you that?"
Anaxagoras rolled his eyes at him and sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead in exasperation.
"It seems that during your studies, I failed to properly instruct you in etiquette. First, you are my student and should address your teacher with respect. Second, this Mr. Dan Heng is my guest. Furthermore, his companion is the savior of both my sister and me. Now, do you have any further questions?"
Phainon immediately clamped his mouth shut. He was left speechless by Anaxagoras's explanation.
Seeing the two get sidetracked by a name, Dan Heng felt it necessary to remind them that time was of the essence. He took advantage of Phainon's silence to address Anaxagoras.
"Your Excellency Anaxa, we have come to see you today regarding a few matters."
Dan Heng then gave Anaxagoras a detailed account of their three objectives: Khaslana, the possibility of the Black Tide attacking the Grove of Epiphany, and their search for clues related to Fu Zhu.
"I see."
Anaxagoras nodded with understanding. When the Eternal Day had suddenly vanished, he had suspected that Okhema might make a move. After all, the Grove of Epiphany and Okhema had begun deep collaborations a millennium ago.
With the return of Eternal Night, the Black Tide was bound to resurge. It was no surprise that Okhema, given its high regard for the Grove, would send people to help them evacuate.
The only two things that surprised him were the other two matters.
"Understood. To save time, we can discuss the other two matters on the way. For now, I must go and inform the other six Sages so they can begin preparing for the evacuation."
Anaxagoras was a man of action. As soon as he grasped the full situation, he immediately set off to find the other Sages, leaving Dan Heng and Phainon standing there, unsure of what to do.
Phainon turned to Dan Heng, a bit embarrassed. "Dan Heng, please don't misunderstand. Teacher Anaxa is just a man of action like that. He's considered the... oddest of the Seven Sages here. But he's actually a very good person!"
Dan Heng simply smiled and shook his head, motioning for Phainon not to worry about it.
It wasn't long before Anaxagoras returned. He addressed both of them, but his words were aimed particularly at Dan Heng.
"I forgot to mention, if you have some time to spare, you could visit the library in the Grove of Epiphany. There's someone there who also had dealings with Fu Zhu. I don't know if she's still alive, though. It's been a long time since I last saw her."
"Understood. We'll go."
"Good."
With a satisfied nod, Anaxagoras left.
Phainon's spirits immediately lifted, and he took the lead to guide Dan Heng.
"Let's go, I'll take you to the library. I wonder who this person Teacher Anaxa was talking about is."
---o---
When the two entered the library, they saw numerous apprentices and scholars hastily packing books into boxes, likely having already received the news from Anaxagoras.
Even though the Seven Sages had yet to conclude their discussion, they preferred to start packing as a precaution, just in case they really needed to flee, to avoid a last-minute rush.
Phainon looked at the large crowd, scratching his head.
"Who is this person Teacher Anaxa was talking about? There are so many people here."
Dan Heng thought for a moment and said, "It should be someone elderly. After all, Fu Zhu's last appearance on Amphoreus was a thousand years ago."
"That makes sense!"
Phainon immediately walked over and began asking the older-looking scholars one by one. Dan Heng accompanied him, but after questioning several people, they all said they didn't know. The few who had heard of Fu Zhu only knew of him through rumors and had never met him in person.
At this point, both Dan Heng and Phainon were a little disappointed.
Anaxagoras had said he wasn't sure if the person was still alive. Perhaps she had truly passed away.
Just as the two were about to give up, a somewhat ethereal, beautiful figure appeared beside them.
"To think that after a thousand years, on the verge of my own death, I would meet another Nameless Guest. What a delightful surprise."
Hearing the voice, Phainon and Dan Heng immediately turned to look at the "female spirit" who had appeared beside them out of nowhere.
Dan Heng studied her features, noting the structures on her head that resembled deer antlers, and couldn't help but frown.
"Who are you?"
"Cerces," the female spirit replied succinctly.
Phainon's eyes went wide with disbelief. "[Reason] Titan... Cerces?"
Cerces frowned and raised her hands to cover her ears. "Oh my, young man, why are you shouting so loud? I'm an old woman, you know. What if you scared me to death with that racket?"
Phainon gave an embarrassed laugh, holding a hand up to his mouth. "My apologies, my apologies!"
Dan Heng, however, got straight to the point. "Lady Cerces, I heard from Lord Anaxa that you have met my companion, Fu Zhu?"
Cerces nodded, a hint of reminiscence in her eyes.
"Yes, that's right. I did indeed meet him a thousand years ago. And through him, I came to learn of some extraordinary things."
"Then do you know where he is now?"
"He is no longer on Amphoreus."
PS: Sorry, I overslept and was late.