[ It hurts… watching this hurts so much! ]
[ I hate this kind of scene the most! ]
[ The worst part is why they had to show this kind of scene three times. ]
[ Sigh… White-haired people sending off black-haired ones. ]
[ It's not death itself that's scary, but death without meaning. ]
[ Especially that final trembling voice—it was just too much. ]
— —
Once everyone had collected themselves, they followed Anaxa to find a young man.
He seemed to notice Anaxa's arrival. "What is it? I'm busy right now. The city hasn't been peaceful lately, and all these big and small matters are making my head spin…"
At that moment, Castorice spoke up from the side.
"Sir, please spare a moment of your time…"
"Ah, is that Lady Castorice? Did I make some mistake in my work? Has Lady Aglaea sent you to reprimand me?"
"Calm down, Titus," Anaxa interrupted the young man. "I am Anaxagoras of the Grove of Epiphany. I walked the same path as your father, the elder Titus."
Without any hesitation, he spoke the truth directly:
"Not long ago… your father passed away."
"Wh… what? The old man?" Titus's pupils trembled involuntarily. He closed his eyes.
Then he looked up at the sky, deliberately raising his voice several degrees.
"Hah… That's normal, I suppose. At his age, it wouldn't be surprising if he fell into the River of the Dead at any time…"
Caelus was just about to say something when he noticed that even though Titus had his head tilted upward, tears were still falling.
"Hah… That stubborn old man left so easily…
I told him so many times—at his age, why not just retire peacefully in the holy city? But no, he had to go to that Grove and mess around with a bunch of mystical scholars.
We argued so many times, but he never listened… That stubborn old ox!
I even found him a house to live in after he changed his mind… Now, forget about enjoying his later years, I didn't even get to see him one last time…"
The more Titus cursed, the louder his voice became, and the more his tears flowed uncontrollably.
"Stubborn old man! Stubborn old bull!"
[ You can tell Amphoreus is truly in great danger. ]
[ No matter what, none of these families lashed out at the messengers. It only proves they've already seen and experienced far too much. ]
[ Sigh, miHoYo, are you even human? Did this scene really need to be shown three times? ]
[ If they don't stab you with a knife at every opportunity, is it even miHoYo? ]
— —
"…That's all of them. These are the families of my colleagues that I remember."
Anaxa led Caelus and Castorice to a quiet, secluded spot and spoke in a low voice.
Caelus nodded. "Both the fallen and their families are admirable."
"You've worked hard, my lord… Teacher Anaxa." When Castorice spoke Anaxa's name, she looked directly at him.
Anaxa understood immediately. "Let's go. Take me to see Aglaea."
"Alright… I'll lead the way."
...
However, Aglaea was swamped with affairs, and the journey had been exhausting.
Anaxa also pointed out that Cerces had modified his body. He wanted to find a quiet place first to figure out the details within himself, so he could face Aglaea at full strength.
He left the group on his own, leaving Castorice and Caelus standing there.
At that moment, Castorice turned to Caelus with deep apology.
"My lord, this journey to the Grove… so many unexpected things happened. We never intended to drag you into danger, let alone make you confront the Black Tide…"
Caelus gave a bitter smile. "Trouble and I are old friends."
"The Black Tide is the great enemy of both Okhema and all of Amphoreus. In the past, the forces of Strife eyed the holy city with hostility, but it cannot be denied that those war-blessed ones also kept the Black Tide outside Castrum Kremnos.
Now, with Nikador's Coreflame missing, the Black Tide has returned with a vengeance… As the academic city-state with the deepest research into the Black Tide, the Grove was by no means weak, yet it was toppled almost overnight, leaving behind only a city of heroic souls and bloodied tears…
The trial of 'Strife' is imminent. I hope Mydei… can make up his mind soon."
[ So Nikador also has security duties? ]
[ Of course. ]
[ Now I understand—one man, one fortress, right? ]
[ miHoYo, how can you be so selfish? ]
[ Keep scolding. Meanwhile, a soft hum comes from inside miHoYo's building. ]
— —
Even so, the image of that black-robed figure still lingered in Caelus's mind. After all, that enemy was truly frighteningly strong.
"Was that terrifying enemy of the Grove also a creation of the Black Tide?"
Castorice shook her head slightly. "Lady Tribbie set out on a journey to fight the Black Tide. Yet from the beginning of her travels across countless city-states, they never encountered such a powerful foe within the Black Tide. Perhaps the fall of 'Strife' secretly triggered even more terrifying consequences…
As for me… I sensed an extremely thick aura of death on it—not that it has any direct connection to the Titan of Death, Thanatos. It's probably… simply because it has held the deaths of countless others in its hands."
[ I get it. The black-robed person has killed so much that even Castorice can smell the scent of the Grim Reaper on him, right? ]
[ Pretty much. Like a blade that has taken too many lives—it carries heavy karmic burden. Even gods, ghosts, or monsters wouldn't dare approach lightly. ]
[ Hey, is it possible—I'm just guessing—that this black-robed person has killed too many Death Titans and absorbed their aura? ]
[ Huh? Where would you even find that many to kill? ]
[ It's just a guess… ]
— —
"Speaking of Thanatos… Trailblazer, there is one more thing I hope to confirm with you."
Facing Castorice's question, Caelus nodded for her to continue.
"My lord should already know about the… curse I carry. I was born as the shadow of death, a deadly poison that all living beings avoid…
But back then in the Grove, when you took my hand…
I'm simply curious—why is the Trailblazer unaffected by my power?"
[ Stellar Nucleus: Oh? This involves me? ]
[ Caelus: Heh, bet you didn't expect that—I'm printed. ]
[ Stellar Nucleus: Right, exactly why is that? ]
[ Look, Castorice's face is turning red. ]
[ After all, she's barely had any contact with people her whole life, so she must be super sensitive, right? ]
[ Damn, kid, you're onto something! Go for it! ]
[ At this moment, a powerful BGM starts playing—until everything burns to ashes! ]
[ Unless you can destroy the Stellar Nucleus, there's no way to kill the Trailblazer. ]
[ The Stellar Nucleus can only be sealed, not completely eliminated, so… Caelus is definitely unkillable too. ]
— —
Caelus blinked, trying to explain. "Was the contact too brief for it to take effect?"
Castorice immediately rejected that idea.
"If it had only been a light touch with the fingertips, that might explain it. But the situation at the time…
I'm sorry, my question was too abrupt. Throughout my life so far, I have always pondered: What exactly does death mean to me, and why do I have such inextricable ties to Thanatos…
You must be exhausted after several days of travel. Please set the tragedy of the Grove aside for now and rest well for a day."