「 Led by Qingque, the group headed towards the Starskiff Anchorage.
Halfway there, March 7th's gaze was suddenly drawn to something in the distance.
"Stelle, look, what's that...?" March 7th was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth, and quickly took out her camera to snap pictures.
It was a giant tree, towering into the clouds, its thick trunk standing unyieldingly like a pillar supporting the heavens. Unfortunately, only a bare section of it remained, looking like a giant dragon emerging from the clouds from afar, both desolate and awe-inspiring.
"It's an ancient tree— we call it the Ambrosial Arbor. It was once Xianzhou Luofu's prized treasure." Tingyun also stopped and explained to the group.
"Do the people of the Sky-Faring Commission also have such a deep knowledge of history?" Qingque asked in surprise, "That's impressive, almost no one in the new generation knows its origin anymore. It's said that this Ambrosial Arbor is a remnant left behind when the ancient Xianzhou roamed beyond the heavens."
"Don't let the distant view of it as a mere half-withered tree deceive you; according to the records in 'Records of the Early Nation', in its prime, 'it wound into the heavens, and from it celestial bodies hung!'"
"Uh... what does that mean?" March 7th didn't quite understand.
"It means the tree was tall enough to reach the sky, and tars hung from its branches," Welt explained. 」
「 .....」
〜Shingeki No Kyojin World〜
"The divine miracle left by the Star God of 『 Abundance 』 when it manifested on the Luofu... Looking at it now, it truly is majestic."
"However, no matter how prosperous it was in its prime, now it's just a lifeless piece of rotten wood."
"Reiner, your way of speaking is truly blunt."
In the forest outside the Maria Wall, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie, who were responsible for the investigation, were lying on the branches of a giant tree, chatting idly.
The Survey Corps dispatched four squads for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, citing "the impact of the light curtain on Titans." Initially, Reiner didn't want to take on this mission, but considering that Annie and Bertholdt were the only ones in his team, he eventually nodded in agreement.
As a warrior squad from the Marley military, the three of them rarely had such a quiet and comfortable environment to chat.
"Reiner, have you heard? What happened in the capital..."
Bertholdt held a warm cup of black tea in his palm, taking the initiative to open the conversation:
"I heard from the Military Police that research on 'longevity' has already begun in the capital, and the main direction now is related to Titans."
"Some people in the palace even pointed the research on longevity towards Eren... but this matter was quickly suppressed."
At the mention of Eren, Reiner suddenly felt the surrounding temperature turn cold, unsure if it was the damp moisture in the forest or the mountain breeze rushing through the woods after nightfall.
It was Annie who first broke the stiff atmosphere.
She shrugged her shoulders, her delicate face full of incomprehension and disdain:
"Heh, quite the opposite... If you want to live long, it's best to stay far away from that kind of thing, right?"
After inheriting the power of the Titans, they only had fourteen years left in their lives. No matter how you looked at it, they were the furthest group from "longevity," weren't they?
"Why would those people in the capital link Titans with 'longevity'?"
Reiner asked, puzzled.
"They made that judgment based on the Survey Corps' intelligence."
Bertholdt calmly took a sip of black tea.
"Titans have no reproductive ability and can continuously threaten humanity for hundreds of years. This is inseparable from their almost endless lives... Doesn't that link up with eternal life?"
"It's just that they're troubled by the fact that after a Titan dies, its flesh vaporizes and dissipates, leaving only a massive skeleton. They originally wanted to cut off pieces of Titan flesh for experiments as longevity drugs..."
"Ugh..."
Reiner suddenly felt a wave of nausea.
"How ridiculous... So, their research has hit a dead end?"
Annie sneered.
"No, it should be said that it has advanced by leaps and bounds,"
Bertholdt said.
"Do you remember the last ingredient in the prescription Stelle gave Dan Shu? 'Vidyadhara Marrow'... which is part of a dragon's spinal cord. Inspired by this, the nobles thought of Titans and planned to use Titan spinal fluid as the key ingredient for longevity medicine, to concoct drugs."
"Oh... well, it's a wonder those guys have such an appetite."
Reiner felt even more disgusted.
"Since they yearn for longevity so much, they should try Zeke's spinal fluid."
"But for them, becoming a Titan, to some extent, isn't that... 'Mara-Struck'?"
—
「 Stelle took one last look at the Ambrosial Arbor and followed Qingque.
The group took a detour and soon boarded a Starskiff heading to the Divination Commission.
Qingque happily walked to the main entrance, only to find the door suddenly locked.
"Eh? How strange, the main gate is locked? It's never been locked before... And no one reminded me to bring a key..."
Qingque called out into the door, "Hey! I know the food here sucks, but that's no reason to shut the gate on our guests!"
March 7th looked disgusted: "Are you really from the Divination Commission?"
Stelle: "Is there a possibility that you've been fired?"
"That doesn't make sense," Qingque scratched her head, looking puzzled: "I've already been demoted to managing the archives, what else does that old lady want?"
But Qingque quickly dismissed the matter, smiling confidently: "No need to panic! The Divination Commission has more than just this one door, I know a place for emergency entry and exit."
With that, she led the group to the side door of the Divination Commission.
"You seem to know your way around; you must have often used this side door to sneak out when you're slacking off, haven't you?" March 7th teased.
Caught red-handed, Qingque not only didn't feel guilty but also didn't bother to hide it at all: "Miss, your eyes are sharp. Everyone who works at the Divination Commission calls this door the 'loafing gate.'"
"When there's nothing to do, we often sneak out from here and spend a few hours lazing around outside."」
「 .....」
〜Zenless Zone Zero World〜
"A few hours?!"
Asaba Harumasa's eyes widened. How long was a workday normally? Didn't that mean he spent all his time outside, letting loose, except for clocking in and out?
Asaba Harumasa slumped onto the table lazily:
"When is the Divination Commission going to open a branch in New Eridu? I urgently need that job—"
...Killing intent!
There was a surge of killing intent behind him!
Asaba Harumasa immediately felt a prickling sensation on his back and quickly sat upright at his desk.
Tsukishiro Yanagi stood behind him, holding a stack of forms. Even without saying a word, the entire office could feel her astonishing aura.
She adjusted the half-rimmed glasses on her nose, her gaze through the lenses as sharp as a wolf's... He had just praised the assistant section chief yesterday for being beautiful and cute!
"Yuma, what do you urgently need?"
Tsukishiro Yanagi's tone was utterly devouring.
"Haha, Deputy Chief, nothing, nothing..."
Asaba Harumasa quickly snatched the forms from her arms, sweating profusely:
"I mean... I urgently need this job."
—