Chapter 169: Questioning the Sky, Understanding the Sky, Becoming the Sky...
「 Witnessing Qingni pilot the star-skiff, Yukong's expression was not one of joy; instead, it was more terrifying than ever before. Yet, what puzzled Qingni was that her mother's fury stemmed not merely from her unauthorized piloting of the starskiff, but from Qingni seeing her as a role model and possessing the same extraordinary talent.
"Parents don't want their children to walk into danger. I believe I can understand Madam Yukong's intentions," Welt explained.
"But… flying is the only thing I want to do. Because I have already touched the sky." Qingni lowered her eyelashes, like two butterfly wings dampened by rain. 」
「 .....」
〜JoJo's Bizarre Adventure World, Golden Wind Timeline〜
Naples, Italy—
"This little girl is quite pitiful, too…"
Seeing the tears welling in Qingni's eyes, Trish couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. As a girl of similar age, she deeply understood Qingni's inner pain and disappointment.
"Hmm… Trish, if we're talking about pity, her parent-child relationship is already luckier than most of ours here, isn't it?"
Mista mumbled, a spoon laden with tiramisu in his mouth.
Fugo's fork clinked against his plate with a crisp sound as he slowly lifted his eyes.
"…Mista, let's not bring that up during dessert, alright?"
Giorno gently stirred his coffee, his expression perpetually calm. When it came to parent-child relationships, he had little to say.
He had never met his biological father, and though his mother was always by his side, he had barely felt any maternal love. So, upon seeing Yukong display such care for Qingni… even now, having ascended to a position of power, he couldn't help but reveal a flicker of envy in his eyes.
And Trish, beside him… forget about parent-child relationships. The fact that she had managed to escape her biological father's clutches with her life, still alive to this day, was thanks to Bucciarati's self-sacrificing rescue.
"Giorno, what would you do if your parents stopped you from pursuing your dream?"
Trish suddenly asked.
"My mother and stepfather wouldn't bother me. As for my biological father…"
Giorno looked up, a golden silhouette reflected in the glass, and smiled with a sense of release.
"I've never met him. But if I ever do, one day… I would invite him to witness my 'Golden Dream'."
—
「 Suddenly, Qingni received a message from Xikui. It turned out that when Yukong rescued her earlier, a personal trinket had been left behind at the Stargazer Navalia. Qingni wanted to retrieve it, hoping to mend the relationship between mother and daughter.
Arriving at the Stargazer Navalia, Stelle quickly located the trinket with the help of a Cycrane. Hidden within the trinket was an emblem of The Hunt, a small charm pilots hung in their starskiff cabins to pray for good fortune in flight.
Qingni found it peculiar. Her mother keeping this item on her clearly indicated a longing for her past flying career. Yet, why did she not only refuse to fly now, but also actively prevent Qingni from realizing her dream?
After some consideration, Welt decided to help Qingni by asking Jing Yuan.
If they could learn about Yukong's past experiences from Jing Yuan, perhaps they would understand the reasons behind all her decisions.
Within the Seat of Divine Foresight, Jing Yuan seemed to have recovered well from the great battle and was already handling some official duties. Seeing Stelle and Welt arrive, and having heard about Helmsman Yukong's outburst, he largely guessed the reason before they even spoke.
Stelle presented the relic crafted from the "Divine Arrow's Ember" to Jing Yuan, hoping to glean some information about Yukong's past. However, at the mention of it, Jing Yuan's expression grew uncharacteristically solemn: "This relic is no ordinary artifact; it is a testament forged in blood and tears."
"Thirty years ago, the two Xianzhou Luofu sister-ships, Yaoqing and Fanghu, were besieged by enemies. Even in the long history of war between the Alliance and the Denizens of Abundance, that air battle was one of the most tragic."
Jing Yuan's usually gentle gaze was now like a drawn sword, reflecting the embers of that ancient war: "We were greatly outnumbered by the Abominations of Abundance. Almost a million fighter pilots fought in the bitter battle. Those who survived numbered no more than a hundred thousand."
"And in the twilight of that disastrous campaign, had it not been for the divine manifestation of the Reignbow Arbiter, who annihilated the Abominations' offensive with a torrent of light arrows, it is highly uncertain whether the Luofu would still be sailing today." 」
「 .....」
〜Akame Ga Kill World〜
"Nearly a million… and fewer than a hundred thousand survived?!"
"That casualty ratio…"
Lubbock's eyes widened instantly.
"A battle where less than one in ten survived… truly a crucible of flesh and blood. How could the pilots press forward so fearlessly in such circumstances? What kind of conviction is that?"
Najenda's eyes also widened, listening incredulously to Jing Yuan's account.
As a former Imperial General, she had experience commanding legions in battle. During her campaign with Esdeath to the Southwest Frontier, even when the fighting wasn't particularly brutal, desertions among the soldiers were not uncommon.
"It's like rushing headlong to their deaths… No wonder Yukong doesn't want her daughter to be a pilot. If it were me, I wouldn't allow it either."
Leone shook her head.
"It's like your comrades, with whom you spoke today, would be dead tomorrow. Your superiors, your friends… everyone you're connected to in the barracks would soon be gone forever."
"That's not even the main point… The main point is, according to General Jing Yuan, even if all those pilots risked their lives, they were facing an unwinnable battle,"
Lubbock said with a grave expression.
"Ultimately, it took a Star God's intervention to turn the tide."
"Just how powerful are these Denizens of Abundance ?"
—
「 "The materials from which these relics are forged are the embers left by the Divine Arrow of the Reignbow Arbiter on the battlefield. For these survivors, they are imbued with the blood of fallen comrades, the ashes of enemies, and their own memories…"
"Yukong is one of the survivors of that campaign. And her best friend, Caiyi, lies buried in a foreign land, never to return," Jing Yuan said with a heavy tone.
"No one can easily cast aside their past. Yukong and Caiyi were comrades who braved life and death together; she must hold onto some memories of their past."
Learning this from the General, Welt couldn't help but lament the weighty history of the Xianzhou. After thanking General Jing Yuan, he handed the compiled information to Qingni, who was waiting outside.
However, before Stelle departed, she turned back to ask Jing Yuan about more of Yukong's past. When speaking of Yukong's childhood, Jing Yuan's tone finally lightened somewhat.
"…How nostalgic. That little foxian girl who was once accused by the Cloud Knights of speeding and brought before me is now a Helm Master, my equal in rank."
"The Yukong of yesteryear was never like she is now—burdened by paperwork, withered away in a study," Jing Yuan smiled faintly, sighing with emotion. "Her temperament was like a raging fire, like an unstoppable wind. If anyone could ever make her quiet for a moment… it was only that one comrade of hers." 」
「 .....」