"Have you heard? That Heaven-Mending Creation..."
"Of course. How could I not know something that huge?"
"News of it's already spread across the entire Xianzhou. You could say everyone knows, nobody doesn't..."
A group of people had gathered in one place, chatting about what had happened lately.
And for something to get them this worked up, there was probably only one thing—what happened at the Heaven-Mending Creation ritual some days ago.
That day, the Heaven-Mending Creation proceeded normally. After the pitch-black sky-canopy was split apart, it should've continued on.
But an accident appeared right then!
A flaming meteor shot in from the depths of space.
Everyone could see that falling figure, and all their eyes followed that fiery meteor as it descended!
And next came the part they were discussing now...
When the flaming meteor fell, the general presiding over the Heaven-Mending Creation ritual got knocked flat!
"The general of Cangyan getting bowled over by a meteor falling out of space—no matter how you look at it, that's front-page headline material."
"But was that really Cangyan's general? Getting knocked over by a meteor—doesn't that feel kinda... pathetic?"
At the same time, some of them felt something was off. After all, a general was an Emanator of the HUNT.
Getting knocked over by a mere meteor—wasn't that kind of dragging the Emanator name through the mud?
"Who cares? In this era, hype matters more than facts. Whether it was really Cangyan's general or not, as long as we ride this hot topic, then—"
"Then you can all go dream big inside Cangyan's prison."
Just as they were fantasizing about using this to climb to the peak of the influencer world and marrying into wealth and beauty—
That first shadowy sentence from the side cut their delusion clean off.
They jumped in fright.
Only then did they realize that, at some point, two clusters of burning Heliobus fire had appeared beside them.
One was white-gold flame. The other carried the sky's deep azure.
"I'm guessing you're outsiders. Don't you know what punishment awaits you for slandering a general on the Xianzhou?"
"Cangyan's prison just loves emotional little self-media types like you. All those rich ideas of yours—they'll squeeze every last drop of 'emotional value' out of you..."
The white-gold fire spoke darkly of their future, and the cold cruelty in those words made the people huddled together tremble.
They could practically see their future selves already—eyes dull, whole bodies vacant, like idiots.
That future—no!
"Sorry! We're extremely sorry!"
After bowing and apologizing, they immediately sprinted away.
Xi watched their fleeing backs and spoke with disdain. "That cowardly, and you still want to spread rumors."
Spreading rumors was one thing—spreading them with this little skill was another.
If you were going to slander Feng Liqi's strength, you might as well slander that there was some hidden man behind her.
Though after the meteor fell that day... it was basically true anyway.
"I recognized it was him, so I wanted to catch him. But my hand slipped for a second and—hehe."
On the other side, the azure flame took human form beside Xi.
Feng Liqi looked awkward as hell. She never would've thought that day would end with Sora dropping out of the sky.
And then she even made a complete fool of herself.
Slamming into the cliff face, leaving only her butt sticking out.
If Xi hadn't covered it up fast, her dignity would've been wiped clean.
Although, in the hearts of people who knew her, she never had much dignity to begin with.
Xi had been with Feng Liqi for a long time, so of course she knew her personality.
Besides—if Feng Liqi couldn't block it, that wasn't shameful. Who knew it'd be that guy?
"I'm not blaming you. Come on—didn't you say we're going to the Alchemy Commission to visit him? Why are you still dawdling here?"
Hearing that, Feng Liqi hurried after her.
Some days ago, during the ritual, Sora fell from the sky and never woke up.
During that time, the Federation of Hope side had proposed taking Sora away, but of course they'd been forcibly kept in Cangyan for treatment.
Just now, Feng Liqi and Xi had been on their way to the Alchemy Commission when they happened to hear these people drowned in clout talking nonsense.
Now that the little roadside incident was completely settled, they naturally didn't meet any other obstacles along the way.
Familiar as breathing, they arrived at the Alchemy Commission by Fangyuan. The moment they stepped into the area, they could smell all kinds of medicinal herbs thick in the air.
No one here seemed surprised by Feng Liqi's arrival.
After all, the general had been coming here every day lately to visit that person.
And it wasn't just Feng Liqi—there were several familiar faces too: the Fangyuan Dragon Lord, and the Tushan Realm's leader.
Also present were the Federation's people, invited to Cangyan to attend the ceremony, and a girl who called herself a friend.
So many people, coming here again and again over just a few days for the sake of one person—if you didn't know better, you'd think they were praying over some galaxy superstar.
Oh. There was a galaxy-famous star among the people visiting the sick. Then never mind.
And with so many coming in rotating waves, even the physicians of the Alchemy Commission had grown intensely curious about this person's identity.
What kind of guy could make so many people keep thinking about him?
But they only kept that curiosity to themselves.
Because there's a saying—
Knowing too much isn't a good thing.
As usual, the physicians reported that person's various readings to Feng Liqi.
"His body's readings are all very good. Normally, he should've woken up by now, but..."
At this point, the physician paused.
The current situation was: there were no signs of waking at all. He still lay in bed.
"No physical problems... so it's mental?" Xi listened to the diagnosis and offered a possibility. And if it was mental...
"Feng Liqi, you're up!"
Nothing was better suited for diagnosing mental issues than a Heliobus.
Whether it was treating depression or doing psychological diagnosis—anything involving the mind, a Heliobus could handle with ease.
"Eh? Me?!" Feng Liqi was startled. She never expected this to get thrown onto her.
"Haven't you been dreaming about this day for a long time?"
The white-gold flame floated beside Feng Liqi, speaking words that tempted the heart. "Don't you always say, if there's a next time, you'll definitely touch his hand?"
Now the chance was right in front of you—aren't you going to seize it?
Xi's words carried an irresistible lure. Feng Liqi swallowed.
She'd blamed herself for a long time for not grabbing onto Sora before, so deep down she'd silently sworn she'd never let that happen again.
She just hadn't expected Xi—reborn from the Heavenly Lord's fire—to have noticed what she'd been thinking back then.
But still... the chance was right here. Her heart really did stir!
Right now, Sora needs my help. As long as I go into his body, he'll wake up.
In Feng Liqi's mind, the scene after Sora woke had already appeared.
"Didn't think it'd be you who helped me in the end. Feng Liqi, your growth during this time makes me feel relieved..."
Nothing could give her more drive than recognition delayed for hundreds of years.
And now the chance was right in front of her—was she really going to hand it to someone else?
No. Absolutely not.
"Then the task of treating Sora is on me!"
Feng Liqi straightened her chest. At this moment, she seemed to return to that time when she'd said the bravest lines in the most cowardly voice.
Right now, she was invincible!
But obviously, things weren't going to go that smoothly.
Just as she'd prepared to merge with Sora and perform this special mental treatment—
The door opened!
Outside the door, Anna was chatting and laughing with Robin, and behind them, the Federation of Hope group followed along.
And when they saw the scene inside the room, they stopped talking almost in perfect sync.
"Oh? What are you planning to do to Sora?"
Hotaru charged to the front. These two, she'd often seen lingering around the ward these past few days.
Now they'd suddenly slipped into the sickroom—what were they trying to do?!
"I-I-I-I...""
With outsiders barging in so suddenly, a string in Feng Liqi's head snapped. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
"We were entrusted by the general to specifically treat Mr. Sora's mental issues."
Xi reacted fast, because the Federation of Hope group didn't actually recognize their true forms.
Feng Liqi had always been timid and afraid, so she'd mimicked a body extremely similar to Sora's and sat in as the general.
What the Federation had seen before was that simulated appearance. They'd never seen her true self.
So Xi directly threw out an identity to brush them off.
She repeated the physician's diagnosis and pointed out that it was a mental issue.
"...So the general asked us to specifically treat this person's mental trauma."
Honestly, that sounded perfectly normal. If you were normal, in someone else's home turf, you might've been persuaded.
But there wasn't a single normal person here!
"Sora's mind has a problem? Then shouldn't I be the one to step in?"
Titania burst in, stepping forward and blocking Robin behind her.
She hummed proudly, chin up. "In front of me, a god, there's no such thing as a 'mental problem'!"
Titania was a physical body formed from countless Memoria. And precisely because of that, she could turn her body into Memoria at any time.
And Memoria could seep anywhere—it could even soothe the mind and awaken the soul.
So sometimes, even a Heliobus couldn't say they held an advantage in front of Memoria.
Now the god who governed Memoria was right here. A mere mental issue should be child's play.
"Then hurry up and wake this guy already! I've already seen a bunch of competition booths at the festival!"
Titania spoke excitedly. "I'm gonna duel him—see who wins the most ring-toss dolls, who hits the most targets! Whoever loses drops out of the commander selection!"
About this duel, she could not be more confident.
To secure victory, she'd been playing for a long time...
Pfft—practicing for a long time. She'd already honed her skills to perfection.
So this time she would definitely win!
And the loser—Sora—would drop out of the commander selection, and she'd watch herself walk toward that position everyone's eyes were on.
"Heh-heh. Come on, Sora—let's settle this!"
Titania reached out to grab Sora's hand, wanting to wake him.
But right as her hand was about to land, another palm directly blocked her from moving forward.
"You can't do that."
How could she let someone else wake Sora?
She'd waited hundreds of years for his recognition. There was no way she'd let someone cut in line at the last second.
Titania looked at Feng Liqi's hand in surprise.
After all, she was still a PROPAGATION larva. Even though her power had weakened many times over due to the absorption by that insect—
Still, her strength was absolutely not something ordinary beings could withstand.
Yet this person had grabbed her barehanded, and didn't seem affected at all...
"You're strong."
Titania looked at Feng Liqi with open interest.
If she could make this person submit, maybe her road to godhood would become even smoother!
"Huh? I-I-I-I..."
And Feng Liqi, snapping back from her earlier mood, returned to her usual self.
"Sorry, sorry—I didn't mean to!"
"Hahahaha! Didn't expect I'd find such a powerful opponent!"
Titania laughed loudly, then spoke straight to Feng Liqi. "You—fight me!"
In earlier culture lessons, Titania had already learned something:
Being a commander wasn't just about handling the Federation's internal affairs—it also meant handling everything outside the Federation.
And in her understanding, if she truly made everyone believe in her, that would be the most perfect diplomacy.
And now was the moment she'd take a crucial step on the diplomatic front!
Too bad.
She'd picked the wrong person.
"I-I-I... no. You should find someone else..."
Feng Liqi retreated two steps, utterly unable to understand how things had turned into this.
But it wasn't just Feng Liqi. Robin and Anna were also completely confused.
How did Titania suddenly drag this whole thing into a fight?
"Titania, shouldn't the thing we care about most right now be Sora's condition?" Fenille quietly reminded her.
After that reminder, the topic in the room finally returned to something normal.
And now, because of what just happened, both sides had their own doubts.
"Why won't the Cangyan Xianzhou let our mental healer take over?"
Fenille asked Xi and Feng Liqi.
Why were they interfering with their treatment?
Xi watched Titania's flame flicker uncontrollably twice.
Wait—your Federation calls this thing a mental healer?
From how huge and very sand she looked just now, was she planning to use physics to solve mental problems...?
Anyway, based on Titania's performance just now, Xi absolutely did not acknowledge that "healer" title.
And as for the question—she'd already prepared her lines.
"That's naturally because this person's identity is special..."
"You all may not know just how important the Heaven-Mending Creation festival is to us in Cangyan. Yet this guy dared to disrupt the festival—he's already violated Cangyan's laws."
"So we need him to wake up under Cangyan's treatment, and then we'll question him about his true purpose."
"If someone's directing him from behind the scenes, then we'll also escort that person and detain them within Cangyan."
Xi gave them an extremely official answer, laying it out for the Federation group.
Basically: Sora is a criminal right now, and he must remain under Cangyan's watch at all times.
"But we already said before—he is the other leader of our Federation."
Fenille spoke up. "He's been out of contact for many days, so—"
"Then it's even more serious!"
Xi cut Fenille off. "If that's true, it proves there's a force behind the scenes plotting against both Cangyan and the Federation!"
"So in the face of a crisis like this, we should investigate everything thoroughly."
"As for this criminal—leave him detained in Cangyan. We will definitely interrogate him properly and return the innocence of your Federation's other commander."
What XI said was watertight—translation: stop dreaming about taking him away or even touching him.
After hearing her, the Federation group exchanged glances, unsure what to do.
Of course, among them, the Iron Cavalry were the least willing to accept it.
"Robin-san, say something!"
"Yeah! They were fine before, but today they're blocking us at every turn. There has to be some unspeakable secret behind this!"
As she spoke, Unkyō couldn't help biting her handkerchief, eyes red at the rims.
"It's gotta be that Cangyan wants to lock Sora-san up, force Sora-san to be Cangyan's—"
Before she could finish, someone smacked the top of her head.
"Unkyō, rein in your imagination a little!"
Mitsutake flicked her hand, like she was trying to shake Unkyō's vibes off. She did not want to get infected by this idiot.
Still, Unkyō's words—though dripping with her personal flavor—did make the Federation people pay attention.
"From the beginning until now, you two have kept claiming you represent Cangyan. Then why haven't we seen any other people from the Cangyan Xianzhou?"
The Cangyan Xianzhou was a properly functioning organization, yet from the moment they'd arrived, only these two had been here talking at them.
So Fenille had reason to suspect these two weren't acting in good faith.
"Could it be you two are deliberately trying to sow discord between our Federation and Cangyan, so you came here specifically to obstruct us?"
As she said that, the ward's atmosphere turned heavy.
If it was true, then it really was something they had to be on guard about.
All the "proper reasons" Xi had built up came crashing back on her in that moment.
They'd been turned around on.
"If you two don't have orders from the Cangyan Xianzhou, then we may need to keep you under watch..."
The Federation group began edging forward.
But in the face of that, Xi wasn't flustered at all.
By her estimate, that person should be arriving soon.
And sure enough—just then, a voice rang out.
"Who said they aren't people of Cangyan?"
With that voice coming from outside, a few figures walked into the ward.
The room instantly felt crowded, but everyone's gaze snapped to the newcomers.
Because these people were the kind of existences that, in Cangyan, nobody didn't know.
The Fangyuan Dragon Lord—Jin Xing. The Xianzhou Ranger—Yu Yi. And the Foxian manager—Tushan Ahri.
Their arrival indeed proved Xi and Feng Liqi's identities.
And when Jin Xing entered, the corner of her eye drifted to the person lying on the bed, and her breathing couldn't help pausing slightly.
No matter how many times she'd come these past days, every time she still felt like it was a dream.
But it wasn't a dream.
It was real.
And because it was real—she couldn't let this guy leave again!
"These two were specially sent by Cangyan to make preparations. Cangyan intends to suppress him in the Flame Prison beneath Fangyuan."
As she spoke, the corner of her mouth curled into a cold smile. "When the time comes, I'll take very good care of this criminal!"
The way Jin Xing said that made Yu Yi's mouth twitch twice.
No matter what, they were old friends who'd spent many years together. Yu Yi prided herself that her understanding of Jin Xing was second to none.
If Jin Xing said she'd "take good care" of someone else, then sure—there'd be all kinds of "treats" waiting for that prisoner.
But if the person she was "taking care" of was Sora...
Then it really was going to be care.
Her motive was so obvious even Feng Liqi could see it.
But in this situation, of course they weren't going to expose Jin Xing's tiny ulterior motive.
So the scene fell into a brief silence and stalemate.
With these three backing them, Xi and Feng Liqi's identities were guaranteed.
Meaning: Cangyan really did intend to keep Sora here for some "torture-style questioning."
And the Federation, naturally, wanted to take Sora back and let him recuperate properly.
The two sides had a difference of opinion on this, so a short standoff began in the ward.
After the awkward silence and standoff lasted only a moment, the entire ward became unbearably noisy.
Both sides had their own reasons, and this was the kind of thing where if one side got their way, the other side would definitely be left with regrets.
So neither side would back down even half a step.
Once the arguing started, it was bound to become a barrage of words, wave after wave.
And in this verbal clash, one of the Iron Cavalry really showed off.
As the one who managed Sora's comment section, Shunji had already honed terrifying skills through countless battles with netizens.
The kind of skills where everything she said sounded like it made sense, but the taste was somehow always... off.
With her and Fenille as a double-strong combo, they actually managed to suppress Xi and Jin Xing's duo for a short time.
But the other side wasn't about to let it go.
There was no room to retreat on this matter.
So—
Fight, so their dreams wouldn't be taken away!
Fight, for recognition spanning hundreds of years.
Fight, fight!!!
Just as the atmosphere here was escalating hotter and hotter, a mysterious power suddenly spread through the frozen tension, making both sides calm down for the moment.
The wings by that bird girl's ears were flashing with seven-colored brilliance. The power of the HARMONY rippled through the ward, soothing everyone's emotions and forcing the war to pause.
Only once the noise finally died away did she speak to everyone:
"Everyone, this is a ward. For some discussions, why don't we go to a more appropriate place and talk properly?"
The people on both sides exchanged looks, thinking she had a point.
Arguing here wasn't good for either side. Better to find an official place and properly debate it.
"Then Anna, I'll have to trouble you to stay here and watch him."
Of course, someone still needed to stay behind and keep a close eye on Sora—just in case he disappeared again.
So that heavy responsibility fell onto Anna.
On Cangyan's side, Yu Yi also gave Anna a nod.
At this moment, Anna was the only peaceful buffer between both sides, so she naturally earned both sides' trust.
And with that task landing on Anna, both groups left this place together.
This time, no matter who was right or wrong, neither side was going to just let it go.
The time it took to go from deafening chaos to total quiet was so fast that Anna still felt like the echoes of their arguing were ringing in her ears.
"Sigh... what a hassle."
Anna sat at the edge of Sora's bed. Looking at this unconscious guy, she couldn't help smiling.
"Only you. Always stirring up trouble."
Seeing him again after so long, Anna noticed Sora seemed to have changed a little.
And she didn't know—after those changes, was Sora still the same as always?
With no one to pour her worries out to, Anna poured herself a cup of water.
But just then, the fingers of the hand resting on the bed twitched lightly.
...
A place big enough to hold that many people arguing naturally wouldn't be somewhere tucked away.
So, under the astonished gazes of countless people on the Cangyan Xianzhou, Cangyan and the Federation found a relatively large venue together.
Both sides sat down, and began arguing properly over this matter.
Anyway, today, they had to hammer out some right and wrong—otherwise neither side would ever be satisfied.
And Robin took the role of mood-moderator, making sure things didn't get close to going out of control.
But even if the room didn't spiral—she herself might.
"What did you say?"
The HARMONY power covering the room disappeared. Robin spoke in surprise to the person on the other end of her phone.
"The Princess is gone, Sora's gone, the ward is empty."
Ouja sat in the now-empty ward, wanting to cry but having no tears.
She was only late by a little while—how did the Princess run off somewhere without anyone knowing, and Sora also vanished?
How was she supposed to explain this when she got back to the Queen?
And the words coming through the phone, of course, couldn't be hidden from everyone present.
The two sides looked at each other, and understood that continuing to argue here was no longer the priority.
The top priority now was finding Sora!
"We'll contact the various Xianzhou races and launch a carpet search."
"Our Federation will take this chance to head to the starport and stand by—making sure no one can leave with the two of them!"
After confirming their actions, both sides split up to carry out their missions.
Robin stayed seated where she was, thinking quietly.
If it wasn't a kidnapping, but Sora had woken up...
Then if that's the case—what would he do first after waking up?
Robin searched her memory again and again, and suddenly, an answer appeared.
If it was that guy, he would definitely do this!
...
Next to the fried chicken shop in the first alley near the Alchemy Commission, the target everyone was searching for sat there right now.
"Anna, do you know? Right now, you could say I'm a rich man!"
Sora faced Anna and spoke with dead-serious solemnity.
After hearing him, Anna dazed for a moment, then quickly recovered.
Yeah. If he'd been out this long and didn't come back with something, then he wouldn't be him.
Still, her mood dipped a little.
But the Sora sitting across from her seemed not to notice at all, and said to her, "Today I'll show you my extravagant spirit!"
After that, he strode over to the ordering counter.
"Two cups of boba tea, two fried chickens, two orders of fries!"
"Oh, sir, you want this couple's combo, right?"
"No!" Sora refused righteously. "I'm buying them separately!"
The moment he said it, the entire fried chicken shop fell into a strange kind of silence.
But the silence was instantly shattered, because in the next second, countless sharp inhales erupted around them!
"Hiss—this man is outrageously tyrannical!"
"Holy—he's that rich?! He didn't even pick the combo?!"
"This is too enviable—what terrifying financial power!"
With so many people sucking in cold air, the temperature nearby rose by two degrees.
Hearing the awe-struck voices behind him, Sora only shook his head with a flat expression.
Truly, too young too simple. I haven't even used my full power and you're already this shocked.
If I went all out, wouldn't the Great Dao collapse?
Forget it. Sometimes he still needed to restrain himself a bit.
"Sir, your combo is ready."
"Nice, coming."
Sora picked up the tray and walked back to the table. But when he reached it, he realized someone else was already sitting there.
Robin.
"I figured with your personality, you'd immediately come out to forage. And look—didn't I catch you?"
Based on Sora's habits, she guessed what he would do.
And sure enough, she was right.
"What, you don't want me here?" she asked, looking at Sora holding the tray.
"Not at all, it's just two portions might not be enough..." Sora set the food down and walked right back to the counter.
"Boss, two more!"
"Got it!"
"Same as before—everything bought separately!"
Hearing the ordering up front, Anna relaxed back in her seat, holding the tea Sora had brought back earlier.
"He hasn't changed at all."
Just like how he was when he left before.
"When has he ever changed?" Robin was puzzled. Wasn't he always like this?
Anna smiled. "True."
No matter what he'd been through, her hero was still exactly the same as before—without the slightest change.
So it wasn't for nothing that she'd crossed the Galaxy to come meet him.
---
T/N: YEHEHEHHEUHEUEHUHEUHEUHE