["'Master Diviner Fu, if I don't return, the task of reporting the full cause and effect to the other Xianzhou falls to you,' Jing Yuan said with rare gravity."]
["Fu Xuan took a deep breath, calming herself before responding solemnly, '…I won't say things like "please return to report in person." I will fulfill your orders without fail.'"]
["'Haha, you're starting to sound like a general,' Jing Yuan said with a relieved smile."]
["Once his instructions were given, Jing Yuan nodded to the group, signaling it was time to move."]
["They descended a long staircase, and at the entrance to Scalegorge Waterscape, they encountered two ancient Vidyadhara mirages gazing at the grand vista before them."]
["Aged voice: 'Using Scalegorge Waterscape to seal the Ambrosial Arbor? Betrayal! This is utter sacrilege!'"]
["Aged voice: 'Are you mad?! Do you think this will earn the Xianzhou's trust? Non-kin will never share the same heart!'"]
["Dragon Sovereign's voice: 'I understand the elders' stance, but my decision is final and will not change.'"]
["Aged voice: 'Fine… fine. I will report to the dragon masters and have your title and power as Dragon Sovereign stripped!'"]
["Even though the mirages were just vague, cyan silhouettes, the group could almost picture the Vidyadhara elder trembling with rage, his beard quivering."]
——
Attack on Titan
"Non-kin…" Reiner repeated the phrase, a bitter pang rising in his chest.
Having grown up in the internment zone, Reiner was all too familiar with those words… or rather, every Eldian living in Marley was.
The Vidyadhara elder's words cut like a sharp knife, slicing another wound into Reiner's already scarred heart.
He took a deep breath and looked at Bertholdt nearby. "Hey, Bertholdt, do you think… even if we complete our mission and bring back Eren, will Marley ever truly accept us Eldians?"
"…Reiner," Bertholdt sensed the tremor in his voice and offered comfort. "That's what we've believed since the day we were chosen as Warriors, isn't it?"
"Don't overthink it, Reiner… As long as we bring back Eren, we can return to our homeland."
"Is that so…" Reiner let out a wistful sigh, his voice tinged with a dampness, like the humid rain about to fall in the forest. Homeland was their unspoken word, a place they yearned for yet could never return to.
"Annie, what do you think?" Reiner turned to the girl curled up in the distance, lying on a branch as thick as three or four people, a book covering her face.
Annie rarely shared her opinions; she seemed more like a silent machine. Even though they'd grown up and trained together, her crystal-blue eyes remained an unfathomable abyss, impossible to read.
"I don't know," Annie replied curtly. "Before, I thought it wouldn't matter if I died someday. But now… I just want to return to my father. That's all."
["'This is… the Dragon Sovereign who first accepted the mission to suppress the Ambrosial Arbor…' Dan Heng said, deeply shaken. 'By tradition, every Dragon Sovereign since has returned to the Dragonvista Rain Hall to guide the tides of the ancient sea, watching over and reinforcing the Ambrosial Arbor's seal.'"]
["'You've remembered?'"]
["'…Yes,' Dan Heng nodded. 'Pay homage with three claws, revere the sacred tree… and the path to the depths of the mystic roots will open.'"]
["'What's that, a riddle?' March 7th scratched her head. 'Pay homage with three claws… what does that mean?'"]
["'No need to worry. Just follow me,' Dan Heng said calmly."]
["Since Teacher Dan Heng said so, she decided not to fret. Looking around curiously, she pouted with a hint of pity. 'Such a huge palace, abandoned just like that. If it were me, I'd be heartbroken for weeks…'"]
["Under Dan Heng's lead, the group sequentially unlocked three seals, and the path to the roots quickly restored itself."]
["'The three-claw homage is complete. Now, it's time to head to the mystic roots of the Ambrosial Arbor,' Dan Heng said gravely, surveying their surroundings. 'The Arbor's roots are growing ceaselessly…'"]
["'It's Phantylia… We need to hurry,' Jing Yuan urged."]
["At the end of the path, a massive dragon's head loomed in the mist, its forehead adorned with glimmers of divine light, exuding majesty and sanctity."]
["'What's that? A dragon?' March 7th's mouth dropped open in awe. Staring at the dragon's head shrouded in clouds and mist, she wished she could snap a photo."]
["'We've reached the end. This is the mystic root of the Ambrosial Arbor, the site of the Abundance's miracle,' Dan Heng explained. 'Pay homage with three claws, revere the sacred tree… this is what it refers to. Suppressed by draconic power, the Arbor's mystic root took the form of a dragon.'"]
["'Now, I will unseal the final barrier…'"]
——
Dungeon Meshi
"I thought that dragon was some kind of Vidyadhara guardian spirit…" Marcille said, her expression tinged with disappointment. She'd hoped Dan Heng could command that dragon spirit to fight alongside them.
Gazing at the intricate murals, reliefs, and orderly palaces in Scalegorge Waterscape, Laios couldn't help but sigh. "It'd be nice to adventure here. I bet there's plenty of Vidyadhara treasure to find…"
"Speaking of that faintly glowing egg…"
"—You can't eat it!" Marcille drew a big X across her chest. "Jing Yuan specifically mentioned it's a Vidyadhara egg. That's how the Vidyadhara are born!"
"Hatching from eggs into people?" Senshi's eyes widened. "The world really is full of wonders."
"But speaking of… I recall the Ambrosial Arbor is a miracle of the Abundance, right? Can the Abundance be influenced by the power of Immortality?" Laios gazed at the towering dragon's head on the Celestial Screen. Even from beyond the screen, he could feel its vibrant life force just by meeting its gaze.
"Maybe it's related to Paths?" Marcille mused. "I remember Paths can consume one another—narrower Paths get devoured by broader ones. In Scalegorge Waterscape, the Abundance represented by the Arbor's mystic root is gradually being influenced and eroded by the power of Immortality, right?"
"Besides, the Ambrosial Arbor was already severed by the Aeon of the Hunt's arrow before it was sealed. It's not surprising that a withered piece of wood could be reshaped like this."
["Dan Heng raised his hand, pointing at the forehead of the dragon's head formed by the Ambrosial Arbor's mystic root."]
["In an instant, light blazed forth."]
["Stelle saw a dazzling flash of white light. When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a misty, ethereal space."]
["The area was filled with the Arbor's roots, gnarled and coiling, as if they were in an immortal realm."]
["Beneath their feet was a void, as though they were walking on air."]