Sushang's knowledge was expanding—this Eternity had such wondrous uses.
"Good. No need to return to the Earthbalance Commission. Mission continues... Per Ten Lords Commission statutes, as a judge, I do not involve external aid." Xueyi expressed her thanks. "But you helped me escape; I'll advise you: Leave soon."
"I came here to root out the source and capture the fugitive... a Stellaron Hunter. This person's swordsmanship is extraordinary, wielding a divine weapon—extremely dangerous."
"If not for the strange anomaly, my lifespan might have ended here."
Sushang looked puzzled. "Strange... anomaly?"
"Follow me." Surveying the surroundings, Xueyi led everyone to an open area, pointing to the Jianmu not far away, emanating an eerie light.
"I've never seen such a sight."
"Wow! This is Luofu's Jianmu? First time seeing it." Sushang and Xueyi said simultaneously.
"Miss Sushang... aren't you a Cloud Knight?"
"Cloud Knights don't go out of their way to see the Jianmu. Plus, I just arrived... Yaoqing's longevity plague traces are lunar wheels. Tsk tsk~ Feels prettier than Luofu's."
Luocha inquired: "I heard the Jianmu had long withered... How is it suddenly growing and spreading?"
"It's the Stellaron's evil influence—no other explanation. I must return to the Ten Lords Commission promptly. Thanks to this elf miss, my injuries are fully healed; no need to requisition you all for the trip."
"Stellaron..." Freesna frowned, pointing at the Jianmu. "Right there?"
Xueyi nodded: "Safety here is lacking. You all must come with me a bit further. Just find the skiff dock, then you're free to act."
Sushang understood—Xueyi wanted them to leave the crisis-ridden Artisanship Commission quickly. She suddenly hesitated, casting a pleading glance at Xueyi: "Hiss... Does this count as assisting the Ten Lords Commission with a case?" Everyone on the Luofu has an obligation to help the Ten Lords Commission with cases, but now... it seemed like they were unilaterally rescuing a Ten Lords judge.
"Sigh~ Never thought a simple few steps would sprout so many complications. Looks like we're Ten Lords people again." Luocha looked up. As the culprit who brought the Stellaron to the Luofu, he had to avoid any slips. An Emanator was watching him nearby—one from the never-contacted Eternity.
"The Jianmu's rebirth will surely attract many calamities. Cloud Knights are surely at the Alchemy Commission adjacent to the Jianmu—head there." As Xueyi directed everyone, Freesna hand-crafted a portal. Per this puppet judge, with the Stellaron unrest, she couldn't sit idly by.
Without giving anyone time to react, Freesna lightly tapped the void, and the portal enveloped them.
"Hey hey hey... This thing's automatic?!"
As Sushang complained, in a blink, they—with coffin in tow—arrived at the Alchemy Commission.
A bit earlier, inside the Divination Commission, at the center of the Matrix of Prescience.
"Even Aeons can be killed."
Stelle froze, doubting the truth of the words, a terrifying guess forming: "Your script... could it be to kill an Aeon?"
"Ha, how could that be? That's not our wish. I just want to tell you some things that happened: Stories of fallen Aeons." Kafka smiled. What was this kid thinking?
"Permanence's Long, Beauty's Idrila, Order's Ena, Propagation's Tayzzyronth, and... Trailblaze's Akivili."
"These were names that once resounded across the cosmos... Now, THEY are gone, leaving only ownerless Paths."
She stepped forward, closer to Stelle: "Methods known to humanity for making Aeons fall—there are three."
Kafka stepped back: "First, collision between Paths with overlapping concepts. The broader Path devours the narrower—Order's Ena was assimilated by Harmony's Xipe this way."
"Second, divine war between Aeons. The stronger eliminates the weaker... This is Propagation's Tayzzyronth's fall, and why the Xianzhou Alliance, under The Hunt's lead, roams the stars eradicating Abundance's spawned abominations."
"...The ultimate goal," she added.
"Why does Xianzhou want to kill Abundance?"
"As I know, the Alliance's precursor was the Elixir Seekers seeking Yaoshi for blessings. They met the Aeon and received a boon to cure death: the Ambrosial Arbor."
Kafka turned, pointing to the towering tree nearby.
"But the curse of undying polluted them. Then The Hunt appeared, severing the Arbor with an arrow. From then... to end the undying curse across the stars, the Alliance follows The Hunt, chasing Yaoshi's traces."
"It's said Eternity was involved too..."
"Huh?"
Seeing Stelle's confusion, Kafka chuckled lightly. "Hunt, hunt—patrol and pursue. Don't you think this is a kind of Eternity?"
"Hiss, it kinda is..."
Stelle had never thought that way before.
"By that logic, anything could count as Eternity? That's a bit perverted!" She suddenly realized.
At the same time, Adrian watching from afar sneezed.
"Why did Kafka suddenly float?" March 7th's focus was always so odd.
...
Shifting perspective forward, Kafka and Stelle discussed other Aeons: "Hmm~ Speaking of Permanence's Long, do you know the Vidyadhara?"
Stelle nodded, recalling the dragon girl Bailu seen yesterday in Exalting Sanctum.
Kafka continued guiding Stelle: "It's said Vidyadhara who live long or near death turn into pearl-like eggs, then hatch reborn as young."
"There are even rumors the Vidyadhara can transform into giant dragons..."
Kafka hinted, but Stelle had zero interest in dragon transformation.
"Vidyadhara are Dragon Descendants, offspring of the Permanence Aeon. Thus, among Vidyadhara, some could once transform into dragons, but not everyone has the aptitude."
"This power is a rare inheritance, requiring numerous rituals and trials to receive. For the inheritor, it's hard to call it fortune."
Stelle nodded half-understanding. "So... why do you know so much about Vidyadhara? Is this in the script too?"
Kafka fell silent. Stelle's mouth twitched—don't clam up at a key moment!
"Hehe~ Have you heard the story of Permanence's Long and THEIR descendants?"
"Many myths praise THEM for perfect immortal life, but for some reason, THEY vanished among the stars, as if never existing... leaving only orphaned progeny."
"On this, a fictional historian once shared his unique view: Eternity devoured THEM. Like the first method I mentioned."
"How about it, Stelle? These stories are novel, right? The kind those walking the proper path would never tell you."
"That's still Eternity?!"