"So that's why I sensed an extra presence in the room—it was you, Miss Lynelle."
Not long after Lynelle's arrival, Luocha, who had been out practicing medicine, returned from outside.
"Miss Lynelle, I've been awaiting your arrival for some time."
"Awaiting my arrival?"
Lynelle, who had been chatting cheerfully with Jingliu, blinked in confusion. "What does that mean?"
"It means I had a feeling you'd come to me as soon as you recovered... so I rearranged some of my prior engagements accordingly."
Luocha wore an expression of unsurprised certainty. "Fortunately, Miss Jingliu has also been quite active outdoors lately, so it hasn't interfered with the original plan."
"The original plan... you mean that thing in your coffin?"
"Precisely. It seems Miss Lynelle had already noticed."
Luocha gave a slight nod. "In fact, after I finish instructing you this time, I plan to head to the Shackling Prison to meet an old friend."
"Old friend..."
Lynelle's mouth twitched. Just hearing that term from the alternate version of Otto, coupled with the fact that this "old friend" was most likely Jing Yuan—a man practically covered in death flags—gave her a strangely ominous feeling.
'Whatever, I'll just find a chance later to ask March what she thinks about Jing Yuan...'
"So, if I'm not mistaken, Miss Lynelle, you've come this time hoping to learn how to use the Path of Abundance, correct?"
"Yes, exactly. As you know, on the Luofu, there are plenty who can wield the Abundance's blessings, but orthodox Pathstriders of Abundance... I don't know many. And as for those who've reached your level of mastery, like yourself, Mr. Luocha, there are simply none."
"That's easily managed."
Luocha's expression showed no surprise. "If you wished to learn the arts of medicine and herbalism from me, it might take you three to five years just to get started."
"But if you only wish to learn how to wield the power of the Abundance... it's actually quite simple."
"After all, the Aeon Yaoshi often enlightens beings that aren't particularly bright, or even entirely lacking in intellect... If using the Abundance's power were as complex as that of the Erudition or the Harmony, I suspect the universe would have far fewer problems caused by the Abundance."
"Of course, before we begin, I'd like to ask a small favor of you, Miss Lynelle. It should be quite simple for you, as it pertains to a wager between myself and a friend..."
--+--
"Uncle Yang! I'm back!"
March threw open the passenger car door, with a somewhat resigned Dan Heng trailing behind her.
"I heard Lynelle's injuries are healed and she's on the express now? Where is she?"
An excited March looked around curiously as she chattered, "Back when Lynelle was trapped inside the Ambrosial Arbor, we had to go through a ton of procedures just to see her…"
"Hehe, now that she's finally better, I've gotta tell her all about what's happened lately!"
"Uh..."
Welt's expression turned slightly awkward.
"Lynelle... might be a little busy right now."
"Busy? Is she still suffering from some aftereffects?"
March immediately grew tense. "No way! Does that mean she can't go to Penacony? If Lynelle can't come, I—"
"March, maybe lay off the idol bands for a while; they're not doing your mental state any favors..."
Welt said helplessly, "What I meant was, as soon as Lynelle returned to the express, she urgently sought out Stelle and pulled her into her room. They haven't come out since... Probably discussing something important."
"Something important?"
March tilted her head blankly. "Do they need my help?"
"Lynelle might not need your help, but I do."
Although March seemed to miss Welt's hint, Dan Heng clearly understood. He promptly took hold of March and steered her toward the archives.
"I've gathered a lot of materials recently, originally as a backup in case Lynelle couldn't wake up. But it seems they're not needed now. So, I need your help organizing and archiving them in the data bank."
"Huh? Why does it sound like such boring work...?"
"These materials are related to my previous life."
"Yay! I love organizing data!"
Performing an instant about-face, March eagerly dashed into the archives.
"So full of energy..."
Himeko, who had just emerged from the parlor car, witnessed the scene and couldn't help but laugh.
"Really, Himeko?"
Welt sighed. "Don't tell me you're unaware that those so-called 'materials' of Dan Heng's touch on topics that are practically forbidden on the Xianzhou."
"It's fine. March will probably only remember the gossip about Dan Heng's past life. As for the knowledge concerning the Draconic Ascension art, it'll likely just flow smoothly through her mind and get cleaned out in one go."
Himeko, clearly well-acquainted with March's nature, replied with a smile.
"I didn't look too closely into Lynelle's situation, but the destructive aura in her room has faded now... Probably nothing dangerous happened."
"Bringing Stelle along was most likely just a safety precaution. After all, the only two Pathstriders of Destruction on the express are her and Lynelle."
"Is that so? Well... as long as they're alright. That commotion earlier was rather alarming."
Welt breathed a sigh of relief.
Compared to the intense destructive energy that had emanated from the room after Lynelle and Stelle entered, he'd honestly rather believe the two were just engaging in some... harmonious "daily" interactions.
After all, if Lynelle hadn't warned him beforehand, he might have thought Nanook was attacking again.
So... what were Lynelle and Stelle actually doing?
The answer: fulfilling Luocha's request, by making a call to Tingyun.
That's right. As the one who found Tingyun aboard the wrecked merchant ship and sent her to Ruan Mei for treatment, the wager Luocha mentioned was whether Tingyun could survive.
At this stage of the treatment, building on the experience gained from Lynelle's case, Tingyun's body had already been fully reconstructed.
The main differences now were an extra bushel of large tails and a similar Mark of Destruction.
However, Ruan Mei had hit a wall when it came to reviving Tingyun's soul and will to live.
Based on Luocha's conjecture, as someone who was also forced onto the Path of Destruction due to Phantylia—and with both of them bearing nearly homologous destructive power—Lynelle should be capable of resonating with the unconscious Tingyun through the residual power of Phantylia within her, enabling some form of communication.
Compared to the original scenario, where they had to wait for Tingyun's consciousness to awaken on its own, this was undoubtedly a more proactive approach.
As for the reason for bringing Stelle along, it was just as Himeko said: if anything went wrong during the communication, Stelle was indeed the only one on the express who could withstand large amounts of destructive energy.
After all, they couldn't always have Uncle Yang doing sit-ups.
After communicating for a while... Lynelle had one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.
The good news was that Luocha's hypothesis was undoubtedly correct. Using the method he provided, Lynelle had successfully made contact with the slumbering Tingyun.
The bad news was...
Lynelle noticed the way that big fox was looking at her seemed a little... off.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.