Hearing Acheron's concern, Sylvia felt a little flicker of happiness in her heart.
"A bit, I suppose. The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have been keeping tabs on my movements, and I met with people from the Divination Commission these past two days. They didn't say it outright, but I think they have similar intentions."
She briefly outlined the situation for Acheron.
On the other end of the line, Acheron gave a slow nod.
"Remember to keep that blade I left you on you. Though the Luofu has the Arbiter-General keeping watch, it's always better to be cautious. If you encounter an Emanator, don't hesitate to use it."
"I know, but it'd be best if I never have to use it. It's still a dagger you made, after all. I'd like to keep it as a memento. Let's just hope that Emanator knows better than to cause trouble!"
Sylvia's words drew a rare, slight smile from Acheron.
The white-haired girl's act of borrowing authority from the tiger wasn't the least bit annoying; in Acheron's eyes, it actually came off as rather charming and cute.
"It's just a handicraft I bought by the roadside. If you like it, I'll make you a better one someday."
"That's not the same."
Shaking her head, not quite agreeing with Acheron's statement, Sylvia chuckled and changed the subject.
"Oh, right. If nothing comes up, I'm planning a trip to The Blue in a month. I want to see the Herta Space Station."
"Why the sudden urgency to go there?"
Acheron was a little curious. The Blue was indeed a place Sylvia wanted to visit, but she hadn't been in such a rush before.
A month's time… she probably wouldn't even be finished with her business here on the Xianzhou.
"You know that friend I met on the Interastral Network? She invited me over, so I thought it'd be nice to go see her."
"That little girl who's really good at games?"
Acheron remembered immediately. Among the people Sylvia had met online, there was really only one she'd grown close enough with to actually meet in person.
"That's her."
Seeing Sylvia nod, Acheron gave a nod of her own in response.
Just as Sylvia was about to continue, she saw Acheron suddenly reach a hand into view from beside the camera, holding a cluster of blue flame.
"Actually, the reason I called was because I wanted to show you something. I came across this interesting little thing on my way, and since you use fire too, I wondered if I should send it over for you to play with."
Sylvia looked at it, tilting her head in confusion.
What was this? Some kind of unique strange fire from this world? Where did Acheron even pick up such a trinket?
As she was wondering, she saw Acheron cup the small mass of blue-green flame with one hand, holding it up to the camera as if it were a solid sphere. The fire licked around her fingers but didn't harm them in the slightest.
"This little fellow seems quite energetic, but it's not aggressive. I thought you might like something like this, so I caught it. It doesn't seem to need feeding either, which is convenient."
"Hmm… is that thing… alive?"
Sylvia stared at the flickering flame, then at Acheron's expressionless face.
The contrast made Acheron look like some big bad villain—it was a little comical.
But Acheron's description reminded Sylvia of something. A living flame, not weak in energy… stacking those keywords together, one thing came to mind.
A Heliobus, or perhaps a fire essence.
But weren't those things quite dangerous? They weren't a relatively harmless species like the Wubbaboos. How could Acheron just grab one bare-handed?
Thinking this, Sylvia couldn't help but say, "You should be more careful. That's probably a Heliobus, isn't it? They possess humans and gradually replace their hosts. It's a pretty dangerous thing. Where did you even find it? And can you just grab one with your bare hands?"
Hearing Sylvia's words, Acheron opened her hand, but the cluster of flame remained trapped within her palm, completely unable to escape.
Or perhaps it simply had no intention of trying; the fire swayed with an unnatural calm.
"This little thing is called a Heliobus? Fits the Xianzhou naming style well enough. I passed by a planet earlier, and this little fellow charged straight into my body. Before I could even feel anything, it rushed back out on its own and suddenly became very quiet. I didn't get any sense that it wanted to replace me."
Pfft… "That's because you're so strong, isn't it? It probably got scared by your power."
Sylvia couldn't hold back a laugh.
What an utterly unlucky creature.
While Heliobi fed on human emotions, Acheron's own emotions weren't exactly rich—one could even say they were quite faint…
'Buddy, you must've been seriously desperate.'
Of all people to pick, you had to go and provoke Acheron? And even tried to possess her?
But after the possession attempt, it ended up this docile… Did this guy accidentally get tainted by the Nihility inside Acheron?
Sylvia couldn't help but grow curious about this Heliobus's condition. Could such a lifeform even be affected by the power of the Nihility path?
"Acheron, you're just on another level."
Encountering something as dangerous as a Heliobus was just child's play for Acheron.
It once again drove home, very clearly, just how powerful Acheron was. Things others considered extremely dangerous would, when faced with Acheron, likely only earn a comment like 'quite cute'. It felt utterly absurd.
Like the two of them weren't even drawn in the same art style.
And truth be told, even now, Sylvia had never actually seen Acheron draw her blade and strike with her full power.
Just using her sheathed sword, she could plow through Fragmentum monsters without breaking a stride. Sylvia had yet to witness with her own eyes the true extent of Acheron's strength.
Acheron readily accepted Sylvia's laughter and praise, then said, "This Heliobus has a high energy reading, and its energy is more stable. Since it's also fire, I thought it might be more compatible with your power."
Some things were better left unsaid over the phone, but both of them knew what she was referring to.
Sylvia's power came from the output of a Stellaron, not from a Path. But Stellaron energy was, after all, violent.
Even with that strange greatsword and storage card acting as intermediaries, it was impossible to completely alter the inherently wild nature of that power.
It seemed fine for now, but who knew if there would be side effects later?
Besides, Sylvia carrying a Stellaron around with her every day was something that always lingered in the back of Acheron's mind.
So, after running into this Heliobus that delivered itself right to her, Acheron immediately thought its power might be more suitable for Sylvia to use than the Stellaron's, and promptly arrested the little thing on the spot.
She thought it would be for the best if Sylvia could make use of it.
Hearing Acheron's words, Sylvia naturally thought of the Fullbottle she had just drawn.
A Heliobus… I wonder if it can fit inside a Fullbottle?
If it can, then it's worth a try. If not, then there's just no helping it.
"Maybe? I'm not sure. I can try when I get a chance later?"
"Then I'll make a trip back to the Xianzhou."
Hearing Sylvia's agreement, Acheron didn't even give her time to say more, immediately agreeing and stating she would return to the Xianzhou.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, 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!
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