Fu Xuan chewed on her straw, her eyes carefully examining the draconic features on Sylvia's body.
Then she took a fierce sip of her Immortal's Delight, gulping down the entire sugar-loaded drink in just a few mouthfuls.
"…Still not done looking?"
"I'm done. I'm just wondering how you manage to be this… excessive. And when exactly did you step onto the Path of Permanence?"
Fu Xuan was deeply puzzled—just how had this person managed to advance so far along the Path of Permanence in such a short time?
"Call it an accident. Last time in the Exalting Sanctum, that slash I threw contained some power of Nihility, remember?"
Sylvia lowered her head to sip her Immortal's Delight. Seeing Fu Xuan nod, she continued,
"While I was constantly purging the influence left by Nihility, Permanence just… appeared."
Sylvia hadn't kept this a secret anyway. Even if she told people, no sane person would think of trying it themselves.
There was a reason why the Path of Permanence couldn't exactly spread far and wide.
"You really don't treat your own life as a big deal, do you…"
Fu Xuan shook her head and sighed. Though most Pathstriders were idealists who valued their goals over their lives, few were as recklessly bold as Sylvia.
"But to be honest, I don't have many texts on Permanence here."
Fu Xuan now understood why Sylvia wanted to learn about Permanence. Unfortunately, even the Divination Commission couldn't casually collect information on something as elusive as Permanence.
"Although the Vidyadhara have joined the Xianzhou Alliance, at their core they remain 'allies.' At least when it comes to matters of Permanence, knowledge largely circulates within their own circles. If you really want to ask, a Vidyadhara Elder would be your best bet."
Fu Xuan wasn't keen on detailing these internal Xianzhou conflicts to Sylvia.
Of course, part of it was that the conflicts themselves weren't all that major.
But honestly, Sylvia could probably guess some of it anyway.
Both the Vidyadhara and the Foxians were races attached to the Xianzhou Alliance.
Relatively speaking, the Foxians had integrated more thoroughly—not only were they present in all walks of life, but the Foxians themselves had long since abandoned positions like 'Foxian Leader' within the Xianzhou.
Everything was led by the Six Charioteers and the General of the Xianzhou.
Heck, even a Xianzhou General had been appointed from among the Foxians.
But the Vidyadhara were different.
Forget the position of General—the Vidyadhara still maintained an entire starship within the Alliance as an autonomous territory, with their own leader: the Vidyadhara High Elder.
The issue of Paths played a big part in this.
The Vidyadhara, needless to say, were all Pathstriders of Permanence, possessing considerable strength. There was no way they'd convert to the Reignbow Arbiter and take up the General's seat.
As for ordinary Vidyadhara, if they could manifest draconic features, they were almost certainly walking the Path of Permanence too.
Yet the Vidyadhara were dependent on the Xianzhou Alliance, having joined the Xianzhou system.
The Foxians, for instance, had suffered because of the Abundance and were later rescued by the Xianzhou. They straight-up converted to the Hunt.
With the whole race integrating into Xianzhou civilization, there naturally wasn't any crisis of trust.
But the Vidyadhara, belonging to Permanence, took a long time after boarding the Xianzhou to formally gain their trust and establish an alliance.
Sylvia still had some recollection of the in-game texts about the Vidyadhara—it seemed some within their ranks still harbored resentment toward the Xianzhou.
In short, unlike the Foxians, the Vidyadhara and the Xianzhou were in an 'alliance' relationship.
Seeing Sylvia's expression, Fu Xuan knew this person probably had some understanding of the Vidyadhara's situation.
"Judging by your look, you likely already know about the Vidyadhara's circumstances. Even if you went to the General, you probably wouldn't find the materials you want."
Sylvia pouted helplessly,
"Then where am I supposed to find a Vidyadhara Elder? Don't think I don't know—that 'Healer Lady' probably hasn't inherited the Elder's legacy."
"You even know that?"
"Do I need to 'know'? Even if I didn't before, after growing these draconic features myself, how could I not guess?"
Draconic features definitely weren't just symbolic for the Vidyadhara.
Even setting aside Sylvia's knowledge of the story, after experiencing the enhancements the features brought, she could guess that the so-called Medicine-Dragon Girl in the Alchemy Commission wasn't simple.
"Fair point."
Fu Xuan glanced at Sylvia, feeling like this person hadn't been on the Xianzhou long yet knew many things that shouldn't be so easily known.
Though they weren't exactly secrets, the way Sylvia mentioned them so casually made one wonder if she'd secretly peeked into the Xianzhou archives.
Thinking of that, Fu Xuan suddenly shifted her tone, warning Sylvia,
"About that Medicine-Dragon Girl and the matter of the Elders—once you leave here, don't speak carelessly. Their affairs touch on some Xianzhou taboos. If others overhear, it could be troublesome."
Sylvia grinned, "How can you be so sure I know what happened back then?"
"I wasn't sure before, but now I am… I really don't know where you learn all these secrets."
If Fu Xuan hadn't divined that Sylvia had never engaged in any sneaky business, she'd seriously have called the Cloud Knights to arrest her.
How does this guy know everything?
Fu Xuan shook her head, set down her now-empty cup, and pulled out some materials for Sylvia.
"Look, this is all there is. I doubt it'll be much use to you."
There were only a few scrolls, which Fu Xuan spread on the table. Sylvia picked one up casually to examine.
They were somewhat more detailed than the materials at Herta's place.
Mostly analyses related to Permanence suppressing Abundance Plaguemarks, along with some conjectures and research on the relationship between Permanence and Propagation.
But overall, they weren't too in-depth, and they didn't mention much about the Aeon of Permanence.
When Sylvia saw the materials on the Vidyadhara's draconic features, she asked curiously, "Does the Xianzhou also think draconic features are related to the Path of Permanence?"
Fu Xuan nodded, then shook her head. Her gaze lingered on Sylvia's pristine draconic tail for a moment.
"The Xianzhou believes draconic features are linked to both 'dragon lineage' and 'Path.' But now it seems the connection to the Path is stronger."
Then Fu Xuan suddenly added, "Naturally occurring draconic features are the mark of a Vidyadhara High Elder. If the Luofu Vidyadhara found out about your situation, who knows how they'd react."
"Let's not. I avoid trouble."
Sylvia shook her head while setting down the scroll.
If the Luofu Vidyadhara were under Bailu's leadership, as a playable character, Sylvia might have gone to ask.
But right now, the Luofu Vidyadhara were controlled by those few Dragon Elders who didn't seem like good people.
Better to pass.
"What if I ended up killing someone? That'd probably put you and Jing Yuan in a tough spot."
"…We haven't even drawn the first stroke, and you're already assuming you'll kill someone? Where's all this bloodlust coming from?"
Who among the Vidyadhara, if killed, would make things difficult for Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan? The first candidates would be those restless Dragon Teachers.
Though Fu Xuan knew those few had their own schemes, you jumping straight to murder…
Kid, you might have a few screws loose too.
--+--
T/N: 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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.