To put it bluntly, this Vidyadhara was far stronger than any of the "Internal Alchemists" Sylvia had encountered from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
She estimated his power level to be around that of Mount No. 1.
An ordinary Cloud Knight would likely be powerless to stop him.
But Sylvia was no ordinary person.
Moreover, Dan Shu had come prepared. Just as Sylvia was about to summon Bella to subdue the guy outright, Dan Shu swept her sleeve upward, hurling two medicinal pellets with a sharp, mechanical click.
The Vidyadhara, arrogant, summoned a current of water to snatch them from the air. Yet, the moment the water touched the pellets, two explosions erupted.
Puff, puff!
The blasts shattered the watery bindings, releasing a thick cloud of dust that fanned out toward their foe.
The Vidyadhara's focus had been entirely on Sylvia, with little caution spared for Dan Shu, whom he saw as mere support staff. The close quarters and suddenness of the attack left him no time to react.
Eyes, ears, mouth, nose—all were engulfed by the medicinal powder.
Sylvia hadn't even had a chance to draw her sword. She merely raised it to block a single, half-hearted strike before the Vidyadhara crumpled to the ground with a thud.
"…"
Dan Shu had tricks like this up her sleeve?
Sylvia felt a flicker of wariness. This wasn't in the original story.
Well, well. The healer is also skilled with poisons, huh?
Better watch out, or she might dose me next and have her way with me.
Sylvia glanced at the favorability that had broken past eighty. Something about Dan Shu's mental state just didn't seem… stable.
"Alright, let's not waste time," Dan Shu said, stepping forward. "My concoction won't hold him for long."
From somewhere on her person, she produced an impressively stout coil of rope, knelt, and began tying the man up with practiced efficiency.
Sylvia sheathed her greatsword, moving to assist. "Should we interrogate him?"
"No need. If he's still here when we return, you can hand him over to Jing Yuan. The Ten-Lords Commission will handle the rest."
"And if he escapes?"
Sylvia eyed the thoroughly trussed-up Vidyadhara, thinking of his water-control abilities. She wondered if he could use them to slip these bonds.
"Then he escapes," Dan Shu replied airily. "I have no intention of killing anyone for Jing Yuan's sake."
As she spoke, her hand dipped into the man's pocket and retrieved a specially crafted jade talisman. "This should be it. The key to the passage."
Clutching the key, Dan Shu walked straight toward the water's edge. As the jade glowed, a gentle, unhurried whirlpool spiraled open on the surface.
Without a hint of concern for drowning, Dan Shu plunged right in.
Though Sylvia could sense the situation below, she hurriedly followed.
--+--
The vortex offered no resistance; instead, it transformed into a swift current, propelling the two along a predetermined path into the deep sea.
In less than half a minute of holding her breath, Sylvia saw it: the Ambrosial Arbor's root, now twisted into the form of a dragon.
Embedded in the center of the dragon-root's forehead, a Stellaron pulsed with a golden radiance.
The jade talisman generated a pocket of air, enveloping both Dan Shu and Sylvia, allowing them to step onto a dilapidated pathway.
As they drew closer to the Stellaron, Sylvia could feel the clammy, oppressive sensation emanating from its activated state, spreading outwards. And the feeling was intensifying at an abnormal rate.
"Mmm…" Dan Shu's body swayed slightly.
The effects of the Arbor's revival were most acute for Dan Shu, a native of the Xianzhou. Combined with the Stellaron's influence, a pained expression surfaced on her face.
Sylvia didn't offer a steadying hand. She merely watched, observing everything Dan Shu was about to do.
"Young friend… I can feel the Stellaron releasing its power. I can also sense the Arbor's strength reawakening. At the latest, within three days, the Ambrosial Arbor should fully revive."
Three days…
Hearing this timeline, Sylvia recalled the events from the game. Kafka had come to the Astral Express, summoning the trailblazers with the claim of having "forty-eight system hours."
After arriving, the trailblazers had rushed about, apprehended Kafka, and then lingered for a while in the Exalting Sanctum.
The exact time spent in the Exalting Sanctum was hard to pin down—maybe half a day to a full day. After that, they went to the Divination Commission for Kafka's interrogation, and then the Arbor had erupted.
The timing roughly matched.
But given the current situation… if the Stellaron erupted today, then Kafka's interrogation would be tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest.
Did Dan Shu really have the capability to pull this off?
Just as Sylvia's curiosity was piqued, eager to witness Dan Shu's methods, she heard her continue:
"I can likely shorten that time by half, young friend. From this moment on, I will remain here until the Arbor revives and its fruit ripens."
As she spoke, Dan Shu drew a pill from her pocket, her fingers tracing its surface with a hint of wistfulness.
Her original plan hadn't involved taking this version of the pill, even though it was an optimized iteration.
She had intended to wait for the Arbor's revival, then use the Alchemy Commission's facilities to refine a true Elixir of Immortality, one that would make her far more powerful.
But circumstances had changed. Since she'd decided to disrupt Phantylia's scheme, she could no longer afford to guard this place in her current, broken state.
As long as she could consume that first fruit of the Ambrosial Arbor, even an imperfect pill would suffice. The potent Abundance energy would propel her strength to new heights.
Of course, strength was merely a secondary benefit.
Dan Shu tilted her head back and swallowed the pill she had carried with her all this time, without a moment's hesitation.
Watching the pill in Dan Shu's hand, a sudden thought struck Sylvia: Regarding the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus harvesting Vidyadhara Bone Marrow… did those Dragon Elders truly not know, or were they just pretending not to?
This was the first time Sylvia was witnessing a living person's transformation into a Mara-struck.
Dan Shu's vacant eyes gradually gained a spirited light. The mechanical arm she had worn detached automatically as a new, flesh-and-blood limb grew in its place.
Golden ginkgo leaves sprouted across her skin, and even her hair turned a radiant gold.
Sylvia could sense that as Dan Shu transformed, a portion of the Arbor's ambient energy in the surrounding air was being absorbed into her body.
Dan Shu's physique underwent a comprehensive enhancement. A power belonging to the Abundance filled her form, so potent it seemed on the verge of spilling outward.
As clarity returned to Dan Shu's eyes, she suddenly looked down and produced that utterly useless Sparkle-branded button.
"What a pity. I never got to see who gave this to me."
"Don't worry, I know exactly whose handiwork this is," Sylvia said, a touch of exasperation in her voice as she took the button. With a disgruntled smack, she pressed it down.
Contrary to all previous experience, the button let out a series of beeps.
Beep-beep-beep!
The sudden sound from the previously inert device made both Sylvia and Dan Shu freeze in surprise.
This thing actually works??
--+--
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.