At this moment, March 7th found herself missing Sylvia's ability to tame monsters.
If Sylvia were here, wouldn't they be able to subdue their opponent without shedding a drop of blood?
They'd even gain another ally in the fight.
"March, there's no need to worry."
Welt pondered, tilting his head to look toward the direction where the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor lay.
"I suspect that abomination might be relying on something else to possess such regenerative abilities."
"Sigh… Should we look around then? I wonder how Sylvia's doing over there. According to Master Diviner Fu, the general has already rushed over. Could the final showdown be starting already?"
March 7th scratched her head, feeling that time was pressing.
It would be pretty lame if the three of them missed the big finale.
Meanwhile, Stelle seemed oddly relaxed, even sending a photo she'd sneakily taken of the Abundant Ebon Deer to Sylvia.
--+--
At the entrance to the Scalegorge Waterscape.
Dan Heng, who had hurried all the way to the scene, arrived at the Scalegorge Waterscape just in time.
Only to run into Blade—and Kafka—who had been lying in wait at the entrance since who-knows-when.
Without a single wasted word, the moment Blade laid eyes on Dan Heng, he lost his composure. After receiving permission through Kafka's Spirit Whisper, he charged at Dan Heng with his sword.
He didn't even spare a glance for Yanqing, who arrived shortly after.
--+--
Inside the Scalegorge Waterscape.
Sylvia's phone chimed with a notification.
Pulling it out, she saw it was a message from Stelle.
Honestly, even though it appeared as an enemy unit in the game, the Abundant Ebon Deer was genuinely quite beautiful.
At the very least, it seemed more suitable for riding than Mount No. 1, that half-horse, half-man creature.
Staring at her phone, Sylvia looked up at Jing Yuan and suddenly remarked:
"So, General Jing Yuan has no objections, then?"
"…No, no, wait a moment. This Ambrosial Arbor is no good thing."
Jing Yuan massaged his temple with one hand, looking somewhat anxious.
He knew Sylvia had her secrets, but that didn't mean she could just casually mess with the Ambrosial Arbor.
"Come on now, we're trying to help the Luofu here. If this Arbor could just be relocated, you wouldn't have to live in constant fear."
Sylvia spoke with unwavering confidence, while Jing Yuan could only sigh in resignation. He had no idea where she got such nerve.
"That may be true in principle, but it's not that simple."
The Xianzhou Luofu wasn't a place where his word was law.
If an outsider like her just up and took the Ambrosial Arbor, even if he, Jing Yuan, trusted her, would the other Xianzhou ships trust her?
What if she turned around and planted the Arbor in some Abundance-worshipping cult's backyard?
If she were an Emanator of the Hunt, it'd be somewhat easier to explain—someone acknowledged by their own Aeon sounds better.
But this is a relic of the Abundance—it's a whole different story.
"Just tell me this: if the Ambrosial Arbor were moved, would it have any impact on the Luofu's safety?"
"Such a colossal entity—its roots have long spread throughout the Luofu itself. Rashly removing it would be no good for the Luofu."
Jing Yuan gave Sylvia a brief explanation.
Forget the Arbor's unique nature; just its sheer size meant that carelessly taking it away would be a headache for the Luofu.
Who knows where those roots have reached by now? If they were truly extracted, the entire Luofu would probably collapse into a who-knows-what state.
Back when the Reignbow Arbiter fired that arrow that shattered the Arbor, the roots were left intact.
Was it because the Aeon of The Hunt couldn't destroy them?
Of course not. It was because the Arbor's roots had already permeated the Luofu. To destroy the roots would require aiming the arrow at the Luofu itself.
Clearly, the Divine Foresight wasn't going to do such a thing.
Jing Yuan's explanation served as a reminder for Sylvia.
When she played games, she didn't go out of her way to collect every last piece of lore text—she took things as they came.
She wasn't really clear on the details of this particular backstory.
But with Jing Yuan bringing it up, Sylvia recalled those Arbor roots that had torn through the Artisanship Commission.
Sylvia nodded thoughtfully.
"I see, I understand now. Speaking of which, now that the Ambrosial Arbor has revived, does the Xianzhou Alliance have any low-cost methods to… press it back down again?"
"…"
Jing Yuan sighed helplessly, offering Sylvia a bitter smile and a shake of his head.
They really didn't.
That was just the tangled, complicated relationship between the Arbor and the Luofu.
Destroying it outright wasn't an option—unless they were willing to sacrifice the entire ship.
But just leaving it as it was? A living, breathing Ambrosial Arbor was a terrifying prospect.
Even if they managed to repel Phantylia this time, the final resolution for the Arbor would likely still involve asking the Reignbow Arbiter to take another shot at it.
Sylvia nodded again at this and turned her gaze toward Acheron.
She began to wonder if, by harnessing the power of Nihility, it might be possible to sever the roots and then cart off the Arbor growing atop them.
Without a word being spoken, Acheron nonetheless considered the idea seriously.
"If I strike with my full strength, it might be worth a try."
The Ambrosial Arbor was certainly powerful—its Abundance energy was both endless and immense.
But the Arbor itself wasn't designed for warfare; its defensive capabilities weren't impossibly formidable.
The key to cutting down the Arbor lay in finding a way to sever that ceaseless flow of vitality.
Jing Yuan had to employ the Lightning-Lord at full power just to cut the connection between the Arbor and Phantylia.
The link between the Arbor and its root system was undoubtedly far stronger than its link to Phantylia.
Acheron could certainly sense the Arbor's resilience, but she felt that if she unleashed her blade with everything she had, leveraging the nature of Nihility, there might just be a chance to cut the thing down.
"…"
Jing Yuan let out another sigh.
Fine. Do as you will.
As long as you don't try to dig up and take the Arbor's roots.
As for Sylvia's bottom line, Jing Yuan still had a modicum of trust.
Someone who would seek justice for someone like Dan Shu… from a personal standpoint, he was inclined to trust Sylvia's principles.
Besides, Jing Yuan was also a little curious whether the power of Nihility might prove more effective against this Arbor.
Just then.
A series of energy fluctuations rippled from the direction of the Scalegorge Waterscape entrance.
Everyone turned in unison to look into the distance.
Dan Heng unleashing the power of Imbibitor Lunae, along with Yanqing's flying swords, was rather conspicuous.
And since it was happening right near the entrance, it immediately drew everyone's attention.
Sylvia even smiled, nudging her chin toward the commotion as she urged:
"Let's set this matter aside for now, General. You'd better go take a look over there, and take this fellow with you while you're at it, lest we forget about him later."
"…"
Jing Yuan had a feeling Sylvia was changing the subject because she was brewing up something big for him.
But with Dan Heng now manifesting the form of Imbibitor Lunae, it really was time to bring him over.
So, he could only hoist the still-unconscious Vidyadhara warrior, give Sylvia a nod, and turn to leave.
Watching Jing Yuan hauling the deadweight away, Sylvia finally smiled in satisfaction.
She reached out, took Acheron's hand, and began walking toward the sea.
"We're not waiting for them?"
"Nope. I discussed all that with Jing Yuan so he'd know what's happening, but he also has his difficulties as a general. He definitely can't conveniently tag along for something like this."
Giving Jing Yuan a heads-up would at least save him trouble when writing his reports.
But when it came time for the actual work, it was better for Jing Yuan not to be around.
Doing someone a favor—when the time came, Jing Yuan could return the favor by covering for her.
--+--
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.