Xianzhou Yuanqiao.
It was a name long forgotten by the world.
It had once been one of the original nine Xianzhou ships of the Alliance, but it had vanished in a catastrophe thousands of years ago.
"In Star Calendar 3200, Yuanqiao lost control during the War of Fratricide and vanished after sailing into a red giant."
That was how the histories recorded it. Though it was officially listed as "missing," by now, the entire galaxy—including the Xianzhou Alliance itself—had already accepted that this ship was gone for good.
And yet now, the name of that ship had been spoken again by a [Abundance] Emanator.
Not only that—she wanted to commission the Stellaron Hunters to find it.
Hearing this, Kafka's expression turned unusually grave.
In the future Elio had seen, the Xianzhou Alliance played no small role. The implications here were significant enough that she could not afford to treat this lightly.
"Lady Cecilia, are you certain you mean Yuanqiao?"
"As far as I know, Xianzhou Yuanqiao was destroyed nearly five thousand years ago."
Cecilia answered with the same calm certainty as before.
"I'm sure."
Kafka, however, caught the scent of something far more unusual beneath that answer.
"May I ask why?"
Cecilia looked at her with a faint, knowing smile.
"Are you sure you want to know?"
Kafka fell silent.
Some things were not better known.
But as a Stellaron Hunter, she was not the type to fear that.
"I want to know."
Seeing that Kafka had taken the bait, Cecilia began to explain.
"After your Stellaron Hunters came into contact with my daughter, I assume you've already heard about Theresa."
Kafka froze again.
"You mean that genius hidden beneath [Enigmata]?"
"Exactly." Cecilia nodded.
"Theresa and I were very close. I know her abilities—everything about her—better than anyone."
"With her capabilities, unless a Star God personally intervened, it would have been nearly impossible for her to meet with any accident."
"But several centuries ago, one day after we parted ways, her existence was concealed by [Enigmata]."
"In the entire galaxy, apart from me, not a single person remembers her."
Kafka tried to work through the connection.
"You're saying this has something to do with Xianzhou Yuanqiao?"
"Very likely." Cecilia spoke slowly.
"Before Theresa disappeared, she contacted me once."
"At the time, she told me she might have found that lost Xianzhou ship."
"But sadly, some time after that, she vanished without a trace."
[Ding! Your lie has made Kafka and Elio more inclined to believe it. The lie has partially become reality!]
[Authority of the Hunt has risen significantly, and you have gained 40,000 Chronicle Points!]
[System Shop unlocked items: Xianzhou War Spirit, Longbow: Pursuit!]
Oh-ho. Not only a decent haul, but an extra surprise too?
Without drawing attention to it, Cecilia glanced past Kafka's shoulder.
She had already noticed something off when she arrived.
So there really was a stray cat hiding back there.
Still, if the other party did not want to show themselves, Cecilia could not be bothered to drag them out. As long as they were willing to drop some points for her, that was enough.
At last, Kafka gave her answer.
"I see."
"We Stellaron Hunters accept this commission."
That actually surprised Cecilia a little.
"Oh? That easily?"
She had expected Kafka to haggle a bit, or at least say something about doing her best.
Who would have thought the Stellaron Hunters would be this straightforward?
Kafka smiled faintly.
"To be honest, Lady Cecilia, even without your commission, the Stellaron Hunters were already investigating [Enigmata]."
"Oh?" Cecilia arched a brow.
"In Elio's script, the part involving [Enigmata] was originally still quite far in the future."
"But everything changed after we encountered Miss Kiana. Now, [Enigmata] has become a critical variable. Every prophecy related to it has turned blurred and uncertain."
"And for [Finality], that is not good news."
That answer caught Cecilia off guard a little, so she probed further.
"So have you found out anything yet?"
Kafka shook her head again.
"Time was limited. We haven't had the chance to investigate more deeply."
"So the Yuanqiao you mentioned is an important breakthrough point for us."
"If Theresa truly searched for Yuanqiao before her disappearance, then that Xianzhou ship very likely has some connection to [Enigmata]."
Cecilia nodded in satisfaction.
Talking to smart people really was convenient. She barely needed to explain, and Kafka had already connected the dots herself.
After all, Yuanqiao was not a target Cecilia had chosen at random.
Across the galaxy, among authorities related to causality, aside from [Enigmata] and [Finality], the next closest was naturally [The Hunt].
So if she wanted to lay better groundwork for Theresa's identity, she naturally needed more stepping stones.
And wasn't it perfect?
The Xianzhou Alliance just happened to have a ship that was officially described not as destroyed, but merely missing.
"Then it's settled." Cecilia clapped her hands softly, finalizing the agreement with Kafka.
"May our cooperation be fruitful," Kafka said, extending her hand.
And just like that, the agreement between Cecilia and Kafka was made.
Once the matter was settled, Kafka naturally could not stay any longer.
After all, a prison riot had just broken out in the Shackling Prison, and this place was still too close to the Luofu. Someone might come investigating at any moment.
Besides, there were still people at home waiting for her to come back and do some emotional counseling.
Only after Kafka left did Cecilia finally have the time to reopen her system panel.
After all, she was very interested in those newly unlocked shop items.
Soon enough, she found what she was looking for.
[Xianzhou War Spirit: 50,000 Chronicle Points (Hunt-exclusive)]
[Description: Standard equipment for a Hunt Emanator. Personally bestowed by Lan. No trial required.]
[Longbow: Pursuit: 80,000 Chronicle Points]
[Description: Rumor has it this is the same bow used by Lan.]
Now those were some excellent items.
The latter hardly needed explanation. A bow described as Lan's own counterpart was obviously some kind of conceptual-level weapon.
And the former was no less impressive.
After all, for Xianzhou Alliance Emanators, a War Spirit could practically be considered standard issue.
Jing Yuan's Lightning-Lord. Feixiao's Feihuang. Those all fell into the category of War Spirits.
Because in a sense, the Emanators of [The Hunt] within the Xianzhou Alliance inherited their power through succession. Only after a Xianzhou general accepted the legacy and obtained a War Spirit could they truly be recognized.
So if she spent 50,000 points to buy herself a War Spirit…
Wouldn't that basically mean she could get herself onto the official roster?
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter116)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 80
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 74
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 48
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 50
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 47
Uma Musume: From Beginner 42
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