After leaving the Divination Commission, Stelle prepared to bid farewell to Noldrei.
She had worlds to save; she couldn't afford to stop here.
As a crucial NPC, Noldrei's role was simply to provide the initial mission guidance, and he had done that perfectly.
"Thank you for your help! In all my travels across the galaxy, I have never met such a straightforward guide!"
Stelle was so moved she was on the verge of tears.
Noldrei was a little speechless at her reaction, wondering just how much hardship this kid had endured on her interstellar journey.
"I'm going to go deal with Kafka and the others now, then I'll meet up with Mr. Yang and the crew. If we meet again after this is all over, you'd better treat me to something good!"
Noldrei clapped her on the shoulder and said with a smile, "You're welcome. When the time comes, I'll treat you to whatever you want. I've got to head back now; an online friend wants to meet up."
After a heartfelt goodbye with Noldrei, Stelle finally saw Kafka approach.
Kafka only made contact with Stelle after confirming Noldrei had left.
Given their previous conflicts and the fact that the Stellaron Hunters seemed to have a hand in all sorts of incidents, Stelle didn't dare trust her completely. Yet, a faint feeling told her that Kafka wasn't here to harm her.
"It's been a while. I didn't expect you to have grown so much since we parted ways at the space station. Here, this is a local Xianzhou drink. What's wrong? Don't have the guts to join me?"
Kafka's relaxed demeanor eased Stelle's tense nerves considerably.
Stelle accepted the "Immortal's Delight Tea" from Kafka and asked curiously, "Why do you Stellaron Hunters want to associate with us Nameless?"
Kafka shook her head. "It's difficult for me to explain the full meaning in words."
"It has to do with the influence one individual's destiny can have on others. Our people were originally afraid to even come to the Luofu, to the point where I considered not telling you what might happen here."
"Destiny?" This was the second time on the Xianzhou that Stelle had encountered such a heavy topic. The divination in the Divination Commission just now was, in a sense, also an affirmation of fate.
"Yes, destiny. We Stellaron Hunters... you could say this is our fate. That might sound very abstract, so think of it this way."
"In a city, a beggar and a mayor both discover signs of an impending earthquake. Neither can change the fact that the earthquake is coming, but who can do more to save people? The mayor, obviously, right?"
"The interests of more people are tied to him, more power is tied to him, and the daily lives of more people are tied to him. So, the mayor's words carry more weight, have more 'presence,' don't they?"
"The more 'presence' a person has, the stronger their influence on the destinies of others. A single word from such a person could determine another's fate."
Kafka gently tidied Stelle's messy gray hair and said with a smile, "That man you were just with—you can think of him as someone whose life is entangled with the most powerful factions and individuals in this world. His every action can seal a person's fate."
Stelle took a sharp slurp of the Immortal's Delight Tea in her hand. She now understood why Kafka had been so cautious just moments ago.
Still puzzled, Stelle asked, "So what does this have to do with the Stellaron crisis?"
Kafka sighed and explained, "I have a friend from work, a colleague. His name is Blade. As much as I'd like to explain his situation, in Elio's script... just a single sentence from that man was enough to completely alter the course of Blade's destiny."
"Can you understand the weight of that one sentence? Try to put yourself in their shoes. Imagine Mr. Yang, March 7th, Dan Heng... because of one person's single sentence, their fates are cast into an endless, spiraling abyss."
"That feeling of hopeless despair... you'll understand when you experience it."
Stelle looked at Kafka suspiciously. She didn't seem like the awe-inspiring, galaxy-trotting Stellaron Hunter she was made out to be, but more like someone worried about her comrade.
Do Stellaron Hunters worry about their comrades?
For a moment, Stelle really couldn't be sure.
"The way you talk makes him sound like a bad guy. But he didn't seem like that kind of person, and he didn't try to stop us from finding the Stellaron."
Kafka said calmly, "The outcome of an event may be fated, just as the ultimate end of a universe may be preordained. There's little difference between the two in essence. But in the middle, who gets to stay and who has to go—that depends on their own methods."
"I'm not telling you all this to make you suspicious of him, but to urge you to be more careful when dealing with him... then again, it probably wouldn't make a difference whether you're careful or not."
Stelle was slightly taken aback. Why the sudden personal attack?
Wasn't that just a blatant way of saying she wasn't smart enough to play mind games with someone like him?
Kafka spoke with grave sincerity, "Now, listen carefully to what I'm about to say."
"He is from somewhere else. If he stays on the Luofu, don't expect anything good to happen here. Just do what you need to do, take care of the Stellaron, and then run. Don't look back!"
"If he leaves the Luofu, be careful not to casually invite him aboard your Astral Express. Don't even think about it!"
"And if he takes the initiative to ask to come aboard the Astral Express to have a look..."
At this point, Kafka trailed off, her words gone.
She patted Stelle's shoulder, her expression complex. "Then I can only wish you good luck."
Stelle's eyes widened. "The way you're talking is really scary, you know! It makes him sound like he's not a good person at all!"
This time, Kafka didn't bother trying to explain whether Noldrei was a good person or not.
Noldrei's pursuit of a new world order had absolutely nothing to do with conventional morality; in fact, it could be described as the most chaotic and explosive social state in the entire universe.
The Aeons were already extreme ideological lifeforms.
Noldrei delved even deeper into the essence of life than they did.
"This is my advice to you. Sometimes, life is like this. You have to make the choices you need to make. Even when facing a destiny that has already been written, you must continue to follow the script."
Kafka took a small mirror from her person and placed it in Stelle's hand.
She comforted her softly, "If one day you can no longer see the path ahead, why not take a look at yourself in this little mirror? Perhaps... and I mean perhaps... it might be useful."
Stelle looked at the small mirror in her hand in amazement.
The mirror held no magic, nor did it have any special structure. It was just a simple, plain mirror.
Looking at this will be useful? Is she pulling my leg?
When Stelle looked up to ask for more clarification, Kafka had already vanished from sight.
Only the Immortal's Delight Tea and the mirror in her hand proved that the Stellaron Hunter had indeed had a serious conversation with her just moments ago.