For March 7th, a human being, five hundred years or a thousand years seemed to make little difference. After all, she wouldn't live that long... at least in theory.
A moment of silence passed.
March 7th continued, "The Star of Wishes... could it be related to wishes? Gaining power through wishes?"
The Trailblazer shook her head repeatedly. "I don't know."
March 7th suggested, "Why not ask Herta again? Have her observe the Wish Star over the next few days and gather more information for us."
The Trailblazer sighed and shook her head once more. "I've already asked. Neither observation nor consulting ancient texts has yielded any further records about the Wish Star..."
A star that evades both Herta's observations and the annals of ancient texts. Clearly, the Star of Wishes is no ordinary celestial body. On that planet, there must exist Emanator-level powerhouses—and likely more than one.
Amidst the murmurs of discussion, Dan Heng remained unconcerned. "Once we reach the Star of Wishes, all will be revealed."
Himeko spoke slowly. "Then we shall rest here for three or five days before setting out for the Star of Wishes."
Her desire to linger in New Eridu stemmed from her keen interest in the interstellar teleportation technology mentioned by Adepti like the Cloud Retainer. She wished to study it during this opportunity. Moreover... the identities of Adepti like Sam Li, Cloud Retainer Adeptus, and Moon Carver, coupled with the much-discussed Liyue, were equally intriguing.
From what the others said, the homeworld of Cloud Retainer Adeptus and his kind seemed to be an entirely unexplored and undiscovered realm.
That evening, Himeko brought March 7th, Dan Heng, and the Trailblazer to Sixth Street.
At Xiangling's "Wanmin Restaurant Branch," they encountered Adepti like Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver, alongside Hu Tao, Keqing, Ganyu, Shenhe, the Traveler, Paimon...
The moment they met, Paimon flew over excitedly, eyeing everyone up and down. "We meet again..."
The moment March 7th stepped into the restaurant, an intoxicating aroma filled her senses, making her eyes light up. "Mmm, what deliciousness is this? What have you all cooked today?"
Hu Tao hurriedly gestured for everyone to sit. "Please, take a seat. A guest is always welcome. Once you taste Xiangling's cooking, you'll never want to eat another chef's dishes again."
March 7th wasn't convinced. "This little March has sampled every delicacy on the Xianzhou Luofu. My palate is quite discerning."
Hu Tao frowned in confusion. "The Xianzhou Luofu? Is that another city?"
March 7th shook her head quickly. "It's another planet... No, no, no—to be precise, it's not a planet at all, but an immense Xianzhou sailing through the boundless cosmos... Even they haven't developed long-range interstellar teleportation technology. I never imagined your technology could surpass theirs..."
Speaking of interstellar teleportation—
Beside them, Himeko volunteered to ask Cloud Retainer for assistance, hoping to witness how that technology was achieved.
Cloud Retainer replied solemnly. "No need to rush. After you've eaten your fill, this immortal will personally guide you to seek out that divine statue of the Geo Archon."
Soon after, Xiangling arrived carrying two dishes.
March 7th couldn't wait to take a bite, and her eyes lit up instantly.
Delicious—
Better than the cuisine aboard the Xianzhou Luofu, better than the train's meals—truly a heavenly delicacy.
Beside her, Himeko, Dan Heng, the Trailblazer, and the others tasted it too, equally astonished by Xiangling's culinary skills.
Who would have thought?
In this "backwater," a land ravaged by the Ether Cataclysm, they could encounter such exquisite flavors.
That evening, when Sam Li and the proxy returned from Hollow Zero, everyone had already eaten their fill. They were led by Cloud Retainer to see the Statue of The Seven in the city center.
The group stood beside the statue.
March 7th eyed the statue skeptically. "It's well-carved and imposing... But you wouldn't be telling us this ordinary-looking statue is your tool for interstellar teleportation, would you?"
Hearing this, Cloud Retainer spoke slowly. "This Immortal is unaware of what you mean by 'interstellar teleportation,' but we did indeed use this very object to travel from Liyue to this place."
Paimon chimed in from the side. "You outsiders simply don't understand the marvels of these statues..."
March 7th pressed further. "Then tell us—what marvels?"
Paimon looked at Cloud Retainer. "Perhaps you should demonstrate it for them."
Upon hearing this, Cloud Retainer was not pleased. Bringing these outsiders here was already showing them considerable favor. And now they wanted her to demonstrate personally...
However, facing the eager gazes of the surrounding crowd, Cloud Retainer knew refusal was impossible. With a casual wave, she instantly activated the Statue of The Seven before them.
Witnessing this, March 7th exclaimed happily, "Just like what we saw outside the city! So this is how you teleport using these statues... But what do we do next?"
Cloud Retainer replied slowly. "Simply choose your destination."
No sooner had the words left her lips, golden light flickered, the teleportation activated, and Cloud Retainer vanished from her spot in an instant.
Witnessing this, Himeko, Dan Heng, the Trailblazer, and March 7th instantly wore expressions of astonishment.
They meticulously scanned their surroundings, confirming that the Adeptus named "Cloud Retainer" had truly vanished without a trace—not merely cloaked, but genuinely disappeared.
It was indeed interstellar long-distance teleportation technology.
Before anyone could react, the next instant, golden light flared once more. A familiar figure materialized beside the Statue of The Seven—it was none other than Cloud Retainer, the Adeptus who had vanished moments before.
Witnessing this, Himeko murmured to herself, "If we could create more of these divine statues, we could instantly traverse from one end of the cosmos to the other..."
If the Interstellar Peace Corporation learned of this technology, they'd rush over without delay to acquire it or seek collaboration...
Beside them, Moon Carver chuckled. "Create more Statue of The Seven? What a joke. Even deities would struggle to recreate such a thing."
Of course, Sam Li was an exception. His ability to create so many Statue of The Seven to suppress the Stellaron relied primarily on the power of the System. And a portion of the System's power originated from that [Dragon] dwelling in the depths of the cosmos.
For any other deity, attempting to fashion a Statue of The Seven with bare hands would be utterly impossible.
Seeing the others deep in thought, Hu Tao smiled and said, "If any of you are interested, why not pay Liyue a visit? If you have business, be sure to seek me out—Hu Tao. I'll give you a 50% discount."