The enemy's power was still fresh in Topaz's memory. Returning to the Corporation or finding help from other systems would take too long. Topaz worried that the back-and-forth travel would lead to unforeseen complications.
She had to find help as soon as possible.
Help that was strong enough, and close enough. Topaz searched her surroundings and discovered that the Xianzhou Luofu was very near her current location.
This made Topaz's eyes light up.
The Luofu's General Jing Yuan was an Emanator-level powerhouse, and the Xianzhou was home to many other formidable individuals. With the Xianzhou's intervention, the enemy would have no chance to escape.
Most importantly, while the Xianzhou Alliance focused on hunting the abominations of Abundance, they also struck down many criminals across the universe. They might ignore what they didn't see, but now, with the enemy close by, Topaz believed they would offer aid as soon as they knew.
Topaz told Skott of her purpose. Hearing it, Skott felt nothing. What did the life or death of a civilization on some other planet have to do with him? On the surface, however, he still said to Topaz, "Director Topaz, I will take you to the Sky-Faring Commission to liaise with the staff there right away."
When dealing with smaller factions or civilizations, Topaz could naturally go straight to their leaders. But when facing the Xianzhou Luofu, even she had to properly abide by their rules.
After completing the registration procedures, Skott planned to take Topaz and her entourage to find lodging.
As for the location, Skott thought for a moment and decided on the Wenchen Inn.
On one hand, the Wenchen Inn's living environment was genuinely excellent and renowned throughout the Luofu, making it the most suitable place for outside visitors. Director Topaz was someone Skott desperately wanted to curry favor with, so of course, he had to arrange the best for her.
On the other hand, Skott was secretly hoping that Director Topaz might clash with Derick and his group.
My revenge...
Full of anticipation, Skott led Topaz and her group all the way to the entrance of the Wenchen Inn.
And then, Skott received a piece of news that left him deeply disappointed.
Derick and his group had already moved out.
"Why did they leave!?" Skott asked the innkeeper in a hushed, angry tone.
The innkeeper of the Wenchen Inn looked at Skott's furious expression with some confusion. He said, "It's because the number of guests coming for treatment was simply overwhelming. We couldn't manage, and we ran out of the medicine they brought. In the end, the General ordered Mr. Derick and his companions, along with the Dragon-Lady Bailu, to move directly to the Alchemy Commission."
As he spoke, the innkeeper looked past Skott at Topaz and her group of subordinates.
"Sir? Why are you so angry? From the looks of it, weren't you planning on bringing people to stay here? Now that they've left, aren't there rooms available?"
"This..." Skott was at a loss for words.
Behind him, Topaz looked at Skott with suspicious eyes. "Skott, are you hiding something from me?"
"No, nothing!" Skott immediately shouted. But seeing Topaz's gaze turn cold, he quickly bowed his head and changed his tune. "I... I was just thinking that you... you could get to know Derick and the others. It might be helpful to you."
"Derick? The name sounds a bit familiar. Come, give me the details," Topaz said, looking thoughtfully at Skott.
By the time Derick had slain Phantylia, Topaz had already departed on her own mission. She had only happened to glance at the news in a flood of routine notifications. Therefore, when Skott mentioned the name Derick, Topaz only felt a vague sense of familiarity and truly had no specific recollection.
Skott quickly recounted Derick's situation to Topaz. After listening to his narrative, Topaz's eyes gleamed with keen interest.
"This person is indeed interesting. Skott, conduct a detailed investigation into their situation for me. I need more intelligence."
Hearing Topaz's command, Skott, though somewhat reluctant, did not dare to disobey. He could only obediently agree and carry it out.
The Xianzhou Luofu, Alchemy Commission.
Derick and the others relocated here first.
The impact of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus was still felt. Most of the Alchemy Commission's members had either become followers and were subsequently killed by Derick's group, or they had become prisoners.
A small portion who had no connection to the Disciples were released after being vetted.
Now, the Alchemy Commission had resumed a small part of its normal operations. Derick and the others could stay here for the time being and treat patients. There were also more medicinal ingredients here, making treatment more convenient.
The group walked towards their assigned quarters. Firefly was among them. Though her body had recovered some, she was not yet fully healed and could only move with Feng Wei's support.
"Miss Feng Wei, thank you so much."
Feeling Feng Wei's care, Firefly spoke with a hint of apology in her voice.
Her apology was partly for the trouble Feng Wei and the others were going through, and partly out of guilt for hiding her true identity.
"It's no problem, Firefly. We will definitely find a way to help you get better. This is my duty as a physician."
Feng Wei expressed her determination to find a cure for Firefly.
Thinking of this, she glanced at Derick with a bit of regret.
Unfortunately, to save Firefly in the same way Derry had saved them, he needed to draw upon the authority of the Titan of Death.
After leaving Amphoreus, Derry's power to control death had all but vanished. Death on this cosmic scale was far beyond the abilities of the Titan of Death.
Wait, if we brought Firefly to Amphoreus, would Derry be able to use the Titan's authority? If he could use it, wouldn't Firefly's illness be cured?
At this thought, an expectant look appeared in Feng Wei's eyes.
Actually, there is another way... we could ask Ruan Mei, who is still on the Xianzhou. But thinking about Ruan Mei's mental state, Feng Wei dismissed the idea. If they went to Ruan Mei, Firefly's condition might be cured, but there was no telling what else she might gain in the process.
So it's better to forget it.
Feng Wei helped Firefly carry some of her things into the house arranged by the Divine Foresight. Derick and the others were also busy carrying their own luggage.
At some point, a beautiful, purple-haired woman wearing a veil suddenly appeared in the courtyard.
The woman was, in fact, stunningly beautiful, and she exuded an air of mysterious allure. Normally, someone with her appearance would attract a lot of attention.
But when she first appeared here, no one even noticed her.
Derick only saw her after a while. He was in the middle of moving things when suddenly, a person appeared in the courtyard.
And upon seeing her, Derick's movements froze, his expression stiffening.
What's going on? Black Swan? What is she doing here?
Isn't she a Memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection? What is she doing on the Xianzhou Luofu?
Seeing Derick's paused movements, Black Swan smiled.
She spoke to Derick, "It seems I've underestimated you, Mr. Derick. I thought I would have to reveal myself for you to see me."
After speaking, she looked at him with some confusion.
"Mr. Derick, did something amusing happen?"
Most people who saw her appear were usually just confused. This was the first time she had encountered someone who looked so happy they were about to laugh out loud.
"No, nothing," Derick waved his hand.
The habit of wanting to laugh whenever he saw Black Swan was probably not going to be easy to break.
As Black Swan spoke, the others around them finally noticed her.
A person had suddenly appeared in the courtyard, and everyone's eyes were fixed on her.
Castorice stood beside Derick, assuming a defensive posture. A person who appears so mysteriously seems like trouble.
Although Feng Wei also took a defensive stance, she still said to Black Swan, "Miss, are you ill and in need of treatment? Please wait a moment, we're still tidying up the rooms. You can come back after we're done."
"No, no, I am not ill, nor do I need treatment." Black Swan gently waved her hand at Feng Wei, indicating she was fine.
Her eyes lifted slightly as she said to the group, "I've only come to find you all, or rather, primarily to find Mr. Derick for a certain matter."
"Find us? Do we know you?" Cipher asked Black Swan, perplexed.
"We didn't know each other before, but we will become familiar soon enough."
This wasn't just a polite phrase.
After she said what she needed to say, she would read Derick's memories.
Only by clearly understanding his memories would Black Swan know how to deal with him.
Black Swan looked at the people beside him. "Miss Firefly, and all of you from the Astral Express crew, as well as the Dragon-Lady of the Elixir-Seekers, there are some things that are inconvenient to say to you. Could you give us a little space?"
"Why should we? Who knows if you mean to harm our friend?" Stelle raised her baseball bat, looking ready for a fight.
March 7th, having spent the last few days on the Xianzhou developing a taste for playing the hero, stood with Stelle in support. Welt, however, studied Black Swan carefully and recognized her origins.
"A Memokeeper of the Garden of Recollection?" Welt Yang thought for a moment, then said to Stelle and March 7th, "Stelle, March, this Miss Memokeeper probably doesn't mean Derick and the others any harm. If this concerns their origins, it's likely not convenient for us to eavesdrop."
"Oh, is that so? Then you guys chat. We'll go rest over there." Hearing what Mr. Yang said, Stelle nodded and took Little March's hand, walking towards the distance.
Welt Yang also left, but they didn't go far, remaining within line of sight. This was to ensure that if anything unexpected happened, they could provide immediate backup.
Firefly and Bailu also departed.
After the Astral Express crew and Bailu had left, Derick looked at Black Swan and said, "So, Miss Memokeeper, what business do you have with us?"
Derick had been wondering how to expose Black Swan's identity as a Memokeeper, but Mr. Yang had already said it for him, saving him the trouble of coming up with an excuse.
A smile crept onto his lips.
The reason for the smile was definitely because it saved him some effort, and certainly not because he had developed a condition where he smiled whenever he saw Black Swan.
"Mr. Derick, my name is Black Swan." Black Swan first introduced herself. Then, with a flourish of her hand, a dark purple magic circle appeared before her, and within the circle emerged a spread of face-down cards.
"Come, Mr. Derick. Would you like to draw a card to reveal your destiny?"
A mystic must first demonstrate her mystique.
Then, Black Swan watched as Derick snatched all the cards at once.
"Miss Black Swan, when it comes to fortune-telling, I'd rather trust the Luofu's Divination Commission than a Memokeeper's cards. If you have something to say, please say it directly." Derick said to her.
Trying to intimidate me in this area? I'm not playing along.
Besides, as someone who always hits hard pity on my pulls and can farm for relics for a whole day without getting anything usable, I'd have to be crazy to do anything involving card draws.
"Very well. It seems Mr. Derick is not fond of this approach." Black Swan was unbothered. She then directly stated her reason for coming. "I've come to find you all simply to warn you that there are those who do not look kindly upon you and are planning to harm you from the shadows."
Hearing Black Swan's words, Castorice immediately asked, "Who would be plotting against us? The Annihilation Gang, the Antimatter Legion, or has the Flame-Chaser found new allies?"
In her mind, since coming to space, they had only fought against the Annihilation Gang and the Antimatter Legion. The enemies they had to face were undoubtedly among them.
But hearing Castorice's words, Black Swan shook her head and said with a smile, "Those are your overt enemies. They are hardly worthy of me coming to warn you."
"Then who is the enemy you're talking about?" Derick asked Black Swan.
Black Swan spoke softly.
"The Memokeepers of the Garden of Recollection."
Hearing this and recalling her identity, Castorice, Cipher, and Feng Wei all prepared to attack.
"Are you one of them? Are you declaring war on us?" Feng Wei said to Black Swan.
"No, no, I have no such intention." Black Swan quickly waved her hands to explain. "The opinions of a large faction are never unanimous. The Memokeepers who wish to target and harm you are only a part of the Garden of Recollection."
The larger a faction, the more intricate its internal politics. The Interastral Peace Corporation might have several different opinions even within the same department. Even the Xianzhou Alliance has multiple factions. In fact, even Feixiao and Jing Yuan weren't truly of the same camp. The Garden of Recollection has numerous Memokeepers, so naturally, it is also divided into many factions.
Black Swan was clearly not aligned with the Memokeepers who wanted to target Derick and the others; in fact, she seemed to have a major conflict with them.
"We haven't had any conflict with them. Why would they target us and want to harm us?" Castorice asked Black Swan, confused.
The Black Swan before them was the first Memokeeper they had ever met. They had no prior contact with other Memokeepers, so why would they be targeted?
"You have no personal grudges against them. However, regarding Amphoreus, those Memokeepers do not wish for outsiders to know about it," Black Swan explained.
"For certain reasons, some Memokeepers in the Garden of Recollection consider Amphoreus to be a perfect experimental site and object of observation. They do not wish for outside interference in the events that unfold there. By leaving Amphoreus and telling others about it, you have already incurred the resentment of those Memokeepers. Therefore, they will try to deal with you. Even if they don't kill you, they will try to erase your memories of Amphoreus."
"Are those bastards really that vicious?" Cipher clenched her fists.
"Those Memokeepers have known what was happening on Amphoreus all along, and not only did they not offer aid, but they treated it all as a good show? They won't even allow others to interfere?"
Not helping, and even preventing others from helping, not even allowing those inside to call for help.
Cipher couldn't believe that Memokeepers could be so malicious.
Perhaps the pain and struggle of their people were nothing more than observational data to them.
Castorice and the others also showed looks of anger.
No one likes people who casually treat others like lab rats.
Those who sit on high should be sent to their graves. The people of Amphoreus should have the same destiny as people everywhere else. They should also be able to decide their own lives.
"Where are those Memokeepers? I'll go kill them," Cipher said, now itching to fight them.
"That, I do not know." Black Swan shook her head. "My relationship with them could be described as oil and water. It's impossible for me to know what they are planning."
Cipher could only lower her clenched fists for now.
Black Swan looked at Derick and his companions and extended an invitation.
"So, Mr. Derick, are you willing to join forces with me to deal with those Memokeepers?"
Seeing Black Swan's invitation, Derick was still hesitant. Setting aside the fact that he was still uncertain about her situation, Black Swan's own "luck" was highly suspect.
Being her opponent was far safer than being her teammate. Blowing up an entire car of the Astral Express in one go... her actual destructive capability to the Astral Express could rival, and even surpass, that of Aha, the Aeon of Elation.
The most crucial thing was that no matter how slim her chances were, she would always speak with absolute certainty. Only when a problem actually occurred would she realize her oversight.
Unreliable. Black Swan seems reliable, but in reality, she's very unreliable.
But considering the potential threat from the Memokeepers, Derick said to Black Swan, "Miss Black Swan, if you learn of any actions from those Memokeepers, please inform us. We will find a way to deal with them."
At least they were all Memokeepers, so their tracks should be traceable. It was much better than Derick and his group passively waiting for the enemy to come to them.
"Naturally."
Black Swan nodded in agreement.
-
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