"Sister Lumina, what are you doing here?!" March 7th exclaimed, her face lighting up with a cheerful grin as she recognized the pristine white figure.
She wanted to rush over, snuggle into Lumina's embrace, and bask in her comforting, motherly aura. But just as March 7th took a step forward, a hand blocked her path.
"?"
A question mark formed on March 7th's face. Puzzled, she followed the hand upward to find Welt staring intently at Lumina, his expression grave.
"Uncle Yang, what's wrong? Sister Lumina isn't a bad person!" March 7th protested, mistaking Welt's demeanor for a misunderstanding.
"Little March, given the current situation, I might actually be the villain," Lumina replied, her voice tinged with amusement.
Watching March 7th's adorable earnestness in defending her, Lumina couldn't resist the urge to scoop her up and give her a good, affectionate squeeze. But with so many witnesses present, the wicked Saintess had to suppress the impulse for now.
"Huh? Sister Lumina, what do you mean by that?" March 7th froze, her eyes wide with confusion.
Seeing their reactions, Lumina simply smiled without answering March's question.
Then, under the watchful eyes of Welt and Master Gongshu, she walked toward the Abundant Ebon Deer.
Sensing Lumina's approach, the deer lowered its noble head.
Smiling warmly, Lumina extended her pale hand and gently stroked its head.
"Look at this Abundance Divine Miracle," she murmured softly. "Isn't it wondrous? Transforming nothing into something, breathing life into existence..."
Though her voice was quiet, every word carried clearly to the onlookers.
Tingyun: ...
Tingyun—no, Phantylia—regarded Lumina with a hint of suspicion. Could this woman have gone mad after seeing the Ambrosial Arbor?
Phantylia had witnessed firsthand the intoxicating allure of the Abundance Divine Miracle for followers of Abundance through the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. They all seemed to lose their minds.
And Lumina before me is likely no different...
Exposing herself so openly to Luofu's view was hardly wise.
With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Phantylia's eyes flickered with shifting calculations as she lowered her head in contemplation.
After a moment, Phantylia lifted her head, gazing at Lumina, who seemed to radiate a pure white light, as if she had reached a conclusion.
Well, Lumina's presence in Luofu isn't entirely unwelcome...
The generals of Luofu would likely never imagine that Lumina wasn't the only infiltrator aboard the Xianzhou.
As for whether Lumina would expose me if her own identity were revealed?
Phantylia deemed that utterly impossible.
The eternal feud between Abundance and The Hunt knew no truce. As long as this animosity endured, Lumina would never ally with Luofu.
Even if Lumina fails to secure the Ambrosial Arbor, what does it matter? As long as Luofu falls to Destruction...
That outcome, she believed, would be acceptable to Lumina as well.
With that settled, Phantylia had nothing left to worry about.
Lumina operated in the open, while Phantylia lurked in the shadows, ready to overthrow Luofu with a mere flick of her wrist.
Phantylia transformed into Tingyun, a triumphant smile curving her lips as she already envisioned Luofu marching toward Destruction under her manipulation.
The camera then zoomed in on "Tingyun's" smile from the player's perspective.
"Hiss... I'm starting to suspect Tingyun might be an Emanator too..."
Little Bear seemed to sense something when he noticed the way Tingyun looked at Lumina. Her gaze lacked the deference a subordinate would typically show their superior; instead, there was a hint of... disdain? Perhaps Tingyun and Lumina weren't in a hierarchical relationship at all, but rather collaborators.
Anyone capable of partnering with Lumina and looking at her with such contempt—even if not an Emanator—must be something very close to it.
[Great! Two Emanators... we're doomed!]
[What if Luocha is also an Emanator? Fantastic! Three Emanators... we're doomed!]
[Now we understand why we'd suffer heavy casualties if we went to Luofu. It turns out three Emanators have infiltrated their ranks... Luofu's inspection measures are utterly worthless! (crying and laughing) Maybe I should apply to be an inspector myself (smirking)!]
[So in the end, Luofu was saved by an arrow from the Aeon of The Hunt? Then why did we even come here? To witness the Aeon's arrow and gain the Path of The Hunt?]
"There must be a reason we came to Luofu. We wouldn't just leave after a quick look, would we?"
Reading the comments and recalling the previous plot events, Little Bear couldn't help but wonder: Even with at least two Emanators present, what difference could the Astral Express Crew possibly make?
He shook his head, dismissing the thought, and clicked the mouse to continue the story.
"Miss Lumina, what is it you want?"
As the story progressed, Welt pondered for a moment, then relaxed his wary expression and addressed Lumina.
"What I want is simple..."
Lumina withdrew her hand from the Abundant Ebon Deer's head, smiled at the group, and explained, "I merely ask that you refrain from harming this deer."
"Impossible!" Master Gongshu retorted immediately.
"Ahem." Sensing everyone's eyes on him, Master Gongshu realized he'd gotten a little carried away.
After composing himself, he said, "The Abundant Ebon Deer is the guardian of the Ambrosial Arbor. Unless we eliminate it, the Arbor's roots will continuously absorb Abundance Power, regenerating endlessly and making it impossible to completely eradicate!"
"Hmm... you're right," Lumina nodded in agreement.
Hearing this, Master Gongshu breathed a sigh of relief, assuming Lumina was relenting.
"But I won't back down either."
The next moment, Lumina shook her head.
"..."
Watching the group fall silent again, Lumina's smile remained unchanged.
"You want to eliminate the Abundant Ebon Deer to clear away the Ambrosial Arbor's roots? Fine."
"Defeat me, and I'll yield."
As Lumina finished speaking, the player's screen shattered, plunging them into battle...
Lumina (Full Power)
Weaknesses: Physical, Fire, Wind, Lightning, Ice, Quantum, Imaginary