It took the Astral Express trio almost no effort at all to deal with the group of Mara-struck.
Since the battle was so low-level and uninteresting, we'll just skip right past it.
When the three of them returned, the Cloud Knight looked to be in even worse shape than before.
"Mr. Yang, what's wrong with him? He looks like he's about to die!" March 7th asked anxiously, standing beside Welt.
"This is probably... the onset of the Mara," Welt said, his voice uncertain as he looked at the black aura coiling around the Cloud Knight.
"The Mara?" March 7th looked at Welt, confused. She'd never heard of such an affliction before.
Welt wasn't quite sure how to explain it to her. After all, the disease was almost exclusively found within the Xianzhou Alliance. He was completely in the dark about its specific symptoms and causes.
The only thing he knew for certain was that once the people of the Xianzhou reached a certain point, they would transform into the kind of mindless monsters they had just fought.
As for how to cure it... unfortunately, Welt was no doctor. He had no such remedy.
"Everyone, I'm beyond saving," the Cloud Knight rasped, knowing he was at the end of his rope. "Please, just grant me a swift end."
He could feel a horrifying transformation taking place within his body. Soon, he would become just like his fallen comrades—a monster that attacked anyone in its path. For the people of the Xianzhou, there was no fate more terrifying.
"How can this be?" March 7th murmured, looking at the Cloud Knight. They had just managed to save him, only for it to end like this? It was too cruel.
Welt also felt a pang of sympathy for the man's plight, but he was powerless to help. Perhaps killing him truly was the kindest option.
"Don't panic! I have a solution!"
Just as March 7th and Welt were about to give up hope, Mo Wang stepped forward.
"Huh?"
The two of them stared blankly at him.
Sometime during the fight, Mo Wang had changed into a full set of Daoist robes and was now holding a horsetail whisk, radiating the serene aura of a celestial immortal.
"M-Mo Wang, what... what are you doing?" March 7th stammered, completely baffled by his new look. With the air of a true Daoist master, like an immortal banished to the mortal realm, Mo Wang was once again doing something completely incomprehensible.
Where did he even get that bizarre outfit?
"My friend, do not be hasty. It is merely the Mara-struck affliction. With this humble Daoist present, you shall not die."
Mo Wang strode over to the Cloud Knight and gave him a hearty pat on the back, nearly making the man cough up a lungful of blood.
"You... you should just leave me. Let me go in peace," the Cloud Knight pleaded, on the verge of tears.
Who are these people? They won't even let me die in peace! Are they even human?
"I know you're in a hurry, but don't be. In my possession is a secret, ancestral medicinal formula, designed specifically to treat ailments of the mind like yours. The side effects are a little... significant, but I can guarantee you won't die from the Mara. So? Care to give it a try?"
Mo Wang casually reached into his robes, rubbed his hands together, and produced a large, black pill that emitted a strange odor. Just one whiff was enough to make the Cloud Knight gag.
"A-are you sure this medicine will work?" the Cloud Knight asked, eyeing the object in Mo Wang's hand. He stopped just short of asking, Are you sure that's not some kind of super poison?
"Hey now, would this master lie to you? Besides, even if it is poison, if you kick the bucket, isn't that what you wanted anyway?" Mo Wang retorted. "You're in this state already, so you might as well die, right?"
Hearing this, the Cloud Knight nodded. It was a twisted sort of logic, but it made sense. Still, Mo Wang's mention of side effects...
"Fine, I'll take it!"
Gritting his teeth, the Cloud Knight took the pill and shoved it into his mouth.
"Why does this taste... so much like chocolate?" he muttered to himself. The next moment, the "medicine" slid down his throat and into his stomach.
"This... this feels so good..."
After swallowing the pill, the Cloud Knight felt his mind suddenly clear. Countless thoughts and memories began to dissolve from his consciousness, and he felt as if he were being enveloped by a soft cloud, slowly drifting into a peaceful slumber.
"How is this possible?" Welt stared in shock. He couldn't believe his eyes. After the Cloud Knight took Mo Wang's pill, the black aura around him actually began to dissipate.
He looked at Mo Wang, completely unable to comprehend how he had done it.
"I told you, it's just the Mara. A flick of this master's wrist, and the problem is solved." Mo Wang shrugged as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
"But... what did you do?" Welt was still baffled. For the people of the Xianzhou, the Mara was tantamount to cancer. And Mo Wang had just cured a Cloud Knight with a single pill.
That was like claiming you could cure cancer with one pill—an announcement that would give every medical expert in the galaxy a heart attack.
"I... I'm really... cured?" The Cloud Knight stood up, testing his body. The feeling of the Mara's corruption was completely gone. "But... why do I feel like I've forgotten a lot of things?"
He felt as though large chunks of his memory were now blank. Things he remembered just moments ago had vanished completely.
"Alas, that is the medicine's flaw," Mo Wang said, feigning deep regret. "While it can cure the Mara, it will cause you to forget certain things. That is its side effect."
"It's alright! What you've done is more than enough! A medicine that can cure the Mara... it's simply unbelievable!" The Cloud Knight was so emotional he could barely speak.
The people of the Xianzhou had suffered from the Mara for ages. Countless lives had been lost to this accursed affliction over the years. Now, someone had produced a cure.
Even if it caused some memory loss, for the people of the Xianzhou, this was a miracle drug of the highest order.
"May I be so bold as to ask, sir, what is this miraculous medicine? Could you tell me its name?" the Cloud Knight asked with the utmost respect. Anyone who could produce such a cure had to be an extraordinary figure.
"Er, this medicine... you can call it the 'Kick-the-Bucket Pill.' Melts in your mouth, not in your hand."
Without a second thought, Mo Wang borrowed the name from a certain cinematic Living Buddha. He just hoped that if he ever met the man... he wouldn't get sued for copyright infringement.
"Mo Wang, how did you do that? You can do that, too?" March 7th asked, her curiosity piqued. She didn't understand the specifics, but it sounded like he'd done something incredible. She never knew Mo Wang was a pharmacist. What in the world was this Kick-the-Bucket Pill?
"Well..."
Alright, fine. It wasn't a Kick-the-Bucket Pill; it was just a chocolate ball. At most, he'd added a little magic to it.
The real reason it had cured the Mara was simply that he'd erased a portion of the Cloud Knight's memories.
As for what the Mara truly was, the riddle-loving miHoYo had never given a straight answer. On one hand, they said it altered a person's genes; on the other, they implied it was related to the mind and memories. The true cause was unclear.
However, based on the fact that Kafka could treat it with hypnotic suggestions and Blade's own story, Mo Wang had a theory.
When the Aeon of Abundance granted the Xianzhou people immortality, it was purely physical. Their souls were never elevated; they were, in essence, still mortals.
A mortal mind couldn't bear the weight of such an impossibly long string of memories. Eventually, their minds would break, they would lose control of the immortal genes within their bodies, and they would transform into monsters.
So, Mo Wang had simply deleted some of the Cloud Knight's memories. And it seemed to have worked like a charm.
He gave March a long, convoluted explanation full of mystical jargon that she didn't really understand. All she got was that Mo Wang had just done something amazing, solving a problem that had plagued the Xianzhou for ages. She looked at him with newfound admiration.
"Ahem, please, keep it down. This is just the 1.0 emergency version," Mo Wang said, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm actually developing a 2.0 version. Once that's ready, the side effects will be completely eliminated."
Honestly, he didn't believe for a second that the Xianzhou hadn't already figured out that memory erasure could treat the Mara. He guessed it was probably the standard treatment for the early stages of the affliction.
Even Bailu had ways to treat the initial symptoms. The Xianzhou had gone as far as developing mechanical ascension to fight the Mara; there was no way they hadn't tried something this simple.
It was probably just a cumbersome process.
However, once he managed to get his hands on the technology to materialize souls from the FGO universe, or figured out how to summon heroic spirits, then the problem here could probably be solved for good.
A soul that was as tangible as a body, with infinite memory storage—now that was a terrifying thought.
"May I ask your esteemed name, sir?" The Cloud Knight was stunned to hear Mo Wang was already working on a 2.0 version. He felt like he was in the presence of a god.
"Not at all, not at all. I am but a humble disciple from the Cave of the Slanted Moon and Three Stars, of the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sect. Saving lives is our duty. Please, pay it no mind. No thanks are necessary." Mo Wang proclaimed to the Cloud Knight.
"The Cave of the Slanted Moon and Three Stars... the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sect?! What kind of school is that? It sounds so incredibly powerful!" The Cloud Knight's expression changed dramatically upon hearing the names.
"Pfft—!"
Welt nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood when he heard what Mo Wang said.
Cave of the Slanted Moon and Three Stars? Do you think you're in Journey to the West? And isn't the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sect a bit much? You're basically announcing to the world that you're a cheater, aren't you?[T/N: "Wind Spirit Moon Shadow" is the handle of a famous creator of cheat trainers for single-player games in China.]
Does this mean you use cheats even when you're playing games?
Mo Wang: What do you mean, "cheats"? Can you really call what a gamer does "cheating"? This is what's known as "matching a character's in-game power to their established lore," okay? As the saying goes, the more cheats you use, the more you align with the protagonist's true power.
"Mo Wang, that's enough. We don't have time for games right now," Welt cut in. "I apologize. We're from the Astral Express. We came here because we heard the Xianzhou was in trouble."
"Oh, so you're from the Astral Express! No wonder... wait, the Astral Express? Mo Wang?!"
At the mention of these names, the Cloud Knight's face suddenly turned ashen, as if he'd just heard the most terrifying thing imaginable.
"Y-you're... Mo Wang? T-the... Emanator?" he stammered, looking at Mo Wang as if he was about to have a panic attack.
"I am indeed an Emanator, but I am also a member of the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sect. Our creed is to put an end to all tragedies," Mo Wang declared, puffing out his chest. "Rest assured, I will take care of everything here!"
Is that what I'm worried about?! the Cloud Knight screamed internally. Had he just escaped the tiger's den only to enter the wolf's lair?
Was it too late to just kill himself now? This was an Emanator of Elation!
"Ah, I-I'm sorry, but the Luofu recently issued a decree... followers of Elation and Abundance are forbidden from entry. Would you, perhaps..." The Cloud Knight pleaded, terrified that this powerhouse would get angry and do something unspeakable to him.
Hearing this, March and Welt couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Mo Wang's face darkened. That statement was basically the equivalent of "No Dogs or Mo Wang Allowed."
"Who are you calling 'Elation'? You're the Elation! Get your eyes checked! I'm a follower of the Hunt, through and through. We're family!"
Without hesitation, Mo Wang revealed his Path of the Hunt to the Cloud Knight. It was the real deal, bestowed upon him by the Aeon herself. Who would dare say it wasn't authentic?
"Huh?"
Seeing the mark of the Hunt on Mo Wang, the Cloud Knight's mind went completely blank.
Wait, he has the Hunt, too?
The Hunt, the Preservation, and Elation... could those three things even exist in the same person?
The Cloud Knight had no idea. He just knew his brain felt even more scrambled than before.