Everything was settled. Before heading to the Alchemy Commission, Stelle received a message from Phantylia:
[Tingyun: Speaking of which, the benefactors saw it just now, right? When that Ebon Deer struck the ground with its hooves, branches grew out of thin air from the ground.]
Stelle frowned. Phantylia clearly wasn't at the scene, so how did she know?
[Tingyun: Although this humble girl was not by the benefactors' side, I still cared about the safety of all of you. Upon seeing the Ambrosial Arbor revive, I took out my observation equipment immediately.]
[Stelle: ?]
[Stelle: So... why didn't you follow us?]
[Tingyun: ...]
[Tingyun: Apologies, a slight accident happened to this humble girl, failing the expectations of the benefactors and Madam Yukong.]
Phantylia on the other end of the phone gritted her teeth. Repairing the body takes some time. Looking at the revived [Ambrosial Arbor], she felt both envy and hatred.
[Tingyun: The immortal traces of [Abundance] are truly extraordinary. This humble girl has traveled the star ocean, but it is the first time I have seen such a miraculous thing.]
[Tingyun: I saw the golden fruits forming on the tips of the branches, just like those mentioned in your Xianzhou myths.]
[Tingyun: It is said that in ancient times, the ancestors of the Xianzhou transformed into long-life species precisely because they obtained the divine fruit of immortality granted by the Ambrosial Arbor. If this humble girl were to eat this fruit, I wonder if I could possess infinite life like the Xianzhou people...]
"Hey, hey, hey, this counts as exposing herself, right!"
March 7th leaned over. Seeing so many messages Phantylia sent to Stelle, she wasn't even acting anymore.
[Stelle: Woman, your thoughts are dangerous...]
[Tingyun: Benefactor, are you not tempted by such an opportunity?]
Seeing this sentence, a flash of inspiration struck Stelle, and she instantly had a good idea.
[Stelle: Then... did Miss Tingyun... save one?]
"Heh, you're playing hard to get with her." March 7th actually found this quite interesting, wanting to see what kind of tricks Stelle could pull off.
[Tingyun: If I said yes, would the benefactor share it with me?]
[Tingyun: However, this humble girl understands the benefactor's intentions. Unfortunately, the Ebon Deer has turned to ash, so naturally, not a single fruit of the Ambrosial Arbor remains. Such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity vanished in the blink of an eye, just like life itself...]
No matter how many bodies she seized, Phantylia could never get what she wished for.
Just like those seeking the elixir of immortality, she craved a long-lasting shell, no longer having to fear [Destruction].
She knew this was an unattainable dream.
But Stelle's next answer left Phantylia dumbfounded.
[Stelle: Then... has Miss Tingyun considered... treading the Path of [Eternity]?]
Phantylia: ...
Slapping her face right up close. Forgot there's a Pathstrider of [Eternity] on the Astral Express.
Sure enough, as she thought, not a single [Eternity] Pathstrider is a good person.
The situation reversed. Originally, Phantylia was talking to Stelle about the miracle of [Abundance], but now Stelle turned around and talked to her about [Eternity]. This wasn't funny.
[Stelle: Immortality is also a form of eternity. Mentioning eternity, what comes to mind for Miss Tingyun, the Ferry Receptionist of the merchant guild?]
[Tingyun: Uh...]
Phantylia was stumped. As a Heliobus originally... she really hadn't actively contacted anyone from [Eternity], nor had she ever visited the Church.
[Stelle: Of course, it's the Church of Eternity with a 99.99% positive rating across the universe!]
You ask where that 0.01% negative rating comes from? That must be Nanook's doing!
The corner of Phantylia's mouth twitched. Was she set up by [Eternity]?
The first few days on the Luofu were fine. Since it was going to be destroyed anyway, Phantylia took the opportunity to experience the Xianzhou's specialty cuisine and cultural landscape.
Mmh, also visited a milk tea shop... She finally understood why Xianzhou people call it Immortal's Delight Tea. This sweet drink is truly delicious, except for that shop's decoration...
Ever since... ever since there was a rumor that the Stellaron Hunters arrived on the Luofu, everything became increasingly uncontrollable!
Ruined, ruined, the plan is all ruined!
Although this is also a different kind of [Destruction]...
But the failure of the plan to disintegrate the Luofu from within means she failed Lord Nanook's expectations. Her credit score and performance metrics can't be saved! It's a stain on her life!
How can she hold her head up in front of her colleagues in the future? Putting it seriously, she won't even be qualified to sit at the table to eat; she'll be demoted to sit with the Doomsday Beasts.
What concerns Phantylia most is, why did Blake appear on the Luofu?! This was completely outside her expectations.
Is the Church Pontiff too idle? Moreover... no one told her about the relationship between the Xianzhou Alliance and the Church of Eternity!
Phantylia once suspected there was an [Eternity] mole within the Legion; otherwise, their information was too well-informed. As soon as she arrived on the Luofu, the Church mobilized with full force right on her heels.
Recalling the experiences of the past two days, Phantylia felt only incomparable humiliation. She is a [Lord Ravager] who makes the universe tremble with fear! How could she end up like this!
[All of this~ All of this must be attributed to the vile Aeon Ite~ Oh heavens~ How can this Ite be so bad!]
[Since it has come to this, there is only one way! Obtain the power of [Abundance] from the Ambrosial Arbor to fight against the Evil God Ite!]
Phantylia, burning with rage, completely failed to notice the difference in this voice at this moment. Those who didn't know would think Phantylia had a dual personality.
[[Abundance] versus [Eternity], don't you look forward to seeing which side will win...]
[Oh wait, bearing the divine power of [Abundance] and [Destruction], dealing with a Xianzhou General and a Church Pontiff should be a piece of cake, right?]
Phantylia frowned. How could she fight two against one? She's not stupid; she was originally the strategist among the [Lord Ravagers].
The reason things turned out like this is entirely because she was forced into a corner. All her schemes were neutralized by the opponent one by one. How can you play against cheaters?
A perfectly fine 1v1, where she even had a slight advantage... but as the fight went on, the opponents kept increasing, turning into a 1v5. A winning game instantly turned into a losing one. Tell her, how is she supposed to fight this?!
Count on those unreliable wastes from the [Disciples of Sanctus Medicus]?
[Think from another perspective~ They are two people with two forces... And you, alone, possess two powers. The advantage is yours~]
...
"Teacher Adrian, can you tell us... what does it feel like to be an Aeon?"
March 7th leaned in directly. As for the Alchemy Commission... trust Master Diviner Fu. Now that she knew Adrian's identity, she felt the trip to the Luofu wasn't so fearful anymore, even with the need to guard against a Lord Ravager.
"Standing before Miss March is merely a fabricated body... Strictly speaking, I don't count as an [Aeon] right now." Adrian cleverly skipped this topic, mainly afraid March 7th wouldn't understand.
Stelle walked somewhat embarrassedly to Adrian's side. "Is it too late... to take back the nicknames I gave you in Belobog?"
"Milk Tea Aeon, Soap Aeon... You really are the first person to give so many nicknames to the Aeon of [Eternity]!"
"Haha~ A child not knowing better, just saying things for fun..." Stelle scratched her head awkwardly. How was she supposed to know Adrian was an Aeon! Meeting someone at the level of an [Emanator] was already a stroke of luck.