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After remembering the context of that hammer strike, Baiming finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, this wasn't some strange parallel world. It was simply that this was supposed to be the original 2157th Amber Era, but because Qliphot had delivered a final strike when Noah was born, the count had been pushed forward by one.
He had been trapped in that place and, for some reason, hadn't heard a sound. Could this have been part of HooH's calculations too?
Whatever. Regardless.
In this current era, the Astral Express was just about to set sail again, and the Stellaron Hunters were only just beginning to join up one by one.
"Hello? What are you doing? Honestly, it's like seeing a ghost—I can actually see expressions changing on that stiff head of yours."
Herta's blunt, impatient voice blared from his phone.
"It's nothing. I just cleared up a misunderstanding."
"Fine. I'm quite interested in that project you mentioned. When are you coming over to talk?"
"In a while... I just got fished out by Aha, I'm still adapting to this era."
"Tch."
Herta clicked her tongue in disdain, seemingly dissatisfied with Baiming's answer.
Adapting to the era? What kind of nonsense was that? Shouldn't the era be adapting to him?
Though she didn't say it out loud, Baiming could read the meaning in Herta's eyes plain as day.
"Anyway, we'll talk later. I plan to head over to the Luofu first to take a look."
"Whatever. I'm going to go talk to Screwllum first."
Seeing that Baiming was just tossing out an idea without intending to put in the work, Herta waved her hand dismissively and hung up the call.
Baiming closed the interface and checked his message history.
He found that although he had very few contacts, quite a few messages had piled up over these few hundred years.
The most frequent messages were from Herta.
They started from the initial belief that he had gone missing, to the confirmation via "Noah" that he had accidentally strayed near a black hole. Madam Herta's messages had shifted from worry to periodic mockery.
The sentiment remained largely the same: she mocked Baiming for being someone who had built a significant career yet managed to make such a low-level mistake. Then, she urged him to contact her immediately upon his return.
And the moment he had returned, he'd been "arrested" by Madam Herta.
It was a bit terrifying to think about. If it wasn't a coincidence, did it mean Madam Herta had been keeping an eye on his "location" for the past few centuries?
What a heavy, obsessive woman...
Baiming clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Ruan Mei's messages were fewer. Likely after getting the facts from Herta, she had simply left a few warnings for Baiming to act with caution. That message was already several centuries old.
Then there was a greeting from Screwllum, who simply told him to stay safe and to continue their exchange once he returned.
Acheron had also left a message.
According to her, the moment she realized something had happened to Baiming, she had rushed out and crossed nearly half the universe. She went straight to the Herta Space Station to force a connection with Herta, then chased the "Giants of Light" across the stars until she finally tracked down Lingyi and the others. Only after confirming the news did she settle down. She finished by telling Baiming to come see her once he was back.
However, Jingliu had sent him the most messages over these centuries.
They transitioned from initial anxiety to acceptance of reality, followed by accounts of things happening to her. Later, her tone gradually shifted—it looked like the Mara-struck state had truly begun to take hold.
After that, the frequency of her messages dropped significantly.
Yet, one could see that between the lines, Jingliu maintained a certain degree of sanity. It felt as though Baiming had become a sort of "rationality anchor" for her. He had become her "White Moonlight," idealized and beautified through the filter of her memories to an almost absurd degree.
Reading it made Baiming feel both pained and embarrassed. He even had the illusion that if he appeared before Jingliu right now, she might just confess her love on the spot.
And based on Jingliu's messages, Baiming finally understood why she had joined the Stellaron Hunters.
And also...
"That guy Dan Feng... he's so 'heavy.' A pure obsessive!"
Baiming finally understood how that guy managed to cause the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae. It turned out that even if Baiheng hadn't died, once Yingxing grew old and died, this guy would still have used the Transmutation Arcanum...
According to Jingliu, during the Shuhu upheaval, Yingxing was already considered middle-aged among short-life species. Jingliu herself was nearly a thousand years old; to the Xianzhou people, the fact that she wasn't Mara-struck was the real anomaly.
In other words, even if he had saved Baiheng back then, Yingxing would have only had a few decades of life left, and Jingliu could have succumbed to Mara at any moment.
Furthermore, after confirming Baiming's disappearance and the loss of contact with the Xianzhou, Jingliu had already shown signs of the onset of Mara.
That was when Dan Feng got ideas.
Whether it was the instigation of the Preceptors or Dan Feng's own desire remained unknown.
Regardless, decades later, after a lifetime of smithing, Yingxing met with the others one last time on the Luofu before passing away at the Commission of Alchemy. His body was preserved by Dan Feng.
This coincided with the power transition as Jing Yuan took office and Teng Xiao retired.
Somehow, Dan Feng persuaded Baiheng. He intercepted a branch of the Ambrosial Arbor roots hidden beneath Scalegorge Waterscape. After Baiheng personally tested the Transmutation Arcanum, Dan Feng used it to resurrect Yingxing.
The "Dragon-Mad" phenomenon broke out, but it wasn't severe; the two of them suppressed it together, and the commotion never left Scalegorge Waterscape. Yingxing successfully entered an egg and was reborn as a Vidyadhara.
However, the disturbance in Scalegorge Waterscape still alerted the neighboring Commission of Alchemy.
Jingliu arrived on the scene and witnessed her two friends violating the Xianzhou taboos to resurrect Yingxing.
Jingliu didn't elaborate on the details, only saying that a fierce argument broke out between them. Ultimately, Jingliu personally subdued the non-resisting Dan Feng and Baiheng and handed them over to Jing Yuan.
Jing Yuan, left with no choice, personally judged the two who had committed the great sin. Dan Feng underwent molting rebirth and was imprisoned in the Shackling Prison alongside Baiheng.
Sometime later, while in the Shackling Prison, Baiheng somehow learned of the Preceptors' schemes. Enraged, she took Dan Heng and escaped. With Jing Yuan's intentional cooperation, they avoided the Preceptors' pursuit and defected from the Luofu. They were forbidden from ever returning to the Xianzhou.
Jingliu, unable to change the outcome, wanted to storm the Vidyadhara Preceptor grounds. After slaying several Preceptors, she was stopped by Jing Yuan. Following this, Jingliu became disheartened, resigned from her position as Sword Champion, and left for foreign lands, claiming she was going to search for traces of Baiming.
However, according to Jingliu, after defecting from the Luofu, Baiheng and Dan Heng eventually went their separate ways.
Baiheng joined the Galaxy Rangers and later reunited with Jingliu once in the sea of stars. Dan Heng, on the other hand, wandered aimlessly, remaining obscure for centuries, his whereabouts unknown.
As for Jingliu...
It seemed that under Baiheng's persistent pestering, she also acted as a Galaxy Ranger for a time. She even used the Rangers' Harmony power to suppress her Mara-struck state to some extent. But eventually, Jingliu left the Rangers and stepped back into the cosmic void.
As for how she was later found by Elio and joined the Stellaron Hunters... that remained a mystery. Jingliu didn't go into detail in her messages.
"..."
After reading all this, Baiming rubbed his face.
Now... should he still roleplay as Jingliu?
Honestly, the situation was way too complicated. Baiheng joined the Galaxy Rangers? Considering she was also tampered with by the Transmutation Arcanum, is she still alive now? Or did her lifespan eventually run out in a foreign land?
And Yingxing, who was supposed to be a Stellaron Hunter, ended up as the new Vidyadhara High Elder? Does that mean our Bailu is going to become "Yinglu"?
Dan Heng was the same as usual. But without Blade's pursuit, it was unclear if Dan Heng would still have a chance to board the Express.
As for Jingliu, it was even more absurd. She had actually set out on a journey just to find him, searching for centuries, eventually landing herself in the Stellaron Hunters.
And judging by her situation, it felt like she had turned the search for him into her "anchor of sanity."
Is it really a good time for me to go meet Jingliu?
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