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Baiming didn't continue pestering Elio.
As 'Jingliu', Baiming had already started pushing forward with the video production.
Ugh, I have to say, the polished editing software of this world is incredibly intuitive. As long as you have the images in your head, it can replicate them regardless of the complexity.
Of course, the rhythm, duration, and soundtrack still had to be manually coordinated bit by bit.
Fortunately, everything was convenient to use.
Plus, there was already a finished product in Baiming's mind to work from.
A feature-length video might be a struggle, but a short clip of a few minutes was well within reach.
'Jingliu' was in no hurry to leave.
After all, one place was as good as another, and it was quiet here.
However, there was one nagging dilemma: in the original video, Black Swan provided the narration. But giving that role to Black Swan here felt a bit inappropriate on one hand.
On the other hand, Baiming wasn't sure where the Emotional Value would end up flowing if a third party was too prominent.
Hmm, changing it to Sparkle wasn't out of the question.
It just felt... less fitting than the identity of a Memokeeper.
After all, Memokeepers focus on salvaging memories; it makes sense for them to know a vast hoard of secrets.
But a Masked Fool? Wouldn't people just think she was purely fabricating history?
Ugh...
And if it were changed to Sparkle, it seemed to lose a certain "flavor."
Since it's the Masked Fools we're talking about, it only feels right to actually wear a mask.
'Jingliu' stared at the frozen frame on the screen.
There were two versions now: one for Black Swan and one for Sparkle.
After weighing the options, 'Jingliu' decided to apply a blurring effect to the appearing characters.
The ending segment wouldn't show a full face either—just hands, a divination table, or perhaps a jingle-bell mask.
That should do it.
Leave a few breadcrumbs, but don't show the true face.
Yet, let it be detectable; except for those very familiar with Black Swan or Sparkle, no one should be able to immediately link it to them.
Ah, now that has the right "vibe."
With that settled, 'Jingliu' quickly finalized the concept.
Next came the processing of the visuals.
That part was easy enough.
However, Baiming was still debating whether to include Noah.
Information regarding Noah was currently a total blank to almost everyone.
Because He had never physically appeared.
Consequently, no one knew what He looked like.
Well, mostly because He couldn't manifest even if He wanted to.
Hmm...
Including Him was easy enough—just place Him at the end, flashing by alongside the other fleeting Paths.
Baiming was just considering whether to make this information public.
He is, after all, a "cub" born from Baiming's own hand.
Maybe keep one last card hidden?
Show a single frame, but don't add any dialogue?
Besides, 'Jingliu' thought carefully... she didn't actually know what dialogue would be appropriate for Him.
Even though she knew that at the end of the universe, a certain change had indeed occurred, who knew what it actually looked like?
Best not to fabricate things randomly.
Just that one, split-second flash of an image would suffice.
'Jingliu' meticulously transcribed the scenes from memory, noting down every line of dialogue.
The difficulty wasn't high, but the fine-tuning of details was tedious.
And no matter how good the software was, generating images directly from mental impressions always resulted in slight distortions that required manual adjustment.
It was likely to take some time.
Fortunately, 'Jingliu' had plenty of it.
The video could be completed in advance; then, once the roleplay as Sparkle began, a quick voice-over would allow it to be released immediately.
Truthfully, 'Jingliu' really wanted to throw a wrench into Zandar's plans.
That guy was lurking in some dark corner stirring up trouble, and there were potentially eight others like him?!
If one fragment could cause a mess like the Iron Tomb, who knew what the other eight were capable of?
But releasing a Lord Ravager PV was dangerous, and it was hard to execute any effective interference against Zandar specifically.
So, for now, that remained a backup plan.
In a place 'Jingliu' hadn't noticed, the mask she carried was surreptitiously observing the visuals as they were constructed.
The strange, smiling face on the mask showed a hint of a thoughtful expression.
...
About half a day later.
Jingliu had finally composed herself and stepped out of her room.
She immediately saw her other "self" focused intently on making a video.
Though she didn't know what Baiming was doing, Jingliu swallowed the greeting she had prepared.
"Elio, what is she doing?"
"A video. It should attract quite a bit of attention once it's released."
"Oh..."
Jingliu nodded, only half-understanding.
She wondered what kind of video would make Elio say such a thing.
"Now then, Jingliu. Our pact has been fulfilled. What do you intend to do next?"
Elio straightened up, staring fixedly at Jingliu.
He waited for her choice.
But it was exactly as he had seen.
Jingliu did indeed harbor a desire to follow Baiming on her adventures.
However, logic told her that following along might not necessarily be the best choice.
Furthermore, Elio had pulled her back when her Mara-struck condition was at its worst and had allowed her to see Baiming again.
Perhaps she would leave the Stellaron Hunters in the future, but for now, she chose to stay.
"I will remain with the Stellaron Hunters. If everything you told me is true, then I ought to do my part."
Elio nodded.
"In that case, we should head to our next stop."
"The next stop? Where? And... is it so urgent?"
Jingliu was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected Elio to be in such a hurry to leave.
She had hoped to talk more with Baiming.
Although her twisted obsessions had been dissolved by Baiming, how could no trace of them remain?
Even though Jingliu now remembered that she had initially been using Baiming as an excuse, by now, whether it was still an excuse was something even Jingliu herself couldn't be sure of.
After all, those centuries of searching couldn't be faked.
Elio glanced at Jingliu.
"Pteruges-V: New Babylon. We are going to find a very dangerous hunter. Naturally, she will be our companion in the future. As for the timing... staying here for a few more days is fine; it's not that pressing. You may catch up with the one you wish to see."
"After all this time, you're finally willing to recruit someone new?"
Jingliu nodded, feeling a spark of anticipation for the so-called new colleague.
A long time had passed since Elio found her and had her join.
Yet it had always been just her. She hadn't seen Elio try to recruit anyone else.
She had started to think the Stellaron Hunters were just like this, so hearing about a new colleague today was a surprise.
"Yes. And you'd better be careful; that woman is not easy to deal with," Elio warned.
Actually, if he could pull 'Jingliu' along, the risk would be significantly lower.
But correspondingly, there was a chance this person might whisk Kafka away somewhere else, preventing her from joining the Stellaron Hunters.
Considering 'Jingliu' was such a massive wildcard, Elio was worried.
If she got upset and caused a drastic shift in the future, resulting in Kafka not joining the Hunters, Elio would be left crying a river somewhere.
It wasn't just Kafka, either.
He couldn't let 'Jingliu' interfere with any of the future companions.
So, after witnessing 'Jingliu's' capabilities and finding himself utterly unable to see through her, Elio had completely abandoned that idea.
Unless she chose to join the Stellaron Hunters herself.
But that would be a different story entirely.
As for the departure time of the Astral Express that 'Jingliu' was so concerned about...
It was actually just around the corner.
The universe wouldn't have to wait much longer.
Under the repairs of that red-haired girl, the Astral Express would soon set off again, returning to the stars.
And the Stellaron Hunters' operations would officially commence shortly thereafter.
===
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