After Xuanquan finished organizing all the administrative affairs and was preparing to depart for Amphoreus, she received an unexpected contact from General Yao Guang of the Yuque.
Leaning back in her chair, Xuanquan looked at the shrewd face of Yao Guang appearing before her and asked, "What brings the General of the Yuque to contact me at a time like this?"
Yao Guang was the "The Seer Strategist," gifted in divination and seeing omens, yet her methods were often aggressive.
Sending a transmission right as Xuanquan was about to leave for Amphoreus—if anyone claimed there wasn't a scheme afoot, not even a three-year-old would believe them.
"Naturally, I've come for the sake of the Arbiter of Myriad Distinctions. General Xuanquan is a busy woman, yet she hasn't hesitated to clear her entire schedule just to visit Amphoreus in person. That is bound to draw some attention."
"Hah, a tedious bit of prodding. I thought it would be Yueyu or Huaiyan coming to check on me, but instead, it's you."
Xuanquan let out a cold laugh. Among the Seven Generals, Yao Guang was the most adept at deduction and foresight.
Those old fogies likely suspected Xuanquan might take the Vidyadhara and tear up their alliance to defect to the Arbiter of Myriad Distinctions—or perhaps use the matter of Vidyadhara reproduction to let the Arbiter's eyes fill every corner of the Xianzhou.
Obviously, that was impossible.
"Haha, General Xuanquan is as blunt as ever. But wouldn't it be more beneficial for you if someone like me acted as your guarantor?" Yao Guang chuckled, her gaze fixed intently on Xuanquan.
"Cut the nonsense. Just tell me what you want."
"Sigh... when will you ever fix that temper of yours? If you did, Fanghu's revenue could double overnight." Yao Guang shook her head and sighed.
With the prime conditions Fanghu sat upon, if Yao Guang were in charge, she'd be swimming in Credits.
Unfortunately, she couldn't step in. Seeing Xuanquan's gaze grow increasingly sharp, Yao Guang finally got to the point:
"I recently cast a divination. A stroke of supreme luck for both the Xianzhou Alliance and myself lies with the Arbiter of Myriad Distinctions. However, the reading was strange—like a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water, filled with uncertainties."
"..."
Xuanquan's mouth hung open slightly, but no words came out.
Even if you are the Eyes of the Hunt, where do you get the nerve to try and divine the path of an Aeon? It was a miracle she hadn't been swatted out of existence already.
"Haha~ did you misunderstand something? Even I wouldn't be so overconfident as to think I could divine an Aeon." Yao Guang laughed, correcting Xuanquan's assumption.
Strictly speaking, she had divined the future of the Yuque.
The reading had pointed toward that new Aeon of Elation, the Arbiter of Myriad Distinctions.
It was a bizarre omen, yet that single direction was crystal clear, which piqued Yao Guang's curiosity. To think the future of the Yuque would actually hinge on such an Arbiter.
That was why Yao Guang had contacted Xuanquan.
Since Xuanquan had a connection with the Aeon, Yao Guang intended to tag along and see for herself. It was said this Arbiter was quite amiable; it would be a waste not to try and establish contact.
"Do as you please. But I'm warning you: do not overstep. Madam Bai Ming carries the hope of the Vidyadhara's revival. I don't want any unnecessary 'accidents' occurring."
Though she didn't truly distrust her, the revival of her race was at stake. Xuanquan felt the need to warn this bold woman.
"Fine, fine. I'm daring, not brainless. Why would I want to start a blood feud with you for no reason?" Yao Guang waved her off dismissively.
She wasn't an idiot; there was no point in terminally offending someone over nothing.
--+--
At this moment, 'Georios' was no longer paying attention to the IPC's situation. Using it as a bit of spice for daily life was one thing, but focusing on it too much was a waste of time.
Lately, 'Georios' had gained much from observing the Great Dragon's self-repair. Her understanding of the Permanence Equation had progressed significantly.
Through the insights into Permanence held by Typhon and the Great Dragon, 'Georios' had successfully grasped the concepts of the collective versus the individual within the equation.
However, while Typhon's Permanence could be cross-referenced by observing the Swarm, the Great Dragon's Path of Permanence lacked a suitable subject for comparison.
Although those two Paths were independent—and the current Path of Permanence had long since lost those specific concepts—since these two dragons had reached such heights, they were bound to have reference value.
Well, at least 'Georios' felt that when researching the Permanence Equation, referencing the Propagation yielded decent results.
So, if possible, she wanted to reference some Miracles of Abundance as well.
It was a bit of a shame. When she had cut down Shuhu back then, or more recently when she dealt with that living planet, she had struck with lethal intent because she found them repulsive.
She hadn't thought to save any "materials."
Consequently, it was now quite inconvenient to find a Miracle of Abundance to appreciate.
She could only try using her current powers to search the universe. But since there wasn't much of a link between Elation and Abundance, she hadn't found anything yet.
She couldn't exactly fly right into Yaoshi's face; that wasn't realistic.
Aeons can sense each other, but they can't just lock onto a location and teleport directly in front of one another—not unless the other party allows it.
If she had to say where a suitable Miracle of Abundance might be, it seemed the Xianzhou Alliance was the only choice.
The Ambrosial Arbor had been chopped down by her own hand years ago, leaving only a half-dead root system buried deep within the Luofu, so tangled and messily intertwined that it was hard to extract or observe closely.
As for the other ships...
The Fanghu had a good relationship with her, but they guarded the Miniature Myriads.
That thing... strictly speaking, was a part of the Vidyadhara's ancestral home, the Scalegorge Waterscape, and was ostensibly unrelated to the Abundance.
Perhaps something was buried beneath those mists, but she couldn't exactly go flipping over their ancestral lands to take a look.
As for the others, the Yuque guarded the Fallow Earth, which she recalled was the source of Jade Abacus technology; the Zhuming suppressed the Primordial Flame.
Perhaps only the Yaoqing, which guarded the Lunar Embryo, would be easier to access.
At least, the resistance to taking or studying it felt like it would be smaller.
Well, a pity she wasn't close with Yueyu. She'd ask when Xuanquan came to contact her later.
Even though Xuanquan hadn't reached out since returning from the Fanghu, 'Georios' felt that, given Xuanquan's devotion to her race, she would eventually show up.
And not long after 'Georios' had that thought, she received a formal visit request from General Xuanquan, stating that she and General Yao Guang wished to pay a visit.
'Georios' naturally had no objection. Once the two Generals arrived at the space station, Xuanquan first brought up a relatively minor matter.
"Speaking of which, Madam Bai Ming, you now have an official title within the Xianzhou Alliance."
"...Who? Me?" 'Georios' couldn't help but blink in surprise. She hadn't expected to earn a formal rank.
Out in the wider cosmos, most people just referred to her as the Aeon of Elation or the Second Aeon, without making a fine distinction between her and Aha.
"Yes. Your title, Madam Bai Ming, is: The Arbiter of Myriad Distinctions."
"Oh, an 'Arbiter'? I thought I'd be a 'Sacrosanct' like Aha."
In the Xianzhou Alliance, Aeons who are neutral or unpredictable are called "Sacrosancts," while those who are relatively benevolent or more willing to intervene in mortal affairs are called "Arbiters."
Those who are clearly malevolent are dubbed "Authors." 'Georios' remembered that Aha was known as the "Joyseeker," so she was surprised to have landed the "Arbiter" title.
On the other end of the communication, Xuanquan replied with a smile:
"Madam Bai Ming has saved the Xianzhou from fire and water multiple times; you certainly deserve the title of Arbiter."
"As for 'Myriad Distinctions,' it comes from an old Xianzhou proverb: 'A myriad of distinctions, yet one and the same.' Many manifestations, but the same essence."
"So it's not a name like 'Joyful Verve' after all."
"After all, Madam Bai Ming, you don't just wield the power of Elation, do you?"
Xuanquan only told half the truth.
Power was one thing, but the other factor was that this lady loved to run around wearing other people's faces.
Though the Alliance couldn't fathom why she did it, they chalked it up to the quirk of a supreme being.
So, referencing 'Georios's' special hobby—combined with the fact that her abilities were indeed complex—they settled on "Myriad Distinctions."
'Georios' nodded, having no intention of complaining. Titles were just for fun anyway, as long as it didn't sound bad.
"I get the title thing. But you probably called for another reason, right?"
"Indeed, there is something I wish to ask of you, Madam Bai Ming. Is the ability to create new Vidyadhara individuals something that can be used on a large scale?"
Previously, 'Georios' had demonstrated the ability to gestate new life. But if the Vidyadhara had to line up one by one to receive it, Xuanquan wouldn't have the face to ask.
What was the other party's status, after all? Asking an Aeon to do manual labor? That would take some serious guts.
"On a large scale...?" 'Georios' blinked. The power constructed through the Authority of Trickery didn't necessarily have to be limited to one individual at a time.
With her current strength, she could certainly do it on a massive scale.
But... making countless women pregnant all at once? This would almost certainly be a public event.
And considering many of those people surely had partners... it was a beautiful struggle between morality and her sense of humor.
However, if she didn't use the power of Trickery and switched methods, she could now gestate new life using the power of the Earth Titan.
Combined with her understanding of the Permanence Equation, she could theoretically create new dragonkin. After all, the Earth Titan's abilities included the nurturing of life. It was doable.
"It's possible. Why? Has the Vidyadhara leadership decided? You don't want to wait for those few eggs to hatch first?"
"There's no need. We can confirm the status of the newborns through the eggs," Xuanquan shook her head.
She mostly didn't want to wait too long. Although they could contact 'Georios' now, who knew if she might vanish without a trace one day like other Aeons?
If that happened, they might never get another chance to increase the Vidyadhara population.
It was better to be decisive. Get the numbers up first.
"As for the payment... I wonder if there is anything within the Alliance that catches your eye, Madam Bai Ming? Please, feel free to ask."
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL