On the other side.
The carriage where Takagi, La Signora, and the others were located.
"Enigmata, Nihility, Permanence?"
"Did I miss something earlier?"
Dottore walked up to Takagi and the others, holding a Light Cone obtained through the Forgotten Hall, and asked with a puzzled look.
"Tsk, you got a Light Cone too? How lucky."
"Who told you to enter the Forgotten Hall last?"
"It's normal that you wouldn't hear the news about the new Aeon."
La Signora said coldly to Dottore, her arms crossed.
Dottore had gradually gotten used to La Signora's attitude and didn't mind it.
Compared to La Signora's attitude, the newly appearing Aeons interested Dottore more.
Fortunately, the Teyvat Forum was available, and through the discussions among everyone on the forum and messages from other Dottore "segments," he also roughly knew what had happened on Takagi's side while he was fighting in the Forgotten Hall.
"Lord Takagi, that Mr. Dan Heng is so concerned about your relationship with the Aeon of Permanence."
"Could it be that he is actually related to the Aeon of Permanence as well?"
"Could it be, is he a Scion of the Dragon?"
After thinking for a moment, Dottore asked Takagi with a curious look.
Takagi closed the travel guide in his hand, raised his head, and looked at Dottore:
"I have to say, you are quite smart, Dottore..."
"Seeing that you are all quite curious, there's no harm in me telling you."
"However, this is a conversation limited to me and you Teyvat people."
"Mr. Dan Heng has not yet decided to reveal his background."
"Therefore, I don't want what I say about Mr. Dan Heng to be told to others, not even Himeko and the others."
Hearing this, everyone nodded without hesitation.
Seeing this, Takagi began to speak:
"Mr. Dan Heng is indeed related to the Immortal Dragon."
"He is indeed a descendant of the Dragon, and a descendant of the Dragon possessing considerable power."
"To be honest with you, if it weren't for the fact that he hasn't been able to accept the power within him yet,"
"The Doomsday Beast you saw earlier could easily be crushed by him with a single finger."
[Dehya: This... This powerful?! Crushing a Doomsday Beast capable of destroying stars with one finger?]
[Candace: On Miss Himeko's Astral Express, the stars possess Stellarons, Mr. Dan Heng is a Dragon Descendant, and March 7th is related to Fuli.
This Astral Express is not one that ordinary people can board.]
[Nilou: I always feel that Miss Himeko and Mr. Welt Yang also have amazing stories behind them.]
[Dvalin: Unable to accept his own power, what is the reason for this?]
[Neuvillette: Immortal Dragon, a descendant of the Dragon, a Scion of the Dragon?
Can I understand "Dragon" not just as a name, but also as a state of existence?]
[Apep: Is the Aeon of Permanence a dragon-shaped creature?]
[Lumine: The form doesn't matter, I only want to know what kind of immortality he practices.]
[Raiden Shogun: Impossible.]
[Yae Miko: Ah, how stubborn.]
[Lumine:...]
"Mr. Dan Heng, to actually possess such power, it's truly terrifying."
La Signora sighed and looked in the direction of the adjacent carriage.
It was hard to imagine that Mr. Dan Heng, who hadn't shown much power earlier, was such a powerful figure in Takagi's words.
"Lord Takagi, this Immortal Dragon actually claims immortality and has opened up the Path of Permanence."
"Does that mean beings who embark on the Path of Permanence can all gain eternal life?"
"Is that Mr. Dan Heng also like this?"
Dottore asked curiously.
"Eternal life... They do have eternal life."
"But this eternal life is probably different from the immortality you imagine."
Takagi thought of the reincarnation of the Vidyadhara and spoke.
[Baizhu: Descendants of Permanence can possess eternal life, but it's different from the immortality we imagine?
Could it be that, like those blessed by Abundance, the long life brought by Permanence will also eventually descend into madness?]
[Lumine: If that's the case, how can it be considered Permanence?]
"Cannot obtain immortality?"
"Could it be that only the Aeon of Permanence itself can be immortal and guarantee Permanence?"
"But will his descendants eventually only fall into becoming Abominations of Abundance?"
Nahida murmured, resting her chin on one hand.
"The Dragon Descendant and Abominations of Abundance are different types of beings."
"For example, the Vidyadhara, one branch of the Dragon Descendants, ensure eternal life through reincarnation."
"However, after reincarnating through the Vidyadhara's special method, the memories of the previous life will disappear."
Takagi said.
[Apep: Reincarnation, it seems somewhat similar to the situation with the Dragons of Teyvat.]
[Neuvillette: Could it be that the physical body remains unchanged, but consciousness changes?]
[Baizhu: This situation is slightly better than becoming an Abomination of Abundance, but ultimately they cannot gain eternal life.
Could it be that, like Abundance, one needs to obtain enough Path Power of Permanence to truly achieve Permanence and eternal life, just like the Aeon of Permanence?]
[Ei: Is it merely individual immortality? This is by no means eternity!]
"You are wrong, Nahida, and that person in the forum who occasionally talks about eternity is also wrong."
"The Aeon of Permanence did not achieve individual immortality."
"It itself had already perished and died."
Takagi shook his head and said.
[Ei:!!!]
[Yae Miko: The Aeon of Permanence is gone?]
[Baizhu: The Aeon of Permanence itself couldn't exist forever either? Was it killed by a powerful enemy?]
[Venti: This is truly a simple yet bewildering plot.]
"Aeons also have conflicts; the Aeon of Elation hurt the Aeon of Destruction."
"Lord Takagi, could it be that the Immortal Dragon was really killed by a certain Aeon?"
Although Nahida was surprised that an Aeon could be killed by another Aeon, she couldn't help but ask.
"Wanting to kill the Immortal Dragon is not a simple matter."
"This one is an existence that already existed in the chaos long before history was born."
"Although the IPC believes that Preservation is the oldest Aeon."
"But perhaps, the Immortal Dragon is the oldest Aeon."
Takagi said.
"Does Lord Takagi mean he wasn't killed?"
"Could it be that its lifespan ran out, and so it died?"
"Do Aeons also have a limit to their lifespan?"
"But since it is the Aeon of Permanence, it shouldn't have a lifespan limit."
Lisa asked doubtfully.
"Lisa, I ask you, does immortality truly represent the immortality of life?"
Takagi asked.
"It seems so, but I think true immortality shouldn't just be the immortality of life."
Lisa said with some uncertainty.
"That's right, even if the Aeon of Permanence disappears, it doesn't mean that the immortality it pioneered will disappear."
"Immortality does not equal unchanging, just as eternity does not equal stagnation."
"Everyone, especially a certain someone in Inazuma, can think carefully about the meaning of this."
After Takagi finished speaking, he left the contemplating crowd and walked towards the location of the Forgotten Hall.
He still had some things he needed to discuss with the Messenger of the Forgotten Hall.
[Yae Miko: Immortality does not equal unchanging, eternity does not equal stagnation! Well said, truly worthy of Lord Takagi.]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: General, just as Lord Takagi said, please withdraw the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree.]
[Arataki Itto: Although I don't quite understand, opposing the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree is right.]
[Kuki Shinobu: Immortality does not equal unchanging, does it? It seems not without reason.
Even if the Immortal Dragon has perished, if it left something behind, it seems it could also symbolize immortality?]
[Ei: Since the Aeon of Permanence is no longer here, what is there to talk about "immortality does not equal unchanging".
Naturally, there is no need to talk about "eternity does not equal stagnation" either.]
[Yae Miko: I knew it, some people aren't that easy to explain things to.
Lord Takagi, please help out, bring out some more direct content to convince those stubborn minds.]
[Ningguang: Lord Takagi went to talk to the Messenger, so he probably doesn't have time to pay attention to us right now.]
[Yae Miko: As expected, is it still necessary to personally find Lord Takagi to get more opportunities to talk?
It's a pity, it would have been great if I could have gone to the Herta Space Station as a passenger this time.
This way, whether it's talking with Lord Takagi,
or perhaps through the Simulated Universe, I might be able to learn more about the Aeon of Permanence.]
[Ei: Regardless of why the Aeon of Permanence left, since it has died, it cannot be considered immortal!
Having died, it can no longer hold onto anything.]
[Ei: In the end, even if the Aeon of Permanence is truly older than the Aeon of Preservation,
but among the Aeons, is it truly very strong?]
[Yae Miko: You still think the Immortal Dragon was killed by another Aeon?]
[Ei: Since it is the Aeon of Permanence, there should logically be no limit to its lifespan.
If it wasn't killed by another Aeon, I cannot imagine why the Aeon of Permanence disappeared.]
[Pantalone: It seems such a possibility is not non-existent; Lord Takagi also didn't completely deny the possibility that the Immortal Dragon was killed.]
...
"What are those expressions?"
"Speaking of which, for the rest of the time, don't you need to look around or go experience the Forgotten Hall again?"
"Don't wait until the tour time is over to regret it."
"Especially you, Dottore, the duration of my "Blessing" won't last much longer."
After Takagi learned what he wanted from the Messenger, he saw La Signora, Lisa, Nahida, and others with thoughtful expressions and asked with a strange look.
"It's just that I received too much information earlier."
"My brain needs to properly sort through the information."
Dottore smiled and raised a finger to point at his head, saying.
"After all, I learned about three Aeons I had never known before all at once: Enigmata, Nihility, and Permanence."
"Especially since the Aeon symbolizing immortality has actually fallen... everyone in the forum is discussing whether the Aeon of Permanence is strong or not."
Lisa said with a smile on her face.
Takagi glanced at the forum and indeed saw everyone discussing the strength of the Aeon of Permanence.
Including Raiden Ei, a considerable number of people believed that the Aeon of Permanence might not be that powerful.
Seeing this, Takagi was also a bit speechless.
"The strength of an Aeon is often directly proportional to the breadth of their Path."
"The Path pioneered by the Immortal Dragon has never been narrow."
"So much so that the Sand King could become a new Aeon just by tearing off a part from the Path of Permanence."
"In such a situation, do you still think the Immortal Dragon is very weak?"
Takagi said.
Lisa: "Sand King?!"
La Signora: "Just a part of the Path of Permanence can create a new Aeon?"
Dottore: "The Path of Permanence, was torn apart? Can an existence like a Path be torn apart?"
As Takagi's words fell, everyone turned their gaze towards Takagi.
"Of course, a Path can be torn apart." Takagi nodded and continued:
"The essence of a Path... in words you can understand, it's a certain philosophical concept."
"It is a part of Imaginary Energy, a metaphysical spiritual aggregate."
"When a certain condition is met, a portion of the Imaginary Energy existing in the Universe space that symbolizes a certain philosophical concept will be occupied by a certain intelligent life form."
"And after this process is completed, the Path is opened."
"That intelligent life form is the Aeon that I and you speak of."
"And the portion of Imaginary Energy representing this philosophical concept that it occupies is the Path."
"These energies are extremely powerful, far beyond what mortals can imagine."
"When a person's will overlaps with a Path, they can be considered to be walking on the Path."
"If the will is strong enough, they can draw a small amount of energy from the Path to become a Pathstrider."
"My "Blessing", on the other hand, allows you to draw a small amount of Path Power and become Pathstriders even without a strong enough belief."
[Zhongli: So that's how it is; unlike the Paths that the Seven Gods of Teyvat adhere to which are merely different ideals,
the Path walked by an Aeon is itself a manifestation of power.]
[Venti: A philosophical concept, if freedom is carried out to the end,]
[Can it also occupy a portion of Imaginary Energy in the Universe and open up a Path called Freedom?]
[Ei: If that's the case, can the Path of Permanence also be opened up?]
[Chef Mao: What about contracts? Contracts can also do it, right?]
[Zhongli: From a universally rational perspective, this is by no means an easy matter.]
Although Lord Takagi said it simply, to truly occupy that portion of Imaginary Energy in the Universe and open up a new Path,
This is by no means a simple matter.]
[Venti: That's true, if a new Path could be opened up so easily, Aeons wouldn't be so powerful, right?]
[Ei:...]
"Although I compare Paths to a philosophical concept, don't think that having some kind of philosophical concept means you can become an Aeon."
"Aeons are not things that exist everywhere on the street."
Takagi glanced at the forum and felt even more ashamed.
He shook his head, looked at Dottore, La Signora, and the others in front of him, and said:
"I told you before, didn't I? After a Path is opened, even if the Aeon who opened the Path falls,"
"The Path will still exist and will not disappear."
"However, although a Path won't disappear, it doesn't mean it won't be occupied by others."
"After immortality disappeared, the Path of Permanence He opened up was torn apart by Tayzzyronth, known as the Sand King and Insect Emperor, who opened up a Path called Propagation."
"From then on, Tayzzyronth, the Insect Emperor, became the Aeon of Propagation."
Takagi said, turning his head to look at Cloud Retainer's live stream camera, and spoke:
"Just a part of the Path of Permanence is enough to create a new Aeon."
"In such a situation, do you still think the Immortal Dragon would be a weak Aeon?"