Chapter 135: A Shortcut to Riches
Tribbie took a deep breath, her small body standing ramrod straight. She clasped her hands before her chest, forming an ancient, solemn mudra, and closed her eyes.
When they opened again, a flicker of pure gold seemed to flash through her large, innocent irises. She began to speak, her voice no longer merely clear and childish, but imbued with an ethereal, distant quality, as if echoing through the endless corridors of time.
As the last syllable of Tribbie's prayer fell, the world fractured around them.
A soft yet incredibly pure light erupted from her small form, instantly sweeping across the entire broken skywalk and the surrounding dilapidated temple. Wherever the light touched, it was as if time itself was being rewound, or like a faded painting being re-infused with vibrant, impossible color.
The cracked ground smoothed over, sealed by an invisible hand. Jagged fissures mended themselves in seconds, the rough stone slabs flowing like liquid before hardening into surfaces as smooth as mirrors, reflecting a warm, inner luster.
At the chasm where the skywalk had shattered, countless fragments of stone and motes of dust were granted a strange life. They flew upward, defying gravity, and began to coalesce. Brilliant golden streams of light shot out from the broken edges, weaving through the void like the shuttles of the most skillful weavers.
In the space of a few breaths, a complete, brand-new skywalk spanned the bottomless abyss, connecting the two platforms once more. It was solid and magnificent, carefully carved with elaborate patterns that exuded a gravitas accumulated over millennia, as if it had never known a moment of damage.
The destruction reversed itself everywhere. Fragmented bas-reliefs that had peeled from the colossal, fallen columns flew back into place, their worn patterns sharpening into clear, vivid depictions of beyond understanding ancient rituals and the figures of giant gods. Faded frescoes on the walls blazed with renewed life, their colors fresh and vibrant, showing scenes of a prosperous, forgotten city. The shattered gaps in the dome above were filled by the same flowing golden light, forming a complete and magnificent ceiling mural that depicted a starry sky and the mythic stories of Titans.
Even the dust that had choked the air was purified, replaced by a faint, warm scent, like that of old books left to dry in the sun.
The entire area, once a desolate ruin, had been transformed into a solemn, sacred, and vibrant temple corridor, filled with a stunning splendor. The scene was identical to the one they had witnessed when they first entered Amphoreus, led through the ruins by the strange pink creature.
The light gradually receded, flowing back into Tribbie. She took a small, slightly weary breath and smiled at the three stunned individuals before her.
"See? This is the miracle of the Time Titan, Oloronus. It can 'reappear' the prosperous scene of a certain past moment into the present."
Though her words were understated, they struck the Astral Express crew like a thunderclap.
"Re... reappear the past?" March 7th's mouth hung open, her camera nearly slipping from her grasp. "This... this is manipulating time?! Oh my goodness!" The very foundations of her common sense were being severely challenged.
The casual, adventurous smirk on Stelle's face vanished, replaced by a sharp solemnity and vigilance. She subconsciously clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white.
Dan Heng's pupils contracted to pinpricks. He stared intently at the smooth stone slabs beneath his feet, then at the magnificent, restored temple dome above, his mind churning with stormy waves.
'Manipulating time? That's utterly impossible,' he thought, his analytical mind racing. The Xianzhou Alliance, with its millennia of accumulated knowledge, had never even begun to touch upon the authority over time.
The universally renowned Genius Society, for all its brilliance, only had Polka Kakamu, its 78 member, who was known for manipulating causality and thus indirectly influencing time. But even she was absolutely not capable of directly "reproducing" a spatiotemporal fragment like this.
Even among the Aeons, the only one explicitly related to time was the elusive Terminus, the Aeon of Finality, who symbolized the end of all things, not their restoration.
'If Amphoreus truly possessed the power to arbitrarily reproduce historical fragments,'Dan Heng concluded,'its name would have long resounded throughout the cosmos. It would have attracted covetous gazes or devout pilgrims from every corner of the universe. It couldn't possibly remain an obscure, uncharted world.'
Having reasoned through it, Dan Heng felt a measure of calm return. He continued to speculate. This so-called "miracle" was likely not true time manipulation, but some other method disguised as such… perhaps the materialization of a powerful, shared memory?
But even if that were the case, the core secret of this world was far more deep than they had previously estimated.
In stark contrast, after her initial shock, Stelle's thoughts immediately veered in a peculiar direction.
Her eyes lit up. She suddenly grabbed March 7th's arm, her voice filled with the thrill of discovery. "March! I've found a shortcut to riches!"
She pointed excitedly at the smooth floor of the corridor. "Look! If I put a stack of credits here, then take them away, and then Tribbie uses her miracle to 'reappear' the scene from just now… won't there be two stacks of credits here?"
Her voice grew more fevered with genius logic. "Our wealth will double instantly! If we just keep repeating this, we'll be able to buy shares in the entire Interastral Peace Corporation in no time!"
March 7th was startled by this "brilliant" idea, and then her own eyes lit up. "Oh, you're right! It… it seems to make a lot of sense!"
"That's not possible, you know." Tribbie's clear voice gently interrupted their beautiful fantasy. A hint of helpless amusement touched her small face.
"Oloronus's miracle is only a temporary illusion. It won't last long," she explained patiently. "Once we end the miracle, everything that has reappeared will vanish like foam on the water. So, the 'credits' you newly obtained would also disappear, you know."
"Ah? Is that so…?" Stelle's shoulders slumped, disappointment written all over her face. But her optimistic nature asserted itself, and she quickly perked up again. "Alright, alright, if I can't get rich, then so be it. It was just a flash of inspiration anyway!"
"Alright, guests, the 'miracle' has been demonstrated," Tribbie said. "Next, to conserve power, we need to narrow the scope."
She waved her small hand gently. The light that had covered the entire area rapidly converged, collapsing until only a straight, brilliant beam remained, precisely enveloping the repaired skywalk. It formed a golden path leading into the past, while beyond its edges, the scene remained one of dilapidated ruins.
Tribbie was the first to step onto the corridor of light. "Hurry and follow. Maintaining the 'miracle' consumes power, you know."
Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng followed closely behind.
Walking on the smooth, new stone slabs, feeling the solid, real texture underfoot, Stelle's boundless curiosity stirred again. She stared at the distinct boundary at the edge of the light beam—inside was the prosperous past, outside was the cold reality of ruins.
A daring thought emerged. 'What if I stick my hand outside the light… would I travel to a past point in time? Like some kind of time-travel drama?'
The more she thought about it, the more exciting the idea seemed. She quietly raised her right hand, her fingers inching toward the shimmering boundary of the light…
"Stelle! Don't mess around!"
A low shout, accompanied by an irresistible force, grabbed her wrist.
Dan Heng had moved to her side at some point, his eyes filled with an unnerving seriousness. He had maintained a high level of vigilance throughout, his Vidyadhara power coiled and ready, prepared to respond to any unexpected changes that might arise from this unknown "miracle."
Caught red-handed, Stelle faltered under Dan Heng's stern gaze. She quickly raised her other hand in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, alright! I get it! I won't mess around! I promise to behave!"
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