For most Aeons, once they hand out a blessing, they more or less stop caring.
But there are exceptions.
The Seven Arbiter-Generals of the Reignbow Arbiter are a good example. Their power is tied tight to their office.
And Aha, the Aeon of Elation, is an exception among exceptions, because THEY really do watch THEIR followers for fun.
Still, even if the Xianzhou had no plans to buy the item, they still had to go. At the very least, they needed to know whose hands this thing would fall into.
After all, Elation was impossible to predict.
What if Aha really let someone put it on, then refused to take back the power just to watch that person destroy themselves?
An Emanator was not something anyone could ignore.
Even if that Emanator had a lame leg.
Jing Yuan even believed that if Sylvia really managed to hold this auction, she might end up gaining a complete Masked Fool mask of her own.
As for who to send...
By all rights, he could leave it to the Sky-Faring Commission. Yukong would be a solid choice, and Tingyun, who was still on good terms with Sylvia, would also work well.
But Sylvia had said it would be best to invite a few big-name guests to help hold up the scene.
Before this, Jing Yuan truly would not have had many good candidates. But now?
Sylvia had come at just the right time.
There happened to be an elder from the Xianzhou Zhuming who had recently planned to come to the Luofu, and that elder was very curious about Sylvia. He might as well recommend that elder to her.
Sylvia was, after all, an ally of the Xianzhou Luofu. They had to give her at least that much respect.
They couldn't let her get pushed around in Penacony.
"As for the candidates going to Penacony, my thought is to have Yukong lead the team. But I just thought of someone else. Maybe I can persuade him to go along."
Jing Yuan looked over the flowers and plants as he spoke, and still found time to leave her hanging.
"Who?"
"An elder from the Xianzhou Zhuming. Oh... and there may also be a little one around your age."
After hearing Jing Yuan's answer, Sylvia looked even more confused. Her only impression of the Xianzhou Zhuming was that they had sealed a great Heliobus and used it as a furnace.
"Why would someone from the Xianzhou Zhuming come all this way?"
"..."
Jing Yuan said nothing. He only gave Sylvia a smiling glance.
Then Sylvia understood.
"...They're here to investigate you, aren't they?"
"More or less. The real investigation team is someone else. That elder is mainly here to supervise."
Jing Yuan did not look worried at all. In fact, he looked a little expectant.
Sylvia, however, roasted him without mercy.
"They're coming to supervise you, and you still want to send them off to Penacony?"
"Part of the investigation also concerns you, Sylvia. And since you are currently in Penacony, it would be quite normal for them to split into two groups and make a trip there to collect evidence from the person involved."
It wasn't as if he could say the Xianzhou was summoning Sylvia over. She was an ally of the Xianzhou, personally recognized by Jing Yuan. As long as he had not fallen, no one got to step over him and offend her.
"Since you want to make a scene in Penacony, why not make it even bigger? You are an ally of the Luofu, after all. We should offer some support."
Jing Yuan smiled in a warm and mild way, but Sylvia could not shake the feeling that this man was plotting something.
That said, anyone who could come supervise an investigation into Jing Yuan, a General-Arbiter of the Xianzhou, could not have a low position.
Maybe they were some respected senior with a strong reputation. If that news leaked, it would draw the interest of many factions.
"Speaking of which, I am more curious about how you plan to set the price, young friend."
"The price? No reserve. If it sells for the 'sky-high price' of one credit, Sparkle will laugh herself sick."
Sylvia blinked. She planned to start the auction with no reserve price. If someone was skilled enough to buy it for one credit, who knew how lively the auction would become?
Aha might even show up in person and pop open a bottle.
"Hm..."
Jing Yuan paused, then looked Sylvia up and down with interest.
"I suppose I should say, as expected of someone chosen by that Joyseeker."
"...Are you really praising me?"
Sylvia's face darkened.
Why was even a grand Xianzhou general talking about her like that? What was that supposed to mean? Did she look that much like a chaos gremlin?
She was clearly an upstanding young citizen.
"Hahaha. Of course I'm praising you."
Jing Yuan laughed. Being noticed by an Aeon was something countless people could only dream of.
Just look at the Seven Arbiter-Generals of the Reignbow. So many generations had passed, but not every general had been glanced at by the Reignbow Arbiter.
"Still, young friend, I hope you can settle the timing on your end soon, so I can make the arrangements."
"Yeah. I won't drag it out too long."
Sylvia nodded.
"Young friend, how about coming in for some tea and a short rest?"
When they reached the main hall, Jing Yuan invited Sylvia inside, openly using her as an excuse to slack off for a while.
Sylvia thought about it and didn't refuse.
So she had some tea at the Seat of Divine Foresight. She also took a pack of Jing Yuan's tea leaves with her when she left.
Sylvia stopped a starskiff and had just been thinking of going to the Exalting Sanctum to meet up with Mei, while also checking whether Qingque had been dragged away.
At that moment, Huohuo, rather unusually, sent her a message.
[Huohuo: Big sis, big sis, help!]
[Huohuo: [crouches and covers head]]
[Sylvia: ?]
[Huohuo: Fyxestroll Garden. Help me, big sis! Eeek!]
[Sylvia: Hold on.]
"?"
Sylvia blinked. Fyxestroll Garden... could it be Cirrus?
Forget it. She would send Mei a message and head over first to see what was going on.
With that thought, Sylvia quickly had the starskiff change course and rushed all the way to Fyxestroll Garden.
--+--
At the same time, inside Fyxestroll Garden.
A huge blue-green eyeball had absorbed all the Heliobi gathered by the Ten-Lords Commission. It laughed loudly as it controlled the fallen armed guards and made them rise one by one.
"I feel stronger than ever before!"
Cirrus, who had gathered most of the Heliobi into itself, believed its current strength was almost on par with Ignamar from back then.
It even felt like it could go toe-to-toe with a Xianzhou general.
Facing Cirrus were Xueyi, a weakened Guinaifen, a tense Sushang, and Huohuo, who was in a panic as she asked Sylvia for help.
The controlled guards were closing in on them.
"Stop texting already! You're only thinking of calling backup now? What were you doing earlier?" Mr. Tail cursed up a storm, feeling that the current mess was a real pain.
That Sylvia was strong, sure, but they hadn't seen her in ages. Maybe she had already left the Xianzhou.
Why hadn't Huohuo invited her when she started this job days ago? Now that everything had gone wrong, she finally thought to ask for help. Could help even arrive in time?
"B-but... Big Sister promised me I could find her anytime if I ran into trouble..."
"Tch! That was just something she said to comfort you. If she can make it here now, I'll call you boss from now on!"
Even while trembling, Huohuo was still bickering with Tail.
Up ahead, Xueyi had already prepared to fight to the death.
"Huohuo, they're coming!"
Cirrus didn't care about Huohuo calling for help. In fact, it almost wished she would call the Xianzhou general over.
"Hahahahaha! My little pieces, do you need me to give you more time so you can invite the Xianzhou general too?"
"R-really...? You mean it? We're recording this, okay!"
Guinaifen, who was being supported by Sushang, tried to negotiate in a shaky voice.
"Ahaha~ For the sake of our pleasant cooperation, I suppose it isn't impossible. But there is one condition. You need to survive these pieces' attacks!"
Cirrus's tone suddenly turned excited. The controlled guards lurched forward with awkward steps, raised their weapons, and charged at the group.
Xueyi and Sushang stood at the front as the main fighters. Guinaifen wasn't in good shape, but she still forced herself to hold up her staff and guard Huohuo.
Mr. Tail's seal had already been opened a crack. He shouted from the side while clanging away at the enemies.
As for Huohuo...
She trembled as she kept throwing out spirit talismans.
Whether Cirrus was doing it on purpose, or whether the group was simply strong enough, the surrounding guards didn't crush their line right away.
Instead, the fight seemed almost even.
Xueyi stood at the very front, so she could feel the guards' strength more clearly than anyone. The moment she exchanged blows with them, she realized that the guards could not use their full power.
She could not tell whether Cirrus was holding back on purpose, or whether it truly couldn't control so many of them at once.
"Huohuo, has Miss Sylvia replied?"
"Y-yes. She told us to hold on!"
"Hahahahaha! Then hold on and show me!"
Cirrus's laugh was shrill and piercing, and the pressure on Xueyi grew heavier.
But it still did not tear through her defense.
Confirmed.
Cirrus was arrogant.
It seemed able to raise the guards' strength even further, but it had chosen not to.
That was their opening.
"Cirrus, you had better surrender. Miss Sylvia is a fighter even the General has recognized."
"Oh? I remember a little. When I possessed Guinaifen, I think I saw that woman called Sylvia. Hmph~ Then let me see just how strong she is!"
Cirrus's tone grew more flippant, almost excited. The guards' attacks became fiercer, but their formation also grew messier.
They had this.
Xueyi nodded to herself.
Now it all depended on whether they could hold out until Sylvia arrived.
--+--
The battle lasted roughly half a system hour.
Xueyi was a puppet, so she was still all right. She had taken damage, but not enough to stop her from fighting.
Sushang and the others, however, were already facing a serious drop in stamina.
Fallen guards now covered the plaza in every direction. But Cirrus was still trying to send more guards here from farther away.
During the short pause, everyone looked beaten and exhausted.
Xueyi and Sushang had nearly burned through all their energy just defending. Mr. Tail was clearing out enemies that approached from behind.
"Hahahaha~ Can you people even keep going? You're already about to fall?"
Cirrus had no intention of acting personally. It simply let them stand there and catch their breath.
Xueyi held her damaged left arm.
"This fiend... is troublesome indeed."
No wonder it had been recorded in the case files. Even before growing into a complete Ignamar, it was already this hard to deal with.
"Is everyone okay?"
Huohuo had spent the last stretch with her eyes shut, treating people like mad and throwing talismans everywhere. She had barely even checked how the others were doing.
"Of course. Huohuo's talismans are as useful as ever."
Sushang held her sword with both hands and turned her head to smile at Huohuo.
Ever since the business at Aurum Alley, she and Guinaifen had helped Huohuo deal with Heliobus problems every few days.
Their teamwork had already improved quite a lot. They had thought that after today, the Heliobus problem would finally come to an end.
Who could have known they would draw in the most troublesome one of all?
"Hehehe~ Your help still hasn't arrived? If they don't come soon, you'll only be able to reunite in hell!"
Cirrus chuckled. From the passages in every direction, more guards began gathering toward them.
Sushang ignored her fatigue and stood shoulder to shoulder with Guinaifen, raising her weapon.
Xueyi took the chance to glance at Huohuo.
On Huohuo's phone, Sylvia's account had been marked as a special contact. If Sylvia sent a message, Huohuo would definitely feel the special vibration pattern.
"Hehe~ I knew it. That woman can't be relied on. In the end, the boss fight still falls to me."
Mr. Tail chuckled. His tone was careless, but he also sounded a little annoyed.
Just then, more than a dozen sharp whistles suddenly cut through the air.
Thin, sharp white spears had already pierced through the air, carrying flickers of flame and streams of water as they shot straight toward Cirrus in midair.
Bang, bang, bang!
"Aaaagh! Damn it! Who was that?!"
Cirrus had not taken this kind of attack seriously at first, but the instant the spears stabbed into its body, the force that burst out from them slammed it so hard that its vision went black.
The guards charging at the group collapsed face-first at once.
At that moment, a slightly teasing voice sounded behind Huohuo without warning.
"Tail, who did you say couldn't be relied on?"
"Big Sis?!"
Huohuo jumped in fright. She turned her head on instinct, then crashed straight into Sylvia's arms.
"Hey! If you brat had shown up one step later, I'd have taken care of that bastard myself!"
Tail clicked his tongue hard.
He really did have a way to deal with Cirrus. It was just a pity that Sylvia had arrived as if right on cue, ruining his plan at the last second.
Unlike Cirrus, Tail had truly seen what Sylvia could do.
He knew that with Sylvia here, Cirrus could not stir up any waves at all. Even if Cirrus became a complete Ignamar, it still would not be possible.
Sylvia ignored Tail's stubborn talk and patted Huohuo on the head.
Then she looked at the others.
Sushang and Guinaifen were already leaning on their sword and staff, sighing in relief.
"Oof... Master Sylvia, you finally came. If you'd arrived any later, I think my back would've snapped."
Guinaifen leaned on her staff and held her waist.
She was just a street performer. Fighting really didn't suit her.
Xueyi also lowered her guard and greeted Sylvia with great seriousness.
At first, she had worried that the person Huohuo had met might have been targeting her status in the Ten-Lords Commission. But after reading the records later, Xueyi had only felt happy for Huohuo.
Sylvia now stood before them in the form of the Herrscher of the Void and looked at the huge eyeball.
Cirrus was also sizing up the newly arrived Sylvia.
"So you're the one who attacked without honor! Boring, boring! I'm tired of playing! You can stay here!"
For the first time, Sylvia saw how a single eyeball frowned. It was strange, but also a little cute in an odd way.
Then, in the next moment, a vast wave of spiritual power swept toward her, trying to corrode her body.
In fact...
Behind Sylvia, Sushang and Guinaifen almost dropped to their knees in an instant.
Cirrus's power invaded them at once and seized control of their bodies.
Sylvia had originally wanted to test Cirrus's level, but now, it seemed better to finish this quickly.
Good. She could use this as a real fight to test her new power.
The power of Permanence burst out in an instant.
RIIIIIIP!
A pair of wings, white as jade, unfolded from her back and expanded in a flash until they stretched dozens of meters wide.
With blinding light, a clear dragon's roar rang through the clouds, carrying a terrifying pressure.
"ROOOAR!"
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL