[Dreamscape Depth, Sky]
"How warm. There aren't even any living things to be seen around this Dead Sea normally. You're lucky. Not only did you find somewhere to shelter from the rain, you even found fresh berries. That's not easy."
"I just followed the aura of life here." Acheron answered the old man in a calm tone. "In a place like this, that aura is especially clear. It's just a pity that it tastes a little bland."
"Really? You may not know this, but these fruits are quite juicy. The only problem is that when you chew them in your mouth... they produce an extremely spicy sensation," the old man said.
Acheron fell silent.
Across the campfire, the old man sitting opposite her looked at her and asked, "You... can't taste things anymore?"
"I can still taste some things... like a faint sweetness," Acheron said.
"Before coming here, my previous stop was called Orkilon. There were also deserted cliffs there, and nights lit by campfires. Purple-red snow would fall from the sky, and it tasted like raspberries when held in the mouth."
"The taste couldn't be called sweet, but it was unforgettable. Whenever I look back, I always find that the road connecting everything together... isn't made up of earth-shattering twists and turns, but of these unforgettable moments."
"Don't mind it. Gradually losing one's sense of self... is a reality every Self-Annihilator has to face. At least, I haven't completely lost my senses and memories yet."
The old man smiled. "Then congratulations on adding another new footnote to your journey. Speaking of which, are you alone?"
"No, I still had a companion on Orkilon." Acheron said. "She was very small. She was a Nameless, and wanted to launch herself into IX... She always said she wanted to walk a road deeper and farther than Akivili's."
"Not very big, but quite ambitious..." The old man pondered for a moment. "And the result?"
"She... became a pool of dead water," Acheron answered.
"...My condolences."
"Sadness? I don't think so. That girl left with a smile. She never regretted her choice, and she must have hoped that I could smile as I said goodbye to her... and that's exactly what I did."
"That is proof that you are sad for her," the old man said.
"Perhaps I'm afraid?" Acheron said instead.
"Afraid? It's difficult for me to sense that emotion from you." The old man showed a trace of surprise. "What are you afraid of?"
"I'm afraid I'll forget the thirty days I spent walking with her, just like every thirty-first day of my life." Acheron answered. "Most of them have already passed away with the rain, disappearing on the unseen other shore."
"I'm afraid these bright red memories will leave me too. There aren't many colors left for me to see. Other than this faint, warm red, I have almost nothing."
"It's hard to imagine... that a ranger who has grown used to blood, destruction, and chaos could actually see warmth in red."
"Because I have also possessed much of that warmth. Long ago, I made a promise to someone else that I would bring it to more people, and spend every moment of the rest of my life pursuing... a better ending for everyone."
"As long as this trace of red remains, I still have a chance to fulfill that promise. It can be a burning fire, a blooming flower, a cluster of berries in this cave... It is life itself, fleeting, yet dazzling enough."
"In the end, it will lead me across the horizon of existence, to the end of the other shore... where I will sever nothingness."
Listening to Acheron's words, the old man smiled. "Blessed by the Sleepless Face of the Aeon of Nihility, yet thinking about how to kill Them? This really is... Nihility through and through."
"Still, there is one thing you said that is right. After staying by this gloomy, rainy dead water for too long, it is only when I look at this bright red fire that I realize I am still alive."
"The rain... when will it stop?"
"Perhaps... when the resentment of the dead has completely subsided, the sky will clear."
———
[4 System Hours Before the Opening of the Charmony Festival]
On the train, Dan Heng and Boothill quietly listened as Acheron told the stories she had experienced and witnessed in the past.
"Mr. Dan Heng, have you heard of the planet Biaili-Scamanderos?" Black Swan suddenly spoke. "It is one of the earthly paradises under the influence of Harmony, a paradise on earth that residents of the various sizes of the Dardanus system yearn for.
"Half an Amber Era ago, the Family held an unprecedented celebration there, and after the banquet... everyone on the planet became a member of the Family."
"Do you think the same thing will happen in Penacony?" Dan Heng looked at Black Swan.
"Otherwise, how else would you explain it?" Black Swan said. "The Family deliberately used the invitation from the Watchmaker to keep a group of Pathstriders there, yet they alone exiled an Emanator of Nihility..."
"Because I am affected by Nihility, it's difficult for me to be affected by the power of other Paths. Instead, I unconsciously contaminate them..." Acheron explained. "Perhaps this is the variable they don't want to see."
"I'm afraid I can't agree." The usually meticulous Dan Heng said, "That planet neither joined the credit system nor connected to the Silver Rail. It is a remote civilization under Harmony's protection... but Penacony is different."
"Doing this would mean declaring war on nearly half of the factions in the galaxy. The Family has no reason to do this."
"But the premise is... that they truly have their hearts set on Harmony," Acheron said.
Dan Heng narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"The Paths enveloped by Penacony's light aren't pure. There are impurities mixed into the Harmony here," Acheron said.
"Do you remember that ancient Swarm Disaster? Tayzzyronth of Propagation brought endless calamity to the universe, yet this calamity eventually evolved into the War of the Gods amid chaos and confusion."
Black Swan said, "Two Paths lost their Aeons in that war: Propagation and Order. Coincidentally, the turning point of both Paths was related to a certain Aeon..."
"...Xipe of Harmony." Acheron continued Black Swan's words. "It is said that They participated in the gods' crusade against the Swarm Emperor, and then, for unknown reasons, absorbed Ena of Order."
After hearing so much, Boothill blinked. "Well I'll be damned, what the hell... Are you saying that there might be two masterless Paths secretly stirring things up?"
"But no offspring of Propagation have appeared in Penacony," Dan Heng said. Then he was silent for a while before speaking again.
"Can I understand this as the remnants of the Choir of the Everwinter hiding within the Family, wanting to revive a fallen Aeon?"
"We can't determine that yet," Acheron said. "But at least we can be certain that they are preparing to use the Charmony Festival to do something."
"Well, I'll be damned, this is complicated."
Boothill spoke again, breaking the atmosphere. Although he wasn't a qualified idiot, in this conversation, the tone he used every time he spoke made him seem like an idiot among the other three.
"So what do you mean by asking us to leave Asdana immediately?" Boothill looked at Acheron. "Don't tell me there's no way out?"
"The Charmony Festival is about to begin. There is one thing... that I need to verify no matter what. A jump is the most effective method," Acheron said.
But at this moment, Dan Heng shook his head. "No. Precisely because time is short... I'll immediately use another method."
Boothill was the first to react. "Don't tell me you're going to use the Jade Abacus of Alliance?!"
"Exactly. With the support of the Luofu's Cloud Knights... it should be enough."
As Dan Heng answered, he picked up the Jade Abacus of Alliance.
This thing was, of course, an extremely precious token, but for the Astral Express, which now had Nero aboard... it wasn't quite as precious as one might imagine.
But no matter what, now was the time to use this thing, in the hope that reinforcements could save their friend.
"You can only use that thing once in your entire life. You'd better think it through," Boothill emphasized beside Dan Heng.
"I've thought it through." Dan Heng didn't hesitate at all. "My companions... are also something I can only have once in my life."
Almost as soon as Dan Heng finished speaking, a blinding light suddenly burst out, shining through the train windows from outer space.
Everyone looked outside, only to see countless star gates opening in the starry sky. Within the swirling rings of light, countless enormous ships gradually took shape.
And among them was another incomparably vast star gate, almost large enough to swallow several large gas giants.
The ancient giant ship from the Xianzhou Alliance slowly emerged from the star gate, its magnificent form gradually becoming visible.
The Luofu moved forward slowly, yet with overwhelming momentum, like a giant star roaring without end, carrying the force to swallow stars and contain the Big Dipper, as if it were going to crush Penacony beneath it.
The Cloud Knight fleet stretched out in connected masses, countless warships forming an endless sea. This fleet blotted out the sky and sun, weaving into a strange and densely packed belt of stars.
"Well I'll be damned, damn, Brother Dan Heng, your hands are fast!" Boothill exclaimed. "And with this size and scale, this isn't just the Luofu's Cloud Knight fleet, right? Damn it, you directly called the Xianzhou over?"
Acheron and Black Swan also stared blankly at the scene. Even they, who had seen plenty of grand scenes, were deeply shaken after seeing the fleet of the Luofu speeding across the starry sea.
However, Dan Heng himself was also confused.
With the memories of Imbibitor Lunae, he knew very well that the Jade Abacus of Alliance absolutely could not summon such a fleet that covered the starry sea, much less bring the Xianzhou Luofu over.
And besides...
He hadn't even used the Jade Abacus of Alliance yet.