"Sit."
Aidan pointed to a chair, then continued to look down at the stack of papers on the desk, which were covered in dense writing.
Evernight did not sit; instead, she walked straight to the edge of the desk, her gaze sweeping over the text.
"Ferryman."
She softly read the content on the paper.
"Sailing aboard the battleship named Hyperion through the Sea of Quanta, rescuing survivors from worlds on the brink of destruction."
"Correct."
Aidan looked up.
"Are you here to ask me why I'm suddenly doing this?"
"No." Evernight shook her head, "I'm simply here to see you."
Fictionalizing an identity to save dying stars indeed fit the logic of Mystery. Providing those poor souls with a non-existent sanctuary—as long as they believed it was real, that illusory World Bubble would take root and grow.
This person's existence was becoming increasingly blurred.
As long as the story was sung and recorded, the creations of Mystery would gain physical form from nothingness—though they remained lies, under specific circumstances, lies could become more indestructible than the truth.
After a moment of silence, Evernight offered professional advice.
"Are you sure you want to keep using this format? Manually controlling that puppet every time to go to one doomed world after another? This efficiency is simply too low."
Aidan nodded thoughtfully.
"What do you suggest then?"
"You should completely abstract the concept of the Ferryman. No fixed appearance, no fixed voice, no fixed way of appearing. It could be a stranger appearing out of nowhere, a gust of wind, a beam of light, or anything. What matters is that phrase—the thought of wanting to leave this world must be triggered."
Wow, isn't that a bit devious?
Like Old Man Tiga, right? Can transform with light, can transform without light, and leaves stone statues everywhere.
"Indeed, if I have to pilot the Hyperion across coordinates every time I save someone, even with clones, I can't handle every destruction happening in the galaxy every second. When someone looks to the sky or develops a wish to escape, this story should automatically generate in their world."
He stood up.
"Then set it as light. As long as the last shred of obsession with survival exists in that world, the Hyperion will emerge from the light."
"What if there is no light?"
"Mentioning light in words counts too."
"Then you need to do it like this... and like this..." Evernight gave Aidan all sorts of ideas, the two of them looking like partners in crime.
"Mm, that's more like it."
"Did you come here tonight specifically to be my consultant?" Aidan put down his pen and looked at her.
"Didn't I say? I'm simply here to see you." Evernight glanced at him, "And to make sure you don't create something dangerous again and get March 7th involved."
"And the conclusion?"
"It's safe. Continue weaving. But remember, once a lie gains too many believers, it will grow its own flesh and blood."
"That is also within my calculations."
— — —
The crystal barrier in space shimmered with the light of Preservation.
At least for now, the Company hadn't mentioned the debt since arriving at Belobog; instead, they were offering warm greetings and concern.
Jade expressed considerable surprise that the people of Belobog were using the manifestation of the Amber Lord's power for heating.
"Lady Supreme Guardian, I assume your faith in Preservation must be indestructible."
Jade spoke thus.
"Naturally. It is under the protection of Preservation and the unwavering will of the people that Belobog has survived under the pressure of the Antimatter Legion and the Everfrost until now."
Bronya nodded.
Jade felt she couldn't quite read this place right now.
If you're talking about Preservation, this place was indeed about Preservation.
But was it really Preservation?
It didn't seem that much like Preservation.
Yet the people here were using the imaginary energy of the Path of Preservation to boil water.
Is it...
That wasteful?
Generally, this kind of behavior only happens when minerals blessed by Preservation are mistaken for fuel. Jade was very certain that this mineral called geomarrow was not meant to be burned. Before Jarilo-VI lost contact with the galaxy, it was famous for the mineral known as geomarrow.
Once, the very first visitors from other worlds came to this planet in pursuit of geomarrow ore. These crystal-clear minerals contained the lifeblood that drove industry, their amber reflections mirroring the radiance of Preservation.
Although geomarrow was a high-quality fuel, using it this way still made Jade feel...
Like a spendthrift.
A real spendthrift.
After Aidan's hammer strike earlier, the purity of Jarilo-VI's geomarrow had become even higher.
In Jade's eyes, the people of Jarilo-VI were no different from those who used expensive timber as firewood.
She now wondered if this place had true substance or was just a pure nouveau riche; it made Jade a bit unsure of herself.
Because a dozen system hours ago, the divine form of Preservation had personally appeared and specifically forged a barrier for this planet. This had instead become a confusing factor—this place truly believed in Preservation, and it seemed very pure.
"I must say, Lady Supreme Guardian." Jade turned around, "Your way of using geomarrow has... well, been an eye-opener."
"For the past several hundred years, Belobog has been trapped in the extreme Everfrost caused by the Stellaron," Bronya replied. "We lost all contact with the outside world. To keep the citizens in the city alive, this was a necessary measure."
"Of course, of course... choices made for survival are certainly beyond reproach," Jade said to Bronya. "But now that the Stellaron problem is solved and the barrier of Preservation has risen again, continuing this method is a great waste of these resources."
Jade looked toward the street.
"The Interstellar Peace Corporation is willing to provide the most advanced technical support. We can help Belobog establish a brand-new energy conversion system to maximize the value of geomarrow. Not only can it solve your heating issues, but it can also allow Belobog to rejoin the galactic trade network."
"Belobog is in a state of reconstruction; receiving assistance from the Company is naturally a good thing. But according to the Company's practice, such technical support usually comes with a corresponding price. I wonder what the Company hopes to obtain from Jarilo-VI?"
Jade chuckled softly.
"The price is not high. I hope to obtain the mining rights for a small portion of the deep geomarrow veins and establish a permanent branch here. This would be a win-win situation for both of us."
Bronya fell into thought for a moment. If it were before, faced with such a proposal, the Supreme Guardian might have been forced to compromise due to a lack of confidence. But just a dozen system hours ago, Preservation had personally appeared and had given clear instructions.
"Allow me to temporarily decline this proposal."