The white-haired man was like a gust of wind. In an instant, he appeared right in front of Stelle.
In the deliberately presented slow-motion shot, everyone finally saw the newcomer's appearance clearly.
White hair, blue eyes, and within his pupils were engraved runes like symbol.
Beneath his handsome features was a relaxed, easygoing aura. He revealed a smile toward Stelle with no malice in it, more like playful.
Stelle and Dan Heng were clearly startled by this guy.
The moment the other party made a move, Dan Heng behind him had already grasped his spear, reacting on instinct.
And the next moment, the slow motion ended.
In the blink of an eye, the man's figure pulled back, dodging Dan Heng's thrust. Twisting around, he drew out a bat and smashed it straight at Dan Heng's spear.
With a loud bang.
Before the audience could even react, the broken spearhead of the spear was already spinning as it pierced into the ground.
That single strike just now had directly shattered Dan Heng's spear into two pieces!
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Holy crap! What kind of power is this?! The audience was completely stunned!
And when did Stelle's bat end up in that guy's hands, anyway?
With just a brief display of skill, the white-haired youth left the viewers utterly shaken.
However, he didn't take any further aggressive action.
Instead, he looked at Stelle and Dan Heng, placed his right hand over his chest, and showed a bright, open smile.
"I bear no harm. I just want everyone to be safe." Dan Heng and Stelle exchanged a glance.
Everyone's safety?
Though they really wanted to complain about that line, both of them understood something clearly.
When the white-haired youth spoke just now, they could understand him.
This also proved that, although Amphoreus was hidden, it hadn't become completely absurd yet.
The Synesthesia Beacon was still functioning.
As Stelle and Dan Heng were thinking of a response, the white-haired youth on the opposite side clearly realized that his actions had caused a major misunderstanding, and so he sincerely explained:
"Roaming around a place like the Abyss with weapons in tow is a show of provocation. Those soldiers are minions of the Strife Titan. They're not known to stop until all invaders fall under their feet."
"If you continue brandishing your weapons, you won't only be putting yourselves in the crossfire..."
"Their looming blades will come down on the heads of the innocent."
As his words fell, Phainon looked toward a corner.
Only then did they notice, in the ruins that Stelle and Dan Heng hadn't paid attention to earlier, some elderly people, women, and children were cautiously emerging, peeking around nervously.
It seemed these people had been hiding there all along.
Stelle and Dan Heng simply hadn't noticed them.
Dan Heng shook his head, accepting the explanation, but still said seriously, "A civil approach gets your message across all the same."
The white-haired youth, despite his cheerful appearance, didn't back down and replied, "It's difficult to tell if you're friend or foe when you appear out of thin air. Even without your weapons, a great power still lurks within you..."
"I could be putting myself in harm's way for all I know. I'd be unwise not to take precautions."
As he spoke, the white-haired youth looked at Stelle.
After all, even among their Chrysos Heirs, dealing with such a large number of troublesome stonemen required more then three to four of them.
Here only the two of them were able to handle it.
Unlike the other, especially that girl who looked so weak.
That seemingly delicate girl had just wielded a unique weapon and, relying purely on brute force, smashed the heads of those stone men to pieces.
It was utterly absurd. Even he had been shocked by it.
Seeing this, the audience finally relaxed from their tense state.
...
: Damn, so both sides were just on guard against each other.
: Stelle and Dan Heng think the people of Amphoreus are pretty crazy.
: Didn't expect the other side to think the same about them.
: Hahaha, a classic mutual misunderstanding.
: Yeah, if both sides are wary, being cautious is the right move.
: But judging from monsters like the ones earlier, the people of this world probably aren't easy to deal with either.
: Still, that white-haired guy is seriously handsome!
: Totally! slurp slurp!
: He looks like he has a great personality, bright and cheerful!
: Especially those clear eyes, he's basically a pure, wholesome campus heartthrob!
: I can't take it anymore! It's him!
: ?
...
Once it became clear that the conflict wouldn't escalate further, the audience began to go wild.
This white-haired youth, Phainon left an extremely deep impression on the audience with his very first appearance.
Not just because of his strength, but mainly because of that aura. It was too pure.
And right at that moment, on screen, a ridiculously adorable voice suddenly rang out.
A red-haired little girl came running over cutely.
"Phai—non—! Look what you did again! Taking off only to get yourself into trouble?"
"Agh, you even ruined his weapon! Now you've really gone and done it! This is no way to be treating strangers."
Tribbie ran up to Phainon, adorably scolding him.
And yet, Phainon could only scratch his head awkwardly and apologize.
She also introduced herself as Tribbie.
That contrast, paired with the little girl's size and voice, completely melted the audience.
...
: Too cute! Too cute! I can't handle this!
: The characters of Amphoreus keep appearing, and each one is more likable than the last!
: Aaaah! Such a cute girl!
: I want to take one home!
: Hahahaha, what is this duo? Why is the kid scolding the adult?!
: Such a great contrast!
...
The comments flooded in.
And with Tribbie mediating things, both sides finally let down some of their guard.
Phainon apologized to Dan Heng and Stelle.
But his reaction earlier was, in fact, quite understandable.
After all, they had come from beyond the skies.
"So, you noticed us… um, when we landed?" Dan Heng asked.
"That's right. I saw a meteor fall back then and knew it wasn't a normal thing."
"I arranged for the people to stay safe and rushed over. I didn't expect your actions to be so fast, we just happened to run into each other here."
Phainon gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"To be honest, the commotion you caused was pretty big. I almost thought a Titan had descended to deliver divine punishment."
After the misunderstanding was cleared up and names were exchanged, Phainon and Tribbie shared some information about the current situation.
However, both of them were perceptive enough not to mention Dan Heng and Stelle's status as visitors from beyond the sky in front of the others.
"There are still many refugees who haven't been freed in the temple."
"We're here to rescue and escort them to the holy city, Okhema. They're the reason I had to be absolutely sure you were not here with ill intent, and why I wanted you to put away your weapons."
"If something were to occur, they would have no way of protecting themselves."
After Phainon finished his explanation, Dan Heng casually asked a few more questions.
After getting his answers, he had nothing else to ask, and simply accepted Phainon and Tribbie's arrangements, following them to the Holy City, Okhema.
And while Phainon and Tribbie went off to reorganize the refugee group, the two of them seized the opportunity to exchange words in low voices.
Stelle rarely became serious. "There's more to this Phainon that meets the eye. About your spear..."
Dan Heng nodded. "I agree. To disarm you in a flash and even snap my spear... He's no ordinary person."
He then continued his analysis. "He was also quite cautious, keeping his distance throughout the conversation. I tried probing for more information on Amphoreus, but they both casually glossed over it."
At that moment, the corner of Stelle's mouth curled up. "But looking at it the other way around, that means they don't have absolute confidence in subduing the two of us. If things take a turn for the worse, our best bet is still going to be resolution by force."
The exchange between the two youngsters left the audience feeling relieved.
To think that Stelle could even notice blind spots at a time like this.
Just then, the camera shifted.
On the other side, Phainon was also talking with Tribbie.
"Teacher Tribbie, those two outsiders from beyond the sky…"
"It's fine!" Tribbie chirped. "Little Phainon."
She was small and adorable when she spoke, yet somehow convincing to Phainon.
"We should tell Aglaea about this first. Until then, let them travel with us. With me around, even if something unexpected happens, it'll be easier to handle."
"Mm."
The two groups had only established contact yet they were still guarding against each other.
The audience's sense of anticipation continued to rise.
At least from the information revealed so far a few points could already be confirmed.
Amphoreus' level of civilization was deliberately being understated.
These buildings alone had already proven Amphoreus' construction prowess, and the fact that Dan Heng's had just been severed confirmed that Amphoreus' weapons manufacturing technology was also terrifying.
At this moment, the audience seemed to have begun to understand Akivili's joy.
Exploring the unknown of Amphoreus, then embarking on adventures, and establishing contact with abandoned medical districts…
…..
After that, on screen, Stelle and Dan Heng once again regrouped with Phainon and Tribbie.
As outsiders, they were acting very restrained.
They simply followed the others' lead, gathering and observing more information.
Through their interactions, Stelle and Dan Heng learned the origin of this group of refugees.
They called themselves the people of Janus, Passage Titan, and were facing the threat of war.
The Strife Titan, Nikador, was stirring up conflict.
And this very temple was about to face Nikador's advancing forces.
However, some priests refused to accept help from the Holy City represented by Phainon and Tribbie, and refused to go to Okhema.
These priests, along with some residents unwilling to leave, destroyed the bridge, trapping themselves within the vast temple-city.
While Phainon negotiated with these stubborn priests, Stelle and Dan Heng also learned that before this place was about to be attacked, another location called Janusopolis had already been destroyed by Nikador's army.
Among this group of refugees were many former residents of Janusopolis, who had been scattered and displaced after their homeland was destroyed, eventually arriving here.
From a Janusopolis refugee, the two learned some noteworthy information.
The refugee referred to Nikador's army as monsters. In his account, these forces seemed invincible, and carried with them detestable curses.
Beyond that there was even more information related to the conflict.
And through Stelle and Dan Heng's actions, the story gradually presented this background information to the audience.
As Stelle and Dan Heng became more deeply involved in the refugee rescue effort, they also began to sense the tangled internal contradictions within Amphoreus.
For example, that priest who refused to leave the temple, not only because he did not wish to live under others' protection, but also because he had spoken of a prophecy.
It seemed to be a prophecy delivered by another Titan.
This point particularly caught Dan Heng's attention.
On the other side, as Stelle followed Phainon and Tribbie in negotiations with the refugees, she discovered that Phainon and Tribbie were highly respected among the people.
The so-called Chrysos Heirs, it was unclear whether this was a title or something else.
And with Tribbie's help, those stubborn priests finally chose to head to Okhema.
However, this wasn't due to persuasion, but because of Tribbie's identity.
This little girl was, in fact, a priestess of the Passage Titan.
Among those who worshiped Janus, she held extremely high prestige.
The work of gathering the refugees also came to its final stage.
In a corner, Stelle and Dan Heng shared the information they had gathered.
"All of it is very meaningful intelligence."
After collecting and organizing the information, Dan Heng frowned and said, "What concerns me most is our limited information and the prophecy of the 'end times'."
"Prophecy…" Stelle frowned. "I asked Phainon. He said the prophecy is related to the Titans."
"And the Chrysos Heirs are the saviors foretold in prophecy, those who carry golden blood." Stelle spoke.
"The situation in Amphoreus is more complicated than I imagined." Dan Heng mulled over these terms.
Stelle, on the other hand, was carefree. She laughed and scratched her head. "Well, we are Trailblazers after all. This is a world even Akivili never came to."
As the two spoke, the live chat was also discussing the information just revealed.
····
: This really does have a strong Greek mythology vibe.
: What concerns me is that Amphoreus clearly has at least three Emanators, but from the information we just heard, there doesn't seem to be any trace of Emanators.
: Could the Emanators be the Titans?
: Damn, so Amphoreus has multiple Emanators then?
: Not necessarily. The information isn't clear yet, we'll probably have to wait for the story to develop.
: But at least we can be sure of one thing, Tribbie and Phainon both seem very likable. They shouldn't be the bad guys!
: And most importantly, they both look lively and upbeat! Not the kind of characters covered in death flags!
: Looks like we can watch with peace of mind now, no need to worry about getting stabbed in the heart later!