The camera slowly lifted, gradually revealing the girls full appearance.
A pink-haired girl. Her hair were super-large wavy curls that didn't seem like something someone her age would normally have. Her beautiful curls were tied up with cute white accessories into a pair of twin ponytails.
Most of her hair was a cherry-blossom pink, and that pink gradually spread all the way to the ends of the twin ponytails, where it slowly shifted into a cyan-blue color.
It was hard to imagine that a girl from Amphoreus would have such beautiful gradient-colored hair.
Her face was cute and lively. Those sparkling, bright eyes were a gorgeous cyan.
As for her outfit, it was even more striking. She wore a very cute dress with exquisite craftsmanship. The dress featured intricate detailing, slightly puffed sleeves, and two round decorative pom-poms.
The overall color of the outfit was cherry pink. Below that were a familiar pair of white tights, and pink-soled leather shoes.
Almost all the qualities a young girl should have were gathered together in an overwhelmingly refined and delicate way.
Beautiful!
Cute!
Yet clearly different from the other Amphoreus women who had appeared so far, with a vivid and distinctive personal style!
And all of her accessories, had a modern flair.
....
: So cute! Damn, this is way too adorable!
: My girlish heart is about to burst, seriously!
: Wait, this art style doesn't match Amphoreus at all, does it?!
: Don't tell me she's also from beyond the skies!
: Holy crap, I'm dying, does anyone get how I felt when I saw her dual colored hair?!
: Tights and little leather shoes, damn, hsss!
....
While they were captivated by the girl's beauty, what the audience was most curious about was that overly modern outfit.
Many people directly assumed she was another visitor from beyond the skies.
On screen, the girl walked up with a naturally familiar, self-introducing air, looking at Dan Heng and Stelle as she said:
"Wow, Grayie and Dannie have sharp eyes indeed! You'd make outstanding members of the Twilight Courtyard!"
"No need to worry, by the way. I can tell from Lady Aglaea's tone of voice and micro-expressions that she's being genuine."
Grayie? Stelle stared at the girl in a daze.
Dannie? Dan Heng looked her up and down suspiciously.
Seeing the two of them completely dumbfounded by Hyacine's overenthusiasm, Aglaea chuckled softly and introduced her: "This is Hyacine, a priestess of the Sky Titan."
Before she could even finish speaking, Hyacine covered her mouth and laughed. "Oh my, Lady Aglaea, I'm an acolyte; still an acolyte!"
After correcting that, Hyacine finally gave the two of them a proper introduction.
"Nice to meet you both! I'm the acolyte of Aquila, a child of the sky. Using sunlight to heal everyone is my responsibility."
"And also, also! I heard that you two are from the skies as well. We might be pretty fated to meet!"
....
: Aquila's priestess?!
: But since it's the Sky Titan, that's basically someone from the sky anyway…
: Wait, are Aquila's people all this ahead of the times? That outfit is way too trendy.
: She's way too friendly!
: But no matter what, she's an incredibly cute healer!
: Just listening to her talk makes me feel healed already!
: Her energy is overflowing!
: This is pure enjoyment!
: I hereby declare my collection has gained three more spots!
....
Hyacine's first appearance left a deep impression on the audience. And her arrival also broke the slightly delicate atmosphere from before.
Once things were out in the open, Dan Heng finally began to seriously consider the matter of forming an alliance.
Aglaea also promised that she would never drag the Nameless into the boring internal struggles of Okhema.
However, an alliance was a matter of great importance, and if possible, Dan Heng would have preferred to make the decision after waiting for a while.
Dan Heng could only temporarily set the matter aside and choose to observe a little longer.
Aglaea expressed her understanding. Still, the two accepted the gifts.
For Aglaea, as long as they accepted the gifts, it already meant half her goal had been achieved.
The conversation gradually became more relaxed. Before they realized it, they ended up chatting more about Hyacine.
This acolyte of the sky would often, during conversation, casually bring up terms that clearly didn't fit with Amphoreus at all.
Things like questionnaires, micro-expressions, and so on. Yet Aglaea and the others acted as though this was completely normal.
Perhaps the city-state of Aquila was just that different? Even the audience outside the screen couldn't help but grow more curious about what kind of place could produce someone like Hyacine.
After that, the group chatted casually for a while longer.
Only then did Aglaea look at Stelle and Dan Heng and speak: "Since Hyacine has arrived, there's something I want to ask."
"A few days ago, Okhema was attacked, and the Grove of Epiphany sent Hyacine to provide support."
"Now, most of the injured have already mostly recovered. If we keep Hyacine here any longer, I'm afraid the sages of the Grove of Epiphany will start to voice their displeasure."
"Therefore, I hope the two of you can travel together with Hyacine to the Grove of Epiphany, to ensure her safety. At the same time, you can also take the opportunity to visit the Grove of Epiphany yourselves. That place is completely different from Okhema."
As soon as Aglaea finished speaking, the two fell into thought.
Hyacine's safety? Who would threaten a Chrysos Heirs individual? And a doctor from a place like the Grove of Epiphany, no less.
It was likely only those who were at odds with the Chrysos Heirs.
Although Aglaea had just promised earlier not to involve Dan Heng and Stelle in internal strife, she was now making this request.
Yet. they knew clearly that this was not Aglaea going back on her word.
Because in the end, Aglaea even took the initiative to propose sending the two of them to the Grove of Epiphany to broaden their horizons, after all, only by going to different places could one truly call it exploration.
Obviously, from their exchanges, Aglaea had already deduced what the Nameless most wanted to do, and thus went along with it.
When these two points were combined, the implication behind her words became very clear.
I don't want to drag you into internal conflicts. But I also don't want to hide things from you.
If you want to explore and go to more places, then it is inevitable that you will cross paths with the Chrysos Heirs, and once you do, it is just as inevitable that you will encounter those rats lurking in the shadows.
This was a frank yet tactful way of telling them about the current situation.
"I understand." After pondering for a long while, Dan Heng nodded.
Since the other party was being unusually sincere this time, there was no harm in agreeing.
Besides, going to the Grove of Epiphany was something he had long been looking forward to.
Still, before giving his answer, Dan Heng turned to Stelle and asked, "What do you think?"
"Yay! Let's set out immediately," Stelle planted her hands on her hips, her eyes already squinting into crescents with excitement.
"Very good. With you along the way, I can rest easy. Castorice and Trianne will also go with you," Aglaea said with a gentle smile, responding calmly.
The audience couldn't help but click their tongues in amazement.
....
: Aglaea's words really hide nothing between the lines.
: Aglaea's way of speaking is already very tactful, but the truly impressive thing is Dan Heng's social skills, honestly.
: Still, with Castorice and Trianne along the way, would anyone really threaten Hyacine?
: What idiots, Aglaea isn't actually worried about Hyacine's safety
: Ohhh...
...
On screen.
Under Aglaea's arrangements, everyone gathered together once more.
Aside from letting the two also take part to satisfy the requirements of Trailblazing, Aglaea had another purpose.
That was to use Hyacine as an intermediary to discuss with the sages of the Grove of Epiphany when the Coreflame of the Titan of Reason would be returned.
However.
Just as everyone was about to set off, an abrupt incident forced Hyacine to remain in Okhema once again.
Outside the city of Okhema, several injured people were discovered.
And those who attacked them were not ordinary humans, but the Black Tide monsters!
Upon hearing the words "Black Tide," the expressions of the audience changed instantly.
After all, in the previous episode, the Black Tide had already planted impressions of mystery and danger deep in the viewers' minds.
And when the camera revealed the wounds of the injured, the audience collectively sucked in a sharp breath.
The wounds were extremely gruesome. No trace of normal skin or human tissue could be seen anymore.
All that remained was a twisted, struggling mass of thick black substance covering the wounds, occasionally writhing and squirming.
It looked as horrifying as one could imagine. As a medic, Hyacine naturally couldn't ignore this.
Before the journey even began, the travel team was reduced to just four people once again.
The heavy responsibility of discussing the Coreflame with the Grove of Epiphany thus fell onto Castorice and Trianne's shoulders.
...
On the road, the pacing of the story slowed down once more.
Different from the scenery Stelle and Dan Heng saw on their way to Okhema, the view from Okhema to the Grove of Epiphany had its own unique charm.
The further they went, the denser the forests and vegetation became, visible even to the naked eye.
Until a towering giant tree appeared before them. This tree was unimaginably enormous.
Its trunk was like a mountain range, its branches like countless stars, and roads from all directions converged upon this colossal tree.
Faintly, one could even make out various districts interwoven within it.
This was actually a city-state built upon a tree?! A powerful sense of epic grandeur and fantasy once again filled the audience with surprise and awe through the screen.
"What a breathtaking view." Stelle exclaimed.
Immediately, the two of them decided to take a photo of March 7th right there, to record this moment of first sight.
After taking the photo, everyone followed a path and climbed up to the midsection of the giant tree.
As they ventured deeper into the tree, something began to feel off.
"Something feels off..."
"The Grove has always welcomed scholars. So too would Cerces give us her delicate leaves and extend her branches in greeting."
"Yet... it seems both the Grove's messengers and the Titan are indifferent to our arrival." Castorice frowned slightly, scanning her surroundings with suspicion.
Before them lay the plaza of the Grove of Epiphany. Yet on the roads and in the plaza, not a single figure could be seen.
Even the Titan offered no response.
What Castorice had just said was not mere formality.
As one of the only two Titans willing to coexist with humanity, Cerces truly welcomed the arrival of scholars.
If not seeing any people was already strange, then even the Titan's silence truly turned it into a horror story...
The atmosphere gradually grew oppressive.
"Maybe everybody's still asleep because classes haven't started yet! They don't want to be disturbed, so they shut the entrance."
Trianne said innocently, voicing her guess.
"Mem-mem! (Maybe they're holding some kind of event!)"
At that moment, Mem popped out and voiced her own opinion.
Along the way, Mem had often interacted with Trianne and Castorice, and the two had already grown very familiar with the pink little cutie.
"Mhm! The pink little dog is right!" Trianne nodded vigorously.
"Mem! (I'm not a dog!)" Mem protested fiercely, only to be completely ignored by Trianne.
And so, everyone began to investigate the area.
Without the Titan's branches, moving around the Grove of Epiphany was extremely difficult.
But Janus's shrine was located here. Even without roads, Trianne could still create a small trinkets to move across.
Compared to creating a Century Gate, forming a simple path to cross obstacles posed no pressure for Trianne at all.
However, as the investigation deepened, the doubts not only failed to clear, but instead grew thicker.
In places where people clearly once lived, signs of chaos were everywhere.
Scattered books, overturned food.
All of this was enough to tell Stelle and the others that before the people of the Grove of Epiphany left, they had likely encountered something...