Elysia had expected Noldrei to launch into a long-winded speech, or perhaps offer up some profound, inscrutable wisdom.
But she never, ever imagined that Noldrei would say something that sounded exactly like a confession.
It was just like he was deliberately trying to lead the poor girl on.
She had already been emotionally beaten down, and then the very person who did it suddenly pulled a 180 and delivered a speech that sounded like a declaration of love.
Master Diviner Fu was a proper young lady, after all. How was she supposed to withstand a classic move like that?
It was enough to make Fu Xuan run off in a flustered mess. Elysia just wondered if she'd left her two-hundred-year-old maiden heart behind in her haste.
"I'm telling you, Leader, didn't we come out here to explore the universe and observe things? The way you're carrying on, I thought your plan was to sow your wild oats across the cosmos. What happens if Master Diviner Fu falls for you now? Are we supposed to wait for her to come find you on Earth in a cosmic warship?"
Elysia felt Noldrei's behavior was completely out of line.
Fu Xuan had just been asking for his thoughts on fate; she hadn't shown up on his doorstep to be romanced.
Noldrei's speech hadn't even been finished, and Fu Xuan had run off without hearing the rest of it.
He was utterly exasperated. "It wasn't my intention," he explained to Elysia. "No matter who asked me that question, my answer would have been the same. Fate without life has no value, nor is it worthy of my attention."
"Without strong interpersonal connections, it isn't what one would call 'fate.' It's merely the interaction of matter. It's a natural force of the universe, like a tool, unworthy of being imbued with the emotions of the living."
"Human emotions are inextricably linked to fate. Only the beings who can reach deep into your heart, who can move you, who can make you feel joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—their existence is your true fate."
"Fu Xuan asked me what fate is. To me, the very fact that she, as a living individual, can make me happy or angry means she is already a part of my fate."
"Unfortunately…"
Noldrei collapsed onto the sofa in resignation. He hadn't even finished speaking before Fu Xuan bolted.
"It seems Fu Xuan has misunderstood things quite badly."
Elysia and Senti exchanged a look, and both saw the sheer speechlessness in the other's eyes.
They were certain this was a problem of Noldrei's own making. If he hadn't said something so intimate, he wouldn't have scared Fu Xuan off. For all they knew, she was already entertaining ideas she shouldn't be.
"Alright, let's say you're right. What now?"
Elysia was the one staying behind to help, and she had no desire to deal with a Master Diviner who was constantly beating around the bush and asking her strange questions.
"Am I supposed to go tell Fu Xuan, 'Hey, he didn't mean it like that, so you can just give up now'? That's just cruel! By doing this, you're showing a complete disregard for a girl's delicate feelings!"
Elysia launched into a tirade against Noldrei. His actions had completely twisted the nature of Fu Xuan's feelings.
Noldrei seemed to realize that his actions might have had some unintended negative consequences.
After a moment's thought, he said, "How about I leave the Xianzhou immediately? Give it some time, we won't be in contact, and the feelings will probably fade."
This time, even Senti couldn't hold back anymore. She stared at Noldrei in shock, unable to believe he could say something like that.
Noldrei elaborated, "We're all people who have lived for many years. Emotional problems like this are non-issues. Look at the people of the Xianzhou; who knows how many times they've fallen in love in their lifetimes. They'll surely forget a little thing like this quickly."
Elysia was at a loss for words, unable to find a way to refute his logic.
Based on her observations, many Xianzhou natives were indeed like that. Some even became virtual monks after having one or two relationships and raising children, simply because maintaining a bond for hundreds or thousands of years was far too troublesome.
This was one of the reasons Noldrei referred to the Xianzhou people as a long-life species with a short-lived mentality.
They had failed to create new models for relationships like love or marriage. Their extended lifespans had eroded the emotional bonds of the old era, but they hadn't developed the ability to build new, sustainable relationships.
They were even worse off than the new relationship model Noldrei proposed, where partners held mutual ownership over each other.
The thought that Earth was currently experimenting with this new concept of love and marriage from Noldrei sent a shiver of danger down Elysia's spine.
Wouldn't that lead to some kind of fierce conflict?
Senti's take was much simpler. She said disdainfully, "Isn't that just the classic scumbag move?"
Noldrei gave her a weary look. "Then I can just turn into a woman, can't I?"
That shut Senti down completely. Her brain took a moment to process what Noldrei had just said.
"Is this really a question of being a man or a woman?!" she asked, aghast.
Noldrei replied calmly, "From what I've seen, Fu Xuan is rather conservative. She doesn't seem like the type to be interested in women."
Elysia pressed a hand to her forehead. Their leader was truly ice-cold when it came to matters like this.
He certainly knew exactly how to sever an ambiguous connection.
"You… Fine, whatever. We'll talk about this later. Xianzhou people live long lives; we're bound to see how this plays out one day."
Elysia decided to throw in the towel as well and stop thinking about such complicated matters.
She wasn't a matchmaker, nor was it her job to manage her leader's love life.
"It was never a big deal to begin with. We'll deal with the future when it comes. Besides, Fu Xuan might not be able to let go of the Xianzhou anyway. Human emotions come and go quickly. There are far more important things in this world than a one-sided relationship like love."
Noldrei still had grand ambitions for the future. His all-consuming anti-proliferationist ideology had yet to even get off the ground; how could he possibly stop here?
"Even if Fu Xuan did have such feelings, she would have to live long enough to keep up with me first. With the Mara-Struck condition and the 'short-life' curse from the Abundance, she isn't even qualified to stand with me on the future battlefield of my cause."
As Noldrei spoke, there was even a hint of pity in his voice.
"Elysia, even if I were to form a marital bond with a MANTIS, I would never do so with a 'short-lived' Xianzhou native. Their bodies are far too fragile."
"You could also say that the vital force of their life—their longevity—is being held hostage by the Aeon of Abundance."
"A civilization like the Xianzhou is simply not fit to be compared with the future of the universe."
"Elysia, even if I did have some surplus emotion for Fu Xuan, it would be more pity than anything else right now. Are you suggesting I accompany her for a few hundred years, only to watch her finally succumb to the Mara?"
As things stood, Noldrei truly had no way to solve the Xianzhou natives' problem. He hailed from a material universe, a world that lacked concepts like Honkai and Imaginary Energy.
Even if he were to modify Fu Xuan's body now, she would only be corrupted once more by the power of the Abundance.