["It's you!?" Jingliu exclaimed in surprise as she recognized the familiar figure clad in white and gold monastic robes, their demeanor poised and elegant.]
[You casually stored away the remains of the Insect Emperor before clasping your hands together in greeting.
"Fancy meeting you again, Miss Jingliu. Fate seems determined to bring us together."]
[Some of the Trailblazers present twitched their lips as if wanting to speak, but were stopped by their companions.
Setting aside how you'd saved their lives, the Disaster-Breeding Monarch had been slain by you—by all rights, the spoils were yours to claim. Though the Trailblazers came in all stripes and included many eccentric characters, their moral standards were generally high.]
[Of course, this was also because in their understanding, the Insect Emperor's remains only posed significant danger in the hands of a Propagation Emanator. After all, what sane being would willingly walk the Path of Insects?]
[Your conversation with Jingliu flowed pleasantly, with Trailblazers occasionally bidding farewell before hurrying off.
Noticing Jingliu's complete lack of concern, you asked curiously: "Your comrades are all leaving. Aren't you going to stop them?"]
[Jingliu waved a hand dismissively.
"This is how we usually operate—I'm used to it. Last time, the only reason we stayed together was because the people of Jarilo-VI were so hospitable. Otherwise, we'd have dispersed that very day."]
[Such was the way of the Trailblazers. Typically, they operated as lone warriors, each pursuing their own missions to punish evil. But when faced with overwhelming malevolence beyond any individual's capacity, they would swiftly unite—regardless of personal sacrifice—to eradicate the threat.]
[After collecting their fallen comrades' remains, these gathered stars of justice would scatter once more, spreading light and hope across the vast cosmos.]
[Soon, not a single Trailblazer remained at the scene.]
["How about grabbing a drink together?"
Jingliu proposed unexpectedly.]
["Gladly." You'd never refuse an invitation from a beauty, especially not when this mission had yielded exactly what you wanted, putting you in excellent spirits.]
[Departing the Darabell Star System, you randomly selected a seemingly prosperous planet nearby and chose a quiet, upscale bar.]
[As you drank freely with Jingliu, the conversation flowed...]
[The next morning, you watched Jingliu's retreating figure with a wry smile.]
[For a lustful devil like yourself to spend an entire night with a stunning woman like Jingliu—doing nothing but drinking and talking—was... so absurd you could hardly believe it yourself.]
[You stroked your chin. Perhaps it was because Jingliu's non-"electrified" personality meshed so well with yours.
And by "meshed," you meant the camaraderie between bros.]
[Free from Mara's influence, Jingliu was straightforward, frank, and heroic—the ultimate "bro" personality.
No, "bro" wasn't quite accurate. More like a soulmate. A red-haired (or in this case, red-eyed) confidante.]
[Last night, you'd had countless opportunities to slip something into Jingliu's drink. Given her favorable impression of you, she likely wouldn't have refused sharing a passionate night.]
[Yet you hadn't done so.]
[Not due to any sudden moral awakening—you still lusted after her—but because you couldn't bring yourself to ruin the unique dynamic between you.
Was this... spiritual pursuit triumphing over physical desire?]
[For the first time, you'd glimpsed the complexity of human nature within yourself. A novel experience indeed.]
[You shrugged it off. Consider it like eating too much fatty meat—sometimes one just craves vegetables for a change of pace.]
[Then you returned to the Xianzhou, summoned Xueyi and Hanyan, and kept them bedridden for three days straight.]
[Patting your Vajra pestle with satisfaction, you nodded. Excellent—your "weapon" remained as sharp as ever.]
[After letting the sisters rest, you began meticulously studying the Insect Emperor's remains.
This time, you didn't even glance at the Monarch's corpse—with a dead Aeon's body, you could skip several steps and directly obtain your desired results.]
[After an indeterminate period, you successfully extracted portions of the 'Life' and 'Reproduction' authorities from the remains.
Had you used the Monarch's corpse, you'd only have stolen some Path of Propagation permissions. But what you sought wasn't Path control—it was the underlying authorities related to Propagation.]
To put it plainly: Path permissions are like corporate control rights, while authorities represent the company's operational nature. Or more directly—what does this company sell? Services? Physical products? An online platform?
In Star Rail terms, authorities equate to philosophical concepts.
When an intelligent being fully masters a series of related philosophical concepts, these highly condensed concepts form a corresponding Path. The being then ascends as an Aeon, gaining complete control over this new Path. (The above represents personal understanding only.)
[Thus, you never intended to become "Destruction 2.0." You wanted the refined 'philosophical concepts'—the authorities—that Nanook had distilled.
These resembled knowledge, but Nanook wasn't exactly the communicative type. Your only option was to kill him first, then extract what you needed from his remains.]
[Your ultimate goal was to collect and refine your own 'philosophical concepts' into a new Path, then ascend as an Aeon.
Normally, mortals stand no chance against Aeons—like a CEO crushing an ordinary person with corporate resources.]
[But if you could freeze most of that CEO's assets and prepare sufficient contingencies... victory became possible.
This was why you seized control of the Destruction Path's permissions.]
[Should Nanook temporarily lose control over the Destruction Path, his power would wane to its weakest point, transforming an impossible battle into a feasible one.]
[Throughout cosmic history, examples of intelligent beings ascending as Aeons typically involved "sudden enlightenment"—their talent and luck were undoubtedly peerless.
You acknowledged lacking such supreme talent or heaven-defying fortune. Thus, you adopted the most laborious method: painstakingly gathering every necessary condition.]
Unyielding determination, supreme execution ability, indomitable willpower, exceptional organizational skills, decisive action, and unwavering focus on your goal...
Solon suddenly felt speechless. It seemed he was born to play the villainous scoundrel.
[After assimilating some of the Insect Emperor's authorities, you left the Xianzhou again to scour the universe for more of its remains.
Coincidentally, the Trailblazers' current mission also involved exterminating the scattered insect swarms.]
[Thus, your encounters with Jingliu grew increasingly frequent.
The two of you kept crossing paths during your travels. Whenever time permitted, you'd pause like long-lost friends, finding a nearby bar to drink and talk until dawn.]
[Your relationship grew ever more intimate, yet neither of you breached that final barrier.]
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