Xin Yu waited for quite a while before Stelle came running over with a pile of documents. Seeing her hand him the entire stack, Xin Yu paused for a moment, wondering how the Abominations of Abundance had so many members. Had the Xianzhou Luofu been completely hollowed out?
"Jing Yuan is a tough one to fool," Stelle began. "I tried to get the list of Abomination members from him, and it was going fine at first. But when he found out I wanted evidence to prove the list's authenticity, his whole expression changed. He started changing the subject and trying to probe my intentions."
"Given the situation at the time, if I couldn't give him a good enough reason, there was no way General Jing Yuan would just hand over the intel and proof so easily. I thought about it, and figured that if you successfully changed the past, this future point in time would change accordingly. So, I quietly told him—and only him—about you. After he learned of your existence and your abilities, he was shocked at first. But he calmed down quickly and just handed me all this stuff to give to his past self. Oh, and he gave me this token for you to take back too. He said with this, you'll be able to get a direct audience with him."
Stelle rapidly recounted the whole affair, handed everything in her arms over to Xin Yu, and then waved her hand with a grin. "You absolutely have to show that video I took to the past version of me! This is a lifelong request!"
"...If a normal person got the chance to talk to or pass information to their past self, they'd definitely send something that would let them change the future, fix regrets, or make a fortune—something of immense benefit... You, on the other hand, even when sending a message to your past self, have to be this goofy."
Thinking of the short video Stelle had filmed earlier, Xin Yu couldn't help but sigh. Her personality was truly impossible to pin down.
"What do you mean? How is this not making up for a past regret?"
"...You have far too many regrets, don't you?"
"Haha! That's just how it is! People always regret the little things. Like having one meal for lunch, only to regret not tasting another dish. Or like staying up too late, messing up the next day's schedule, and then regretting not sleeping earlier."
"Endlessly repeating a cycle of regret and compensation will only trap you in a spiral of contradictions, unable to move forward..."
"Cherish the present. Don't always be regretting the past and trying to change it. Don't be so lost about the future that you're frozen with indecision, unwilling to move forward. In this life, we persist for those little things we desire, for those little things that bring us joy, don't we?"
"Live in the moment, my friend! Ahahaha!"
"It's getting late, I'm off to live in the moment! Let's see where all the trash cans on the Luofu are hiding!"
Xin Yu watched as Stelle skipped away like a child. He recalled the words she had just spoken... she was truly an enigma. It always felt like everything she did was perfectly reasonable in its own way.
So carefree. Truly carefree.
Still, why did he have the nagging feeling that something was off about her just now, yet he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was?
Xin Yu vanished from the spot, returning to the recent past.
General Jing Yuan was in the middle of dealing with the mountain of problems that had erupted due to the revival of the Ambrosial Arbor and the chaos caused by the Abominations of Abundance. He was completely overwhelmed when a Cloud Knight from the outer guard came in to report that someone bearing the general's token had arrived.
Jing Yuan froze for a moment, glancing at the token sitting on his desk, which he was using as a paperweight.
"How interesting. Show this friend in."
Jing Yuan saw a suspicious figure enter, dressed entirely in grey robes, their face obscured by a grey hood. He waved his hand to dismiss the accompanying Cloud Knight escort, showing no fear that this might be an assassin. He walked over and stood before the dubious individual with a smile. "My friend, I hear you have a token I gifted you? But my token is sitting right here with me. Where, might I ask, did yours come from?"
"The future," the person said, their voice indistinct. A large stack of papers, along with a token that looked utterly familiar to Jing Yuan, materialized in their hands.
Jing Yuan frowned. He picked up the token and examined it for a long while. He found that every detail, including the unique marks he had inscribed on it himself, was a perfect match. Even the feel of it was identical.
Recalling the person's words, Jing Yuan thought of an Aeon who existed only in legends.
Without further hesitation, Jing Yuan accepted the documents. He casually flipped through the first few pages, but the deeper he read, the deeper his brow furrowed, his expression growing ever more solemn. When he reached the final page, which contained a secret message that only he could understand, he let out a long sigh.
He looked at the mysterious person still standing before him and, after a long moment of hesitation, spoke.
"Sir, this kindness is something I, Jing Yuan, will forever remember. If you are willing to trust me, please leave some information or an address. Once these matters are settled, I will be sure to pay a visit with a generous gift to express my gratitude."
"There is no need for thanks. It is enough that you can guide the Luofu through this crisis with minimal cost..."
Just as the mysterious person was about to leave, Jing Yuan called out to them again. A look of pain and struggle crossed the general's face, but in the end, he let out a faint sigh and bowed deeply to the figure. "Sir, if you have truly come from the future, does that mean you can also travel to the more distant past?"
"Oh? Do you also have a past that you feel you must change?"
"Everyone has a past they wish to change. But to alter the past would mean a drastic rewrite of current history. The price to be paid for that would surely be something that neither I, nor even the entire Xianzhou, could possibly bear... I just... want to see old friends from the past again."
The figure silently regarded Jing Yuan for a long while before extending a hand.
"Time and place. Since you wish to see them, then go and see them with your own eyes."
"...Thank you, Sir!"
"Jing Yuan! Are the Galaxy Rangers really that fascinating? So much so that you want to leave the Xianzhou to chase after them?"
"Hah! Of course! To roam the sea of stars freely, delivering justice, and vanquishing evil—how could one not be drawn to that?"
"Dan Feng! Smile! You look so much better when you smile, why do you always wear such a sour face!"
"Baiheng, we are drinking tea, not wine."
"Heehee! Tea in place of wine, tea in place of wine! Jingliu, don't just sit there drinking tea without saying a word!"
"You... your personality is always so lively."
"Hm?"
"What is it?"
"No, it's just... I felt as if someone was watching us from the crowd just now."
"Hah, who in this world doesn't know the name of the High-Cloud Quintet? It's perfectly normal to be watched."
"You're right... but why did I feel that the gaze just now was laden with so many complex emotions?"