"Friend of the Astral Express. Could it be that the one who drew the Aeon's gaze… from a trash can… was you?" Jing Yuan looked at Stelle with disbelief.
"Heh heh, isn't it super cool?" Stelle folded her arms, smug and triumphant.
"Hm." Jing Yuan fell silent for a second.
"Ha, what an amusing one," Feixiao remarked with little concern, her interest clearly piqued by this seemingly oblivious girl.
Yukong stood beside Qingni and Fu Xuan, utterly lost. She had no idea why the General had summoned her only to set her aside.
But to learn that the Trailblazer had become an Emanator of Elation shocked her nonetheless. And coupled with the matter of the Curio Trash Cans—rumors of which she had heard—she chose to stay quiet and watch Stelle carefully.
"When you opened that trash can, did you sense anything unusual?"
"Of course!" Stelle declared with grave seriousness.
"Oh?"
An anomaly? This could be a major discovery—perhaps the key to unraveling that mysterious shopkeeper.
Everyone held their breath, their gazes fixed on Stelle, yearning for a crucial clue.
"From the very start, I felt something was very strange."
She folded her arms, shut her eyes, and furrowed her brows deeply, as though the oddity was a fishbone stuck in her throat, impossible to ignore.
"That trash can had no trash inside!"
"Huh?"
The unexpected answer hit everyone like a sneak attack.
Jing Yuan drew a deep breath. Fu Xuan pinched the bridge of her nose. Feixiao's eye twitched. Yukong stayed silent. Qingni was struck dumb.
Stelle had pulled the fishbone from her throat and shoved it straight into everyone else's.
Words failed them. Only their eyes could express the sentiment condensed into four characters:
Are you serious?!
What on earth are you even saying?!
"Don't you find it strange?" Stelle looked at them matter-of-factly. "A trash can with no trash is like a pilot going to war without a starskiff. And after opening it, the trash can disappeared, and then Aha glanced at me."
"I asked, 'What are you looking at?' Aha said nothing, bolted on the spot, and left behind a bit of power as protection money. Isn't that awesome?" Stelle puffed out her chest in pride.
"But awesome or not, we can't let that shopkeeper off the hook. This is clearly selling counterfeit goods and should carry criminal liability."
"The Trailblazer… truly has lived through extraordinary things," Jing Yuan muttered, feeling that his scholarly training was insufficient for this.
When it came to the Trailblazer, he could only say: he had nothing to say.
But staking the name of Arbiter-General, he forced his mind's gears to grind, discarded the useless chatter, and reached the conclusion.
The Trailblazer had indeed received the Aeon of Elation's gaze, and inherited a measure of THEIR power.
As for the Astral Express being cuckolded by Paths… Jing Yuan had no intention of dwelling on such headaches.
The Xianzhou already had enough troubles. Let Akivili worry about that.
What? Akivili no longer needed to worry, since THEY had long perished? Then so be it—one less worry.
"Trailblazer, in visiting the Xianzhou, we have intruded upon your leisure. I feel deeply apologetic. As for the trash can shop, we will see it properly dealt with. Now that matters are clear, we will not trouble you further. Please, enjoy your tour at leisure."
"Huh? That's it? But I think—"
"Qingque!" Fu Xuan's crisp voice rang out suddenly.
"Yes, Master Diviner? What are your orders?"
"I grant you exemption from overtime. Escort the Trailblazer at once and let her explore freely."
"Understood! Mission guaranteed!" Qingque's face lit up with unfeigned joy.
Oh yeah! Off work early, no late-night slog with the superiors!
"Trailblazer, come, come, let's go to Aurum Alley for dinner. A new shop just opened there. Ever heard of Blazing Mung Bean Soda? It's their signature item—we've got to try it! Supposedly brewed with fresh mint—"
As Qingque described the recipe, Stelle's eyes sparkled like stars.
"Amazing!"
Truly amazing—this recipe was trashier than trash itself!
Absolutely worth collecting. A must-have!
"This Trailblazer is… delightfully odd," Feixiao said, stroking her fine chin, helpless but amused.
"Let's return to business."
By now, Fu Xuan had lost count of how many times she had spoken those words. Hours had passed, but it felt like days of fatigue.
"Yukong. Qingni." Jing Yuan summoned the two forward.
They approached his desk and noticed two items atop it: one, a strange arrowhead fashioned from bone; the other, unmistakably [Zafkiel's Sixth Bullet – Vav].
"General, you returned to the Luofu ahead of schedule… for these?"
"Indeed," Jing Yuan nodded. "You know not the full story. To mask the truth, Fu Xuan—"
He revealed the matter of [Imagine Breaker]. Yukong and Qingni were stunned.
That such an unassuming bone arrow could harbor such a world-shattering power—it defied imagination.
Even Emanators paled in comparison.
Its only drawback: the user would forever be barred from stepping onto any Path again.
For seekers of strength, especially those of the Xianzhou, whose devotion to The Hunt was carved into their very bones, this was a bitter pill.
From childhood they had been steeped in the presence of The Hunt, reaffirmed through each calamity survived. To abandon that Path entirely…
Yukong and Qingni both fell into heavy silence.
"Its blessings and curses are now plain. I know this matter is grave and cannot be forced. Yet precisely because it is grave, there is no better candidate. The conditions for wielding it are extremely strict—not only strength, but complete loyalty to the Xianzhou. Qingni, this artifact will seal your Path. You must weigh it carefully."
Startled by such a burden, Qingni glanced at her mother.
Yukong's gaze was gentle. "Do not fear. This is a great power, but it merely changes the way you live. You are still Qingni, my child, the Xianzhou's pilot. That will never change."
Qingni closed her eyes to think. Truly, as her mother said.
Her fear was not only of losing her Path—it was of the responsibility that came with this power.
Strength beyond even an Emanator, a weight not even the Arbiter-General bore—would she falter?
No. The Xianzhou never falters.
Her eyes opened, bright with resolve. "I accept. Whatever becomes of my Path, I'll remain a pilot of the Xianzhou. In the skies, no starskiff lacking courage will ever remain."
Feixiao and Yukong exchanged glances, reading the same thought in each other's eyes—just like we once were.
They shared a wry smile.
Fu Xuan handed over [Imagine Breaker]. "Open the box, and take up the bone arrow."
Qingni obeyed. The moment her right hand touched it, the arrow warped, emitted no light, and vanished. No one sensed its passing—it was as though it had never existed.
The room froze in doubt.
"I will conduct the test," Fu Xuan declared.
Jing Yuan nodded. None more suited than her. The others resumed their seats to observe.
The results would decide the price the Xianzhou must pay—and what future they could secure.
Fu Xuan formed hand seals, chanting: "Unshakable truth."
A vast violet array, the Matrix of Prescience Ultima, rose to envelop her and Qingni. It would redirect over sixty percent of Qingni's damage onto Fu Xuan herself—an essential safeguard.
"Are you prepared?" Fu Xuan asked, readying the first strike.
But Qingni objected. "Master Diviner… I feel nothing from the matrix."
"Hm?" All looked at each other.
Had it already taken effect?
Fu Xuan frowned in thought. "Then, touch the array—with your right hand."
Qingni obeyed. At her touch, the array shattered.
Fu Xuan felt it vividly: the matrix's formation suddenly missing a piece. The trigrams fell into chaos, beyond her ability to mend. The power of the Path surged wildly, refusing to fill the void, as though that place did not exist—excluded from the very order of heaven and earth.
Within the collapsing formation, Fu Xuan's eyes widened. This was beyond her predictions.
Feixiao, Jing Yuan, and Yukong all rose to their feet, speechless.
The five-stage test they had prepared was rendered useless. The trial was over before it began.
Calming herself, Fu Xuan delivered the verdict. "This ability is terrifying. It does not simply oppose the power of the Path. I once thought it would be another force, contending with mine, perhaps prevailing, but ultimately able to be resisted with enough strength."
She sighed, her gaze solemn. "But I was completely wrong. Qingni's right hand is a void unrecognized by the laws of order. The cosmos' balance itself collapses around it. The matrix cannot be sustained."
"In simple terms—the power of the Path has no basis for resistance at all!"
"Inconceivable!" Feixiao exclaimed.
Jing Yuan pressed Qingni directly. "Qingni, did you glean some technique from this?"
Qingni shook her head. "I did nothing. I merely touched it with my right hand."
"Reignbow Arbiter above…" Jing Yuan murmured in awe.
No techniques, no effort—yet the Path itself yielded.
The shattering of the matrix had shown them what "effortless" truly meant.
In that moment, all were certain of their prior suspicion: the shopkeeper Sylvester was no ordinary man.
Even if the guess of Elation's involvement was mistaken, his standing far surpassed any Emanator.
He had no Path—but he almost certainly possessed some undefined, extraordinary power akin to [Imagine Breaker].
This man was too important. The Xianzhou must approach him with the greatest sincerity.
"Report!" Qingzu rushed back from outside, panting. "Confirmation just arrived—half an hour ago, large numbers of Interastral Peace Corporation agents left Aurum Alley."
"So soon?!"
The Seat of Divine Foresight was instantly tense.
"Damn it—by the time we push the statute through, it will already be too late. The Interastral Peace Corporation may already be buying up every trash can."
Jing Yuan's expression darkened. "Their hand moves swiftly indeed."
Fu Xuan felt bitter regret. She knew Sylvester still held several golden-purple trash cans. If only she had bought them all earlier, everything would be solved.
But there was no medicine for regret.
No time to waste!
"I'll go to Exalting Sanctum at once, to stall them if I can. General, summon the Six Charioteers and amend the statute!" Fu Xuan signed the prepared document, then departed without delay.
"I'm going with you!" Feixiao leapt down from the dais, eager to meet this peculiar shopkeeper for herself, and departed alongside Fu Xuan.