["Those of our Xianzhou kin who narrowly survived the wars succumbed to the affliction of longevity known as Mara."]
["Had it not been for the fortunate guidance and protection of the Reignbow Arbiter, the Xianzhou Alliance would have long ceased to exist."]
[Behind this seemingly splendid gift of longevity lies an abyss of endless blood and tears. Jing Yuan's eyes lowered slightly as he sighed, "Now that the story has reached this point, everyone should understand what kind of catastrophe the rebirth of the Ambrosial Arbor will bring, shouldn't they?"]
Japan, Shinjuku Ward, Takamagahara.
The night was well past its midpoint, and the table was littered with empty cups and plates. The chubby woman hosting the gathering and her best friend had already fallen into a deep sleep. Only Caesar and Chu Zihang remained awake in the private room. Caesar poured the last half-glass of sparkling wine into his mouth, the ice cubes barely stimulating his increasingly drowsy mind.
"So, it seems longevity isn't exactly a good thing."
"No, I think it's quite nice. Even if it ultimately leads to Mara, longevity is still a decent blessing," Chu Zihang said suddenly.
"Someone like you would definitely be the top enforcer for the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus on the Xianzhou."
"The pursuit of longevity isn't uncommon in our country's history. There are plenty of records in books, like The Book of Changes and the Alchemical Contract… It's an ancient text from 200 AD detailing alchemy, describing methods to extract the 'Taiyi' from the natural world. Many emperors in later generations followed it, seeking immortality."
"Did they succeed?"
"Of course they failed, unless the emperor was a pureblood Dragon Clan member—but that's not my point. My point is that those who sought longevity in ancient times shared a common trait."
Chu Zihang continued, expressionless, "The so-called 'longevity'… has always been a privilege for the very few, not a benefit available to the masses."
"Take hybrids, for example: Hybrids don't get sick, they live longer, and they have greater strength. You could even say this is a more perfect human form—but imagine if, overnight, every human in the world became a hybrid. Can you picture what the world would become?"
"…Probably the apocalypse by the next day," Caesar muttered.
"Exactly. When a specific group exceeds a certain proportion in society, it crosses a population threshold, triggering disasters… That's the origin of the Xianzhou's population explosion and resource scarcity crisis."
Chu Zihang went on, "If, from the very beginning, the Xianzhou's emperor had tightly controlled the fruits of the Ambrosial Arbor, limiting access to the royal family and a select few nobles, it could have prevented a lot of unnecessary disasters."
Caesar perked up a bit, nodding. "Indeed, the divine fruit of Xianzhou's longevity is like the discovery of the first-generation hybrids by our ancestors. The difference is that the former was distributed to the masses, while the latter was deliberately kept within a small group, passed down only among the elite. That's why, even after thousands of years, the hybrid population threshold has never been breached."
——
[Having resolved their doubts with Jing Yuan, the Astral Express crew prepared to set off.]
[Before leaving, Stelle took a moment to say goodbye to Fu Xuan, informing her about Kafka's escape.]
["This was within my expectations," Fu Xuan said, unsurprised, shaking her head lightly. "Chasing her would be a waste of effort. The Matrix of Prescience Ultima has revealed Kafka's innocence to me. Right now, the priority is dealing with the Ambrosial Arbor."]
["Ever since the Stellaron began its erosion, aside from the physicians dispatched to other caverns, no one from the Alchemy Commission has reported back. That place is closest to the Ambrosial Arbor, so I fear the situation there is already dire."]
[To reach the Ambrosial Arbor, they first had to pass through the Artisanship Commission and the Alchemy Commission. At Fu Xuan's urging, the group immediately boarded a starskiff and headed for the Artisanship Commission's cavern.]
[Upon arriving at the Artisanship Commission and disembarking from the starskiff, they saw a crowd of artisans gathered at the entrance.]
["Huh?" Tingyun said, visibly surprised. "The Artisanship Commission's cavern shut down long ago due to the Stellaron's erosion. Why haven't these people taken starskiffs to the safety zone?"]
["Maybe the Artisanship Commission is just that dedicated to their work? Compare that to the diviners at the Divination Commission—talk about no comparison, no gap…" March 7th quipped.]
["It's work, after all. They rely on it to survive. The adult world… heh, there's no such thing as 'easy,'" Welt remarked.]
["The way you talk, Uncle Yang, like you've been through it all…" March 7th couldn't help but wonder what kind of experiences Welt had lived through.]
"Haha… If March 7th knew that the 'Uncle Yang' she's so curious about is currently slaving away at an animation company, working overtime to meet project deadlines, I wonder what kind of expression she'd have?"
Himeko let out a soft laugh over the phone.
"Watching the near-omnipotent Uncle Yang scribbling furiously to meet deadlines… heh, that'd be quite a sight, wouldn't it?"
"Didn't I just say? The adult world has no 'easy' in it," Welt shot back, unfazed. "What? Is your work at the academy all that easy?"
"…" A timely silence came from the other end of the line.
Going on missions every few days, looking after Kiana, Mei, and the others—Himeko had somehow developed a resistance to coffee without realizing it.
The simple word "work" encapsulated the fate of countless adults.
——
["In times like these, is there any path that's truly easy?" Tingyun gave a faint smile. "Everyone, look—the Artisanship Commission is full of workshops crafting ingenious mechanisms and inventive artisans pouring their hearts into innovation."]
["Their tradition is to cause a few mishaps every now and then—either making entire pavilions disappear into thin air or dealing with rebellious automatons."]
["My dear benefactors, you'd best be careful. From what I can tell, something big must have gone wrong in there, leaving these artisans too scared to go inside but with nowhere to escape."]
Teyvat, Mt. Aocang.
"As expected, the moment 'ingenious mechanisms' and 'automatons' were mentioned, Cloud Retainer craned her neck, practically wanting to stick her head into the screen to investigate, haha…"
"Tch, what's the big deal? The Xianzhou's mechanical arts are quite intricate and sophisticated. This immortal has always been fond of such things—what's wrong with taking a closer look? I'll own it openly."
The qipao-clad woman with a high ponytail pushed up her half-rimmed glasses. "…Speaking of which, Mountain Shaper, you old coot, aren't you interested in talismans? When Fu Xuan activated the Matrix of Prescience Ultima, why didn't you use your immortal arts to copy down those talismans?"
"Oh, you mean those faintly visible talismans? It's not that this immortal is lazy, but the talismans inscribed on it are incredibly complex and difficult to decipher. Studying just one wouldn't mean much unless I could copy and study the entire Matrix's talismans…"
"With that kind of time, wouldn't it be better for this immortal to join you two at Mt. Aocang for tea and a chat?"