There were those who had secretly accepted commissions from the Antimatter Legion to develop highly efficient weapons of destruction, damaging Shenxiao Space City's reputation in the process.
Others had been involved with the Abominations of Abundance, prompting the Xianzhou Cloud Knights to come knocking and negotiate their arrest across jurisdictional boundaries.
And then there were those who had attempted to steal the branch of the Ambrosial Arbor gifted to Shenxiao Space City by the Xianzhou Alliance.
...
It was an absolute circus of villains and scoundrels. Lin Yi had never imagined that a perfectly respectable academic sanctuary could be ruined to such an extent.
Dongfang Qiqing had even uncovered three spies secretly planted by the Interastral Peace Corporation.
The three hadn't actually done anything. In fact, the IPC might never activate them at all. Until the day they received orders, they would continue presenting themselves as Lin Yi's most loyal supporters.
As for how she'd discovered them...
Simple. Anyone qualified to enter Shenxiao Space City was undoubtedly among the elite of the outside world. And the higher one climbed, the smaller those elite circles became.
"Huh? Second Uncle? What are you doing here?!"
In the end, Dongfang Qiqing had quite happily put righteousness before family loyalty—and even taken the opportunity to kick her relatives while they were down.
She hadn't deported the three spies back to the IPC, though. If she sent them away, the Corporation would simply dispatch replacements in secret. Better to keep known spies in plain sight than have unknown ones lurking in the shadows.
Besides, the three wouldn't go around announcing that their cover had been blown. They had no desire to be held accountable by the IPC.
What? What if they were exceptionally responsible employees?
Oh, please. Did anyone seriously believe that a massive capitalist conglomerate like the IPC was full of people willing to sacrifice their own interests for the good of the company?
Even if such people existed, they would never climb to positions that high.
At the very least, these three elites certainly weren't that sort.
Dongfang Qiqing: They're my own relatives. You think I don't know what they're like?
Meanwhile, the cloud beast Dongfang Qiqing had been raising had finally developed a physical form. It was a skylark with brilliantly colored plumage, its entire body a striking golden-red reminiscent of crimson clouds at sunset.
Its form was still unstable, however, and it remained rather small. At most, it could carry a Cake Cat around for a little joyride. Asking it to carry a person would be downright ridiculous.
All the newly acquired Light Cones had also been categorized and installed in the Corridor of Flowing Light.
This time, they'd obtained a total of ten five-star Light Cones.
Five-Star Light Cones — 10
"Clashing with a God" — Lin Yi unfolds his phase and engages in a direct clash of energy with an arrow of light.
"A Sky Ablaze with Color" — Lan fires countless arrows of light across the heavens in pursuit of Aha.
"The Hammer of Creation" — Qlipoth's magnificent figure as THEY swing THEIR enormous hammer.
"When Harmony Descends" — A split composition. On one side, the real Robin sings a hymn of Harmony. On the other, an illusory Sunday raises his hands, conducting an orchestra that doesn't exist. Surrounding them are starving refugees with sallow faces and barely enough clothing to cover themselves.
"The Star of Peace" — Kasbelinyat VIII, encircled by celestial rings, forms the backdrop. Dominicus, the Harmonious Choir, conducts the music of Harmony above the planet.
"No More Strife" — Above Dominicus, Robin's figure joins the supplicants in singing their shared wish: One Voice, No More Strife.
"May This World Know No Illness" — In one corner, an illusory scene depicts Lin Yi and the other geniuses researching the Universal Panacea. Above them, Yaoshi, with a thousand hands and a hundred eyes, gazes kindly down at Lin Yi.
"The Script Keeps Getting Torn Up" — A cat scatters scraps of paper across the sky while Kafka pushes open a door, leans against the doorframe, and chuckles softly.
"Withering Thorns" — The thorns growing from Yaoshi's body have begun to wither. All around THEM float objects symbolizing various disasters.
"A Predestined Prophecy" — Terminus descends, uttering incomprehensible whispers while Elio engages THEM in a conversation whose contents no one else can know.
Four-Star Light Cones — 7
"A Special Gift" — Aha laughs aboard the Exceptionally Rare. On the Rainbow Light, Aha tosses down the mask intended as a gift for Zhuxing.
"No More Hesitation" — Boothill drinks Everlasting Fury.
"Friendly Negotiations" — (*)
"Spreading Her Wings" — Sunday's invisible hands transform into wings, lifting Robin into the sky.
"It's All Part of the Script~" — Elio, in the form of a black cat, struggles in Robin's hands.
"Clashing with a Genius" — Polka Kakamond brandishes a scalpel, its sharp point directed straight at Lin Yi.
"Time to Twirl~" — A depiction of the memetic virus spreading through Herta's spinning dolls.
Three-Star Light Cones — 5
"Amber Ships" — Two amber-colored ships restored by Qlipoth.
"Drawing the Boundary" — (...)
"The Brand" — The brains of the surviving people of Autran, imprinted with ideological conditioning.
"Whispers" — An abstract depiction of Terminus.
"Universal Panacea" — Scenes of the Universal Panacea being transported to destinations throughout the universe.
Counting everything they'd obtained since leaving Shenxiao Space City, the number of Light Cones acquired during this expedition was enormous, and their quality was almost absurdly high.
They'd actually obtained more five-star Light Cones than three-star ones!
Absolutely ridiculous.
Still, that was good news. Shenxiao Space City's Corridor of Flowing Light could finally be expanded again.
Unlike the technology employed by the Garden of Recollection, Shenxiao Space City's Corridor of Flowing Light relied on the five-star Light Cones embedded within it as its foundation.
That was why the Light Cones in Shenxiao's corridor were arranged so neatly, rather than being scattered as sparsely as those in the Garden of Recollection.
Such a ridiculously long corridor, and they only have that many Light Cones~
Lin Yi couldn't resist making a little snide remark to himself.
Every additional five-star Light Cone allowed the Corridor of Flowing Light to extend by another meter.
He didn't particularly care whether the three-star and four-star Light Cones were duplicates, but when it came to five-star Light Cones, Lin Yi absolutely refused to use copies of ones he already possessed.
Perhaps that counted as a peculiar form of obsessive-compulsive behavior.
However, a closer look at the artwork on these Light Cones revealed something interesting.
Quite a few of them were related to Robin...
The conclusion was obvious.
Robin was the MVP, while Lin Yi was just a shameless freeloader who'd been carried to victory. (X)
During the three-month period when their timelines had been out of sync, Rappa had also returned home once. She hadn't stayed for long, though, leaving behind several items and a letter before setting off again.
— Rappa's Letter —
Master,
Upon hearing of the calamity that befell you, I was greatly distressed. Fortunately, you emerged unharmed. I returned home over a month ago.
I heard from Zhuxing that you had taken an interest in the Stellaron of Autran. As it happened, your birthday was approaching. Even the Masked God had prepared a gift for you, so how could I possibly remain idle? I have therefore obtained the Stellaron and present it to you.
I also heard that the Jepella Brotherhood has risen from the ashes. Such vile villains appear one after another, impossible to eradicate no matter how often they are struck down. I have now captured their leader and present him to you as well.
Not knowing when you would regain your freedom, I have entrusted these gifts and this letter to Master Kucha.
When I first arrived over a month ago, my heart was heavy with worry. Fortunately, Master Pointed Hat assured me that you were unharmed, and only then was I able to find peace.
However, several days later, I learned that the Ninja Hero had discovered traces of the Evil Ninja Osaru. I once swore an oath before the divine miracle of the Great Lan that I would slay the Evil Ninja Osaru. I had no choice but to depart. I hope you will forgive me, Master.
The difference in the passage of time between the inside and outside was as vast as the gulf between heaven and earth, making communication impossible. Thus, I have resorted to writing this letter.
The Evil Ninja Osaru's movements are difficult to predict. If I lingered, I feared I might lose this precious opportunity. Though I had been away from home for so long and had only just returned, I was forced to depart again without bidding you farewell. I beg your forgiveness, Master.
Your earnest teachings remain as clear in my memory as ever. I shall carry them in my heart and let them guide my every step.
Please take good care of yourself.
(A passage has been crossed out.)
One more thing, Master. Was the technique the Evil Ninja Osaru possesses, which grants sentience to all living things, taught to him by you?
(Another passage has been crossed out.)
Scoundrels! Wretches!
Master, those wicked creatures serving the Evil Ninja Osaru have actually dared to slander you, claiming that you were responsible for the activation of life on Vonwacq!
This is utterly intolerable!
Author's Note
The Light Cones are essentially a way of summarizing previous plot developments. If you think any of their star ratings are unreasonable, or if I've overlooked any scenes that deserve to become Light Cones, feel free to leave a comment.
I could also write individual descriptions for every Light Cone, but that would be far too much padding. A handful would be manageable, but coming up with descriptions for this many would be pretty difficult.