Yanqing pulled out his Jade Abacus immediately, preparing to record the upcoming cutscene.
Kafka continued, "So, the answer is quite interesting: the Stellaron Hunters appearing here, Blade being captured, and me being led into this Matrix of Prescienceit was all to bring you, the Astral Express, to the Xianzhou."
"In the future Elio has chosen, the power of [The Hunt] is indispensable. To that end, you had to establish a connection with the Alliance..."
"That's why I had to lure you here. I needed you to directly contact the General of the Luofu and help them resolve the Stellaron crisis, leaving the Alliance in your debt."
"This way, in the distant future, at the most critical moment, the Xianzhou will lend you their strength."
Jing Yuan fell into deep thought after hearing this dialogue. He looked at Stelle with a different gaze, as if staring at a rare treasure, making the girl feel quite self-conscious.
Suddenly, the cutscene shifted. A golden silhouette appeared behind Kafkait was Nanook, the Aeon of [Destruction]!
Against this backdrop, Kafka revealed even more vital information!
"Elio didn't give me all the critical details. The possibilities of the future are endless; knowing the right thing at the wrong time could turn all our long-standing efforts into nothing."
"As for the future, I can only tell you one thing: in the best and worst of those futures, you will eventually face Nanook of [Destruction]. When that time comes, you will need all the help you can get, because that will be a brutal war on the level of the Aeons."
"That is a level beyond what you, I, or the Astral Express can reach. In the vast majority of futures, destiny ends at that moment. But if we follow Elio's [Script], there will eventually be a glimmer of hope."
"...Did you know? Even an [Aeon] can be killed."
The moment those words were spoken, Jingliu, who had been silent, suddenly raised her head. The black silk covering her eyes turned to ash and drifted away. Her crimson pupils locked onto Kafka.
"Is your ultimate goal also to kill an [Aeon]?"
Silver Wolf, ever the one to stir the pot, piped up, "You want to kill an Aeon too? What a coincidence, so do we! It turns out we're all like-minded friends!"
"Why don't they stop fighting? Everyone should just sit down and add each other as game friends. We can see how this story ends and how we're going to take down an Aeon together."
Silver Wolf's dry humor left everyone on the scene awkwardly frozen, as if a mass silence aura had been cast over the room! March 7th was so embarrassed she could only look at the sky, pretending to be distracted.
"Are they still not done fighting?"
...
In the livestream, Guinaifen and Sushang stared with wide eyes and open mouths, looking utterly dumbfounded. Over a hundred thousand viewers were witnessing this moment together!
"Is this something I'm even allowed to watch?"
"I knew interrogating Kafka would leak secrets, but I didn't expect her to just spill everything!"
"Great, now the whole universe knows the script for the future."
"I can already see the final chapterthe Trailblazer holding their hands to the sky: 'All my friends in the universe, lend me your strength!'"
"Holy crap! I feel like I'm ready for that right now!"
While everyone was buzzing about the plot, the cutscene wasn't over. Kafka had more major revelations!
To be precise, it was Yu Ling who was dropping these bombshells! If Yu Ling hadn't turned these experiences into a game plot, so many players would never have seen this!
"Long of [The Permanence], Idrila of [The Beauty], Ena of [The Order], Tayzzyronth of [The Propagation], and... Akivili of [The Trailblaze]."
"These were all names that once echoed throughout the cosmos. Now, they have all vanished, leaving behind only masterless Paths."
"As far as humanity knows, there are three ways an [Aeon] can fall."
"First, a collision between Paths with overlapping concepts. The broader Path will assimilate the narrower onethat is how Ena of [The Order] was assimilated by Xipe of [The Harmony]."
"Second, a war between the Aeons themselves. The stronger side will eliminate the weakerthat was the fall of Tayzzyronth of [The Propagation]. It is also what the Xianzhou Alliance, led by [The Hunt], seeks to achieve as they travel the stars to purge the abominations of [The Abundance]..."
"...It is their ultimate goal."
[Why does the Xianzhou want to kill [The Abundance]?]
[How did Tayzzyronth die?]
[What about Akivili? Did He die at the hands of another Aeon?]
These three questions were undoubtedly heavy hitters!
Regarding "Why the Xianzhou wants to kill [The Abundance]," Guinaifen, though an outworlder, knew some of the reasons. Just looking at the Mara-struck and the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus in the game was enough to understand.
As for the second Aeon of [The Propagation], there hadn't been much plot related to him yet, so the interest wasn't as high. Thus, she chose the third option.
[What about Akivili? Did He die at the hands of another Aeon?]
"I don't know. Akivili's disappearance is very mysterious. Perhaps only Nous (the Aeon of [Erudition]) can answer that. After all, that machine-head knows everything."
[What is the third way?]
Guinaifen clicked the new dialogue option with a slight tremble. An Aeon! They were actually discussing how to kill a god! Such a "rebellious" and "blasphemous" plot could only appear in this game!
However, the question went unanswered.
Kafka suddenly said, "...Wait a moment. The time should be just about right."
"Oh, it's starting!"
In the center of the Xianzhou, that section of tree root began to swell. Billowing white smoke erupted as the tip shot upward at high speed, as if trying to pierce the very dome of the ship! Branches split off from the trunk, and golden leaves unfurled.
At the same time, Kafka freed herself from her restraints and walked toward the edge of the Matrix of Prescience. Stelle rushed to catch her, but Blade dropped from the sky, blocking her path...
"Let's go, Blade."
"We still have two more places to go."
Kafka turned around, falling backward like an actor taking their final bow. Blade followed immediately after.
"Yu Ling, you really dare to write this! First you expose the secrets of the Aeons, and now the Ambrosial Arbor is sprouting in the story?"
"I don't respect anyone but this game developer!"
"A few days of game plot have been more exciting than half my life!"
"I'm going to buy a few insurance policies before the Ambrosial Arbor actually sprouts!"
"By the way... do you guys really think the tree will be reborn? I feel like Yu Ling made this part too exaggerated. It was adapted for dramatic effect, right?"
"I agree. In reality, how could something so heaven-defying happen?"
"It's too much! If it actually happens, I'll gift everyone in this livestream a 648 top-up pack!"
"Are you guys professional haters or what? From the beginning till now, which 'big scene' in Honkai: Star Rail hasn't corresponded to reality? You actually doubt the Great Yu Ling?"
"I've remembered the guy who promised the 648s!"
"Don't play dead when the facts come out!"
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