Starry Sky Railway: Opening Performance - Taixu Sword God

Hatonus's gaze was calm.

"You are searching for the direction to move forward."

"There are many questions."

"But before that—this, take it."

Hattonus took out a ring and handed it to Wan Di.

"This is……!"

Wan Di accepted the ring in a daze, seemingly not expecting to touch it again.

"The Blade of the King, the mark of a king, belongs to your mother," Hattonus explained.

"Recasting, repairing... it's up to me."

“But… Mother clearly threw it into the Underworld Sea.” Wan Di was puzzled.

“Hmm.” Hatonus nodded.

“Nicadori, the collapse, and afterwards, the salvage took a long time.”

"We were very lucky."

Wan Di was somewhat moved.

"I can't imagine how much patience and courage it would take to retrieve a tiny signet ring from the Dark Sea."

"I owe you a favor."

"Thank you, but no need," Hatonus shook his head. "I will repay your kindness in saving my life."

"Bring your question with you."

"Speak now."

"..." Now that things have come to this, Wan Di finds it difficult to speak.

But after much hesitation, it finally spoke:

"The fate I've always denied has finally come knocking on my door."

“I should rightfully take over the authority to resolve the conflict.”

"In this way, everyone will be satisfied."

"The Golden Descendants, the Senate, the Suspended Peak Clan, two strangers, and a wandering bard composing poems..."

“But you are still hesitating…” Hattonus asked, “You, young king, why are you hesitating?”

"Because of my people," Wan Di said with a worried expression.

"Men, women, elders, children... the desire to return home is deeply ingrained in the hearts of all people in Xuanfeng, young and old."

"They have been waiting for this day, hoping for the return of the king."

"In this way, the people of conflict can return home and embrace tradition—even if most of them have only heard of that [tradition] in epics."

"Then they can surround the king and go to war."

Hattonus nodded slightly. "This is not a good thing... what do you think..."

Wan Di took a deep breath.

"For the past thousand years, the people of Xuanfeng have lived in a bloody cycle."

"Revenge, conquest, prosperity, decline... In that period of history, how much innocent blood flowed into the River Styx, how many pointless sacrifices could have been avoided?"

"If I were to accept this fate, become a totem of conflict, and lead my people to repeat the same mistakes... I would truly feel fear, fear of [becoming king]..."

"..."

Hattonus gazed at him silently.

"A different kind of Suspended Peak Man, you really are..."

……

the other side,

Beside the Heroes' Bath.

Tibby suddenly sat up in the recliner, "Mommy!"

She was breathing heavily, her expression panicked, as if she were having a nightmare.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Aglaia asked softly.

“…Perhaps.” Tibo’s expression softened when she saw Aglaia beside her.

"It's been so long since we've had a dream."

Aglaia smiled faintly:

"You can rest for a long time now, before we reach the door."

Tibo gently shook her head, "No... our hearts are still pounding."

Seeing her like this, Aglaia smiled slightly and said:

"Perhaps that the rude old soldier with the suspended blade frightened Tinning, and that affected you as well."

“If you are willing, I can rip his chest open with a golden thread right now.”

“Aya…! Stop saying such scary things…”

“That was a joke,” Aglaia smiled. “If necessary, I wouldn’t have waited until now.”

"Would you like to talk about that dream?"

"If one harbors resentment for a long time, it can easily lead to chronic illness."

“…” Tibo lowered her head and muttered:

"We...dreamed about Mom."

"However, the dream itself is nothing... it's just that having a dream at this time for no reason is a little unsettling."

"Do you mean……?"

“It’s Tian.” Tibao said worriedly.

"Tian seemed quite shaken by the battle at the Tree Garden; that black-robed swordsman is not as simple as he appears..."

"Besides, before this, she had almost reached her limit in the number of times she used [Hundred Realms Gate]."

“I can feel... her soul is slowly drifting away from her body.”

After learning the reason, Aglaia tentatively said:

"Perhaps... it would be a good thing to let her relinquish her duties as a [door maker] early and live out her days as an ordinary child without any worries."

“I understand what you’re thinking, Aya,” Tibo said, her mind preoccupied.

"But on this matter... we have made up our minds."

Aglaia looked at her and said, "I think there's still room for maneuver in this matter."

Tibo shook her head. "Our souls wear down until they return to dust. That is our fate."

She smiled brightly:

"Once upon a time, we also had complete, connected bodies."

"If that body is likened to a tree, then the trunk and branches will wither at the same rate due to fate."

"Now, we are divided into many versions of ourselves... Although we have lost the trunk, we have gained another choice."

"We can decide in the way that is most beneficial to the fire-chasing journey how the branches and leaves decay."

"..."

Aglaia's expression was somewhat pitiful:

"It's more heartbreaking to watch so many people disappear before your eyes than to say goodbye to just one person."

“But… after all, moving forward is the inevitable outcome of Janus’s Trial, and we have never had a way out.” Tibo smiled.

"Don't be sad about saying goodbye to us. We made a promise long ago, didn't we?"

Aglaia felt somewhat helpless as she realized that Tibo, Tinin, and Tinan were determined to sacrifice themselves for the journey of fire, even at the cost of their lives.

"It won't be long before I can no longer taste sadness."

Upon hearing this, Tibo realized that Aglaia's situation was also not optimistic.

"Aya, what do you want for breakfast?" Tibo suddenly asked.

"What?" Aglaia blinked. "How could this happen so suddenly..."

Tibo smiled and said, "I'm a little hungry after chatting for so long."

"Besides, we're almost at the door."

"Speaking of which, Aya, do you remember?"

"It must have been shortly after we met, when you were still a little kid, and we caught you sneaking some oatmeal porridge in the middle of the night..."

Hearing these old stories, Aglaia felt somewhat dazed.

“Ah… my emotions are fading, but I remember all those moments, my teacher.”

Chapter 1296 I'm Just a Little Hungry

After Aglaia left, Tibo gradually calmed down.

Nightmares are a bad omen, and memories are becoming increasingly blurry...

Now, she has almost forgotten what her mother looks like.

"As expected... we still have to go to the Abyss of Fate. Hopefully, Oronis will be willing to help us."

……