Xingtie: Starting with an in-depth analysis of the Yellow Springs

"Haha! You two have come to the right person. I am Damianos, and I am quite knowledgeable about travel and photography—after all, I am the well-known explorer in the Holy City!"

Damianos was very proud.

"Come on, hand over your photo-taking machines to me."

Xing took out her camera without hesitation. This person didn't seem to have any bad intentions; he was just a bit enthusiastic.

"...I don't want to analyze the rules they use to name things anymore." Dan Heng said, sounding slightly annoyed.

Damianos took the camera…

"Oh, it's a model I've never seen before, but that's no problem for me. Is it here? And here too... Ha! Easy peasy, I completely understand now..."

Damianos suddenly stood there in a daze for a long time.

Xing: "Why aren't you saying anything?"

“…It’s alright! Come on, you two, please stand still and look at me!” Damianos quickly fiddled with his camera.

"It's all set. Please take a look!"

In the photo, Xing and Danheng stand sideways with their arms crossed, with Titan in the background.

After reading it, Danheng said, "It's not bad."

"Does it include post-production?" Xing asked.

Danheng chimed in, "...Let's leave it to March."

Damianos smiled shyly, "Hehe, I'm glad you two are satisfied."

"Speaking of which, there's actually something I'd like to ask you two heroes. I didn't expect to run into you here, so I'll just ask directly..."

"You, you're not actually from a foreign land, are you?" Damianos asked expectantly.

Dan Heng: "What do you mean?"

"The rumors have already spread. Some refugees who have just entered the city say that you are people from outer space, and that His Excellency Bai E found you by the roadside."

Xing pouted, "Finding it is quite something."

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, sir, but rumors are just rumors," Dan Heng replied after thinking for a moment.

Chapter 254 Sparks of Conflict

"We come from Tarasapolis, a sparsely populated border village. We have overcome many obstacles to reach the Holy City, and were fortunate enough to meet Lord Bai'e in the Abyss before arriving here."

“Tarazapolis…?” Damianos chewed on the name repeatedly, seemingly convinced it wasn’t a lie.

Damianus looked dejected. "Oh, I see... I thought we'd finally be able to prove the existence of the outer realms."

"Haha, it's alright! In any case, thank you for your help, warriors of Tarrassapolis."

"Welcome to Ohmma."

Damianus then left thoughtfully.

Dan Heng sighed, "That was close. I had a bad feeling about this."

"You're quite good at making things up, Danheng," Xing said, scratching his head sheepishly.

Danheng shook his head. "I feel like I couldn't fool him."

"After all, Tarasapolis was just something I made up on the spot. If he were really an explorer and knew the geography of Onfaros like the back of his hand, we would probably have been seen through long ago."

"Fortunately, no evidence was left behind. However... even though the starry sky is a taboo in Onpharos, there are still people who yearn for it."

"We need to be more careful."

Xing nodded. "So, where's the next step?"

"I was interrupted just now, let's continue exploring the town," Danheng said.

[Ring: Something's not right. Since he knows how to use a camera, could he have seen the photos stored on March's camera?]

[Xing: No way, this kid seems pretty upright to me.]

[Qingque: Then do you think he might look up a map to verify its authenticity?]

[Star: We actually got tricked by the locals.]

[Walter: Having only recently entered Onphalus, with the carriage destroyed and the need to gather intelligence, it's understandable that you're feeling frustrated.]

[Danheng: At the beginning of a project, the biggest mistake is letting emotions dictate actions; this time, it was my fault.]

“Look, Bai E is over there,” Dan Heng gestured.

Beside the crimson furnace, Bai'er was speaking with the master craftsman Hattonus.

"...You haven't yet stepped out of the shadow of the past, Golden Descendant."

"The weight of the flame, if one wishes to bear it... one must bury the past and suspend the pain."

Bai'er smiled helplessly. "I'll try my best, Hattonus. You know I can't do it, so why keep bringing it up?"

Hatonus turned around. “...You’ve arrived, your guest.”

The two walked up to Bai E.

"Xing, Danheng!" Bai'e greeted them. "You're back faster than I expected. I thought Aglaia would keep you a little longer."

Bai E took out the repaired Ji Yun from behind him.

"Here you go, the compensation we agreed on earlier. I commissioned the most renowned craftsman in the Holy City to repair your spear."

"I apologize again for any offense I may have caused during our first meeting."

Dan Heng took the Ji Yun and carefully examined the broken part. "You can't see any signs of damage from the outside at all. Impressive."

Bai Er smiled and said, "The person who made this gun must have been a renowned craftsman. There are always higher realms to explore, and I can't even imagine a world outside of Onpharos."

"...Not entirely. Perhaps it's just that before I met you, I had never seriously considered this matter."

The disaster facing Onphalus had left Behe ​​with no time to think about the heavens.

"You've probably heard about the Triune Oracle that descended upon Onphalus, and the mission entrusted to the Golden Blood. For us, pursuing prophecy is the purpose of our journey; there's no point in overthinking it."

Xing always manages to spot blind spots: "And who issued the divine oracle?"

"An oracle is an oracle because it is delivered in the form of a miracle. No one knows whose will it represents."

"There is another saying that it was the whisper of Kephale before his eternal sleep, that the Father sprinkled his divine blood on the earth, and from then on, the golden descendants began to be born in the world... Of course, this is just one of many folk tales."

Is this a myth or legend? The starry sky seems almost too bright to be believable.

“Please don’t dismiss it as incomprehensible superstition.” Bai’er saw the doubt in Xing’s eyes. “People have all gone through a transformation from doubt to belief, and that transformation is not easy; many have paid the price for it.”

Danheng raised a question: "What Aglaia conveyed to us was more of a collective mission. But what role did you, as an individual, Bai'er, play in it?"

"Me?" Bai E was suddenly taken aback by the question. "I'm still searching for that answer."

"But if the gods favor me, the spark that belongs to me should not be far off."

Star: "Your spark?"

“It’s Nicardoli,” Bai Er blurted out, his eyes resolute.

[Walter: Ahem... Little brother Bai'er, no matter how you look at it, the spark of Cephalus suits you better.]

[Bai E: The seed of the world's destruction? But I still don't understand what the meaning of "the world's destruction" truly is.]

[*Alicia: Don't worry, Bai'er, you're bound to fail in inheriting the Flame of Conflict. I think that Golden Descendant called Wan Di is pretty good.]

[Star: I get it! The Flame of Negation must have been left for me. See? I become a savior in every world I visit—isn't that perfect for me?]

[Bai E: Xing, I admire your courage. Let's cheer each other on.]

[Silver Wolf: You know what, Xing actually makes a lot of sense.]

[Yanqing: No, no, Mr. Wan Di seems to be a perfect match for the sparks of conflict. We can't let him inherit rationality and death, can we?]

[Star: The spark of rationality + a thousand enemies, cool! Even the most intelligent warrior isn't out of the question. Then there's that moment of summer and conflict, the most insane scholar.]

[That Summer: Nonsense! The journey to chase fire is not a children's game.]

[Xia Die: Star, every Titan Seed must undergo trials, so this situation will not occur.]

[Star: Okay. But there's definitely a reason behind my idea: turning Lycus's experiment into chaos, hahaha, I'm a genius.]

[Laigushi: Ms. Xing, I'm curious how you were able to be seen by Destruction without sensing its will.]

[Star: I remember some fictional historian saying that Nanook was a sucker for good looks, so he acknowledges that I'm good-looking.]

[Fireworks: A historical narrative, but interesting.]

Bai'e patted his chest, "I am a soldier, and I was taught how to fight from a young age. From the day I was chosen by the prophecy, I have regarded the Spear of Divine Retribution [Conflict] as my end."

"...However, it's really a downer to keep discussing such bitter and vengeful topics." Bai E said embarrassedly, "It seems like I started it all, I'm really embarrassed."

Bai'er tried to change the subject, "By the way, Teacher Tibo said you also use stone tablets, how about we exchange communication charms?"

"Please also accept these gifts as a token of my gratitude."

They were all products of Ongfarost, so Xing didn't refuse.

"Since the weather is so nice, why don't you two take a walk? I won't disturb you any longer, see you later."

Bai Er waved goodbye.

Chapter 255 Fighting the Earth Beast for Red Soil? Are you alright?

Danheng and Xing strolled around the Marble Market. After turning a corner, they came to the Earth Beast they had ridden earlier.

There was also a lady.

Dan Heng noticed the figure was becoming increasingly familiar. "That's... the lady we met earlier."

"Ah...you are two distinguished guests." Xia Die turned around upon hearing the voice.

"Welcome to the abode of the Earth Beast... But I just happened to be passing by."

Xing smiled. "You're here to relax too?"

Xia Die nodded. "Yes. I really like the atmosphere here. It's so sweet... it smells like life."

"Speaking of which, is Miss Xia Die also a member of the Golden Clan?" Dan Heng asked.

Dan Heng broke the silence, "...I'm sorry, if you don't want to talk about this, I'll stop here."

"Thank you, Mr. Danheng."

The butterfly fell silent again.

Xing shook her head and closed her eyes. Everyone's silent, right? Fine, I'll join in too.

“…Buzz!” The earth beast seemed to sense the cold atmosphere and let out a cry.

[Ling: We're not sisters, but if you weren't around, Danheng and Xiadie probably wouldn't exchange five words a day.]

[Star: Exactly, that's exactly right, this is when we need to bring out March 7th from the atmosphere-lifting team... Sigh, she's not here.]

[Bai E: Haha, that's just how Xia Die is, please don't mind.]

[Sai Fei'er: You're such a socially awkward princess, do you want me to help you get better?]

[Xia Die: Lady Sai Fei'er, what should I do?]

[Sai Fei'er: Hehe, I'll come find you tonight.]

[Aglaia: Sefaria! Have you forgotten about me? Gold... will be watching you.]

[Sai Fei: No! You can't take away my only hobby.]

[Aglaia: Good girl. We have money, everything I have is yours.]

[Paimon: Hehe, Luminous... so your Mora is mine too, right?]

[Ying: Get lost! You're costing me hundreds of thousands a month, I can barely afford to feed you anymore.]

"Oh dear, it seems this child is a little hungry." Xia Die looked up at the Earth Beast.

"You two have arrived at just the right time. Would you like to try feeding the Earth Beast?"

"Their feed is clean; it's dry red soil. There's some right there."