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

[Sai Fei'er: Wuhu, Aya is the best!]

"Hehe," the thief Bartrus hurriedly complimented.

“We wouldn’t dare lie to you, Lady Aglaia~ You are the most respected person in all of Ohm…”

His character… he probably learned it from Sefaria.

Aglaia waved her hand to interrupt the remaining praise, "Save your sweet talk, you little devil...you know I can read your unease."

"On second thought, since you've already shown yourself to me... then answer one more question: Where is Sai Fei'er?"

Chapter 281 The Deaf-Mute Girl

No, I must protect our leader to the death! The thief Bartrus's mind raced.

"Uh...you might have some misunderstanding about our line of work? That person and I are indeed in the same profession, but that doesn't mean we're on the same side!"

"Our relationship should be considered one of rivalry—enemies don't want to meet on a narrow road, hehehe!"

The thief hopped and skipped, ready to escape at any moment.

“…Never mind.” Aglaia didn’t expect to get any information from it.

"If you ever meet Saifei again, please tell her for me: As demigods, we can never shirk our responsibilities."

Bartlus quickly agreed and hopped slowly backward.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now..."

“Wait…” Aglaia blocked their way, indicating that she would hand over the stolen goods.

But as Onphalus's second greatest thief, how could it simply surrender? "Run!!"

The silver-white coin spun in place, while the thief spirit, like a surging flying fish, soared high into the air, leaving a purple trail behind.

Heh… Aglaia chuckled inwardly, as she happened to have some understanding of the power of the Eulonis Prayer.

Get back here.

"What other solutions do you have? Bring them on!"

Bartrus, who was forced to retreat, grumbled, "Damn it...damn it! I was so close!"

"Take it all! Take everything I've worked so hard to gain!"

Bartlus looked like a pitiful, wronged girl who had been taken advantage of.

"I've really fallen for you this time, woman! Even if I starve to death, no one in this city will give me a single pitying look!"

“How pitiful… but you don’t need to eat at all, do you?” Aglaia was completely unaffected.

The thief gasped, nearly suffocating.

"You...you black-hearted woman with a gilded exterior! I never want to see you again, goodbye!"

"Goodbye, Bartluth—don't forget to call Cypher for me."

The thief sped away; no wonder the boss was avoiding her—she was terrifying.

Aglaia stayed at the site to clean up the area without leaving a trace, and then moved on to the next source of pollution.

[Bartluth: B-Big Sister, look at her! She's driving me crazy! I'm going to steal her treasure!]

[Saifei: Get lost, that's my treasure trove. You can take whatever Aya says, I don't care.]

[Bartleus: Waaaaah, I'm doomed! Even the boss lady hates me now. I'm running away from home.]

[Aglaia: Okay, you two, stop fooling around.]

Alice: Bartluth is so cute, so symmetrical.

[Yuzu Leaf: The last sentence is the truth, isn't it?]

[Star: It's you! How dare you steal my treasure chest? So you're Saifei's pet. I'll tell on you when I get back.]

[Saifei: Haha... Star, how about we just forget about it? It didn't even get one, did it?]

[Xia Die: I think I saw Senior Sai Fei'er transformed into a thief spirit before...]

[Sai Fei'er: She's mistaken. You're still young, be careful, or you might lose your wallet or get scared at night...]

[Fireworks: This is so much fun! I can't wait to come play in Onpharos, you little gray thing.]

The second source of pollution is a deaf-mute girl who silently stares at the underground cavity.

Aglaia stretched out her arm, and a golden thread gently wrapped around the girl's palm... a connection of souls.

Through the golden thread that could sense emotions, Aglaia learned what had happened.

The girl's hip stone amulet fell into a source of pollution.

“Turn around and silently count to thirty in your mind, okay?” Aglaia said gently, preparing to help her retrieve the amulet.

Entangled in golden threads, all the quarreling families were shattered.

The amulet was also retrieved intact; it was a hip bone bracelet strung together with red thread.

“Yes, that’s it! Thank you, sister…” the girl said obediently, conveying her gratitude through the gold thread.

"…elder sister……"

Aglaia was in a daze, but a simple "sister" awakened a sliver of her humanity.

For thousands of years, she had become accustomed to being the support of others, and her heart had been tempered to the point of being as hard as a rock. She thought she would never be moved by anything again.

I never expected that a little girl would disrupt my mood.

A romantic demigod... yet not romantic at all.

To thank the pretty older sister for her help and advice, the little girl decided to give the amulet to Aglaia, hoping that she would have good luck every day and that no one would bully her in the future.

"Thank you, child." Aglaia did not refuse, treating the bracelet as a precious treasure.

There is now only one last pollution site remaining.

The golden thread once again probed into the polluted void, and the lurking evil was swiftly dealt with.

Aglaia is also preparing to set off to meet up with Tibo.

On the way to the Golden Courtyard, Aglaia sensed danger as the air currents became turbulent on one side.

"Who's there? Show yourself before the gold thread is stained with your blood."

"Tsk tsk, no wonder he's a demigod."

Now that she had been discovered, Katniss emerged from the shadows behind her, looking somewhat regretful.

"Even an assassin like me who has spent most of his life cleaning up can't escape your senses."

"Lady Katniss, what do you mean by this?" Aglaia asked calmly.

Tsk tsk, what are you pretending for?

"Heh...you noticed my informant a long time ago, didn't you?"

"You didn't expose me, just so we would lower our guard and assume that everything you do is within the rules of the Senate—is that right?"

"...When it comes to scheming and intrigue, Zagres's [tricks] pale in comparison to the Senate," Aglaia retorted sarcastically.

Elder Katniss chuckled, “Hehe…Thank you for the compliment, Golden Descendant.”

“We don’t mean anything by this, we just want to remind you again… the Golden Blood’s administration of the Holy City is temporary, it’s just a temporary trusteeship of power during an extraordinary period.”

She emphasized that the fate of Ohmma would be in the hands of the citizens, pending the confirmation that the oracle was wrong, and that even God could not do as He pleased.

After delivering the blow, Katniss left with a cold smile.

Aglaia spoke with a firm tone, her eyebrows raised, her face indifferent, as if she had made up her mind.

“I will do everything in my power to save Onpharos, Lady Caenis. Even from the hands of the gods…”

"It still comes from your hands."

[Bai'er: Katniss, what exactly are you trying to do! If anything happens to Aglaia, just wait for me to massacre the Senate.]

[That summer: You have power but are short-sighted, and your whole being is a vicious schemer. I really don't understand how Aglaia has managed to stay in this position until now.]

[Kainese: Heh, you Golden Blood lords are all talk and no action. You keep spouting divine pronouncements and talk of re-creation, but who can guarantee that these pronouncements will definitely save Onpharos?]

"I think the elder is right. The ancients control everything, and the divine pronouncements are all false. Why then would they need to create another world?"

[I want to live, to live! What's the point of this journey to chase the fire? Wouldn't it be better to stop the Black Tide? Why insist on returning the flame?]

[Feng Jin: You...you all...]

[Walter: Alas, in any world, only a few can see the road ahead clearly. They're not wrong, though; who doesn't want to live?]

[Bai'er: What's the use of staying put? If Onphalus doesn't make changes, we'll all just be nourishment for the Iron Tomb.]

[I support Lord Bai'e. It's all fake anyway, but I'll slap that administrator Lai Gushi even if it kills me.]

[Laigushi: ...]

[Wan Di: Do the people of Xuanfeng have any regrets?]

No regrets! I swear to follow Your Highness to the death. Death is nothing but a death sentence; whoever chickens out is a coward!

[Kainese: Hopeless, hopeless, you're all going to die... die! Aglaia, I'll make you regret this... hahaha.]

[Potio: Damn it, how come your malice is even stronger than the company's cutie? Star, give me a shot and kill her.]

[Star: Ugh... I'm afraid of getting my hands dirty.]

Chapter 282 The Gate to the Past

In the Garden of Life, a gentle breeze rustles the branches, and the majestic body of Kelp remains standing tall.

“Tinin?” Aglaia murmured.

At this moment, Tinin stood alone, gazing at Kefal, completely silent.

It seems she is already preparing to defend Ohmma.

After a brief pause, Aglaia stepped forward and explained the current situation regarding the handling of the filth.

Tibo and the other two share the same senses, so she already knew about Aglaia's encounter with Katniss. Katniss was an assassin who specialized in purging the Golden Clan during the Golden War.

But for Aglaia, the Senate is not an enemy, at least not now... The main objective now is to collect the fire.

Tinin's mission here is to prevent Nicardoli from launching a rash attack and to be able to open the Hundred Realms Gate to teleport the attack of the Heavenly Punishment Blade if necessary.

This is not easy... and Tian is already close to his limit.

"How much power does she have left?" Aglaia asked, her voice slightly faster than usual.

How much is left...? Tinning subconsciously pointed her index finger at herself, silently calculating in her mind.

"Including this time...maybe we can open the Hundred Realms Gate three more times...no, we can open it twice more."

"...And then what?"

"As previously agreed, Tibo will take over the duties of the doorman."

With a soft sigh, Aglaia remained silent. Although she knew that they would eventually go to the Underworld Flower Sea, the moment she actually faced it still left her deeply unsettled.

"It seems that all we can do now is wait."

Tinin turned back to face Titan. "Hmm. Let's wait here in the garden for a while, Aya."

“Please tell me, my master…” Aglaia wavered once again in her faith in the oracle.

"Is the prophecy still as clear in your eyes as it was on the first day?"

In Tinin's eyes, countless golden runes were scattered across the world protected by Kefal, and a dazzling golden river flowed around it, its end connected to the beginning. The Dawn Machine still illuminated humanity's last sanctuary.

Upon closer inspection, the golden runes gradually became clearer; they were symbols representing infinity, the outward manifestation of Onpharos.

"Golden runes shimmered in the azure sky, and countless fragments of words danced around Kefal. The oracle remained as clear as ever."

Aglaia: "Does it recount the victory of the Whiteys?"

"It...remains silent. It seems to know the answer...but doesn't want to share it with us at this moment."

“It seems we won’t find solace in the oracle this time.” Aglaia turned her gaze back to the suspended peak.