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

"Oh no...!"

Saifeier's tail twitched in fright. How come there's another person here?!

The high priest, on the verge of death, spoke with extreme weakness, "Attica... Atticus... is that you?"

The cat remained silent.

Atticus? That name sounds familiar… Oh, isn’t it that priestly apprentice he favored? The one people have designated as the next high priest?

Not responding isn't good either... Let's use Zagres's power to hold out for now?

Saifei looked at the high priest lying on the bed and silently thought: Now... I am Atticus.

"Atticas? Why... are you not responding..."

A mature and steady male voice rang out, "Old... cough, High Priest, it's me. I'm here to help you change your dressing."

"Ah... thank you. Without your care, I would have breathed my last long ago and been taken to the River Styx by Cenatos..."

Sai Fei'er paused for a moment, "Oh...you don't need to be so polite, my mentor. Taking care of you on your sickbed is my duty."

This old man is more seriously ill than I thought... It seems the priests were deliberately concealing his condition.

“Atticus… I can feel my life slipping away rapidly, and I don’t know when I will fall into eternal slumber… So… there is one last thing… I must tell you…”

Sai Fei'er yawned, then her eyes lit up.

One more thing? Wait a minute, could it be... that the old man has hidden some treasure somewhere else?! Oh my god, my lucky day has arrived!

Cough, calm down, Sefaria…you have to stay calm.

"You will be alright, High Priest, please stay optimistic and don't be discouraged."

"But, but! If you have something important to entrust to me... I will listen attentively with all my heart."

The high priest, barely able to speak, said, “Ah…this matter…is extremely disgraceful, and I am ashamed. But I must speak out…because it concerns the very survival of this holy city beneath our feet.”

Does this concern the life and death of everyone in this city? Is it really that serious? I'd like to hear what's going on...

“Our all-knowing Heavenly Father Cephalus, in the moment before it fell silent… I heard its last words at the dawn's edge…”

It said: "The divine oracle has been delivered; my mission is nearing its end, and I shall now fall into silence—"

Saifei looked bored. "Oh right, right—the Oracle of Creation, the Titan who turned into a dead stone... It's the same old story. What's new about it?"

"Eternal night is coming, but for the next three hundred years... the Dawn Machine will illuminate the Holy City, awaiting the golden-blooded Son of Man to create miracles..."

Hmm, Dawn Machine, Miracle of Creation, cliché—

Saifeier fell silent.

Wait, wait a minute, didn't that old man just say... the next three hundred years??

The high priest continued, "I... concealed the time limit given by the Father from everyone..."

"I simply don't have the courage... to cruelly etch the countdown to the dawn of the Holy City into the hearts of its citizens..."

“Atticus, you…are a hundred times braver than I. Can you accomplish…what I have not been able to do?”

Chapter 472 A Peerless Cat

[Walter: The Dawn Machine can only illuminate the Holy City for three hundred years? What about this thousand years...?]

[Clatrus: How could this be? I've never heard of such a thing at my age. The high priest clearly said: The Holy City will always be protected by the Father, and the Dawn Machine will never be extinguished.]

[Fireworks: Interesting, this little kitten is quite clever.]

[Tachibana Fukufu: Huh? Then the remaining time... can't possibly be Miss Serifi bearing the consequences, can it?]

[Danheng: Star, do you still remember me? When we first descended upon Onpharos, the Dawn Machine did not emit light, but rather after we encountered Bai'er and Tibo.]

[Star: We subconsciously believe that the Holy City is perpetually bathed in daylight!]

[Sephiroth: Hmph, cheer for me! That wretched Cephalo, I've worked for you for seven hundred years without paying me a single penny.]

[Sai Fei'er: Savior, since you inherited the Flame of the World, shouldn't you also inherit the money?]

[Aglaia: How about I give you my treasure trove? Sefaria, stop toying with our savior.]

[Rin: But can trickery really be that powerful?]

[Fou: Yes, Miss Serifi, how did you do that?]

[Sai Fei'er: Go see for yourself. I am Sai Fei'er, the legendary thief of Onphalus. I have no need to explain my actions to others.]

"Will you convey that bitter truth... to all the citizens of Ohma?"

Atticus...?

Saifei chuckled softly, "Please rest assured, my mentor. I will complete this arduous task for you... I will make up for the consequences of your cowardice."

Afterwards, she suddenly felt a heavy burden on her shoulders, and I seemed to have learned some terrible news...

Ohma…Dawn Machine…The Tailor…

"Is that so, seamstress? Everyone is a unique being in this world..."

"My chance to be a hero... is finally coming."

[Aglaia: If I could, I would want you to stay by my side forever... Sefaria, you once said I was the light for everyone, but aren't you also an indispensable source of darkness?]

[Ah Bao: The world is inherently a cycle of day and night, neither of which can be lacking.]

[Xia Die: Your Excellency Bai E, did you already know?]

[Bai Er: I'm sorry, Sai Fei'er has an appointment with me. I can't tell you because she wants to see how you'll react when she finds out the truth.]

[Xing: Bai E, you've been keeping this from us too; our relationship has cooled.]

[Magic Technique: If you're relying on the power of lies, why hasn't your dawn machine been extinguished?]

[Gallach: I have connections. The Dawn Machine's need for power right now is no lie.]

[Saifeier: Haha, sorry, sorry. When you first entered Onphalus, I felt something drawing me in.]

[Bartluth: Be grateful, Ohmma. The amount the Big Sister acquired from you is far less than seven hundred years of perseverance. Even I was completely unaware; you can only imagine how much the Big Sister sacrificed for you.]

[Mimi: I have to say, Serifi is the greatest cat in Onphalus.]

[Feng Jin: An absolutely wonderful cat, haha.]

[Wan Di: I underestimated cunning; the power of lies can unleash astonishing potential at certain moments.]

Wendy: What a good cat, what a good cat! It's a shame I'm allergic to cats!

Ningguang: Alas, but becoming a hero means accepting your fate, accepting the death prophesied by the oracle.

[Sai Fei: I just want to prove that even a nobody can become a hero admired by all. Of course, I don't want to disappoint the seamstress...]

[Aglaia: No one can do it better than you, not even me.]

Back to reality, Saifei laughed and said, "This is my experience of pretending to be a priest in the Dawn Machine. Although there is a lot of artistic embellishment, every word is true."

She looked at the camera.

“These are all secrets that cannot be revealed. I have never mentioned them to anyone, not even that guy Bartrus.”

"You should feel extremely honored to be the first lucky audience member."

[Qingque: How come you can break the fourth wall too?]

[Sambo: Family, a script definitely needs an audience. Don't you agree, Ms. Hanabi?]

[Fireworks: Hehe.]

[Philosophy: The Mysterious Fate of Pleasure – Do We Truly Understand Pleasure?]

[Ring: What are you pretending to be, a riddle teller?]

Saifei sighed at the corpses of the cleaners on the ground, "Alas, it's a pity you can neither applaud nor comment now."

"But that's all minor! I feel so good to be able to say all the secrets I've kept in my heart for a thousand years."

[Fufu: I'm so happy...]

Paimon: A thousand years! I couldn't even last a week.

"But then again, I really didn't expect you guys to be so persistent..."

"I merely deliberately created a flaw, allowing you to witness my act of secretly switching the fire source... Who would have thought you would actually dare to follow me all the way to the Beach of the Dead?"

Sai Fei'er's eyes swept across the room, "One, two, three..."

"What's going on? Your boss... that woman named Katniss, she doesn't seem to be here. Could she have some other plan...?"

"Ugh, this is such a hassle... Oh well, for everyone's sake, I'll check if anyone has any suspicious items on them."

Search the cleaners lying on the ground.

Unfortunately, no clues were found regarding Katniss.

"Alright, now all we have to do is wait for the savior and his crew..."

A loud noise suddenly came from outside the ruins.

"Huh?! That's—" Sai Fei'er quickly looked up, "The noise came from the horizon, could it be..."

"Ha...it seems they succeeded."

"Not bad, savior kid. But shouldn't this credit also go to the ash from beyond the heavens?"

Thinking of Hui Zi, she squinted and smiled, "I've seen him. Although that guy's personality is a bit... humorous, his strength is also astonishing."

"Now that Aegler's flame has also been taken away, then... there is only one threat left for the Journey of Fire."

A muffled thud came from behind the door, and ripples spread through the space.

Sai Fei'er sighed helplessly, "Sigh... they came really fast. That guy... didn't even give me any time to prepare myself."

"Then... shall I, this young lady, take a look at you?"

In the dimly lit ruins of the Underworld Beach, Sai Fei'er showed no fear of the visitor hidden in the shadows, and even went against the grain, heading directly towards his location.

"Yo! You've arrived? I've been waiting for you!"

On the ruined city wall, the figure of the Fire Thief slowly emerged, holding the black longsword in his hand.

"Black-clad swordsman, fire-stealing wanderer, I don't care what your name is—"

Saifeier scoffed, "You really are like a starving hyena... following the scent of fire!"

The fire-stealer remained silent.

Chapter 473 The Naughty Cat

"Not going to talk? Or are you too lazy to talk? Or... are you really like a stupid dog, unable to understand human speech?"

The Fire Thief's voice was hoarse, as if his throat had been scorched.

"The Throne of the World... the Spark..."

"It must be...taken back..."

"Hehe." Sai Fei'er chuckled mockingly, "Pathetic fellow, I've figured you out!"

"Let me guess—you've actually been eyeing these last two embers all along, haven't you?"

"It's a pity you have neither wings nor companions... So, even though Aegler's flame was placed in the sky, it went nowhere—"

"You can only wait for the Golden Blood to bring the fire back to Earth, and then seize it by brute force... right?"

[Amber: Miss Sephiroth is quite the smooth talker; even the Firewalker must be on the verge of a breakdown. Haha, true damage.]

[Fireworks: Tsk tsk tsk, the more I look at this Fire Thief, the more dumbfounded he seems.]

[Star: Hahaha, he must be red-hot under that mask... Joker, you couldn't even steal a single spark.]

[Wendy: Was he really looking at Aigle?]

[Long Night Moon: Keep laughing, I'm looking forward to seeing a plot twist.]

[Saifei: Oh dear, a homeless little black guy, are you chasing after the flame just to feel that little bit of warmth that doesn't belong to you?]

[The Fire Thief: Initiating... Reincarnation... The pale dawn has arrived...]