The Envoy of Abundance from Onphalus

　On the other side of the universe, the abundant power of emerald gold, like a gentle tide, swept across a scorched earth planet ravaged by an army of antimatter.

　The withered river surged anew, the cracked earth sprouted new green, and the weak coughs of the survivors were replaced by cries of joy. Russell—the "Remembering the Decaying" who walked among the stars—withdrew his hand, the Jianmu mark gently flowing in his azure eyes.

　"May you enjoy peace and health for a hundred years, thanks to the compassionate care of the pharmacist."

　He spoke to the kneeling planetary elders in a calm yet undeniably powerful voice, “Cherish this time, rebuild your home, and do not seek the vain pursuit of eternal life.”

　The elder was overcome with tears, and could only express his gratitude by touching his forehead to the ground.

　However, not all those who seek the name of abundance are benevolent.

　Soon after, in a starfield surrounded by plundering starships, several menacingly designed Protoss warships, laden with the spoils of biological warfare, blocked Russell's path. Leading the Protoss warlord, Bloodclaw Angqin, bared his fangs, his crimson electronic eyes filled with greed and fanaticism.

　"Master [Huaixiu]!"

　Angqin's voice vibrated through the loudspeaker, filled with feigned respect, "Your fame spreads like wildfire! The Buli White Wolf Tribe is willing to serve you like dogs and horses!"

　"Lead us, with the power bestowed by the Compassionate Medicine King, to tear open the tortoise shell of the Immortal Ship! Let those traitors who have turned their backs on the Medicine King and their short-lived allies wail in the abundant flames of their wrath! Seventy percent of the plundered wealth and slaves shall be offered to you, becoming your food!"

　Russell's usual gentle smile froze instantly. He hovered silently in the sea of ​​stars, his gaze sweeping over the mangled corpses of other races hanging on the outer walls of the giant ships, and the life essence being extracted from the energy tanks of the ships.

　He could even hear the dying cries of the corpses.

　"The power of abundance,"

　Russell's voice, as cold as the cosmos, pierced through the communication channels and echoed clearly in the bridge of every step-off warship: "The Pharmacist bestows healing and life upon all beings, so that you may use them to burn, kill, plunder, and satisfy your endless selfish desires?"

　Angqin was taken aback, then let out a shrill laugh: "My lord! The laws of the universe are the survival of the fittest! The Medicine King's compassion is precisely what gives us the power to put it into practice! The Immortal Boat Alliance possesses so many abundant blessings, yet..."

　His words stopped abruptly.

　A point of emerald-gold light shone in Russell's palm, instantly transforming into a long spear of grass and wood flowing with amber divine blood! Without any further movement, Russell's figure vanished from the spot as if by teleportation!

　The next second, the thick bio-armor of the Bu Liren flagship was torn apart like paper!

　The emerald-gold spear, imbued with the will to purify everything, pierced precisely through Angqin's bewildered and twisted head on the command panel!

　A surge of violent, abundant power erupted from the tip of the spear, instantly eroding and disintegrating the sinful body, turning it into scattered stardust carrying the fragrance of grass and trees!

　"The pharmacist's compassion is not a fig leaf for tyranny."

　Russell's icy voice echoed across all the step-off warships, "What you have done is no different from destruction! It is even more despicable!"

　Before the other infantry warships could react, Russell raised his spear high! A vast expanse of emerald-gold energy erupted from him, as if a cosmic-level seed bank had been instantly activated.

　Countless tenacious vines and roots, shimmering with abundant light, grew out of thin air, ignoring the force field shields and physical armor of the warships, frantically entwining, penetrating, and enveloping every single step-off warship!

　"No! Your Excellency! Spare my life!"

　Terrified pleas for mercy echoed through the communication channel.

　The only response they received was Russell's indifferent pronouncement: "Since you cannot practice the mercy of abundance, then become the nourishment of the stars and nourish true life."

　The vines tightened, devouring energy. The ferocious behemoth twisted and deformed in the emerald-gold light, its structure forcibly transformed, its metal and flesh reshaped by abundant power.

　In a short while, only a few dozen giant trees, transformed from warships and exuding a tranquil life force, remained in this star field. They stretched out their branches and slowly drifted towards nearby barren planets, becoming the cornerstone of a new ecosystem.

　This scene, transmitted like a thunderclap through fragments of interstellar communication, spread throughout the land of the Abundant People. The name "Huai Xiu," once a symbol of redemption, was instantly tainted with a chilling aura that terrified all the tyrannical Abundant People.

　……

　Ten years. A mere instant in the universe, but a long purgatory for some beings.

　Russell traversed countless planetary ruins ravaged by the Abundant People. He witnessed the fox-people, whom the Buli people treated as blood livestock, exploiting their life essence, and he wept once more.

　Did the mastermind behind Onfaros treat these people as livestock to be enslaved and exploited?

　They saw the enslaved Houyhnhnms. As fellow subjects of the Medicine Master, the Medicine Master's selfless blessings had been transformed into the cruelest shackles in the hands of these wicked creatures.

　"Compassion? You dare to utter those two words?"

　With each hunt, each trial, the anger in Russell's eyes subsided, eventually turning into a cold, indifferent gaze, like that of a star god.

　The Buli White Wolf tribe was completely wiped out, and the five main clans suffered heavy losses. The Buli people were so terrified that they no longer dared to openly clamor for a hunt.

　The Flesh-Eating Clan was completely wiped out, and their terrifying behemoths that devoured planets were reversed and decomposed by the Power of Abundance, returning to dust.

　The Houyhnhnms were liberated, their twisted minds were restored, and the Houyhnhnms, now sane, prostrated themselves at Russell's feet, tears streaming down their faces.

　Russell showed rare mercy to the wing builders: "Do good and accumulate merit. When you prove yourself worthy of your new home, I will help you rebuild the dome."

　So those wing-makers who were exiled but did not commit evil responded to the call of the compassionate healers and joined the compassionate physicians to relieve suffering.

　All this was so that one day this esteemed messenger could help them rebuild their homeland. And their appearance thereafter was described as that of angels on some planets.

　As for those antimatter legion phantoms who ran into the line of fire? Russell's handling of them left the Immortal Ship Alliance's intelligence officers speechless—he didn't use a spear, but instead used the pure, abundant, compassionate radiance to wash away these destructive creations!

　The miraculous result was that the destructive red light in the eyes of some low-ranking soldiers was replaced by emerald gold, their ferocious killing intent subsided, and they clumsily began to learn how to bandage wounds and care for the injured.

　After a decade of pursuit, the tyrannical and prosperous people who once roamed the universe have almost vanished. The Immortal Ship Alliance's wariness of [Huai Xiu] has finally transformed into cautious observation and a touch of complex approval through the reports of repeated cleansing operations against the evil creatures and the ever-expanding good deeds of the monks of Danlun Temple.

　The monks of Danlun Temple rarely talk about Danlun Temple anymore; they refer to themselves as "Compassionate Physician" when introducing themselves to outsiders.

　They uphold the abundant philosophy of "embracing the dead": relieving the suffering of those who are distressed. However, they do not readily grant immortality. Each act of relieving suffering and helping those in distress is an opportunity to accumulate merit for themselves.

　……

　However, after each healed planet and each judgment of evil beings, [Huai Xiu] would always ask every civilization and every interstellar traveler he encountered the same question: "Have you ever heard of Onpharos?"

　The answer was always a shake of the head, or a name that was never recorded in the star chart.

　"The Star Train has never arrived, there is no record of it at the Black Tower Space Station, and it is not marked on the company's star charts..."

　A scholar from the Faculty of Learning said regretfully to Russell, “My lord, it may just be a legend, or a…lost place that has been completely forgotten.”

　"No, that's not a legend. It's an epic of heroes, and I come from there, so I'm going to find it."

　Russell stood by the porthole, gazing at the boundless sea of ​​stars, his azure eyes filled with an unyielding obsession.

　The amber heart beats steadily within the chest cavity, while the mark of the hanging branch flows silently behind the shoulder.

　"Sooner or later I will go back and finish the ending of that unfinished epic."

　……

　Chapter Sixty-Four: Tsigmnia.

　Amidst the boundless sea of ​​stars, a colossal ship, its entire body gleaming with a warm, emerald-gold radiance, pierces the darkness.

　Its material resembles wood but is not wood; it is wrapped with abundant, vibrant vines, and its massive hull exudes an almost divine aura of benevolence.

　This is Russell's vehicle—the Plenty of Life. At this moment, it is heading towards a new destination.

　Inside the bridge, Russell gazed at the swirling stars outside the porthole. Once upon a time, he could traverse the universe on his own, which was certainly possible, but ultimately not as convenient as a starship.

　If he is too slow, it will hinder him from spreading the compassion of the Medicine Master.

　Just as he was considering whether to condescend to purchase one from the Interstellar Peace Corporation, a peculiar plea crossed the void and directly struck his senses:

　"Hungry...so hungry...can someone...feed me..."

　This prayer was primal and straightforward, devoid of the elaborate incantations typical of believers, containing only the most instinctive cry of hunger from a living being. A hint of surprise flashed across Russell's azure eyes as he followed his intuition.

　What came into his view was a colossal creature, huddled in a desolate star field, on the verge of death—a beast ship abandoned by the Bu Li people.

　Its hideous bio-armor was gnawed to pieces, its huge body shrunk drastically due to self-devouring, and its exposed muscles and bones emitted painful bio-electric groans.

　"really……"

　Russell understood. Once the war beasts created by the Bu Li people lose their masters to feed them, they will deplete their own reserves until hunger devours their reason and they begin to gnaw at their own flesh and structure.

　This twisted creation, born of abundance, is more befitting of the gluttonous star god in its greedy and tyrannical nature.

　The pleas continued faintly, filled with the most humble desire for survival. Russell had seen countless bizarre pleas, but the starving cries of a living starship still added a strange touch to his journey.

　"If your request is reasonable, blessings will come naturally."

　Russell whispered, his voice echoing clearly even in the vacuum of the beast ship's shattered nerve cords, "Besides, I'm in need of a means of transportation."

　He unleashed his mighty power. Abundant, emerald-gold light cascaded down upon the wreckage of the beast-ship.

　The disgusting outer shell, covered in barbs and biological pustules, imposed by the Bu Li people, was completely stripped away and purified. The savage and gluttonous instincts imprinted deep within his genes were forcibly expelled and suppressed by Russell with his supreme will.

　Instead, pure, abundant blood was infused into its life core. The ship's structure was reshaped and grew in the light, and the vile flesh was replaced by resilient, abundant branches and radiant wooden armor.

　The elegant silhouette of the celestial ship appeared and disappeared in the light, finally taking shape. Russell even mobilized a trace of the protective power he had obtained from the Amber King, quietly imprinting the protective runes deep into the keel of the ship.

　Despite its apparent construction from sacred wood, the ship's hull is strong enough to withstand the bombardment of star-destroying weapons.

　As the transformation was completed, the emerald-gold light slowly receded. The once ugly and ferocious beast-ship had been reborn as a solemn, sacred, and bountiful divine vessel, brimming with the vitality of life.

　Hunger disappeared, replaced by abundant life energy. Its need for material energy became extremely low, requiring only the absorption of scattered energy from the universe, or the occasional free basic energy provided generously by the Interstellar Peace Corporation.

　Of course, its favorite treats are those tyrannical bountiful people that Russell regularly feeds it...

　Their abundant essence is efficiently transformed by Shenzhou, and what is discharged is a harmless substance that nourishes stardust.

　Furthermore, after the genes of tyranny and gluttony were removed, the original consciousness of this ship also became knowledgeable and reasonable.

　"Praise be to you! Supreme messenger!"

　A powerful wave of consciousness, filled with gratitude and awe, surged directly into Russell's mind. It was the newly born soul of the Shenzhou. "This blessing... is unparalleled!"

　Especially when Russell imprisoned a squadron of raider warships that intended to attack civilian planets and casually tossed them to it.

　The Shenzhou extended emerald-gold vines, enveloping, disintegrating, and absorbing the ferocious warships like a giant whale sucking in water. A sense of satisfaction flowed back like a warm current: "Thank you for your... hospitality!"

　This scene is full of irony: the thugs who piously follow the bounty but use it as a cover for their own shame become nourishment, while a beast that only seeks to survive becomes the envoy's vehicle and enjoys the snacks specially provided by the bounty people.

　Driven by Russell's pure and abundant power, this mutated spaceship unleashed astonishing speed. Its bio-energy engine was far more efficient than ordinary starship engines, and its emerald-gold tail flames left a dazzling trail in the sea of ​​stars.

　While it cannot yet compare to the Star Peace Corporation's top-of-the-line star destroyer flagship, it is fast enough. Russell can confidently say that his starship is at least one of the best in the universe.

　He planned to bring the Onphalus people to see this vast universe when the time came. At this moment, Russell's ideals also underwent some deviations.

　From granting the Onphalus people an eternal blue sky to allowing them to embrace the universe...

　"Sir, we are approaching our target star system."

　The ship's spirit respectfully reminded them.

　Russell's gaze drifted out the porthole. A vibrant, yet strangely lonely planet in the cosmic dust belt slowly rotated—Tzigania.

　The planet's surface appeared magnificent, but Russell's powerful perception penetrated the atmosphere, capturing countless subtle yet sharp pains and despairs, as if the planet itself were weeping.

　"The work of the company's marketing department."

　Russell's voice was icy, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the armrest of the captain's chair, which was naturally formed by the branches of the Jianmu tree. "These people should collectively worship Nanook. Their existence is a stain on 'Preservation'."

　He had encountered genuine and pure beliefs in preservation, which made him all the more aware of how filthy the Market Development Department's actions—using the guise of "development" to carry out plunder and slaughter—were.

　The many suffering planets he passed through left behind the bloody traces of the market development department.

　Russell had purged many of these cancerous plants, but Interstellar Peace Corporation often turned a blind eye to them, at most issuing an internal notice reprimanding Oswaldo, the head of market development: "Take it easy, don't cause trouble for the company!"

　As for issuing an arrest warrant for Russell? A bounty envoy renowned throughout the world as both a redeemer and a judge? That would not only severely damage the company's reputation, but would be tantamount to suicide.

　Especially when the company's senior management first felt Russell's balanced, interwoven, and immensely abundant, nurturing, and hunting aura of the three destinies up close.

　"His protective capabilities are already comparable to those of some P40 executives."

　One of the company employees who was present at the time muttered with lingering fear.

　Issuing a warrant for his arrest would be tantamount to denying the cornerstone of the company's beliefs—the guardian deity Krippe, the King of Amber. Therefore, the company naturally chose appeasement and a deal-making arrangement.

　They gave Russell a black card inlaid with amber gold patterns—the "Crystal Black Card".

　“A small token of my appreciation, Mr. Russell.”

　Emerald, one of the ten members of the Stoneheart team and a senior executive in the strategic investment department, handed the card to Russell with an elegant smile.

　She is well-versed in investment: "This card is valid at all of the company's trading points without any issues. There is no limit to the amount. The company will cover all expenses."

　This woman, known for her shrewdness and ruthlessness, saw the unparalleled "investment value" of the Abundance Token, whose three destinies were intertwined, upon first meeting it.

　In her opinion, being able to exchange a bunch of virtual numbers for the goodwill of such a special person towards the strategic investment department was an incredibly profitable deal.

　Russell accepted the card, but did not abuse it. At heart, he remained an ascetic of Onphalus, believing in equivalent exchange.

　He prefers to use his name, "The Recluse," to provide free medical care or bestow blessings of a hundred years of good health on planets that use the company's services, thus striking a balance.

　The company was pleased with the outcome, as medical costs were significantly reduced, employee morale was high, and Ms. Ciyu's investment report on jadeite was once again a success.

　“It is indeed ironic, sir.”

　A slightly metallic, cool voice rang out. Beside Russell, a young man with short, dark gray hair and sharp golden eyes was deftly twirling two oddly shaped, emerald-green revolvers in his hands (how could this be a sensitive word?).

　"The company itself can hardly be considered a pure believer, can it?"