The Envoy of Abundance from Onphalus

　We need to be extremely cautious on this trip and prepare contingency plans for all possible scenarios.

　His gaze swept over the crowd, carrying an air of composure.

　"That's right, Pa!"

　Pam nodded vigorously. "Precisely because contact has been cut off for so long, it's full of unknowns, Pam! Pam has already devised a preliminary plan. Passengers, please feel free to raise any thoughts or concerns you may have, Pam!"

　"The unknown is what makes things interesting!"

　March 7th seemed to have fully regained her energy, clenching her little fist, "Isn't the meaning of pioneering to explore the unknown? I support it!"

　Xing immediately raised her hand: "I'll go too! Maybe we'll find some rare trash cans... uh, I mean, valuable clues!"

　She accidentally revealed what was on her mind.

　Himeko gently stirred her drink and smiled warmly, "Since it's a pioneering journey, we should naturally go and see. Mr. Russell, Mr. Jin, what do you think?"

　Russell picked up the warm milk and took a sip, feeling the warmth flow into his body.

　He gazed out the window at the deep, uncharted sea of ​​stars, and recalled the grand, joyous gathering of the past in his dream last night. A new journey lay ahead, and this time, he had new companions by his side.

　"The path of exploration always extends into the unknown."

　He put down his cup and glanced at the faces around the table, some expectant, some composed, and some full of curiosity.

　Finally, he looked at Pam and a gentle smile appeared on his lips. "Conductor, we have no objections. The Yalilo VI... is well worth seeing."

　"Alright, since none of the passengers have any objections, the train will perform the jump one hour after breakfast ends."

　"Please enjoy your breakfast now. I'll go prepare the breakfast."

　Pam then headed toward the conductor's cabin.

　……

　Chapter Ninety-Five: The Flame of Survival

　Meanwhile, Omphalos.

　Xi Lian's blood was warm and viscous, soaking into Bai E's hands and the cold ground beneath his feet.

　When that last breath of life dissipated, Bai E in this world knew that he, the sunny young man, had also died along with Xi Lian.

　The heavy shackles of salvation had never been so clearly etched into his bones, suffocating him relentlessly. This was the cross he was destined to bear in this life.

　He held the girl's gradually cooling body, a suppressed, beast-like whimper escaping his throat, tears falling like broken beads onto Xi Lian's pale cheeks.

　Just then, another figure silently sat down on the muddy ground beside him—it was Bai E from his previous life, the "self" who had personally ended Xi Lian's cycle of reincarnation.

　He raised his blood-stained hand, as if to pat this worldly white calamity on the shoulder, but in the end it just hung in mid-air before falling heavily back down.

　What could he say? That Xi Lian's death was a "necessary sacrifice" to keep the wheel of reincarnation turning?

　Is this the price that must be paid to fight against the high and mighty chess player?

　These cold, hard truths, faced with this moment of despair, appear ridiculously pale and nauseatingly cruel.

　Two white-clad figures, one old and one young, silently lifted Xi Lian's body. They walked in unison towards a golden grove bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

　This was Xi Lian's favorite place. She once said that the sunlight here was like molten gold, which could make her forget her troubles. They dug a grave with their bare hands on the ground covered with golden fallen leaves, their movements slow and heavy.

　Soil mixed with tears stained their fingernails and sleeves. They gently placed Xilian in the ground; she lay there quietly, as if she had simply fallen asleep, her expression even carrying a hint of serene relief amidst the golden fallen leaves.

　The act of filling the mound was mechanical and numb; each shovelful of earth felt like burying a part of his past self. As the small mound rose, it seemed as if the tears of this worldly calamity had finally dried up.

　He slumped down beside the new grave, staring blankly at the mound of fresh earth, and spoke in a hoarse voice, as if asking the other person, or perhaps himself: "Will this world... ever be redeemed one day?"

　In his previous life, Bai E leaned against a golden tree trunk, gazing at the burning sunset on the horizon, and remained silent for a moment. His eyes were complex, filled with weariness and sorrow, but deep within them burned an inextinguishable flame.

　"meeting."

　His voice was low but unusually certain, “And this hope has never been so close.”

　Suddenly, Bai E looked up at him, his eyes filled with the hope of a drowning person grasping at a piece of driftwood.

　"You haven't met him yet, that teacher... Bertrand Russell."

　A hint of reminiscence flashed in the eyes of the elderly Bai E: "Not one of the things he did was a failure."

　He adjusted his posture, his gaze becoming distant, as if piercing through layers of the curtain of reincarnation.

　"Let's start from the zeroth cycle... Back then, he was just a mortal."

　His voice carried the solemnity of recounting an epic: "A mortal man, yet he single-handedly shouldered the burden of survival, burning alone for three thousand years under the threat of the boundless black tide."

　"Can you imagine? A mortal body fighting against the collapse of the entire world? He is my most admired idol."

　This worldly white calamity held its breath, imagining the almost unimaginable loneliness and perseverance.

　"And then... is the light of the tree garden."

　The older Bai E's voice lowered, filled with heavy respect, "It was a self-destruction so tragic it defied description. To buy the struggling civilization a final moment, to send out the most resolute light of resistance against the Black Tide... he chose to burn everything he had."

　Bai E's heart was gripped tightly, and his sorrow was temporarily dispelled by a tremendous shock and inexplicable reverence.

　He could almost see the light piercing through the darkness of despair, brief yet brilliant enough to illuminate his soul.

　After recounting the ending of the zeroth cycle, the older Bai E looked at his younger self. In those eyes, which had been filled with sorrow, a faint flame called hope was now flickering.

　This gave him a sense of relief, as if he were seeing himself countless times before, when he first heard about his teacher's deeds.

　"And...what happened after that? What became of the teacher?"

　Bai E asked urgently in this world.

　"after……"

　The older Bai'e's eyes became deep and pained. "He fell into the cycle of reincarnation with us. But the problem is that his mortal body is too fragile."

　Bai E frowned.

　"He soon realized that if he continued to hold onto the remaining candle flame and suffer for three thousand years like in the zeroth reincarnation, it would only be repeating a hopeless cycle, like drinking poison to quench thirst."

　The older Bai Er's voice trembled slightly, "So he chose a... more radical, and more painful path."

　What road?

　Bai E's heart was in turmoil.

　He began...research.

　The old man's fingernails dug deep into the soil. "The research subject... is his own body, and even... the remains of his teacher, Serhith."

　He uttered these words with difficulty, “Direction…is the compatibility of the soul, body, and the Black Tide.”

　Shi Shi Bai E gasped, his face turning deathly pale.

　"He...he was with himself..."

　"A mangled body, drained blood, a soul torn to pieces..."

　The elderly Bai Er closed his eyes, as if unable to bear recalling those scenes, "This is the torture he inflicted on himself."

　"He only wanted to tear open a crack in the endless cycle of despair to save Onpharos more quickly. He saw through the essence of reincarnation earlier than any of us, and he was also more ruthless than any of us."

　"But……"

　Shi Bai'e opened his mouth, wanting to say that this was too cruel, was it worth it? But he swallowed the words back.

　For someone who values ​​the survival of the world more than their own existence, suffering itself may no longer be the standard of measurement.

　"He always loved this world and all those who struggle to survive."

　The older Bai E opened his eyes, his gaze intense. "It is precisely because of the depth of his love that he is so cruel to himself."

　"As long as there is a glimmer of hope, he would do it without hesitation, even if it meant being shattered to pieces. I have never doubted that."

　His tone turned bitter and heavy: "However, when I took up the banner of eternal reincarnation and became the savior who collected the fire... in the history of Onphalus afterward, the teacher's name and his sacrifice were completely erased. All traces of him were swept into the corner of oblivion."

　He gave a self-deprecating twitch at the corner of his mouth: "And I... have gradually become an empty shell. A cold machine that only knows how to collect embers."

　"I must confess to you..."

　He stared directly into the eyes of this world's White Calamity, his gaze so sharp it seemed to pierce the soul. "In the countless reincarnations that followed, in order to gather enough fire to fight against the rebirth, I no longer protected my companions... I became the most terrifying executioner in their eyes. A terrifying fire-stealing walker from the Black Tide."

　"To stop that evil plan, I had no choice but to... kill them. As for why I didn't tell them the truth? Because they understood me too well. If I had listened to their comfort and understanding back then, I definitely wouldn't have been able to do it."

　He let out a short, painful laugh, but tears welled up uncontrollably again: "Ha... I'm actually... still trying to justify my crimes... Hahaha..."

　Laughter echoed through the empty golden forest, filled with endless sorrow and self-loathing.

　Looking at his pained and contorted face, Shi Bai'e felt as if his heart was being clenched by an icy hand. He knew this feeling all too well, just as he knew his own reflection in a mirror.

　He said nothing, but simply reached out his mud-covered hand and forcefully, silently patted the violently trembling back of the elderly Bai E.

　"All of this... must have been very painful, right?"

　The voice of this worldly wrathful one was hoarse, “Killing comrades who once fought alongside us… just to stop the mastermind behind it all. Is this the tragic fate destined for us saviors?”

　"No!"

　The elder Bai E suddenly raised his head, his eyes bursting with intense light, instantly dispelling his tears. "We are not walking towards our destiny! We are using our flesh and blood to firmly block the carefully arranged re-creation gears of the mastermind behind the scenes, Lai Gu Shi!"

　"We struggle in an endless cycle of despair, just to find that one... variable that can overturn his chessboard!"

　"variable?"

　A thought struck Bai E: "You mean...the teacher?"

　……

　Chapter Ninety-Six: The Handover of the Saviors.

　"It's him!"

　The older Bai Er's voice was full of strength: "The teacher never gave up! He has been continuing his cruel self-experimentation in some corner we don't know about."

　"The price a mortal body pays for such torment... is that their lifespan often doesn't last more than ten years. But... who knows how many lifetimes of dormancy and accumulation they've undergone..."

　His eyes gleamed with disbelief. "The teacher's name has finally reappeared in the history of Onphalus?"

　In this world, the white calamity weighs heavily on one's mind.

　“But this time, he no longer appeared as a benevolent elder.”

　The older Bai'er's tone became complex and awe-inspiring. "He established a technological hegemony centered on the Divine Tree Court, and unified the divided Onpharos with an iron fist! Then... a thousand years before the first Fire Chase began, he issued a call—hunt down the Titans and reclaim the Fire!"

　"So early?!"

　This world is filled with shock. "So... later on, he kept thwarting the teacher's plans, repeatedly becoming his enemy, and even... killing his people..."

　"it's me."

　The older Bai Er's voice lowered, filled with endless pain and regret, "At that time, my heart was already cold, and my soul was numb. I was just a cold machine executing the program to stop the re-creation of the world."

　"And the teacher's actions are undoubtedly accelerating the re-creation of the world, I can only..."

　"When I realized what had happened... my teacher was already lying in a pool of blood... his blood, a glaring crimson, stained the entire earth red..."

　He closed his eyes in pain, as if the scene were right before his eyes.

　"But the teacher... never gave up."

　His voice was filled with an almost choked admiration: "In countless reincarnations that followed, I stood on the opposite side of him time and time again, stopping him, even... killing him."

　“Every time we pointed a weapon at him, every time we watched him fall…”

　He suddenly looked at this worldly white calamity, his eyes filled with blood-red despair.

　In this life, Bai E simply listened quietly, feeling the heavy pain that transcends reincarnation.

　“Until…the previous life.”

　The older Bai E's tone suddenly changed, filled with an excitement like the sun breaking through the clouds, "Teacher is back! He brought back from the mysterious beings of the outer world a power sufficient to negate the established rules of this world!"

　"Guess how many Titan sparks are fused into my body right now?"

　He posed a question, a strange light gleaming in his eyes.

　After a moment's thought, Bai E cautiously stated a number: "...tens of millions?"

　"not enough."

　The elderly Bai E shook his head.

　"That...over a hundred million?"

　"A full four hundred million!"