The Envoy of Abundance from Onphalus

If it weren't for the clear and unmistakable mark of the compassionate physician on the hull, it would probably have been torn apart by the immortal ship's defensive cannon fire the moment it entered the airspace.

The ship itself was strange enough, but the creatures that emerged from it sent chills down the spines of the Cloud Cavalry responsible for receiving them—they were not humanoid as expected, but rather resembled the terrifying insectoids from the global locust plague.

The Cloud Knights exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with disbelief: These... were also compassionate healers? When they saw Russell walk up familiarly and chat happily with these gleaming, compound-eyed "insects," the answer was obvious.

If humanoid creatures and insectoids are still within the realm of understanding, then the races that arrive next are constantly challenging the limits of our knowledge.

A massive, slowly undulating cloud of gas occupied another berth, from which emerged a group of amorphous gaseous life forms. The radiant markings emanating from their cores also proclaimed their identities as compassionate healers.

The databases of the major powers in the universe do indeed record the creed of the compassionate healer who does not discriminate based on race, class, or form. However, witnessing so many unheard-of strange races firsthand was still an unprecedented shock for the Cloud Cavalry present.

They probably saw more races in a single day than he had in his entire life. Ordinary humans, extraordinary humans, inorganic humans, and all sorts of bizarre life forms that weren't even human.

This was the first time Russell himself had faced the diversity of his followers in such a systematic way. He knew his followers came from many ethnic groups, but he hadn't expected them to be so all-encompassing.

Many strange races were simply new life forms born from the abundant power he casually scattered as he passed by those dying or desolate planets.

They revered him as the creator and the supreme god, and upon seeing him in person, their first reaction was an almost uncontrollable pilgrimage of excitement.

"Great Shadow of Abundance! Your grace is as vast as the starry sea!" A humanoid creature made of glowing moss lay prostrate on the ground, its voice like the wind blowing through the forest.

Russell gently helped it up: "Get up. Here, we are fellow travelers, practicing the way of compassion together."

He looked around at his followers, each with their own unique appearance, and was filled with mixed emotions. He had long since lost count of how many desolate planets he had revived and how many desolate places he had brought to life.

This vast and diverse procession before us is the most direct proof of his past deeds. It is also the best answer to his good deeds over the past ten years.

Amidst this spectacle, a spaceship painted in vibrant colors, like an overturned palette, precisely came to a stop in its berth with an exaggerated drift.

The hatch opened, and a group of laughing people wearing all sorts of exaggerated smiley masks poured out. They were all dressed in sharp but brightly colored suits, and each of them carried a huge, bulging bag of candy on their shoulder, stuffed with colorful candies that were said to bring happiness.

An intense, almost tangible aura of pleasure emanated from them—these were the Masked Fools, a group of people who sought the ultimate pleasure, and now also members of the Compassionate Physician.

The only one not wearing a mask was Sambo Koski. He rushed up to Russell like a gust of wind, grabbed Russell's hand in an extremely familiar manner, and shook it vigorously.

"Hey! Dude! I've finally found you!" Sambo's voice was full of exaggerated surprise. "Look at this outfit! I was stunned for three seconds before I dared to recognize you! How rude of me!" He didn't care about Russell's identity at all, and was as familiar as if he had bumped into a close friend on the street.

“Sambo?” Russell raised an eyebrow at Sambo’s flashy suit. “Shouldn’t you be in Yalilo-VI? This outfit… isn’t it a bit too conspicuous?” He glanced at the group of equally flashy Fools behind Sambo.

"Hey! After settling things off with Yalilo, I've been thinking about it non-stop!" Sangbo rubbed his hands together, his face beaming with smiles, but his eyes held their usual slyness. "After thinking it over, that's why I joined the Compassionate Physicians! To fulfill the duty of saving lives. When I received your call, I immediately led my brothers to respond!"

He patted his chest, his expression so sincere it was flawless.

Russell sighed and bluntly called him out: "Come on, buddy. Honestly, why did you join the Compassionate Physicians? And why did you bring such a large group of 'brothers' with you?"

He pointed to the group of masked fools who were handing out candy to the curious Cloud Cavalry soldiers, making the soldiers both laugh and cry.

Sambo's smile froze for a moment, then he slumped his shoulders and put on a wronged expression: "Sigh, I knew I couldn't hide it from you. I'm a little short on cash lately, thinking of borrowing some trinkets from the newly opened museum to tide me over..."

"You went directly to the museum to 'buy' the goods?" Russell sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Bronya was complaining to me about the recent spate of museum thefts, saying it was giving her a headache. Turns out it was you? You even lied to my student, that's going too far."

"Hey! You can't say that!" Sambo immediately protested. "Those treasures are displayed in glass cases, like they're in prison, how boring!"

"Old Sambo is just helping them get some fresh air and, incidentally, realizing their 'monetary value'! Besides, they'll rust if left out too long, won't they? It's better to let them put their remaining value to good use..."

"And then he got arrested?"

“Absolutely!” Sangbo said with a gloomy expression. “That little gray-haired guy in your train crew, March 7th? Or Xing? I can’t remember, he’s incredibly persistent! He’s like a persistent ghost!”

"I suspect she was holding a grudge because the trash can blind box I sold her only contained trash! In the end... sigh, she cried behind bars for days."

"But I can't stay inside forever, can I? That's no fun! I have to come out to lay low for a while and find some new fun." He shrugged, looking like he was helpless.

Sambo magically produced the Oblivion Mark he had obtained through prayer and waved it in front of Russell: "But buddy, I'm not kidding you, Sambo, I really did join."

"Look, do you see? I was already a member of the Compassionate Physicians organization twenty years ago! Back then, I thought it was a good deal to get some free medical care from this organization. After all, you know what state our planet was in back then, so it wasn't shameful to get some free medical care, right?"

“But ever since I met you,” he leaned closer, lowered his voice, and his eyes gleamed, “man, you’ve shown me that this organization is much more fun than I thought! Especially that candy you gave me…”

Sangbo smacked his lips, revealing an expression that was both unforgettable and incredibly painful. "That taste! Pure as can be! After experiencing that, going looking for other forms of entertainment is, tsk, as bland as drinking plain water!"

"Do you know what this means to a masked fool? It's torment! It's torture!"

"So?" Russell raised an eyebrow, vaguely guessing his intention.

"So when I came out to 'clear my head,' I truly experienced the work of a compassionate doctor."

Sambo's expression suddenly turned serious for a moment, with a strange sense of satisfaction. "To soothe the wounds and bring hope to those ravaged worlds... to see smiles return to the faces of those in despair... man, that kind of fun is so pure!"

“It’s more exciting than all the lowbrow entertainment in the world combined!” He patted Russell on the shoulder. “Ever since I ate your candy, ordinary entertainment has been garbage to me! Unpalatable! But this pure entertainment is a good alternative.”

"And then you thought of 'sharing'?"

"Absolutely!" Sambo's grin returned. "Such amazing fun is better shared!"

"I invited a few trusted friends and buddies to join the compassionate physician program and experience this 'ultimate fun.' See?"

He pointed triumphantly to the group of fools behind him who had turned the entrance to the resettlement site into a carnival, "At first they didn't believe me, but I broke the candy you gave me into small pieces and let them taste it... Wow! They believed me immediately!"

"See, as soon as we heard you had a 'big project,' we immediately chartered a ship and came rushing over! When a brother is in trouble, how can we stand idly by?" He winked at Russell. "How about it, aren't you touched?"

Russell looked at the ever-unpredictable Envoy of Joy before him and smiled helplessly yet sincerely: "To be honest, Sambo, it was quite a surprise that you came. But... thanks, buddy."

"Hehe, don't be so polite!" Sangbo rubbed his hands together, his eyes darting around, and leaned close to Russell's ear, asking in a sly voice that only the two of them could hear, "But buddy, give me a hint? Was this 'fun' big enough?"

"You know, I love those big 'performances' that I can participate in, that are exciting and intense, and that ultimately bring me a lot of pure joy."

Russell's lips curled into a subtle smile as he lowered his voice in response, "Is beating up a Destruction Commander considered big?"

Sangbo's pupils dilated instantly, his face first showing shock, then bursting with ecstatic joy. He slapped his thigh and almost jumped up: "Holy crap! Dude! You... you've got it! This is hilarious! I knew that following you would bring endless fun."

"Remember to take me with you! I, Old Sambo, and my brothers will definitely put on a great show for you!" He patted his chest to assure them, then gave a loud whistle to the group of fools and made a complicated gesture.

“Don’t worry,” Russell said, looking at the unique gleam in his eyes that belonged to a life of joy. “Since you’re here, you’re definitely going to participate. I can guarantee that.”

Sambo returned a knowing look with an exaggerated "you understand me" gaze and snapped his fingers crisply.

He and his flamboyant "brothers" immediately swarmed towards the resettlement point, as if attending a grand masquerade ball, their comical yet elegant steps accompanied by the mixed gazes of the Cloud Cavalry soldiers—a mixture of vigilance, confusion, and a hint of amusement.

Along the way, they made sure to hand out candies that were said to bring happiness to everyone they met.

The clamor of the Starry Sea temporarily concealed the undercurrents. At this moment, Huanlong was immersed in her meticulously woven game of destruction, playing a game against the Luofu Immortal Ship.

Unbeknownst to her, on the chessboard she thought she controlled, a chess piece with a sinister smile had already silently fallen.

This chess piece represents not order, nor simply destruction, but something capable of disrupting all plans.

.........

Chapter 1, 3K6.

Golden Branches Endure Through the Ages: Chapter 146 The Enduring Branches Speak

I don't know where I came from, where I'm going, or the meaning of my existence.

When I awoke, I was already rooted deep within this sea of ​​stars. Silence, almost tangible, enveloped every inch of my being.

Emptiness is the only word I can perceive.

Without direction, without dimension, only the eternally flowing stardust and the silent whispers of distant, hazy nebulae. The cognition known as the "Branch of Descending Age" is my only anchor.

Day after day, year after year, time loses its meaning here, and only solitude is its eternal companion.

I can stretch out my branches and leaves to absorb those drifting particles of light and dust—like the breath of the universe, cold and faint, yet they are my only proof of life.

One day, this boundless nothingness overwhelmed me. Rather than endure this long, deathly silence in my wakefulness, I chose to drift into sleep. As my consciousness slowly sank, I chose to escape this eternal void through slumber.

.........

Countless stellar eras have passed in the darkness. An unprecedented tremor, a vibrant pulse of life, abruptly disturbed my long slumber.

That faint frequency, like a heart beating in a vacuum, carried a life force that was completely different from mine yet strangely resonated with mine.

My consciousness returned instantly, and the branches and leaves trembled slightly because of this sudden miracle!

Excitement surged like an electric current, instantly igniting all my dormant senses.

In the distance, a life that is both similar to and different from mine!

I've been lonely for so long that I've almost forgotten how to express joy, but this fervent call from the instinct of life is irrepressible.

I used all my strength to gently extend, entwine, and guide my thoughts, like invisible threads of light, towards the pulsating source.

I called out to him, hoping he could sense this invitation that transcended the void.

There are no words, only the purest resonance of life, a deepest longing from a lonely soul: Please come closer to me, please come here!

The aura gradually became clearer and began to move towards my location. With each pulse approaching, the tremor deep within my consciousness intensified.

Finally, a figure pierced through the layers of nebula and dust, and slowly landed near my outstretched branches that trembled with anticipation.

It was a vague yet radiant presence, its form completely different from my tree; it was more agile and warmer.

His jade-green pupils were filled with tenderness.

He tilted his head slightly, as if listening to the silent wind, and stardust drifted slowly around his phantom, like embellishments.

.........

I mustered all my courage and focused my mind on Liu Xiang's hand, which was already resting on my tree trunk.

A gentle yet ancient energy, imbued with the aura of the birth of stars, flowed slowly from the core of the self, condensing into a wisp of emerald green energy, like the purest spring of life, tentatively flowing toward the body opposite.

After a brief silence, an equally warm, yet more complex and vast energy responded.

It was a golden stream of light, containing the rhythm of the world called Onpharos, and countless indescribable joys and sorrows.

That is his essence, his memories, his past!

At that moment, the universe seemed to hold its breath. A massive amount of information surged into the depths of my consciousness!

Heroes rise up and fight against the cruel twists of fate, while the laughter and tears of ordinary people shimmer in the long river of time…

A grand, complex world, filled with endless possibilities and suffering, suddenly unfolded before my eyes!

It was so dazzling and vibrant that it completely overturned my understanding that had been imprisoned for millions of years!

It turns out that the universe is not just this empty silence! There is also such a breathtaking and passionate existence!

I greedily absorbed every scene, every story; they were treasures I had never imagined, memories that were incredibly delicious.

As the fused light gradually faded, an unprecedented soul connection was formed between me and Asu, as if our roots were intertwined and our bloodlines were connected.

We share each other's deepest memories and emotions.

He sensed my boundless loneliness, while I was immersed in the grandeur and profound emotions of his world.

"The outside world...is so beautiful." My thoughts were filled with the wonder and longing of a newborn baby, and the branches unconsciously stretched towards him.

After that, we found the most peaceful corner in this sea of ​​stars and nestled together.

He leaned against my sturdy trunk, my branches drooping low, like the gentlest barrier protecting him.

A shared breath flowed through the stardust, and we fell into a peaceful slumber together.

The peace and warmth brought by this reliance surpassed any beauty I could comprehend; it was like finding an anchor point, no longer drifting.

I wish this peaceful scene could last forever; if only it could last forever.

.........

However, this lasting peace was soon shattered. Asu left and then returned.

Once, twice… each time, the memory of his return was more painful than the last. He always endured it, trying to stand tall in front of me, like a wounded child who refused to show his fear.

I carefully touched his wounds with branches and leaves that were imbued with the stardust of life, violently thrusting fragments of excruciating pain and despairing memories into my consciousness. To relieve his suffering.

Each treatment felt like I was personally experiencing the cycle of suffering he endured.

Those sharp, heavy negative memories, like poisonous vines, pierced my roots, causing my branches and leaves to spasm.

But I only tasted the painful memory, while he truly experienced it.

I really wanted to persuade him to give up, but I knew I couldn't. It was precisely because I understood him that I couldn't persuade him.

All my advice and heartache were silenced. Because I know him too well.

Our essence once intersected, and the flame in his heart—that compassion, responsibility, protection, and selfless dedication—has long been reflected in the depths of my soul.

I cannot refute his belief that this value is more important than life itself. That heaviness is precisely the source of my understanding and heartache for him.

Each time I cleansed away these sharp fragments of memory for him, I walked on thin ice, carefully selecting and peeling away the most bloody pain.

At the same time, I quietly planted warm memories of our first meeting, or some beautiful moments in my memory that truly made him smile, deep into his chaotic emotions, like sowing seeds of hope, in an attempt to neutralize the endless bitterness.

But my efforts seemed to have little effect. Seeing the increasingly forced, tired smile on his face when he returned, my branches drooped heavily.