"Yes, Aedes Elysiae wasn't destroyed."
After answering Khaslana, Phainon paused, a look of stunned realization on his face as he turned back to his counterpart and asked, "In the cycles you experienced before... Aedes Elysiae was destroyed every time?"
Khaslana nodded silently, his voice hoarse as he replied, "Aedes Elysiae... every single time..."
Phainon fell silent as well. After a long moment, he reached out and patted Khaslana's shoulder. When he looked up again, only determination remained in his eyes.
"But this time, everyone is still alive, and they've all been relocated to Okhema. Except for Cyrene and the village chief... I'll take you to see everyone later, alright?"
"...If we still have the chance."
---o---
In the wheat fields outside the village of Aedes Elysiae, a spatial portal opened, and Fu Zhu's group stepped out.
Fu Zhu scanned his surroundings. The golden wheat fields from his memory were gone, replaced by barren farmland. Even the village in the distance looked somewhat dilapidated.
March 7th held Fu Zhu's hand, her tone a little somber as she looked at the desolate scene.
"Fu Zhu, where is this place? Why does it look like it's been abandoned for so long?"
"This is Aedes Elysiae, a small village I passed through before."
As he spoke, Fu Zhu opened his mini-map.
He glanced at it. The markers for the villagers were gone. Fortunately, a single marker for one person remained at the village entrance—it was the same village chief Fu Zhu had met before. He couldn't see any further, as the map's display range was limited, but he could check again once they got closer.
"What are we doing here? Are Stelle and Dan Heng here?" March 7th asked, puzzled.
Fu Zhu shook his head. He was making a quick stop to see if the Cyrene that Demiurge had mentioned had appeared. If she was here, he would let Demiurge meet her. If not, they would head straight for Okhema.
"I promised this little fellow, Mem, that I'd help her find someone. Let's go take a look."
Fu Zhu led the group along a small, weed-choked path toward the village entrance. Before long, they saw an old, white-haired man sitting in a rocking chair, gently swaying back and forth.
The old man seemed to hear their footsteps. He slowly pushed himself up from the chair and, adjusting the presbyopic glasses on his nose, squinted in their direction.
But as his gaze swept over their unfamiliar faces, he grew agitated. He propped himself up with the rocking chair and, leaning on his cane, slowly made his way toward Fu Zhu's group.
Just as they approached, before they could even speak, the old man suddenly began muttering to himself.
Fu Zhu pricked up his ears to listen and realized the old man was reciting some sort of prayer.
His expression immediately turned strange.
In the next second, just as he had predicted, the old man grunted, his eyes squeezed shut, and two streams of blood trickled from their corners. His body swayed as he was about to collapse.
March 7th quickly rushed forward and caught the old man just as he was about to fall. "Sir, are you okay?" she asked with concern.
---o---
Watching this scene unfold, Fu Zhu felt a mix of helplessness and amusement. He raised a hand and rewound the old man's time to just before he was injured.
When March 7th saw the two streams of blood flow back into the old man's eyes, she knew Fu Zhu had intervened. Once the old man's condition stabilized, she helped him back to his rocking chair.
By now, Fu Zhu and the others had walked over. Standing before the old man, Fu Zhu said with a half-exasperated, half-amused tone, "Do you have to do this every time we meet? Aren't you afraid of going blind?"
The village chief, however, just chuckled and shook his head.
"If I didn't use this method, how else would I be able to recognize you?"
Listening to their conversation, March 7th scratched her head in confusion.
"Fu Zhu, you know this old man?"
"Mhm. I came to this village many years ago looking for someone. I didn't find them at the time, so I asked the village chief to help me keep an eye out. I didn't expect you to still be holding out after all these years. Thank you for your hard work."
As a token of his gratitude, Fu Zhu took out an enchanted golden apple and handed it to the chief, who accepted it without even looking.
Then, Fu Zhu looked up at the dilapidated village and asked with some confusion, "What happened to the village? And where is everyone else?"
"A few decades after you left, the Black Tide attacked. Fortunately, someone from Okhema came to help, so we weren't wiped out. Afterward, to ensure our safety, a Dux Goldweaver from Okhema relocated everyone to the city. I stayed behind to honor my agreement with you. The other one who chose to stay was that little girl you were looking for, Cyrene."
Hearing the name "Cyrene," Fu Zhu raised his eyebrows in surprise.
He hadn't expected Demiurge to be right. Cyrene really had appeared in Aedes Elysiae. It seemed they had simply been far too early back then.
---o---
Upon hearing Cyrene's name, Mem also grew anxious. Its tiny paws repeatedly tapped Fu Zhu's shoulder, urging him to ask about Cyrene's whereabouts.
Fu Zhu obliged and asked the village chief, "So where is Cyrene now?"
"Ah, that child. After seeing the note you left back then, she has been waiting for you right over there. I'll take you to her."
The village chief tried to get up from his chair. March 7th quickly reached out to help him, but he gently refused.
"This old man can still walk just fine. Thank you, little miss."
The chief gave March 7th a kind word of thanks before walking ahead to lead the group toward the Sacrament Courtyard.
They walked past one ruined house after another until they soon came upon a courtyard that was perfectly preserved and even adorned with fresh flowers, a stark contrast to the surrounding decay.
Fu Zhu also saw Cyrene's marker on his mini-map, located within the courtyard.
The chief led them inside. A moment later, they saw a young woman kneeling in a pavilion, writing in a book with a quill.
The village chief called out to her, "Cyrene, the one you've been waiting for is here."
Hearing his voice, Cyrene stopped writing. She closed the book, held it to her chest, and rose to her feet. She turned to look at the group, her gaze sweeping over each of them before finally resting on Fu Zhu.
When their eyes met, Fu Zhu could clearly see the joy welling up in the young woman's pupils.
"It has been a long, long time, but I have finally waited for you, the Creator God prophesied to lead everyone to a new world."