Pom Pom realized it only afterward. Once he walked out of the room, he discovered that Akivili had deliberately sent him away.
He couldn't figure out why, so he could only assume that the Aeon wanted to talk with Eric.
Pom Pom shuffled his feet and arrived at the empty observation car.
This explosion had destroyed quite a few Nameless passengers' rooms, but fortunately the number of injured people was not large.
Right now, everyone was busy cleaning their rooms.
Pom Pom sat on the sofa in a daze. After an unknown amount of time passed, Akivili came to his side.
The Aeon held the medical kit in one hand and the potted plant in the other.
For some reason, the green plant that had previously been fed a fruit looked droopy again.
Aside from the plant that was once again close to dying, Akivili also looked strange.
If normally those golden eyes were like dazzling gold, then now they were like gemstones covered in dust, unpolished.
Akivili sat on the sofa. Ignoring Pom Pom's attempt to stop him, he even placed the flowerpot beside himself.
As soon as the Aeon got close, Pom Pom smelled a faint scent of blood.
It seemed Eric was seriously injured.
Maybe tonight he should cook some food that helps replenish blood?
While Pom Pom was thinking about this, he heard Akivili beside him ask, "Pom Pom, are there sedatives on the train?"
Pom Pom replied, "Yes, in the storage room."
Akivili asked again, "I remember there's a Nameless passenger with a medical license, someone who can inject medicine, right?"
Pom Pom nodded.
Akivili was silent for a while, then started complaining about Eric.
Complaining about this Nameless passenger who, relying on that potted plant that could heal wounds, recklessly put himself in danger.
The Aeon's tone sounded very angry as he said to Pom Pom, "Next time, if Eric tries to use... no, there won't be a next time. This plant will die very soon."
Pom Pom looked at the lifeless plant that only had one green leaf left, then looked at the Aeon staring straight ahead, and nodded in strong agreement.
Akivili turned his head and looked at Pom Pom seriously.
"Pom Pom, I'm going out for a while. I'll be back soon."
"During this time, keep an eye on him."
Pom Pom tilted his head and asked, "Leaving the train? Where are you going?"
Akivili avoided his gaze and muttered, "To Yaoqing."
Pom Pom did not ask further and watched the Aeon leave.
Right after Akivili left, Eric appeared.
Because of blood loss, the man's face looked very pale.
He sat down by himself, his gaze landing on the potted plant beside him.
Pom Pom remembered the instructions Akivili gave before leaving and instantly became alert. Looking up at Eric, he asked, "You should be resting properly. Why did you come out?"
Eric stopped looking at the half-dead plant and instead frowned slightly, sighing.
"After that guy's bomb exploded, it triggered the smoke alarm. The curtains, bedding, and carpet were all soaked by the ceiling sprinklers."
"Pom Pom, can I temporarily borrow Akivili's room?"
Pom Pom fell into thought.
If it were Akivili, he would immediately notice something strange.
A person with very strong boundaries would not casually make such an overstepping request.
Pom Pom knew none of that. He thought Eric's request was perfectly reasonable.
A man who dressed so carefully and spent no less than five-digit credits every time he made a move, how could he be some ordinary person? Even the top executives of the IPC believed Eric could rule the sea of stars at any time.
Wouldn't it be normal for someone like that to be bad at housework and cleaning rooms?
If it were anyone else, Pom Pom definitely would not agree.
But Eric had helped modify the train, protected many Nameless passengers during two crises, and even gave the company shares…
And from time to time Eric would share delicious food with Pom Pom.
Pom Pom didn't hesitate for long and asked, "Where did you put your bedsheets and quilt covers, Pom Pom?"
Eric looked surprised and was about to say something when Pom Pom interrupted him.
"Alright, I'll clean your room for you. Right now you should go rest, Pom Pom."
Pom Pom jumped off the sofa and looked up.
"Let's go. Pom Pom will take you there."
He walked a few steps, then turned back and found Eric still staring at the plant.
Pom Pom said irritably, "Alright, stop looking at that plant. You should go rest properly."
Eric softly said "Mm," withdrew his gaze, and followed Pom Pom.
Pom Pom first brought him to Akivili's room. Then he found a broom and mop, cleaned Eric's room, and changed the bedding for him.
He worked quickly and soon cleaned the room until it was spotless.
Pom Pom proudly put his hands on his hips and admired his work for a while.
While looking at it, he suddenly remembered the potted plant that was still in the observation car.
Pom Pom hurriedly put away the cleaning tools and rushed back, only to see Eric at a glance.
He couldn't believe it.
"Weren't you resting in Akivili's room?"
Eric smiled. "The chair in his room isn't very comfortable to sit on."
Pom Pom, "..."
'Are you the princess from that fairy tale about the pea?!'
'The kind who complains even if there's a pea inside the mattress?!'
Pom Pom took a deep breath.
"Your room has already been cleaned. Go rest.", Eric softly thanked him.
Pom Pom responded very perfunctorily. Looking around, he couldn't find the potted plant anywhere.
'Wait, could Eric have taken it?'
He subconsciously turned his head and looked at Eric.
The other party was very perceptive and noticed Pom Pom's gaze.
Eric stopped walking, turned around, and asked, "Pom Pom, what's wrong?"
Pom Pom stared at him without blinking.
The clothes Eric had been wearing earlier had already been cut apart by him and Akivili.
Now the man was only wearing a black shirt and black trousers, with a shoulder holster strap across his upper body. There was nowhere on him to hide anything.
Pom Pom quickly ruled Eric out as a suspect and immediately waved him away.
"It's nothing. Injured people should go rest, Pom Pom."
He looked at the train car, frowning.
"Where's the potted plant? Did another Nameless passenger throw it away?"
———
[Xianzhou Yaoqing]
Akivili arrived at Yaoqing almost without any obstruction and met the heir of his friend.
He rarely saw this child named Hua.
Only the familiar hair color and eye color allowed Akivili to match her with the child in his memory.
Hua's smiling face was exactly the same as his friend's. Anyone who saw it would naturally feel close to her.
She first exchanged the usual polite greetings with Akivili, then asked about the Aeon's reason for coming.
Akivili stayed silent and looked at Hua.
Honestly, if time could go backward… the first thing he would do would be to kick Aha off the train.
Unfortunately, even an Aeon cannot reverse time.
If his friend hadn't been injured…
If he had fed that fruit to his friend instead of giving it to the potted plant…
Would things have been different?
No… they wouldn't.
Akivili pulled his thoughts back and continued looking at Hua.
Should he trust Hua?
During the thousands, tens of thousands of years of the Aeon's existence, he had seen many people.
They shared blood ties. They were close to each other.
Yet in the end, because of benefits, they turned against their closest loved ones.
Then what about Hua?
She had no blood relation with his friend.
Excluding the two years his friend spent outside, they had only been together for eight years.
For those eight years, Akivili would occasionally hear news about Hua from his friend.
His friend said he didn't get along well with Hua.
Said he couldn't understand what children were thinking.
For long-life species, what did eight years even count for?
If Akivili told Hua the truth, what would she do?
A person willing to cut flesh and bleed voluntarily.
A person whose blood could erase the vitality of the Emanators of Abundance.
A person whose blood could injure an Aeon, and very possibly even kill an Aeon.
Such a person… if someone close to him made a request, would he refuse?
Akivili knew very clearly that his friend would not refuse.
If flesh and blood could injure Aeons, then what about the mara that troubled the Xianzhou people? After research, they would probably quickly find a way using his friend's blood.
Just sacrificing one person could save everyone… even if the one sacrificed was his friend himself… he would not refuse.
Akivili made up his mind.
He could not give Hua his trust, but Guanliang was different.
Guanliang had accompanied his friend for several thousand years. Perhaps he already knew the truth.
It seemed he needed to discuss a solution with Guanliang as soon as possible.
Before departing, Akivili repeatedly hinted to the conductor and asked Pom Pom to keep a close eye on his friend. It was not to hide the matter.
With his friend's intelligence… discovering the truth was only a matter of time.
What Akivili could do was simply delay it as much as possible, delaying the moment his friend would discover the truth.
If he and Guanliang couldn't stop it… then they could only find a way to erase his friend's memory.
Akivili wasn't very familiar with the Aeon of Memory, but that wasn't a problem.
In this world, was there anyone or any god who would refuse him?
Akivili was confident in his social ability. As he thought about it, he soon remembered the item his friend once mentioned, "Feather Dust."
That item could also erase memories.
Akivili looked at Hua.
"Aha said his goal is destined to fail."
Hua replied, "He once said, 'the words of the Elation Aeon cannot be trusted.'"
Akivili paused for a moment.
He, Zandar, Guanliang and the others had worked hard for a whole year for his friend, yet it all ended in failure…
'Damn that Aha! Ruining the plant was one thing, but you could have just killed it outright! Instead you had to leave the plant barely alive!'
"That guy Aha loves to look for fun. What he wants to see is someone struggling for hundreds or thousands of years, only to end up with nothing."
Akivili frowned deeply, "But he will die, right? He will definitely die. But someone like him… how can he die?"
"I knock him unconscious, and then you use 'Feather Dust' on him. How about that?"
Akivili thought to himself, 'As expected of me.'
'I actually came up with such a perfect plan.'
With a bit of hope in his heart, he looked at Hua.
Hua's expression dimmed for a moment. She slowly shook her head.
"I don't have 'Feather Dust.'"
Akivili thought, 'As expected of my friend.'
'He really is one step ahead.'
'He even considered this possibility?'
Akivili could only say, "Right. He has 'Feather Dust,' so there's nothing we can do."
Akivili no longer had the interest to continue the conversation. He hurriedly ended the topic. Before leaving, he asked, "Where's Guanliang?"
Hua replied, "Today is Guanliang's day off."
After getting the answer, Akivili turned and left, sending a message to Guanliang while walking.
Guanliang, on the other end of the jade communicator, received the message, took a deep breath, and with trembling hands sent his location and Marty's location.
Half an hour earlier, Marty had come to him saying he had received a warning signal from the Marshal's neutron gun.
The two quickly met up.
To protect the Marshal's privacy, they did not immediately bring up the video. Instead, they stared at the physical data displayed on the device.
Looking at the screen that showed only two abnormal heart rate spikes, Guanliang couldn't help but doubt it.
"Could this be some malfunction?"
Marty shook his head, sounding extremely proud.
"Impossible. In these thousands of years, the data has never been wrong, and the jade communicator has never malfunctioned..."
Guanliang couldn't figure anything out, so he suggested pulling up the video.
Marty quickly operated the device and brought up the video.
There were two clips, each only five seconds long.
The first clip was more like audio.
The Marshal seemed to have put on a black coat that completely blocked the camera on the neutron gun. They could only hear a violent explosion.
In the second clip, the Marshal had taken off his coat, and the camera clearly recorded the things around him.
He seemed to be sitting on a chair, with someone kneeling at his feet.
The two of them recognized the person instantly.
Shuhu.
After watching the video, both of their expressions changed.
Marty said in disbelief, "Wait! Why does he get that treatment?! The earlier part is understandable. That general said it's a necessary method for interrogating and humiliating prisoners..."
"But… why does he get the Marshal personally feeding him fruit?!"
Marty was lost in his own thoughts and didn't notice that Guanliang beside him had turned pale as paper.
Guanliang took several deep breaths and tried his best to steady his voice.
"Marty, rewind it. Watch it again."
Marty did as he said.
Guanliang stared at the screen, refusing to miss any detail. When the golden fruit appeared, his breathing became rapid.
Marty muttered, "How should I say this? The Marshal's appearance when interrogating… although he looks fierce, I'm not very surprised."
"After all, he's the type with a strong desire for control."
Guanliang said nothing. He took out his jade communicator and tried to unlock it. After several attempts, he finally succeeded.
First he replied to the message from the "Cloud Command Arbiter," then he quickly formed a plan.
Send Cloud Knights out to bring the Marshal back.
Guanliang switched out of the chat app and logged into the office software. As soon as he did, a window automatically popped up.
[Guanliang, hello]
[You have withdrawn from this organization and can no longer access its internal files]
[It has already been fortunate to walk together]
[Thank you for everything you have done for the Xianzhou Alliance over these thousand years]
[We sincerely wish that everything you seek will be fulfilled, and every road you walk will become smooth]
Guanliang, "???"
He subconsciously looked at Marty, the creator of the office software, and handed over the jade communicator.
Marty took it, looked at it, and his expression became extremely complicated.
"With your position, only the Marshal can submit a resignation request for you. Guanliang, you were fired by the Marshal. No, what exactly did you do? The Marshal has such a good temper… wait, I'll ask for you…"
Marty took out his own jade communicator, tapped a few times, then looked up at him with pity.
"Guanliang, you weren't fired. You were suspended."
Guanliang, "..."
'Damn it.'
'Marshal, was this also within your expectations?'
All he wanted was to mobilize the Cloud Knights. Did the Marshal really have to directly strip him of all his authority in this way?
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