After ending the call with Stelle, Leon left the Wave-Moon Ancient Sea.
Breaking through the seawater, he lightly tapped the water surface with his toes, spread his wings, and flew toward the Alchemy Commission.
"Hmm?"
He suddenly sensed a familiar presence.
Arriving in the sky above the Dragonvista Rain Hall, Leon looked down at the ground, his gaze showing slight surprise.
...
Near the statue.
The golden-haired man from another land gazed at the distant scenery and sighed from the bottom of his heart.
"If the sea does not hide its pearls, the black dragon spits out the bright moon. The scenery of Scalegorge Waterscape is indeed as described in the poem—absolutely beautiful and magnificent."
"It's just… as a suspect, I should be wearing shackles and fetters, standing trial in The Shackling Prison."
"Yet the General has brought me to this place. Is that really appropriate?"
Hearing this, Jing Yuan's lips curved up.
"There are too many troubles locked up in The Shackling Prison. It's not suitable to add another one. For safety reasons, please undergo your interrogation here. Oh, and I will personally interrogate you."
"For safety reasons…"
Staring into Jing Yuan's eyes for a moment, Luocha's gaze revealed a hint of something inexplicable.
"It seems it's not for my safety."
Jing Yuan did not answer, seemingly acknowledging it by default, and looked toward the ancient sea.
"A Stellarons descended, the Ambrosial Arbor revived, and the ferry envoy of the Sky-Faring Commission was replaced by someone else. The true identity turned out to be a Destruction Emanator."
"According to the Sky-Faring Commission's investigation, you arrived at the Luofu with a merchant caravan and stayed for several days, yet had no trade dealings with anyone."
"On the day you were supposed to leave, a calamity of evil erupted."
"You took advantage of the chaos to sneak into The Shackling Prison, but did nothing. Instead, you waited for the disaster to end and waited for my arrival."
Jing Yuan shifted his gaze and glanced at Luocha.
"You claimed you wanted to take responsibility for this Stellaron disaster, turning yourself in to atone for your sins. Strange. Too strange."
"Your actions are truly unpredictable."
In response to these words, Luocha gave a smile.
"As a traveling merchant, I was entrusted by someone to transport a token and had no knowledge of the hidden details behind it."
"I did have a purpose for entering The Shackling Prison, but now it seems the Luofu does not have what I seek."
"As for pleading guilty and accepting punishment, it is to accept the penalty for the crime. Although the galaxy is vast, a mere traveling merchant like me probably cannot escape the pursuit of the entire Hunt."
"A mere traveling merchant?"
Jing Yuan clicked his tongue and shook his head, unable to hold back a light chuckle.
"Mr. Luocha, you must be joking. Do you need me to detail one by one the things you did in Penacony and the various past events you left behind in the Veil Star Domain?"
"Or do you need me to speak that… tongue-twisting name?"
Luocha's eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment of silence, the corners of his mouth lifted a little.
"The Divine Strategist General truly lives up to his reputation."
Jing Yuan: "Heh, the same to you. Fortunately, I did some homework in advance, otherwise today's conversation would have turned cold."
Luocha: "Since the General feels there is something suspicious about this matter, are you going to defend me and clear me of the suspicion of being the Stellaron culprit?"
Jing Yuan shook his head, a profound look flashing in his eyes.
"This matter is not up to me. It concerns the serious crime of overthrowing the Alliance. According to the law, you should be escorted to the Xianzhou of the Luofu, accept a joint trial by the Ten-Lords Commission and the Seven Arbiter-Generals, and be subjected to eternal punishment."
"However…"
"At this moment, you still have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Scalegorge Waterscape."
Luocha looked at the scenery once again.
"I heard from your master Jingliu that hundreds of years ago, the Five Heroes of the Cloud went here to gather and feast."
"Jingliu's peerless swordsmanship, the Cloud Chant mystic arts of the Imbibitor Lunae Dan Feng, the piloting skills of the Navigator Baiheng in controlling the starskiff…"
"Supplemented by the divine weapons forged by the craftsmen of the Zhuming, as well as the General's wise strategies."
"The five of them pursued demons and swept away filth, leaving behind many legendary tales that people yearn for. It is a pity that nothing lasts forever. In the end, the Five Heroes of the Cloud still fell apart and became strangers to each other."
"The General brought me out of The Shackling Prison to this place for questioning, not for safety reasons there, but because you wanted to talk privately about topics that avoid prying ears."
Luocha turned back and met Jing Yuan's gaze.
"About the person you have been asking about all this time but have deliberately avoided mentioning… your master, Jingliu."
Jing Yuan did not speak, indicating for him to continue.
Luocha: "As a follower of the Reignbow, the General must have witnessed the tragic sight of countless worlds in the universe suffering from the scourge of the Abundance plague."
"Those beings either turned into immortal demons or became sacrificial lambs offered to Abundance."
"What does the General think is the way to quell this catastrophe?"
Jing Yuan: "The Alliance follows the Reignbow's decree to exterminate demons without cease, precisely to one day eradicate Yaoshi and return life and death to their proper course."
Luocha: "The Reignbow hunts, the Cloud Knights follow, sacrificing without hesitation to slay demons and uphold justice. It is indeed admirable, but… inevitably narrow-minded."
"Just as my power comes from Abundance, yet my stance aligns with the Alliance—"
"In the universe, the forces that want to put Yaoshi to death are not limited to just the Hunt."
"Suffering from the stubborn disease of short life and yearning for the elixir of eternal life—this is the common sentiment of intelligent beings."
"To cut off these thoughts is as absurd as trying to kill an Aeon. It is almost laughable."
"Therefore, to completely sever Yaoshi's curse, one must find another method from the root."
"Your master received divine revelation, returned from the demonic depths, and traveled through countless worlds, already finding a way to untie this dead knot…"
Jing Yuan's smile faded, and his expression unconsciously became grave.
"I am listening."
A trace of a smile appeared on Luocha's face.
"My apologies, General. The next move… will be played in the Xianzhou of the Luofu."
"I know."
"Oh?"
"From the moment you and your master stepped into The Shackling Prison, I already understood that the ones who sent the Stellaron into the Luofu were not you."
A look of "as expected" flashed across Jing Yuan's face.
"Using the Ten-Lords Decree to go to the Xianzhou of the Luofu and directly face the Six Generals or even the Marshal is your true purpose."
He looked toward the coffin being strictly guarded by the Cloud Knights not far away.
"I suppose the thing inside that coffin was prepared for this, and it is also your bargaining chip for negotiating with the Alliance."
A trace of surprise finally flashed across Luocha's face, but it quickly disappeared.
"The General also said earlier that this matter is not up to you or me. The fact that the Alliance knows about my 'serious crime' means my goal has been achieved. I must go to the Xianzhou of the Luofu. It cannot be changed."
"Would the General like to guess what is inside the coffin?"
Jing Yuan smiled faintly.
"Since you are so confident, it must not be an ordinary object. Whether I guess correctly or not is meaningless. On the contrary, saying it out loud would only add more variables."
"But I must say, you played this move beautifully. Very well played."
As soon as his words fell, a piercing sound of breaking through the air rushed toward the sky.
Jing Yuan and Luocha turned their heads to look at the entrance of the Dragonvista Rain Hall.
A man in black clothes with an icy-cold expression stared fixedly upward.
"I'm just an ordinary nameless passerby who happened to pass by this place. There's no need to welcome me with a sword, is there?"
Leon, with a casual smile on his face, slowly descended from mid-air.
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the sword in his palm toward its owner.
Blade reached out to catch it. After seeing Leon's appearance clearly, his eyes narrowed slightly. He let out a cold snort but did not launch another attack.
Leon naturally would not bother arguing with someone who claimed to have committed the crime of eating too much taro.
Instead, he looked toward Luocha.
"It's you, knight of the Church of Purity Palace…"