"I believe you have already met those 'variables' from beyond the Sky." Cyrene's voice was like still water in a deep pool, without a ripple.
"I have seen them." Khaslana did not deny it. The metal mask blocked his expression; only those azure eyes, peering through the cold openings, reflected Cyrene's figure.
"But their strength is still far from sufficient. Even if they exerted their utmost, those few alone could not save Amphoreus. Let alone..."
He paused, his voice lowering, revealing a deeper truth. "They didn't even enter this world in a complete life form. Their very 'existence' itself still carries a sense of estrangement here."
"Yes... they truly cannot directly overturn the situation by brute force." Cyrene admitted this point, but she took a step forward, her burning gaze locking onto those eyes.
"But, Khaslana, the ripples caused by Trailblaze—those variables and possibilities originating from the starry sea beyond—have already begun to affect the one who has the capability to save this world."
"This is an opportunity, a... chance we have waited for countless cycles without ever seeing. A chance that might truly break this infinite loop and end everything! He can't hold on any longer, and you can't hold on any longer either!"
"..." Beneath the mask, there was a long silence. Khaslana neither refuted nor agreed. He simply remained silent.
Cyrene took a deep breath, looking firmly at Phainon. Her voice was not loud, but it carried a resolve that severed all paths of retreat:
"Therefore. Phainon, let us, in this cycle, pull Phaethon back from that path of no return paved with sacrifice and loneliness... The one who can truly write the ending for Amphoreus can only be ourselves!"
"I will test the power of those outsiders once more. But I sincerely hope you are right, Cyrene. Amphoreus does not have many options left..." Khaslana turned and walked towards the direction of the Grove.
...
Countless light-years away, Herta Space Station, Core Laboratory Zone.
"You two..." The Herta's voice squeezed through gritted teeth, the suppressed anger seeming to lower the temperature in the lab.
She looked at the uninvited guests, Himeko and Black Swan, who had interrupted her experiment. A vein seemed to throb at her temple. "How did you barge in while I was conducting this. very. important. experiment?!"
"For your own safety, I even gave up the chance to personally meet the Aeon! Just a little bit, just that tiny bit more, and I could have seen that damned 'Machine Head' (Nous)! Do you have any idea what that means?!"
"Ahem..." An awkward yet polite smile appeared on Himeko's face. Interrupting someone's crucial scientific research, especially someone of Herta's caliber, was in no way aligned with her usual elegant demeanor.
"Lady Himeko did knock according to procedure," Black Swan stepped forward timely, explaining on Himeko's behalf, while carefully observing Himeko's reaction—our swan is working hard to regain this navigator's favor.
"But because you did not respond for a long time, I was concerned you might have had an accident, so I attempted to use the power of a Remembrancer to slightly glimpse the recent 'memory' of this door. And then I discovered..."
She paused, her tone carrying a hint of subtlety. "This door... wasn't locked at all."
"The door wasn't locked?" Herta let out a scoff, as if she had heard the most absurd joke of the year.
"Hah! The top-tier laboratory of the Space Station, equipped with the most advanced security system in the universe, and you tell me the door wasn't locked? Did the Space Station's door malfunction? And it just so happened to only affect the auto-lock function?" Before she finished speaking, she had already stomped over to the door with loud steps and pushed it—
The lab's heavy alloy door, theoretically secured with multiple layers of permission locks, swung open silently at her touch.
Witnessing this scene firsthand, Herta's pupils contracted slightly. After the initial shock, she rapidly calmed down. The look of anger on her face was replaced by one of extreme rationality.
"How could this be... Such a low-probability coincidence shouldn't exist in the world." She murmured to herself, her sharp gaze sweeping over the empty door frame as if conversing with an invisible entity. "Unless... 'Machine Head,' is this your explicit way of rejecting me?"
"Ms. Herta, we sincerely apologize for disturbing you at this time." Seeing her calm down, Himeko immediately seized the opportunity, speaking earnestly.
"But our companions have encountered some... extraordinary circumstances during their journey. They... well, some members have completely lost contact, while another has fallen into a strange ailment that our current methods cannot analyze."
"Oh?" Herta raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Seeking help from a genius? Fine. However, my favors are not so easily repaid with a few trinkets dug up from some corner." While her words bargained, her body had already honestly turned towards the lab exit, assuming a posture ready to move.
"Rest assured, Ms. Herta, the 'payment' we bring will definitely interest you." Seeing her movement, Himeko internally breathed a sigh of relief and promptly presented information she knew would pique Herta's interest.
"Our Astral Express, while approaching a world named 'Amphoreus,' actually observed high-energy reactions from both the Erudition and Preservation paths simultaneously. And... the two paths seem to have... intersected."
"Paths intersected?" Herta's steps halted instantly. She whirled around, her eyes blazing with unprecedented research fervor.
"Now that I think about it, path intersections have occurred in my Simulated Universe. I always assumed such phenomena wouldn't appear in the real universe, but to think they actually exist?" Her interest was thoroughly ignited.
"And, Amphoreus is truly being watched by Erudition? Fascinating, utterly fascinating! All planets under that Machine Head's special focus should be recorded in my database..."
Herta's gaze swept between Himeko and Black Swan, finally settling on Black Swan with scrutiny and a hint of barely perceptible inquiry.
"You, this Memokeeper, clearly not even an Emanator, yet you can discover a 'treasure' I never noticed? You seem far more 'capable' than any Memokeeper I've met before..."
"Hehe..." Black Swan maintained a proper smile, but fine beads of sweat were forming on her smooth forehead, glistening faintly under the lab's cold lights.
"Ms. Herta, you flatter me. I... really am just a rather fortunate, ordinary Memokeeper."