Nero was naturally full of confidence and high spirits, but that didn't let him get close to Ambrosial Arbor.
Riding on Black Cutter, he flew out for a while. The Ambrosial Arbor was right in front of him, yet no matter what, he couldn't get any closer.
After circling around a few times, Nero flew back.
"That's weird, why can't I fly over there?", He scratched his head, very puzzled.
At the same time, he wondered if he should just be more direct. After all, it was only that he couldn't fly over. If he used Heavenfall and slashed out a sword aura...
But that thing was a bit too powerful. Even if he controlled it here, he didn't know if it would end up damaging something afterward.
To Nero, the Luofu Xianzhou and the Astral Express could be considered his home in this world. Even if he liked to mess around, he couldn't just go all out wrecking the place.
On the other side, everyone else also let out a sigh.
After all, Nero was the kind of person who did whatever came to mind without hesitation. He said he would chop the tree, and immediately flew out.
But looking at the current situation, it seemed something had gone wrong.
Qingque shook her head and explained Nero's confusion:
"Although Ambrosial Arbor is placed in plain sight and looks nothing special, it's actually surrounded layer upon layer by pocket-dimension techniques. There's no way you can just fly over like that."
"And Ambrosial Arbor reviving isn't a small matter. It's better to report it to the Master Diviner and the General first. Given their positions, if anyone knows how to approach Ambrosial Arbor, it should be them."
Nero didn't object to Qingque's words.
Then Qingque added, "From the Divination Commission to the Seat of Divine Foresight, it's not exactly far, but it still takes time.
"Since the Master Diviner just said 'this matter is extremely serious,' it must be urgent. She probably went somewhere to call the General's projection. Come with me!"
As a diviner of the Divination Commission, Qingque was naturally familiar with the place.
And since Nero and the others had already gotten to know her fairly well, and were aware of Boss Qingque's strength, they didn't have any other thoughts. So everyone followed her.
———
In a certain place within the Divination Commission, Fu Xuan was talking with Jing Yuan's projection.
After hearing the results of Fu Xuan's calculations, Jing Yuan lowered his gaze slightly, seeming to fall into thought.
"They entered the Scalegorge Waterscape. It seems their objective is clear… Fu Xuan, did you calculate anything else?" Jing Yuan asked.
Fu Xuan shook her head. "The Matrix of Prescience only revealed the origin point where those clones were created."
"As for what they actually are, or how they entered the Scalegorge Waterscape, nothing was calculated…", As she spoke, Fu Xuan lowered her head slightly. Her brows furrowed deeper, adding a hint of fierceness to her already resolute-looking face.
"However… there's one thing I'm concerned about. This is the first time I've encountered resistance while using the Matrix of Prescience for calculations…"
"It's not that the information is too complex to sort through, but rather it felt like something blocked it… like hitting a wall and bouncing back."
"This situation… feels like it happened before… but at that time, I didn't use the Matrix of Prescience…"
"It was when you were afflicted with that eye illness, right?"
Jing Yuan interrupted her. His expression didn't change much, but the look in his golden eyes deepened.
"You mentioned before that when you tried to calculate Nero's eye illness, you felt the same thing. Perhaps we can consider whether there's a connection."
Hearing this, Fu Xuan began to think. "You said before that Nero has a special identity, that he is a fragment from the Aeon of Beauty, right?"
Jing Yuan nodded. "That's what the Mirror Holder I communicated with told me."
Fu Xuan didn't respond immediately and continued along her line of thought. "Although Nero is now an independent individual, his essence is still part of a divine body."
"His previous eye illness may have been a kind of unconscious backlash from the divine body due to reckless interference… but this time, the calculation was also blocked…"
"In this universe, there are those who are continuously collecting fragments of gods…"
"The Mirror Holders. If it's them, then perhaps they really have some mysterious method to enter the Scalegorge Waterscape,"
Jing Yuan continued, "As far as fragments go, Nero is a very special case. Other fragments may not be the same.
"The Mirror Holder who contacted me before hasn't attempted to contact me again for a long time, even after Nero returned to the Xianzhou.
"I didn't expect their actions to be this fast. But what exactly are the Mirror Holders trying to do?"
"If their goal was just to take Nero away, there would be no need to go deep into the Scalegorge Waterscape and get involved with Ambrosial Arbor…"
"It seems that aside from the already captured Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, that 'Tingyun' has found herself other allies."
"So, what do you plan to do?" Fu Xuan asked.
"No need to rush." Jing Yuan waved his hand. "The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have already been captured. 'Tingyun' is just a turtle in a jar.
"As for the Mirror Holders, although it's not impossible to part the sea without the High Elder, the Vidyadhara have contributed greatly to the Xianzhou. If we recklessly destroy it, wouldn't that chill people's hearts?"
Jing Yuan wasn't wrong.
If they wanted to part the sea, it wasn't absolutely necessary to have the High Elder present. As long as he summoned the Divine Foresight spirit, brute force could achieve the same result.
But that would inevitably cause severe damage to the underwater Dragon Palace and the Vidyadhara eggs.
"We need to find a solution that satisfies both sides… Now that I think about it, my old friend should have already arrived."
"I'll send a special force over shortly and have him wait a bit," Jing Yuan smiled faintly, as if he already had a plan.
As for which special force he would use?
Nero, the Astral Express, the Stellaron Hunters…
Fu Xuan looked up at Jing Yuan.
The way he looked so calm made it seem as though he had already thought everything through long ago.
"General, you…", Fu Xuan hesitated.
Jing Yuan was a strange person. She prided herself on seeing through everything with her Divine Eye, yet this closed-eye General was equally brilliant.
Since Fu Xuan aimed to become General herself, she would occasionally compare them in her mind. She believed her strategic thinking surpassed Jing Yuan's, but now…
There was no simple explanation for this.
Strategy is strategy, intelligence is intelligence. The former is skillful application, while the latter is just a numerical measure.
Fu Xuan still needed experience, needed to accumulate more, and temper her temperament. This was also one of the things Jing Yuan was doing.
At this moment, Fu Xuan frowned slightly and noticed the regrowing Ambrosial Arbor. "Then what about Ambrosial Arbor…"
"It's the Stellaron.", Jing Yuan said firmly.
"With so many of their comrades suddenly captured, the remaining Disciples of Sanctus Medicus couldn't hold back. They've made their move."
Fu Xuan nodded. "In that case, the internal threat can be completely eradicated. Crisis is also an opportunity. Once we know where the problem lies, everything becomes easier."
After that, Jing Yuan didn't speak. He simply lowered his head and looked at Fu Xuan.
Fu Xuan also looked up at him, as if waiting for him to speak.
After a few seconds passed, Fu Xuan was stunned. "…Again, I have to come up with the plan? Didn't you already think everything through?"
"Yes, but what I thought through wasn't how to deal with Ambrosial Arbor and the Stellaron. A person's mental capacity is limited."
"I know you must have a solution, Fu Xuan.", Jing Yuan said this calmly, without the slightest embarrassment.
The way he spoke was no different from Nero when he confidently asked him for money.
After a long moment, Fu Xuan let out a deep sigh.
She should have expected this. The General was someone who loved to delegate work.
"In my view, the priority now is to gather the Cloud Knights, head to the pocket dimension where Ambrosial Arbor is rooted, eliminate the Stellaron corruption, and stop its regrowth."
"Mhm…" Jing Yuan nodded. "Fu Xuan's insight is sharp. That would indeed be the fastest solution. But sometimes, the fastest is not the best."
"Most of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have been eliminated, but those who managed to hide must be cautious."
"If we want them to fully expose themselves… guess why, even though I already knew the location of the Stellaron, I chose not to act?"
As soon as Jing Yuan finished speaking, Fu Xuan immediately looked up. "General."
"What is it?" Jing Yuan asked.
"…You're a scoundrel!" Fu Xuan scolded.
"In that case, I assume you've already had the Cloud Knights make the necessary preparations. When the remaining Disciples think their plan is about to succeed and start celebrating, that will be the moment of their destruction."
Jing Yuan nodded. "The one who understands me best is Fu Xuan."
But soon, Fu Xuan frowned again. "But just waiting like this… what if something unexpected happens…"
She stopped halfway through her sentence.
Seeing this, Jing Yuan's lips curved slightly. "Fu Xuan, do you already know how to resolve it?"
Fu Xuan sighed, turned together with Jing Yuan's projection, and looked at the group that had just arrived. "General, you really use this 'special force' far too often."
Jing Yuan spread his hands. "Haha, it includes both outstanding talents of the Luofu and allies from the Astral Express. What's wrong with using it often? As long as it works, that's what matters."
Noticing their actions, Nero, sitting on Black Cutter, rested his chin on his hand and said, "So, it looks like you've already figured out what to do next?"
Jing Yuan nodded. "That's correct."
"Although letting outsiders come into contact with the secrets of Ambrosial Arbor goes against regulations, rules exist to be used when appropriate."
"When they are not, they can be set aside. The Xianzhou existed before the rules."
At this point, Jing Yuan looked at the three from the Astral Express. "So, everyone from the Astral Express, I'll have to trouble you."
After saying that, Jing Yuan chuckled to himself, "Haha, I'm about to make a decision that goes against regulations, maybe more than one. Thinking about it is quite satisfying!"
"Fu Xuan, I entrust you with the military token. You will command the Cloud Knights and provide support outside the Alchemy Commission's domain near Ambrosial Arbor."
Fu Xuan was stunned when she heard this. Her tone carried disbelief, along with suppressed excitement and surprise. "Me? I'll lead the troops?"
"Haven't you always wanted to experience what it's like to be the General?"
"You usually don't allow it, and now suddenly… I understand. I'll do as you say."
Seeing this, Nero blinked twice.
Then he flew over to Yanqing, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "If nothing unexpected happens, after Jing Yuan retires, Fu Xuan will be the next General."
Yanqing nodded. "I feel the same way."
While the two were whispering, Jing Yuan continued, "As for everyone from the Astral Express, I hope you can take the shortcut through the Artisanship Commission and rendezvous with Fu Xuan later."
"Nero, Yanqing, I have another task for you two. As for those not suited for direct combat, please provide support from the rear."
———
[Real World]
Yesterday, Siberian Duck had a great stream.
She played through the story all the way until Ambrosial Arbor revived and the big battle was about to begin before ending the stream.
Before starting today's stream, she had been thinking about what task Jing Yuan would give Nero and Yanqing next, and what they might encounter in the Artisanship Commission.
After preparing snacks and drinks, Siberian Duck turned on her computer and started another stream.
As usual, before streaming, she browsed some websites to see if there were any interesting fan creations or if the official account had posted anything new.
After looking around, she found that the official account really had posted something new.
"Guys, the official posted a video. Let's check out what it is first."
[Dan-heart Eternal: New video? What's it about?]
[Wind-Boy Solo-Stan: It's a Thousand Stars Journey. I've already watched it. It's about Nero.]
[Aha's Emanator: A video about Nero is great, streamer, hurry and watch!]
[Nero Is My Dad: By the way, counting the previous one where he picked up a cat, does this mean he already has two PVs? Is my dad going to be in the banner?]
[I Use Pantene: I think it's very likely.]
[My Pee Is Yellow: Getting into the banner is great. Then I can play Nero and admire his beauty up close. Look at that tiny face, tiny hands, tiny feet! Amazing! This world has Nero, and I just happen to have a mouth. How can such a coincidence exist?]
(T/N: Hell nah, he's back)
[Glue Man: Damn, the Heavenly Emperor of Chaos has returned, back on his main account!]
[My Pee Is Yellow: My mute time is over, hahaha!]
Ignoring the crazy comments, Siberian Duck clicked on the official video.
The new PV was titled: "Honkai: Star Rail Thousand Stars Journey PV: 'Not Me, 'See Me'.'"
The cover showed Nero standing on a street in the Luofu, backlit so his whole body looked golden.
He had a smile on his face and was reaching out his hand. Since he was facing the viewer, it looked like he was reaching toward them.
From the cover, it indeed seemed related to Nero.
But Siberian Duck didn't click play immediately. Instead, she went to check the comments first.
Before watching a video, she liked to see if there were any interesting comments.
The first popular comment she saw was...
[Crying! Crying! Crying! My Nero is so beautiful!]
In less than three hours, the video had nearly a hundred thousand likes, with over a thousand replies.
However, the replies under this comment were all similar, filled with crying emojis.
Seeing this, Siberian Duck and her viewers felt a slight unease.
"Guys, something feels off about this comment section. There isn't going to be angst, right?"
[Sampo Corgi: Probably not?]
[Belobog Savage: The one who watched it already, come out and save us!]
[Wind-Boy Solo-Stan: No angst, no angst. Nero is such an optimistic and cheerful person. How could there be angst?]
[Wind-Boy Solo-Stan: Trust me, just watch it.]
Seeing that message, Siberian Duck frowned and kept scrolling.
The second top comment said: [Angst? I don't think this video is that angsty. But it does tell us about Nero's past. Honestly, I don't think it's that angsty.]
There were also many replies saying it wasn't angsty.
Siberian Duck blinked. 'So was it angsty or not?'
After thinking for a bit, she decided it probably wasn't. After all, the first comment only said Nero was beautiful and didn't mention any suffering.
With that thought, she took a breath, read a few more similar comments, then returned to the video and clicked play.
The video began with a black screen showing the miHoYo logo.
Then the screen suddenly lit up, revealing a clear blue sky with a few floating clouds.
The perspective slowly descended from the sky. Soon, buildings and streets appeared, along with noisy street calls, finally arriving at the bustling streets of the Luofu.
Among the crowd, one figure stood out.
Dressed in a white robe, his snow-white hair flowed freely, swaying lightly as he moved.
He had a smile on his face, clearly in a good mood. He looked left and right, crouched at one stall to play with birds, then ran to another to buy some food.
The video seemed to show another side of Nero's life on the Luofu. Outside of winter, he was still carefree and content.
Suddenly, Nero in the video stopped, as if sensing something, and turned his head.
The camera zoomed out, showing his perspective. The surrounding crowd and noise gradually blurred.
In the end, only two people remained in the scene: Nero's back, and the person he was looking at.
It was a blond man, seemingly an outsider. He was hunched in a corner, looking extremely exhausted.
His clothes were dirty and torn, his eye sockets sunken, cheekbones protruding, and his hair messy.
The camera began to move, shifting to Nero's face, then slowly zooming in… closer… until it reached his eyes.
Those beautiful gray eyes were like a mirror, reflecting everything he saw.
The view continued to zoom in, and the scene gradually changed.
The person in the corner slowly became Nero. The boy had his eyes closed, whether unconscious or asleep, sitting on a bridge in the Central Starskiff Haven, looking somewhat disheveled.
As the camera locked onto him and moved closer, the surroundings blurred into darkness, leaving only the boy, as if under a spotlight.
The bridge disappeared. The passersby disappeared. Only darkness remained, and Nero sitting there.
A luxurious chair appeared beneath him, decorated with intricate carvings, precious gems, and heavy shackles.
Nero sat there with his head lowered, his face unseen. His clothes were tattered. Perhaps the shackles were too tight, his wrists, neck, and ankles looked pale, with traces of blood seeping out.
His body seemed covered in wounds. Or perhaps they weren't wounds. All that could be seen were countless irregular gaps covering him, with no blood flowing, only faint, colorful glimmers.
"You should be with us.", A male voice sounded.
Then footsteps approached. A figure in a black robe, face hidden, walked over.
"This is the fate you've carried since your birth. You must return to your mother's embrace.", Another black-robed figure appeared, this time a female voice.
"Her beauty is unique. You are only a part of her. You need to return and become one with her again.", A third black-robed figure, hunched and old.
"You don't need to resist. You don't need to think. Just believe that what we are doing is best for you."
"To become the embodiment of beauty, to become part of beauty, how wonderful is that?", The fourth black-robed figure was small, sounding like a little girl.
"Who?", The boy responded vaguely, his voice weak and lifeless.
The four figures looked at each other without speaking. The little girl took out a mirror and held it in front of him.
"Come, look up. Look up and you'll understand."
The boy raised his head, revealing an extremely beautiful face, but his eyes were lifeless, the gray pupils devoid of vitality.
The scene slowly shifted from his face to the mirror.
But what appeared in the mirror was not the boy. Instead, it showed a mound formed by stacked humanoid shadows like corpses. At the top stood a pillar, with a ragged, half-dead figure hanging from it by the neck.
The figure on the pillar was twisted, limbs nailed in place, thorn-like plants growing from below, wrapping around it and spreading outward like a low tree.
"W-what… is… this…?" The boy tilted his head, like a puppet without a soul.
"This is the beauty in your eyes!" one of them said.
"The beauty… in my eyes?", The boy blinked. His gray eyes suddenly lit up a little.
Then he immediately leaned back and shook his head. "No, no! This isn't beautiful at all!"
"This is!", Something about his words angered the small black-robed figure, who suddenly shouted.
In the next moment, countless thorn-like plants grew and wrapped around the boy. Then flames ignited, engulfing him.
The fire swallowed him instantly. His figure could barely be seen within, but no screams could be heard.
Behind, the male black-robed figure sighed. "Another failure. How many times has this been?"
The female black-robed figure shook her head, "Don't know. We stopped counting after a hundred thousand."
"Hehehe...", The old voice laughed.
"It doesn't matter. We have plenty of time... we can take it slow. He's so special, it's only natural to spend more time. He must be a very important part of her."
The small black-robed figure didn't join the conversation.
She kept frantically increasing the flames, burning him with all her strength.
But then, something changed.
Behind her, unnoticed, the old black-robed figure's head suddenly separated from his body.
Blood splattered as his head fell, the cut smooth and lifeless.
The other two, still talking, didn't even have time to react. The male figure was suddenly dragged away by something and split into three pieces.
The female figure turned to run but couldn't escape.
A shadow seemed to flash across the screen. The next moment, she was grabbed by the ankle and lifted upside down.
Before she could scream, an unseen force twisted her neck three full turns.
Then her entire body twisted like a wrung cloth, blood spraying out before she collapsed into a corpse.
Their deaths were horrific, but due to the dark surroundings, it was hard to see clearly.
And all of this happened almost silently. The one still controlling the flames didn't notice at all.
She continued venting her anger. "How could it not be beautiful?"
"This filthy thing!"
Her eyes were visible, bloodshot and filled with madness.
Suddenly, the flames flickered. A slender arm emerged.
It wasn't human. It looked like countless stars flowing together, forming only the outline of an arm.
The hand moved quickly, piercing through the last black-robed figure's chest.
Her eyes widened in shock. The next moment, the arm exploded outward like a flourishing cherry tree, and her body hung from it, motionless.
The flames slowly died down.
The scene shifted, revealing many things in the dark space: exquisite statues, luxurious carpets, vivid flowers, noble scepters, lifelike paintings, elegant calligraphy. delicate furniture...
The boy sat on the white chair. The shackles were gone. Perhaps because it was cold, he curled up slightly.
That star-like substance spread throughout the room, reflecting the same colors as the gaps on his body. His eyes were closed, as if asleep...
"Are you okay? Do you need help?", A girl's clear voice rang out. The boy opened his eyes.
His gray eyes were now full of light, clear and pure. His white eyelashes trembled gently, like snow spirits dancing.
Reflected in his eyes was a foxian girl, the owner of Sleepless Earl.
The boy blinked, then slowly reached out his hand.
The scene shifted. The perspective changed from above to below. The stone behind him turned into the sky.
Golden sunlight poured down, bathing the smiling boy in warmth, making anyone who looked at it feel comforted.
Nero reached out his hand to the ragged outsider and asked, "Are you okay? Do you need help?"
A dirty hand was raised and gently grasped by Nero's clean, small hand.
And the warm sunlight shifted, falling down upon them.