"After that, neither of us managed to kill the other."
"Her attacks couldn't break my defenses at all. She was basically scratching Qlipoth's shield."
"Since you say she's still alive, then my attacks probably failed too."
"Most likely Yaoshi saved her."
"Yaoshi, hm?"
"I thought it might have been Aha, but this makes sense too."
"The Aeon of Abundance can't tolerate suffering. Saving someone in passing would be perfectly normal."
Herta nodded in agreement.
"Zhuxing already told me about the trap you prepared."
"To be honest, you're ruthless."
"That level of firepower..."
"If an Aeon hadn't intervened, almost anyone who entered would have died."
"Screwllum is still tracking Kakamu's whereabouts."
"I wonder why he's so invested."
"Looks like the two of you are rather close."
There was a faint note of probing in her voice.
Lin Yi immediately caught the implication.
"To be honest, I'm not sure why he's so invested either."
"Our relationship is good, but not as close as mine with you."
"However..."
"Screwllum may be working on something dangerous."
"Kakamu mentioned he's already close to touching the Singularity of Knowledge."
Herta gave a slight nod.
"I see."
"One more thing."
"Yesterday, the Aeon of Abundance manifested in Shenxiao Space City."
"What did They give you this time?"
"In your Garden of Life, Yaoshi seems to have planted a seed."
"It has already grown into a towering tree."
Lin Yi shook his head.
"I didn't know about the tree."
"Did you study it?"
"No."
"Ruan Mei said she'd come examine it later."
"Professional matters should be handled by professionals."
"If I studied it myself, it would just waste time."
Lin Yi was naturally pleased to hear Ruan Mei would be visiting.
Her accomplishments in biological engineering were unmatched.
Many of the difficult problems that had stalled him might finally find solutions.
Lin Yi explained calmly.
"The Path of Abundance appears to have expanded."
"Yaoshi tore off a portion of Their Path and gifted it to me."
"So now I'm an Emanator of Abundance."
"And among Emanators, I'm a rather special case."
"I think we greatly underestimated the impact of the Panacea."
"You became an Emanator of Abundance?"
Herta did not seem surprised in the slightest.
"That's normal."
"The Panacea benefits countless lives."
"Receiving Yaoshi's recognition is perfectly reasonable."
"Besides, when you first began developing it, Yaoshi already helped you."
Then suddenly—
Herta froze.
"Wait."
"Wait, wait."
"You just said..."
"The Path of Abundance expanded?"
"Yaoshi tore off part of Their Path and gave it to you?!"
"Are you serious?!"
For the first time, Herta completely lost her composure.
Lin Yi gave no verbal answer.
He responded with action.
He slowly rose into the air, no longer suppressing his presence.
A vast and overwhelming life force surged outward like an endless tide.
The crown of thorns he had removed earlier regenerated atop his head.
Even his hair seemed stimulated by the energy, growing long and flowing behind him.
Golden lotus flowers bloomed beneath his feet, lifting him gently skyward.
Even the metal floor of the laboratory began sprouting fresh shoots.
Grass spread across the ground.
Flowers bloomed.
Green vines burst through solid metal, twisting together into a wooden dragon that spiraled behind him.
No seeds.
A steel floor.
Yet grass grew and flowers bloomed.
Such was the unreasonable, idealistic nature of Path power.
Lin Yi stood above them.
In his right hand he held a branch of Abundance, angled downward.
It was the branch Yaoshi had broken off and gifted him.
The branch was perfectly straight.
Lin Yi liked it very much.
It was also astonishingly durable.
With Yaoshi's blessing and the protection of Abundance, only Lin Yi himself could break it.
Transformation complete.
It was Lin Yi's first time trying it.
He was just about to ask Herta what she thought—
When suddenly he felt a summons from somewhere.
It came from the Garden of Life.
A fist-sized emerald object shaped like a seed flew toward him and hovered above his left hand.
It was the core of the giant tree Herta had mentioned.
The development surprised Lin Yi.
But it was not important right now.
There would be time to study it later.
He descended slowly and landed lightly on the ground.
Then he looked at Herta.
"Well?"
Herta rolled her eyes and waved impatiently.
"I know, I know."
"Now it's your carefully prepared show-off moment."
"You're a grown man. Why are you acting like a child?"
Lin Yi's smile stiffened.
He muttered darkly,
"You really don't know how to play along."
Herta jumped down from her floating staff.
She twirled it once behind her back, and it vanished.
Then she walked lightly toward Lin Yi, examining him from head to toe.
Left.
Right.
Lin Yi began to feel uncomfortable under the intensity of her scrutiny.
Just as he stepped back, Herta grabbed his arm.
"Don't move."
She circled him twice.
Poking here.
Inspecting there.
Clicking her tongue with fascination.
"What an interesting body."
"It's completely different now."
"This isn't simply the result of Yaoshi's blessing."
"Where is the carrier of the blessing?"
"Your soul?"
"This body's current state looks more like a temporary form created after receiving the authority of an Abundance Emanator."
"But since it's Abundance..."
"This temporary form should theoretically be sustainable forever."
Herta rose onto her toes and reached for the thorn crown on Lin Yi's head.
Lin Yi helplessly caught her wrist.
"Herta..."
"Don't you think this is getting a little too intimate?"
Driven entirely by curiosity, Herta ignored him.
She raised her other hand.
Before Lin Yi could stop her, she said:
"One Curio."
Lin Yi continued blocking her.
"Three."
"Two at most!"
"Deal."
"Please proceed, dear customer."
Lin Yi grinned and even crouched slightly to make it easier for her.
Seeing the two of them completely ignoring her presence, Zhuxing quietly pulled out a camera.
Click.
She snapped a photo of the ridiculous pose.
"Just as I thought," Herta murmured.
"This thorn crown exists between material and immaterial states."
She sighed softly.
There was a trace of envy in it.
"You're definitely not an ordinary Abundance Emanator."
"A Path fragment torn directly from an Aeon..."
"Yaoshi really is generous."
Herta's envy had nothing to do with power.
It was envy for the research value.
That Path fragment was simply too convenient to study.
She realized she might have to rely on Lin Yi for a long time to come.
And the thought excited her.
It meant she would have endless fascinating research ahead.
Lin Yi noticed she had stopped examining him.
"Finished?"
"Not going to keep looking?"
"No."
Herta shook her head.
"This form doesn't provide much useful data."
"Oh, and by the way."
"The overall look is quite good."
"You actually look rather handsome."
"But that branch you're holding..."
"It feels a little out of place."
"It doesn't match the aesthetic."