With complicated emotions, Silkall secretly observed Lin Yi.
During that time, she discovered something surprising—
Lin Yi was also a member of the Genius Society.
Because of that, she did not immediately reclaim the half of the Key of Erudition that belonged to her. Instead, she quietly gathered information on Lin Yi, seeking to better understand this genius.
Later, something even more unexpected happened.
Lin Yi found the other half of her Key of Erudition in the very place where she had once cultivated and guided that intelligent insect swarm.
After ruling the Meta-Domain for thousands of Amber Eras, Silkall had gained some understanding of what it meant for Aeons to become one with the universe itself.
And so, she realized something.
An Aeon did not wish for her to remain hidden any longer.
So she took control of a portion of the intelligent insects she had cultivated and sent Lin Yi a small greeting.
Just a little test.
Later, she had intended to visit him properly.
A small test.
Like a goose extending its claw.
Unexpectedly, after Lin Yi unplugged the network, he became slightly irritated.
Then he started calling reinforcements from every direction.
And the situation escalated into the massive cyber war that followed.
Once again—
the familiar Interstice of Paths appeared.
This time, the one before him was the Aeon of Harmony — Xipe.
She regarded Lin Yi with the kindly smiling aspect among her three forms.
To be honest, Lin Yi's feelings were complicated.
He had already conducted preliminary research into the Path power gifted by the Aeon of Abundance, Yaoshi.
Through that, he had discovered where part of that concept originated.
One portion—
the strong supporting the weak—
came from Xipe.
Xipe's divine body resembled a mosaic formed from countless puzzle pieces.
Beautiful—
yet fragile.
Some pieces were merging together.
Others were splitting apart.
Lin Yi did not know what those symbols represented.
But curiosity rose within him.
What would happen one day if—
the puzzle pieces fully assembled?
Or if the entire divine body shattered completely?
Lin Yi knew Xipe meant him no harm.
If an Aeon truly wished to kill him, he would not still be alive.
Even so, he instinctively summoned the branch gifted by Yaoshi and gently rubbed it between his fingers.
Xipe spoke.
"One who bears the stars—starlight shall illuminate their path."
"One who wears starlight—all things they undertake shall proceed smoothly."
"Undoubtedly... undoubtedly..."
"One day, you shall become one with me."
"The road ahead is uncertain, not predetermined by fate."
"Continue your great deeds."
"Walk the path of the divine."
"Gather faint lights into a star that illuminates the earth."
"The one who carries fire will not freeze to death in the cold night."
Xipe then turned her gaze.
She lifted a puzzle piece in her hand.
It transformed into a tiny flame and flew into Lin Yi's forehead.
A small cloud-flame mark briefly appeared between his brows before fading away.
This was the Starfire Edict granted by the Aeon of Harmony.
From now on, whenever Lin Yi wished to accomplish something great but lacked companions who walked the same road, he could use the Starfire Edict to resonate with others who shared the same aspiration.
If many answered the call, the Starfire would choose the one most harmonious with the initiator.
Lin Yi felt a pulling sensation.
Having experienced this before, he knew he was about to be expelled from the Interstice of Paths.
Seeing that Xipe held no ill will—
Lin Yi suddenly had a bold thought.
He shouted loudly:
"Lord of Harmony, I have a question!"
"What is Harmony?!"
Xipe replied:
"Universal harmony."
"All things become one."
Lin Yi immediately asked:
"If all things become one with me…"
"And I become one with all things…"
"What difference is there?"
Xipe answered:
"All paths return to the same destination."
"All things becoming one is not Harmony."
"I becoming all things—that is Harmony."
"The swarm disaster will rise."
"Evil will return."
"Follow your heart."
"Go."
And then Lin Yi was kicked out of the Interstice of Paths.
Harmony had not granted overwhelming power.
But it had given him the Starfire Edict, whose usefulness remained uncertain.
It had also delivered a prophecy—
and answered his question.
Lin Yi summarized the encounter in one sentence:
Massive profit. No losses.
Much more generous than:
Nous, the Aeon of Erudition.
Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction.
Actually—no.
He shouldn't slander Nous.
Nous simply preferred answering questions with more questions.
For geniuses, that might actually be better.
So in the end, the only stingy one was Nanook.
Screwllum looked at Lin Yi.
For some reason, Lin Yi sensed a trace of envy in that mechanical gaze.
"Mr. Lin Yi, you have once again met an Aeon."
"Yes."
"This time it was Xipe, the Aeon of Harmony."
Lin Yi sounded excited. He wanted to share the experience.
But Screwllum changed the subject.
"The opponent disconnected from the network moments before their defenses collapsed."
Lin Yi immediately understood.
Screwllum had an excellent sense of boundaries.
Even among close friends, he would not pry into secrets of great value.
If it were Herta, she would already be interrogating him nonstop.
Lin Yi smiled.
"Thanks, Screwllum."
Screwllum replied:
"I should be the one thanking you for the invitation."
"This was a very unique experience."
"Engaging in cyber warfare of this scale against another genius is an extremely valuable case study."
Lin Yi waved a hand.
"That's separate."
"Screwllum, I can count my encounter with Xipe as payment for your help."
Seeing Screwllum still about to decline, Lin Yi grinned.
"I asked the Aeon of Harmony what Harmony truly is."
"Aren't you curious?"
"..."
Lin Yi continued:
"If you still feel my contribution exceeds yours, then help me upgrade the Shenxiao Space City firewall."
"And I also need to purchase some stellar-scale computers."
"The IPC can only sell me twenty-seven units immediately."
"If I build them myself, it will take too long."
"So I'd like to know whether you have any spare units available for trade."
Lin Yi was planning to integrate more stellar computers into Laplace's Demon.
That much was already inevitable.
Data streams flickered across Screwllum's eyes.
He was calculating.
At last, he spoke.
"I am willing to gift you one Scepter."
"In my personal capacity."
"In the name of a friend."
"Additionally..."
"As the Emperor of Screwllum Planet, I can authorize the sale of four hundred twenty-six stellar computers to Shenxiao Space City."
"Four hundred twenty-six units is the maximum that can be delivered immediately without affecting the Mechanical Empire."
Lin Yi met his gaze sincerely.
"My deepest thanks, Screwllum."
The Scepters of Rupert were scattered across countless nodes throughout the universe, serving as terrifying weapons of war.
Yet Screwllum's own Scepter had always remained silent.
No one knew what this elegant gentleman was researching.
No one even knew how many such devices existed.
A gift given in the name of a friend—
and a transfer authorized in the name of the Emperor of Screwllum Planet—
carried entirely different meanings.
Lin Yi understood that perfectly.
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