Olympus District, Tree of Eternal Life club.
An ancient tree grew in the very center of the room. Beneath its massive trunk, thick roots intertwined throughout the entire club. Ancient patterns were scattered across the gray-blue bark, with faint golden radiance flowing within them.
The interior of the trunk was entirely hollowed out, creating a vast space that felt like a miniature world. Looking up, countless avian creatures perched on swings woven from purple wisteria and branches. The swings were arranged in a spiral, winding all the way to the skylight at the dome. Sacred light spilled down, casting a nine-square grid of light and shadow on the ground.
Several figures were in the midst of a heated discussion within this miniature world. Every person seated here was a master artist who had made outstanding contributions in their respective fields and was revered by thousands in the Star of Art. Yet now, these highly influential artists were arguing until they were red in the face.
"Those madmen! They clearly know there's a world-class urban legend wandering the city, yet they're still holding this Starry Art Competition, constantly covering up the truth!" one of them cried out in righteous indignation.
"What, would you rather spread panic? A world-class urban legend is different from a disaster-level one. Once it breaks out, the entire city will inevitably be turned into a purgatory," the man at the head of the log table said coldly.
Behind the man hung a painting. Looking closely, the imagery of this painting was actually undergoing subtle changes.
The sea of clouds in the sky rippled gently under the radiance of magnificent light. Red fish swam across the undulating azure surface, and clusters of purple coral grew lazily between the cloud layers. The massive fins of a cloud whale swept away the cloud barriers for miles with a powerful sense of strength, appearing at the intersection of the sea of clouds and the sun's brilliance. The cast shadows obscured mountains and lakes, while pure blue teardrops flowed upward, turning into a curtain of rain falling toward the sky. Everything grew wild and free amidst the ancient sounds of the whale.
Cloud whales, legends say they are gestated within the fruit of the World Tree. They are giant urban legend creatures that wander the sky. Their size is unknown; current civilization and technology are not enough to measure their height. When one appears above a hive city, it heralds a long rainy season. From then on, the concepts of sky and sunrise will be blurred, and the land will be reduced to a vast ocean.
"Impression: Cloud Whale", the peak work of the impressionist style. A master artist from a hundred years ago and the first practitioner, Raquel, the former head of the Withered-Flower family, had seen a glimpse of this mysterious creature on the world's highest peak while traveling. Deeply shocked by the cloud whale's magnificent beauty, he created this painting upon returning to the Star of Art.
Standing beside this painting, one's mind could not help but settle into tranquility, as if standing in a vast, mirror-like world of lakes with a comfortable and pleasant breeze blowing.
"In this situation, does it even matter whether we notify the public?" The man snorted. "I can't believe you can't understand such a simple truth."
"Vantel!" The other man was left speechless, his thick neck flushed red as he glared.
"That bastard Belvedere... Elephin was taken away by the tuners. It's exactly the same as the monastery case from over ten years ago. He is using trumped-up charges to oppress our people," another person said.
"And the suicide of Oran, the vice president of the Student Council three years ago. Even in the end, the whereabouts of his head remained unknown."
"The power of the families simply cannot keep that guy in check. We must find a way to get aid from the association!" one man said, his face filled with resentment.
"The Starry Gallery has practically become Belvedere's backyard. Almost every matter, big or small, in the Star of Art is decided by him alone. He is a dictator now," someone said pessimistically. "Is there really any point in continuing the student march next month? No one else can be allowed to sacrifice themselves..."
...
"Vantel, you were the one who deluded those students. You're the one who let them dive in with naive ideas and a heart full of passion, hiding the truth and ultimately leading them to their deaths without knowing why!" someone in the crowd shouted, pointing at Vantel.
"No struggle is without bloodshed. Reform requires sacrifice," Vantel responded expressionlessly. "Everything they have done is meaningful; the time simply hasn't come yet."
"As for you," Vantel emphasized his tone, "it truly disappoints me that I have walked alongside a group of fools with such weak wills and shallow vision for so long."
"In my view, you are not even as good as those academy students. At least they are full of passion and have the courage to act."
"Vantel!" the crowd shouted in unison, their words stuck in their throats as they could only stare with wide eyes.
At this moment, the youth who had been sitting at the end of the table could no longer stay still. He stood up: "Teachers!"
The room fell silent. Everyone looked at the youth with some surprise, seemingly not expecting that this usually humble and friendly young man would make such an out-of-place move.
"Shouldn't we be thinking about how to solve the current problem?" Lancelot said. "Right now is when the association is paying attention to the Star of Art. If we can find enough evidence of his crimes and let the high-level members of the association know what Belvedere is doing here..."
"Even if it's just to prevent high-risk urban legends from being born in the Star of Art, the association will surely take action."
"Lancelot, sit down! This is no place for you to speak!" Da Finney shouted in a low voice from the side.
The youth's eyes flickered with complex emotions. Finally, he let out a helpless sigh and sat back down.
After this small interlude, the crowd who had been blinded by indignation also calmed down. Eventually, Ms. Vandoni stepped forward to mediate the atmosphere.
"What is wrong with everyone today? Each one of you has such a temper. Oh, right, Da Finney, didn't you say you'd invite a new member to join our Tree of Eternal Life?"
"Did she come today?"
Everyone looked toward the little old man. The latter checked the time on the tree clock and scratched his head: "Should be about time. She told me she would come today."
"Everyone."
At that moment, a girl's voice came from the tree hollow. Everyone turned their gaze again, seeing a young girl dressed in a black windbreaker appear. Her waist-length golden hair was exceptionally dazzling in the sacred light, with a charming golden luster flowing through it.
"Is it her?" Vantel snorted.
"Oh, I think I've seen this little one before." Vandoni pondered, finally remembering—wasn't this the girl who was with Tang Xin at the opera house?
Xu Xiaoyou waved her hand and took a seat amidst the slight wariness and scrutiny of the crowd. Da Finney cast a glance her way.
In that underground church, she had deliberately left behind a silver ginkgo leaf with a strand of her golden hair on it, specifically to observe his reaction.
If he had shown any sign of being off, she would have acted decisively in the first instance to eliminate the future trouble.
But she had seen hesitation and struggle on his face at the time, indicating he was weighing the pros and cons.
As she expected, not long after that, he chose to resign. A few days later, the mailbox at the security booth received a physical letter from the little old man—a black gold invitation to the Tree of Eternal Life.
Originally, she was still weighing whether to get involved with these people caught in the whirlpool of struggle, but what happened to Tang Xin today made her decide to make good use of these influential master artists in the Star of Art.
"Hmph, it really is you!"
Suddenly, Vantel's aura turned cold. He felt the same presence from this golden-haired girl as he had in the underground hall back then. She was the one who had eavesdropped on their conversation at that time!
"This person knows our secrets. Why would an outsider appear in the underground hall and eavesdrop on our conversation? I will never tolerate such an unstable element among us."
Vantel's tone was icy. Arab-numeral-like black lightning patterns lit up on his bronzed, robust body, and the pressure of a grade 3 lightning wielder spread out.
"Vantel, what are you doing!" The sudden turn of events caused the expressions of Da Finney and the others to change.
Just as the atmosphere in the room grew tense, with a spiral thunderbolt condensing in the man's palm and electric arcs in the air waiting for their chance.
Xu Xiaoyou laughed involuntarily. A card with golden patterns condensed at her fingertips. After she casually tossed the card onto the table like a gambling chip, an indescribable, terrifying aura suddenly descended from the dome, exploding from that tiny card. The air itself froze in that moment.
【Vulcan's Path】.
"Have you all misunderstood something?" Xu Xiaoyou looked up and said. "I am the one who took the initiative to come here and find you."
With a wave of her hand, the abnormally flashing skill card rose into the air. Black death energy burst through its constraints from every crack in the golden patterns, like a surging invisible wave, flooding the entire room in an instant.
"As long as I wish it, no one will leave this room today."
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