"Sevia: This Emerald 1 never saw Diamond 9 again; her remaining life was fleeting, and she spent that time working for him."
"Until she was one hundred and fifty-four years old, she received a package. She didn't open it, only sat quietly in her courtyard. There was a lake on the island; she stared at the water, forgetting food and sleep, until she died in peace."
"Natsume Yuzuri: What was in the package?"
"Sevia: Yuzu, you already have the answer, don't you?"
Xu Xiaoyou knew.
It was the Hundred-Bone Whip gifted to her by Diamond 9.
Emerald 1 had been sentenced to death by Diamond 9.
At that height, theoretically, as long as one had money and the soul didn't wear out, Emerald 1's life could have lasted for eternity.
Lin Xing might be dead. Xu Xiaoyou had no way to verify matters concerning the company. Without the girl, these unknown stories would have been buried in the dust of history forever.
She had completely broken free from the company after becoming the Dark Gold Rose. Was that Diamond 9's only purpose—to send this whip to her?
"Sevia: As for the second story..."
"Sevia: The second story is related to Belvedere."
"Sevia: Don't think too much; this guy didn't have any tragic childhood experience. He is just pure evil, twisted and paranoid."
"Sevia: During the era of the Fars Theocracy, Belvedere was born into a noble family. Being of the blood spirit race, they lived long and had vast social networks, so his family background was naturally excellent. He grew up in luxury and mastered various arts at a young age."
"Sevia: His parents loved him dearly; it wasn't easy for a long-lived species to have offspring, so they poured almost all their indulgence into him, which fostered Belvedere's cold nature. Even as a child, he amused himself by torturing living things—first small animals, then his playmates, and finally the vagrants on the street."
"Sevia: He found joy in the pain of living beings, admiring their struggles. He believed that only when close to death would life emit the most wonderful notes."
"Sevia: Until one day, while out, he witnessed the first birth of 'The Artist'. He saw 'The Artist' turn an entire town's people into musical notes. That scene shook him to his core; he had never seen such beautiful art. Thus, he began to worship 'The Artist' with near-madness, attempting to recreate that scene."
"Sevia: He returned home as if possessed, creating selflessly and desperately at the piano, the drawing board, with books, and with sculptures."
"Sevia: He killed more and more peers and vagrants, coating every creation in pain. Missing persons reports in town increased until it alarmed the Holy See and local prosecutors. All fingers pointed in one direction. Finally, one day his parents broke into his basement, saw the 'masterpieces' covering the walls, and cried and screamed about sending him to prison."
"Sevia: He succeeded. 'The Artist' descended once more in his creation. This time, his parents' agony was recorded in the painting. He was intoxicated by it and fainted from overexcitement."
"Sevia: When he woke up, the prosecutor led men into the house, found him in the ruins, embraced him, and comforted him. It was all over."
"Sevia: His parents became the true culprits of the incident."
"Sevia: Young as he was, he was recommended for admission to the Fars academy, enjoying the highest quality educational resources."
"Sevia: After the Company-Church War broke out, he met Michiro and Raquel—the heads of the contemporary Winter family and Withered Flower family."
"The three were the original practitioners, advocating humanism, using art to liberate people's thoughts, and leading people to resist the oppression of the Church. Due to the involvement of family forces, the company intervened strongly in the Company-Church War, which finally ended after thirty-two years of conflict."
"Sevia: Michiro became the first principal of the Starry Art Academy, while Raquel, Belvedere, Vantel, and Da Finney were the original members of the Starry Gallery."
"Sevia: You know the rest of the story, Yuzu."
"Sevia: After becoming the principal, he reached a contract with 'The Artist'. From a certain perspective, Belvedere wasn't lying. He was indeed committed to bringing about a golden age of art and spent his life striving for it. However, he used the suffering of everyone on the Star of Art as nourishment for 'The Artist' to thrive."
"Sevia: In his own words, he wanted everyone to exist eternally in the supreme hall of art."
"Sevia: In other words, he wanted to kill everyone in the name of art."
"Natsume Yuzuri: Then he really is brain-dead."
Xu Xiaoyou sighed.
"Sevia: Right?"
The blue-haired girl swung her legs gently.
"Sevia: Having confided so much at once, I feel a lot better."
The two were in sync; neither broke the peaceful silence. In the end, Sevia didn't speak more of her own experiences.
Xu Xiaoyou briefly explained the situation in the dungeon and her own conclusions to her.
Sevia also recounted her recent encounters.
"Sevia: So that's what happened."
"Natsume Yuzuri: It seems the miracle on your side hasn't erupted yet."
"Sevia: They really don't have good intentions. I'll go kill those wizards."
Xu Xiaoyou widened her eyes, momentarily at a loss for words. She hadn't expected the girl to say such bloodthirsty words.
"Sevia: That Archbishop of Wrath called Sirius—if I can't kill him once, I'll kill him many more times, until he's dead."
"Natsume Yuzuri: Stay calm. Don't do anything too out of line before figuring out if those people are truly related to 'mystery'."
"Sevia: I shouldn't be too reckless. It would be troublesome if innocent people were involved..."
"Natsume Yuzuri: ...Is it possible I'm just worried about you?"
Sevia froze, a faint warmth rising from her heart.
The girl smiled and shook her head. The chat box in front of her slowly became transparent and vanished.
Sevia felt no unease. She could feel that the connection between the girl and her hadn't been cut yet. Once her psyche replenished, she could chat with the other again.
Just then, Atula poked her head out from outside the door.
"Sevia, do you have time? There seems to be a riot deep in the prison. Not sure what's going on. Want to come take a look with me?"
Sevia nodded. "Yeah, I'm coming."
"Sevia has gone offline."
Seeing this, Xu Xiaoyou turned her attention to the present.
With Sevia there, she was the only player who simultaneously knew the past and future changes of Pangard. This meant she held more initiative. She intended to use this as a breakthrough point to lead Light-Chaser Garden to create a miracle.
Without further ado, Xu Xiaoyou immediately contacted her guild members.
On the first floor of the prison, the silver-haired girl had her legs propped up high on the table, looking expressionlessly at the passing guild transport teams.
These guild transport members avoided Angelina as if she were a plague, walking past with lowered heads, afraid to make eye contact with the girl.
If they could, they wouldn't want to pass through here, but unfortunately, the prison was the mandatory path to the four core outposts and the most critical transportation hub!
Angelina raised an eyebrow and pointed at one of them.
"You, leave that part of the resources behind. I saw it fall on the ground with my own eyes. If it falls on the ground, it's mine."
Rate on N.U.
