March 7th walked dazedly through the Xianzhou streets, everything around her holding no appeal.
She didn't understand why Dan Heng had changed his mind. They had clearly agreed earlier to use the Transmutation Arcanum to save Twilight. Why did he give up in the end?
Twilight was so good to everyone; she was clearly an irreplaceable companion for the Express crew... Just because the Xianzhou forbade it, just because it failed once before, they chose to stand by and watch Twilight die this time?
March 7th couldn't accept it. Even if Dan Heng was just placating Jing Yuan and still intended to save Twilight, she still couldn't accept it.
Dan Heng had returned to the Express with Himeko and the others, without Twilight's body, and without her.
Whatever they were discussing, they had clearly excluded her now... Why?
On what grounds?
She was the one closest to Twilight! Why didn't they include her?
Yes, she was usually unreliable, not great in fights, and couldn't keep a secret—she knew that herself... But this was Twilight! The person who was best to her... When it came to her, she would definitely do anything, no matter what!
If Twilight were still here, she would definitely have considered her feelings.
The day she passed away, she was still wearing the clothes I gave her...
March 7th's steps grew slower, finally stopping altogether, unable to move further.
All sorts of bitterness surged into her heart. Tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably, multiplying even as she tried to wipe them away.
"Sigh..."
Amidst March 7th's sobs, a soft sigh echoed in the alley. The next moment, March 7th felt a slender hand gently stroking the top of her head.
"March, don't cry... Red eyes won't look good, okay?"
"Who...?"
March 7th hastily wiped the tears from her face and quickly turned around, momentarily stunned.
That long white hair and white dress... March 7th admitted, for a split second, she almost mistook the person before her for Twilight.
But she immediately realized it was impossible. Twilight was gone, and she wouldn't be gently stroking her head and comforting her like this anymore.
Although the woman before her bore some resemblance at first glance, upon closer inspection, her dress wasn't the same as Twilight's, and her features were different...
Hmm...?
The next instant, almost instinctively, March 7th tightly grabbed the other person's wrist, staring fixedly at her, asking with a trembling voice, "Who... Who are you?!"
"Just a kind passerby who didn't want to see you crying here."
"Liar! The dress you're wearing... I gave this dress to Twilight!" Gripping the person's hand tightly, March 7th's voice grew agitated. "Twilight's name is embroidered on the hem! I embroidered it myself!"
The dress March 7th gave Twilight was bought in Penacony's dreamscape. Items bought in dreams would be specially delivered to the customer's room. Since March 7th bought the dress, it was naturally delivered to her first.
To make the gift more heartfelt, March 7th had specially embroidered Twilight's name onto the hem herself... Although it seemed a bit like marking a child in case they got lost, it also made this dress unique in the universe.
That dress should be on the deceased Twilight right now, not on some suddenly appearing strange woman, unless... unless she was—
...
"March, you're finally back..."
Aboard the Astral Express, Dan Heng watched March 7th walk into the carriage silently, head lowered. He hesitated for a moment before speaking. "We'll be leaving the Xianzhou in two days. Before that, we need to procure some supplies. Please stay—"
"I'm going with you."
"...March, we—"
"I know what you're planning to do. No need to hide it from me anymore. I will also contribute to saving Twilight," March 7th interrupted Dan Heng again, her tone filled with determination.
The next instant, before Dan Heng could even react, an arrow formed of frost pinned itself to the wall beside him.
As the Express's rearguard, Dan Heng's combat prowess naturally surpassed March 7th's. Yet, her sudden attack now was almost too fast for him to see. Even though he hadn't been wary of March 7th just now, it definitely proved her strength had advanced leaps and bounds compared to before.
"March, you..." Dan Heng's eyes widened in disbelief, looking at March 7th puzzledly. "What happened?"
"...I don't remember."
March 7th lowered her head further, her bangs obscuring her eyes, hiding her expression. Her voice was low, yet held uncontrollable sorrow. "I only remember I became very strong now, and I forgot... forgot something that shouldn't be forgotten..."
"Was it a Memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection?"
Dan Heng's mind felt cluttered, but he quickly decided to put the matter aside for now. Regardless of whether a Memokeeper was involved, it had indeed helped March 7th... Since that was the case, better not dwell on it for now. Saving Twilight was the top priority.
"I understand, March... I apologize for before. Our plan going forward is this..."
...
A few days passed. Dan Heng's plan proceeded steadily. As the only one who had ever performed the Transmutation Arcanum and the former High Elder, the others on the Express crew now chose to follow his lead, which only added more pressure on Dan Heng.
Don't be fooled by the Luofu currently being embroiled in a mess, seemingly stretched thin and weak; that was just due to extremely bad luck. As one of the most powerful factions in the galaxy, the Xianzhou's true strength was naturally terrifying. At least, the Astral Express stood absolutely no chance against them in a direct confrontation.
Not only did they have to infiltrate the Shackling Prison to steal Shuhu's flesh, but they also had to use it for the Transmutation Arcanum, reviving a supposedly dead short-life species and granting it longevity... What the Express crew was about to do on the Xianzhou couldn't even be described by the words 'heinous crime'. Therefore, the difficulty was also extremely terrifying.
Putting aside how to gather the necessary materials for the Transmutation Arcanum unnoticed, the time window for their operation was extremely short. After all, the Shackling Prison was a heavily guarded Luofu location. It was only because the Luofu was currently in chaos and short-staffed that infiltration was even possible. Once Xianzhou reinforcements arrived, it would be exponentially harder for the Express crew to enter and retrieve Shuhu's flesh.
Therefore, everything had to be completed before then, or more precisely—today.
"Is everyone ready? We only get one chance; there's no redo... First, pretend to collect Twilight's body. Then the Preceptors will find a way to divert Jing Yuan and the others. We seize the opportunity to deal with the surrounding Xianzhou guards and head straight for the Shackling Prison... Whether infiltrating or forcing our way through, get me to the deepest part to retrieve Shuhu's flesh as quickly as possible..."
Dan Heng looked up, taking a deep breath, looking at the people around him, and stated decisively, "Then I will directly initiate the Transmutation Arcanum at the bottom of the Shackling Prison... Once Twilight is revived, we immediately flee the Xianzhou with her."
"The Xianzhou follows the Path of The Hunt. After doing this, we will surely face their endless pursuit..."
"No need to say more, Dan Heng," Caelus met his gaze silently, the same fire reflected in both their eyes. "Everyone has already made their decision."
"The wheels of Trailblaze have no reason to be slower than the arrows of The Hunt," Although feeling somewhat uneasy, Himeko still smiled reassuringly at the others. "We will succeed."
"Understood..." Gazing out the window at the Luofu, Dan Heng silently clenched his fist. "Let's depart."