Inside the Seat of Divine Foresight, Cecilia's single sentence plunged the room into deathly silence.
The two Xianzhou generals went pale on the spot, their breathing hitching for an instant.
Even Herta's eyes widened, the confidence on her face vanishing without a trace.
"Ms. Cecilia..." Jing Yuan spoke with difficulty, his voice rough."What did you just say? The Xianzhou Alliance... was destroyed by Nihility?"
Cecilia gave a slight nod.
"In the history I remember, the Xianzhou Alliance may not have been quite the same as the one you know now. According to my memory, Yuanqiao did not disappear in the war all those years ago. It survived intact until a little over six hundred years ago."
"And as for the General Chiyuan you saw in Nous's projection that day... I happen to remember a little about her as well."
Yuanqiao survived until six hundred years ago?
That revelation alone was explosive.
Yaoguang stepped forward at once.
"Ms. Cecilia, could you tell us more in detail?"
Kiana also chose this moment to lend a hand.
She deliberately put on a puzzled look. "Mom, why don't I remember any of that either? I still remember Aunt Theresa, don't I?"
That was indeed hard to explain.
After all, in the earlier information they had gathered, Kiana too was supposed to be someone untouched by the Enigmata.
And now Cecilia was saying that Kiana had also been affected — just only halfway?
Cecilia simply patted Kiana on the head, then said with some difficulty, "I'm not entirely sure how it works either. Perhaps it has something to do with your long sleep?"
"But now that we've come this far, I may as well say more."
She looked at everyone present and continued.
"In the era I remember, the Xianzhou Alliance consisted of seven ships."
"Yuanqiao, Luofu, Yaoqing, Fanghu, Xuling, Yuque, and Zhuming."
"These are facts that existed in the history I remember. As for why this era differs from my memory... perhaps that is precisely the result of the Enigmata's interference."
At that, Jing Yuan pressed further.
"Ms. Cecilia, if what you say is true, and the Alliance was destroyed by Nihility, then how exactly were we consumed by it?"
He truly could not understand.
Certainly, IX, the Aeon of Nihility, was terrifying. If the Xianzhou Alliance ever wandered into Its range, then outside of abandoning ship and fleeing, annihilation would be the only other outcome.
But then again—
The Xianzhou were mobile warships. Why would they ever drift into IX's territory to begin with?
Would they not simply steer clear?
Cecilia answered, "It was not the Aeon of Nihility Itself, but another force."
"Another force?" Yaoguang frowned. "On the Path of Nihility, outside of IX, what power could possibly wipe out the entire Xianzhou Alliance?"
"I don't know," Cecilia replied with the standard answer.
"By the time the wreckage of the Alliance was discovered, all that remained was the trace of Nihility. Yuanqiao, the only surviving ship at the time, sealed itself away and refused all contact with the outside world."
"And then, a few decades later, Yuanqiao also vanished without warning, disappearing completely from the galaxy."
When she finished, the hall fell silent again.
The information was too shocking. Everyone needed time to digest it.
Seven Xianzhou ships. Six reduced to wreckage.
What kind of scene must that have been?
Up to this point, there was still no concrete proof that Cecilia's words were the absolute truth.
But after the future they had witnessed in Nous's projection, neither Yaoguang nor Jing Yuan could dismiss the possibility out of hand.
For Yuanqiao's final spark.
That was what General Chiyuan had said.
Originally, the Xianzhou Alliance had assumed Yuanqiao was hidden somewhere in the galaxy, unable to reveal itself for reasons unknown.
But now Cecilia had revealed yet another buried layer of truth.
It seemed they would have to reevaluate their assumptions about Yuanqiao's fate.
"Ms. Cecilia." Yaoguang's voice broke the silence. Her tone remained steady, but all her earlier ease had vanished. "This 'other force' you mentioned... is there truly no clue at all?"
Cecilia shook her head.
"If I knew, I would already have said so. I was not the one who discovered the remnants of the Alliance back then. It was the IPC."
"By the time I arrived, all I saw were ruins and the lingering aura of Nihility that refused to fade."
"Ruins..." Jing Yuan repeated under his breath, pain flashing across his face.
Off to one side, Herta frowned deeply. Her mind was racing, trying to connect this information to the Enigmata incident.
But the known facts were too few. Even for a genius like her, there was no way to piece together the whole picture.
And if there was any hope of learning the truth, then they would likely need to find Theresa.
To alter history itself?
Was that really something the Enigmata alone could accomplish?
Herta's information was incomplete. She still knew nothing of the Hunt's involvement.
Yaoguang, meanwhile, could not help but murmur to herself, "If everything Ms. Cecilia says is true... then how much of what we remember is real, and how much is false?"
Fate truly was a difficult thing to grasp.
Cecilia answered quietly, "That is the answer I've been searching for all these years."
After a long silence, Jing Yuan finally stood.
He straightened his robes, walked before Cecilia, and bowed with solemn sincerity.
"Ms. Cecilia, whether what you've said today proves true or not, I still owe you my thanks on behalf of the Alliance."
Cecilia turned slightly, avoiding the full force of the bow.
"General Jing Yuan, there's no need. I even concealed part of this information out of selfish motives before. I don't deserve such a courtesy."
"You do," Jing Yuan said, rising again, his eyes fixed on her.
"If your information is false, then let us set that aside. But if it is true, then what you've shared may very well help the Alliance avoid walking toward that worst possible ending."
He paused, then added, "More importantly, you could have said nothing. These memories cannot be pleasant for you to revisit."
Cecilia was quiet for a moment, then inclined her head. "You flatter me, General."
Jing Yuan then turned and swept his gaze across the room.
"Everyone, it grows late, and we've all had more than enough excitement for one day. Why not rest for the night? Whatever remains can be discussed tomorrow."
The suggestion was tactful, but the meaning was clear.
Too much had happened today. Everyone needed time to process it.
Yaoguang was the first to agree.
"That would be for the best. Some matters do indeed require careful thought."
She turned to Cecilia and Kiana with a faint smile.
"Lady Cecilia, Miss Kiana — as for Penacony, perhaps we can discuss that another day?"
Cecilia nodded. "At any time."
Herta clicked her tongue, clearly wanting to say more, but in the end only snorted.
After everyone else had left, Jing Yuan remained where he stood, staring into the empty hall with a long sigh.
"General." Yanqing appeared quietly at his side.
"Are you all right?"
Jing Yuan waved him off. "I'm fine. It's just... today's events were too much."
He turned to Yaoguang.
"General Yaoguang, what do you make of it?"
She was silent for a moment before replying, "Half true, half false. Reality and illusion intertwined. At least, that is what my divinations suggest."
"Though given the Enigmata's involvement... perhaps even my divinations can no longer be trusted."
"But she has no reason to fabricate a lie like this. It brings her no benefit. If anything, it only draws more attention to herself."
"So you believe she was telling the truth?" Jing Yuan asked.
"I believe she was describing something that truly existed in her memory," Yaoguang corrected.
"As for whether those memories match reality, that is another matter entirely."
Jing Yuan nodded in understanding.
"If Cecilia is right, then beyond the history we remember, another timeline exists. Another version of the past."
"And in that case, what General Chiyuan said — 'for Yuanqiao's final spark' — may mean something far deeper than we first thought."
"I'll prepare a report for the Marshal. This matter reaches too far. Only she can decide how to proceed."
"Wait," Yaoguang called after him.
She hesitated, then continued, "What about Kiana... what do you think?"
Jing Yuan paused. "You mean that Lord Ravager?"
"Exactly."
Yaoguang was quiet for a few breaths before saying slowly, "My divination shows that she and I are fated to become entangled. But as for how, or when that will come to pass, I cannot see."
"Fated entanglement..." Jing Yuan repeated, his tone turning strange. "Yaoguang, we've known each other for centuries. I've always trusted your divinations. But this time..."
He turned to look at her.
"You really can't see what it is?"
Yaoguang gave a small start, then smiled. "So I still can't fool you after all. Truly worthy of the Divine Foresight General."
"Jing Yuan, since you and I have known each other for so long, I'll stop hiding it."
"That omen didn't say something so gentle as 'entanglement.'"
"It said..."
"Calamity of death."
Jing Yuan's expression froze.
"Calamity of death? You mean—"
"Yes." Yaoguang turned away.
"Kiana is the kind of person fated to bring me a killing tribulation."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter215)
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I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
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Uma Musume: From Beginner 125
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Checking In in Demon Slayer 59
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 73
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 45
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Why did they assign me to Uma 35
MYGO Beauties 43
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The Gacha Merchant Who Started 31
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