Now that Fu Xuan had probed Kafka's thoughts with the Matrix of Prescience, there was no longer any need for secrecy. Silver Wolf laid out the full scope of Elio's overarching script.
On the surface, their goal remained helping the Astral Express build a strong diplomatic alliance with the Xianzhou Alliance. Yet beneath that immediate narrative lay a much deeper objective: preventing General Jing Yuan from falling in combat against Phantylia. If Jing Yuan fell, Jingliu's path would inevitably shift, leading her to become a new Lord of Destruction embodying the combined influences of Propagation, The Hunt, and Destruction.
In that timeline, regardless of how the war between The Hunt and Abundance concluded, the power of Destruction would expand unchecked, accelerating the universe toward its ultimate, inevitable demise.
However, the emergence of Julian as an unforeseen wild card had opened up brand-new possibilities within Elio's visions.
Even if the Express crew didn't step in to resolve the crisis, Julian's presence meant he might personally intervene to crush Phantylia. Whether he chose to step onto the battlefield depended entirely on whether Phantylia's malicious plot against Cai Xing succeeded.
Unable to strike at Julian directly, Phantylia had targeted the person closest to him simply to cause chaos.
If her scheme succeeded, an enraged Julian would step onto the stage, expose the Lord of Destruction's avatar, and erase her from the Luofu before aligning himself with the Xianzhou to hunt down Destruction's forces across the cosmos.
If Phantylia's scheme failed, the timeline split into two main branches: either the Express crew resolved the crisis alongside Jing Yuan as originally planned, or the Xianzhou high command directly requested Julian's aid, neutralizing Phantylia without requiring the Trailblazers' involvement at all.
From a purely narrative standpoint, as long as Julian remained on the sidelines, events could still follow the optimal script.
Unfortunately, reality had already strayed from that neat path.
"You two actually failed?" Kafka asked, her brow furrowing slightly. "Didn't Elio provide specific instructions for this assignment?"
With the combined combat strength of Silver Wolf and Firefly in her Sam armor, protecting a single Xianzhou citizen against local cultists should have been simple—especially with Elio's foresight.
Firefly shook her head with a sigh. "Elio couldn't give us a complete script for this branch. He only warned us to exercise extreme caution. Even though we took every precaution, we still couldn't completely block the Sanctus Medicus ambush."
"It's almost certainly the influence of Elation," Silver Wolf added, perfectly mimicking Elio's tired voice. "Aha, that chaotic idiot... why must he mess up my calculations for fun?"
She shrugged, her tone returning to normal. "The Aeon of Elation clearly took a personal interest in Julian. The moment Aha's gaze landed on him, Elio's ability to calculate futures involving Julian became completely clouded. Once you bring that guy into the equation, everything drifts toward unpredictable outcomes."
Kafka rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Propagation, Abundance, The Hunt, Destruction... and now Elation. The Xianzhou Luofu truly sits at the center of every cosmic Path right now..."
"If you're counting Paths, don't forget Permanence," Blade added quietly from the side.
The three women turned to look at him in silence. Blade remained completely stoic, unbothered by their stares, prompting the others to look away.
"According to the prophecy, if Julian loses his temper, he deals with the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and Phantylia directly, right?" Kafka asked, refocusing on the issue. "Wasn't he supposed to wait until they revealed their true form?"
"That's what confused Elio as well," Silver Wolf explained. "He feels like Julian possesses some form of foresight himself—or at least an extraordinarily sharp perception ability. The Pokémon mechanics he creates are ridiculously complex, and they're all anchored to his own personal abilities. Honestly, if he pulled out a brand-new cosmic power tomorrow, I wouldn't even be surprised."
Kafka had originally planned to keep Julian out of the conflict, but that option was off the table. "Since you're so familiar with him, can't we just talk to him directly?"
"Elio considered that," Silver Wolf said, looking down at the unconscious woman on the ground. "But the prerequisite for negotiating with him is that no one close to him gets hurt. That door is pretty much locked now."
"Still, it hasn't devolved into the absolute worst-case scenario yet," Silver Wolf continued. "Elio said as long as we deliver Cai Xing to the Alchemy Commission for treatment immediately and notify Julian to meet her there, he'll focus all his attention on curing her. While he's busy at the sanctuary, we can help the Astral Express clean up the secondary threats across the Luofu. As for Phantylia, we'll just have to leave her for Julian to deal with once he's free."
"Elio already accounted for this adjustment," Silver Wolf added, reaching into a small spatial portal. "He even had me bring this along."
She pulled out a heavily sealed containment unit housing a pulsing, dark core—a live Stellaron. The secondary threat they needed to help the Express solve was something they were going to plant themselves.
Blade's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the core. Though he had long since cut ties with his former home, he still had no desire to watch the ship he had once protected with his friends get torn apart.
Sensing his concern, Firefly spoke up softly. "Don't worry, Blade. Elio promised this won't cause severe damage to the Luofu. There won't be any casualties."
Blade's expression smoothed out, and he turned his gaze away from the artifact.
"This is a dangerous gamble," Kafka noted, sighing lightly. "If the Xianzhou authorities catch us planting a Stellaron on their world-ship, the entire Alliance will hunt the Hunters across every realm. It will disrupt all our future operations."
"Which is why our execution has to be flawless," Silver Wolf said, looking at Kafka meaningfully. "Zero traces."
Kafka caught her meaning instantly: use her Spirit Whisper to mind-control a local proxy to carry out the placement, then ensure the proxy vanished without leaving a shred of physical evidence behind.
"Leave the setup to me. I'll make sure no physical trail leads back to us. But what about the Stellaron itself once the Express clears the threat?"
The Matrix of Prescience in the Divination Commission could trace subtle causal links back to their origins. While Kafka could erase human witnesses, the physical core remained a massive variable.
"I've embedded a recall code directly into its structure," Silver Wolf reassured her. "The instant the Astral Express strips the core from its anchor point, it will automatically warp back to my private storage."
With her concerns addressed, Kafka prepared to move. "Where's the Sanctus Medicus operative?"
A cultist was the most logical scapegoat to carry the core into the inner sanctum.
"Over in the corner," Silver Wolf pointed toward a man in an alchemist's uniform lying unconscious against the wall. "Elio instructed me to leave one alive. You just need to place him under your whisper."
Kafka nodded, walking toward the cultist to cast her spell.
"Wait," Blade interjected, his low voice cutting through the quiet alley. "What about my business with those two?"
He was referring, of course, to Jingliu and Dan Heng.
"Elio can't see the exact details of that branch either," Silver Wolf replied honestly. "Whenever Julian gets involved, the specific timelines get fuzzy. But even if things don't play out here, you'll definitely get your chance at the next stop."
Blade knew better than anyone that even under the best conditions, neither Jingliu nor Dan Heng could truly give him the final death he sought. His purpose on the Luofu was twofold: to force Dan Heng to accept his lingering heritage as Dan Feng to aid his future journey, and to see a few familiar faces one last time.
Deep down, even behind his cold demeanor, seeing his old companions again brought a faint, almost imperceptible trace of emotion to his eyes. And if they somehow managed to defy Elio's script and end his immortal curse once and for all, that would be the best outcome of all.
"Then I'll find my own opportunity," Blade said quietly, stepping back into the shadows. "I won't compromise the main plan."
With a silent movement, he vanished into the bustling streets.
"Will Blade be alright on his own?" Firefly asked, watching the empty space where he had been standing.
"He'll be fine," Kafka said softly. "He looks reckless when his illness takes over, but he knows how to keep his edge in check."
Turning back to the unconscious secretary on the ground, Kafka sighed. "Now, let's get this woman to that young Dragon Lady at the Alchemy Commission before it's too late."
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