[Holy crap, that smile!]
[I will protect this smile!]
[So Aglaea really is about to make her move?]
[Obviously. Why else give her a dedicated camera shot?]
— —
In the blink of an eye, Caelus and Dan Heng had arrived inside the Vortex Heart of Creation.
Caelus looked around curiously. He noticed another water basin ahead.
The entire area seemed suspended in a special kind of space. The wall in front of them resembled a massive scroll.
Etched across it were the Coreflame patterns of the Titans.
"You have reached the heart of the world." Aglaea let out a cold snort. "Now, I require your 'honesty.'"
With a gentle wave of her left hand, Aglaea bound Caelus and Dan Heng with golden threads.
Castorice appeared behind the two.
"What is the meaning of this?" Dan Heng stared fixedly at Aglaea, his hands still struggling to break free.
For some reason Caelus felt a strong sense of déjà vu. "Why again?! …Huh? Why did I say 'again'?"
Aglaea gave a slight smile. "This is no jest—it is an interrogation. While the two of you wandered the city, someone has been watching your every move. Regrettably… you have broken your promise."
Dan Heng let out a helpless sigh. "So you already knew… But we only did it to save a life."
"The fate of the holy city hangs by a thread as fragile as silk. To excise the root of calamity, I must act with utmost caution. I will give you one more chance to mend the torn fabric of trust. The golden threads will judge in my place. Honesty brings life… deception brings death."
[Sorry, I genuinely didn't understand this part!]
[When has a Stellaron host ever been this stifled? Dan Heng, where's your draconic sovereign power?]
[I actually think it's reasonable. Aglaea not trusting them completely makes sense.]
[Reasonable my ass. This whole mess started because of that idiot Damionis —why should the Express crew take the fall?]
[Logically speaking—forget plot—if you look at it purely from cause and effect, it's not unreasonable. The real problem is that stupid "truth to save a life" bridge earlier. Way too forced.]
[Exactly. Feels way too contrived—like the whole reason was manufactured just to set up this interrogation scene!]
[So baffling.]
[Anyway I don't get it. I came for a web series, not to watch the protagonist get screwed over. miHoYo can throw knives all they want, but this level of frustration is hard to accept. Season 8 is definitely not getting high marks from me.]
[My blood pressure is through the roof!]
— —
"We meet again, honored guests." Castorice stopped five steps away from the two.
"Castorice will be your executioner." Aglaea reminded them.
Dan Heng and Caelus exchanged a glance. Dan Heng continued questioning. "Lady Aglaea, we cannot deny that our carelessness broke the agreement. But you never explained the possible disastrous consequences of revealing the 'outer realms.'
I would like to know—what exactly is the scale of the crime we have committed?"
"A reasonable request. It was my fault for not disclosing everything to you in time. Amphoreus has never lacked those who yearn for the outer realms. Once, a certain tyrant exhausted the full might of his city-state to build a 'Celestial Ark,' intending to pierce the firmament and reach the stars…
But the moment the ark set sail, Aquila's divine punishment descended. An entire city-state—every last citizen—turned to ash in an instant.
Amphoreus does not refuse to reach for the stars. But any who dare violate the sky provoke the gods, setting the land ablaze and dooming mortal nations. The Eye of Twilight is merely one such example. It is forbidden ground that must never be trodden."
Caelus let out a cold laugh. "So closing your eyes and plugging your ears is the right choice?"
Dan Heng: "People will always yearn for the sky. You cannot stop them."
"Divine punishment knows no justice. And as Okhema's guardian, I too am not free to act otherwise. This is a world ruled by Titans—a world that must be overthrown by the Chrysos Heirs.
All I can do is ensure the two of you… harbor no divided loyalties."
Aglaea turned to Castorice. "Three steps, Castorice."
Castorice paused for a moment before replying, "Yes, Lady Aglaea."
Aglaea then explained the rules. "I will test you with 'four questions.' A false-hearted answer will make the golden threads tremble. A sincere response will leave them still. The number of tremors determines how many steps the executioner advances.
After four questions, if she has not reached your backs, you pass the trial. Otherwise, your journey ends here."
"Merely falling asleep gently amid the flower fields, without the slightest pain… I promise." Castorice's tone was soft, yet the words themselves were chillingly cold.
The camera quietly slid downward a fraction. Castorice's face remained calm as water, but her fingers trembled uncontrollably.
Aglaea then began her questions—mainly to determine Caelus and Dan Heng's true purpose in coming to Amphoreus, and whether they were willing to aid the Chrysos Heirs in slaying the gods.
In the end, Caelus passed all four questions.
Aglaea withdrew the golden threads wrapped around their wrists.
"The four questions are complete. You have earned a second chance through sincerity. The two of you may remain in Okhema; the citizens will continue to regard you as honored guests. But you must guarantee that today's absurdity will never happen again."
"Those words would sound more appropriate coming from the ones being interrogated." Dan Heng said coldly. "After enduring this, what makes you think we would still help you?"
"Whatever you choose, the Chrysos Heirs will continue toward the fate foretold in the oracle. You may be a ray of hope that has descended upon Amphoreus. But until everything is proven… you cannot be allowed to become a threat to Amphoreus."
Caelus felt anger rising in his chest. "Are all Chrysos Heirs as suspicious as you?"
Aglaea paid no mind to Caelus's remark. "For the holy city's sake, I am willing to bear every trait the world despises, and wield every cold but effective measure."
Dan Heng crossed his arms over his chest. "Forgive us if we cannot continue cooperating under such pressure. If we cannot earn everyone's—no, if we cannot earn your trust, Lady Aglaea—we will leave of our own accord. Amphoreus is not the only destination for the Nameless. There is no need for either side to end in disgrace."
"I respect your decision."
[So what was even the point of this scene? Aside from making the Express crew suffer, did it accomplish anything useful?]
[It established a character—Aglaea basically has zero humanity left.]
[So the root cause is still "why did we let that idiot take a photo?"]
[Just leave already—this Amphoreus isn't worth it! Damn it! Reading this makes my chest feel tight.]
— —
"Please wait, everyone."
Phainon arrived in the Vortex Heart of Creation just in time.
Aglaea appeared somewhat surprised. Her gaze flicked briefly toward Castorice, but she asked nothing further.
Phainon then recounted his experience fighting alongside the Express duo, and how he had witnessed conviction in their eyes.
Because of that, he was willing to vouch with his own honor that the two harbored no malice toward Amphoreus.
Even Castorice stood on the side of the Express duo.
Taking the cue, Aglaea stepped down. "To think two Chrysos Heirs are willing to stand guarantee for you… Hah. It seems I acted too unilaterally. Phainon, will you fulfill your duty as host and look after our guests?"
Phainon gave a slight nod. "I'm not good with formalities, but I will do my utmost."
Aglaea slowly walked to Castorice's side. "Cas … next time, I hope you will speak your heart directly."
"I will."
After receiving the reply, Aglaea gave a few final instructions and left the Vortex Heart of Creation. "The Vortex Heart of Creation has received new visitors. Since you trust these outsiders so deeply, tell them properly the secrets hidden within the vortex."
Once Aglaea was gone, Dan Heng let out a small breath of relief.
Phainon spoke with a hint of apology. "Standing here, I swear on the dignity of a Chrysos Heir—your lives were never truly in danger. Before the interrogation began, Miss Castorice already sent word to me, hoping I could stop Aglaea."
[No wonder they gave Castorice's trembling fingers a close-up.]
[Castorice has me in her heart!]
Caelus shook his head. "But she didn't even say sorry…"
"Aglaea…" Phainon paused. "For Okhema's sake, her heart has long since frozen over. Perhaps that is what it means to be a 'demigod'—standing among mortals, yet impossibly distant from them."
[Didn't I see this line somewhere in Belobog?]
[Bronya: Cocolia, for Belobog's sake, her heart has long since frozen over.]
[Zero sense of dissonance!]
— —
"'Demigod'?" Caelus caught the new term and couldn't help feeling curious.
Phainon pondered for a moment, gathered his words, and patiently explained. "Ah… another thing that needs explaining. Don't worry—the deepest secrets of Amphoreus are hidden right here."
He pointed to the area behind him. "Anyway, look up first: those are the twelve celestial aspects of the Vortex Heart of Creation. They record the Flamechasing journey of the Chrysos Heirs.
The twelve vacant totems correspond to Amphoreus's twelve Titans. Every lit constellation represents one Coreflame that humanity has returned to its rightful place."
Dan Heng counted the lit ones. "Six Coreflames returned… your journey has already covered half?"
"This was bought with enormous sacrifice by those who came before. The Chrysos Heirs once faced massive obstacles; for a very long time, there was no progress at all…
It was Aglaea and Teacher Tribbie who once again rallied the Chrysos Heirs of the world and restarted the oracle's expedition."
Castorice added, "The two of them are also the only two 'demigods' in the holy city today."
"So what exactly is a 'demigod'?" Caelus brought the topic back on track.
"Of course—I haven't forgotten. In the past, the Titans were the pillars holding up the world. The revelation the Chrysos Heirs received from the oracle was to shatter these twelve pillars and rebuild the order of the world.
The difficulty lies here: when the old gods fall, someone must temporarily bear the broken pillars and fill the vacant divine offices until the miracle of creation arrives. Otherwise, the world will collapse into ruins before the oracle is fulfilled.
Aglaea and Teacher Tribbie have already buried their own gods. Now they are both human and divine—and the bearers of Amphoreus's fate."
After explaining that massive chunk of lore, Phainon also stated his own purpose: he wanted to borrow Caelus and Dan Heng's strength to defeat the Strife Titan together and inherit its Coreflame.
Dan Heng glanced at Caelus and ultimately left the decision to him.
Here, the video presented two choices: one to leave Amphoreus, the other to stay.
If choosing to leave, under the escort of Phainon and a group of holy city guards, Caelus and Dan Heng returned to the crash site in the Abyss of Fate, worked together to salvage the Express carriage, and—with the help of an Okhema citizen who looked like an intelligent machine—successfully departed Amphoreus without suffering the so-called "outer realms curse."
After returning to the Astral Express, the two discovered that Black Swan had quietly left.
But March 7th's condition had worsened. No one knew what was causing her symptoms.
Despite critically low fuel, the Express completed one final jump, pinning hope on the next destination to resolve all their current troubles.
As for the fate of the "Eternal Land" Amphoreus, and the cataclysm it would eventually bring to the galaxy… at least within Caelus's lifetime, none of it concerned him anymore.
[So many foreshadowing threads here.]
[Amphoreus has intelligent machines too?]
[Something's off with the credits—did you notice Phainon's role is listed as a question mark?]
[And Castorice too—problematic later on.]
[What's with two more question marks playing question marks.]
[???]
[I can't comprehend this!]
— —
Then the video returned to the very beginning—Phainon's question.
After long consideration, Caelus still didn't want to abandon this journey. Perhaps it was Phainon's sincerity, or perhaps the innate yearning for Trailblaze deep in his bones.
In the end, he chose to stay.
Hearing the answer, Phainon could barely contain his excitement. He kept gripping Caelus's shoulders. "That's wonderful—you truly are Amphoreus's hope.
I've always believed the journey of the Chrysos Heirs isn't an epic belonging to just a handful of people. We must unite every potential ally—especially heroes like the two of you.
If we succeed in the battle against Nikador… surely even Aglaea won't question anything anymore."
Caelus's expression twisted in pain—he realized Phainon's grip was getting stronger and stronger.
Castorice gave a light cough to break the awkward atmosphere. "Your Excellency Phainon… our guests seem a little fatigued. Perhaps let them return to the bath palace and rest first?"
Only then did Phainon release Caelus's shoulders and hurriedly apologize.
Finally, after taking one photo in the Vortex Heart of Creation, Caelus dragged his exhausted body back to his room.
…
Recalling everything that had happened today, Dan Heng felt it had been an extraordinarily long day. "So much happened."
At that moment, Caelus's lips curved up slightly, but he said nothing.
That look made Dan Heng feel a chill down his spine—he knew Caelus was capable of anything.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
Caelus gave a small smile. "The things you said today… more than the last few seasons combined."
"No choice. The talkative one isn't here, so someone has to speak up. But I'm tired too. So let's keep the recap short."
[Never mentions March 7th once, yet she's everywhere.]
[Taking over March 7th's role as the snark master.]
[We're doomed. Since Dan Heng's lines increased to make the plot flow better, that means March 7th won't show up for a long, long time!]