Tree King: What? I've become the Abundant Pharmacist?

Chapter 573 Danheng's Whereabouts

“But it’s not time to give up yet.” Although Aglaia denied Bai’er’s statement, she offered a new explanation.

"At least for now, I can still think of a glimmer of hope."

"What hope?" Mimi asked.

“Sai Fei’er… if there is anyone in this world who can control the direction of ‘death,’ it is her.”

“I will try to get her back to Ohma, but please be prepared for disappointment. Understand that in the history of Onphalus, no one has escaped the clutches of death. At the end of time, Senatos awaits everyone.”

"Who is this Saifeier?" Eve asked curiously, because she had just sensed an unusual emotion flash across Aglaia's face.

“Just a…rebellious child.” Aglaia didn’t explain further, ending the conversation with just a few words.

Eve understood Aglaia's meaning and didn't press the matter further.

"However, thank you for your help anyway."

“This is our duty,” Aglaia continued. “Even if we take a step back, we still need you to uphold the divine position of ‘Time’.”

"Until then, please take good care of yourself..."

Before she could finish speaking, her expression suddenly tightened.

"What's wrong, Aglaia?" Bai'er asked immediately.

"Ominous signs always come in pairs; tiny gusts of air will eventually weave into a storm that tears the sky apart."

"Anaxxramas, he has begun to make contact with the Senate."

"As expected, it turned out like this..." Bai E sighed.

“I sincerely hope that your judgment of him is correct, Beaur.”

"Otherwise, my teacher's and my efforts over the past thousand years... might have been reduced to ashes by that 'great performer.'"

“Also…” Aglaia looked up at Eve.

"We've just received news about Lord Danheng's matter."

Eve frowned immediately, her eyes filled with seriousness.

“I only just found out that Lord Danheng was taken away by the Senate,” Aglaia continued.

“They took my guests away without my permission, which is against the rules, but at this point, I’m afraid the Senate will no longer care about the rules.”

"The Senate?" Eve heard the name again and instinctively felt a sense of revulsion.

"It's the Senate again!" Bai E immediately became angry and prepared to rush out.

But he was immediately stopped by Aglaia.

"Don't be impulsive, Bai'er."

“But…” Bai E clenched his fist.

Danheng is his friend!

"Your Excellency Eve, I don't know exactly where Lord Danheng is being held. It's said that he's been detained using a secret technique of the sect, which is why my golden thread can't find any trace of him."

“It seems so.” Eve nodded.

"I couldn't find any trace of it with my treasure-hunting method either. It seems to be because of this secret technique."

Eve had just checked the logs uploaded by Cha Bao, and it had indeed found Dan Heng's trail, which pointed to the Senate. However, after activating its optical camouflage and searching the Senate from top to bottom, it still couldn't find Dan Heng.

However, Eve did manage to get her hands on the map of the Senate.

"You already know?" Aglaia asked, somewhat puzzled.

“No, I just found out.” Eve nodded slightly.

"I will do my utmost regarding Lord Danheng's matter, but now we have the added issue of Anaxxoras between us and the Senate, I'm afraid..."

Aglaia is also facing a dilemma.

It wasn't that she didn't want to help Eve, but the Senate had been making too many moves lately.

With the citizens' assembly just around the corner, she was truly overwhelmed.

"I understand your idea."

“I will handle Danheng’s matter, but the Golden Descendants cannot sit idly by.”

"After all, we had no obligation to help you."

“If Danheng’s safety is threatened, I cannot guarantee the safety of the entire Ohmma.”

Eve's words were full of threat because she was genuinely angry.

How dare the Senate kidnap Danheng?

Moreover, given Dan Heng's strength, the Senate probably wouldn't be able to deal with him at all. It's likely that he cooperated voluntarily for the safety of the city's residents.

But if the Senate still refuses to release her after so much time has passed, don't blame Eve for taking action.

"Mom, this..." Xia Die suddenly became a little nervous.

"Eve..." Bai Er replied, after all, Eve's words had been too harsh.

"Xia Die, Bai E, it's alright." Aglaia wasn't frightened by these words.

“Lady Eve, I understand how much you value your partners, and so do we Golden Blood.”

"Therefore, I will do my utmost to mediate and help you rescue Lord Danheng; there is no doubt about that."

"After all, you are now a demigod of time, and our interests and goals are the same."

"But sometimes we can't completely counter the Senate's methods, and we hope you will be there when necessary..."

......................

Not long ago.

"Oh....."

"We're back here?"

Xia opened his eyes at that moment, waking up from his dream.

A cold, silken mist hangs in the air, and the land is wild and harsh. Tourists throng the area, their footprints covering the landscape.

"Hello! Excuse me—what is this place, and where in Onphalus is it located?"

Wandering tourists: *hoarse murmurs*

The traveler murmured incomprehensible words. Or perhaps, he was simply absent-minded, ignoring Xia's question at that moment.

"Tell me, which Titan rules this place? How can I find it?"

Wandering tourists: *hoarse murmurs*

A lingering tourist: "The Hand of Gray..."

"The Hand of Ash, Cenatos?"

Upon hearing that name, Xia immediately understood something.

"Hmph, could it be... this is the underworld?"

A lingering tourist: "It's not...the underworld..."

"Where is this? The outer edge of the underworld, the River Styx? Are you going downstream to the underworld?"

A wandering tourist: "The underworld... a complete fabrication..."

A lingering tourist: "Titan... refuses... you... I..."

A lingering tourist: "Listen..."

"What?" Xia asked in confusion.

The traveler lifted his withered fingers, then fell silent.

At that moment, Xia followed the fingertip and listened intently. A huge shadow carried the scent of the tide from that direction.

"The sound of the tide...?"

I heard you.

I heard it, deep within the tides, beyond the gates of the realm of nothingness...

A voice is about to speak to me—

At this crucial moment, a familiar voice interrupted him.

"Son of Man..."

"Are you so eager to join the ranks of the dead?"

Xia suddenly woke up, and the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Cecily's familiar figure.

"Oh, you're awake. Welcome back to the mortal realm."

"Your consciousness dissipated a little faster than I expected... It seems that the spark of the Titans is ultimately incompatible with a mortal body."

"How much longer can my consciousness remain in the human world?" Xia covered her head and stood up.

"In my opinion, we'll see the fifteenth door at most, starting today?"

"Ah, fifteen days and nights..."

"What, now that things have come to this, you've finally become attached to the mortal world?"

“On the contrary.” Na Kexia shook her head. “Fifteen days and nights is far too long to solve a single problem.”

“Heh…” Cecily smiled slightly.

"Stop grinning like an idiot, let's go. The Senate's envoy should be arriving soon." Na Kexia shook her head and walked outside.

"May I ask one more question: Do you truly intend to betray Aglaia's will?"

Xia turned around at that moment, "I was never loyal to her, so how could I betray her?"

"And what about your white-haired disciple? Acting so recklessly...aren't you afraid of leading him into injustice?"

At that moment, a hint of reluctance flashed in Xia's eyes, but her expression remained unchanged.

"Blind faith always comes at a price, and this is a lesson for Beagle."

Serhis was speechless for a moment.

"You really are a strict teacher."

"Of course, I've always been like this."

.................................

Xia stepped out of the door at that moment, where Lai Gushi had been waiting for a long time.

Upon meeting, they greeted each other warmly.

"It's been a long time, Lord Anaxagoras."

"On behalf of all the citizens of Ohm, I extend my greetings to you and express my deepest regret for the fate of the Divine Tree.

"It's you? I didn't expect you to come out and meet me in person."

Natsu was somewhat surprised when she saw Raikoushi.

He never expected that it would be the audience of the gods who came to greet him.

“Behold, Cephalo and Tarantun, I have come to demonstrate the justice of the Senate.”

Lai Gushi leaned forward slightly, making an elegant gesture.

Serhith was also surprised, "There are Antikythera people here? It's a rare sight since the Golden War."

At this moment, Lycus turned his body to face Serhith.

"And I extend my sincerest greetings to you, Your Excellency Titan."

"My name is Lycurgus, you may call me 'Lycurgus.' I am currently an honorary senator of the Ohma Senate, defending the right of every upright citizen to self-expression in the name of 'divine spectators.'"

“Heh...you can see it too?” Naksha asked.

“You know me: the Antikythera people perceive the world with the amplitude and frequency of the soul.”

"At the same time, as I understand, Ms. Aglaia is currently listening to this private meeting from afar. If you need, Your Excellency, I can cut the gold thread to protect your fundamental rights."

Lai Gushi stretched out his hand and pinched the invisible golden thread in the air with his fingers, as if he could snap it at any moment.

But at that moment, Xia shook her head.

"That woman is a demigod, she should have some self-respect. Let's keep these pitiful loose threads and let her hear my voice properly, so she can humiliate herself."

Lai Gushi loosened his grip. "It seems you already have a plan?"

"I don't need any solutions."

“Besides surveillance, there’s nothing she can do. The Citizens’ Assembly is about to convene, and Oronis has already fallen. Forcibly taking this spark from my body will only bring chaos, and she must know that.”

“And I, Anaxagoras, as the Tree Court’s special envoy to the Assembly of the Citizens of Ohmar, have long been aware of your capabilities…”

"There's no need to dismount and act arrogantly anymore, Lord Lai Gushi. Lead the way."

“Excellent. I believe Lady Katniss will certainly look favorably upon such a powerful ally.”

Lai Gushi stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation.

Guided by him, Na Ke Xia arrived at the terrace leading to the Dawn Cloud Cliff.

But at that moment, Xia stopped in her tracks.

"What is it, Lord Anaxagoras?"

"It's nothing. It's just that every time I ascend Dawn Cloudcliff, I ponder: for the Titans, is 'fallen' the same as 'death'?"

“Deep thought. We still have plenty of time, would you mind sharing your insights with me?” Rigdzin asked.

Xia didn't hide anything and directly expressed her thoughts.

“All that is born must perish. But Cephalo is not yet at its end, but is slowly making its way along this long road.”

"Are you saying that Cephalo didn't really die?"

"Exactly."

"Death" is an action, a process; while "death" is a state, an end.

"Compared to mortals, Titans are far larger in scale in terms of space and time, and therefore their 'death' is a much longer process. The so-called 'fall' is merely a misinterpretation by mortals out of ignorance."

Lycus lowered his head in thought. “An interesting insight, but unfortunately difficult to prove or disprove. After all, Cephale has been silent since the end of the world. Scholars and priests alike have declared the fall of the great god.”

"Perhaps the gods were just too arrogant and thought they were not qualified to communicate."

"how do I say this?"

“Cersis, a fellow godfather in mythology, now resides in my mind. If I were to ask him a question, Cephale would have no reason to refuse.”

“Oh…” Lai Gushi’s interest was piqued.

"That makes sense."

"But what if the revered god who has wronged the world still does not respond?"

"Ha, that just means the myths the Onphalus people made up are not even a joke." Xia sneered.

"Then let's give it a try." Lai Gushi also found Na Kexia's experiment interesting.

"I am also very pleased to see your theory come to fruition and to see what kind of changes it will bring to this endangered world."

"Because you are absolutely right about one thing: if the Titans are already finished, they have no way of responding..."

Just then, a giant hand, symbolizing the path to dawn, reached down.

"Lord Anaxagoras, it seems our pleasant debate is coming to an end."

"Please."

.................................................. ......................

Hey, hey, oh (≧ ▽ ≦)ゝ