Chapter 490: Marry Acheron - 490

In the end, Little Herta set off with Sylvia after all.

Of course, they weren't going to cross the universe on their own. Sylvia might be taking a child along, but she wasn't that reckless. Instead, they'd boarded the Astral Express and were cruising through space at a relaxed pace, following the star rails.

"Wow!"

Little Herta pressed herself against the window, her face almost touching the glass as she stared outside. Sylvia and Mei sat nearby, drinking and chatting.

"Well, this is her first time seeing the outside world. She's still a kid after all."

"That kid's a lot smarter than you," Mei teased.

Sylvia didn't argue. "She's Herta's daughter, after all. How could she not be smart?"

Sylvia watched Little Herta with a proud smile. Before they'd left, the girl had insisted she wasn't curious about the trip. Yet they'd barely left The Blue, and she was already glued to the window, refusing to budge.

"Passengers, it's time to discuss the next part of our trip!"

The conductor brought up a list of routes, each starting from The Blue and passing through several busy star systems. They all had one thing in common: plenty of inhabited planets with lots to see and do.

Pom-Pom knew this trip was meant to give the child a chance to explore, so there was no rush to reach any one place. With that in mind, the conductor had marked several safe and interesting stops along each route.

Sylvia and Mei leaned over to look at the options Pom-Pom had picked out.

"Thanks, Pom-Pom! You've already planned everything out, so why don't we just follow your list?"

"Don't be lazy! There's no way we can visit all these places! You need to pick some!"

The conductor puffed up in annoyance and shot down Sylvia's careless suggestion. Little Herta was sweet and clever, and Pom-Pom had grown fond of her too.

"All right, all right! Mei, Little Herta, come over here! Let's figure out where we're going next."

There were still more than two weeks until the Wardance, so they had plenty of time. With nearly twenty days to spare, they could stop at a few interesting places and let Little Herta explore. Some star systems also had views worth slowing down for.

And so, the Astral Express continued its slow journey through the universe for another dozen or so days, stopping here and there along the way.

Sylvia took Little Herta to seven or eight different planets, where the girl got to experience things she'd only ever read about in the Data Bank. After all, reading about something and seeing it for yourself were two very different things.

Those experiences only made Little Herta more eager to explore the unknown, and she'd grown to love traveling aboard the Express as well. In a way, she'd matured quite a bit.

That peaceful journey continued until an unexpected encounter brought it to an end.

--+--

After more than ten days of travel, the Express was already approaching the Xianzhou. While passing through a quiet stretch of space, they came across an attack in progress.

The Express picked up a distress signal within radar range, and its advanced sensors soon revealed exactly what was happening.

On the screen were two vessels: one badly damaged spacecraft and another bearing the insignia of the Intelligentsia Guild.

Sylvia and Mei stopped talking.

"I'll go take a look."

Sylvia was curious. No matter how bad things got for the Intelligentsia Guild, surely its members wouldn't stoop to robbery, right? Or was the damaged ship actually the one that had tried to rob the other?

'Why does the ship doing the attacking have the Intelligentsia Guild's insignia...?'

Whatever the case, she'd like to know what was going on. Besides, Little Herta was watching, and Sylvia ought to set a good example for her kid.

Herta's example as a parent was strange enough already. Sylvia couldn't afford to make things worse.

With that thought, she patted Little Herta on the head and left the Express alone. A few short teleports later, she'd reached the scene.

Once she got close, her senses sharpened. Inside the damaged ship, dozens of people had surrounded a lone life-form. That was clearly where the trouble was.

Sylvia raised a hand, took out her mask, and slipped it over her face. Her body dissolved into a mass of crimson flames as she used the mask's power to take on the form of a Heliobus.

She then slipped into the ship without a sound.

Inside the main cabin, she found a... Foxian and a small robotic Intellitron.

To her surprise, the people surrounding them were members of the Annihilation Gang. Sylvia recognized the symbols they wore.

"Tch, these two are boring! They haven't even put up a decent fight! How am I supposed to get excited like this?!"

The gang member who seemed to be their leader was almost shaking with excitement.

"You two had better not disappoint the boys."

Neither the Intellitron nor the Foxian seemed afraid, though both clearly had something weighing on their minds.

"Kind benefactors, we aren't carrying any valuables, and our only ship was destroyed in your attack. Logic: Killing us will bring you no benefit. We urge you to turn away from this path and refrain from burdening yourselves with more bad karma."

The Annihilation Gang burst out laughing.

Sylvia, on the other hand, was surprised.

'There's a group like the Buddhists out here, too?'

The way they addressed people as benefactors and urged them to turn away from wrongdoing sounded just like Buddhist teachings. And more than that...

'Even an Intellitron can understand Buddhist ideas?'

Sylvia scratched at her hair, now made of flames, wondering what group these two belonged to.

The gang members only grew more arrogant.

"Listen up, you two! The only things that are real in this universe are the flames of the Antimatter Legion and the gun in my hand!"

Sylvia was about to step in when the gang prepared to attack, but the Intellitron's next words stopped her cold.

"Addendum: Please include the Anti-Organic Equation."

'What?!'

Sylvia's eyes widened.

For an Intellitron to bring up the Anti-Organic Equation in a situation like this couldn't be a casual remark. There had to be something more behind those words.

The pleading look the Foxian gave the little robot only made Sylvia's heart skip a beat.

'Good grief...'

She knew there were still Intellitrons infected with the Anti-Organic Equation scattered throughout the universe. She just hadn't expected to run into one herself.

And judging from the way the Intellitron and Foxian were interacting, the robot didn't seem to have gone mad.

Their next exchange confirmed Sylvia's suspicion.

The Foxian called the Intellitron Sugata.

"Sugata, do you remember why we're here? At least one monk must deliver our petition to the Xianzhou, but it doesn't have to be me."

Sugata replied, "Question: Samatha, does completing our petition take priority over the life of any individual?"

"You promised me! You said you'd follow the precepts! I won't lift the restrictions on your weapons!"

Sylvia was stunned by the Foxian's words.

'Wait, this group actually managed to bring an Intellitron infected with the Anti-Organic Equation back to its senses?! What kind of group is this?!'

"Conclusion: Everyone has the right to make their own choices."

While Sylvia was still reeling from that revelation, Sugata gave its answer.

'Oh, that's bad!'

She couldn't let this little robot go berserk here.

Without another moment's hesitation, Sylvia dropped her concealment. A flash of crimson fire swept through the cabin, and she appeared in front of the two monks.

Dozens of Subspace Lances emerged from portals, their tips pressed against the throats and chests of the Annihilation Gang members.

"Remnants of the Annihilation Gang, huh? I guess what happened in Japella wasn't enough to scare the lot of you."

Sylvia raised her hand, and the crimson flames became a roaring gale. It hurled every gang member out of the ship before burning them to nothing. Not even ashes remained.

She then turned toward the Foxian and the Intellitron, who'd stopped its command sequence.

"I picked up your distress signal. Are you two the only ones here?"

"Thank you for saving us, benefactor. We're monks from Claretwheel Temple. My name is Samatha, and this is Sugata."

The Foxian pressed her palms together and bowed.

"Claretwheel Temple? I heard you mention the Xianzhou just now. Could you tell me more about that?"

Sylvia raised an eyebrow.

'So it really is a temple.'

She wondered which Aeon they worshiped. After all, if they'd managed to convert one of Emperor Rubert's soldiers, surely some Path's power had to be involved.

'They couldn't have done it just by talking, could they?'

At least from what Sugata had said, it hadn't merely managed to suppress the Anti-Organic Equation's urge to kill organic life. It'd even considered fighting to protect the organic life-form beside it.

Sylvia found that change amazing.

She added, "I'm a Nameless aboard the Astral Express. Why don't we head over to that other ship first?"

Sylvia pointed to the Nameless ticket pinned to her coat before leading the pair aboard the ship the Annihilation Gang had stolen. There were still a few gang members inside, but Sylvia dealt with them with a wave of her hand.

They weren't worth mentioning.

Following behind Samatha, Sugata spoke in a low voice.

"Inference: This individual possesses immense power. Her traits match those of Sylvia, the Emanator of Elation who has recently gained widespread fame."

A Nameless, white hair, skilled in using fire, with ties to the Xianzhou and a white cat mask on her forehead.

Every detail matched the woman in front of them.

Samatha nodded. If this woman really was who Sugata thought she was, their chances of gaining aid from the Xianzhou might be much better.

"I can hear you, Sugata."

Sylvia gave Samatha a thoughtful glance.

Since this involved a Foxian from outside the Xianzhou who happened to be seeking help from the Alliance, Sylvia recalled the Borisin she'd previously encountered disguising themselves as Foxians to infiltrate the Xianzhou.

She decided to examine Samatha with her Truth-Seeking Sigil.

The result was both expected and surprising.

Samatha really was a Borisin in disguise.

Considering how she'd tried to persuade a group of ruthless Annihilation Gang members to abandon violence, Sylvia became even more curious about Claretwheel Temple.

'So there are Borisin who hate fighting this much, huh?'

"Please forgive him, Lady Emanator. Sugata only meant to warn me. He had no ill intent."

Sylvia waved it off.

"I'm not that bad-tempered. Could you tell me why you're going to the Xianzhou?"

Samatha nodded and was about to speak when Sugata stepped forward.

"Proposal: Allow me to present my historical memory. My records are more complete."

Sylvia nodded for Sugata to continue.

"I'll synchronize my data with you through a more efficient method, benefactor... Wavelength adjustment complete. Updating memory permissions. Synesthesia Beacon synchronization initiated."

Soon, images from Sugata's memories began appearing before Sylvia.

They showed how Sugata had encountered the monks of Claretwheel Temple, been defeated, and eventually joined their group, followed by everything that'd happened up to the present.

Through those memories, Sylvia also learned the purpose of their journey.

They'd come from a distant star system to petition the Xianzhou for protection on behalf of the temple's more than ten thousand monks and over thirteen thousand children.

But their companions had fallen one after another during the journey, leaving only Samatha and Sugata, who'd joined them partway through.

Sylvia couldn't help but admire these Borisin, who'd used sheer willpower to restrain their own savage instincts.

Even when their self-imposed restrictions had cost their companions their lives, they'd upheld their precepts and stayed true to their vows.

No matter what someone was born as, overcoming their instincts and desires was worthy of respect.

At the very least, Sylvia couldn't say with confidence that she'd be able to do the same.

Once she'd finished watching Sugata's memories, Sylvia spent a moment thinking.

Little Herta was partly mechanical, which carried certain risks. Sylvia wanted Herta to study the Anti-Organic Equation and see whether she could develop a firewall against it.

And Sugata was probably the most convenient infected Intellitron in the universe for that kind of research.

As for Claretwheel Temple...

The Xianzhou almost certainly wouldn't protect them.

For one thing, the timing couldn't have been worse. The Xianzhou had just suffered an infiltration by Borisin disguised as Foxians. Now another group of Borisin, also disguised as Foxians, was asking for refuge.

That wasn't going to go over well.

Especially given the bitter history between the Borisin, the Foxians, and the Xianzhou.

Sylvia suspected Jing Yuan would admire the monks of Claretwheel Temple on a personal level. But as the general of the Luofu, he'd never agree to offer them protection in the name of the ship.

"I understand your situation now. I'm on good terms with Jing Yuan, the general of the Luofu, and I know what's going on there. So I can tell you this much: Jing Yuan won't offer Claretwheel Temple protection."

Samatha fell silent.

But after a moment, she shook her head and pressed her palms together.

"Even so, I'll still go to the Xianzhou and petition them on behalf of my people. It's the only chance we have left."

She understood what she was.

As a species blessed by the Abundance, the Borisin would struggle to find acceptance anywhere else. Some factions might even try to exploit them for the power of the Abundance.

Their only possible hope for a peaceful life was the Xianzhou Alliance, which had also received the Abundance's blessing but now stood against the Denizens of Abundance.

But as Sylvia had said, the Borisin had fought a major war against the Xianzhou just thirty years earlier.

For long-life species, thirty years was far too short a time to forget such a conflict.

Samatha knew how bleak their chances were.

"I'd advise you not to count on the Xianzhou right now. But I can offer you another option."

Sylvia had no intention of discussing the Xianzhou's current affairs with them. At the same time, she wasn't about to let Samatha and Sugata slip through her fingers.

Claretwheel Temple needed protection, and Sylvia wanted to study the Anti-Organic Equation.

Wasn't that a perfect chance for both sides to get what they wanted?

Besides, Sylvia had a whole bunch of dragon descendants on Separius, and she didn't have time to watch over them every day.

Claretwheel Temple had plenty of people, and they were fairly strong. They could probably play with the dragon descendants without getting their arms and legs broken.

Bringing them over to help out for free didn't sound bad at all.

And with Bella keeping an eye on things, there shouldn't be any trouble.

Now that she'd found Sugata, Sylvia had no intention of letting the little robot wander off.

"Please tell us your proposal, Lady Emanator."

"As an Emanator, I can offer Claretwheel Temple my protection. In exchange, the temple will come under my command. Also, Sugata's condition has great research value, so I'd like to study the changes it's undergone. I promise the research won't harm him."

Sylvia saw no reason to hide her intentions.

Even if they refused, once they reached the Xianzhou, all she'd have to do was speak to Jing Yuan. He'd likely send them straight back to her anyway.

--+--