Sisters

"You can't break down the meteorite?" In the hall, members of the Four Pillar Cult gathered around the dragon-egg-like meteorite resting on the table as Sonia asked in surprise. "Mainly because we dare not dismantle it by force." Even as she said this, Daidalos could hardly conceal her shame. "Besides, the meteorite's material is exceedingly strange. Conventional blunt force, cutting, corrosion, high-temperature baking, and other methods have all failed to damage it. We have been searching for sorceries that can affect it." "What about those church nobles?" Sonia asked without mercy. "You can alter their memories, so surely you could extract a method for handling the meteorite from their minds?" "They don't destroy meteorites," the Chaos Diva shook her head. "They possess a ritual miracle that extracts the Golden Apple directly from inside the meteorite. According to their memories, if the meteorite is broken, the Golden Apple might flee." "That ritual miracle—" "Requires channeling the Stars' Blessing link," Daidalos said huffily, puffing her cheeks like a seal robbed of its food. "Yet if we do that, the Golden Apple will be teleported back to the sky curtain with absolute certainty! The Divine Lord of Stars is far too crafty, guarding even against her own subjugated thralls for fear that they might find a way to embezzle the Golden Apple!" The Sword Princess and the Witch exchanged a glance, seemingly able to hear each other's thoughts: The Divine Lord of Stars is so cautious mostly because she was screwed over by the Four Pillar Gods in the past... "The only good news is that the meteorite provides excellent protection for the Golden Apple. Even if we cannot break down the meteorite, we can hide and preserve it. As long as the Golden Apple cannot return to the starry sky, it will weaken the sky curtain's energy." "Although we formulated as thorough a plan as possible, the intelligence we gathered remained superficial, which is why so many unexpected accidents arose." The foremost beauty under the starry sky sighed. "Especially since we must operate in secret." "We were... too arrogant." This was the greatest weakness of the Four Pillars of the Stars. As the price of operating in hiding for years, their infiltration into the Starry Kingdom was far too shallow. Although an elite membership system had ensured their survival, it severely restricted their growth. They could obtain many hidden secrets, but never the crucial operational details within them. Just like with the meteorite: from their elevated vantage, they could deduce the strategic importance of the meteorite and the Golden Apple to the Church, but because none of their members had ever participated at the church's operational level, it never crossed their minds that the meteorite itself would pose a stumbling block. The only two ways to prevent such situations: the first was expanding their numbers. Talent was the greatest resource, and an indispensable tool. Sonia blinked, suddenly realizing how vast the gap was between reality and the cinema. In movies and dramas, high-end, grandiose secret organizations like the Four Pillars of the Stars were a dime a dozen. Every secret organization leader held all the cards, foreseeing everything like a deity, effortlessly knowing what someone mumbled while bathing, daring to meet officials head-on, and even deducing every next move the enemy would make—as if they were holding the script itself. In reality, how could that ever happen? If you wanted intelligence, you needed boots on the ground tailing people. That meant the number of members—even peripheral ones—would skyrocket exponentially, and the risk of exposure would rise in tandem. A fake secret organization: sends challenge letters, stages grand spectacles, plays hide-and-seek with authorities. A real secret organization: breaks the target's limbs, drags them away to brainwash them, and then lets them go. "You've already done well." Diya climbed onto the table, stood on tiptoe, and patted Daidalos's head. "Leave the rest to the all-knowing Miss Witch." Besides expanding membership, there was another way to avoid unexpected pitfalls: possessing a prophecy sorcerer! One major reason the Spectre Prophet was feared by the Divine Lords was that Vichy was a prophecy demigod! Although Diya was not a prophecy demigod, she could make limited use of the Gospel god! It was no exaggeration to say that the current lineup of the Four Pillars of the Stars was the greatest among the six nations. After all, the Gospel god was the trump card of the Omniscient Weaver. It was now equivalent to the Omniscient Weaver, who was unmatched in strategic planning, joining forces with the Four Pillar Gods, who excelled at conspiracy, both investing heavily against the Starry Kingdom. How could ordinary people ever withstand such an immense blessing? Under everyone's expectant gazes, Diya took out a small hand mirror and asked, "Mirror, mirror, how do we open the meteorite? How do we eat the Golden Apple?" After a few seconds, the white-haired girl smiled faintly. "What a coincidence." She looked around and explained, "First of all, the meteorite cannot be cracked open carelessly. It's a device designed to confine the Golden Apple. Once opened, the Golden Apple will flee into the Void Realm." Daidalos glanced at the golden light inside the meteorite. "It really runs?..." "Not only does it run, but it also curses," Diya said. "If a Golden Apple stays in one place for too long, it draws a Void Realm curse. This Golden Apple fell precisely because it attracted the 'Time Blade' curse." "The King of Time's divine miracle, 'Time Blade'?" Felix blurted out. "The Time Blade that can sever history?" "Correct. It seems you've heard of it from the King of Time's inheritance," Diya nodded. "The Time Blade can sever the history of any existence—perhaps a day, perhaps a year. But the curse attracted by the Golden Apple does not stop, which means the Time Blade curse would continuously slash haphazardly through the sky curtain, directly severing all crucial history of the sky curtain." Severing history might sound useless at first glance, but if you obtained a rare sorcery spirit during that stretch of history, once that history was severed, your bond with that sorcery spirit would abruptly dissolve—not to mention your memories, sorcery mana, and experience. The most tragic accident Felix had ever heard of involved a two-winged sorcerer who had a single day severed by the Time Blade; on that very day, he had happened upon a whirlpool fortuitous encounter, and the sorcery mana he gained from it was instantly wiped away, cutting his silver void wings in half with no way to repair them. A Time Blade capable of severing a single day was already perilous; a continuously active Time Blade curse was simply unimaginable. "The Golden Apple didn't fall by accident; its descent is part of the sky curtain's operational cycle," Diya said as she hopped off the table and sat in a cushioned armchair. "A Golden Apple has two main traits: spontaneous escape and Void Realm curses. To prevent harm from the Golden Apple, the sky curtain must periodically project it down to earth to reset its curse timer before sending it back up. "Yet once it leaves the sky curtain, the Golden Apple can escape into the Void Realm at any moment, so specific measures must be taken." Diya pointed at the meteorite. "The Golden Apple isn't trapped in the meteorite; it likes staying inside it, just like a cat that loves crawling into a box. "Do you know what knowledge loves most?" the Witch asked, answering herself: "Wishes. Every meteorite is formed from wishes. "The sky curtain collects the wishes you make toward the starry sky and condenses them into a meteoric shell to encase the Golden Apple, allowing it to land safely on earth. It's only natural that you couldn't break down the meteorite, because it's a product of the wish faction, a branch of the mind faction. You would need at least a mind miracle to dismantle the meteorite safely. "However," Diya looked at Sonia, "we have an easier way. Sword Princess, you still have those sorcery spirits, right?" The Paw-Extending Sword Saint pondered for a moment, then summoned a one-winged sorcery spirit. "We should use the As-Desired sorcery spirit here, right?" They didn't know whether the Divine Lord of Stars had invented this wish-meteorite miracle herself or stolen it, but they themselves possessed the world's most formidable wish-faction inheritance—the Illusion Lord of Thousand Wishes's Wishing Pool! Although Yaxiu had taken all the three-winged and four-winged sorcery spirits, they had kept a few low-tier sorcery spirits as mementos and for research. Who would have thought they would come in handy right here? The As-Desired sorcery spirit had a very singular effect: it could only be used to dissolve wish power. It had to be paired with other sorcery spirits. For instance, when combined with spirits like Heart's Wish or Willing, it could form the miracle 'To One's Heart's Content,' which, beyond countering most mental miracles, made sorcery spirits more obedient. It was also an essential spirit for the divine miracle 'Wishes Come True,' though not even the Gospel god could construct the theoretical formula for that divine miracle. "Let's do it together, Sword Princess." "Won't the Golden Apple run away, though?" "Don't worry. If it really runs, that still counts as achieving our objective," Diya chuckled. "Besides, eating the Golden Apple is easy for us—it fears us." Sonia raised no objection and touched the meteorite alongside the Witch. As they activated their As-Desired sorcery spirits, streams of light arose from the meteorite, and the faint, ghostly whispers of children's voices echoed through the hall. Listening closely, they sounded like people making wishes. When the meteorite completely dissolved, only a glittering golden apple remained on the tabletop. It rested there quietly, showing no intention of fleeing. Diya looked around and suddenly said, "Sister Incessant, try touching it." Trozan showed no hesitation and reached out to grasp it, but her hand passed right through the Golden Apple as if it were merely a cluster of golden light. "As expected." When Diya reached out her hand, everyone saw the Golden Apple tremble slightly before she caught it effortlessly in her grasp. "Slumbers in wishes, trembles before love." Diya tossed the Golden Apple to Sonia. Caught off guard, the village girl scrambled clumsily before finally managing to catch it. She could distinctly feel the Golden Apple quivering. Looking closer, she could faintly see snakelike pink patterns coiling around it. "When gazed upon by someone who possesses love, the Golden Apple cannot escape, and it can only be touched by those who harbor love in their hearts," the Witch explained. "While there are other methods, having you and me eat it directly is the least troublesome way." "Or," Diya looked at Felix, "Felix, do you have someone you love?" Of everyone present, only the three of them lacked the Stars' Blessing. To prevent the Golden Apple from returning to the sky curtain, the eater could only be chosen from among the three. "No, definitely not," Felix shook his head repeatedly. "Your Excellencies need not consider me. Besides, I haven't even reached Sanctuary." "What are the benefits of eating it, and what are the drawbacks?" Sonia asked. "There are no drawbacks for us, only benefits." The village girl thought for a moment, then tossed the Golden Apple back to the little empress. "Then you eat it." Diya smiled. "You're already at such a massive disadvantage, and you're still not seizing every opportunity to become stronger?" "Tonight, whether it was the contingency plan or dismantling the meteorite, the credit belongs to you, followed by the Chaos Diva. I don't even rank in the top three," Sonia said frankly. "Even Felix has more right to eat this apple than I do. "As for disadvantage..." She smiled slightly. "Have you forgotten that I am now a 'Queen' of the Four Pillar Cult?" Diya narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Who isn't?" "Which means, as regrettable as it is, I truly cannot remain in the Starry Kingdom anymore." The Paw-Extending Sword Saint sighed, reaching out to ruffle the little empress's head. "Once Yaxiu returns, I'll just have to go stay at your place with him. "Witch, you wouldn't make me feel unwelcome, would you?" Looking up at Sonia gazing down condescendingly at her, Diya's face instantly darkened. She's right! In truth, the greatest obstacle keeping the Sword Princess and Yaxiu apart had never been fate—it was Yaxiu himself! Yaxiu had always been unwilling to let the Sword Princess defect from the Starry Kingdom for his sake, which was why the prospect of a long-distance relationship even existed! Now, the Sword Princess had willingly become a cult ringleader, following the exact same career path as Yaxiu himself. No matter what, Yaxiu would have to protect her and take her away from the Starry Kingdom. Nothing could stand in the way of them being together in reality anymore! This accident had changed everything. Sonia could no longer return to tranquility; she would have to "regretfully" roam the ends of the earth with Yaxiu! Looking at Diya herself, however, she still couldn't separate from the other Witch personalities. Even if she possessed an entire country, she couldn't even kiss Yaxiu! She was the one at a disadvantage! Seeing the little empress's cheeks puff up with fury, Sonia stifled a giggle, then crouched down to explain in a low voice: "You becoming stronger is far more meaningful than me becoming stronger. The more you master the Gospel, the sooner we can rescue Yaxiu." Diya froze. She looked down at the Golden Apple for a moment, then suddenly held it up and said, "Let's eat it together." "Can it even be shared?" "It can't be split, but if we eat it at the same time, we'll both receive the full effect—doubling the benefits," Diya admitted honestly. "Actually, the Golden Apple was originally meant to be eaten by couples." Sonia looked at her with a complicated expression. "Don't you find that explanation rather bizarre?" "Then don't say it out loud!" Diya hushed her voice. "Can't we just treat it as two sisters sharing an apple?" "Who's your..." Sonia began to raise her voice, but under the little empress's stare, she swallowed it back down: "...sister?" "Do you know?" Diya said suddenly. "I'm actually older than you. I'm the big sister." "...In every sense of the word, I have no desire to be your sister." "Wonderful. I already have too many sisters and no desire for another little sister." In the eyes of the Sword Princess and the Witch, they were expressing mutual disdain; but in the eyes of everyone else, it was the stunning, dashing red-haired Sword Seat and the sweet, adorable white-haired Witch Seat eating the Golden Apple together. This rosy tableau would be deeply etched into the hearts of the Four Pillar Cult believers. Many even vaguely felt that they were witnessing a turning point in history. "Incessant." "Hm?" Claire clasped her hands together, a blush blooming across her cheeks, her face filled with longing and fluttering excitement: "I think I believe in love again." Trozan remained silent for a moment, then quietly took a few steps away from the Catastrophe Messenger.