In Carriage 1 of the Canaan, Yaxiu's party of seven had chartered the entire business class car.
Once everyone had settled into their seats, Weixi suddenly produced seven pendants. "Each of you, put one on."
Yaxiu took one and inspected it closely. It looked like cheap merchandise from a street stall, its chain already half-faded. "What is this?"
"Mind Thread," Weixi said. "First, let me ask you all a question—do you know how large the world is?"
Yaxiu offered, "Between the Void Realm and reality?"
Harvey said, "Between life and death?"
Rose counted on her fingers. "If we take the Canaan as our base unit, roughly six trillion trillion Canaans?"
Feili froze. "Six trillion trillion... how much is that again?"
"It is six trillion trillion." Rose gave the little lamb a look reserved for idiots.
"Lady Weixi, you are referring to the world within the mental domain, aren't you?" Igola said.
Weixi nodded. "In the mental domain, how large the world is depends entirely on your inner perception. Places you have never visited—even if you know of their existence—do not exist in your world. For instance, Yaxiu, you seem to have never been to the Abyss or Paradise. Though they certainly exist in reality, your mental world contains neither of them.
"'I think, therefore I am. I perceive, therefore it exists.' We cannot calibrate reality, but we hold dominion over our minds."
Weixi pointed at Yaxiu. "To make his Soul Heaven flood the entire Nation of Stars in an instant requires him to unleash it faster than the mysterious chains can trigger. The chains take roughly one second to activate, which means Yaxiu's soul must traverse every city in the Nation of Stars within that second, moving almost as fast as light... But how can anyone move as fast as light?"
Only then did Yaxiu realize the sheer difficulty of the task. He pondered, "Can we only rely on a miracle?"
"No. Even without miracles, we ordinary mortals can move as fast as light."
Yaxiu said thoughtfully, "Lady Weixi, do you mean... thought?"
"Precisely. Thought can surpass all things," Weixi said with a smile. "With just a brief flip through my memories, I can return to thousands of years ago when I was still a little girl, back to that Land of Twilight that crumbled to dust long ago... Time, space, entropy, death, reality—none of these trivial forces can obstruct the penetration of thought.
"Relying solely on the sorcery spirits in my possession, it would be impossible to make your soul span the entire nation in an instant, nor is there any need for such trouble. What you must do is not extend your soul to those cities, but incorporate those cities into your mental world."
Yaxiu nodded vaguely. "Then how do I incorporate those cities into my mental world?"
Weixi raised an eyebrow. "You have never even been to Jialesi, yet you have a deep impression of it, don't you?"
"Of course. Sword Princess always talks to me about—" Yaxiu stopped halfway, sudden realization dawning on him.
"How large your world is depends on how many unforgettable memories you possess, and on how many friends you hold dear and will never forget," Weixi said. "Because Sword Princess is in Jialesi, there will always be a place for Jialesi in your mental world.
"Therefore, while my sorcery rites are necessary, they are far more essential."
Weixi continued in a leisurely tone, "After all, given Yaxiu's standard of appreciation, the only way he can remember a city is through food, drink, and merrymaking. But food is digested, merriment is forgotten, and once we finish touring the Nation of Stars, I fear he will only remember whichever city we visited last."
Yaxiu stubbornly retorted, "I can also remember a city's charm by appreciating its architecture and rich history!"
"That is why I came up with a better solution." Resting her chin on her hand, Weixi smiled. "Yaxiu won't remember the cities, but he will remember this journey with all of you, along with the memories you make together.
"Whether Yaxiu can incorporate those cities into his mental world all comes down to whether you can leave him with truly unforgettable memories."
"I understand," Harvey said earnestly. "I will make sure Yaxiu remembers the cemeteries of every single city!"
"Then I shall take responsibility for leading Yaxiu to borrow money from the wealthy in each locality," Igola said indolently.
"Are we touring the country or embarking on a nationwide crime spree?!" Yaxiu cried, practically dropping to his knees.
Feili murmured, "Unforgettable..."
"Memories..." Niya tugged the brim of her bucket hat down.
Rose considered this for a moment and said, "I once read an academic paper stating that pain leaves a far deeper impression than joy—much like how childhood trauma can haunt someone for a lifetime. If we use pain to deepen his memory, to avoid mixing them up, we could inflict a distinct pain on Yaxiu in every city. For example, he has twenty fingers and toes in total, which would allow him to remember twenty cities—"
"I will do my very best to make wonderful memories with all of you!" Yaxiu said in a rush of panic. "Let us please just get along nicely on this trip!"
"The effect of the pendants is simply to make it easier for our thoughts and hearts to align," Weixi said. "However, because the effect is quite faint and subtle, there is no need to worry about triggering the mysterious chains."
"Ew..." Yaxiu instantly pulled a face of disgust. "Then could Harvey, Igola, and you please not wear them..."
"Not a chance," Weixi chuckled. "I am very much looking forward to being of one mind with Master."
Igola drawled, "As a mind sorcerer, I can hardly turn down an opportunity to pry into a patient's inner world. And as a friend, I am rather curious about how the 'Love List' in your heart is ranked. Who is in first place, and who sits dead last?"
"Aunt Bogin, you're such a nosy gossip..."
Harvey had just been about to take his pendant off, but upon hearing that, he silently put it back on.
Yaxiu let out a sigh and slumped down in his seat. Glancing to the side, he noticed Feili gripping her pendant tightly, her little face flushed red as if trying to accelerate the progress of their heart-to-heart connection. The sight made him burst into a quiet chuckle.
Hearing his laugh, Feili glanced over at him. A moment later, she could not help herself either, meeting his gaze and breaking into a silly giggle.
Having slid down somewhat awkwardly in his seat, Yaxiu felt around for the button to adjust it, only to discover it was concealed inside the armrest, hidden away like a missile launch button.
Just then, he noticed Niya slipping down as well, sitting in an extremely uncomfortable posture.
After thinking for a moment, he called out loudly for the attendant, asking where the adjustment button was and how to use it. Once the attendant left, Yaxiu saw that Niya had already quietly adjusted her seat and was leaning comfortably back against the leather headrest.
The Canaan smoothly glided into motion. Once past the acceleration phase, the ride inside the business car was as steady as walking on solid ground; not even the surface of their water rippled.
Weixi suddenly broke the silence. "Still, Yaxiu, have you truly made up your mind?"
"What do you mean?"
"Even though it was my proposal, do you truly intend to break through the Astral Canopy with your Soul Heaven?"
"Of course," Yaxiu said. "This is the only way to save the stars. As long as the Nation of Stars survives, our Hell's Secret Poison can continue to be deferred. Why would you question it now?"
"For us, that is indeed true," Weixi said. "For you, however, that might not be the case."
Yaxiu lowered his eyes and said calmly, "This topic ends here."
"Wait!" Feili sprang to her feet. "What do you mean, Sister Weixi? Why wouldn't it be good for Yaxiu?"
"Master told me not to speak, so I won't," Weixi said, shrugging.
"Don't listen to Weixi's nonsense," Yaxiu said. "The Wi-Fi here is pretty good. Let's just play on our phones, everyone."
"The reasoning is quite simple," Igola spoke up suddenly. "Yaxiu using his Soul Heaven to breach the Astral Canopy means his Soul Heaven will be exposed to the entire world. You may not understand, but the value of a Soul Heaven is equivalent to holding the key to becoming King of the World.
"Not only ordinary sorcerers, but even Divine Lords will salivate over his Soul Heaven.
"More importantly, once the Source Angel escapes, it means he has disrupted the Divine Lord of Stars' grand design and offended the other five Divine Lords who have been waiting in the wings. In terms of interest, he holds immense value to the six Divine Lords; in terms of sentiment, all six will want to tear his flesh and gnaw his bones.
"There will be no place for him in any of the six nations. Hell will be teeming with devils coveting him, Heaven will be filled with Divine Lords cursing him. Nowhere in heaven or earth will offer shelter; he will face the world as his enemy, with nowhere to find peace."
Igola took a sip of water and said slowly, "To reach such heights as a sorcerer is truly unprecedented."
"Put it this way," Weixi added languidly. "When I slaughtered countless lives back then and committed every wickedness imaginable, cursed by mortals beyond count and plotted against by demigods across every land—ambushed at every turn, living on a razor's edge—compared to Yaxiu's future predicament, my past was mere child's play.
"Next to offending the six Divine Lords, Hell's Secret Poison is hardly worth mentioning."
"It's not that dire," Yaxiu protested. "I can still hide inside the Thousand Wishes Kingdom of Heaven."
"When the time comes, will you be willing to drag Thousand Wishes down with you?" Weixi smiled. "And can you truly resolve the secret poison? The Divine Lord of Stars might allow the rest of us to freely enter and leave the Nation of Stars, but will He stand idly by and watch you, the main culprit, use the mysterious chains to stall the poison?"
Feili and Niya stared blankly at Yaxiu. They had never considered any of this... They had no idea how perilous the outside world was, let alone that the destruction of the Nation of Stars was the fervent prayer of countless sorcerers.
The moment the stars were bound to the Source Angel, they had been fated to become a stepping stone under the wheels of history.
Now, Yaxiu rescuing the stars was equivalent to turning that stepping stone into a roadblock, forcefully halting the march of history's great wheel. Naturally, he would face the ferocious backlash of the historical tide.
"...Then what if he stays in the Nation of Stars?!" Feili thought of an alternative. "If Yaxiu stays here, wouldn't he be able to avoid those dangers?"
"Actually, he just shouldn't save this world," Niya said, drawing her feet onto the seat and wrapping her arms tightly around her knees. "After all, he..."
They waited for Yaxiu's answer, but Yaxiu said nothing. He merely offered them a faint smile, a trace of apology lingering in his eyes.
The moment they saw that look, they understood.
Yaxiu would still save the Nation of Stars, but he would not remain here.
He would save the nation for Feili, for Niya, for Rose, for Igola and Harvey, and even for the citizens of the stars—perhaps even a little for Weixi.
Yet he would return for Sword Princess, for the Witch, and for everyone who was waiting for him.
Yaxiu turned his head, gazing out at the Astral Canopy.
Feili gripped her pendant, lifting her head toward the starry sky.
Niya curled up in her seat, her bucket hat completely hiding her small face.
Igola closed his eyes, resting quietly.
At that moment, the seven pendants glowed faintly, imprinting the scene of this very instant into the charms.
"Congratulations," Weixi murmured softly. "You have successfully created an unforgettable, beautiful memory."
***
"Hey, look, isn't that him?"
"It really is!"
"I can't believe it's actually Mr. Heath! Is he traveling with his girlfriend?"
"Which one is his girlfriend, though?"
"Mr. Heath's friends are so gorgeous, too! Let me deliver the meal to that blonde hottie later!"
"Hold on, are you even sure he's a guy?"
"Then let me deliver to the dark-skinned one with the curly hair! He's totally my type."
A few train attendants chatted as they passed through the vestibule connecting the carriages. Suddenly, a hand reached out from the side.
"A glass of one hundred percent freshly squeezed juice, please."
"Certainly, please wait a moment."
The attendant looked down, her eyes instantly lighting up. Though he wore an exceedingly cheap shirt and jacket, his well-defined, robust physique filled out the clothes with an imposing presence. A flat cap was pulled low over messy blond hair, and his face was covered in scruff, yet none of it could conceal the striking handsomeness running through his bones. Age had stripped away his youthful greenness, replacing it with an almost intoxicating maturity that set the attendant's heart pounding.
There were so many handsome men on this train!
As the attendant turned to leave, she resolved to slip a note with her phone number beneath the glass for the handsome blond uncle.
Meanwhile, the handsome blond man poked his head out, glancing toward the sliding door separating business class from first class.
Suddenly, his phone rang. He picked up. "What?"
"Where are you?"
"Traveling."
"Stop messing around! Where are you?"
"On a high-speed train."
"...Haven't you done enough field research after more than a decade? Can't the Starry Country satisfy your wilderness survival cravings? Traveling my ass! Get your ass back here!"
"Busy."
"Vosloda, in the name of the Night King, I command you—"
"My battery is dying."
"At least fucking tell me where you're going! I'll come find you!"
"I don't know either."
"Huh?!"
Vosloda hung up. Just as he was about to resume watching, the door slid open and Feili stepped out. He instantly ducked back, pulling his cap low and straining his ears to catch her conversation with an attendant.
"...Could you bring a few towel blankets, please? Oh, by the way, what is the weight capacity of a business class seat? If two people lie on it together, nothing will break, right?"
"..." The corners of Vosloda's mouth twitched violently, and he shoved his headphones into his ears.
Chapter 955