: What is Kafka going to reveal! I can't wait!"
: Hurry up! I want to hear more peaceful stories!"
: I like this—MiHoYo, you finally got it right! We should just enjoy life, bring on the travel chapter already! Everyone just show off and wrap it up!"
: Fox champion! Show me Miss Tingyun!"
: Very good! No major crisis here! The story is clear, no emotional punches in this episode—everyone can watch it in peace!
...
-------------------------
The comments flashed one by one.
On the screen, the story continued to advance.
With Kafka being captured, the preparations for the Matrix of Prescience Ultima were soon completed.
According to the previous agreement, the express crew came to the Divination Commission, but because of Fu Xuan's request, they had to go to find Qingque, who loved to play during worktime.
Outside the mahjong hall, the lively and lovely Qingque left a deep impression on everyone.
Led by Qingque, who was good at slacking off, everyone entered from the side door and quickly passed through the maze-like Divination Commission.
During the period, the huge maze like structure and the ancient feel once again brought a deep shock to the audience.
After some hard work, and by the time the express crew returned, Fu Xuan had already brought Kafka in front of the Matrix of Prescience Ultima.
"Is it necessary to make such a big scene? Didn't I say I would cooperate with you?"
Looking at the Cloud Knights who were intently monitoring her, Kafka smiled and said.
"You are a wanted criminal who is good at disturbing people's mind with words. I have no interest in what you say."
"You can say whatever you want, but I only believe in the predictions of the Matrix of Prescience Ultima."
Kafka was not surprised. "Then please ask Master Diviner to divine my fate."
As she said, she calmly stepped into the center of the Matrix of Prescience Ultima under the urging of Cloud Knights.
On the way, she saw Stelle who was rushing over.
Kafka's mouth curled up.
By the time Stelle arrived, Fu Xuan had already started the formation.
Kafka, with her hands tied, felt the fluctuations of the needle eye calmly, and her body floated in the air.
Here, a close-up of Kafka appeared on the screen. The makeup on her face had long disappeared.
But she was still extremely beautiful.
Below Kafka, Fu Xuan had a serious face, controlling the formation, and a flash of pictures and information flashed in her eyes.
Her expression became more and more shocked.
On the contrary, Kafka's smile became more and more unscrupulous, so much so that it was a little too unscrupulous.
It felt as if this was her original plan.
Fu Xuan held up the small magic circle with both hands, and the vertical eye on her forehead shone brightly.
Until the end, In shock, Fu Xuan stepped back again and again, her eyes full of disbelief.
Kafka's smile was still wanton.
"You, you just did this? For this kind of thing?" Fu Xuan looked at Kafka in disbelief.
"How about this, Master Diviner, are you satisfied with the truth?" Kafka replied with a smile.
"Humph, this is ridiculous." Fu Xuan turned her head and looked at the express crew who were approaching: "I didn't expect that you guys are really…"
"Forget it, I will report to the general immediately!"
"If you have any questions, ask her yourself." After Fu Xuan finished speaking, she hurriedly left with the Cloud Knights.
...
: Damn, more ridders!
: What did you see? Fu Taibu was so shocked.
: I don't understand! Big sister, explain clearly before you leave.
...
The audience, who were expecting something, were scratching their heads and felt particularly uncomfortable.
But under Stelle's questioning, Kafka still answered truthfully.
"Elio said that he foresaw three scenarios, but they were all essentially the same thing. If you could ask one of them, I would tell you the truth."
"The reason why Fu Xuan was so shocked was because she confirmed three facts."
"First: The Stellaron Hunters are really not the enemy of the Xianzhou. I have already told her this, but she did not believe it."
"Second: Someone else brought the stellaron into the Xianzhou Luofu and activated it. There were internal and external troubles. The traitors of Luofu and the external enemies wanted to overthrow the Luofu. Master Diviner Fu Xuan left in a hurry to tell the general this."
"Elio only told me these two things because he foresaw that Master Diviner Fu would use the Matrix of Prescience Ultima on me."
"So at this moment, I only know what the Xianzhou Alliance should know, and I am just passing on the message."
Speaking of this, Kafka was also a little helpless.
It seemed that this kind of thing had happened more than once.
"Third: If the Stellaron Hunters is not the culprit, then what are we doing here?"
"The reason why Master Diviner Fu didn't believe it was because she didn't dare to believe this answer: We came to the Xianzhou Luofu just to connect the Xianzhou Alliance with the Astral Express."
"In the future that Elio chose, the power of the Hunt is indispensable. For this, you must make the Alliance owe you a favor."
"At the most critical moment, let the Xianzhou Alliance help you!"
A large amount of terrifying information hit everyone's head.
Stellaron Hunters, Elio, the future.
Everyone suddenly realized that things didn't seem so optimistic.
Under Stelle's questioning, Kafka also stopped talking about the future.
"All I can tell you about the future is this: in both the best and worst futures, you will face Nanook the Destroyer, and you will need all the help you can get."
"Because that will be a brutal battle at the level of Aeon!"
"That is a level that you, I, and the Astral Express cannot reach. In most of the futures Elio predicted, after you encounter Nanook, all your fates will end."
"Just follow Elio's script, there will be a glimmer of hope in the end."
"You know, Stelle, even Aeons can be killed."
As Kafka's words described, they became more and more magnificent.
Behind them, a brilliant yellow light shone out.
Nanook, who despised everything and destroyed everything, was spreading his hands behind Kafka, as if he wanted to destroy the entire universe!
The grand and heroic symphony about Nanook also sounded at the right time.
The oppressive picture and the magnificent music, coupled with Kafka's words with a huge amount of information, made the audience explode.
Elio is exaggerating. Everything is in his calculation?
Most of the fates will end because Nanook destroyed the entire universe?
Elio actually dared to write the script regarding an Aeon. What's more amazing is that everything happened just as he said.
Doesn't that mean the universe is destined to be destroyed, and the Stellaron Hunters are here to change pre-destined fate?
Let the Xianzhou Alliance owe the Astral Express favor. One Stellaron is obviously not enough.
Everyone suddenly had a bad feeling at this moment.
The War involving Aeons mentioned by Kafka, damn, they dare not think about it. Will the Aeon of Hunt have to go out in person at that time!
The siege of a Aeon, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps all over my body. With the special effects level of Honkai: Star Rail, what a grand and spectacular scene it would be!
Is fate really irresistible? Is it possible that all this is designed?
So many Aeons, will they all follow the predestined trajectory of fate? They don't believe it. There isn't only one Nanook. Isn't there also the Amber King Qlipoth? The Lord of Everlasting Joy Aha?
The audience was shocked by this sudden information.
Elio only appeared briefly in the lines, and everyone felt a strong sense of curiosity towards this mentioned character.
It is hard for the audience to believe in the concept of fate.
At least for now, they do not think that fate is something that cannot be violated in Honkai: Star Rail's worldview.
If everyone follows the trajectory of fate, they would have known their own ending long ago. Why live like a worker and not directly follow The Elation: Aha and find joy before their end?
A highly praised barrage expressed the audience's thoughts.
However, on the other side.
In the Seat of Divine Foresight, Fu Xuan quickened her pace with a solemn expression, preparing to meet Jing Yuan.
"The fate Kafka showed me is the worst fate for Xianzhou." Just as Kafka said to the Stelle before.
If the Astral Express does not come, Xianzhou will suffer heavy casualties, and a large number of people will die in this stellaron explosion.
Only Fu Xuan, a experienced Master Diviner, knows the hateful thing about fate.
Scenes flashed through her mind.
A long time ago, Fu Xuan thought of the day she got permission to enter "the library" and ask her question.
"What are you thinking about?" The blind elder wearing sunglasses awaited her response in silence, tilting his head and holding to his cane for support.
"Are all those moments when we can make a choice... already fixed by fate? Or is it that, if I managed a more accurate divination by even the most minute amount at that time, I could have made the right choice and prevented them from leaving?" The girl's eyes were half-closed, and she spoke her question akin to an answer.
"Across each and every moment, we stand at the center of a maze laid out by our own footprints." The old, blind man softly shifted his cane. "I cannot give you an answer. I can only give you a problem... and the capacity to perceive the problem. And considering the journey that brought you here... what you seek probably isn't an answer anyway."
"Then give me the 'eye.' Regardless if destiny is foreordained or not, as a diviner, I wish to possess a clearer sight."
"As you wish. But the people of the Xianzhou are ageless in flesh. To accept my 'eye' means to bear timeless pain. Rather than a tool, it is more like an.... 'instrument of torture.'"
"Aren't these the very words of the Wisdomwalker's creed? Knowledge exchanged with pain. I do not wish to make the same mistake in my future choices."
...
In the stupor that followed the bestowal of her "eye," she witnessed a great many past happenings.
She saw herself during childhood, sitting upright and diligent in her studies; her father tenderly brushing the point between her brows, proudly praising her intellect and wit; her elders revealing to her the Fu family's gloried history serving as the Xianzhou Yuque's stargazers. She saw the operations and rites conducted by diviners, divining the brilliant future for her where she would claim the throne of master diviner.
"Is this my future?"
"All things are fated and should not be sought out by human efforts. This is your destiny. The divination results have been submitted to Master Diviner Jingtian, and he has agreed to personally supervising your tutelage. This is an immense fortune you have been blessed."
The scene shifted.
On that day, Fu Xuan sought her master beneath the Cloudpeer Telescope of the Xianzhou Yuque, but found herself unable to believe that the man before her was the master diviner her elders had regarded so reverently. He wore a somewhat aged pilot's outfit and was unceremoniously seated on the ground with his attention dedicated entirely to the shifting of the interwoven light rays in the array.
"Your humble student, Fu Xuan, comes bearing her respects, Master Diviner." Such were the words spoken by the girl after a period of hesitation.
The man's stare remained still. He but lifted a finger as a signal for her to regard the display. Fu Xuan noticed his hand had, for some reason, been changed to a wood-made ingenium. "The Yuque's Echojade Fleet are currently laying out a defense at Thalassa in coordination with the Yaoqing's encirclement and eradication of abominations. You should have heard of this, yes? However, they are fated to lose this battle."
"Huh? The Yaoqing is noted for its martial prowess and is rarely rivaled. According to intelligence, our forces outnumber and outmatch the borisin. How can victory be denied if an attack is commenced?"
"Well asked. You don't seem like an apprentice that just accepts things." The man stood up and patted down his dust-coated sleeves. "A diviner is aware of destiny, but not a slave to it. Testing different possibilities to find the best choice is wise. However, sometimes, though try you might to find the best option, destiny will only grant you a single path forward. After your divination is complete, when your only outcomes are the bad and the worse, what will you choose?"
"...When one is faced with two kinds of venom, naturally the choice is the one that possesses lesser harm. This is the first lesson of divination."
"But what if we are unable to judge the severity of these matters from the perspective of a human?" The man turned.
"This divination is gleaned from the newly arranged 'Deca-Light Reflection Barrier' matrix. There are two outcomes: To temporarily transfer the Heroncrest Fleet of the Xianzhou Yaoqing, or to draw from the manpower of the Ebonpearl Fleet of the Fanghu. Only one choice can be made. To use the Heroncrest Fleet means being able to press a strong offense for some time, but lose any hope of success thereafter. To use the Ebonpearl Fleet means we must endure the vast distances between us and the Fanghu and have the conflict drag on for six months. During this time, we must also withstand multiple counterattacks from the enemy, and I will neglect going over the losses that are certain to come. But should the defense hold until aid arrives, then victory may well become possible."
"They went with the first option, I presume?"
"Correct. Divination can provide counsel and guidance, but only the general can make the final decision. He chose the path that would lead to the smallest loss. This didn't invalidate my divination, of course — defeat was the predetermined outcome."
"The treatises on the art of war state that an advantage in numbers speaks favorably for initiating battle, and calling on the aid of Yaoqing's forces may not be the worst possible decision. Moreover, nothing is ever certain in this world. How can you be so sure, master diviner? How can you speak as if all have been predestined?"
"Nothing is ever certain in this world?" The man sighed heavily. "I thought the same thing when the divination results appeared... I thought there must have been an error in the calculations. However, the results did not change after the re-analysis. I therefore resolved to head to the battlefield and seek evidence myself."
"I had ventured deep into Thalassa the past few weeks, fought the abominations, and gained the trust of the local water dwellers. That was how I received a shocking piece of news: Within a month's time, a great tide known to the Thalassans as the 'Devil's Tide' — caused by the gravitational influence of their moon — will arrive."
"None will be able to keep fighting the abominations in such abyssal conditions without the help from the Fanghu Vidyadhara's cloudhymn magi. This piece of intel does not exist on any guide, nor is it recorded in our army's data bank. Only that, in order to validate my results in a moment of superfluous effort, I gave my hand as the price."
The man smiled bitterly and lifted his wooden hand in a wave. "Sometimes there is only ever one path in destiny. Everything is predetermined."
"By the way, you don't need to address me as master diviner. You should call me 'Teacher' from today onward."
...
While studying, Fu Xuan still insisted on her belief that fate can be changed.
Until one day, she learned from Yuque's Master Diviner the truth about why he accepted her as a disciple.
He looked at Fu Xuan and continued, "just like how I chose to take you in as my student after knowing about your predetermined future."
It wasn't for my talents? And it wasn't for my well-connected family? It was just to fulfill some prediction? This... this was absurd! Rage took over Fu Xuan, and she was at a loss for words.
"Did I ever tell you that after I consulted the Deca-Light Reflection Barrier and interpreted the hexagram, I now firmly believe that my life will end in your hands? However, I still took you in as my student. I'm waiting for you to take over my position and become the Xianzhou Yuque's master diviner, because it has all been predetermined."
Predetermined? His life will end in my hands?
"I... I will never let that prediction come to pass!"
Therefore, Fu Xuan ran away from the Xianzhou Yuque despite her family's dissuasion and the hurdles she had to cross. She ran away like a self-exiled escapee, plunging into the Luofu's Divination Commission with its more unrestricted culture and devoted herself to calculations. Not only did she want to part from the Xianzhou Yuque, she also wanted to prove with her own hands that her teacher's prediction was nothing but his own ludicrous delusions.
However, a hundred years later, the grand armies of the Denizens of Abundance formed for the third time and launched a surprise attack on the Xianzhou Fanghu
The divination revealed that all Xianzhou armies will meet a devastating defeat if they choose to face the assault head-on — however, should they keep up a defense, then there will be a chance to change the tides of battle.
What a pity that the hexagram did not reveal how this chance will come about! Fu Xuan calculated and divined over and over again, yet the results given by the Matrix of Prescience never changed.
Luofu and Yuque must participate in the war to buy time for Yaoqing's arrival.
The borisin even summoned the incarnosphere Ketu Mirage from ancient legends. This evil gravitated toward the Fanghu, hellbent on bringing annihilation to all lives onboard, recreating the tragedy of the fall of the Xianzhou Cangcheng. And the only thing people could do was watch as it neared.
Fu Xuan was unwilling to accept this. She met Jing Yuan and told the slightly exhausted general what she thought. The general did not question any further and just asked her how she could accomplish this.
"The Xianzhou Yuque holds the Cloudpeer Telescope, the ultimate astronomical observation device in the Alliance. Not only can it scry into the distance, it can also be used to send out information... I plan to ship the Cloudpeer Telescope to the Fanghu using a Navis Astriger, and send out an SOS signal to the last observed location of the Reignbow's Lux Arrow. If we hurry, we still have a chance to turn everything around before that living planet falls."
"I trust that you are... well aware of the singular sign of the Reignbow's descent onto the physical plane and its consequences, correct?"
"Yes. As the person who voiced this plan, I am willing to be on the front lines and execute it." The girl's expression was solemn. She was keenly aware of how unorthodox her idea was.
"I thank you for your words, but the Six Charioteers should work together to combat such a great crisis. Moreover, you do not have the permission to manipulate that device. Should this plan go awry, I will take all responsibility as the one who made the suggestion. Do not trouble yourself over this, Miss Fu."
As Fu Xuan watched the general's retreating figure, she suddenly realized what he meant by "the Six Charioteers should work together" — the only person who has the permission to use the Cloudpeer Telescope and can send out a signal in the format of the Reignbow's decree...
...was none other than the Yuque's Master Diviner.
The divination of a hundred years ago will eventually come true.
The scene turned black.
...
In front of the Seat of Divine Foresight, Fu Xuan pushed the main door open with force.
Unlike others, when she got her third eye, she already understood a truth.
"Destiny has only one path, thus the future Kafka wants to tell me must never happen to pass in the Xianzhou Luofu."
In the picture, although Master Diviner Fu looked small, she gave everyone the feeling that she can hold up even if the sky falls.
Even though she has experienced the cruelty of fate, Fu Xuan's concept since her early days has not changed.
"Everything in the world has its own law, but the movement of stars and the changing of constellations depends on people"
...
The Master Diviner's understanding of fate has also reached the eyes of the audience.
The audience, who were originally in a stable mood in the previous episode, were completely panicked after the two critical hits of Elio and Fu Xuan.
The barrage of comments was swiped one after another.
...
: This part of Master Fu Xuan is too wonderful!
: I fully support Fu Xuan to be the next general of the Xianzhou Luofu!
: No, Fu Xuan is handsome, but I am afraid that the knife will come again.
: If what Kafka said is true, then Elio is too scary.
: The death of Yuque Master Diviner was when Fanghu fell. This time, is half the population of Luofu really going to die?
: It shouldn't be. Can a stellaron pose such a big threat?
: I was sure that I would be fine, but now seeing the previous part, I am not sure anymore. I am scared!
: MiHoYo, don't make a big fuss!
...
As Fu Xuan told Jing Yuan about the matter.
Jing Yuan also learned from him that, in fact, as a person holding the name of the Wise General already had some guesses.
He just wanted to play the long game to catch the big fish.
During the conversation, there was a sudden commotion outside.
During this time, Ambrosial Arbor was stimulated by an unknown force and began to revive.
Jing Yuan too momentarily broke out from his usual composure, but quickly calmed down.
He took out his military token, smiled and handed it to Fu Xuan, asking Fu Xuan to lead the Cloud Knights when he was away.
And he himself was going to meet up with the special forces and go to Artisanship Commission and Scalegorge Waterscape first.
There, several old friends were waiting for him. Everything seemed to be rushing in the direction prescribed by fate.
Under the nervous and fearful gaze of the audience.
Near the Matrix of Prescience Ultima, under the eyes of the express crew, Kafka escaped with the help of the Blade, looking at the gradually growing Ambrosial Arbor while showed joy. "Such beautiful scenery is rare."
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Author's little corner:
Today's chapter is nearly 4000 words! Enjoy!!