"Not managing to beat you to death, I apologize..."
Dan Heng had just opened his mouth to ask this uninvited guest why he was here, but Twilight's opening line from behind him almost made him lose his composure.
This Aventurine guy was indeed asking for a beating, but did she have to be so blunt right off the bat? Twilight was always polite and sensible; how could she utter such crude words? Who taught her to speak so harshly—sigh, it must be Caelus.
That guy sometimes spews curses that make your scalp tingle, and now he'd corrupted Twilight too.
Caelus, of course, was innocent. Twilight was simply speaking her mind directly, something perhaps only Aventurine opposite her could truly grasp.
"Haha, no worries, Miss Twilight, I should be thanking you... Although I didn't quite die, your ordeal stirred up a much bigger reaction than my death would have," Aventurine laughed heartily. "Not only did I avoid dying, but the mission was completed more efficiently... Since that's the case, I must deliver the remaining payment on time."
Hearing the word "payment," Dan Heng's gaze sharpened, sensing that things weren't simple. Though he didn't know what kind of deal the two had struck, doing business with the IPC without full preparation was no different from bargaining with a tiger. Dan Heng highly doubted Twilight was versed in various contract clauses.
Aventurine waved his hand, signaling Dan Heng not to be nervous. "Relax, my friend, it was just a very simple transaction. I previously asked Miss Twilight to beat me to death during my provocation in the dreamscape, but not completely dead. In return, I would provide her with... a possibility of survival."
"Survival..." Dan Heng was momentarily speechless, his feelings instantly complex.
So that was it. Twilight hadn't been completely oblivious; she had also tried to find a way to live... Meaning, the encroaching death wasn't something indifferent to her.
Was she afraid of dying too...?
"I didn't fulfill the agreed-upon task," Twilight looked at Aventurine, shaking her head. "I'm not qualified to take this."
"...If you insist on thinking that way, then I have no choice—so let's look at it from another angle! This is a gift from me to you, as a friend! Friendship is very important, isn't it?" Aventurine paused for a moment, then turned to Dan Heng with his usual smile. "And since the most important person is also here... Hehe, Mr. Dan Heng, interested in stepping aside for a word?"
Dan Heng hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Twilight didn't object and seemed stable, he finally nodded and walked out of the room with Aventurine.
"You used the Express crew and Twilight to spread the idea that pain and death can still exist in the dreamscape, thereby creating an opening for the IPC to interfere in Penacony."
The moment the door closed behind him, Dan Heng directly exposed Aventurine's previous scheme without hesitation. However, the IPC envoy showed no embarrassment at having his plot revealed, merely shrugging with a nonchalant smile. "Such things aren't important, are they? Did you happen to receive the message I sent you earlier?"
"That was you?" In an instant, Dan Heng's gaze became sharper than the tip of Cloud-Piercer.
The message he had received not long ago was simple... essentially stating that Twilight's condition was irreversible; she would inevitably die. Therefore, instead of trying to save the current Twilight, resurrecting her after her passing might be an easier method.
For instance, discarding her current physical form entirely and reshaping her into a new species, such as—the Vidyadhara.
The Vidyadhara, possessing long lifespans, capable of generational rebirth, effectively immortal through reincarnation... just like Dan Heng himself.
Resurrecting the deceased was a terrifying notion. Herta's age-reversal technology was already fantastical, but bringing the dead back to life surpassed even that. Real-world death wasn't like a dreamscape, allowing people to constantly sit up after dying. Countless brilliant geniuses throughout history ultimately succumbed to the end of life.
Therefore, such a solution was merely wishful thinking—for most people.
But Dan Heng was not among them, simply because his past life had already attempted something similar...
The Transmutation Arcanum, a technique theoretically capable of resurrecting the dead. But only in theory. The former Vidyadhara High Elder, Imbibitor Lunae, had once used this technique to try and revive his fallen friend, but ultimately only brought back a half-human, half-dragon monstrosity...
The casualties caused by this monster were innumerable. In the end, Dan Feng was sentenced to molting rebirth for this transgression, eventually reincarnating into the current Dan Heng after his death.
"Don't glare at me like that, friend. With such a conspicuous identity, it's indeed hard to hide if someone puts effort into inquiring," Aventurine remained unruffled by Dan Heng's hostility. "Besides the artisan who died back then and the Vidyadhara High Elder - Imbibitor Lunae, no one else knows the details of the Transmutation Arcanum. Now that they are both gone, the only one left is..."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Dan Heng curtly cut off Aventurine's leading statement.
"Haha, no matter. What I mean to say is... based on my information trade with Miss Twilight, I am willing to hand over intelligence regarding some Xianzhou Preceptors who previously contacted us."
Aventurine leaned against the wall, looking at Dan Heng with a half-smile. "The Transmutation Arcanum is not something easily initiated. Gathering the required components must be a massive undertaking, and the casualties from the past The Great Rebellion of Imbibitor Lunae are still vivid. In this world, besides those Preceptors desperate to increase the Vidyadhara population, no one else would be willing to participate in this plan. The rest of the Xianzhou would utterly despise it."
"The Preceptors approached the IPC wanting to replicate the Transmutation Arcanum, and the IPC wants a foothold within the Xianzhou," Dan Heng directly saw through Aventurine's intentions. "You don't want to openly break ties with the Xianzhou, so you're looking for a suicide squad to charge ahead for you."
"Oh my, your words wound me, friend. I assure you, that thought only constitutes a tiny part... but we don't have many choices, do we?"
Aventurine flicked his fingers, revealing a crystal he held unknown when. "Here is the information on those Preceptors. Added some Memokeeper tricks, it can only be used by one person—"
Silently placing the crystal on his palm, he held it out to Dan Heng, a confident smile on his face. "Of course, you can choose not to take it. After all, you have a choice, don't you?"
"It's just a pity she doesn't... No choice, and no leeway."
Dan Heng fell silent. As the reincarnation of Imbibitor Lunae, the culprit behind the The Great Rebellion of Imbibitor Lunae, he understood all too well the tragedy the Transmutation Arcanum ultimately led to. It was something that should absolutely never be used, capable only of bringing back tragedy and monsters.
But if he did want to use it, with his current identity, it would be impossible to gather such vast quantities of precious materials for the ritual undetected... Collecting those Xianzhou treasures without the help of these Preceptors would be too easily exposed— No, what am I thinking? The Transmutation Arcanum shouldn't be used from the start!
But... but if the Transmutation Arcanum could be improved upon, perhaps...
When Dan Heng snapped back from his thoughts, Aventurine was long gone.
Only Dan Heng remained, staring blankly at the crystal he had clenched in his palm.
This might be the key to Pandora's Box, but it could also be the hope for saving Twilight.
But he wouldn't necessarily use it in the end, right...? Dan Heng comforted himself this way, yet a premonition faintly stirred within him.
Perhaps the moment he picked up this thing, the decision had already been made.