Lin Shuang said nothing. Jing Yuan's promise was… intriguing.
Dan Shu's condition looked grim. At this rate, Mara was already at her doorstep.
Once Phantylia's scheme collapses and the Ambrosial Arbor is sealed once more, Dan Shu will be shattered—and that crack may be all Mara needs to take hold.
Yet, even if she took her medicine and fully recovered… her death would be inevitable.
Dan Shu wasn't a fool. She likely knew Jing Yuan's plan, yet she still went along with it.
Maybe she understood—it was the only path left to her.
Or perhaps she was merely holding on to the last breath of her weary life, desperate to end it on her terms.
Lin Shuang wasn't Dan Shu. She couldn't claim to know what the woman was thinking.
But she had a guess. It probably wasn't far off.
"You've figured out Jing Yuan's true intent? I suppose that makes sense. You always did understand me better than most."
Dan Shu smiled softly, pouring tea with practiced ease. She offered the fragrant brew to Lin Shuang.
Lin Shuang gazed at the cup but didn't take it. Instead, she sighed.
"General Jing Yuan… truly lives up to his title of Divine Foresight."
Dan Shu caught the strange weight in Lin Shuang's voice. Odd, yet not unfamiliar.
"I imagine you've only seen his easygoing side. But when the moment calls for it, he doesn't hesitate."
"I thought as much."
Since last time, Dan Shu had stopped asking Lin Shuang about the Stellaron.
Truthfully, Lin Shuang hadn't figured out how to face her again.
Her feelings toward Dan Shu had always been complicated.
"Hehe~ Are you worried I drugged the tea? Taking petty revenge on you?"
"You're teasing."
Lin Shuang smiled faintly, shaking her head. She would never admit she'd considered it—just a little.
After all, this was the same woman who once gave Stelle a pill without warning.
Even if the power of Permanence now protected her, Lin Shuang wasn't reckless.
Dan Shu didn't press further. She simply continued:
"When I was secretly escorted to the Seat of Divine Foresight and met with Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan, I thought I'd face the Ten Lords Commission at once."
"But the general treated me in a way I didn't expect. Afterward, Fu Xuan explained your opinion of me."
Dan Shu took a sip of tea. A quiet emotion slipped into her steady voice.
"I was surprised. Of all people… it's you—a friend I barely know—who still bothers to care."
Lin Shuang shook her head.
"You're reading too much into it. Didn't you bring me to that girl for this very reason?"
At that, Dan Shu gave a soft chuckle.
The moment passed.
"Phantylia wants to use the Stellaron to awaken the Ambrosial Arbor, then fashion a new body from its first fruit. She's growing impatient."
"…"
Lin Shuang froze. That was fast.
She thought Phantylia would vanish for a while longer.
But the injury must've left her uneasy. Even Dan Shu could feel the pressure.
Yet… even if the Arbor revived, Jing Yuan wouldn't agree to such a reckless plan.
It was madness. Mutual destruction.
Phantylia was already weakened. This didn't need to happen.
"Jing Yuan would agree to that?"
"…I only told him Phantylia planned to drop a Stellaron onto the Luofu to access the Ambrosial Arbor."
Dan Shu paused, her tone unreadable as she continued.
She'd left out the part about using the Stellaron to revive the Arbor.
Truths spoken just shy of the full picture—90% honesty, 10% silence.
Dan Shu's own way of repaying Jing Yuan. Whether he caught on or not wasn't her concern.
However…
"Why tell me this? Aren't you afraid I'll inform him?"
"Phantylia would never trust me with activating the Stellaron. Even if Jing Yuan captures her, it changes nothing."
Dan Shu shook her head and abruptly shifted topics.
"The final elixir needs the Ambrosial Arbor's rebirth. When that happens, Phantylia will return too. My friend, will you be there?"
Lin Shuang sensed something in her tone—like she was hoping Lin Shuang would witness it.
Expecting her to.
Since Phantylia was wounded ahead of schedule, Dan Shu's behavior had strayed far from the game's script.
But Lin Shuang didn't like reading others. If she couldn't figure it out, she'd wait.
Dan Shu's blindfolded eyes remained fixed on her, as if demanding an answer.
"…I will."
This time, Lin Shuang picked up the tea and took a sip while it was still warm.
"I see. I'll welcome you when the time comes. I've heard the Ambrosial Arbor is a sight to behold."
"Then you might get your chance."
Lin Shuang gave a slight shake of her head. The Luofu's Stellaron crisis seemed unavoidable. The Express would likely arrive.
Dan Shu said she wouldn't be the one to activate the Stellaron. But she didn't say who would.
Which left one suspect: Luocha.
Was it really him who caused the Ambrosial Arbor's emergence?
In the original story, Luocha surrendered himself, claiming responsibility.
Many players doubted it. Even Jing Yuan seemed unsure.
Lin Shuang always suspected it was Jingliu hidden in Luocha's coffin, and the Stellaron wasn't his doing.
The game never said who activated it. It might even have been Phantylia herself.
Who could say?
Lin Shuang certainly couldn't.
"Yes. I'll see everything with my own eyes. But I may let you down. I won't avenge the ones harmed."
Dan Shu spoke calmly, like someone delivering her final words.
Lin Shuang could now feel it—clear, distinct. Dan Shu had no will to live.
Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan likely saw it long ago.
After draining her tea, Dan Shu rose and gently slid the box of tea toward Lin Shuang.
"My favorite blend. Consider it an apology—for the disappointment, my friend."
And with that, she turned away.
"Until next time, Little Lin."
--+--
T/N: Lowkey, I didn't really pay attention to this storyline when I played(I haven't even finished Penacony cause I don't have a computer rn(I hate playing games on my phone)) but this is lowkey making me like Dan Shu?