Chapter 48

Chapter 48: More People, More Power, More Ideas

【Bright Future Chat Group】

Herta██: "@Asta, @Wangshu, @March 7th — you three. Need some power?"

Wangshu replied instantly: "Boss~ please carry me! Wahhh..."

The General's Manor was currently packed — mostly vanguards, plus strategists and tacticians. But the technical jargon they were throwing around? Wangshu couldn't understand a word.

He'd screen-recorded everything. He'd study it later.

As for the full-army assault?

He'd discuss that with the general shortly.

Asta: "Ms. Herta, lending out power leaves you temporarily weakened. You... should probably look after yourself first."

March 7th hesitated: "I... actually could really use it."

After all, the Prismatic Trails — Patrevinici apparently had something to do with the mysterious faceless man. And Scorchwind... from the IPC broadcast on the Express's radio, sounded utterly terrifying. Like a doomsday catastrophe given form.

Not to mention the alternate-timeline Xing had said Scorchwind had killed the Express crew along the way...

Xing waited a while, noticed she still hadn't been mentioned: "...Why wasn't I included? I need looking after too!"

This was blatant discrimination! Just because she was IPC upper management, the group was collectively freezing her out?

Herta██: "Because I'm still not sure whether you and I are on the same timeline, Stellaron kid."

Xing: "..."

Herta██: "Besides, I just want to study the training space."

Xing: "Ms. Herta — you're Year 8101, Amber 2158. I'm Year 8102, Amber 2157. Clearly not the same line."

Herta██: "Who can prove that?"

Xing: "..."

Xing protested: "Have I really lost all credibility? This is distrust of IPC leadership, of the organization, of policy, of the chain of command!"

Herta██: "Actually, on my end, Asta's great-grandmother has had a relapse of her illness. The family's position is unstable. That's what opened the Board seat. Sounds a lot like the scenario you described, wouldn't you say?"

Asta: "Ms. Herta?"

Herta██: "..."

Wangshu: "..."

March 7th: "That doesn't sound like good news for our group member."

Jingliu: "Doesn't the IPC have plenty of life-extension methods?"

Wangshu: "Asta's great-grandmother was already famous in my timeline."

Famous enough that a single yellowed bill of exchange could solve 99% of Wangshu's problems in Cangcheng.

Jingliu: "..."

Fair enough. Short-life species had many life-extension options, but the soul eventually aged. Not everyone was like General Huaiyan, who could burn away spiritual impurities through the Suihuang's flame.

A lifespan of over 2,000 years — for someone who'd likely been magnificent in their prime — was ultimately a heavy burden. Especially in the IPC, a place that absolutely refused to let anyone occupy the summit forever, blocking renewal and the flow of power.

Herta seemed to notice Asta's shift in mood and went quiet. The chat fell silent.

Asta: "Ha, hahaha... I must still be half-asleep. No — I need to go back to sleep."

Wangshu: "Asta..."

March 7th: "Should we look for other methods across the universe?"

Jingliu: "..."

What other methods? With the IPC's resources at the very top — if they couldn't find it, it truly didn't exist.

Xing: "My condolences..."

Asta: "Wahhh, Wangshu, Senior Jingliu, everyone! I can't fall asleep now — what do I do?"

She'd thought Wangshu — in the most dangerous position — was actually the safest thanks to his early timeline.

Meanwhile, the Xing on her end hadn't boarded the Express. Ms. March 7th's side was heading into Scorchwind. Ms. Herta had literally been decapitated. Senior Jingliu was preparing a death match against the Abundance Aeon... As for Xing — setting her aside, hardly a word out of her mouth was trustworthy.

Everyone's futures looked bleak.

Xing attempted to console and build trust: "Miss, we really are on the same team. I've been using your family's promotion track this whole time."

Asta's family was full of deadweights. Ever since the matriarch fell ill, not a single person could hold the fort.

Nothing but useless confections — obsessed with petty power grabs, employing the crudest tactics, possessing the most naive minds. Not one of them could manage even the most basic merchant's skill of reading people...

But Xing kept her critiques to herself. After all, if even one new-generation family member had possessed that skill, Asta wouldn't have grown up so stifled — wouldn't have been whisked away to the space station by a single sentence from Herta. And Xing wouldn't have enjoyed such a smooth path upward. Misfortune and fortune were two sides of the same coin.

Asta: "Wahhh, Wangshu. Wahhh, Senior Jingliu."

Hearing Xing's words only made her sadder.

Wangshu: "It's okay, Asta. Trust in Xianzhou technology."

Jingliu: "?"

Wangshu: "By my estimation, once I finish this Cangcheng battle, I'll have earned some real merit. My status will shoot up! And Cangcheng is commerce-first — resources flow fast here!"

Jingliu: "???"

Wangshu: "Then I'll trade for some Xianzhou texts from the Age of Divine Descent. I've heard there are dozens of longevity methods in there, and most of them are just medicine — body-nourishing, foundation-strengthening, gentle remedies."

Wangshu: "Some are admittedly extreme, but no worries. With your status, Asta, we'll pick and choose, separate the wheat from the chaff, then combine it with modern biotech for improvements... Keeping the old lady healthy and comfortable for a few more centuries might not be entirely hopeless."

Jingliu: "..."

Herta██: "Interesting."

【System Notification: Group member Herta██ has granted you temporary invocation access to her Ability Card. Valid until she manually revokes access or a protocol conflict occurs.】

Herta██: "Kid, let's make a deal."

Wangshu: "I refuse. That's a capital offense under the Celestial Edicts. Can't do it as a group activity. A private, quiet conversation I could pass off as a first offense — the general might look the other way."

【System Notification: Group member Herta██ has revoked...】

In the Abyssal Prison, Jingliu laughed despite herself. Who told you a "first offense" could be overlooked?

This was one of the Xianzhou's Ten Unpardonable Crimes: Coveting Deathlessness.

Specifically targeting outsiders who infiltrated the Xianzhou to steal the secrets of immortality.

Those convicted of any of the Ten Crimes were housed in the deepest levels of the Abyssal Prison. The best-treated among them were Dan Feng and Yingxing.

One had his scales stripped, was reborn, and exiled. The other was classified as an accomplice... because Dan Feng had shouldered the blame. Yingxing's crime, at its root, amounted to tampering with an Abundance Emanator's flesh, causing his own transformation into an abomination.

Asta: "Is that really possible?"

Wangshu: "Absolutely!"

Herta██: "..."

Herta██: "Forget it. I'll go find it myself."

【System Notification: Group member Herta██ has granted you...】

Xing: "..."

Xing: "Your little clique is terrifying."

【System Notification: Group member Xing has granted you Ability...】

Xing: "Good luck, old guard. Hoolay isn't easy to deal with. In my timeline, They survived — severely wounded, lurking somewhere unknown."

Herta██: "Same on my end, Stellaron kid."

Xing: "What a coincidence! Different timelines, but all the major events line up!"

Herta██: "Ha — haha..."