Tree King: What? I've become the Abundant Pharmacist?

Chapter 582 The Dilemma of the Butterfly

Gnaeus: "To my surprise, he just shrugged and sighed."

"For someone who is going through death, death is just as blissful as being alive."

"Now, please step aside and don't block out my starlight."

Calypso: "Are you saying... that 'death' and 'life' are no different, both being journeys towards 'death'?"

Gnaeus: "That's right, that's life, and death is the measure of the journey's value. The greatness of the journey and the grandeur of the epic are all because everything eventually comes to an end."

Gnaeus: "So, little girl, don't hate fate, embrace it with reverence."

Polycia: "...As the embodiment of 'conflict,' are you telling me about the magnificence of the world?"

Gnaeus: "Exactly. I believe you will understand these words when the appointed time comes."

Gnaeus: "It's time to knock on the gates of Hades. I'll set up a long table at the end of the road and await your arrival..."

Gnaeus: "Then let us drink and make merry."

Polycia: ...

Polycia: "Finally... this day has come."

Polycia: ...

Calypso: "Are you both ready?"

"Xia Die": "Hmm. Polycia........"

"Xia Die": "I'm here."

........

"What, this..."

Xia Die watched as the person walked towards Polycia, her expression particularly astonishing.

"Heh, that's really... intriguing."

"This is...Polysia's sister?"

"Me...?"

Xia Die couldn't understand it at all; that person had a face that looked exactly like hers.

Even their expressions and gestures were identical.

"Xia Die": "Now...it's our turn to keep our promise."

"Xia Die": "Are you scared?"

Polycia: "Hmm."

"Xia Die": "What are you afraid of?"

Polycia: "I...can't do it."

"Xia Die": "You will wither, causing the departed to sprout from the remnants, and the fire that died with you to be reborn."

"Xia Die": "As the prophecy foretold, we have also promised that when everything is over, we will face our destined moment."

Polycia: "Even if it's a prophecy... do we have to just ignore it? It's so unfair! Why must we be the only ones killing each other...?"

Polycia: "Let me do it, sister! Let me be the sacrifice for 'death,' I was already nearing my end... but you are different."

Polycia: "It's me...it's me who wasted your life..."

"Xia Die": "No way, Polycia."

"Xia Die": "I don't feel like I wasted my life. On the contrary, when I finally reached the end and looked back, I found that the road I came from was already full of flowers..."

"Xia Die": "It was you who planted this sea of ​​flowers for me, which is more beautiful than the promised land at the end of the world."

"Xia Die": "Besides, my life is already complete. Even if the prophecy foretells my sacrifice, everything I have experienced will not disappear, but will remain forever in your memory, won't it?"

Polycia: "How can the you in my memories be the real you...?"

"Xia Die": "Then tell me, what exactly are 'we'?"

Polycia: ...

Polycia: "I don't know."

"Xia Die": "I can't say for sure either. But... whatever the answer is, no matter how we are shaped by others and by the world."

"Xia Die": "From the moment we were born, our existence was predetermined, and nothing can erase it. That's why I will always be with you, after all, we are twins by nature."

Polycia: ...

"Xia Die": "Alright, my dear Polycia."

"Xia Die": "Take out my heart, ignite the flame of 'death,' and then, with it, sow the first bud in the new world promised in the prophecy."

Calypso: "If I were to teach you the art of alchemy..."

Calypso: "Would you... be able to use this skill for someone you cherish, to bring them back to life?"

Polycia: ...

Polycia: "All mortals must die. In the future, there will be people I cherish most who will leave me."

Polycia: "If such great power truly exists, I should... use it without hesitation."

Polycia: "To this day, my answer has not changed."

Polycia: "So, sister, I promise you."

Polycia: "In the new world promised by the prophecy, I will sow the first bud for you."

Polycia: "Let's go back, back to the jewel in the eye of the sea god, our homeland."

Polycia: "I will open the gates of the underworld for you and grant you a second life. The creatures of the earth will respond to my call and bring you into the holy daylight."

Polycia: "Remember, do not look back to the land of the dead, do not stop your steps. In the new world promised by prophecy, walk toward the life that is yours."

Polycia: "As for the cost of this 'equivalent exchange'... I'll pay for it."

..........

The scene depicted by the illusory image abruptly ended.

This means the story ends here.

Xia opened her arms at that moment.

"Gentlemen, this is the end. It is a pity that I am not compatible with the Supreme God and have not been able to completely fuse this fellow's soul into my own. However, it is still exciting enough to have gleaned these insights from this."

"There is no mistake. Before the Titans, which are well known to the world, there was also a group of heroes who walked the earth. They listened to the prophecy, took over the divine authority one by one, and eventually became the gods of the new world."

"Just like today's fire-chasing journey—the history of Onphalus is a kind of 'cycle'."

Sersis scoffed, "Ha, truly astounding... So, the demigod bearing the 'Spark' will also become a new Titan at the ends of the world, recreating heaven and earth?"

"I believe this is the truth behind the 'recreation' mentioned in the oracle."

Xia Die was amazed; her eyes still held a look of disbelief.

"It's...unbelievable."

"Moreover, those twins from the past... even if they were truly Cenatos himself, their whereabouts are still unknown..."

"Are you really not sure where you are?" Xia asked back.

"That Polycia mentioned it, didn't she? Sticocia, the seaside town where the fairy tales of alchemy and dragons were born."

“In our world, there is also a city-state that perfectly fits this description.”

“But they worship the Titan of the Sea, Fajina, and have no connection to the Titan of Death, Cenatos. I have never been there either; during my time in Aedria… it is now a submerged ruin.”

Xia glanced coldly at Xia Die at that moment, then tossed a stone over.

"Take it."

“This is…” Xia Die looked at the stone in her hand, puzzled.

"The Philosopher's Stone, a masterpiece of the 'School of Wisdom,' is an entity forged from the flesh and blood of wise men, representing all their wisdom."

"But what's the use of that?"

“Remember? I said that alchemy is the art of transformation, refinement, and ascension, and the same applies to the pursuit of truth. No matter how unbelievable, the truth of the world has been refined from impurities.”

"Think of the fairy tale of the dragon—this stone will surely guide you back to your true homeland, rebuild the gates of the underworld, and find the whereabouts of Cenatos."

"Thank you, teacher..." Xia Die gripped the stone tightly.

"You still seem so confident of victory. But what if you're wrong?" Sersis asked, puzzled.

"That's simple, just admit to the world that the experiment failed."

Xia was very carefree at that moment.

"But my thinking will never fail, because I have sown the seed of doubt in everyone's heart."

"Prove it with your actions, Xia Die. The resolution is about to begin, don't forget your promise."

Xia Die nodded. "I have already gone through a long search, and I don't mind trying again."

"But before I leave, I have one more question: what exactly was everything we just saw...?"

Xia remained silent for a moment.

"That is the world imprinted on the soul of Kefaller."

"It is also its memory."

"If you want to prove it, you must write the final step. Go ahead, and don't let me down."

"I understand."

"Hey, son of man..."

Xia was getting impatient. "Don't be hasty. I've always remembered your question."

"I am a scholar, and I neither want to nor can give ambiguous conclusions. We'll discuss this again once she finds the evidence."

"I just wanted to say: that pebble was forged from your heart, wasn't it?"

"You... can never be brought back to life."

“Why not? I lost my loved ones when I was young, gave up my faith when I was young, and although you saved my life not long ago, I still lost my soul.”

"It's just another matter of abandoning the physical body, why make such a fuss?"

Sersis frowned slightly. "Why rush to your death? Isn't it better to be alive?"

"It's just a necessary sacrifice during the transformation into the purest being," Xia said indifferently at that moment.

"Ah, can the dead be called the purest? Moreover, if your conjecture were proven, wouldn't that confirm the truth of the myth and render your theory futile?"

"Ah……"

"No, quite the opposite. If my guess comes true."

"That means I can ascend to the throne of God and reshape the absurd world you created."

............

After Xia Die finished recounting everything that had just happened, she provided the two people present with a wealth of information.

For a moment, Bai E's mind went blank.

"This... is a lot of information."

"hehe....."

Aglaia snorted coldly.

She and Na Kexia were born at odds, and naturally she didn't believe in Na Kexia's ideas.

Xia Die understood Aglaia's disbelief, so she continued, "Lady Aglaia, please hear me out."

"Speak," Aglaia nodded slightly.

"As you know, the spark of 'death' remains the greatest unknown in 'Recreation.' Both Katniss and you hope to win the right to decide the fate of this spark in the upcoming Citizens' Assembly."

"At that moment, Teacher Xia reached an agreement with Kayneth: after retrieving the flame of Cenatos, the Titan of Death, they would shelve the trial in order to eliminate 'death' from the world. This way, the journey to the fire would no longer be necessary, and Ohmar could enjoy eternal peace."

"But I know this goes against your ideals: without completing 'Re-creation,' the Black Tide cannot be eradicated. Even with Your Excellency Wan Di... the Black Tide is still far from us."

"To be honest, I find it hard to weigh the pros and cons... but in any case, someone has to bring it back before we can start negotiating about the fire."

“The Titans may be within reach, and I can’t ignore this opportunity… Someone has to go through this to save my mother.”

Aglaia remained silent for a while.

"Well said."

“You had every reason to seek an audience with Cenatos, the Titan of Death. But that great performer took advantage of your desires…and forced us into a dilemma.”

"A world without 'death'...that's what you seek, and Eve's continued existence is your goal, isn't it?"

Xia Die nodded silently.

"If fate has destined me to be your adversary, I will try to fight back and do everything in my power to defend what I desire."

"Moreover, if it weren't for my mother, I probably wouldn't have made it this far."

"So, I have to go."

Aglaia remained silent.

Xia Die continued, "Lord Wan Di proved this to me: if you don't take the first step, nothing else matters."

Suddenly, Aglaia's golden thread vibrated.

"Don't be impulsive, Aglaia!"

Seeing that something was wrong, Bai E immediately rushed forward to stop him.

Just as tensions were about to rise, Aglaia's golden threads slowly stopped vibrating.

She calmed down.

"Bai'er, I won't go that far."

"Butterfly, I've always hoped you could speak your mind. I'm glad you said that."

“Sticosia, I have also visited there. Even though it has been turned into an island by the River Styx, it is not hard to see how peaceful it must have been in the past.”

“Go, I won’t stop you. However, I require that you accompany Eve. As someone who has personally deceived death, she has the power to fight against everything in Onphalus, and she must also meet the supreme god of “death.”

"Thank you, Lady Aglaia." Xia Die bowed her head slightly.

"I also look forward to seeing what new interpretations you will add to the journey of chasing fire when your story is complete."

At this moment, Bai E spoke again: "Everyone, I didn't mean to spoil the pleasant atmosphere, but..."

"Now that Stikosia is 'encircled by the River Styx and turned into an isolated island,' how can we get there? Lady Tibo is probably already..."

"The answer is obvious."

"In mythology, the Titan Zagres, known for his trickery, used the realm of the dead as his treasure trove, and he could travel freely through the underworld."

"If it can do that... then the demigod who succeeded it should at least have that ability as well."

"Meet me at the Cloud Stone Palace at noon tomorrow. Saifei will be your guide and lead you to that ancient city."

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Hi, hi, oh o(*^＠^*)o