The Dragon Returns Home #2
📍 The Xianzhou Luofu Scalegorge Waterscape
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UnknownOptions
Everyone on the way here wanted to chat with Dan Heng.
We met an assassin on the way over.
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Unknown➿
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UnknownHead to the Roots of the Arbor and repair its seal
It is the duty of the Luofu Vidyadhara to repair the Ambrosial Arbor's seal. The high elder of the Luofu Vidyadhara and the one who possesses the power of the previous high elder must shoulder this duty together before the roots of the arbor.
Dan Heng said he wishes to return his power to the Luofu high elder, but such powers cannot simply be borrowed or returned on a whim.
Dan Heng said he wishes to return his power to the Luofu high elder, but such powers cannot simply be borrowed or returned on a whim.
🏃♂️
Move
Bailu
...Wowwww, what a magnificent sight! Is that the Ambrosial Arbor?
Dan Heng
Yes. Forming a seal and using their power to curb the spread of the Arbor's roots is an important task entrusted to the Luofu's high elder.
Bailu
News to me. The elders must be well aware that I'm not qualified for this position.
Bailu
Which begs the question... why did Dan Feng choose me all those years ago?
Dan Heng
That's exactly what I've come to Scalegorge Waterscape to find out.
Dan Heng
Among the Vidyadhara, the high elder is the existence closest to the Permanence.
Dan Heng
According to historical records, the high elder succession involves a secret ritual known as the Transmutation Arcanum, as well as a treasure known as dragon heart. Once succession is complete, the former high elder undergoes a hatching rebirth, while the new high elder begins to display draconic features.
Dan Heng
However, Dan Feng's ritual failed, and his powers remained within me... And yet for some reason, it also created you.
Bailu
So in medical terms — he messed up the prescription... and brought suffering down on himself and just about everyone else in the process.
Dan Heng
I want to use this opportunity to repair the Ambrosial Arbor's seal and see if I can help recall our memories...
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UnknownBailu
Whew, that's fun. Dan Heng, teach me another trick. Let's see if I can remember anything else.
Dan Heng
Wait, {NICKNAME}. Can you feel it? There's someone coming!
Dan Heng
You... Who are you?
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CombatBailu
How did they manage to appear right next to us without a sound?
Dan Heng
They may have used a cloudhymn to create mist and provide a smokescreen. I'm afraid this ambush was probably lying in wait for us...
Dan Heng
Seems like some people have had enough of my presence.
Options
Is it an assassin from the Alchemy Commission?
Was the assassin sent by the Preceptors?
Should we retreat?
Dan Heng
...If so, why would they want to harm Bailu?
Dan Heng
If I'm their target, why would they come after Bailu?
Dan Heng
We don't know how many there are — let's get out of here. Go!
Timid Voice
Miss Bailu, are you okay? I was so worried.
Bailu
Yuanli? Is that you? I thought something must have happened to you.
Timid Voice
It's me, Miss Bailu. I'm so sorry that I can't be your maid anymore, but I heard that a smart and talented replacement would be coming soon.
Options
Why did you leave?
Is the new maid named Huanxi?
Timid Voice
I refused a request from the Preceptors, so they asked me to leave.
Timid Voice
Yes, I suppose you must have met her already? I hope she is more competent than I was.
Timid Voice
The Preceptors are very fearful of you, Miss Bailu. They asked every maid to record your dreams and daily activities. And I did so, at first.
Timid Voice
After a while, I felt that the Preceptors were asking this not out of concern for you, but for some malevolent purpose... so I stopped.
Bailu
...Yuanli, don't worry. I never told anyone about my dreams.
Timid Voice
Good, good, then I needn't worry. They'll be assigning me to a different job soon — I hope we have another chance to see each other one day.
Bailu
Yes. So long.
Options
She's already been reborn.
...
Bailu
...Yes.
Bailu
Let's keep going.
Twisted Voice
Miss Bailu, what are you doing in my pharmacy? Don't tell me you've already heard about Sanctus Medicus... Have you come here to condemn me?
Bailu
Seems like none of the Mirage Echoes realize that they've already been reborn...
Dan Heng
They are mere fragments stripped from the lives of the Vidyadhara.
Twisted Voice
I have never believed in the High Elder! You are unworthy of the condemnation you spout!
Twisted Voice
Especially you, Miss Bailu. You simply do not have the power of the High Elder — the power to summon the forces of nature... Why should I believe you are superior in any way to Master Dan Feng?
Twisted Voice
The Preceptors, our people... they think that the High Elder is the Vidyadhara's only savior. Arrogant, illogical! Have you seen what Merciful Medicus can do?
Options
Restore the ability to reproduce.
Give people immortality.
Twisted Voice
Precisely!
Twisted Voice
The Vidyadhara already have immortal bodies. What they should pray for is the ability to reproduce like the Xianzhou natives.
Twisted Voice
Merciful Medicus will help us to grow our population and bear descendants. They can do what the High Elder cannot.
Twisted Voice
One day you will come to know that I was right.
Bailu
I never knew the Vidyadhara had believers in the Plagues Author among their ranks...
Leave the Scalegorge Waterscape using Mirage Echolocation
The Vidyadhara assassins used cloudhymn magic to conceal themselves and get close to you before attacking. As a seasoned warrior, Dan Heng is more than capable of handling himself, but Bailu is another deal, and will need your protection!
The Vidyadhara Mirage Echo offers active responses to both Dan Heng and Bailu. Listen to what they're saying and maybe it will help you all understand what happened all those years ago.
The Vidyadhara Mirage Echo offers active responses to both Dan Heng and Bailu. Listen to what they're saying and maybe it will help you all understand what happened all those years ago.
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MoveBailu
Look — look at that shadow... Could it be an assassin?
Dan Heng
Don't worry — those things aren't hostile.
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MoveOld Voice
This power... it rivals the tidal forces in Scalegorge Waterscape. Is that you, Dan Feng... Have you returned?
Dan Heng
I'm afraid you have the wrong person.
Options
What is this?
Is this... a Vidyadhara ghost?
Dan Heng
These floating shadows are called Mirage Echoes. They are memories of past lives and echoes from the past that the Vidyadhara shed during their rebirth.
Bailu
The books say that these mirages only speak to people they can recognize, and the water on their bodies can be used as medicine!
Dan Heng
Seems this mirage mistook me for Dan Feng.
Old Voice
There's no mistake... This old man would recognize your voice anywhere. Hehe... Have you come to this sacred place to repent?
Old Voice
The proud son of the Vidyadhara, hero of the High-Cloud Quintet, hehe... You fought with us your whole life — how far you have fallen...
Old Voice
You availed yourself of the Transmutation Arcanum to summon that draconic abomination... and almost laid waste to Scalegorge Waterscape in the process!
Old Voice
If your allies hadn't united to slay it, then the abomination would have destroyed the Ambrosial Arbor's seal. Tell me, did it sadden you to watch the abomination perish?
Old Voice
As the high elder, you should have freed us from the plight of rebirth and set foot on a brand-new path... but instead you were seduced by your reputation and abandoned yourself... You counted Xianzhou natives and even short-life species among your friends...
Old Voice
The upcoming trial is your final chance. Hand over the secrets of the Transmutation Arcanum now, and the Preceptors can help you keep your secret.
Options
The Transmutation Arcanum?
Trial?
Old Voice
Isn't that draconic abomination you created proof of the Transmutation Arcanum's success?
Dan Heng
Hmm... I heard that Dan Feng craved the powers of our dragon ancestor, Long the Permanence, and created a monstrous dragon-like creature. That must be what he's referring to.
Dan Heng
And so the hero of the Xianzhou became its arch-villain.
Old Voice
Our laws could have seen you executed — pity that the high elder succession could not be allowed to die with you.
Old Voice
Caelorum Venti of the Yaoqing put forward a strong case for you, and the Ten-Lords Commission spared you from capital punishment. But the punishment of molting rebirth could not be avoided.
Dan Heng
Elder, look around you. You've long since reincarnated. What remains here are just the mirages of the waters of the ancient sea.
Old Voice
Impossible, I—I still live! The high elder succession will not be severed in this generation...
Bailu
...I don't like this Mirage Echo.
Bailu
He thought that the Vidyadhara was superior to other races and that he was superior to other Vidyadhara... As if the Vidyadhara would never progress without their plans.
Bailu
I guess Dan Feng probably never told them the secret of the Transmutation Arcanum...
Dan Heng
...
Dan Heng
We shouldn't linger here.
Dan Heng
The assassins are using skilled cloudhymn magic to make themselves invisible... but their presence is all too real.
Dan Heng
These Mirage Echoes, on the other hand, are vestiges of the past. If we can center and transmit the echoes, we should be able to detect any assassins hidden beneath the surface of the water.
Dan Heng
Let's look for Mirage Echoes and send out pulses. Move carefully.
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MoveKind Female Voice
Miss Bailu, you fled the Alchemy Commission yet again! How many times have I told you, our rules state that—
Bailu
Sorry, I'm sorry! I won't do it again!
Bailu
...Wait, I remember that voice. That's the old chief alchemist. So she's... been reborn?
Kind Female Voice
Reborn? More excuses. Who brought you out this time. Is that... Master Dan Feng?
Options
You've got the wrong person.
He's not Dan Feng.
Kind Female Voice
I don't think so. The appearance of the Luofu's High Elders have been similar through the ages, but there's no mistaking Master Dan Feng...
Kind Female Voice
Why do you remain silent? Your Highness, you're still as cold and lonely as you ever were, like the eternal ice on the Fanghu.
Kind Female Voice
Bailu, return to the Forbidden Residence. I must speak with Master Dan Feng.
Bailu
O—Okay.
Bailu
...W—Wait, no! You're just a Mirage Echo. Ugh, I got tricked again!
Kind Female Voice
Master Dan Feng, I finally understand your plan. That little girl is the key to the Transmutation Arcanum! This is a breakthrough for my research!
Options
...Your research?
...The key?
Kind Female Voice
The Vidyadhara perform self-reincarnation, but we are unable to reproduce. Natural and artificial disasters inevitably reduce our population.
Kind Female Voice
If this continues, one day our noble draconic bloodline will perish, and the fated decree of The Permanence will be violated. For this very reason, I have spent my entire life researching ways to free the Vidyadhara from the cycle of reincarnation.
Kind Female Voice
I have been without success for a long, long time, thinking that this reincarnation had been nought but a waste. But now you have enlightened me!
Dan Heng
Dan Feng... What did he do?
Kind Female Voice
Master Dan Feng, your changes to the Transmutation Arcanum created a draconic abomination that wreaked great destruction... but it also created a new life! This is the hope that will one day allow the Vidyadhara to reproduce!
Options
Allow the Vidyadhara to reproduce once again?
Created a new life?
Kind Female Voice
My understanding of reproduction was limited by ordinary notions — how constrained I was! Why should Vidyadhara reproduction remain trapped within the confines of our race...
Kind Female Voice
To unearth the potential might of Long's blood... and incorporate other races into the flesh of the dragon — isn't that the real meaning behind the Transmutation Arcanum?
Kind Female Voice
The Preceptors are too narrow-minded to see your talent. They want to install another High Elder. Foolish!
Bailu
...What does she mean by that?
Dan Heng
The Transmutation Arcanum seems to contain a secret that allows the Vidyadhara to escape the cycle of reincarnation and return to normal reproduction... but the mechanism eludes me.
Dan Heng
Let's go.
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MoveAngry Voice
It's you, Master Dan Feng! Why did you disgrace yourself!
Angry Voice
You were my hero — I dreamed of being just like you — of joining the Cloud Knights... But you betrayed the hopes and dreams of the elders!
Dan Heng
This Mirage Echo... he must be a Cloud Knight who fought alongside Dan Feng all those years ago.
Angry Voice
How many of us perished in that disaster and could not be reincarnated? And I... My leg was torn off by that abomination... Oh, the pain...
Angry Voice
The doctors at the Alchemy Commission said I have to reincarnate as soon as possible to avoid affecting my immortal life... But my poor comrades have no chance of returning to the ancient sea.
Angry Voice
You once told us that we should cherish every life cycle, and that you would use cloudhymn magic to heal our wounds... But in the end, all you did was betray us!
Options
Dan Heng, you don't have to listen to him.
Let's go...
Dan Heng
I must listen to him very carefully — we cannot afford to miss any information.
Angry Voice
I will never forgive you. The High Elder's power belongs to the Vidyadhara of the Luofu — you are unworthy. The Vidyadhara must not sever the High Elder succession tradition just because of you.
Angry Voice
Hand it over!
Bailu
Dan Heng, is this the price we pay for bearing the power of the High Elder? Carrying the weight of all these expectations, all this hatred...
Dan Heng
Before any of this transpires, you have enough time to prepare.
Meet with Huanxi and leave the Scalegorge Waterscape
Your about to arrive at the Dragonvista Rain Hall next. If all goes as expected, those hidden assassins probably won't be able to attack as they please. Of course, the expected might still be followed by the unexpected.
Still, even if something happens, it's not a big deal. Dan Heng's always reliable. You can always count on Dan Heng.
Still, even if something happens, it's not a big deal. Dan Heng's always reliable. You can always count on Dan Heng.
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Move➿
UnknownOptions
This has been a very dangerous journey...
It's a good thing we managed to escape.
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CombatHuanxi
A pity, hehe... So close...
Jing Yuan
Did the Preceptors truly believe that nobody knew of their scheme?
Jing Yuan
They should return to their senses. Attacking the Dragon Lady only destroys what little prestige they have remaining.
Huanxi
The whole thing was planned by me and me alone. Beware of false charges, General...
Jing Yuan
Save your breath. We'll know the truth once the Cloud Knights send you to the Ten-Lords Commission's Judges.
Huanxi
Too late, Jing Yuan. I go no further...
System
Huanxi exhales her last breath and collapses to the ground.
Bailu
I always felt useless in the eyes of the elders — a false dragon who failed to inherit the power of the High Elder...
Bailu
...and today I realized — they'll use any means of removing me.
Jing Yuan
Not all of the Vidyadhara harbor evil intentions. If you feel uneasy, Dragon Lady, the Seat of Divine Foresight can arrange for you to stay elsewhere.
Bailu
Thank you, general. I'd like to talk more with Dan Heng first.
Jing Yuan
Very well. I will await all of you at the ferry.
System
Huanxi exhales her last breath and collapses to the ground.
Speak with Bailu and complete the sealing
With even her personal maid revealed to be a spy planted to monitor her at the behest of another authority, who else can Bailu trust? She wants to talk more with Dan Heng. Perhaps her thoughts are in disarray, or maybe she has something new in mind...
Frankly, if it weren't for those assassins, they should have begun talking some time ago. Well, there's no time like the present, right?
Frankly, if it weren't for those assassins, they should have begun talking some time ago. Well, there's no time like the present, right?
Bailu
The Vidyadhara have neither parents nor family members. Once born, a teacher is assigned to instruct the young Vidyadhara in the art of cloudhymn, as well as various life skills.
Bailu
...Dan Heng, did you have a teacher like that?
Dan Heng
If you're asking about Vidyadhara tradition, I'm afraid that's something I never had any experience of. I've always been a wanderer... I can never return to my homeland.
Dan Heng
In my fragmented dreams, I meet enemies on the battlefield... but in my travels, I meet many people who I can describe with the word "teacher."
Bailu
As far back as I can remember, I've had the Preceptors and Alchemy Commission healers telling me what to do. "Cure diseases, save lives..." I don't know if that counts as "teaching..."
Bailu
You know something? It feels like you're the teacher I've been waiting for. "Virtuous in the past life, master in the next life..." Perhaps we were friends or disciples in our previous incarnations.
Dan Heng
A friend or disciple of Dan Feng? Maybe.
Dan Heng
Miss Bailu... at first I was worried that your title of high elder was in name only, and that an absence of true power would eventually put you in grave danger... It seems I was overthinking things — you have no shortage of true power.
Bailu
You mean the power to repair the seal? The power you taught me?
Dan Heng
The Mirage Echoes of Scalegorge Waterscape mentioned that not only was Dan Feng a brave warrior — he could heal others with cloudhymn magic.
Dan Heng
What you have is the power of the high elder that belongs to you — the power of life that can reforge the Arbor's seal and the vitality of the eternal roots... It is a world away from my power of destruction.
Bailu
In that case, Dan Feng probably had a gentle side to him too, right?
Dan Heng
Perhaps...
Bailu
Hmm... We should head back to the Healer's Market, I have other things to do today. Let's go.
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