March widened her eyes and stared at Stelle in disbelief, clearly not expecting this little gremlin to actually betray her and sell her out on the spot without even the slightest hesitation.
"Stelle! I'm gonna smack you a couple times, y'know! We were clearly trash-talking together."
March raised her small fists in protest, puffing her cheeks slightly, yet despite the threatening words, she did not actually swing at her.
Stelle, in response, reacted with astonishing speed, smoothly slipping sideways to Lucian's side before immediately hugging his arm as though seeking protection.
"How could I possibly badmouth my godfather?" Stelle defended herself with an innocent, perfectly righteous expression. "I respect him the most."
Dan Heng stood nearby with his arms folded across his chest, his gaze slightly unfocused as he silently watched the chaotic exchange unfold before him, feeling completely speechless toward these two intermittently erratic companions—or rather, clowns...
"Alright, those who didn't know aren't to blame. I know Stelle was the one who talked the most. March is innocent."
Lucian spoke with a faint, reassuring smile before slowly reaching out and gently resting his hand atop March's fluffy head, his touch light and unhurried.
"Heh, justice speaks for itself!"
March immediately broke into a bright, satisfied smile and, just like Stelle, casually hooked herself onto Lucian's arm while leaning lightly against him, speaking in a victorious, almost smug tone as though she had just won some important argument.
"As for Stelle..." Lucian turned his gaze toward Stelle before giving her a kind, knowing smile. "You'll get a spanking when we get back."
Hearing that, Stelle immediately tugged at Lucian's arm, her reaction exaggeratedly quick.
"Godfather, you can't hit me! I've still gotta finish my mission!"
As she spoke, Stelle deliberately blinked at him several times while making animated little gestures, clearly trying to act pitiful and cute at the same time.
Seeing her shameless attempt to deflect responsibility, Lucian could not help but let out a soft laugh, the amusement in his eyes becoming even more obvious.
Even though he still did not know what mission she was referring to, he had no intention of actually spanking her anyway, treating it as nothing more than harmless, lighthearted teasing between family members.
"Fine then, wait until you make up for it."
Lucian eventually relented, a helpless yet indulgent expression appearing on his face as he gave in to her antics once again.
Now that his left arm was linked tightly by March while his right arm was firmly occupied by Stelle, the closeness between the three of them naturally created an unexpectedly warm and harmonious atmosphere, making them look less like companions and more like a strangely close family enjoying a quiet moment together.
Seeing this, Natasha almost did not have the heart to interrupt them, her gaze unconsciously lingering on the three of them for a brief moment.
However...
"I'm sorry to interrupt the three of you, Lord Lucian, but the institute is still waiting for the twelve researchers to return and participate in the research tasks."
Natasha stepped forward slightly and reminded Lucian at the appropriate moment, her tone calm and professional, yet still carrying a subtle sense of urgency beneath it.
"Mm."
Lucian gave a faint nod in acknowledgment before turning and walking into the building filled with body bags and organ containers—the so-called morgue, where the surrounding air seemed noticeably colder and heavier than the air outside.
Inside, the dim lights overhead flickered faintly, casting long shadows across the floor and the neatly arranged metal containers stained with traces of dried blood.
March and Stelle, who followed him into the morgue, temporarily stopped their playful antics, their expressions gradually settling as they watched with curiosity mixed with a trace of nervousness, their gazes unconsciously following Lucian's every single movement.
Dan Heng, standing behind the two girls, remained completely silent and focused intently on observing everything happening before him, his sharp eyes missing absolutely nothing.
Ever since the mysterious ability resembling Transmutation Arcanum had suddenly surfaced within his mind earlier, a faint sense of familiarity had continued lingering within his thoughts. Perhaps, by watching Lucian's actions here, he might be able to discern something from it—or at the very least, verify the fragmented pieces of knowledge still drifting through his memories.
Soon enough, they saw Lucian walk to the center of the hall, his steps steady and unhurried.
Yet even after arriving there, he still did not perform any complicated actions and merely raised one hand casually, as though a scene like this required no effort from him whatsoever.
In that instant, a large number of white bandages were suddenly created out of thin air.
Layer after layer, they rapidly unfurled through the air like living things before wrapping themselves around the corpses, scattered chunks of flesh, and preserved organs resting within the containers, causing the originally horrifying scene to quickly become covered beneath endless strips of white cloth.
Before long, a quiet yet almost unbelievable miracle began unfolding before everyone's eyes.
Everything wrapped within the bandages gradually started shifting and taking on human shapes, their outlines becoming clearer and clearer beneath the tightening layers, while faint sounds of bones reconnecting and flesh reforming quietly echoed through the room.
"Let's go—the next scene isn't suitable for minors."
Right after saying that, Lucian directly took March and Stelle by the hand, his grip firm yet unforced, and calmly walked outside the building without even waiting for the final result, as though the outcome had already been decided from the very beginning.
Along with Natasha and the others, they all left the morgue together, the heavy metal door slowly closing behind them and leaving only a row of wardrobes filled with clothes standing silently inside the room.
"What's going on in there?" March asked curiously, craning her neck toward the tightly shut door. "Why can't we watch?"
"Because the people getting resurrected don't have any clothes on," Lucian replied casually without even turning around. "You wanna see them naked or something?"
"No, no, no!"
March immediately shook her head repeatedly, her expression instantly turning awkward and embarrassed.
Soon afterward, the group standing outside the door began hearing voices coming from within the morgue.
At first, the sounds were faint and blurry, but they gradually became clearer and clearer as more people regained consciousness.
"Where am I?"
"I remember there was an explosion... looks like I got blown to death, huh..."
"Ah, then the Supreme Guardian must've come back and resurrected us."
"Oh, huge thanks to the Supreme Guardian. C'mon, the research is almost done—don't waste time here!"
A series of hurried rustling sounds from people rapidly putting on clothes soon followed, accompanied by overlapping footsteps and the occasional sound of lockers opening and closing.
A few minutes later, several people began emerging from the room one after another.
Although some of their faces still carried lingering confusion and shock, every single one of them froze for a brief moment the instant they saw Lucian standing outside.
In the next instant, almost as if by instinct, they all dropped to their knees on the spot in gratitude.
Seeing them like this, Lucian calmly granted them two days off without any hesitation, allowing them to return home and explain the situation to their relatives and friends while also giving them enough time to mentally and physically recover from the experience of death itself.
Seeing the absurd yet surreal scene unfolding before her eyes, March's mouth gradually formed a perfect O-shape as she continuously took photos without stopping, her fingers moving so quickly that they almost blurred as she tried her best to record absolutely everything happening in front of her.
Stelle, on the other hand, quietly stepped forward and carefully opened the door just enough to peek inside the morgue.
What entered her sight was an entirely empty chamber.
Now, the corpses, scattered flesh fragments, exposed organs, and bloodstains that had originally filled the room had all completely disappeared without leaving behind even the slightest trace.
Clearly, every single one of them had already transformed back into the people who had just walked out moments ago!
"Godfather is seriously awesome..."
Stelle couldn't help but mutter under her breath, genuine awe filling her voice as her golden eyes subtly lit up with excitement.
Wouldn't that mean she could roam across the cosmos freely from now on and do whatever reckless things she wanted without worrying about the consequences?
Even if she somehow died later, her godfather could simply bring her back to life again as if nothing had ever happened.
Just thinking about that possibility alone made Stelle feel an indescribable sense of freedom.
"Lucian, does your resurrection technique have any side effects? Like turning into a dragon or suddenly going berserk?"
Dan Heng, who had remained silent ever since the beginning of the conversation, suddenly spoke up in a steady and serious tone as his sharp gaze fixed firmly on Lucian, clearly paying close attention to his answer.
"No worries," Lucian responded with a faint yet reassuring smile. "I assure you, this isn't the Transmutation Arcanum. You don't need to overthink it."
"You know about the Transmutation Arcanum?"
A trace of surprise flashed across Dan Heng's eyes.
At his baffled question, Lucian merely nodded calmly, his expression remaining relaxed and completely untroubled.
"I have students who once did something rather foolish using that method."
Upon hearing those words, the more Dan Heng looked at Lucian, the stronger the strange sense of familiarity inside him became.
It was truly an indescribable feeling.
He felt as though he had once known this man a very long time ago.
It couldn't be helped.
He had once experienced a dream.
At first, after waking up, he could still vaguely remember fragments of it, fleeting and blurred like scattered pieces of mist, but as time gradually passed, those memories slowly slipped away from his grasp until he could no longer recall them clearly at all.
In the end, the only thing he retained was the vague impression that there had once been someone in that dream who acted as his teacher.
"Lucian... I think... I met you in my dream..."
Dan Heng spoke again, his brows faintly furrowed while his face carried an unusually conflicted and uncertain expression.
"Dan Heng, why are you suddenly using such a cliché pickup line on a guy?" March quipped from the side with an exaggeratedly weird look on her face. "Meeting in a dream? Ew~"
"You're still young, Dan Heng. Don't go down the wrong path," Lucian said in a serious tone, looking exactly like an elder lecturing a misguided junior. "If it really doesn't work out, I can introduce you to a young vidyadhara lady."
For a young man to suddenly say something like 'I met you in my dream' to another man really did sound rather unsettling, even carrying a faintly awkward implication.
A vein visibly throbbed at Dan Heng's temple, but then he quickly took a slow, steady breath, trying his best to maintain his composure while forcefully suppressing the irritation rising within him.
"What I mean is that I seem to have had a very vague dream before, where the people in it felt like old acquaintances yet unfamiliar at the same time, but after waking up, I forgot most of it. However... after seeing you, I suddenly felt a strange sense of dissonance connected to you, as if we had some kind of connection that I can't quite place..."
"Some kind of connection?" Stelle raised an eyebrow, her expression instantly turning teasing. "Dan Heng, are you gay?"
"It's not that! I'm perfectly straight!"
Dan Heng immediately denied it, his response sharp and almost reflexive, but then he took another deep breath to calm himself down, forcibly pulling his emotions back under control.
"I just vaguely... forget it. I'll talk about it after I remember."
He no longer wanted to continue this topic.
After being interrupted like this, if he kept talking, the misunderstanding would probably only deepen and spiral even further out of control.
Lucian merely smiled quietly and said nothing, as though calmly observing the exchange unfolding in front of him.
He roughly guessed that Dan Heng's condition was probably related to the script influence left behind by Jingliu's script. For the time being, however, he did not bother explaining it and simply decided to wait until the appropriate time before bringing it up properly.
"By the way, what about our Trailblaze? I mean, this is basically my godfather's territory already. Do we even gotta Trailblaze here?" Stelle chimed in, raising her hand like she was asking a question in class, before suddenly breaking into a grin and proudly planting both hands on her hips. "Now that I think about it, doesn't that make me the princess here?"
"Ehh~ I wanna be a princess too!"
March openly voiced her envy without the slightest hesitation, her tone playful and teasing, yet still carrying an unmistakably genuine hint of longing.
Dan Heng, meanwhile, clearly had no interest in indulging the nonsense of these two clowns any further. Letting out a quiet breath, he shifted his attention back toward Lucian and calmly brought the conversation back on track.
"Speaking of which, the Stellaron Hunters said there's a Stellaron crisis here—that this planet is a frozen wasteland and humanity is on the brink of extinction. Do you know anything about that?"
Hearing this, Lucian raised his eyebrows slightly before giving a faint, almost casual nod.
"Well, that's not exactly wrong. It used to be like that before I happened to settle here."
As he spoke, Lucian's tone remained as calm and understated as ever, as though he were merely talking about some insignificant past event rather than the fate of an entire world.
He then briefly recounted his early experiences on this planet.
Arrival, conquest, salvation, development—every stage was summarized in only a few simple words, delivered with such indifference that it sounded less like the legendary rise of a civilization and more like an ordinary sequence of events that had happened on a whim.
Inside the Astral Express, Himeko, who had watched the entire conversation unfold in real time through the satellites and the recorder carried by Dan Heng, had the hand holding her cup of coffee frozen near her lips—she neither drank from it nor set it down, as though even the slightest movement might disrupt her concentration.
"We really picked up a treasure..."
Truthfully, she had never imagined Lucian possessed the ability to resurrect people, much less that he could perform such miracles with this level of ease and nonchalance.
Didn't this essentially mean that, as long as he remained one of the Nameless, they would no longer need to worry about permanently leaving the Astral Express because of an accidental death?
Previously, she had only known that he could wipe out the Antimatter Legion with nothing more than a mere wave of his hand, displaying overwhelmingly terrifying, destructive power.
But now, there was also this top-tier support ability: resurrection—an ability so absurdly powerful that it could completely overturn death itself.
He was practically a super treasure, the kind a person might never encounter even once in an entire lifetime. Not only that, but he had even resolved the Stellaron disaster on this planet ahead of time and single-handedly saved an entire civilization from the brink of extinction.
Wasn't this the very embodiment of a true 'Trailblazer'?
At this moment, Himeko suddenly felt an unusually strong impulse to hand over the navigator position to Lucian altogether, as though someone like him was far more qualified to lead the Astral Express forward than anyone else.
Sitting opposite Himeko, Welt, who was likewise connected to the recorder through his phone and observing the situation separately, experienced a distinct sense of novelty upon witnessing Lucian's resurrection ability firsthand.
Even though he himself was someone who had repeatedly brushed against death and returned from its edge multiple times, he still found himself unconsciously focusing on Lucian's methods, carefully observing every minute detail as though trying to analyze the underlying principles hidden behind the phenomenon.
'Is this more advanced than the power of Reason? Has Earth already developed an entirely new branch of technology, or did he somehow obtain the power of an Aeon?'
Welt couldn't stop the stream of speculation rising within his mind, one possibility surfacing after another.
As the former Herrscher of Reason, no one understood better than him just how abnormal the power of Reason truly was.
As long as one possessed a complete understanding, the power of Reason was theoretically capable of reconstructing anything—even something as unimaginably intricate as human genes, cells, and the entire biological structure of the human body itself.
He himself had once relied on that very power to resurrect himself from death.
However, the power of Reason carried an extremely harsh prerequisite: complete and absolute comprehension of the thing the user intended to construct.
Unfortunately, the human body was simply far too complex since its structure was so vast and intricate that no one had ever truly managed to fully understand every single detail within it.
Welt had only managed to create a usable blueprint of himself through an extremely fortunate coincidence, and it was precisely because of that special circumstance that his own resurrection had become possible in the first place.
Meanwhile, what Lucian had just done was something entirely different.
Simply wrapping people in bandages to reconstruct complete bodies and fully resurrect the dead—even from nothing more than a tiny body fragment—while simultaneously doing so on such an enormous scale was something Welt considered fundamentally impossible through conventional means.
'Judging from how effortlessly he does it... could he even resurrect Emanator-level beings?'
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