Although it was difficult to breathe, he still had to breathe.
And not long after, Huai Shi threw this matter to the back of his mind, like a silly dog hiding its head in the sand to escape from reality.
When there were too many lice, one would not worry; when there were too many debts, one would not itch.
In his limited life, Huai Shi understood a principle: no matter how hard humans tried to save money, when it was time to spend it, they would have to spend it. If you did not spend it, someone else might spend it for you, or you would never have the chance to spend it again.
Was it not just money?
If it was gone, he could earn it again.
Huai Shi had gotten used to the sharp pain in his heart. With tears in his eyes, he picked up the teacup and drank it in one gulp.
Then he was stunned.
"How do you feel?"
The purser came up and looked at him expectantly. "I used a new formula this time. The effect should be good, right?"
"This feeling, it's so good!"
Huai Shi lowered his head in disbelief and looked at the teacup in his hand. He could still smell the wonderful tea fragrance lingering around his mouth. And the tea in his stomach seemed to rise, bringing about a continuous wonderful reaction. He could not help but exhale, sweeping away the frustration in his chest, and calming his body and mind.
His restless heart quickly calmed down, and he felt a sense of peace.
"How did you cook it?" He carefully sipped the tea in the cup. "I'll go back and prepare some."
The Chief Steward laughed and looked relieved. "As expected, Mr. Huai Shi knows how to appreciate art the best. How about this, I'll write down the method later. Although a lot of it depends on experience, you'll be able to reach my level of excellence if you keep trying."
"Tell me more." Huai Shi's eyes lit up and asked.
Just as the two of them were talking about tea making techniques and cooking, a faint roar came from above.
At this moment, the Iron Crystal was suspended in the sky, but a dark shadow appeared on the deck of the Iron Crystal, gradually extending forward.
The illusory light source of the dome giant after its death was covered.
A fleet of airships that blotted out the sky rumbled as they flew past at an even higher altitude.
The purser paused for a moment, looked up, and stared at the airships roaring away. He could not help but squint his eyes.
"I have to say, this flustered and exasperated retreat is really pleasing to the eye."
As he spoke, he raised his teacup and bid farewell to the Ivy League emblem on the airship's flagship. He watched as the losers left.
Huai Shi struggled to raise his head and look up.
They could vaguely see two figures overlooking them from the top of the flagship, but they couldn't see them clearly. However, one of the silhouettes was extremely familiar.
"Have a safe journey."
He raised his hand and waved it forcefully.
The other party also raised his hand.
The shadow of a middle finger was cast on the deck of the iron crystal seat. Finally, a neck was drawn.
[Scum, I'll kill you in three days. I'll skin you alive!]
That was probably what it meant.
Huai Shi raised his eyebrows and shrugged. He watched as the airship's shadow gradually disappeared into the distance before withdrawing his gaze.
He continued to drink tea.
Once again, he began to enjoy his life as a salted fish.
"Speaking of which, there's still a piece of good news that I haven't had the time to tell you." The purser suddenly said, "But after thinking about it, it's better to let the person involved come and thank him personally."
"The person involved?"
Huai Shi raised his head in puzzlement.
When he saw the man who had been waiting for a long time not far away, his eyes widened and he froze on the spot.
"See, Huai Shi, it's not like you didn't do anything." The purser raised his eyebrows happily. "In this hell, at least one person was saved because of you …"
"Condra?" Huai Shi was in disbelief. "You, you're alive?"
"Although I don't know why I was chosen by the record of the Kingdom of Heaven, I guess I'm alive now?"
The purser's soul, who was once named 'Condra', lowered his head and thanked him with a hand on his chest. "Thank you for everything you've done, Mr. Huai Shi."
In his hand, a thick book appeared.
— Les Miserables.
"Is that so?"
In the sudden surprise, Huai Shi laughed.
"It seems that there are good things in hell occasionally!"
.
.
"Did you make a friend, Liz?"
Higher in the sky, on the outer deck of the airship, an old man in a wheelchair turned around and looked at the angry girl beside him.
Liz turned back with a serious expression. "Is there anyone in the world who would call this a friend, teacher?"
Michelle laughed. "I think it's good for you to make more friends. If you always act like a high priest, you'll feel lonely sometimes, right?"
"After I peel his skin and offer it to the Skinner, offer his organs to Kukulkan, and offer his heart and head to the First Sun, I'll consider being friends with the rest of him."
Liz replied seriously. "Other than that, I don't think there's any possibility of getting along with that guy. Please rest well and don't think too much, okay? It's cold outside, you should go back. "
"It's just a breeze, what's the big deal?"
Michelle shook his head indifferently. He lowered his head and looked at the steel bracelet on his wrist that looked like a shackle. On the small screen of the bracelet, there was still a faint orange glow.
It had gradually faded from the red area, but it did not return to the safe green area.
This was the proof of soul contamination.
A sign of solidification.
He was very clear about his own situation.
It was just like how miracles and disasters were two sides of the same coin.
As an alchemist, it was impossible for Michelle not to know what he was doing.
Surpassing his own limits, recklessly activating the divine mark, and operating it in hell for such a long time … Before this, he was already well aware of the possible consequences.
The so-called sublimation and solidification were concepts relative to the Silver Sea. They were terms used to describe and define the state of a soul.
They corresponded to the classification of matter in physics — liquid, gas, and solid.
If the Silver Sea, which was formed from the souls of all humans and supported the three great seals, was liquid, then a sublimator who left the Silver Sea and acted alone would be in a gas state. No matter how large it was, it was as small as a wisp of mist compared to the Silver Sea.
On the other hand, if it was pulled down by the gravity of the abyss and sank into hell, it would become solid.
It was like a status bar with three different areas.
Unfortunately, there was no way to reverse it. The changes were usually one-way.
Once a sublimator left the Silver Sea, the source substance would not be able to return to the Silver Sea after death. Once it chose the abyss and solidified, it would not be able to return to its original light 'gaseous state'.
The existence of a sublimator was like a barrier between the solid state represented by hell and the liquid state represented by the present realm.
Once it was unable to resist the corrosion of hell, the soul would be assimilated by hell in the melting of the Sacred Mark, and finally solidify again.
It was like smashing something and putting it back together again. It would no longer be the same as before.
The price of sublimation was to face hell directly.
The side effect of embracing miracles was that disasters would follow like a shadow.
The Sacred Mark that represented 'miracles' and the disaster that represented 'abyss' came from the same source, but the way they were manifested was completely different.
The sublimator was given a miracle, while the solidification was the disaster itself.
Even if they only appeared in the present realm, it would increase the distortion of the entire realm. Even if they did nothing, they would accelerate the decline of the realm.
Needless to say, in order to pursue the distortion, they would do many crazy things.
This was no longer within the realm of subjective will.
Just like how the Sacred Mark would instinctively pursue miracles and realize its own destiny, the solidified disaster would also thirst for growth.
One was the expansion of growth, while the other was the devouring of death. This was the difference in nature.
Any solidified person would be seen as a cancer cell in the present realm, and would be treated as an enemy by the Silver Sea. Needless to say, the Astronomical Society would hunt them down and eradicate them, and the suppression of the Three Great Seals...
And now, even Michelle himself felt that it was inconceivable. He was still alive, but there were only some signs and signs of solidification, and he had not completely fallen into the abyss.
Other than the fact that the Ivy League's medical skills were frightening, it could only be said that they were unbelievably lucky.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the gods for their blessings.
But only Michelle felt that perhaps... there was still a possibility of humiliation.
That bastard Mikhail had deliberately held back, and even indirectly interfered with the degree of corrosion. He had deliberately chosen to passively defend, and did not give him a chance to cross that fatal boundary.
He would not allow him to degenerate into that ugly state...
Just thinking of this possibility, Michelle could not help but feel so humiliated that he wanted to commit suicide.
Mikhail had long known that even if he was alive, he would not have any gratitude towards him, but he still made a choice. Michelle really didn't know which one was more painful for her when she compared the high and mighty mercy and the feeling of being frozen and dying.
In the cold wind high up in the sky, the old man in the wheelchair let out a long sigh and sighed softly, "Autism and egomania, which one is more annoying, Liz?"
Liz thought for a moment and shook her head, "I don't know, both feel very troublesome."
"Yes, both are very troublesome. I should not have gotten involved with such a person in the first place. It's best to let him go far away, and never appear in front of me again."
As Michelle spoke, he looked at the disappearing silhouette of the Iron Crystal in the distance, and could not help but laugh at himself.
He suddenly recalled something that happened a few decades ago.
It was a memory that was still so vivid.
Under the dim afternoon sun, he saw the silent youth beside his teacher for the first time.
The youth lowered his head, his lips slightly pursed, and did not dare to raise his head to look into other people's eyes. His black hair shone with golden light under the setting sun.
His teacher said, "His name is Mikhail, just like yours..."
At that time, when he smiled and reached out his hand to express his goodwill to the youth, did he expect this to happen?
Compared to having a happy and harmonious memory, and then becoming enemies in the end, it would be better if both sides did not see eye to eye, and did not interact much, right?
He sighed and closed his eyes in melancholy.
The overconfident final counterattack came to an end.
In the end, it still failed.
"I'm sorry, teacher." Liz lowered her head, and did not know how to face him, "If at that time I..."
"What does this have to do with you, Liz?"
Michelle raised his head and looked at her guilty expression, "Does the student have to bear the responsibility for the teacher's failure? That's too much.
Moreover, facing such an enemy, such a dazzling hero, who dares to say that they will definitely win? "
Liz did not speak.
"Lift up your head, Liz."
Michelle stretched out his hand and patted her shoulder, "It's just a loss, don't take it to heart... Why is the student so dejected when the teacher lost a match?"
He said, "Let's go back, the wind is too strong outside."
Liz nodded, pushed the wheelchair and walked towards the open door.
In his sleepiness, Michelle heard the girl's words behind him.
"Please leave the unfinished work to me, teacher."
In the silence, Liz promised softly, "I will win, and I will keep winning — until everyone knows that Michelle is Liz Hetmok's teacher."
Michelle was stunned. After a long time.
"Okay."
He smiled and nodded seriously, "I'll leave it to you to do what I can't do."
This was the promise between the teacher and the student.
.
"Don't disturb them, we'll take care of the rest."
Inside the cabin, Pan Delong watched the scene on the monitor. After a long time, he retracted his gaze and looked in front of him.
Behind the layers of transparent walls, in front of the scholars and alchemists who came and went, was a wreckage suspended by countless pieces of equipment. It looked like a large hibernation chamber.
This was the Ivy League's only spoil of war, the remains of the Eternal Frost Furnace.
It was one of the disasters left behind by the forgers.
The Immortal Machine!
"Second prize."
The old man sighed softly, "Even though we didn't get the Eternal Frost Furnace, with this thing, the construction of the Solar Ephemeris can be shortened by at least a bit."
As the final seal was inserted, a torrent of liquid Origin Substance poured into the isolation chamber, rapidly freezing it and sealing away this precious sample of Disaster Origin Substance.
The Immortal Machine's preservation was complete.
"Let's go."
Pan Delong retracted his gaze and turned to walk towards the bridge.
Not long after, a large wind tunnel opened at the end of the Infernal Realm.
The vast fleet of airships left without any hesitation.
.
.
"Are they leaving?"
On the bridge of the Iron Crystal Constellation, the Grandmaster waved his hand indifferently and changed the projection on the large screen. A large blueprint appeared from the transmission, almost taking up the entire bridge.
But even at such a large scale, it was still impossible to clearly show the details. It could only barely show some of the outlines.
"The scale of the project is much larger than expected." The Grandmaster frowned. "I'm afraid the Iron Crystal Constellation alone won't be able to complete it smoothly."
"Of course, it's not just you. I've already used the Dragon Summoning Flute to send a signal. In about half a month, the Crimson Deer and Grey Stork will report in."
Russell said, "Apart from White Dove's other mission, the four campuses in the Abyss will all listen to your command. All of the Ivory Tower's power in the Infernal Realm is in your hands, Mikhail. "
"It's still not enough." The Grandmaster shook his head.
"After all, it's no longer the time when the Utopia was still around. We have to learn to be thrifty." Russell sighed. "Our conditions are limited. You have to be thrifty … Besides, the entire mechanized Infernal Realm is ready-made. It's right in front of you. Hasn't this already solved the most heavy work?"
"Do you think alchemy is like building a house?"
Mikhail glared at him. "Even if the Infernal Realm has been mechanized, it's not something that can be used casually! It's not that easy to reforge the Giant of the Underworld! Do you expect me to make a flaw? "
"What if we take a step back?"
Russell suddenly asked. "What if we don't rebuild Osiris?"
The Grandmaster frowned. "You're playing the game of changing needs with me? Do you want me to redesign a few versions for you? "
"No, what I mean is, aren't there two Tier Five of the Eternal Road?"
Russell said, "Osiris is no longer suitable for the current era, Mikhail.
What Celestial genealogy needs now is not a weapon of war that can destroy everything, but a camp that can recuperate, a temporary home, a retreat, and an existence that can replace the 'Land of Dreams'. "
Following Russell's words, the design blueprint floating in the bridge suddenly changed.
The giant that originally supported the heavens and created Hell had disappeared. Instead, it was replaced by a majestic and divine gigantic silhouette. It was also the fifth stage of the Eternal Road in the Kingdom of Heaven system. It was also a gigantic miracle that was akin to a man-made god …
In the silence, the Grandmaster's eyes gradually lit up.
"Horus of the Heavenly Fortress!"
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