Desolate Depths of Despair

Desolate Depths of Despair is the first part of the Trailblaze Mission chapter Topclouded Towerthrust. It automatically begins after completing Humming Antlers, Entwined Horns.
==Steps==
# Pass through the Artisanship Commission's shortcut and head to the Alchemy Commission
# Check on the survivors
# Join up with the Cloud Knights commanded by Fu Xuan
# Get information on the outcome of the fighting and wait for Fu Xuan to return (0/2)
#* Talk to March 7th and discuss the current state of affairs (if Adventure Mission Venom Brews, Immortality Looms or Sinners Misled, Credence Falsified is incomplete)
# Follow Fu Xuan
# Turn off the 3 small elixir crucibles
# Head to the Aureate Elixir Furnace and face the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus
# Take the starskiff and enter Scalegorge Waterscape
==Dialogue==
===Pass through the Artisanship Commission's shortcut and head to the Alchemy Commission===
;(Approach designated spot)
: Alchemy Commission
;(Teleports to Alchemy Commission)
----
;(Trailblazer, March 7th, Tingyun, and Welt observe their surroundings)
:March 7th: ...Whoa, looks like the battle here was intense...
:Tingyun: The master diviner must have launched the campaign while we were delayed in the Artisanship Commission.
: She must have divined it was the right time.
::Welt: Time is of the essence. The most important task for the Xianzhou Luofu is suppressing the Stellaron.
::Welt: General Jing Yuan tasked the master diviner with commanding the Cloud Knights — he would've known she'd act on the results of her divination.
: I can't imagine Fu Xuan obeying orders to the word.
::Welt: Indeed. Since General Jing Yuan tasked the master diviner with commanding the Cloud Knights, he must've known she'd act on the results of her divination.
:March 7th: Thank goodness the general didn't make us go with the Knights... Fighting is totally different from adventuring. All these people... I—It's tough to bear.
:Tingyun: I'm afraid this is nothing, benefactor...
:Tingyun: Centuries ago, an Emanator of Abundance besieged the Luofu with the aim of taking the Ambrosial Arbor. They destroyed half our delves and killed most of the Cloud Knights.
:Tingyun: For long-life species, such events are more like yesterday's memories than ancient history. This awful spectacle is child's play in comparison.
:March 7th: Hey, is that supposed to make us feel better!?
:Welt: It's hard to tell if the master diviner won or lost here.
: I think she won total victory!
::March 7th: I think so too! I can't see many Cloud Knights — the Xianzhou must have fought well!
: Seems to me, her troops were wiped out...
::March 7th: Hey, whose side are you on!? I can't see many Cloud Knights — the Xianzhou must have fought well!
: Let's play it safe and say it was a draw.
::March 7th: ...A draw? This isn't a tournament, y'know! I can't see many Cloud Knights — the Xianzhou must have fought well!
:Welt: ...Not necessarily. There'd usually be a base with supporting forces set up after a successful engagement, but we don't see any of that.
:Welt: Let's look around and see if we can find some clues.
===Check on the survivors===
;(Investigate monster on the stairs, optional)
: Investigate
:On the monster's rigid body, several conspicuous wounds are shrinking at a speed discernible to the naked eye. Despite the absence of any vital signs, you sense that the monster in front of you is not completely dead.
:March 7th: Be careful, (Trailblazer). Those monsters are pretty tough...
;(Proceeding further down the stairs)
:March 7th: Look, there's someone over there!
;(Approaching the two people)
:Cloud Knight: Agh...
:Woman: Don't move. Let me have a look...
;(After arriving at the designated spot)
:March 7th: Here! There are still survivors here...
:Welt: ...
:Woman in Healer Dressing: Hmm? You're not the Knights... What is your purpose here? It's dangerous.
:Welt: We're reinforcements sent by the general. Where's everyone else?
:Woman in Healer Dressing: Tsk, resorting to short-life species as reinforcements... Hehe, Jing Yuan is truly running out of options.
:Dying Cloud Knight: Run! She's... a Disciple of Sanctus Medicus!
:Woman in Healer Dressing: Silence. If my healing worked, you'll become one of us...
:Woman in Healer Dressing: ...and then it's not just me they'll be running from.
----
;(Begin battle against )
:Dying Cloud Knight: Hurry... leave here...
:Dying Cloud Knight: I can't control myself anymore...
;(Wave 2: , )
:Disciple of Sanctus Medicus: The lives of short-life species are so fleetingly brief. Why seek death?
;(Wave 3: , , )
:Disciple of Sanctus Medicus: Why did you come to the Xianzhou? To seek immortality?
:Disciple of Sanctus Medicus: You don't have to appease Jing Yuan! The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus can provide all that you desire!
----
;(After the battle)
:March 7th: H—Hold on! We'll find someone to help...
:Dying Cloud Knight: Don't waste your time. They've "converted" me. I don't have much longer...
:Dying Cloud Knight: Go... The master diviner's troops are ahead...
:He stops talking. It could be because he is exhausted, or he's waiting for you to leave him be.
:Welt: ...Let's go.
===Join up with the Cloud Knights commanded by Fu Xuan===
;(Talk to Dying Cloud Knight, optional)
:Dying Cloud Knight: ...
----
:Tingyun: The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were in hiding for so long... now they finally show their face. Did the master diviner fail to foresee this...?
:Tingyun: Be careful, benefactors. The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus worship Yaoshi the Plagues Author — the greatest enemy of the Xianzhou.
:Tingyun: The Alliance has been trying to root out their secret organization for millennia — it's no coincidence that they've chosen this moment to reveal themselves.
----
;(Investigate monster on the ground, optional)
: Investigate
:Its armor is covered in sword marks. But the strange thing is that these marks all came from the deceased's own weapon.
----
;(Investigate beast on the ground, optional)
: Investigate
:A huge, wolf-life beast lies on the ground. Its corpse shows no signs of life, but tiny saplings are sprouting from underneath it.
----
;(Investigate Cloud Knight on the ground, optional)
: Investigate
:Removing the helmet, you look straight into the face of the fallen Cloud Knight.
:An expression of agony is frozen on the face of this Xianzhou man of indiscernible age. You find a cluster of mutated branches at the temples of his hair — he seems to have been subjected to purgatory-like torture before his death.
----
;(Talk to Injured Cloud Knight, optional)
: Injured Cloud Knight
:A painful moan amidst the ravaged battlefield draws your attention.
:Injured Cloud Knight: Reignbow's blessing... You're not Disciples of Sanctus Medicus...
:March 7th: Stop moving around! Let's see if there's a way to help you recover faster.
: (provides medical attention)
::March 7th: Come on, take this. It'll help with your injuries.
:;(Submit item prompt for at least one of the following: Simple First-Aid Device, Steamed Puffergoat Milk, Life Transmitter, Stone-Grilled Olm)
::You fumble through your bag to find medicine for her wounds and administer it one drop at a time.
::For a moment you are worried that medicine made for ordinary humans might not work on long-life species.
::The Cloud Knight propped herself so she could stand.
::Recovered Cloud Knight: ...Th—Thank you, all of you. I feel much better now.
::Recovered Cloud Knight: Thank goodness you're here... The garrison is up ahead, are you heading there now? I'll wait there for you.
:;(Obtain )
----
:;(If cancelled item submission)
::March 7th: Don't we have anything to help her?
::March 7th: Uhh, you wait here. I'm gonna get your comrades to help you.
::Injured Cloud Knight: Just leave me...
:;(Conversation ends)
: (temporarily giving up)
::March 7th: Don't we have anything to help her?
::March 7th: Uhh, you wait here. I'm gonna get your comrades to help you.
::Injured Cloud Knight: Just leave me...
:;(Conversation ends)
----
;(Upon attempting to go past left Cloud Knight Guard)
:Cloud Knight Guard: There are Sanctus Medicus sorcerers hiding out there — it's too dangerous to roam. Please wait here for the master diviner's return.
----
;(Approach designated spot)
:Cloud Knight Guard: Who goes there? Show yourselves!
:Cloud Knight Guard: Wait, it's you...! Quickly, in here! It's dangerous outside.
:March 7th: You recognize us?
:Cloud Knight Guard: Are you not the general's guests? The master diviner prophesied your arrival — we were ordered to wait for you under any circumstances.
: Fu Xuan was here?
: Wait for us?
:Cloud Knight Guard: Yes. The master diviner ordered us to remain stationed here and went to scout ahead. They're saying the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have returned — they haven't been seen for an age... The troops are anxious.
:Cloud Knight Guard: It's good that you're here — the master diviner said the Knights weren't to move out until you arrived.
:Cloud Knight Guard: Please wait in the camp — we'll decide on our next steps once the master diviner returns.
:Welt: That the Cloud Knights received orders not to advance is a bad sign. The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus... I've heard the name before. If memory serves, they're an underground sect of the Abundance that's said to have lain dormant within the Xianzhou, plotting to overthrow the Alliance...
:Welt: The Stellaron has certainly caused Abundance-like abnormalities — is that what motivated the Disciples to come out of the shadows? No. The Knight's main force remains intact... Something must have happened — something we're not aware of. The master diviner isn't here — let's head into camp and see what we can learn from the troops here.
:Tingyun: Good idea, why don't you take a look around, benefactors? My feet need a rest.
===Get information on the outcome of the fighting and wait for Fu Xuan to return===
;(Talk to Tingyun, optional)
;(Before talking to Captured Disciple)
:Tingyun: Have you talked with these Disciples, benefactor? What do you make of them?
: Not yet...
::Tingyun: Why would they betray the Luofu... I don't understand.
;(After talking to Captured Disciple)
:Tingyun: Have you talked with these Disciples, benefactor? What do you make of them?
: They're mad...
::Tingyun: True. But in the eyes of the Denizens of Abundance...
::Tingyun: ...ignoring the true nature of long-life species, suppressing the inner mara, maintaining the facade of mortal society... it's a child's game. Another breed of madness, perhaps.
: I feel sorry for them...
::Tingyun: They brought this upon themselves. The Xianzhou Alliance forbids anyone from accessing forbidden knowledge regarding immortality.
::Tingyun: They should have thought about whether they were capable of paying the price when seeking the power of an Aeon.
: I can understand their desire for knowledge...
::Tingyun: Shh, that's a brave thing to say out in the open... If the Cloud Knights hear you, they won't think twice.
::Tingyun: Hehe, it strikes me that you'd use any means to achieve your goal, benefactor.
:Tingyun: Xianzhou natives are more afraid of immortality than they are of the days coming to an end.
:Tingyun: They received eternal life as they had desired, but are doomed to a fate more terrifying than death. The Abundance played a cruel trick on them.
;(Talk to Shocked Cloud Knight, optional)
:Shocked Cloud Knight: It was so close... so close...!
:Shocked Cloud Knight: Even seasoned soldiers — soldiers of three centuries were turned into... twisted beings! I was almost... almost...
;(Talk to Sky-Faring Commission Foxian, optional)
:Sky-Faring Commission Foxian: The Cloud Knights undergo such thorough training. How could they lose control like this?
:Sky-Faring Commission Foxian: It's one thing for humans to be stricken with mara. But Foxians and Vidyadhara...?
;(Talk to Cloud Knight Captain, optional)
:Nervous Cloud Knight: But this is different from all our previous battles! Captain, even our own comrades may become our enemies this time...
:Cloud Knights Captain: Every Cloud Knight knows what they must do if their comrades become mara-struck. Don't forget your training.
:Nervous Cloud Knight: B—But this shouldn't be happening! We're still so young — we're not old enough to be stricken with mara yet...
:Cloud Knights Captain: There are records of such a phenomenon in the Cloud Knights Marital Doctrine. Those who come into contact with the Plagues Author become mara-struck instantly... I never thought the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were real, or so close to us.
:Nervous Cloud Knight: I—I don't know how many more of our soldiers will...
;(Talk to Dispirited Cloud Knight, optional)
:Dispirited Cloud Knight: I just felt there were... enemies all around me. I only felt hatred. I wanted to kill everything in my path...
;(Talk to Mumbling Cloud Knight, optional)
:Mumbling Cloud Knight: Disciples of Sanctus Medicus... who would have thought our enemies would turn out to be the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus...
:Mumbling Cloud Knight: *sigh* The master diviner must have kept it quiet to avoid alerting them.
;(Talk to Aurumaton Gatekeeper, optional)
:Aurumaton Guard: Command Talisman required for operation...
:March 7th: What does it mean?
:Welt: We probably need to present it with a command for it to act.
;(Talk to Deranged Disciple, optional)
:The Cloud Knights are guarding a prisoner who is murmuring to himself.
:Deranged Disciple: I... saw it... I saw myself become thunder... become a storm...
:Deranged Disciple: That scent in the elixir crucible... I could smell the future...
:Deranged Disciple: Mere flesh will not trap me... I am the Ebon Deer. I see the leaves and branches covering the sky. I will change again...
:Cloud Knight Guarding Prisoners: We captured a few devils from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. Some of them are already mad, and this one is the maddest.
:The alchemist's eyes were unfocused, darting back and forth, as if he were looking at the two diverging ends of a path.
;(Upon trying to leave to the north)
:Cloud Knight Guard: The master diviner has gone ahead with the scouts. Please wait here for her.
;(Upon trying to leave to the south)
:Alarmed Cloud Knight: Sorry, I didn't want to stop the general's distinguished guests, but just to warn you, there have been some dangerous sightings ahead. For your own safety, please stay in the areas guarded by the Cloud Knights.
----
;(Talk to Captured Disciple)
:A Cloud Knight is standing next to the captive. He steps aside after you explain your identity and show him the general's order.
:Alarmed Cloud Knight: You want to ask questions? Fine, but I must be present the whole way through. This part needs to be recorded as testimony.
:Captured Disciple: ...Finally someone to talk to. These Cloud Knights are so serious, so boring, hehe...
: About Stellarons...
::Captured Disciple: That shining seed? Haha, I've seen it, so beautiful. If you gaze into it, there's a voice inside that speaks to you...
::March 7th: (Trailblazer)... do you still remember Cocolia?
::(Trailblazer): ...
::Captured Disciple: The master said we could inject new life into the Ambrosial Arbor with it. Hehe, I didn't believe it at first.
::Captured Disciple: We tried many methods, spending multiple lifetimes of short-life species, yet the Arbor showed no signs of resurrection.
::Captured Disciple: But look upon it now, hehe — "only the power of an Aeon can recreate the miracle." Yes, yes, the mighty Sanctus Medicus! The Abundance!
: About the Ambrosial Arbor...
::Captured Disciple: So you witnessed it too? The Ambrosial Arbor's resurrection, hehe... Magnificent!
::Captured Disciple: In the Befall Era, so far in the past that even long-life species cannot recall, Sanctus Medicus the Abundance gifted the Ambrosial Arbor to the Xianzhou Luofu. With that sacred tree, humanity realized many miracles: the fallow earth, the western soapberry, the altered flesh...
::Captured Disciple: But that Devilish Archer ruined everything! They twisted right and wrong and erased Sanctus Medicus's achievements... But soon... soon we will return to the glory of the Befall Era!
::Captured Disciple: You've seen the fantastic creatures that fought with us? They are only minor gifts of the Ambrosial Arbor...
::Alarmed Cloud Knight: Shut it, rambling rodent. The Cloud Knights will root all of you out soon.
: What did you do to these Cloud Knights?
::Captured Disciple: What did we do? We cured our kin! Hehe, it must hurt to be trapped in such weak flesh and blood...
::Alarmed Cloud Knight: You scum... If the order allowed I would cut you down now.
::Captured Disciple: Oh, you don't understand... a short-life species couldn't understand. Mara-struck? Bah! It's a second life gifted by Sanctus Medicus! To eliminate the self! To achieve transcendence! A life of true freedom!
::Captured Disciple: I see a desire for power in your eyes. This life is too short for you, isn't it? Hehe, I can... I can help you...
::Alarmed Cloud Knight: Don't listen, his words are poison.
::Captured Disciple: We're just having fun, sir, hehe... Without the blessing of the Abundance, you short-life species would never be able to endure the transformation.
: I don't have any more questions.
;(Talk to On-Duty Cloud Knight)
:There is a ghastly paleness in the face of this resident Cloud Knight. As you approach him, he nods his head in salute.
:On-Duty Cloud Knight: Forgive me for being brief — warfare is a dangerous business. There's no time for idle chat.
: How's the situation?
::On-Duty Cloud Knight: We took over this place a few hours ago under the master diviner's command. It was only afterwards that we learned our enemies were none other than the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus — those who worship the .
:On-Duty Cloud Knight: Everything was going as planned. The sorcerers of the Disciples and the fantastic creatures they commanded were no match for us.
:On-Duty Cloud Knight: ...Then, after a while, our comrades suddenly started to slaughter one another...
: They became mara-struck...
::On-Duty Cloud Knight: Curse it! What Sanctus Medicus sorcery did they use on us!?
: Those monsters...
::On-Duty Cloud Knight: Yes, among the Sanctus Medicus monsters... there were our comrades.
;(If Injured Cloud Knight was already helped in the previous step, this option will not appear)
: There's a wounded warrior that didn't make it back to his unit...
::On-Duty Cloud Knight: Thanks for your intel. I'll dispatch someone immediately.
:On-Duty Cloud Knight: The greatest fear of the Xianzhou people is succumbing to our mara-struck form around others. To do so means that we have given up on being human, lost to the abomination sleeping in our immortal blood... and violated the Reignbow's admonishments.
:On-Duty Cloud Knight: What the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus did are despicable acts that every Alliance resident detests!
:On-Duty Cloud Knight: ...I swear to the Arbiter that I will avenge my comrades.
----
:(If Adventure Mission Venom Brews, Immortality Looms or Sinners Misled, Credence Falsified are incomplete)
====Talk to March 7th and discuss the current state of affairs====
;(Talk to March 7th)
:March 7th: When the Master Diviner gets back, we might be in for tough times... It's making me a little nervous.
:March 7th: (Trailblazer), are you ready?
: Ready.
::Enter the Crossroads of Fate...
::Please note that your choice will bring about an irreversible outcome. By continuing forward, 
:::Venom Brews, Immortality Looms
:::Sinners Misled, Credence Falsified
::If you choose to abandon a mission, its rewards will permanently disappear and cannot be obtained again.
: Not yet...
:;(Does not proceed)
----
:Cloud Knight Guard: Master diviner! You're back!
:Fu Xuan: I have kept you waiting, but the deceit of the Disciples is laid bare to me now.
: You kept us waiting alright.
::Fu Xuan: Hmph, I was merely being courteous — according to my divination you've hardly been here long.
: Why didn't you tell us about the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus earlier?
::Fu Xuan: Apologies. To avoid dissemination of intelligence, the general and I kept the involvement of the Disciples to ourselves.
::Fu Xuan: It is a clandestine organization that seeks to overthrow the Alliance. Before the Stellaron disaster, the Disciples had remained veiled in shadow for years. Their emergence reflects their intricate connection to this calamity.
: Please tell us the whole truth this time...
::Fu Xuan: Apologies. To avoid dissemination of intelligence, the general and I kept the involvement of the Disciples to ourselves.
::Fu Xuan: It is a clandestine organization that seeks to overthrow the Alliance. Before the Stellaron disaster, the Disciples had remained veiled in shadow for years. Their emergence reflects their intricate connection to this calamity.
:Welt: The conflict is difficult, master diviner, but you have you led your forces from the front lines and beyond in pursuit of the enemy. Admirable work.
:Fu Xuan: Hardly! A diviner must acquire first-hand knowledge in order to calculate the future. Collecting intelligence in this way assists me in achieving the right answer...
:Fu Xuan: Wait... what's all this about a difficult conflict? The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have been scheming for a long time, but our army is in no way inferior. How can things be so difficult?
: Is this a segue into us joining the fray?
::Fu Xuan: Sharp as always.
::March 7th: *sigh* I knew we'd spent too long around the master diviner — now we're predicting the future...
: Just ask for our help already...
::Fu Xuan: It would seem you came prepared.
::March 7th: *sigh* The first time we met Madam Yukong she said something like: "This is a Xianzhou affair and there's no need for the Express to get involved..."
::March 7th: ...and now here we are running around doing everything. Even the IPC takes it easier on us.
:March 7th: Lemme guess, what are we up to this time? Could it be... heading to the front lines? Leading the Cloud Knight charge?
:March 7th: Well try this on for size — nope! I can't stand anymore of this fighting, so there!
:Fu Xuan: *sigh* Who said you'd be heading to the battlefield...
:March 7th: W—We're not?
:Fu Xuan: Jing Yuan's orders. He said that the value of unexpected guests lies in the unexpected. The Cloud Knights' assault was to demonstrate our power to the enemy head-on... now it is time for the unexpected.
:Fu Xuan: Please, come with me.
===Follow Fu Xuan===
:Fu Xuan: After receiving the Ambrosial Arbor, the Alchemy Commission was once the Luofu's most vital commission.
:Fu Xuan: After all, it was they who changed the Xianzhou natives into long-life species... They also developed many incredible technologies from the tree itself.
:Fu Xuan: But in the end, the alchemists grew discontented and began to obsess over the manipulation of life. Research into the Arbor poisoned their minds... the more they pursued it, the more they longed for it.
----
:Fu Xuan: "Morning bells chime in a dream, evening mist gathers around me"...Do you see that?
:Tingyun: What huge elixir crucibles. There's still smoke coming out of them.
:Fu Xuan: This is where the alchemists practiced the way of immortality in ancient times. They erected elixir crucibles here to absorb the power of the Arbor, turning fantasy into reality. Since the smoke from the crucibles never ceases, this place was named Evemist Mansion.
:Fu Xuan: An elegant name, but as far as the art of war is concerned, it's a deathtrap. As long as the crucibles are lit and the smoke continues to linger, we cannot get any closer.
:Welt: This is why the Cloud Knights lost control and became mara-struck?
:Fu Xuan: Indeed. The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus infused the smoke that permeates this delve with medicinal pellets that elicit mara.
:Fu Xuan: Unless the Cloud Knights were able to march with their breath held, they would be doomed to fall into disarray. Moreover, no one could know whether their comrade was about to be stricken with mara. Is there anything better than fear for destroying the morale of an army?
:Welt: The Cloud Knights first assault was just a cover. You're using the main army to attract the enemy's attention, while we douse the elixir crucibles and stop the smoke.
:Fu Xuan: The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus renounced their century of secrecy and chose to reveal themselves, meaning they feel confident of victory... but no matter how well-prepared they may be, their focus has always been the Cloud Knights. They are completely unaware of your existence and capacity, and in short — cannot be prepared against you.
: This smoke can't affect us?
::Fu Xuan: Indeed. This demonic vapor is a weapon targeted against the Cloud Knights.
::Fu Xuan: The Ambrosial Arbor is taboo for the Luofu, and the Xianzhou Alliance has always been fiercely independent. The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus could never have guessed that the general would seek outside help — they won't be prepared against short-life species.
: Why not get the Foxians and Vidyadhara to try?
::Fu Xuan: You misunderstand the nature of the mara-struck condition — it is not a curse unique to humankind. Foxians don't usually succumb to it because their lifespan is not eternal, yet they are still a long-life species. The Vidyadhara rely on molting to discard the old world. All long-life species are equal in the face of mara...
::Fu Xuan: However, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus could never have guessed that the general would seek outside help — they won't be prepared against short-life species.
:Welt: Is this what General Jing Yuan meant by unexpected guests?
:Fu Xuan: I wouldn't hazard a guess. All I can say is that the predictions of the Stellaron Hunters were more accurate than mine. The future that Kafka seeks is becoming reality... one step at a time.
: I don't want to act according to their predictions.
::Fu Xuan: I do not wish to be their puppet, either. In any case, we do not walk alone and unhindered on our paths. Our choices define us and influence others.
: This is the only way...
::Fu Xuan: Rather, only this way leads to the known best result. If we can afford to choose, then none would choose to leap off a cliff.
::Fu Xuan: Besides, this is not my decision alone...
:Fu Xuan: The duty of the master diviner is to bring luck and avoid misfortune. I don't want my choice to plunge the Luofu into a terrible future.
:Fu Xuan: To return to the matter at hand, only you can douse the elixir crucibles without being harmed by them. What say you?
:March 7th: Fine. I didn't hear a "please," but seeing as we do kinda have superpowers around here... (Trailblazer), Mr. Yang, what do you think?
:Fu Xuan: I will come at once when the smoke dissipates — you won't be left to fend for yourselves.
===Turn off the 3 small elixir crucibles===
;(Talk to Fu Xuan, optional)
:Fu Xuan: ...
:Fu Xuan: *coughing* What? It's not too late to practice holding my breath...
: You seem quite alright...
::Fu Xuan: We're still far from the elixir crucibles. I'm no healer, but I do know that dosage is important in the application of poisons...
::Fu Xuan: Hmph, even so... Okay I admit it — I'm terrified! I'm still young! I don't wanna become mara-struck so soon!
:: Then you'd better return to the home front.
:::Fu Xuan: Out of the question! Jing Yuan gave me authority over the Cloud Knights. If I can't even stand on the front lines, then how can I succeed him as general? *cough* How can I win the hearts of the people!?
:: But if your condition worsens...
:::Fu Xuan: My fortune is fluctuating between the marsh and heaven trigrams — I can avert disaster by being decisive. So stop talking to me and distracting me!
:::Fu Xuan: I'll focus on keeping my sanity. The rest is up to you.
: Is that smoke really safe though?
::Fu Xuan: Do you not trust me?
::Fu Xuan: *coughing* ...If I told you I wasn't certain, would you turn back on the spot?
:: You don't have the slightest clue, do you?
:::Fu Xuan: Nonsense! I'm very certain! One-hundred percent!
:: Do a divination.
:::Fu Xuan: No need. Aside from divinations and calculations, my instincts are accurate too!
::Fu Xuan: ...Though I'm sure a little reassurance wouldn't hurt. You don't know what being mara-struck actually means, do you?
::Fu Xuan: The healers believe that the mara-struck condition is related to memories. Unsurprisingly, long-life species have long lifespans, but there is a limit to the brain's capacity.
::Fu Xuan: After centuries and millennia, a long-life species' emotional threshold becomes higher and higher. Simultaneously, their memories fade and become dull under the erosion of time, leaving behind only the most extreme and vivid recollections, which are almost guaranteed to be memories full of anguish and regret...
::Fu Xuan: Do you understand now? The fate of all long-life species is to no longer feel joy and happiness, left only with hatred and regret etched into the heart. Under such extreme conditions, a person's ego starts to crumble... and that is the beginning of the mara-struck condition.
::Fu Xuan: Short-life species don't need to worry about this. Feel better?
::March 7th: Phew, I do — I never had memories to begin with.
::Fu Xuan: ...No, you still don't understand. The condition isn't caused by memories, but by the emotional threshold having been... Never mind. You can regard it as a memory issue.
: How large are the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus's forces?
::Fu Xuan: Only a handful of converted alchemists and healers. They can drive fantastic creatures into battle and strengthen their bodies with medicinal pellets... but they are no match for the Cloud Knights. That's why they decided to spread this demonic vapor.
::Fu Xuan: There is a gulf in strength between us, yet still they emerged into the open and rebelled. Something isn't right. They must be waiting for some shift in fortune...
: I'll leave you to it.
:Fu Xuan: I will come at once when the crucibles are doused and the smoke dissipates.
----
:March 7th: *sigh* I feel like... even though long-life species get to live forever...
:March 7th: ...they aren't so different from us short-life species when it comes to worries and suffering.
;(After riding down the lift)
:March 7th: Wait, Miss Tingyun, why are you still here!? You're too close to the crucible!
:Tingyun: Thank you for the concern, but I'm fine~ The general commanded me to stay with you — I dare not go against military orders.
:Welt: Your life is more important, Miss Tingyun. Go back, we can explain to the general.
:Tingyun: Hehe, there's really no need — I've spent my years traveling the universe! Not to mention, I'm younger and stronger than I look.
:Tingyun: Even you benefactors have probably lived longer than me.
----
;(Interact with first crucible)
: Investigate
:The crucible gradually stops shaking, and the smoke slowly ceases to pour out.
:March 7th: Seems like the smoke is getting thinner...
:Welt: Not thin enough. We need to hurry.
;(Interact with second crucible when it's already turned off)
: Investigate
:The crucible starts to shake, and smoke emits out of the cold elixir crucible.
:March 7th: T—Turn it off! (Trailblazer), why did you turn it on!?
: Investigate
;(Turns off second crucible)
;(Interact with second crucible again)
: Investigate
:The talismans on the elixir cauldron are dark and inactive. The elixir crucible lies silent.
:Curiously, you put your hand on an ancient engraving. The crucible begins to shake and smoke rises up towards the sky.
:March 7th: Are you doing this on purpose!?
: Investigate
;(Turns off second crucible again)
;(Interact with third crucible)
: Investigate
;(If attempting to leave to the north without turning off all the crucibles)
:March 7th: Wait, we still haven't doused the burners!
===Head to the Aureate Elixir Furnace and face the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus===
;(After all three crucibles are turned off)
:March 7th: Yay, we did it! Can't see the smoke anymore.
:Fu Xuan: E—Excellent. I'll lead my troops to the rendezvous.
----
;(Approach designated spot)
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: So you succeeded in dousing the elixir cauldrons...
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: Unimportant. The inevitable is already upon us.
:Fu Xuan: Dan Shu... it's you.
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: I have met you before in my capacity as chief alchemist, master diviner... You don't seem surprised.
:Fu Xuan: Indeed. The general and I knew that the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus must be hiding in the Alchemy Commission. However, without evidence, we couldn't bring charges before the commissions. We had to wait for you to show yourselves...
:Fu Xuan: ...and now, your charges are many. Drawing Stellaron spirits into the Xianzhou, resurrecting the Ambrosial Arbor, striking down our people with mara... The Ten-Lords Commission will address these transgressions during your reckoning.
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: Crimes? If I am guilty, then all of our Xianzhou ancestors are also guilty! They were the ones who accepted the blessings of the Abundance and turned their descendants into long-life species...
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus are only walking on the road our ancestors once took. How is it a crime to seek ascendance?
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: In days of old, the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor enveloped the Xianzhou Luofu like a living creature. We controlled the stellar seas and none could stand in our way. Everyone could become a celestial and shift form at will. Divine miracles descended onto all nine Xianzhou ships. What a glorious time that was...
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: How far the Xianzhou has fallen! We consent to be commanded by the Devilish Archer, suffer continuously at the hands of the Denizens of Abundance, and the Ten-Lords Commission even forces us to give up our immortality...
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: How pitiful! I do not blame you for your ignorance — we were not born in the era when the Ambrosial Arbor first descended, nor did we witness its miracles. But now we now have an opportunity to restore the ancient laws...
:Fu Xuan: Hmph... Forgive me for thinking you might have harbored some profound enlightment. Yours is the same old talk of those who seek power... and give up on their humanity.
:Fu Xuan: Our Xianzhou ancestors fought side by side with the Arbiter, laid waste to the Arbor, and established the Ten-Lords Commission to lay down the lines between life and death... In doing so, we enshrined our future as human beings.
:Fu Xuan: Celestials? There are no celestials on the Xianzhou. The "divine miracles" of the Abundance, the manipulation of life and death... Your deeds are nothing but evil!
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: I have nothing to say to you, Master diviner — you have already made your decision. You have discarded power... a most foolish choice.
----
;(Begin battle against , , )
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: Master Diviner, allow me to show you what the celestials were capable of.
;(Wave 2: , , )
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: Merciful Medicus, hear my call!
;(Upon defeating Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus)
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: Why... why? She said...
----
;(After the fight)
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: The Ambrosial Arbor's descent... will bring us undying bodies...
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: The one who gave us the Stellaron... said that...
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: Phantylia... the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have fulfilled our promise...
:Master of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus: You, Lord Ravager, must do the same... Now! Quickly!
:Tingyun: Tsk, tsk, little pawn, must you force me to intervene directly? I'm loath to flout my philosophy of destruction.
:Tingyun: Never mind. It would seem the time has come for other means of dismantling the Xianzhou from within...
----
;(Cutscene plays)
::Tingyun: What a shame...
::Tingyun: It would've been nice to observe for a little longer...
::Tingyun: You received the gift of Abundance...
::Tingyun?: ...surely you can withstand the blessing...
::???: ...of Destruction.
::March 7th: Miss Tingyun!
::???: Benefactors...
::???: ...allow me to reintroduce myself...
;(Cutscene ends)
----
;(Begin battle against , )
:???: I am Lord Ravager Phantylia.
:Phantylia: I have come with a single purpose: to set in motion the self-destruction of the Xianzhou!
:March 7th: Miss Tingyun... is a Lord Ravager of the Antimatter Legion!? But— How can that be?
:Fu Xuan: Keep calm, all of you! This is a formidable enemy — we have to stay together!
;(Wave 2: , , )
;(Wave 3: , , )
:Phantylia: You are fortunate that Zephyro and Celenova never set their gaze upon the Xianzhou.
:Phantylia: They have no qualms about dealing out destruction by their own hand...
:Phantylia: But since that stubborn general of yours has forced me to take center stage, I'll make sure I steal the show.
:Phantylia: Haha... My apologies for leaving so soon, but I have an appointment to keep. I'm sure my friends here will be happy to entertain you...
----
;(After the fight)
:March 7th: W—Wait, hold on a second — are you really saying that Miss Tingyun was a member of the Antimatter Legion all along?
:March 7th: And what was that fire that came out of her? And her body — where did it go?
:March 7th: Mr. Yang, you're smart. What happened just now!?
: Mr. Yang
: ...
:Welt: ...
:Welt: The flame we witnessed claimed to be Lord Ravager Phantylia — a name I've heard other Nameless speak of in the past.
:Welt: She's one of seven Lord Ravagers who serve Nanook... and finds pleasure in witnessing the self-destruction of mortals. She's led countless souls down a dark and hopeless path.
:Fu Xuan: ...Meaning that Tingyun had long since fallen under the Lord Ravager's influence?
:Welt: I don't believe so. Phantylia revels in watching a corrupted mind eating away its host from inside out, until the obliteration of both is achieved.
:Welt: But there was no indication that Tingyun had been misguided or manipulated... It's possible that the Tingyun we knew wasn't her true self, but an image Phantylia devised to serve her own purposes.
: That is to say, Tingyun...
: ...
:March 7th: You're saying that the real Tingyun is still...
:Welt: I'm sorry March, I can't say with any certainty where the real Tingyun may be, or at what point she was replaced by the impostor. Without knowing where the body vanished to, it'll be tough to get an answer.
:Welt: At this point, it's all just conjecture and hope. But if that body belonged to the real Tingyun, it does raise the question of why Phantylia would go to such lengths to destroy any evidence of her. Wouldn't it be more in line with her destructive nature to leave Tingyun's remains behind as a display of power?
:Welt: I believe this to be Phantylia's goal — to sow seeds of doubt among us and ensnare us in a malevolent trap.
:Fu Xuan: It's clear that the sudden resurgence of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus is all connected to the Lord Ravager. Pretending to be a Xianzhou citizen, planting a Stellaron on the Luofu — all part of her plan to bring about our self-destruction.
:Fu Xuan: Phantylia is aiming for the Ambrosial Arbor! If she succeeds, the Luofu will be deprived of its roots, making its destruction all too easy. We must stop her!
===Take the starskiff and enter Scalegorge Waterscape===
:Fu Xuan: We need to take a starskiff to Scalegorge Waterscape — the Ambrosial Arbor can be sealed from that delve.
:Fu Xuan: (Trailblazer), let's make haste.
----
;(Talk to Fu Xuan)
:Fu Xuan: That impostor had the audacity to carry out her nefarious plans right under our noses... How utterly despicable.
:Fu Xuan: What worries me more is... just how many more Antimatter saboteurs are at large?
: About Tingyun...
::March 7th: It all happened so suddenly... but looking back, I think Mr. Yang was right. Tingyun was behaving strangely — she was fascinated with the Abundance's creations.
::Fu Xuan: Since she was an amicassador dispatched by the Sky-Faring Commission, it's evident that there must indeed be a person with her name in the Commission. We'll have to let the Cloud Knights get to the bottom of what happened to the real Tingyun.
::Fu Xuan: As for the "Tingyun" who accompanied us all that way, it's like what Mr. Yang said — her appearance was designed to sow seeds of doubt among us... we cannot allow ourselves to fall into her trap.
: About Scalegorge Waterscape...
::Fu Xuan: It is a delve governed by the Vidyadhara — supposedly an ancient oceanic region transferred from the Vidyadhara home planet.
::Fu Xuan: After the Ambrosial Arbor was broken in two during the war, its roots were left gnarled and broken... yet it never died.
::Fu Xuan: The Alliance decided to seal the Arbor within Scalegorge Waterscape, entrust it to the high elders of the Vidyadhara, and rely on the power of Long's Scions to constrain it.
::Fu Xuan: It has been so long — no one knows whether the seal remains... Even if it does, I doubt it will hinder that spectral Lord Ravager.
: Where is Jing Yuan?
::Fu Xuan: I've reported the current situation to the Seat of Divine Foresight.
::Fu Xuan: He made no further contact after we communicated at the Matrix of Prescience. He said he had "important matters to personally attend to."
::Fu Xuan: The situation stands on the edge of a precipice. We must trust in the general...
: Time is of the essence. Let's go.
:;(Begin Dragon Mislay, Dreams Astray)
: (Stay here for now.)
::Fu Xuan: Why are we still here? Things will change if we tarry too long.
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
==Navigation==