Star Odyssey

Chapter 4138: Cauldron

If a powerful civilization truly wanted to find the Tricolor Skyborne, they would find a way. Even so, having a general direction would save them a great deal of time.

Of course, even if they saved some time, actually locating the snails could still take centuries or even millennia if the searchers’ luck was poor. Still, such spans of time were not considered long for civilizations that roamed the Aevum Inch.

Lu Yin looked at a stone in his hand. Some other creature had carved, ‘How deep is your grudge? After throwing out hundreds of copies of these coordinates, now everyone in this Thread of Heaven knows the location of those Tricolor Skyborne. Despicable.’

Lu Yin tossed the stone and picked up another. ‘Tricolor Skyborne? Sounds domineering. They’re probably trouble. Best not to provoke them.’

‘I hate names that swagger like that. Tell us what these Tricolor Skyborne can do. Don’t just throw out coordinates...’

Lu Yin and Mu Zhu frantically flung out stones with the Tricolor Skyborne's coordinates, stirring up a commotion in the Thread of Heaven. The place had previously been almost dead silent. Stones had only occasionally been collected or tossed out, but at this moment, the entire place buzzed with discussions about the giant snails.

Lu Yin believed that most of the creatures in the Thread of Heaven must have already seen one of the stones with the coordinates.

Greater Sancte Blood Tower had remained in the Thread of Heaven for more than a decade. During that time, he had read every stone that had been tossed out. No new creatures had arrived since then, and the place had only grown more silent after his departure.

For some beings, it was normal to remain in a Thread of Heaven for one or two thousand years.

“Junior Brother, someone is cursing you,” Mu Zhu commented while lifting a stone that was covered with insults and crude faces.

Lu Yin shook his head. “Their civilization’s coordinates were probably sold before, and they’re just venting on me.”

Right as Mu Zhu was about to toss the stone aside, Lu Yin said, “Give it here.”

Mu Zhu watched in utter speechlessness as he carved, ‘Serves you right.’

Then he threw the stone out.

Mu Zhu could not hold back her laugh. Was there any point in such actions?

She suddenly remembered just how young Lu Yin was. He was no more than a few centuries old. To those like Mu Zhu, he was essentially a child.

Even so, the “child” carried the burden of an entire civilization and had already experienced more than most ever would.

Mu Zhu looked at him with pity. “Junior Brother, here’s another batch of insults. Would you like to reply?”

“That’s a waste of time.”

“...”

Lu Yin suddenly thought of something: while the Tricolor Skyborne were not a well-known species, what if he threw out something about the Seven-Treasure Anura themselves? Would anyone recognize that species?

He immediately acted on that impulse, drawing a picture of Astral Anura on a stone and tossing it out.

He then grabbed another stone to read, and his eyes immediately narrowed. “Senior sister.”

Mu Zhu looked over and saw a character carved on the stone: ‘Cauldron (鼎).’

Cauldron.

What does that mean? Lu Yin immediately thought of the Ninesuns Cauldron Transformation, which was Mister Mu’s ultimate technique.

Mu Zhu’s thoughts matched his own, and she looked up to meet Lu Yin’s eyes. “That is very likely it.”

Lu Yin clenched the stone tightly. After thinking for a moment, he wrote ‘Cauldron (鼎)’ on the same stone beneath the original character and threw it back out.

He watched the stone get grabbed, though it was impossible to tell where it was taken.

He looked for the stone that he had drawn Astral Anura’s picture on, only to find that it was also gone. Someone had taken it.

There were countless stones on the surface of the upper jaw; they were as numerous as the stars. Even if no more were added, it would take a long time to read through every one already there.

Most were useless.

Lu Yin solely focused on the locations where the two stones had appeared, as he wanted to prevent anyone else from snagging the stones before him.

The rest were left for Mu Zhu to peruse.

Before long, the Astral Anura stone appeared again. Lu Yin hurriedly snatched it up and looked: ‘My dear father!’

What is this?

Beneath the sketch of Astral Anura were only those words. ‘My dear father!’

Was someone in the Thread of Heaven trying to claim kinship to Astral Anura? For them to call the toad their dear father, could there be one of the Seven-Treasures Astral Anuras present? No, that was impossible. If one were present, why would they call Astral Anura their father?

Humans were able to recognize individual faces, and there was no doubt that the Seven-Treasure Anuras could do the same within their species. If the one writing on the stone was one of those toads, they would never have made such a mistake.

If it’s not one of the toads, then who are they calling father?

Instinctively, Lu Yin checked the universal script written on the walls of their chamber, just to reconfirm that the stone really did say, ‘My dear father!’

“What is it?” Mu Zhu asked.

“Nothing.” Unsure of how to respond, Lu Yin drew two question marks and tossed the stone back out.

The cauldron stone reappeared. Lu Yin grabbed it and found another cauldron (鼎) character had been added, which made for a total of three. He wrote a fourth and threw it back out.

He glanced up and saw that the Astral Anura stone had reappeared. That was a fast reply.

He picked it up and read, ‘I’m your son, my dear father!’

Lu Yin’s face twitched. You’re the son. Wait, no.

The other party had already demeaned themselves. He could not even insult them.

Strangely, his curiosity about the one corresponding with him through the stone had started to outweigh his interest in the one where they were writing cauldron (鼎).

After thinking for a moment, Lu Yin wrote, ‘I don’t believe you.’ Then, he tossed the stone back out.

The cauldron stone had returned. As expected, there was another cauldron character, so Lu Yin immediately wrote a sixth and sent it back.

It was snatched the moment the stone stuck to the upper jaw.

Someone’s in quite a hurry.

The Astral Anura stone was sent back next, so Lu Yin grabbed it and read, ‘Blood ties can’t be severed. Be brave and admit it, my dear father.’

Lu Yin’s eye twitched. He wrote, ‘I’m not a toad!’

He tossed it.

Elsewhere, the cauldron stone had reappeared, but while Lu Yin hurried to grab it, someone else got to it first. He instinctively wanted to steal it but forced himself to hold back. He could not break the rules. He needed to wait. The other individual would throw it back out.

Sure enough, the stone soon reappeared, and Lu Yin raced to grab it.

Meanwhile, in another tooth, a pair of eyes were glued to the stone as it was taken. The creature also reflexively wanted to steal the stone, believing that a third party had interfered, yet they also managed to restrain themselves. A cold silver gleam flickered in their eyes.

Lu Yin retrieved the stone and saw that a seventh cauldron character had been carved beneath his sixth, but under that, there was a line of text. ‘Are you two sick?’

Lu Yin ignored the message and simply wrote an eighth character before throwing the stone out.

“Junior Brother, you’re quite busy,” Mu Zhu muttered in a daze. She had found little useful information despite spending so long reading through the stones.

“Senior Sister, don’t just read. Write something to toss out. It might help,” Lu Yin suggested.

Mu Zhu hesitated. “What should I write?”

“Nest.”

Mu Zhu nodded and began writing.

The Astral Anura stone reappeared. Worried that it might get snatched by a third party, Lu Yin immediately took it. ‘Of course we’re not toads! We are noble Seven-Treasures Astral Anuras!’

That caused the corner of Lu Yin’s mouth to rise. Interesting.

His counterpart was aware of the Seven-Treasure Anuras. Could it actually be one? Is it possible that the toads can’t actually recognize each other?

Whatever the case, recognizing Seven-Treasure Anuras had already made the exchange a valuable one. Lu Yin needed to stop being reckless with what he wrote. Right at that moment, the cauldron stone returned, and Lu Yin hurried to take it.

Still, he first wrote a message on the Astral Anura stone. ‘Good child.’

He tossed it out.

He then directed his attention to the cauldron stone. A ninth cauldron character had been written.

Nine cauldrons. Lu Yin just stared for a moment. Finally, he wrote a single period and threw the stone.

Every stone that he threw out was taken. He did not know if they had been snagged by the creatures that he had been communicating with, but he found himself a bit worried for them.

In one tooth, eyes that gleamed with silver stared at a stone. Nine cauldrons, nine!

The silver in those eyes grew colder. “I hope that it is you. Do not disappoint me, or else I will flay you alive!”

From the moment that they had entered the Thread of Heaven, the creature had tested every being there. Some had continued to write cauldron characters in response out of pure boredom. Their patience had reached the limit.

Those who toy with the Hui-Silver Sky Army will pay a gruesome price!

Lu Yin stared at the surface of the upper jaw, snatching the stones as they appeared. They both appeared at once this time.

He checked the Astral Anura stone first. It read, ‘Good Daddy.’

Lu Yin casually wrote ‘Good child’ and tossed it back.

He then solemnly turned to look at the cauldron stone, only to be met with a drawing of a person. There was no mistake, it was clearly Mister Mu.

He let out a breath. He had found their target, just as expected.

Even though Lu Yin had been almost certain that Greater Sancti Blood Tower and Green Lotus would not lie to him, seeing actual proof that some being was seeking Mister Mu left Lu Yin speechless. More importantly, they were in the same Thread of Heaven as him. They were so close, yet unable to meet.

Lu Yin had found the answer that he had been seeking, and yet he could not take anything back to human civilization. They could not endure any additional burdens.

“Senior Sister.”

Mu Zhu glanced over. The moment that she saw Mister Mu’s picture, her face darkened. “What do you intend to do?”

Lu Yin thought for a moment, inscribed a cauldron beneath the image of Mister Mu, and then threw the stone out.

At that moment, the Astral Anura stone reappeared, but Lu Yin was a heartbeat too late. Someone else had grabbed it first.

“Junior Brother, don’t expose our human civilization,” Mu Zhu warned.

Lu Yin nodded. “Humanity can’t handle any more powerful enemies right now. I’m just going to try to get some information. If I can learn the location of your megaverse, that would be the best outcome.”

Mu Zhu’s eyes grew distant. The location... of home.... Though it’s no longer home.

“I couldn’t speak about this in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, but you should know about it now. Even if Master learns that I told you, he won’t blame me.” Mu Zhu directed an intent stare at Lu Yin. “Do you know why Master was able to seriously wound Hui?”

“Wasn’t it because, like me, he was able to unite with the will of your megaverse?” Lu Yin asked in confusion.

Mu Zhu nodded. “Yes, Master was able to merge with the will of our megaverse, but that alone would have never been enough to wound Hui so gravely. What truly injured Hui—and what allowed us to escape across such a vast distance to the Tianyuan—was a mirebound artifact, the most powerful one I’ve known of: a cauldron.”

Lu Yin stared at her. The strongest mirebound artifact that she knew of?

Mu Zhu was no ordinary person. She was Mister Mu’s first disciple, which meant that she had enjoyed one of the highest statuses of anyone in their native megaverse, given that Mister Mu had been the most powerful being in that megaverse. She had probably seen at least as many mirebound artifacts as Lu Yin himself.

The strongest mirebound artifact she knew of: a cauldron.

“That cauldron was the greatest treasure of our megaverse. It allowed Master to merge with the will of the megaverse. The Ninesuns Cauldron Transformation was created in its image.” She stared at Lu Yin. “Junior Brother, your ability to merge with the Tianyuan must have some connection to the Ninesuns Cauldron Transformation. Others don’t know about that, and it’s possible that even you don’t, but I do.”

Lu Yin’s mind raced. Everyone believed that he had managed to merge with the Tianyuan due to the sacrifices that he had made for the megaverse. He had guided humanity through multiple trials, led them towards goodness, and earned the recognition of the megaverse.

Even Lu Yin had believed that to be true, but he honestly did not know how exactly he had managed to achieve that recognition.

It had felt natural, much like water flowing into its proper place.

Could this be what Master meant when he said to wait for the moment to use the Ninesuns Cauldron Transformation?