Half a minute later, Feifei glanced toward the spot where Xia Li had disappeared, looking thoughtful. "I feel like I've seen this scene somewhere before. But Xia Li's escape was so beautiful, I didn't dare look. You'd think seeing it once would make it impossible to forget."
The High Priest Norddos slowly dispelled the prismatic shield before him. He gazed toward the spot where Xia Li had vanished, his eyes deep and unreadable. Then he looked back at Feifei and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "How decisive. That ability to assess the situation—just as one would expect of..."
"I get the feeling you're overthinking things again," Feifei interrupted. "That was just her survival instinct. As an ally, Xia Li has already done everything she needed to. As an avenger, she's perfectly entitled to make a more rational choice, too. Though she was a little too rational. She should've stayed with me and taken you out first."
The High Priest looked wistful. "All right. I hope she stays safe."
He seemed to have completely forgotten that he'd been about to turn the poor girl into material for an upgrade.
"Only by falling completely into this old man's hands can she seek the possibility of taking another step forward amid the myriad causal threads that spring into being in an instant. That is the true meaning of 'exploration.' If she cannot die by my hand, then I would rather she live a peaceful life. Count Salvin was a great man, who made immense contributions to the welfare of the entire universe and human civilization. His daughter with Her Highness Princess Mesena deserves a peaceful future."
The old star-seer sighed again. "But would she want that?"
Feifei asked curiously, "Princess Mesena? Who's that?"
She sounded like an important member