Listening to the strangely rhythmic praise, as though it had been rehearsed, Yan Huan raised his brow again.
"Did they always talk with this much rhyme?"
Laigushi explained:
"Of course not."
"This is merely an idealized scene polished by Hylektra. As you know, my lord, everything before your eyes is ultimately nothing more than a carefully woven illusory feast..."
As the feast continued, the scene quietly shifted, and Yan Huan arrived at a grand pavilion with lavish decorations and an expansive view.
Kryudera, Hysilens, and several of the legion's core commanders and elders had all gathered there.
Hysilens slightly turned her head and looked directly toward where Yan Huan stood.
"On the day before our expedition... we sang hymns just like this, filled with boundless anticipation as we prepared to set sail for that unknown sea of stars..."
"The vast legion boarded that steel behemoth and drifted toward every corner of the universe, as obediently as if carried by ocean currents."
"Crown banners were planted upon unfamiliar planets, while the flames of war we kindled illuminated one tranquil territory after another."
"As the last trace of resistance among the stars fell silent, an unprecedentedly vast empire rose among the constellations."
"—And this pond finally welcomed its prosperity and peace."
"This was the ending of the entire story."
Her gaze settled on Yan Huan as she softly asked:
"Spectator who has entered this place... do you like this ending?"
Faced with Hysilens's question, Yan Huan scratched his head.
"It does sound pretty good... though it feels a little too artistic."
"Is that so..." Hysilens murmured thoughtfully.
Then she slowly turned around and looked at her companions in the pavilion, their faces serene, as though frozen in the instant of victory.
"After all... beneath that seemingly tranquil and peaceful pond lay layers