Cyrene, I'm Coming...

Just now, aside from the memories of Amphoreus,

there were also many memories of his journey aboard the Astral Express.

Those memories were incredibly vivid.

Because he remembered every detail with perfect clarity.

And because of that, he finally remembered something.

"Why did I come to the Douluo world?"

The final part of his memories took place aboard the train.

At the time, he had been holding As I Wrote, sitting by the window in the observation car, staring blankly at the enormous Pink Nebula outside.

Although Amphoreus had embraced a brand-new future, those Flame-Chaser heroes had not, as he had wished, been reborn into reality.

Cyrene had used her own causal ties to the River of Souls to journey into the past.

But what could he do?

Wait? Wait for Amphoreus to become a truly real world, then let them truly descend into it?

Not to mention that it would take who knew how many Amber Eras—he could not wait that long.

Even if he could, Cyrene would not be able to return.

This was an eternal pain in his heart.

He was utterly unwilling to accept it.

He could not accept her remaining in the past like that, nor could he accept that their ending was all they had.

They deserved a more perfect ending...

"Do you want to change all of this?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out in his mind.

Ye Qiong abruptly raised his head, his face immediately filling with vigilance. "Who?"

"I can give you an opportunity."

Ye Qiong frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"You can travel to an entirely new world. That world exists upon a newborn branch of the Imaginary Tree. There, you can begin again and eventually bring them all back."

Hearing this, Ye Qiong pondered for a moment, then his gaze sharpened.

"What is the price?"

At those words, the voice gave a soft chuckle.

"The price? We can discuss that once you succeed. When the time comes, I will personally come to collect it."

This time, Ye Qiong frowned and pondered for quite a while. Only after finally snapping back to himself did he slowly speak.

"How do I get to that world?"

"I will give you a system. It will guide you at critical moments and assist you in completing your reincarnation.

"But remember, the system is only a tool. Do not expect it to walk the path for you."

Ye Qiong pressed further.

"What about Cyrene? Can she come back too?"

"She can. As long as you find a way, you can free her from that causal line."

Ye Qiong nodded. "Alright, I agree."

The instant he agreed, a ray of light burrowed into his forehead.

"This is your system. After arriving in that world, it may take some time before it can be activated. Once that happens, you will be able to fulfill your wish."

After saying that, the voice finally vanished.

After confirming that the owner of the voice was gone, Ye Qiong wrote a letter to the Astral Express crew.

He left the letter on the table, then resolutely stepped into that light.

Then, when he opened his eyes again, he had become a child taken home by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

His memories ended there.

Ye Qiong raised his head and looked toward the sky.

"System."

There was no response.

He called out again. "System."

This time, a cold notification sounded in his mind.

[Host, I am here.]

Ye Qiong tugged at the corner of his mouth, then stood and dusted off his clothes.

"I have a question. Cyrene... where is she now?"

After his words fell, the system remained silent for a full two seconds.

Then, the cold electronic voice was replaced by a clear voice.

That voice was exactly the same as the mysterious person who had made a deal with him back then.

"When you ask this, it means you have touched upon the core and awakened all your memories. I have left behind a message here. I can answer every question you are about to ask."

Ye Qiong's heart jolted when he heard that.

So this was merely a recording the man had stored in the system beforehand.

But who exactly was this person?

How could he so precisely predict every critical juncture Ye Qiong would encounter?

Was he an old acquaintance from the train, or an existence from a higher dimension?

Perhaps even...

But the voice clearly gave him little time to think, continuing to play.

[Cyrene is currently within this secret realm. At this moment, she is looping along the causal line of the Iron Curtain. Although you can take her away right now, you need to consider the consequences of doing so.]

The consequences of doing so?

Ye Qiong fell into hesitation.

The consequence would be nothing more than the Iron Curtain's resurgence, bringing a tragic destruction upon this world.

But...

Her smile appeared in Ye Qiong's mind once more.

Forgive me, Cyrene. I really am such a selfish person.

"What should I do to free her from this causality?"

Ye Qiong's gaze became resolute.

The mysterious person fell silent for a moment before continuing.

[There is only one way: use supreme power to personally separate her from the causal line.]

Ye Qiong asked, "How exactly?"

[Once you reach the Imaginary Tree, I will be able to grant you the temporary power to rewrite causality. At that time, you can sever her from the Iron Tomb's entanglement on the causal level.]

Ye Qiong fell silent for a moment, as though recalling something.

Only after a long while did he slowly ask, "The Imaginary Tree? Can the world of Douluo Continent really come into contact with something like that?"

[This world was born upon a newborn branch of the Imaginary Tree because of you. And you, as its cause, will be able to find the path to the tree as long as you become powerful enough.]

Ye Qiong was utterly shocked.

This world had actually come into existence because of him, a transmigrator?

"Then how do I take her away?"

[She has already become a Seed of Remembrance, hidden within this secret realm. If you find her, she will become your second martial soul, Mimi.]

"A martial soul... turning her back into Mimi?"

Ye Qiong was startled.

If that was truly the case...

Ye Qiong took a deep breath.

"Then what is the price?"

Although he knew what the price was, he still wanted to ask clearly.

The mysterious person paused, and then his voice grew several shades deeper.

[As previously written, the consequence of doing so is that the Iron Tomb will emerge from As I Wrote and pursue the world where you and Cyrene reside. However, it cannot enter Douluo Continent for the time being. It will be blocked beyond this world's Tidal Rift.]

Ye Qiong frowned. "Tidal Rift?"

Upon hearing that term, Ye Qiong remembered the Tidal Zone mentioned by the two Dragon Kings earlier.

Could the two be the same thing?

Could the other end of that sealed rift truly be the world of Honkai Star Rail?

As he thought this, the mysterious person quickly gave him an answer.

[It is the intermediary region between the Douluo world and the world of Honkai Star Rail. There is no Path of Destruction there, so the Iron Tomb's program cannot function normally. However, driven by instinct, it will continue searching for ways to invade this world.]

Ye Qiong sucked in a cold breath, trying his best to calm himself.

"So how will the Iron Curtain invade?"

[It will attempt to corrupt this world's key nodes, transforming some things within it into Black Tide Creations and turning them into its vanguard on Douluo Continent.]

Ye Qiong's brow furrowed even deeper.

"Black Tide Creations?!"

Damn it, I already hid in Douluo Continent, and the Black Tide is still chasing me?

[Yes. This world has its own "protagonist" and "fate line." The Iron Tomb will attempt to alter them, while the Black Tide will seep into this continent and corrupt all living beings.]

Hearing this, countless faces immediately surfaced in Ye Qiong's mind.

Once the Iron Tomb succeeded, this world upon the newborn branch would likely be completely devoured by the Black Tide and headed toward destruction.

Ye Qiong gritted his teeth.

"Since I have made my decision, I must get ahead of it and stop every tragic future."

[Precisely. Before the Iron Tomb, you need to gather sufficient power, including assembling all the Chrysos Heirs and having them grow alongside you. In the end, you will ascend the Imaginary Tree and rewrite everything.]

Ye Qiong clenched his fist. "I understand."

He raised his head and looked toward the distant sea of wheat, dyed gold by the sunlight.

"Cyrene, I'm coming..."

"This time, no one will ever take her away from my side again."