I've Been Watching... (cont.)

She spoke, quietly uttering a question.

The Old Celestial Master exhaled a long breath amidst this questioning.

She looked at Maria in front of her, hesitated for a moment, and then took out an unused scroll from her pocket.

Beside her, the inkstone began to grind itself, while the Old Celestial Master simply laid the paper out in front of Maria and handed her the brush.

"Please... write your name here..."

The Old Celestial Master spoke slowly, but his demeanor was completely different from the relaxed and natural one he had been just moments before; on the contrary, it was stiff and somewhat frightening.

This made several people present frown.

What's wrong with the Old Celestial Master?

Unable to hide her feelings, Nian was the first to ask a question.

"What's wrong with you? Why do you need Maria to sign?"

Nian had some understanding of the Old Celestial Master, knowing what kind of old devil was hidden beneath that youthful appearance.

But she couldn't understand why Maria was suddenly being asked to write her name on a blank sheet of paper...

What's the point of this?

For most people, this situation would likely be bad, but... were there any ordinary people among those present?

The leader of the Great Yan Celestial Master, a family of Beast Fragments, the sovereign of the Banshees, and Maria, whose identity is mysterious but definitely extraordinary.

What's the point of such behavior?

"... For no reason."

The Old Celestial Master's slightly stiff body moved almost imperceptibly, glancing at Nian before turning back to Maria's face with uninterest.

Her eyes were fixed on the woman before her, as if she wanted to imprint her image completely in her mind.

The fact that its eyes remained fixed on the ground was somewhat unsettling to behold.

However, in the end, considering everyone's feelings, she reluctantly added a sentence.

"It's not official business..."

"Isn't it official business?"

The Old Celestial Master's strange state only made Nian and the others more uneasy.

But Maria appeared very calm.

She was like a stern teacher, slowly scanning the girl in front of her. After seeing the girl's intensely expectant eyes, she paused for a few moments, then silently picked up the brush beside her, slowly dipped it in ink, and began to write.

Soon, a strange string of characters appeared before everyone's eyes.

Now, the others were puzzled.

Because they were certain that the script Maria was writing was not one of the scripts they were familiar with; on the contrary, the unique, flowing cursive script gave them a different feeling.

Yet it was this very script that made the Old Celestial Master treasure it as if he had found a precious gem. His hands trembled slightly as he placed the scroll aside to dry.

She herself looked at Maria in front of her with excitement.

His intense excitement was palpable.

At this moment, she no longer displayed any dangerous qualities.

Their excited, flushed faces reminded everyone of another group of people...

Those devout followers before the temple statues...

The Old Celestial Master... follows... Maria?!

Ah?!

Suddenly, I felt like my brain wasn't working properly.

This news was tantamount to someone suddenly telling her that her eldest brother wasn't actually her eldest brother, but rather the mother of all her people...

It's so bizarre that it's almost incomprehensible to most people.

After all, even with her cynical attitude, she understood the important position of the Old Celestial Master within the entire Great Yan Dynasty.

It can be said that the title of "Old Celestial Master" was given to other people because they had worked within the Great Yan Dynasty for a long time, and the title of "Old Celestial Master" was a sign of respect for their wisdom, abilities, and beliefs.

But... under these circumstances, only the person before us deserves the title of "Old Celestial Master"!

At least in Nian's memory, these women already existed and held important positions before they arrived.

Its value is self-evident!

Moreover, the Old Celestial Master had interacted with the Sui Family members quite a bit in front of them, sometimes guiding them, sometimes opposing them... But no matter what, regardless of winning or losing, the Old Celestial Master was always able to escape unscathed.

This already demonstrates her outstanding abilities.

But this same woman, in front of Maria, actually displayed the feelings of a fanatical follower?

Is this some kind of joke?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that his brain might really be getting a little fuzzy from hunger.

Why would a dignified Old Celestial Master care so much about such an ordinary Maria?

You must have mistaken me for someone else.

Nian pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.

She felt she was gradually uncovering the truth of the matter.

Can...

"It's been a long time..."

The Old Celestial Master's excited words interrupted Nian's reverie.

She stared intently at the woman who had finally returned to Hundred Stoves once again, the intense emotions causing her body to tremble slightly.

For thousands of years, Maria has never appeared again, but her story has not disappeared with her departure. On the contrary, as time goes by, more and more people begin to construct that great figure in their minds.

The Old Celestial Master, who had lived through that Counteroffensive Era, had an even deeper idol worship of Maria.

She had always dreamed of being able to speak with Maria face to face.

And now...

She finally had her chance...

"General!"

The Old Celestial Master whispered, his eyes seeming to gleam with some kind of fire!

"General?!"

But what the Old Celestial Master didn't expect was that after she addressed Maria in that way, the Sui Family and others beside her exclaimed in surprise.

General? What general?

Maria... a general of the Great Yan?

This doesn't make sense, does it?

Putting aside other things, as Beast Fragments the Great Yan Beast born and raised in the wild, they have never seen many female generals since their birth, and Maria... has seen even fewer.

How could someone like her be addressed as "General" by a powerful, Old Celestial Master?

Maria...

Everyone turned their heads again, looking at Maria's profile—young yet mature, with a touch of mystery and elegance—and their expressions became increasingly subtle.

At this moment, the Old Celestial Master looked at everyone present with a puzzled expression.

She had assumed that the general would be surrounded by people who knew his identity, or at the very least, people who had discovered some clues.

Can...

What is she hearing now?

Judging from Nian and Xi's reactions, they seem to be completely unaware of this matter.

"You... don't you know?"

The Old Celestial Master looked around at everyone and hesitantly asked a question.

That shouldn't be the case...

This is Exorcist General, isn't he?

In the Great Yan, there are still people who don't know her?

He was among the top ten best-selling toys in the Great Yan Dynasty for nearly a century, and his derivative works are too numerous to count. He is a top hero who has left his mark on history, the Exorcist General of Great Beast!

You're standing right next to the general, and you don't even know who he is?

"..."

No one spoke, or rather, they were all waiting for the Old Celestial Master to speak.

The Old Celestial Master did want to say something, but after seeing Maria's calm gaze, she hesitated for a moment before reverting to her usual carefree demeanor.

"It's okay if you don't know, it's not a big deal."

"Don't leave things unsaid, old woman."

Nian, who was standing to the side, twitched his eyebrows.

The Old Celestial Master's words, though seemingly unfinished, made her quite uncomfortable.

It's like a cat scratching your heart.

I feel extremely uncomfortable.

On the contrary, Shu, who was standing to the side, nodded after a few moments of silence.

She had known all along that Maria was Exorcist General's person, and had been mentally prepared for all sorts of things about Maria beforehand. So when she saw the Old Celestial Master's reaction, although she was surprised for a moment, she quickly accepted it.

However, what she was more curious about was the relationship between the Old Celestial Master and Maria.

"I never expected to see you again..."

The Old Celestial Master exhaled, silently turned his head, and looked at Maria.

In his eyes, besides awe, there was also a kind of inexplicable melancholy.

"You've probably forgotten me long ago..."

"... I will never forget any of you."

Maria shook her head slightly, paused for a few moments, and then continued, "The fact that you survived proves your uniqueness, and I've always remembered that."

Maria spoke calmly, but her words stirred the Old Celestial Master's emotions.

She stared wide-eyed at Maria, her face beaming with excitement, much like a young person who's been given a rosy promise by their boss but is still thrilled.

Of course, Maria wasn't just making empty promises... she genuinely remembered the woman before her.

In order to fight against the Great Beast, the Great Yan specially created a batch of powerful super soldiers made from a mixture of Great Beast Originium and other materials.

Although it came at the cost of their lives, these soldiers genuinely helped the Great Yan win the war.

However, Maria, who was not very supportive of the plan from the beginning, also kept an eye on all those involved in it.

Especially after the final battle, the Great Yan had very few of these Mixed-Breed Warriors left.

Maria also memorized them one by one, in case they changed in the future and she couldn't find them.

The Old Celestial Master before us was one of the few Mixed-Breed Warriors who survived the final battle.

Naturally, he also received special attention from Maria.

The Old Celestial Master was obviously aware of Maria's thoughts, but she also understood why Maria did it, so she wasn't angry. On the contrary, she was excited that Maria would remember her for so long.

Her young face was flushed.

At any other time, Maria might have spoken with the other person briefly, but clearly, this was not a good time.

After waiting for the other party's expectations to ease slightly, Maria immediately asked.

What you just said... has it been confirmed?

"Yes, General."