From inside the spaceship, Li Xingkong also learned the names of the two remaining members of the group that had come.
The witch, clearly in cat form, was named Shutra. She was the most skilled in magic in the entire mercenary group and a master of manipulating space.
The last tall man in black robes is an elf, usually called Old Yu. He is the strategist of the team and a knowledgeable scholar.
Although only four people came to the team, which seemed a bit rushed, the team composition was actually quite complete.
Perhaps, they wouldn't even need Li Xingkong to intervene; they could have easily dealt with the distress signal on their own.
That was Li Xingkong's original thought, but now that his clone had arrived and he had confirmed that the group's purpose was to provide assistance, leaving after only seeing the beginning of the matter was clearly not Li Xingkong's style.
Furthermore, since Xingci was able to become a noble in this constellation of the Constant Era, her strength must not be low. Logically speaking, she should have been able to escape the changes of the Constant Era no matter what.
After putting the items back in their original places, Li Xingkong once again transformed into Kuai Zi and withdrew from the spaceship.
The people whose Divine Sense had been locked onto hadn't moved long distances for a while, and Li Xingkong estimated that they had already reached their destination. It was time for him to go over there and take a look, and also secretly eavesdrop on the whole story.
Although he felt like he had gone from being a rescuer to a bystander, Li Xingkong still didn't jump out immediately.
After all, from any perspective, Li Xingkong was merely an unexpected participant, and if things proceeded smoothly, he indeed had no need to expose himself.
For the clones now, the only thing they can do is quietly observe how things develop. If there are things they can't handle, then they can lend a hand.
"This is my daughter, Xingxi."
When Li Xingkong arrived at the location located by his Divine Sense, Xingci and the others had already settled in a rather large castle.
The group was being entertained by Xingci in a reception room, while Xingci, holding a little girl's hand, pushed open the door and entered.
"The little girl is so cute, would you like to ride the spaceship?"
The aircraft Tataru rushed out and landed next to the little girl, who was about the same size as her and could fit inside perfectly.
Just as Tataru was about to jump out of the aircraft, she suddenly heard a snap of fingers, and then the little girl in front of her disappeared.
Looking back, the little girl was already in Shutra's arms, one hand constantly rubbing her chubby cheeks.
What are you doing? Let me play for a bit first.
Indeed, children are very attractive to women.
While Tataru and Shutra were playing with the children, Xingci sat down next to Albert.
" Albert, this matter is indeed somewhat troublesome. You should also know about the Axiom Arc's discussion of the Anomalies."
"The Age of Change, occurring every 5,000 years, is a major event in the Axiom Arc. Every planet under its jurisdiction, except for the constant star system, must participate; it is quite brutal."
Before Albert could speak, Old Yu was standing to the side, began to speak.
"That's right, this kind of thing is indeed commonplace for people who grew up in the Axiom Arc, but for us, it's quite cruel."
Xingci spoke, a hint of worry appeared on her face.
"What you may not know is that even the constant era of the Axiom Arc is not eternal. All constant galaxies need to ensure that their scientific output meets the requirements within these 5000 years, and that they are not outpaced by the surrounding galaxies of changing eras."
"But now, something's wrong with the continent we're on."
"The most important research on the galaxy was about to yield results when the person in charge suddenly fled, taking his findings with him to the nearby Arc-27 Star System."
"His defection has had a severe impact, causing our scientific output to be surpassed by the Arc-27 Star System. If we cannot find him before the Age of Change arrives, the entire galaxy will suffer annihilation."
After hearing Xingci's explanation, the general mission became clear: go to a nearby star system and bring the person back.
"Of course I'll help my friend out, I'll bring someone along..."
Albert was about to agree immediately when Old Yu interjected.
"However, given your current status, even if this galaxy transitions from a stable period back to a dynamic period, you should still be able to extricate yourself in time."
He didn't agree immediately; after all, it was a mission, and it was better to ask for more details.
"That's true for me, but..."
Xingci glanced at the little girl playing with Tataru, her eyes filled with affection.
"But she can't. My child, my family, and my husband's family—if the era of upheaval arrives, many of them won't be able to extricate themselves... And the era of upheaval... I can't even say I can survive it, let alone her, who is just a child."
Albert and Old Yu exchanged a glance. If it were anything else, they would have to think about it, but when it came to their friend's child, what else was there to say?
We absolutely must help.
" Xingci, we do need to help with this, but as outsiders, it's clearly inappropriate for us to blindly intervene in the epochal transition. We need to discuss it further."
Hearing Albert's words, Xingci was clearly pleased.
"Okay, okay, you two discuss it first, I'll go prepare a welcome meal for you."
Xingci took the child from Shutra, hurriedly dismissed the others in the room, and then left, closing the door behind her.
What do you think?
Albert looked at Old Yu, and Shutra and Tataru also came over. Although they were playing with the children, they naturally heard everything they said.
"Of course I'll help, but we need to figure out the whole story first."
Old Yu touched his chin.
"While she is indeed a friend, does that mean friends don't lie? Not necessarily."
Shutra chimed in.
"What, you too..."
Albert was somewhat surprised, as their friendship had been quite deep back then.
"Intuition, it's just intuition."
Shutra pointed to his head.
"Moreover, getting involved in the normal changes of the Axiom Arc will bring us considerable uncertain risks, and we may even have to confront the people who control the Axiom Arc..."
Old Yu continued.
"Little Xingxi is indeed adorable, but don't forget, Arc-27 is also a star system, and within it lies a complete civilization. If our involvement succeeds, countless lives will also perish..."
"Hmm, this is really not a good problem. I wish I hadn't come. I hate the trolley problem the most!"
Tataru's face turned noticeably pale, and she plopped down on the ground.