"His influence is that great?" Dan Heng was a little surprised.
"Otherwise, how could he be called a ' Grand Performer '? It's said that the first thing the teacher did after founding his school of thought was to read his own works aloud in front of everyone—"
Hyacine coughed lightly a few times, mimicking Anaxa:
"As for the Titan, do they truly conform to mortals' understanding of gods? The world created by the gods must be perfect, yet Amphoreus is filled with dullness and ugliness!"
"... That's very much his style, and then what?"
"He wasn't allowed to finish speaking before he was brought to the trial table." Hyacine spread her hands. "It was called a trial, but it was really a debate."
"He needs to respond to each of the scholars' accusations, or he will be expelled from the Grove."
The first accusation is: cough cough-- "Do you agree that the Titan shaped the heavens and the earth, and that the mountains and Ocean are their masterpiece?"
Dan Heng remained silent for a long while, "... Do you want me to answer from Anaxa's perspective?"
"According to mythology, the Ocean, sky, and earth were all creations of the Titan, without a doubt."
"If teachers could answer like that, they probably wouldn't have to suffer. But he used the history of Flame-Chase as an example to promote the idea that humanity also has the possibility of inheriting divine authority."
"The opponents were naturally very dissatisfied with this answer, and thus came up with a second accusation."
"Do you admit to defiling the soul in the name of studying it, engaging in transactions abhorrent to God?"
Dan Heng frowned slightly; it seemed that Anaxa was not as simple as he had imagined.
"A very serious accusation. He actually did something like this?"
"The teacher always wore an eye patch, not even when he was alone. Some people said he used one of his eyes as alchemical material."
"All people in the world are protected by Kephale, especially the Chrysos Heirs are bathed in divine blood. If this were true, it would undoubtedly be blasphemy."
Fortunately, due to a lack of evidence, the accusation ultimately came to nothing.
"The teacher then engaged in a heated debate with the scholars, engaging each challenger in their arguments. Finally, one scholar asked him, ' Anaxagoras, are you impious?'"
He paused for a few seconds, then replied, "I never deny that Titan should be considered great."
"There's clearly a hidden meaning in his words. His subtext is that the Titan aren't great," Dan Heng said.
"Hmm... I don't know how the commotion was quelled, but the teacher ultimately stayed in the Grove. Even though he was considered a heretic, he continued his research."
"That's it!" Hyacine suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "This stack of complaint letters reminded me that there's another place in the Grove where there might be clues that can't be found even in the stone slabs..."
"Between the roots and stones, that Teacher Anaxa's alchemy laboratory."
"Given Grove's book collecting style, how could such a shortcoming have been overlooked right under his nose?"
"It's a secret: aside from the nominal chief among the Seven Sages, each of the others has a forbidden area where they can conduct undisturbed research during moments of contemplation."
"Even the administrators of the Hall of Philia cannot overstep the rules and include current research topics. But now..."
" The Grove is already in such a state, it's okay to break the rules a little, right... I'm sorry, Teacher Anaxa."
Meanwhile, in the " Eternity " audience section, a heated debate continues...
The Fool's Mask kept bouncing on the leather sofa, looking quite amused.
He suddenly tossed the entire cup of milk tea into the air, and the amber liquid instantly solidified into a crystal-clear amber sphere, with countless tiny bubbles frozen within it, refracting the illusory light from the audience seats.
" Aha ~ Look! What beautiful little amber!" Does this moment of " Elation " represent some kind of " Eternity "?
Ye Yan's gaze swept over the suspended " Elation " amber, while the surface of his own tea in the cup remained calm, reflecting no image.
"A superficial similarity, a fundamental divergence." His voice was as steady as an ancient, flowing galaxy. "This act is undoubtedly a forced imprint of a moment onto a timeless specimen."
"Like a child catching a butterfly, showing off its colorful wings, but in doing so, announcing the end of its life."
"It's less like solidified amber and more like... plunder."
"Oh? Plunder?"
The mask was exaggeratedly used to cover the chest; don't ask how it was done.
The milk tea ball then burst open, and the sweet raindrops eerily floated in mid-air, each drop containing a tiny, colorful vortex that emitted soft, giggling sounds.
"Oh~ Aha, that's how they live forever in the sweetest moment of the explosion!"
The masked man drew out his voice, tinged with mischief, and began his unique theory:
Unlike you, who merely observes coldly, watching all the vibrant energy and burning passion being swept away again and again by the tide called " Eternity."
Ye Yan's fingertips lightly traced the armrest of the sofa, creating an invisible ripple.
Those suspended, sweet raindrops and the swirling eddies within them instantly accelerated their weathering, turning into dust silently, like grains of sand eroded over millions of years.
There was no explosion, no residue, only utter annihilation and a final silence.
"No." Ye Yan finally spoke, his voice still calm, replying slowly and deliberately, "Rather than erasing, I prefer to call it carrying on."
"The tide washes away footprints, but every grain of sand carried away becomes part of the seabed, becoming the foundation of existence itself."
The clamor created by " Elation " was forcibly frozen at the peak of the fireworks explosion, as if the screams were sealed in amber.
"And true ' Eternity '..." He picked up his teacup, watching as if nebulae were slowly swirling beneath the water's surface:
"It encompasses the entire process of that scream being born, echoing, and finally fading into boundless silence."
Fireworks fade quickly, but human kindness endures... Ah, but the night sky that bears witness to the fading of fireworks is truly " Eternity."
The Fool's Mask tilted, its empty eye sockets facing Ye Yan. The exaggerated smile seemed to freeze for a moment before erupting into an even more manic laugh, and he rolled around on the sofa.
" Aha ~ Contain? Bear? It sounds so sweet, Aha almost believed your nonsense!"
"A night sky where fireworks fade away? How boring! Aha, all I want is the brightest, loudest explosion!"
The masked man snapped his fingers, and countless blinding orbs of light exploded in the air above the audience, creating a deafening noise.
"Look! How perfectly timed is the appearance of ' Elation ' on your boring ' Eternity ' canvas, adding so much liveliness to the painting."
"The embodiment of ' Eternity '? It's nothing more than laying out a large and sturdy mat for the playground of ' Elation '!"
At this point, the mask flew up happily. " Aha! Eternity, how embarrassing!"
Ye Yan watched the light pollution flashing wildly on the " Eternity " backdrop, yet destined to vanish in an instant, and the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
Ah... that's a bit of an eyesore.
He did not refute, but simply picked up the teacup again and silently drank the liquid that reflected endless birth and death.
Is the noise a stain on the canvas, or proof of its existence?
Perhaps this is simply an endless, unanswerable game of tacit understanding between the old friends " Eternity " and " Elation ".