"The Cloud Knights' first strong attack was just a diversion. The Grand Astrologer used the main force of the Cloud Knights to attract the enemy's attention, while having us go extinguish the furnace and stop the smoke." Based on just Fu Xuan's casual words, Welt guessed the Grand Astrologer's intention.

"Hmm. The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus abandoning centuries of dormancy and choosing to reveal themselves now indicates they are certain of victory; however, no matter how prepared they are, they are ultimately targeting the Cloud Knights. The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus knows nothing about your abilities and existence, and thus cannot guard against them."

"Why not let the Foxians and Vidyadhara try?" Star asked, puzzled.

"You misunderstand the Mara-Struck. It is not a curse that only affects humans." Fu Xuan shook her head and said, "Foxians are not easily Mara-Struck because although they are long-lived species, their lifespan is not infinite; while the Vidyadhara discard the old world through 【Molting】. As far as the Mara-Struck is concerned, long-lived species are equal..."

"However, the people of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus would never have expected the General to dare invite outside help, and naturally wouldn't have prepared to deal with short-lived species."

Star held her forehead, "It seems there's no other way..."

Fu Xuan lowered her gaze slightly and said, "I don't want to be manipulated either. But people walking on the Path are not alone and unconstrained. Each person's choices, besides shaping themselves, also push their companions forward."

"The Grand Astrologer's duty is to seek good fortune and avoid disaster. I don't want my choices to cause the Xianzhou Loufu to slide towards a terrible future."

Since only the Train Crew could handle this matter, Star and the others had no intention of refusing. But as they were preparing to set off, Star suddenly noticed Fu Xuan staring blankly at the distant furnace, her delicate face flushed with suppressed emotion.

"Fu Xuan?" Star patted the Grand Astrologer's shoulder, but unexpectedly caused the little girl to cough violently.

"Cough, cough, it shouldn't be too late to start practicing holding my breath now..."

"But you look fine?"

"It's still far from the furnace. Although this one is not well-versed in pharmacology, this one knows that discussing toxicity without considering the dosage is just empty talk..."

But halfway through her sentence, Fu Xuan's proud expression finally couldn't be maintained. She timidly lowered her head, her two pink ponytails swaying back and forth, "Hmph, even so... this one is still scared to death inside! This one is still young, and doesn't want to fall into the Mara-Struck so quickly!"

"Hahaha, what's with Diviner Fu's arrogant, timid, and silly tone? She's too cute!"

Inside St. Freya Academy, Qiyana was utterly amused by Fu Xuan's cute tone, but for some reason, seeing Fu Xuan's expression always made her think of Theresa without cause.

If it were Aunt Theresa... saying lines like this wouldn't seem out of place at all~ No! It should be said that it would be a perfect fit!

Hmm... next time I see her, I must hear her say these lines with my own ears!

"Is that smoke really harmless to us?" Star suddenly asked.

"You don't trust this one, do you!" Fu Xuan was so agitated her ears turned red, but remembering she still needed their help, her rising momentum immediately deflated considerably. She mumbled softly, "Cough... if this one says I don't know, you wouldn't just abandon the task immediately, would you?"

"...Never mind, let me put your minds at ease. You don't know what the Mara-Struck is yet, do you?"

"Healers believe that the Mara-Struck is related to Remembrance. Although long-lived species have extremely long lifespans, the capacity of Remembrance is ultimately limited."

Fu Xuan paused, then continued to explain, "After hundreds and thousands of years, the emotional threshold that long-lived species can feel constantly increases, and memories also become thin and weary under the erosion of time, leaving behind only the most extreme and vivid sediments. Those are almost certainly remnants of painful and regretful memories..."

"Understand? The end for long-lived species is no longer feeling happiness and joy, only the painful hatred etched in their hearts like scars. Under extreme emotions, the self as a person begins to collapse... this is the beginning of the Mara-Struck."

"This feeling is very similar to erosion."

On Mount Aocang, Cloud Retainer recalled the conversations she had with the Adepti years ago. Erosion is where the Heavenly Principles reside, beyond one's reach. It is not only a shackles placed upon them but also a consequence that even the gods of Teyvat cannot escape. As time passes, the erosion on long-lived species becomes increasingly severe, and both strength and sanity will be lost from it.

Recalling Azhdaha, it was precisely because of erosion that he ultimately betrayed the original contract. In the end, the three Adepti joined hands with the Geo Archon to suppress him beneath the Dragon-Queller tree.

Looking at it this way, Azhdaha's state is quite similar to the Mara-Struck on the Immortal Boat. Both eventually lose their minds and fall into madness.

"I initially imagined that the power of the bountiful star could eliminate the erosion on us, but it seems it's completely impossible." Shuyue Zhuyang True Monarch sighed, "We will likely follow in Azhdaha's footsteps eventually..."

"You two... don't make yourselves unhappy over such things." Cloud Retainer glared at the two reproachfully.

Mountain Shaper curiously asked, "Cloud Retainer, aren't you afraid of becoming like Azhdaha after being eroded?"

"Afraid? How could this Adeptus not be afraid?" Cloud Retainer slowly took a sip from her teacup and said calmly, "But if this Adeptus fears erosion, will erosion not befall me? Since it's something that will happen anyway, why bother being afraid?"

"This Adeptus has been living in Liyue Harbor recently and often interacts with those younger ones. Although they don't live as long as this Adeptus, there is a saying that this Adeptus finds very useful—"

"They say... 'The sun rises in the east and sets in the west; worrying is one day, and being happy is also one day.' Heh heh, as for erosion, I'll leave that for my future self to worry about." Cloud Retainer savored the lingering tea fragrance in her mouth, a satisfied smile appearing on her face.

"...Let the enjoyment of the present begin with this cup of tea."

After learning about the Mara-Struck from Fu Xuan, Star set off towards the distant furnace.

The entire journey was filled with thick fog, making it hard to even distinguish the path. As the few of them were feeling their way forward, March 7th suddenly noticed that Tingyun was still in the team!

"Wait, Miss Tingyun, why haven't you gone back yet! It's very close to the furnace here!" March 7th said anxiously.

"Thank you for your concern, this humble one is fine~ It's because the General ordered me to follow everyone, I wouldn't dare disobey a military order." Tingyun replied with a smile, seemingly completely disregarding the fog that could induce the Mara-Struck.

"This is a matter of life and death. Miss Tingyun, please go back. We'll explain to the General." Welt said seriously.

"There's really no need. Hehe, this humble one has been traveling in the cosmos for many years. Don't look at my age, in reality, I only have a little over ten years of experience in total." Tingyun's gaze quickly swept over the few people, "I'm afraid all of you Benefactors have lived longer than me."