【 " The Great Tree of Celsis, the witness of Amphoreus. " 】

【 Dan Heng placed his hand against the protruding face of the sacred tree, closing his eyes to quietly sense it. A very faint tremor came from his palm, like an ancient pulse slowly emanating from the depths of the tree's heart, gradually synchronizing with his breathing. 】

【 Two ripples, one red and one green, emanated from within his heart, like twin water rings quietly overlapping and resonating with the Flame. 】

【 " Now, I will follow its root system deep into the primeval land. " 】

【 The seed plunged deep into the soil, and the plant rooted and sprouted. Those newborn roots wandered in all directions like streams, crossing rock crevices and traversing the wasteland, continually spreading toward the entire continent. 】

【 " Until... I find you. " 】

【 Dan Heng walked through the forest, the branches and leaves gently brushing above his head. Small animals peeked out from behind the bushes, and some even crawled onto his head, leaning against those newborn golden horns. 】

【 Golden butterflies flew across the city-states, and the giant whales in the sea paused for him. 】

【 " Along this journey, I will transform into the layered rocks of the mountains, bearing the city-states upon them. " 】

【 " I will merge with the tidal waves following the Currents, lashing against the offshore reefs of the continent. " 】

【 He had searched the wind-swept and snow-covered wilderness, leaving behind a string of deep footprints; he had also climbed up high branches, overlooking the twilight city-states amidst the gently trembling leaf shadows, solely to find that one and only. 】

【 " I have blown across the Nameless wilderness, scattering endless frost and snow. " 】

【 " I was drawn into the rotation of day and night, until reaching the deepest parts of the world, lost in... that initial darkness... " 】

【 " When can I lead you out of this maze? " 】

【 In the gloomy cave, he walked forward holding a lamp; in the endless maze, he wandered about hesitatingly. 】

【 He looked at the burning lamplight in his hand when suddenly a gust of wind blew over, silently extinguishing the flame in his palm. 】

【 Darkness swallowed everything, leaving only his azure eyes. A warm hand reached out from behind, gently covering his eyes. 】

--

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run.

" Is Dan Heng planning to search the entire Amphoreus all over again? "

Seeing Dan Heng measure the land of Amphoreus with his own feet just to find Xing in the tide of memories, Johness's eyebrows quickly knitted together. " How long will this take? Ten years? A hundred years? "

" I'm afraid it will take even longer. " Hearing this, Gyro also flashed his signature row of gold teeth, tapping them with his finger. " Probably... about equivalent to one of my gold teeth getting mixed into the sand of the Western desert, and then playing hide-and-seek with someone? "

" That sounds like a delaying tactic deliberately orchestrated by Evernight. " Johness put on an even more serious expression. " I think the most troublesome part is that she is unwilling to show herself in person, and we have no idea what she's actually doing. Dealing with Black Swan? With her strength, eliminating a Memokeeper shouldn't take long, right? "

In Johness's eyes, these Memokeeper were merely a piece of cake to Evernight; even if Black Swan was a bit trickier than the other Memookeeper, it fundamentally changed nothing.

" Eliminating a Memokeeper indeed wouldn't take much time, but perhaps she has other motives? "

" Other motives? " Johness frowned slightly.

" Do you remember what Desolate Flute mentioned earlier about where Evernight is currently located? " Gyro lowered the brim of his hat, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. " ' The Nameless Great Tomb '... Have you ever thought about whose graveyard that is? "

【 " Indeed, up until now, we have never heard anyone mention that a graveyard exists beneath the Grove of Epiphany. " Johness finally reacted. " Even the Chrysos Heirs of Flame-Chasing don't know about this place, and... Lygus didn't mention it either! " 】

【 " As the administrator of Amphoreus, I don't think Lygus could possibly not know. " Gyro said word by word. " There is only one possibility—he is also deliberately concealing this Great Tomb. " 】

--

【 " No. " 】

【 " Merely relying on one's eyes cannot accomplish this. " 】

【 " Perhaps... what can lead us out of the cage has always been ' you ' (companions). " 】

【 A seed took root and sprouted in Dan Heng's heart. It broke through the darkness, putting forth branches and leaves, and countless golden branches and leaves grew wildly all around like a river of light, illuminating this silent gloom inch by inch. 】

【 In the darkness, memories of the past transformed into golden murals flashing across his mind, and the voices of his companions echoed continuously in his ears, as if they were right before his eyes. 】

【 " Once we resolve things, we will continue our journey. " 】

【 " We will all find the answer there. " 】

【 " Wake up... " 】

【 " Draw inferences from one instance. " 】

【 The animals on the murals seemed to be awakened as well, galloping one by one. They seemed to transform into the bloodlines of the earth, wandering and converging among the rock ridges, ultimately merging into a giant golden dragon. 】

【 " A sovereign's command is absolute. " 】

【 " Relying on the city... " 】

【 " Borrowing one. " 】

【 As if sensing Xing inside the rock strata, the giant golden dragon suddenly opened its eyes. Its massive body coiled and rolled, yet with the utmost gentleness, it wrapped Xing within its golden form. 】

【 The giant dragon raised its head toward the sky, its massive body soaring straight up like a surging sun, finally welcoming its own dawn! 】

【 " I am the earth, and also all living things upon it. " 】

【 " I am ' you '." 】

【 Dan Heng tightly grasped her hand— 】

【 He found her. 】

--

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.

" Finally... finally found Xing! "

Stark was finally able to heave a sigh of relief.

Sunday, Cyrene, Black Swan... taking turns on stage, they finally saw a result with Dan Heng.

" Strange, Evernight actually didn't try to stop him? "

Seeing Dan Heng bring Xing out just like that, without Evernight taking any obstructing actions throughout the entire process, made Zane feel quite surprised—he originally thought there would inevitably be a clash between Dan Heng and Evernight.

Whether it was Sunday or Black Swan, Evernight had personally stepped forward to obstruct them... Could Black Swan have really slowed down Evernight's footsteps?

" I'm afraid it has to do with her Current location. " Frieren lowered her head in thought. " The Nameless Great Tomb... Even Lygus never mentioned this place, how did she find it? "

The twelve Nautiluss each have their own domains; this is unlikely to be a Nautilus's graveyard. But besides the Nautiluss, who else in Amphoreus would build a Great Tomb after death?

The key point is... does Lygus know about this place?

" It seems we'll have to force our way into this Great Tomb. If Evernight is hiding inside, there's a high probability we'll run into her. Her problem is even trickier than Xing's; I'm afraid before the Astral Express Crew completely shakes off the threat of Iron Tomb, she won't obediently hand over March 7th's body. "

--

【 " Xing, I found you. " 】

【 Xing looked over all the changes in Dan Heng from top to bottom: " Dan Heng, you... grew taller? " 】