"Tens of thousands of Scholars from the Menico faction, who believed themselves to be inorganic lifeforms, seized the Staffs and immediately declared war on the Guild. The turmoil was finally quelled at the cost of destroying 122 Staffs."

"Will this illness have any aftereffects?" Stelle asked.

"Even if there are aftereffects, they won't matter much anymore." Herta's tone was calm. With a flick of her fingers, another scene appeared before Stelle.

Countless researchers in Scholar's robes were strapped into seats, black bands tightly binding their eye sockets, blocking all sight. Their faces were expressionless, hollow, numb... as if their souls had been formatted. Their hands and feet were all restrained as they were loaded into spacecraft in batches.

"To prevent the infected Scholars from reigniting the Emperor's War, the Intelligentsia Guild stripped them of their research qualifications and placed them under strict lifelong surveillance. The Perfect Evolution School exists in name only."

——

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

"This... is truly unbelievable. Organic life can actually be affected by the Anti-Organic Equation. Just how much did these guys from the Perfect Evolution School modify themselves?" Welf took a deep breath. Ever since Stelle was affected by the Anti-Organic Equation, he had vaguely sensed something was wrong. He never expected it to be confirmed so quickly in the history of the School War.

However, compared to tens of thousands of Scholars being infected, what pained him more was the destruction of the 122 Staffs. After all, for these genius creations, once one is destroyed, it's gone forever. Those 122 Staffs were far more valuable than tens of thousands of mediocre people.

Just thinking about how even a ten-thousandth of Pativira's Staff's computing power was ruthlessly seized, while this school directly caused the destruction of 122 Staffs... How many Scholars like Pativira could those 122 Staffs have helped advance their research?

"Perhaps their 'perfect evolution' was to semi-mechanize the human body, just like Stelle in the cultivation pod," Liliruca said with a heavy tone.

"Semi-mechanization... What's perfect about that? Wouldn't it be better to try and research with those Abominations of Abundances, develop a method to extend human life, and live for hundreds or thousands of years in human form? Isn't that more perfect than mechanization?" Welf truly couldn't understand the thinking of those Scholars.

"Do you think the Intelligentsia Guild hasn't researched in that direction?" Liliruca shook her head. "Researching the Denizens of Abundance is probably an extremely sensitive red line for the Xianzhou. Once crossed, they would become enemies of the Xianzhou forces. Even if the Intelligentsia Guild is truly interested in the Denizens of Abundance, they wouldn't dare to research too openly... The Intelligentsia Guild couldn't possibly be unaware of the Xianzhou's attitude towards outworlders seeking immortality."

——

"Are there still hidden infected within the Guild? And does the purge of the Perfect Evolution School count as part of the School War? People tacitly understood the answers to these questions."

"Taking this incident as an opportunity, the Interastral Peace Corporation began to scale back its funding to the major schools. The Interstellar Energy School, temporarily established due to another century-spanning war, seemed to have become the final victor. But for future generations, none of the above was particularly important."

"'The Lord of Silence, for Rupert, she is the one preventing him from stepping out of the circle of knowledge. But what is her true purpose?' The future genius felt puzzled by the appearance of this colleague."

"'To become the hero who assassinates the tyrant?'"

"'To stop Rupert's revival... No, it probably isn't that simple.' Polka's purpose was like a flavorful snack, held in Herta's mouth and repeatedly savored. When Herta realized she couldn't find the answer this way, a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. 'A new puzzle, exhilarating, isn't it?'"

New discoveries turned into new clues, new clues then evolved into new questions, and the new questions became new sources of amusement in Herta's eyes.

"'To have survived from the first Emperor's War to the second Emperor's War... just how old is she at this point? Could it be that the rumors about the Device IX...'"

Herta's thoughts had diverged to who-knows-where again. Stelle would never be able to figure out where Herta's interests would land.

——

Shinigami.

"The Device IX... I feel like I've heard of this place somewhere before."

"Ara ara~ It's the place Lady Yūrei mentioned back then." Urahara Kisuke opened the paper fan in his hand, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "That's Lady Yūrei's destination. Perhaps Lady Yūrei might even meet Polka-Kakamond at the Device IX."

Yoruichi took a can of beer from the fridge and opened it with a 'psst' sound: "But isn't the Device IX a force related to 【The Void】? Polka-Kakamond is a member of the Genius Society. How could she possibly be connected to a force of The Void?"

"Perhaps she has stepped onto two completely different Paths, 【The Void】 and 【Erudition】?"

"Two Paths... How is that possible? It seems only Stelle can step onto several completely different Paths, right?" Yoruichi was taken aback.

"Ara~ Miss Yoruichi, how can you be so sure Stelle is special? Although many miracles have happened to her, it doesn't necessarily mean she's unique~"

The smile on Urahara Kisuke's face faded slightly. "Although many scenes in the Celestial Screen so far are related to the Astral Express, outside the Astral Express Crew, the situation in the universe is probably undergoing astonishing changes as well. Judging by my experience, Polka-Kakamond is definitely still alive. As a #4 Seat genius, she probably possesses combat power not inferior to an Emanator."

"And besides 【The Void】 and 【Erudition】... I even think she might have some connection to 【mysterious】 as well—someone not inferior to Stelle, capable of stepping onto three Paths simultaneously. Otherwise, her utterly inconceivable, impossible-to-see-clearly face is really hard to explain."

——

"Beneath the golden dome of the Galactic Library Ishmael, here where wisdom books are gilded in gold, a storm is brewing."

"At the Intelligentsia Guild's Anniversary Celebration, tens of thousands of Scholars, without any communication, made the same choice."

"'Return knowledge to knowledge!'"

"No one knew who shouted the first cry. Immediately after, countless Scholars raised their arms and cheered. The Scholars' shouts, like a Liaoyuan, instantly ignited the entire library. Countless protesters, holding high their banners, began to march forward."

Stelle, Pativira, and thousands upon thousands of others—they were part of the protest, insignificant Scholars belonging to no school. Mingling in the crowd, they voiced their grievances. Their demand was simple: knowledge should be pure; they must reject dirty politics, reject the stench of credit points, and let wisdom return to the spark of thought.

Stelle climbed onto a human ladder formed by her colleagues and used 'Beacon Pigment' to spray a slogan on the library's outer wall: 'The Emperor's Legacy Belongs to the Public!'