Fu Yi silently watched as the entire city stirred back to life, forcibly rousing itself, and embarked on an unknown journey, carrying the Sea of Silver with it.
Apart from the fox, only she knew. It was a lie. There was no geothermal belt at all. Regardless of whether this place was a planet, or if it even had a core and mantle, any lava would have long since cooled in this frigid environment. The world was already dead; how could one expect its lifeblood, the lava, to remain warm? Ahead of them lay only an endless road. A road without an end.
She sighed softly but didn't expose its lie. At least, the Sea of Silver, which once reflected reality and had thus become a cold expanse, now held a sliver of hope. As long as there was hope, it was ultimately a good thing.
But it's still so annoying! Fu Yi sighed and kicked Huai Shi hard. As usual, that lout didn't react at all...
Seeing his utterly carefree appearance infuriated Fu Yi. If I had known, I wouldn't have altered his memories! At least then he might have worried a little, instead of recklessly fooling around all day, nearly getting himself killed!
She returned to the thinning Sea of Silver and fell into a deep sleep once more.
「 」
In the metallic city's current dome, the fox encountered the Phoenix.
The latter was contemplating the endless darkness outside the porthole. Hearing the fox enter, it turned and asked, "When do you plan to tell them the truth?"
"What truth?" the fox asked calmly, feigning puzzlement.
"You know what I'm talking about," the Phoenix said. "You're not planning to keep them in the dark, are you?"
The fox gave it a glance and retorted, "Am I not just learning from you? It always seems you have a good reason for everything you do."
"But this is completely different, isn't it?" the Phoenix said earnestly. "Even if a lie is well-intentioned, deceiving someone into death is completely different from deceiving them into living. The former might at least find release, but the latter means prolonged suffering... Sometimes, death is far easier than living. You're now luring them to chase an unending hope, but one day, that dream and hope will shatter. When they find out that this world has no geothermal belt, what will you use to continue leading them forward?"
The fox sighed, taking off its hat to reveal its sparsely-haired head.
"Is there a better way?"
"I have one," the Phoenix stated firmly. "But you must follow my plan."
"Fine." The fox nodded.
Thirty minutes later, Behemoth's advance ground to a halt. Huai Shi turned back in confusion. "What's going on?"
"Meeting," the Phoenix said.
「 」
"First, some bad news."
During the impromptu emergency meeting, the Phoenix announced, "It's now minus 240 degrees. We probably won't make it before the geothermal belt naturally recedes... There's a 70 percent chance we'll come up empty."
"What?" Huai Shi was dumbfounded. "So I walked all this way for nothing?"
"Failed explorations pave the way for future success," the Phoenix said after a moment of silence. "I have a feasible suggestion—no, it should be called a command."
"As the current direct leader of all Explorers, and the highest-ranking Member of the Astronomical Association present, I demand your complete obedience," it bluntly told everyone. "Next, I will ignite myself."
Amidst everyone's shock and astonishment, the Phoenix declared to all present, "—I will become the new sun."
That was its solution.
「 」