Late night, on the deck.

The wine barrel repaired by Chi Yan had been moved here.

The barrel was old, bound with newly replaced copper hoops. Inside was an amber liquid of unknown age that Chi Yan had salvaged from a shipwreck, mixed with a modifier formulated by Huang Yu using Star-Tear Algae and several mild spices.

The wine's aroma was not particularly mellow, even carrying a hint of the salty bitterness of seaweed, but upon drinking, a warm current rushed straight to the limbs and bones, making the soul feel as if it were being gently soothed.

"Good wine!" Qing Niao took a large gulp, exhaling a breath of white mist tinged with the aura of thunder and fire. "Chi Yan, you've found a real treasure, kid!"

Chi Yan sat cross-legged by the barrel, holding a small ceramic cup in his palm with a golden flame, slowly roasting the liquid inside to enrich the aroma.

"There were over a dozen barrels in the shipwreck, but unfortunately, most had leaked away. This one was the best-sealed, though only a bit remains at the bottom."

Huang Yu sat beside him, holding a notebook and recording something by the moonlight: "The liquid contains trace amounts of inert law particles, likely formed from being submerged for a long time in a sea area where the qi of creation had dissipated."

"Drinking it helps stabilize newly attained realms, but it's not advisable to exceed three cups a day... Hmm, I need to set a drinking limit for everyone."

Lan Xiaoyu leaned against the railing, a wisp of azure water vapor lingering around her fingertips as she quietly filtered out impurities from the wine to make the taste smoother.

She didn't speak, only listened quietly to the others chatting and laughing, a faint smile on her lips.

Bai Cheng came as well, holding a cup of warmed wine and sitting on the gangway a short distance from the crowd.

Her silver hair fluttered slightly in the night breeze. She gazed at the moonlit ripples on the distant sea, the stardust crystal in her palm pressed against the wine cup, conveying a gentle warmth.

Zi Yuan and Leng Ningxue sat side-by-side on the cabin roof, one wiping her blade, the other gazing at the starry sky.

Lu Duo and Yu Nian emerged from the greenhouse, holding freshly picked edible Luminous Berries to share with everyone.

There was no boisterous celebration, just a quiet gathering to share a bit of warmth and a glimmer of light.

Qing Niao suddenly raised his cup, lightning dancing on the rim: "A toast to being alive."

The group fell silent for a moment before they all raised their cups.

"To being alive," Bai Cheng echoed softly, her silver eyes shining like stars in the night.

The cups clinked together with a crisp sound.

The amber liquid rippled under the moonlight, reflecting faces that were weary yet determined.

In the distance, the sound of the tide was like an eternal breath.

Stars slowly drifted across the sky, silently recording the recent turmoil in this sea area and foretelling the storms of the distant future that had yet to settle.

But at least for tonight, on this small deck, there was wine, companions, and a brief but real peace. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The train was quietly moored, the Silver-line Vines on its hull emitting a faint glow in the night like protective veins.

Tomorrow, they would set out once more.

Carrying their scars, their breakthroughs, and the small seeds buried within the flood of creation, they would head toward the Chess Player in the shadows, toward the deeper secrets of the Emerald Sea, and toward their own unpredicted path.

But for now, let this moment of warmth, like the embers of stardust, gently wrap all the scars and burdens.

The night is still long.

The sea breeze sings softly.

Dawn pierced the sea mist, casting pale golden spots of light on the portholes of the silver train.

Bai Cheng opened her eyes. The warmth of last night's stardust embers remained in her silver eyes, but it was superseded by a settled clarity.

She rose and walked toward the main control console. The grain-sized stardust crystal in her palm no longer emitted heat, yet it seemed to have formed a deeper connection with her soul.

A subtle resonance, like a breath.

"Miss, you're awake." Qing Niao's voice came through the Communication Rune, carrying the vigor characteristic of the morning. "The Third Miss found an anomaly while analyzing the star charts and asked everyone to come to the meeting room."

"Alright."

A moment later, everyone gathered in the Tactical Meeting Room on the middle level of the train.

Leng Ningxue stood before the star map projection, her ice-blue eyes reflecting the shifting coordinates and light tracks.

She swiped her finger to enlarge the star map of a certain sea area. It was the Annihilation Star Reef region on the northeastern edge of the Emerald Sea, originally marked as a law-silence zone where it was calm year-round and even sea beasts rarely approached.

"Last night, I compared the Star Archive star map fragments with the current celestial trajectories and discovered that the law ripples near the Annihilation Star Reef have shown a regular deviation."

Leng Ningxue's voice was cool, yet it carried a trace of gravity. "The frequency of the deviation matches the timing of the Abyssal Pupil's annihilation and the eruption of the qi of creation."

"What does the deviation mean?" Zi Yuan stood with her blade in her arms, her brow slightly furrowed.

"It means the state of law silence in that area is being broken, or... it was never truly silent to begin with."

Bai Cheng stepped forward, her silver eyes fixed on the star map.

"According to the records in the Archive, the Annihilation Star Reef is a residual area from an ancient Law Tide. It appears calm on the surface, but unstable law fissures or ancient relics may be buried in its depths."

"The movement tracks of the Enforcement Officers are also converging on that area."

Leng Ningxue brought up another set of light points, which were the recent movements of the Enforcement Officers inferred from previous encounters and star map fragments.

"Within three standard days, at least four Enforcement Officer squads have appeared on the outskirts of the Annihilation Star Reef, though they haven't ventured deep inside."

Huang Yu pushed up his glasses. "What are they scouting? Or are they... setting up defenses?"

"It could also be that both sides are testing the waters."

Lu Duo spoke softly. /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Her life perception made her exceptionally sensitive to energy flows.

"After the qi of creation pollution incident, both the Leader and the entity behind the Enforcement Officers have likely accelerated their moves. The anomaly at the Annihilation Star Reef might be a sign of a key node being revealed ahead of schedule."

Yu Nian raised her hand. "Then are we going? Could it be a trap?"

Bai Cheng was silent for a moment, her fingertip tapping the star map to connect the coordinates of the Annihilation Star Reef with the Abyssal Trench, the Void Corridor, and the Star Archive.

A faint arc emerged on the star map, representing the ancient connection tracks of several taboo areas deep within the Emerald Sea, which had been vaguely recorded in the fragments of the final chapter.

"This is no coincidence." Bai Cheng's silver eyes deepened.

"These areas echo one another, forming an Ancient Law Pulse that runs through the Emerald Sea."

"The sealing point of the Abyssal Pupil is in the Abyssal Trench, the Gate Relic is in the Void Corridor, and the truth is hidden in the Star Archive... Thus, the Annihilation Star Reef likely corresponds to the Law Tide itself, and may even be one of the hubs of the pulse."

She looked at everyone. "The Leader needs time to digest the polluted qi of creation, and the Enforcement Officers need time to lay their plans in the shadows."

"The anomaly at the Annihilation Star Reef might be a chain reaction triggered by the imbalance of the pulse."

"If we don't go, someone else eventually will—perhaps the Enforcement Officers, or perhaps other generals from the Constellation."

Lightning flickered in Qing Niao's palm. "So we have to beat everyone to it and see what's really hidden there?"

"Not entirely just to be first." Bai Cheng shook her head. "We need to understand the full picture of this chessboard."