?Location: The World Tree – Beneath the Roots

  Time: Dawn (The Next Day)

  ?Aris sat cross-legged on a root, holding a cup of lukewarm tea. Above him, the massive head of Lady Bai hung down, her golden eyes wide with childlike wonder.

  ?"And then?" she prompted, her tail thumping the ground impatiently. "The Chrono-Admiral fired the weapon?"

  ?"He did," Aris nodded gravely. "The weapon was called the Event Horizon Cannon. It didn't fire energy. It fired... yesterday."

  ?Lady Bai blinked. "It fired time?"

  ?"It erased the enemy from the timeline," Aris whispered, leaning in. "One moment, the enemy fleet was there. The next, they had never been born. Their history, their names, their victories—deleted. The universe forgot them instantly."

  ?Lady Bai shivered. It was a thrill she hadn't felt in centuries. The concept of a weapon that could kill memory terrified her in a way no sword ever could.

  ?"A terrifying Dao," she murmured. "The Dao of Retroactive Erasure. These... 'Scientists'... were they Gods?"

  ?"They were men," Aris said softly. "Men who wanted to kill Gods."

  ?Silence settled over the garden. Lady Bai sighed, a sound like a gentle breeze.

  ?"You tell good lies, Han Xiao. I almost believe that such a weapon exists."

  ?She rolled onto her back, exposing her belly to the morning sun.

  ?"I am bored again. The story is over. Entertain me."

  ?Aris stood up. This was the moment. The Hook.

  ?"Exalted Lady," Aris bowed. "While I was telling the story, I noticed something tragic."

  ?"Tragic?" Lady Bai narrowed her eyes. "Is there a bug in my fur?"

  ?"No," Aris shook his head. "The tragedy is that... no one else sees you. You are the most magnificent creature in the Myriad Beasts Sector. Your fur shines with the light of the stars. Yet, you sleep here in the dirt, hidden from the world."

  ?He gestured to the empty garden.

  ?"A masterpiece without an audience is just... paint."

  ?Lady Bai sat up. Her vanity was piqued.

  ?"The disciples are unworthy to look upon me," she sniffed. "They are ugly. They smell."

  ?"They are worshippers," Aris corrected. "And worshippers need an idol. Imagine, Lady Bai... a runway. A path of floating ice and fire. You, walking down it, wearing Starlight Silk—a fabric woven from the auroras of the North."

  ?"Starlight Silk?" Her ears perked up. "I have heard of Moon-Silk. I have heard of Sun-Gold. I have never heard of Starlight Silk."

  ?"It is rare," Aris lied effortlessly. "I know the recipe. It glows with a color that changes based on the viewer's admiration. But..."

  ?He sighed dramatically.

  ?"It requires space. I cannot weave it here under the tree. The roots disturb the flow of light. And the show... the show must be held at the Gate of the Garden, where the light of the sunset hits perfectly."

  ?He pointed to the gate, three hundred meters away from the tree (and the buried Key Fragment).

  ?Lady Bai looked at the gate. She looked at her own fur. She imagined the thousands of disciples screaming her name.

  ?"I... suppose I could stretch my legs," she mused. "But if this 'Starlight Silk' is ugly, I will eat you slowly."

  ?"It will be divine," Aris promised. "Give me until sunset tomorrow. I will prepare the stage."

  ?Location: Waste Processing Unit – The Barracks

  Time: Noon

  ?The room smelled of volatile chemicals. Aris was standing over a cauldron, stirring a mixture of glowing blue toxic sludge and powdered quartz.

  ?"Starlight Silk," Mo deadpanned, watching from the door. "You are making her a dress out of industrial runoff."

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  ?"It's all about presentation, Mo," Aris said, adding a drop of Void Essence.

  ?The sludge hissed and solidified into thin, shimmering threads. They glowed with an eerie, shifting blue light. It looked beautiful. It was also highly radioactive, but Lady Bai was a Dao Severing beast; radiation was just spicy flavor to her.

  ?"The plan is set," Aris said, weaving the threads with telekinesis. "Tomorrow at sunset, we hold the Ascension Gala. I need a crowd. A big one."

  ?"Rumors have been planted," Mo reported. "I told the servant circles that the Fox Goddess is bestowing blessings of fertility and wealth on anyone who attends."

  ?"Fertility?" Aris laughed. "That's a bold lie. Good work. What else?"

  ?"I told the Inner Disciples that Lady Bai is looking for a 'Dual Cultivation Partner'."

  ?Aris stopped weaving. He looked at Mo.

  ?"Mo... that is evil."

  ?"It will ensure every male Core Disciple attends," Mo shrugged. "Including Iron-Mountain."

  ?"Brilliant," Aris grinned, finishing the final weave. He held up a shimmering, translucent veil that looked like it was made of liquid nebula. "This veil will blind them with its beauty. And while they are staring at the Fox... I will be digging up the roots."

  ?Location: The Herb Garden Gate

  Time: Sunset (The Next Day)

  ?The crowd was massive.

  ?Five thousand disciples pushed against the energy barrier of the Herb Garden. Outer Disciples, Inner Disciples, even a few Elders floated in the sky, curious about the commotion.

  ?"Is it true?"

  "Is the Divine Beast choosing a mate?"

  "I heard she grants wishes!"

  ?Music started playing. It wasn't traditional zither music. It was a heavy, rhythmic beat—Mo was hitting a hollow log with a bone club, amplified by Aris's Law Manipulation (Acoustics).

  ?BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

  ?The gates opened.

  ?Smoke (dry ice effect created by freezing fog) rolled out.

  ?Aris walked out first, wearing a clean white robe (stolen). He held a staff.

  ?"Behold!" Aris's voice boomed, magically amplified. "The Queen of the Wilds! The Fur of the Galaxy! The Divine Lady Bai!"

  ?Light exploded.

  ?Lady Bai stepped out of the fog.

  ?She wasn't walking; she was strutting.

  ?Draped over her massive shoulders was the Starlight Veil. It shimmered with blue, violet, and gold light. It trailed behind her for twenty meters, floating on its own anti-gravity field.

  ?"OOOOOH!" The crowd gasped.

  ?Lady Bai heard the gasp. She felt the adoration. She saw the disciples' jaws drop.

  ?This... she thought, lifting her chin. This is what I deserve.

  ?She posed. She turned. She flashed her nine tails, each one adorned with a glowing ring of "Starlight" (more toxic waste).

  ?The crowd went wild.

  ?"Lady Bai! Lady Bai!"

  ?While the fox was basking in the worship of five thousand idiots, Aris slowly backed away into the fog.

  ?"Keep clapping!" Aris shouted into the amplifier. "She loves the applause!"

  ?He dropped the microphone (a sound-stone).

  ?He turned and sprinted back into the garden.

  ?Location: Beneath the World Tree

  Time: The Heist

  ?The garden was silent. The music and cheering were faint echoes in the distance.

  ?Aris slid to a halt at the base of the World Tree.

  ?"Three meters down," Aris muttered.

  ?He didn't have a shovel. He didn't need one.

  ?[Skill: Abyssal Erosion]

  ?He placed his hands on the earth. The soil didn't move; it simply ceased to exist. He erased a tunnel straight down, bypassing the roots without damaging them (which would alert the tree).

  ?He jumped into the hole.

  ?At the bottom, encased in amberized sap, was a shard of metal. It looked like a piece of a circuit board, pulsating with neon blue veins.

  ?[Item Detected: Void Key Fragment (3/10)]

  [Origin: The Navigation Core of the Ark.]

  ?"Gotcha," Aris whispered.

  ?He reached out.

  ?ZAP.

  ?A barrier repelled his hand.

  ?[System Warning: Biometric Lock.]

  [Required Signature: Myriad Beasts Bloodline (High Purity).]

  ?Aris cursed. "Of course. It's DNA-locked to the Sect's founders."

  ?He looked back toward the gate. He could hear the crowd cheering for Lady Bai.

  ?"I need a key," Aris realized. "I need... Fox blood."

  ?He climbed out of the hole. He looked at the spot where Lady Bai usually slept.

  ?There were a few loose hairs. No blood.

  ?But there was... Saliva.

  ?Lady Bai drooled when she slept. A small puddle of divine spit had soaked into the moss.

  ?"Gross," Aris grimaced. "But effective."

  ?[Skill: DNA Extraction]

  ?He touched the wet moss. The System isolated the genetic material of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

  ?[DNA Simulation: Active.]

  [Spoofing Signature...]

  ?Aris's hand glowed white. He reached down into the hole again.

  ?The barrier sensed the "Fox" signature. It dissolved.

  ?Aris grabbed the fragment.

  ?[Item Acquired: Void Key Fragment #3.]

  [Current Collection: 3/10.]

  [System Update: Navigational Database 30% Restored.]

  [New Coordinate Unlocked: The Star-Metal Graveyard (Sector 12).]

  ?"Sector 12," Aris noted, pocketing the shard. "That's next door."

  ?He filled the hole instantly with Law Manipulation (Earth), packing the dirt back so it looked undisturbed.

  ?"Now," Aris dusted his hands. "Time to go check on the Diva."

  ?Location: The Herb Garden Gate

  Time: 10 Minutes Later

  ?Aris emerged from the fog just as Lady Bai finished her third lap of the "runway."

  ?She was glowing with happiness. She had never been looked at with such lust and reverence.

  ?"You!" Lady Bai spotted Aris. She telepathically projected her voice, sounding giddy. "Han Xiao! Did you see? They love the silk! Iron-Mountain is drooling!"

  ?"He is overcome by your radiance, My Lady," Aris bowed smoothly, stepping back into his role as the humble manager.

  ?"This is fun," Lady Bai declared, swishing her tails. "We will do this every month. No... every week!"

  ?Aris's smile froze for a millisecond.

  ?Every week? I created a monster.

  ?"Of course, My Lady," Aris said through grit teeth. "But beauty requires rest. Let us return to the tree before the commoners suck up all the fresh air."

  ?Lady Bai nodded. She turned her back on the crowd—a move that made them scream for more—and sashayed back into the garden.

  ?As the gates closed, shutting out the noise, Lady Bai looked at Aris.

  ?"You have served me well, Han Xiao. I will not eat you today."

  ?She lay down on her roots (right on top of where the key used to be).

  ?"Tomorrow," she yawned, closing her eyes. "Tell me the story of the Death Star. The weapon that looks like a moon."

  ?Aris let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

  ?"As you wish, My Lady."