Lucian could tell from Jué's reaction that it was working.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
Though his energy was insignificant compared to Jué's, the saying went that constant dripping wears away the stone—given enough time, he could surely cure Jué's so-called "incurable condition."
Moreover, once he grew stronger, he would likely be able to channel more energy, speeding up the treatment.
"It seems I must reevaluate you," Jué said.
"Though I don't fully understand why you can heal this injury, it is indeed effective." Google seaʀᴄh nοvelfire.net
"However, for me, it's merely a drop in the bucket."
Jinhsi exclaimed in amazement, "I never imagined Lucian's Healing Art could actually treat this."
Rover crossed her arms proudly. "I knew Lucian could do it! As expected of the man I've set my sights on!"
But Jué poured cold water on their optimism. "If complete recovery is the goal, it will require an exceedingly long time."
"Yet the current temporal disturbances cannot afford to wait for such a drawn-out healing process."
Lucian waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. After this matter is resolved, I'll continue treating you slowly. Steady progress over time, right?"
Changli nodded slightly. "The disordered timeflow is indeed urgent, but we have already made preparations."
Jué was puzzled. "Preparations?"
For now, Rover didn't answer Jué's question. Lucian's Healing Art would take far too long, and she didn't want to see Jinhsi thrust into a life-or-death situation.
"If you were to die, what would happen to Jinzhou?"
Jué's eyes held a trace of sorrow. "Jinzhou... within the Grand Library's domain, there would no longer be a Jinzhou."
It made sense. If the temporal disturbances of Mt. Firmament weren't resolved, they would spread throughout Jinzhou and even beyond.
By then, Jinzhou would also fall into a state of temporal chaos.
Undoubtedly, it would be excruciating.
Jué explained, "Ever since I descended upon Mt. Firmament and used my temporal powers to hold back the Tacet Discord tide, the timeflow has been leaking due to my injuries."
"From that moment on, Jinzhou's destruction was already inevitable."
It was clear Jué had long foreseen Jinzhou's various fates through prophecy.
"For centuries, I have defied the heavens, nourishing Jinzhou with my own lifespan, barely holding on until now."
"Otherwise... the leaking timeflow would have no one to control it."
"By then, not just Mt. Firmament, but all of Jinzhou would be swept up in the uncontrolled timeflow, with none spared."
Lucian pondered for a moment before voicing his speculation. "If Jinzhou falls into temporal chaos, would it 'freeze' like Mt. Firmament, or would it enter some kind of loop?"
Jué elaborated, "By then, Jinzhou would be forever trapped in the crevices of time—where the past becomes the future, and life becomes death."
"Celebrations and wars would repeat endlessly, entangled beyond distinction; joy and suffering would lose all meaning."
"In short, every living being within Jinzhou's borders would endure this torment for eternity, until time itself ceases to exist."
Lucian tried to grasp Jué's meaning.
If Jinzhou fell into temporal chaos, it would become trapped in a "rift in time," where past and future blurred together, and life would become unbearably repetitive.
The people of Jinzhou would experience everything in an endless loop, with no new changes, and the line between life and death would fade.
To the rest of Solaris, Jinzhou would seem like a "parallel world," its timeline completely detached from the outside.
Originally, Lucian had imagined Jinzhou freezing or looping through "a single day," but the reality was far worse.
Seeing everyone deep in thought, Jué proposed her own solution.
"...This disaster began because of me, and so I must be the one to end it."
"Soon, I will summon all my power, using what remains of my life to freeze Jinzhou's time."
"At that point, Jinzhou will fall into slumber, but not annihilation."
"In the future, the civilization of the Grand Library may discover a way to counter the temporal turbulence and rescue Jinzhou from its peril."
It had to be said, this was indeed a solution.
But it essentially entrusted Jinzhou's fate to an uncertain "future."
What if no method to save Jinzhou was ever found?
What if, after centuries, no one even remembered Jinzhou's existence?
By then, Jinzhou would simply vanish into the long river of time.
Lucian, of course, could save up enough system points to use time-restoring items to normalize Jinzhou's timeline.
But these temporal items were far too expensive. Accumulating millions—or even tens of millions—of points would take who knew how many years.
Jinhsi shared similar thoughts. She asked, "Is there truly no other solution?"
Deep down, she still held a sliver of hope. She wanted Jinzhou's fate to remain in the hands of its people, not left to some vague "future."
Jué replied, "Though this plan is imperfect, it is still a solution."
Jinhsi shook her head slightly. "Forgive me... but I cannot accept your choice."
"Ten years, a hundred years... What if no one in the future finds a way to save Jinzhou? After so long, Jinzhou would already be forgotten by the world..."
"...By then, who would be willing to exhaust all their efforts for a mere speck of land in the cosmos?"
"Jinzhou's destiny should not be left to an uncertain future."
[Ding! Option triggered!]
[Option 1: Agree with Jué's plan and freeze Jinzhou's time. Reward: 10,000 points.]
[Option 2: Let Jinhsi complete her fated battle with the Sentinel, inherit the power of timeflow, and ensure she survives! Reward: Half-Life Crowbar.]
[Option 3: As a transmigrator, how can you embarrass the transmigration community? Inherit the Sentinel's temporal power and rescue Mt. Firmament from peril! Reward: Legendary Fishing Rod.]
[Option 4: Flee this land of trouble! Reward: Oathbreaker. Jinzhou's favorability toward you drops to Hostile.]
[Option 5: Betray them on the spot! Join Fractsidus and slay the Sentinel! Reward: Infernal Affairs. Jinzhou's favorability toward you drops to Undying Enmity.]
Lucian was instantly delighted. "System! You're still alive?"
"Why didn't you respond when I called you earlier?"
[A mighty system must constantly improve itself!]
[Since the Shop update, this system naturally has to frequently travel across the multiverse to procure new goods.]
Lucian understood. "Ah, so you were stocking up."
Lucian frowned at the options. "Earlier, I asked the Mirror of Inquiry, and it said my body could also inherit the power of timeflow."
"But can the temporal power be inherited by two people at once?"
Naturally, he wanted both Option 2 and Option 3.
The others weren't even worth considering.
[Of course! In fact, dual inheritance would reduce the burden of the cost.]
[However, if two people inherit it, unleashing the full authority would require both to act simultaneously!]