"It didn't work this time either...?"
Welt wearily rubbed the corner of his eyes. How many doctors had they brought in already?
But it was useless. Whether it was healers walking the Path of Abundance or scholars exploring Erudition, whether it was Xianzhou's miraculous pills or healers' wondrous medicines, all were powerless against Twilight's problem.
Welt sometimes wondered, what kind of malice did the creator of Twilight harbor? It was as if, from the very beginning of her life, there was never any intention for her to survive...
He leaned against the wall, unable to bear looking towards Twilight, afraid to see that pale face.
Such a well-behaved child, so much younger than him, yet fated to pass away so early... Why? Her age was even younger than Kiana's, younger than Bronya's, yet the suffering she endured was greater than theirs. In contrast, a man like himself, having achieved nothing, lived for so many years and could still continue living without illness or disaster.
If possible, Welt would willingly trade places with Twilight, but he couldn't. And now, after searching for solutions for so long to no avail, watching Twilight grow weaker day by day... It sounded cruel, but sometimes he even thought it might be better for Twilight to just die directly than to continue living in agony.
At least after death, she wouldn't have to bear this pain anymore.
Yet he couldn't bear to let this child, like a daughter to him, truly leave in such pain.
"It's alright, Twilight. Nothing to worry about."
Himeko sat by the bedside, gently holding Twilight's hand, forcing a smile. "The universe is vast, there are still plenty of skilled doctors out there. Someone will definitely be able to help you. We'll keep looking for a while longer..."
"Himeko, I remember you used to say it's best not to get too involved with the IPC." Twilight looked at Himeko, tilting her head in confusion. "Why ask for their help this time?"
"Well..." Himeko hesitated.
Naturally, it was because they had no other choice.
With just the few of them on the Express crew, even traveling on the Astral Express, how many places could they possibly search in a short time? In comparison, leveraging the IPC's galaxy-spanning reach would undoubtedly be better for finding ways to help Twilight. It might mean owing favors, even paying a price, but it was still better than watching Twilight pass away like this.
During this period, they often only returned to the space station every few days. Each time Himeko saw Twilight looking even more frail, her heart felt like it was being cut by knives.
She realized she might not be an excellent navigator. At least, she truly couldn't bear to watch Twilight disembark permanently like this, even if aging and death were the natural course of life.
"Hehe, let's keep it a secret for now. After you're cured, Twilight, I'll tell you why..." Himeko patted Twilight's head. "Secrets make a woman more charming, you know."
Seeing Himeko force a smile to comfort her, yet unable to hide the exhaustion on her face, Twilight's eyes grew somewhat distant. She looked up at the others in the room—Caelus, March 7th, Welt—all bore the same weariness.
Rushing around the galaxy, begging for help, searching for any possible way to cure Twilight... It wasn't an easy task. During this time, they hadn't been able to rest properly.
And clearly, Twilight was the cause of it all. After she fell ill, she could distinctly feel everyone's smiles lessen. They grew increasingly tired, the previous cheerful Trailblazing spirit gone... And the reason for all this was obviously her own fault.
It was precisely because they wanted to save her, wanted to cure her, that everyone became like this...
So, if she wanted to change all this, wasn't the answer already clear?
"Himeko..." Twilight fiddled with her fingers, hesitating before whispering, "Maybe I... I shouldn't get treated anymore?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the already quiet sickroom air became even more suffocating.
"What are you saying, Twilight? How can you not get treated?!"
March 7th looked at Twilight in disbelief. "If we don't try to find a way, you—"
"Don't worry, I'll definitely find a way to cure you... I refuse to believe that in this vast universe, with people from so many Paths, there isn't a single one who can fix your defect!"
Caelus subconsciously clenched his fists but forced himself to calm down as much as possible, comforting Twilight. "Don't be afraid, we still have time..."
However, March 7th and Caelus's reassurances, after a moment of silence from Twilight, only made her gaze become even more determined.
"I... I don't want treatment anymore!"
"Besides, I'm... not afraid of dying. Mm, it's okay if I die. So I don't want to stay here anymore. I want to continue adventuring with everyone!"
"Twilight, don't be willful! Right now, you—"
"March, stop for now..."
Himeko interrupted March 7th, her expression fluctuating indeterminately.
She could understand Twilight's feelings. Being left alone in a sickroom was definitely not a pleasant experience. But if they wanted to continue traveling to various places searching for a cure, bringing along the mobility-impaired Twilight was clearly impossible.
If things continued like this, the worst outcome might be failing to save Twilight while also wasting the final time they had together, letting her die alone staring at a boring sickroom wall.
Conversely, if they took Twilight directly on the Trailblaze journey, she would surely see more wonderful sights, but she might also pass away sooner than expected, like how her condition worsened this time due to the battle with Sunday. It would also mean completely giving up that last tiny possibility of saving Twilight.
The current problem was essentially the same choice they faced when they were about to depart from the Herta Space Station... Let Twilight live as exciting a life as possible within her limited time, or use the remaining time to gamble on a minuscule chance?
After a long silence, Himeko turned her gaze towards Caelus beside her.
"Caelus... what do you think?"
"Of course, I—"
Of course, saving Twilight is the top priority—Caelus, about to say this, saw the pleading look in Twilight's eyes.
He had never seen Twilight like this... Clearly, for Twilight herself, she didn't want to stay here.
If he spoke up, he could certainly force her to stay at the space station, but was it really right to decide Twilight's final moments like that? When they first set off, Twilight entrusted her path to him because back then, she had no choice she wanted to make.
But now, Twilight clearly had a preference. Should he still forcibly decide her life?
Even if it was under the guise of doing what's best for her, in the end... wasn't that no different from what Sunday did?
Besides, staying here, the probability of saving her in the end wasn't high anyway...
"I..."
Nails digging into his palm, Caelus, after long hesitation, finally made his decision. "Then let's... not pursue treatment for now."
"Is that so... Perhaps a change of scenery might be good."
Himeko closed her eyes, sighing. "I remember the Express crew previously received an invitation from the Xianzhou Luofu. The scenery of the Xianzhou is different from other places. Since they've extended the invitation... then let's... go take a look too."