The more they oppose, the more it shows that I am doing the right thing

It must be said that An Su had the thicker skin, feigning sagacity with a light cough as he climbed up the proverbial ladder, proudly puffing out his chest with humble tones, "The growth and development to this day are all due to Arthur himself; my role was merely a negligible guide."

"Young man of the Chenxing family, you are indeed impressive. The Sun Family owes you for this."

Annand watched An Su appreciatively, then, shifting his tone, "Arthur mentioned you had some important matter to discuss with me... so, let's hear it."

Those brilliant golden eyes seemed to burn with the Sun Flame, capturing An Su entirely in their gaze, as if all lies would be incinerated by the flames.

Meeting the gaze of Nether's mightiest Knight, An Su felt as if his soul burst into scorching pain, but his soul Rank was, after all, at the Saint High Rank. Under the searing effect, the essence of life's water within him gently moistened, easing the pressure of a demigod's pinnacle as he looked straight into Annand's eyes.

This only surprised Annand more.

He had long known the young man from the Chenxing family was extraordinary, but he hadn't expected this extent.

In all his years traversing the battlefield as God of War, he had never seen a Magician below a Saint able to meet his fully pressured gaze even for a second.

Besides, An Su kept his eyes firmly on Annand.

"Good lad," Annand exclaimed in admiration, setting aside his jesting mood, "Go ahead, make your request. Considering our bond, I'll help you with anything within my power."

"What are you saying, I have no requests, but Arthur and I are close as true brothers."

An Su waved his hand, "Since Arthur has the Sun Family's bloodline, and I am his true brother, by that logic, I too have the Sun Family's bloodline. Pass that Sun Fire onto me as well. And if you'd recognize me as your adopted son, that would be alright too."

"...you rascal." Annand's smile froze, and the word 'adopted son' sent a chill down his spine, making him inexplicably feel a bit cold, "Choose another request. Only the Sun Family's children can inherit. And you mispronounced that word."

"Alright."

"There's one thing I've thought deeply about these past days. About the Red Moon incident. About the stars that fell. About the destruction of the Era of Chaos."

"I assume there is a boundary, one that separates the present world from the starry skies—blocking the stars from falling. This assumption is reasonable."

"Without this boundary, billions of stars would have long since swallowed Nether whole."

An Su spoke slowly, his voice shifting, "Yet, thirty thousand years ago, a star 'Red Moon' broke through that boundary, descended to the present world, and thus, the Era of Chaos was destroyed."

"What exactly caused Red Moon to fall... and how it crossed that highest boundary from the starry sky to the present world."

"Does the boundary I hypothesized truly exist? If it does, what is it... The only certainty is, if it exists, it must be located at the highest place in the present world."

An Su spoke calmly, his expression serene,

"I have once visited Heaven's Gate and am quite curious about what lies above that portal."

An Su spoke slowly, hesitating for a moment as if pondering something, then lifted his eyes toward the starry sky, "...the highest place in the present world, the closest to the starry sky, is indeed our Heaven's Gate."

"Heaven's Gate was opened by some, and thus the stars fell to the present world. So, an era was destroyed."

An Su's deep blue eyes gazed intently at Dari, "Is my speculation correct?"

"Please, tell me." He said, "You come from the frontier, are Arthur's father, and a man I trust."

"I might as well give you a Sun Flame."

Annand revealed a helpless smile, infusing a Sun Flame into An Su's soul, "This child... always full of fanciful ideas."

"Driven mad by reading."