Although it was only speculation. It nevertheless set the audience's imaginations running wild.
At least for now, the available information very clearly told everyone that Amphoreus was sealed.
Leaving aside the fact that it could originally only be observed by the Garden of Recollection.
After entering the world itself, the Chrysos Heir's actions and Aglaea asking them not to speak about beyond the sky had already become a massive topic.
No matter how you looked at it. The world of Amphoreus seemed to be isolated from the universe.
And relying solely on the Amphoreus civilization as currently observed, it was impossible to accomplish this.
Which meant that only Dan Heng's conjecture remained.
Even so, there were still some problems within that explanation.
Was it one person, or multiple people? Were they from Amphoreus, or outsiders? A faction, or an individual?
All of these were points of doubt.
So even Dan Heng's hypothesis couldn't fully convince the audience.
At least for now, there were still many possibilities.
On screen.
Beyond making these speculations. Dan Heng also put forward a relatively certain conclusion.
Aside from the mystery surrounding Amphoreus' isolation, there was another matter, namely, the source of the Titans' power.
It was almost certain that it was related to the Aeons.
"But there are twelve Titans, each with different powers. How do we tell which Aeon they're connected to?"
After listening, Stelle frowned and said.
"I don't know." Dan Heng shook his head.
"So much shrouded in mist." Stelle sighed, then suddenly thought of something.
In the last battle, Dan Heng's spear had been smashed into two pieces. The upcoming adventures would definitely require the support of equipment.
"By the way, Dan Heng, your broken spear?" Stelle asked.
"Phainon said he'd take care of it."
"It's just that I don't know what method he'll use." Dan Heng replied.
The two fell silent for a moment.
Ever since they had landed on Amphoreus, they had gone through a whole chain of events.
Each incident was linked to the next. The pace had been tight. But now, after participating in the battle against the Titan incarnation.
The two of them suddenly realized that there seemed to be nothing left to do.
Stelle tried contacting the Astral Express crew, but it was still the same, no signal at all.
Dan Heng simply suggested, "Since there's nothing urgent right now, why don't we look around a bit? Let's explore the city like Aglaea suggested. We helped defend the place, after all. This is a good chance to fish
around for information while they still have a good impression of us."
Stelle nodded in agreement.
After that, the two left the Marmoreal Palace and returned to the Okhema's Marmoreal Market.
The moment they stepped inside, Stelle and Dan Heng both felt a wave of disorientation.
The effects of the war had already been erased from Okhema after only a short while.
The streets and alleys that had been filled with blood and corpses when they arrived now showed no trace of it at all.
People had returned to the streets. Huge crowds and cries of vendors hawking their goods everywhere.
It almost made Stelle think the war she had just witnessed was an illusion.
"That's fast. The citizens are already back in the city." Dan Heng said in surprise.
"Not sure. Anyway, let's set another beacon here first."
After snapping out of her daze, Stelle didn't think much more about it. She turned around, took a beacon out of her pocket, and tossed it into a corner of the street.
Then, they officially stepped into the market before them.
From their point of view. When Stelle and Dan Heng truly entered Okhema's marketplace, a vivid, warm, almost overwhelming wave of sound instantly wrapped around them.
Even the audience in front of the screen could feel that rich, down-to-earth sense of life crashing over them.
Compared to earlier scenes where landscapes and buildings were shown visually first.
Now, what the audience felt first was sound.
Vendors dragging out their cries. Blacksmiths hammering away at tools, producing crisp clangs.
The dull thuds of pottery colliding. Children chasing one another and laughing.
There was even the intermittent chanting and lyre music of a wandering bard, drifting from some unknown place.
But soon, the closest sounds, the bargaining between buyers and sellers near Stelle, took over.
The audience was astonished at how meticulous MiHoYo had been in this regard.
With their eyes closed, they almost felt as if they had accidentally wandered into some marketplace.
These richly layered sounds further reinforced the sense of reality Amphoreus had in the audience's minds.
And if the audio was already this detailed, then visually, it was nothing short of overwhelming.
Before Stelle and Dan Heng, buildings lined on both sides of the street were all constructed primarily from gray, darker-toned marble.
Structures built from such material were not houses, but almost entirely open shops or workshops.
Blue awnings hung above the various buildings, casting patches of shade below.
Under those awnings bustled dense crowds of people. Most of the men wore simple ancient Greek-style garments, exposing sturdy shoulders and healthy physiques.
The women's long robes similarly concealed their figures while revealing their necks or arms, their hair either braided or loosely draped over their shoulders.
Regardless of gender, almost everyone wore sandals.
They gathered in groups of three or five, some asking prices in front of shops, others with arms slung over shoulders, looking much like couples.
Such a lively and peaceful scene made both Stelle and Dan Heng feel at ease.
The audience felt the same.
...
: MiHoYo really keeps improving. This marketplace looks almost no different from live-action!
: It feels so alive! I just closed my eyes, the realism of the sound nearly made me dizzy.
: Life for the citizens on Amphoreus feels pretty good.
: So real!
: Everything about Amphoreus feels vivid and lifelike.
: This time, it really feels like MiHoYo went all out when building Amphoreus. I wonder what their thinking was.
: The level of these buildings is really high too. A traditional classical civilization usually couldn't afford this kind of environment.
: The scenery's gorgeous. I really want to visit Amphoreus!
: Seeing such a prosperous place just makes Amphoreus feel even stranger, advanced yet classical at the same time.
...
The comments scrolled by.
This kind of painstaking effort in the details wasn't the result of some impulsive decision. Rather, as a long-running series, it had to be built with enough realism, enough immersion for the audience.
So that in the end, it could transform that sense of "reality" into sustained engagement. Of course, the audience had no way of knowing Xia Wen's 'pure' intentions at this point.
As they were immersed in the scenery on screen, Stelle and Dan Heng encountered an unexpected situation.
Several strangers stopped them. They mistook Stelle and Dan Heng for members of the Chrysos Heirs, and earnestly asked Stelle to help repair a damaged stone pillar.
"Me?!" Stelle pointed at herself in surprise.
If it were fighting, that would be fine, but repairing things? That was really asking the wrong person.
"Restore it...? With just human effort, that's going to take a couple of days, at least." Dan Heng looked at the broken column and spoke out.
Just as the both of them were feeling completely at a loss, Tribbie appeared behind her without her noticing.
"Not with human effort, of course, silly!"
Tribbie trotted over adorably to Stelle, looking up at her and spoke to Dan Heng.
"High Priest Tribbie! O Kephale on high, our prayers are heard! We won't need to trouble you any further, kind warriors."
Several Okhema residents who had run into trouble hurriedly turned toward Tribbie, their expressions filled with respect.
"Oh ... He thought we could summon miracles." Dan Heng commented dryly.
"I did feel something strange in me... Surmount the myriad passages of Janus!" Stelle on the other hand was already standing in front of the pillar and chanting some made chants, trying to fix the pillar.
But Tribbie, hearing Stelle's words took it seriously and spoke, "Eh? When we all arrived in Okhema? Come to think of it, we felt something a bit odd, too."
"Maybe ... you also have the ability to learn Oronyx's prayers, too?"
Seeing a suddenly silent Stelle, who was dumbfounded that Tribbie really believed her, Dan Heng next to her spoke up, "Is that rare?"
"Not at all! We have lots of priests here, but some are more gifted than others." Tribbie spoke and then again turned towards Stelle, "Why don't you try chanting? Tribbie will see if you get it!"
Whether Oronyx would respond to people from outside the sky was something worth being curious about.
The moment she heard that she could really do it, Stelle's eyes lit up, and a confident smile immediately spread across her face, "A new power… Then… I won't refuse!"
She rolled up her sleeves and walked up to Tribbie. "Tribbie, what should I do?"
"It's very simple. Just follow me and recite Oronyx's prayer. Then look at the stone pillar in front of you and think about rewinding time. If you have the talent, Oronyx's power will manifest and restore the stone pillar to its original state." Tribbie explained.
Stelle nodded, focusing completely on the pillar as she began reciting the prayer word by word after Tribbie.
"Unveiling the ripples of the past…" The prayer came to an end.
Stelle stared at the stone pillar, thinking of time moving back.
Tribbie tilted her head adorably, watching Stelle's back.
The next moment, the stone pillar suddenly moved! The damaged column and the scattered rubble on the ground all flowed backward into the air, rapidly converging together.
In less than three seconds, the stone pillar was restored to its original state.
"Wow... Stelle got it on the first try! You're a natural!" Tribbie clapped her hand, praising Stelle.
"A miracle ... A miracle fresh from the oven! Go, bring word to the bard: Frontier heroes grace Okhema, feats abound right here ..." Several Okhema residents screamed excitedly from the side.
"It actually worked?!" Stelle herself was startled, looking at her hands in shock and delight.
Was the titan called Oronyx really this generous? She, a visitor from the sky, could actually use their power?
The audience were equally stunned.
They had thought it was just a joke and were already prepared to see Stelle embarrass herself.
...
: Huh??? It really worked?!
: Is Stelle just insanely talented, or did Oronyx take a liking to her?
: Even visitors from the sky can borrow the power of local Titans?
: Oronyx is actually pretty nice, lending Stelle its power like that.
: Holy crap, Stelle really has something going on, she looks lazy and useless most of the time, but when it comes to getting new power, she's got real skill!
: I think this might be related to the Stellaron?
: Someone previously guessed that Titans are connected to Paths, this is starting to look pretty convincing!
...
The comments flew past.
Tribbie looked at Stelle, smiling happily but speaking seriously.
"You know, we are pretty certain there's more to your sudden ... arrival to Okhema. And Tribbie has never seen a priest achieve resonance with Oronyx on their first try."
That wasn't an exaggeration. Stelle was unbelievably good!
Tribbie hadn't even thought that far ahead.
"So… I'm also an Oronyx priest now?!" Stelle said as she put her hands on her hips, grinning smugly.
She had already noticed that after she finished praying, the nearby residents were looking at her with respect and admiration.
The same look they gave Tribbie.
"Seems like it."
"But with this, you should be able to clear any obstacle when traveling around Amphoreus... Um, most of the time, at least." Tribbie added.
"Heh, hehehe~!"
Stelle started giggling foolishly.
"Oh, right... We came by to check if you have teleslates with you. It'll be a lot easier to get around Okhema with them."
Only then did Tribbie remember that she had come to find Stelle and Dan Heng to give something.
She then took out two stone tablets and placed them in front of them.
"These are communication stone tablets. Without them, you won't be able to take a single step in Okhema."
At first, Stelle and Dan Heng had no idea what the tablets were for.
But after hearing Tribbie's explanation, both of them were stunned.
"Wait, this exists too?!" Stelle's eyes widened.
The audience was completely dumbfounded as well.
The screen filled with nothing but "Huh?" comments.
What did it mean, that smartphones were available in an ancient Greek-type world?!