"I must say, you lot had a rather rough time…"
Lowering the cup of tea that held a hint of steam within, Jingyuan had a difficult look in his eyes.
Located in a spacious office or to be exact the Seat of Divine Foresight, a subtle sunset glow poured from the ceiling and five individuals surrounded a large table.
Each had a porcelain cup within arm's reach but few decided to drink considering the situation.
Jingyuan let out a deep sigh. "I know that we had an agreement to help assist us during this troubling time but this is a big oversight on my end. I have to apologize for that."
"You don't need to do that! It was only natural that we helped out." Before he could bow his head. March was quick to jump in and stop it from happening.
"I agree with March, It was only natural that we helped, so don't think too deeply about it." Welt also pitched in and after a while, Jingyuan nodded his head.
"But to think this was just one of the cards the Sanctus had. The active Arbor is now a bigger threat than ever."
From the stories and the information he had gathered from the four people in front of him, it was a topic of concern.
Especially the part where the Sanctus were in the possession of items that can act as a large-scale bomb that could turn anyone near it into mara-struck soldiers.
Jingyuan's gaze lingered on Yuuto who seemed to have encountered the so-called 'Saint' that had some degree of influence on the Arbor which was already bad news in itself.
The Ambrosial Arbor was an ancient artifact. A plaguemark gifted by Yaoshi and the thought of a person having sole influence over that item was a big enough headache as it is.
Immortality, along with an excessively powerful regeneration. This concept is exactly why the abominations of Yaoshi needed to be eliminated.
"Luckily, it seems like that was the only person who had that kind of authority but who's to say that another person won't fill that empty role?"
Jingyuan tapped his finger on the edge of his seat and hummed quietly to himself. Thinking about the information he managed to hear.
That moment of silence made March squirm in her seat as the heavy atmosphere was something that even she could feel.
It also didn't help that Stelle was also silent, considering that she always had something to say in times like this.
The rhythmic tapping of Jingyuan's finger finally stopped after a while and he clapped his hands with a small smile. "Why don't we take a brief breather?"
"With the information you've told me, I wish to confirm it with some of the Cloud Knights which can alter some of our initial plans. Along with hearing some opinions from Diviner Fu Xuan."
As he said the last bits of his sentence, his gaze lingered on Yuuto for a moment.
"There are also some of you who need a deserved break."
Yuuto could only nod along since his clothes had a faint hint of blood still on them along with its distinct odor.
It was true, he wanted to wash up right away.
With this thought in mind, all five of them got up to leave but seeing Jingyuan match his pace, Yuuto felt like he wanted to mention something.
"Fu Xuan had informed me of your advice regarding Lady Tingyun."
"Did something happen?" Yuuto asked, a bit surprised but held his expression.
"Nothing noteworthy at the time but ever since she assigned a few more eyes on her, she disappeared without a trace."
"I see…."
His words were not a surprise to Yuuto, but this only meant that Phantylia was now going to move more earnestly.
And this made Yuuto want to rub his forehead.
'I'm going to assume that this is her preparing to launch a troublesome plan soon but the issue is when and where.'
This was key since Yuuto had also thought of a few plans of his own to counter whatever she brought up.
Such as his plan of diminishing the majority of the Sanctus Medicus which was fairly successful but considering the appearance of Mauve Moon.
Yuuto knew that he was not the only one adjusting to fit the situation.
'While she may bring in a new location, the source of the Arbor is something that is difficult for her to give up.'
Even with the changes so far, the Arbor is still one of Phantilya's goals. With that being said, that meant the next probable location would be— Scalegorge Waterscape.
One of the Vidyadhara's sacred sites. In order to suppress the Ambrosial Arbor, the Vidyadhara sealed the Arbor's roots in this delve millennia ago.
"I will discuss with Diviner Fu Xuan for a bit but expect a call in an hour or so. Rest up in the meantime, you need it."
Jingyuan patted Yuuto on the shoulder and left after seeing them off.
Yuuto looked from a distance and watched his figure gradually disappear.
"He either has a strong sense of trust in what I know or wishes to question me but knows that it's not the right time…"
Seeing how Jingyuan was so casual in carrying on a conversation about the information he passed on to Fu Xuan, Yuuto felt like it could be a combination of both.
Or maybe something else completely different.
It was obvious to be suspicious, considering the point he wanted to get across when he spoke to Fu Xuan. A potential threat and one being a person who's pretty much been an ally this entire time.
Without any concrete reason to back it up as well, it was natural to question these types of accusations.
But it seemed like he trusted him to a strange extent.
"It's hard to follow what's going on inside his head."
At that moment, Yuuto honestly thought that Jingyuan was no doubt a disciple of Jingliu. Since the latter was also a person who was difficult to understand at times.
"I want to sleep…"
Dragging his body to the place they were staying at the moment, Yuuto quickly washed himself of the junk that had gathered from the past few hours.
While his body didn't show signs of slowing down, his mind still accumulated fatigue which was alleviated just slightly from the shower he took.
The feeling of water cleaning away the filth did wonders for him.
With his mental fatigue easing up after his shower, there was now another issue that seemed to pop up.
"I'm hungry…"
Event after event. This day was the busiest Yuuto has ever been since coming to the Luofu and he knew that this trend would only increase with time.
Since his body craved nutrients after fighting for so long, he only did what was best and went out to get his fill.
While the hotel he was staying at could bring him something to eat, it was only a minuscule amount of what he really wanted.
The next best bet? The street food that offered portions that were more to his liking.
"Can I have all of these skewers at the front?"
"E-Excuse me but that's more than a hundred of them…"
"I will take them."
Leaving a slightly stunned person at the stand, Yuuto began eating some large skewers while scouting for his next meal.
Rather than eating however, it was more like he was inhaling his food.
Thankfully, he didn't experiment with them this time like how he did back in Belebog by using his flames to see if the corrosion would change the taste.
But the way he ate all his food almost instantly impressed the people around him.
"Seeing so many stalls open despite the situation, it's incredible that they carry so much faith in the Cloud Knights to resolve it."
Licking the oil off his fingers, he went to a different stall. Yuuto thought back to the people of the Underworld and saw similarities between the two.
Even with a dire event looming over their heads like a ticking bomb, they try to move forward the best they can.
"I wonder if Bronya is doing well as the new Supreme Guardian. There's Sampo to help but knowing that guy… I'm not sure what to feel."
Yuuto stacked the empty bowl of noodles next to him and moved onto another bowl before ordering more.
He felt a bit sentimental thinking about how Belebog was doing but he knew that they would be fine since capable people gathered there.
[That smells good…]
"Star? You finally decided to come out."
Seeing as his little foxy friend decided to speak after some time, Yuuto was honestly surprised.
[It wasn't like I didn't want to! It was just… I felt weird after seeing that large tree…]
"The Arbor? Did you feel a connection with it?" He asked curiously.
[No, it was more like I began to see some strange things and a voice kept ringing from the back of my mind…]
Star's ears fell flat after she tried to recall what happened but immediately relaxed after Yuuto began rubbing her chin.
"I guess the Arbor can even cause hallucinations for a little poison like you…"
[Don't use poison in that tone! It doesn't sound cute…]
"Sure, whatever you say."
He chuckled as he began defending himself from Star's attacks but seeing as they carried no real threat, he decided to pacify her by offering some of his noodles.
She was curious as it was one of the first types of foods that wasn't considered a hazard nor being a fire that could easily melt steel.
Despite this thought, she became addicted after the first bite and demanded more, which Yuuto obviously gave.
Enjoying the company of Star who appeared to return to her original mood and Boo who felt left out after seeing Star eat some of his food. It was a satisfying meal.
That is, after more people began to look for him.
"...Yuuto? Fua!! I-I mean…"
Before he could order more food for himself, a startled voice popped up beside him.
"Huohuo? What are you doing here?"
A hunched back and a tense expression that made her look like a frightened animal. It was the same Huohuo whom he hadn't seen in a while.
She seemed to look better after receiving treatment at the Alchemy Commission after getting caught up in an incident that involved the little fox currently stuffing her face in his bowl of noodles.
Waiting for a bit, Huohuo tried her best to form her words.
"T-That!... I actually…"
[Girl, stop embarrassing yourself.] A voice echoed behind her but judging from his tone, he sounded a bit annoyed.
"Mr. Tail…maybe I should come back later.. He's eating at the moment."
[Whatever, do what you want but don't come crying to me when that demoness starts scolding you.]
"Huau…"
Refusing to stop his chopsticks from moving, Yuuto enjoyed the show in front of him and patiently waited to see what Huohuo wanted.
Sensing that she was finally ready to talk, he observed how she suddenly walked in front of him.
With her back straight and a determined look in her eyes, she performed an impressive 90-degree bow as if she's done it quite often.
"Before I start, I want to thank you for back then! My mind went blank at that time and I couldn't control my body… B-But you took gentle care of me!!"
"---Buwah??"
[What are you even trying to say…]
Yuuto couldn't help but choke on his food after hearing her rather strange choice of words.
Even Mr. Tail was speechless and turned his attention elsewhere to save himself from the embarrassment.
"You mean how I brought you to get treated by a healer after you fainted, r-right?"
He immediately tried to correct her in case anyone nearby began to misunderstand.
His reputation was on the line here and he didn't want to get any strange rumours going around about him.
After a long ten minutes, Huohuo had her face deep within the palm of her hands and felt the need to perform a purifying ritual to erase this memory to the depths of her mind.
Yuuto looked at her with an understanding gaze and could only provide the comfort that he knew was best.
"So, can you mind telling me why you wanted to see me?"
Pretending that the past 10 minutes hadn't happened.
Huohuo took a while before finally removing her face from her palms but the tears that gathered at the corner of her eyes were hard to get rid of.
"...T-The Ten-Lords Commission wanted to send me and others to check if your group developed any symptoms from being exposed to large amounts of energy from the active Arbor."
She managed to finish her words after seeing Yuuto finish another bowl of noodles and decided that she should also try and forget the past 10 minutes.
Well, at least she tried to.
"But I thought it was said that only Xianzhou natives could be affected?"
"It's still true! B-But some weird reports have been floating around in the commission, so they wanted to do a double check."
"And I'm guessing that the others are receiving the same thing?"
"Madam Hanya made sure to send people as well, so don't worry!"
Yuuto wiped his mouth and agreed to have Huohuo do her assessment but he felt doubtful that anything would appear.
Since a person who had free access to the Arbor's energy attempted to overwhelm him with said energy just a few hours ago. But despite all that, he was perfectly fine.
Houhuo placed a talisman on his head with shaky hands and mumbled a few words under her breath, which caused the paper to usher a soft glow.
A foreign energy entered his body and his eyes let out a white glow as he observed the energy that appeared.
With the talisman doing its job, all he needed to do now was wait.
Corruption? None seen.
Signs of Mara? Zero.
Abnormalities? In perfect condition.
After a quick session where another few talismans were slapped onto his face, Huohuo let out a relieved sigh and told Yuuto that she couldn't find anything.
"As expected, you're fine but you surprisingly have a large amount of lifeforce within you… Are you sure you're not a native?"
"Mara would have gotten to me if that was the case, wouldn't it?"
"I-I guess that's true."
Huohuo agreed but at the moment, it still felt like she had done a check-up on a native. A native who even had a Core Esse, which she thought was unlikely.
Considering it was a difficult object to form, even more so being a person that can be considered an outsider to the Xianzhou.
Yuuto rolled his shoulders, feeling a bit tired from sitting still and checked his body for any lingering energy from the talismans that may have remained..
"Just curious, what would have happened if you did find something related to mara?"
Huohuo thought for a second. "You would have most likely been detained and judged for any sins done after being struck with mara."
"This usually includes imprisonment within the Shackling Prison but it mainly depends on what the Judges decide and what appears within the Hall of Karma."
It may have just been him, but the way she decided to phrase it made him realize that the commission that Huohuo was a part of was more ruthless than what he originally thought.
It wasn't all about 'ghost hunting' which was the impression he initially had. Maybe it's due to his impression of the commission being tied to Huohuo, which didn't exactly fit into the image.
But thinking back to Hanya and Xueyi it made a bit more sense.
"By the way, other than seeing if I was affected by mara, are you able to look for in other… creatures? Entities?"
Finding that this was a good moment to ask, Yuuto pulled Star away from his bowl and decided to have an expert check on her after remembering what she told him earlier.
It may have just been her thoughts shifting but it was better to be safe than sorry.
He honestly didn't want a poison that can affect the 'soul' to suddenly go out of control due to some variable he decided to overlook.
"I wouldn't say I can't but this heliobus looks a bit different from what I've seen before—"
[Don't touch it with your bare hands you idiot!]
"--EEK!"
Just as she was about to press her finger on Star's head, Huohuo's tail flared up and pulled her back before she could continue.
[That thing is dangerous. It doesn't have overwhelming malice like other heliobus but my senses are telling me otherwise.]
"...Mr. Tail, is it making you scared?"
[No, you runt! How can a tiny midget like that make me scared?! Impossible.] Mr. Tail said it firmly but hidden beneath his words was a hint of uncertainty.
[Who are you calling midget!? You old man!]
Feeling offended that she was suddenly insulted, Star didn't hold back and began calling Mr. Tail names before Yuuto had to step in and calm her down.
It took a bit of effort but with the short tempered poison sulking in the palm of his hands, Yuuto tried to put his request back on track.
"Uhh… I'm not too sure about what Mr. Tail was talking about but it seems like your heliobus friend is a bit… special?"
"You can say that." He didn't want to expand on it as it will be a long story. So this was the closest thing he could say.
Huohuo took a while to answer. She was pretty experienced in this type of thing and with a heliobus no less, it came with the nature of her job.
However, seeing the reaction Mr. Tail had which was quite rare, she felt like it was better if she had another more experienced person handle it.
"If you have time, we can quickly talk with Madam Hanya about it? She's in the area and I'm sure that she would be more than enough to help!"
"Hanya, huh? I guess that's also a good option. I'm alright with leaving right now if you want."
Yuuto waved his hand and called for the server so he could pay for his meal and ignored the look of happiness that the server had as he paid for his food.
He gave a tip as a way to show thanks for the delicious food before leaving with Huohuo.
Huohuo still felt a bit disappointed that she couldn't directly help as she wanted to pay the debt she had for what he did before but seeing as this could help him just slightly.
It was just enough to make her feel a little less guilty than before.
On the other hand, Yuuto's thoughts began to wander as he thought about Star's words and the upcoming confrontation that was coming.
Jingyuan just needed to return and the fight would officially start.
While thinking about his plans, despite everything, he still felt like he was forgetting something and a small feeling of unease took root.
"Wait, dear customer! You forgot to bring one of your belongings with you."
Burying this unease, Yuuto looked at the server whom he tipped and saw that he was carrying a small paper bag.
"You left this bag at the table so I wanted to catch you before you left." The server wiped the sweat that was pouring down his neck and gave the bag to Yuuto before leaving.
"Did you buy something?" Huohuo asked curiously but he shook his head.
"I don't remember bringing anything other than a few wooden skewers but I threw those out earlier."
Yuuto thought that the store was trying to butter him up by giving him a souvenir after paying a lot at their store but that was still a stretch in his eyes.
Still, he opened the paper bag to see what was inside and his expression turned a bit strange after seeing what was inside.
"What is it?" Huohuo took a turn to look inside after seeing his face and wondered what it could have been to have him look like that.
"....It's a doll." Yuuto said before placing it on an empty table and leaving.
"It looked pretty cute."
"Is this one of those cursed dolls…?"
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Don't mind it."
A doll wearing a familiar red kimono and its half-oval eyes. It wore the same oddly realistic smile that didn't take away from the creepiness it had.
Yes, the same doll he accidentally dropped on his way to the Divination Commission and the same one he had watched fall to who knows where.
"I swear someone is playing a prank on me."
Yuuto's thoughts drifted to Phantylia and he wondered if it was a psychological attack to catch him off guard but it felt too childish of an action for her to take.
"Hopefully it doesn't return…"
***
"Ah! He totally left it~!! I swear he's never gentle with them– hmp!!"
Yuuto's back that reflected within the doll's eyes, was reflected into the owner's very own and her pink pupils shrank.
"I'm going to give him a stern lesson on the basics of handling a lady's precious items. He has no class whatsoever…!"
Huffing to herself and leaning back onto her bed, Sparkle stared at her ceiling in silence.
It took a while for her to move but she immediately sat down in front of her mirror and began brushing her hair.
"I wanted to listen to more of their conversation but he just had to leave it behind. It's getting so boringgg just staying here. I want to leave~ Already~~"
The more she looked around the room, the more annoyed she felt as she was now stuck staying in this rented room given by the Alchemy Commission.
After separating from Yuuto, she initially wanted to leave but there was a sudden commotion that turned into her wanting to escape to eventually being put on house arrest.
All in the name of 'safety'. A promise that was carried out by Fu Xuan who took Yuuto's words seriously and tried to keep Sparkle away from the storm that was brewing.
But in all honesty… She wanted to be a part of it!!
Not only be part of it but have her own little twists along the way. Her desires were already screaming at her after she saw countless golden pillars appear in the sky which caused an earthquake to erupt.
And she already had all her faith that Yuuto was behind it. Since whenever something exciting happens, that man is at the center of it.
"Buu–, he's having all that fun without me…:"
Sparkle continued to sulk as she finished brushing her hair and left it to hang off her shoulder. For a second she tied them to make a pair of twin tails but decided against it.
"This look is something I hardly use lately so I should wear it a bit longer."
Clipping a cherry blossom hairpin on a piece of her long hair, Sparkle was satisfied and wore her glasses.
All the while, her smile that didn't disappear grew slightly bigger as she had a guest to entertain.
"So what brings Ms. Foxy to have the time to visit lil ol me~~!"
In the corner of her mirror, it appeared empty but after a few seconds, a figure emerged from the shadows.
Long brown fox ears and emerald green eyes that curved downwards.
Her usual expression which was warm and comforting, was now filled to the brim with a type of coldness that brought the temperature of the room down.
"You appear rather fearless. Don't you know who I am?"
"Maybe~~ But all I can say is that I'm happy that someone finally decided to visit me! I was getting lonely…"
Sparkle suddenly felt a strong sense of pressure gripping her neck as Phantylia took a step closer.
This suffocating feeling continued to grow as she gradually made her way to her seat but instead of panicking, Sparkle's smile continued to grow.
"...You Fools really have no sense of danger."
"Hehe— I didn't know that a Lord Ravager could hold back. You could have killed me but you didn't! Now that is something to brag about once I go back to the Tavern."
"Even in the face of death you still have the gall to joke around."
The corner of Phantylia's quivered but her expression remained cold.
"So what does Lady Big Shot want with little old me? Surely it's not to become friends, right? Don't fret, however! I never had a Lord Ravager as a friend but I'm certain that you would love my presents once we become close!!"
Sparkle continued to ramble but her lips stopped moving as Phantylia used some energy to make her quiet.
"Stop rambling and make your existence worthwhile. I have something for you to do."
As Phantylia spoke, she could see the amusement within Sparkle's eyes slowly fade away.
All that was left was her silently staring in the mirror as if to ignore her earlier words.
Seeing this reaction, Phantylia expected it and waved her hand to release the energy that was preventing her from talking.
"Miss Ravager, suddenly bossing something like that is not—-"
"You will have a special opportunity to play with that man named Yuuto if you follow what I say."
With this simple sentence, the amusement that initially disappeared immediately returned.
"Hmm~~"