Elysia hadn't expected Noldrei to have thought things through to such a degree.
For him, it was absolutely out of the question to treat an emotion like pity as a one-on-one relationship. It went against his moral code; his belief in the unity of the individual and society simply wouldn't allow it.
Elysia found herself almost convinced.
His words should have sounded like a classic scumbag excuse to avoid dealing with emotional fallout, yet coming from Noldrei's mouth, they sounded perfectly logical, as if it were the only natural course of action.
"I guess you have a point…"
Elysia even started to feel a sliver of pity for Fu Xuan. In that moment, she truly felt the pain caused by the disparity between their civilizations.
No wonder Noldrei had always harbored such a strong aversion to the Xianzhou civilization.
He probably had similar thoughts when looking at Kiana, Bronya, and the others. But as members of the same civilizational community, Noldrei never spoke aloud of this coldest aspect of the universe's rules.
Seeing that Elysia had accepted his explanation, Noldrei turned to Senti-Mobius, who was still smirking with dissatisfaction and scorn.
"After all that talk, it just boils down to the chasm of Imaginary Energy created by the Aeons standing between you, right?"
Senti, possessing Mobius's memories and intellect, knew exactly what Noldrei was using as an excuse.
"Precisely. Therefore, Fu Xuan… Huh? Wait a second…"
Noldrei suddenly realized there was a slight problem. If Fu Xuan truly had developed romantic feelings for him, didn't that mean she would be forced to confront the power that the Aeons used to bind the people of the Xianzhou?
A flash of insight struck him, and he understood why Fu Xuan might seek an audience with the Aeon of Abundance.
"So that's how it is…?!"
"How astonishing. To think that the physical ailment of the Xianzhou people would manifest through this kind of emotional conflict."
Elysia had no idea what new madness had seized him or why he had suddenly connected it to the physical problems of the Xianzhou natives.
"What are you talking about?"
"It's nothing. I'm going to go talk with our friends on the Astral Express first." Noldrei didn't share his thoughts with Elysia; otherwise, she would surely accuse him of plotting to use Master Diviner Fu again.
Elysia was still pondering the problems of the Xianzhou natives' longevity, her feelings about Noldrei's choice a complicated mess.
"You look after Little Mebius. And one more thing…" Noldrei added another instruction. "While you're on the Xianzhou, remember to search for as much history about the universe as you can. Most of the records in the Alchemy Commission are about the Xianzhou's own past, and their accounts of the other Aeons are cursory at best. I'll leave it to you two to find what you can."
"Alright, alright, you don't have to tell me, I know all this. Isn't that what we came out here to do? Fine, just go already. I still have to figure out how to deal with Master Diviner Fu. What a mess you've made. I'm a beautiful girl, a Flame-Chaser who helped save civilization! How do I always get stuck with this kind of work?"
Elysia was still grumbling about Noldrei's irresponsibility. She felt like a mom, constantly having to clean up after her disobedient child.
"I know. I'm counting on you. I'll bring you back a gift when I return. If it gets too troublesome…" Noldrei said with a subtle smile, "you might as well just tell Fu Xuan my true thoughts. You can push all the blame onto me."
He was already carrying so much blame, a little more wouldn't hurt.
If anything, Noldrei was curious. When faced with these related issues, what kind of choice would Fu Xuan actually make?
---||---
Fu Xuan had left far too quickly.
By the time Qingque saw her boss, the Master Diviner was already sprinting away with a beet-red face, looking as if she was terrified someone was about to chase her down and do something to her.
"Whoa, what's with the hurry? What's she up to?"
Qingque squinted at Fu Xuan's retreating back, pondering her boss's current state.
Because Fu Xuan was now shouldering the duties of two of the Six Charioteers and, on top of that, managing the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, she had delegated some of her tasks to Qingque.
Qingque had already gotten used to the work.
"Judging by the way the Master Diviner looked, it seems like she was running from… over there?"
Qingque's gaze shifted to Noldrei's courtyard.
She wondered if her boss had been accosted or something. There was no other reason for her to leave looking so ashamed and angry.
"Who would be so bold as to do something like that?"
The only person Qingque could think of who was capable of such a thing was Noldrei.
"No way. Did my mahjong buddy really manage to win over the Master Diviner?"
Qingque knew what Noldrei was capable of, and she was well aware of the massive influence he could have on Fu Xuan.
"Ah, whatever. What's it got to do with me? It's not like if they decide to get together, I'm supposed to give them a push, right?"
After a moment's thought, Qingque quickly tossed her boss's love life to the back of her mind.
She was here to play mahjong with Elysia. Having finally finished her work, there was no way she was going to look for extra trouble to pile on herself.
When Qingque arrived at the courtyard, she saw Elysia and Little Mebius sitting together, sighing in frustration.
"What's wrong with you two? Why the long faces?"
"Even if your ship was stolen, it can't be that bad, can it? You just have to wait a little while. With your skills, you should be able to save up enough money on the Xianzhou to get your own starskiff soon enough."
Elysia looked at Qingque with envy. "Qingque, I'm so jealous of your life. You only have to live for a few hundred years before you can just let go and pass on. That way, you don't have to worry about taking care of so many problem children."
"Huh?!" Qingque's mouth formed a perfect 'O', her eyes shrinking into little dots as she stared at Elysia.
She, a long-lived Xianzhou native, was being envied for having a short lifespan.
For some reason, the comment made Qingque want to hit someone.
"If I had to follow a leader like Noldrei every day, I'd also want to just live a few hundred happy years and then be done with it. That guy is going to get a taste of his own medicine someday, you'll see."
Senti-Mobius ground her teeth at the thought of Noldrei's actions. If it weren't for him, she, a mighty Herrscher, wouldn't have been dragged here to be a glorified worker.
Back on Earth, she had been a true member of the ruling class.
Qingque felt incredibly wronged. She was now experiencing firsthand what the short-life species must feel when dealing with the Xianzhou natives.
She thought about how those people had to watch the Xianzhou natives sigh and lament the pains of long life day in and day out. Their feelings at that time must have resonated deeply with how Qingque felt right now.
Elysia decided to stop thinking about it altogether. She shouted, "Qingque, let's go! Take us to the mahjong parlor! I don't want to stay here today!"
A bewildered Qingque found herself being pushed and prodded along by the two of them as they all headed for the parlor.