"Jade tiles? What are those?" March 7th asked curiously.
"You don't know about jade tiles? Then why are you here at the gaming parlor…?" Qingque was puzzled. If these two didn't even know what jade tiles were, what were they doing at the parlor? Surely they couldn't be here looking for her, right?
"Hehe, actually, we came to find you, Qingque."
"Huh? You're really here for me? Wait a second!" At this, a wary glint flashed in Qingque's eyes. Her gaze swept the surroundings, as if searching for something.
"It's not Master Diviner Fu Xuan who sent you, is it? Let me make this clear: it's after work hours now. If she has something to say, she can wait until work hours tomorrow."
"Uh…"
March 7th and Stelle exchanged a glance, then shook their heads with amused smiles. They hadn't expected Miss Qingque to be surprisingly cute. She didn't seem at all like someone wielding the world-shattering power of an Emanator of an Aeon.
"Don't worry, Miss Qingque. Master Diviner didn't send us. We just heard your voice while passing by and thought we'd chat with you."
"Phew~" Hearing this, Qingque let out a sigh of relief before saying casually, "You should've said so earlier! Meeting like this is fate. Since you two want to chat, how about we head to Aurum Alley? We can grab some late-night snacks and talk while we eat."
"Uh… maybe we don't need to do that?" At the mention of Aurum Alley, cold sweat broke out on March 7th and Stelle's foreheads. They had just come from there not long ago, their stomachs already stuffed with Xianzhou delicacies. How could they possibly eat more?
"Hm? What's wrong?" Seeing the odd expressions on their faces, Qingque asked in confusion, but then she seemed to realize something.
"Oh, I get it! Don't worry, no need to stress. You're the General's honored guests, so this meal's on me, Qingque."
Qingque had heard of the Trailblazers' deeds. These galactic do-gooders followed the beliefs of the Trailblaze Aeon Akivili, traveling the cosmos, often solving problems for others without seeking reward. Surely their wallets must be a bit tight, right?
"No, that's not it, Miss Qingque—"
"It's fine, it's fine! It's my treat. Let's go."
— — — —
As night deepened, at a hidden stronghold of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus on the Xianzhou Luofu…
"The revival of the Ambrosial Arbor is such a major event, yet the Luofu's higher-ups haven't made any significant moves? Just issuing a public notice to appease the ignorant masses?"
Listening to the report from a follower of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, Phantylia, possessing Dan Shu's body, narrowed her eyes slightly. The Luofu's response was indeed somewhat unexpected.
In her plan, the Luofu should have at least dispatched one or two high-ranking officials to investigate. Yet, a full day had passed, and not only had she not seen any top officials, but there wasn't even a decent investigation team. The Xianzhou's citizens continued their lives as usual, showing no signs of dissatisfaction or fear. This greatly displeased Phantylia, a Lord Ravager skilled at sowing internal discord and driving civilizations to self-destruction.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the image of a petite girl flashed in her mind—the one who had suddenly appeared, rescuing the prime vessel Phantylia had targeted.
After possessing Dan Shu, Phantylia had naturally ordered an investigation into Qingque. However, the useful information gathered was scant. All she knew was that Qingque was a minor employee at the Divination Commission, often reprimanded for tardiness.
"Heh, an Emanator willingly serving under a mere Xianzhou Diviner? How intriguing."
General Jing Yuan of the Seat of Divine Foresight and Qingque, the Emanator of Causality—two Emanators stationed on the small Xianzhou Luofu. That made things tricky.
If it were just General Jing Yuan, Phantylia was confident she could defeat him. But with the Emanator of Causality in the mix… as much as she hated to admit it, facing her own destruction wasn't exactly fun.
After a moment of contemplation, Phantylia's will stirred. A cluster of greenish flames ignited spontaneously, gradually spreading before her into a flame-like mirror wall.
"Hehehe, I was wondering who it could be! So it's our dear Lord Ravager Phantylia. Weren't you busy plotting to destroy the Xianzhou? How do you have time to contact me?"
"Hahahaha!!! Don't tell me your infiltration plan was exposed, and now you're scurrying around like a rat in the streets? Hahaha!!…"
A burst of raucous laughter came from the other side of the flames, laced with mockery, disdain, and a roaring contempt.
Phantylia, as if long accustomed to this, showed no emotional reaction. Once the laughter subsided, she spoke expressionlessly, "Enough nonsense. The Xianzhou Luofu has two Emanators stationed here. I can't handle this alone."
"Two Emanators?" The voice on the other side sounded slightly surprised. Among the Xianzhou ships, the Luofu was relatively weak, which was why Phantylia had chosen it as her first target. Yet, unexpectedly, the plot had twisted, and two Emanator -level powerhouses had emerged on the Luofu.
"Heh, so what? Why should I help you, Phantylia?"
"The Emanator of Causality."
"Hm?"
"Besides the one of The Hunt, the other is an Emanator of Causality. I thought you might be interested, no?"
"…" Phantylia's words were met with silence from the other side. After a long pause, an even more arrogant laugh erupted from the flame mirror.
"Hahaha!! Phantylia, I must say, you've piqued my interest! An Emanator of Causality—let's see if it's worth my effort to destroy!"
…
"You two, eat up! I, Qingque, am a public servant of the Xianzhou, after all. I can afford a meal."
Qingque munched on a skewer of Qiongying bird meat, speaking indistinctly to the two girls across from her.
"Uh…"
March 7th and Stelle stared at the array of Xianzhou delicacies on the table—sugar-glazed stir-fried vismeat, signature spicy sliced offal, lotus root cake, deep-fried ghost anemone…
Qingque was quite generous, especially now that she had Yun Fan, her financial backer, who wasn't short on money.
"No, no, we're not hungry. Drinks are fine."
March 7th gave an awkward smile, picking up a drink from the table and glancing at its label.
"Soda bean juice? What's that?" Curious, March 7th opened the package and took a tentative sip. Instantly, her pupils constricted, then slowly dilated, as if all color had drained from her.
"March, what's wrong?" Stelle asked, puzzled. It was just a sip of bean juice—how could it make her look like that? Could it be… it's that delicious?
At Stelle's call, a spark returned to March 7th's eyes. Looking at the gray-haired girl before her, her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Stelle, try it! I've never tasted a drink this good in my life. It's smooth, with a deep, lingering flavor. It's so good, it's like the world lost its color!"