Fu Zhu had assumed the Divination Commission would be like an institution from his previous world—a huge office building. He never expected Yanqing to lead him to a port.
Confused, Fu Zhu asked Yanqing and Qingque, who were beside him, "We need to take a starskiff to get to the Divination Commission?"
Fu Zhu had ridden a starskiff before; they were similar to short-haul planes from his past life. The fact that one was needed to reach the Divination Commission likely meant it wasn't the kind of office building he had imagined.
Seeing Fu Zhu's question, Qingque smiled and explained with a shrug, "Little Bro Nameless, this is your first time on the Luofu, isn't it? The Divination Commission is one of the Luofu's Six Commissions, so it's a pretty important organization. Its location is separate from the Luofu's residential areas. Let's get on the starskiff first, and I'll explain slowly as we go."
Fu Zhu grunted in agreement and boarded the starskiff waiting at the dock with the two of them.
As the starskiff slowly started to move, Changle Paradise gradually fell away behind them. After a short while, all Fu Zhu could see through the starskiff's window was a thick layer of clouds. Faintly visible in the distance was a building, half-hidden in the sea of clouds, much like a heavenly palace from myth.
Only when the starskiff drew closer did Fu Zhu get a clear view of this "heavenly palace" within the clouds.
He saw ancient-style wooden buildings arranged in a ring, standing tall around a circular platform that floated on the sea of clouds.
"Master Fu Zhu..." Yanqing was about to step forward and introduce the Divination Commission to Fu Zhu but was interrupted by an exasperated Qingque.
"I say, Little Bro Yanqing, can't you leave this kind of easy work to me?"
"Huh?" Yanqing scratched his head, not quite understanding her.
Seeing his expression, Qingque wagged a finger at him and explained, "The Great Diviner sent me to find you two. A task like introducing the Divination Commission should naturally fall to me. Otherwise, what if the Great Diviner says I was a poor hostess?"
Yanqing gave an embarrassed laugh and sheepishly stepped aside. "You go ahead then."
Only then did Qingque smile in satisfaction and claim the spot next to Fu Zhu.
"Little Bro Nameless..."
Fu Zhu cut in to correct Qingque's form of address.
"Just call me Fu Zhu. After all, I'm not the only Nameless here."
Qingque nodded and continued where she left off.
"Little Bro Fu Zhu, as you can see, that outer ring is the area where the Divination Commission receives supplicants who come seeking a divination. And that giant circular platform in the middle, along with the other connected platforms, is the Divination Commission proper. The largest platform houses the Commission's most important facility—the Matrix of Prescience. The Great Diviner can use the Matrix of Prescience to divine the present and future for the Luofu. Pretty amazing, right?"
"Very impressive."
Fu Zhu praised her sincerely. The ability to foresee the future was an incredibly powerful skill, no matter the world.
"We're here."
Sensing the starskiff begin to slow down, Yanqing announced their arrival.
The starskiff gradually decelerated to a stop. Because the Divination Commission was a restricted area on the Luofu, starskiffs were not allowed to dock directly within it. They could only stop at the outer docks, from which one had to proceed on foot.
As the three of them stepped off the starskiff, two Cloud Knights immediately approached to ask their identities.
However, after seeing the identification plaques presented by Yanqing and Qingque, they didn't ask any more questions, simply clasping their fists in a salute and stepping aside.
"This way, this way."
Qingque led the two to a massive metal door. After she scanned her own identification plaque on it, the door slid open, revealing a path enveloped in a thin sea of mist.
Yanqing glanced at the scenery before them, his face showing surprise. He had been to the Divination Commission before, but the path Qingque was taking them on was clearly a direct route to the Commission's core facility, the Matrix of Prescience, not the everyday administrative areas.
"Miss Qingque, why are you taking us to the Matrix of Prescience?"
Still walking ahead, Qingque answered without turning back, "Of course, it's because the Great Diviner is waiting for you at the Matrix of Prescience."
This reply surprised both Fu Zhu and Yanqing. Summoning someone to a place other than the administrative areas, and instead to a vital facility like the Matrix of Prescience?
Qingque then continued, muttering to herself, though her voice was loud enough for the two of them to hear every word.
"The Great Diviner has been at the Matrix of Prescience divining all morning. I don't know what big event has happened to make her keep the Matrix, which is usually not active for long, running continuously until now."
Fu Zhu and Yanqing exchanged a look, seeing the confusion in each other's eyes. Even a diviner from the Commission like Qingque was saying this, which meant something very strange was afoot.
The three continued along the path. Before long, the massive, constantly rotating grand matrix appeared before them. Below the activated Matrix of Prescience, they could vaguely make out three figures.
As Qingque led Fu Zhu and Yanqing closer, Fu Zhu's previously relaxed mood instantly tensed. He couldn't help but shout at the three figures below the Matrix.
"How are you two here?"
Among the three figures standing under the Matrix of Prescience, two were none other than the Trailblazer and March 7th, who had parted ways with him only a short time ago. The third person was not Welt, but a petite, pink-haired young woman. If it had been Welt, Fu Zhu wouldn't have been so surprised.
Perhaps Welt had contacted the Divination Commission, which was why someone was specifically sent to summon him. But seeing only the Trailblazer and March 7th here, the situation was completely different.
March 7th and the Trailblazer, who seemed to be chatting with the pink-haired girl, turned their heads in surprise when they heard Fu Zhu's voice.
"Old Bro (Fu Zhu)? How did you get summoned here too?"
Fu Zhu walked over and retorted speechlessly, "I should be asking you that. How did you get summoned to the Divination Commission? Don't tell me you got into trouble?"
The Trailblazer lowered her eyes and shot Fu Zhu a sidelong glance. "If we were arrested for getting into trouble, then your crime must be much worse than ours. When we came, we were only escorted by one person. You, on the other hand, have two."
As she spoke, the Trailblazer even gestured with her chin toward Qingque and Yanqing, who were standing beside Fu Zhu. Her last remark was clearly directed at them.
Seeing that Fu Zhu knew the two before them, Yanqing and Qingque promptly introduced themselves.
"Yanqing (Qingque)."
"Hello, hello! I'm March 7th, and this is Xing. We're both Fu Zhu's companions and fellow Nameless."
After the brief introductions, Fu Zhu shifted his gaze to the pink-haired girl who had remained silent since the beginning and had been staring straight at him ever since he appeared.
"This must be the Great Diviner of the Divination Commission?"
At Fu Zhu's sudden question, the pink-haired girl's body visibly flinched, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes.
"Ah, mm, ahem, ahem."
The girl let out a series of light coughs. She then raised a fist to her mouth, and after composing herself for a moment, she finally adopted a formal tone.
"I am the current Great Diviner of the Divination Commission, Fu Xuan. I have invited the three of you here today because I have a few questions to ask."
Fu Zhu nodded lightly. Since she was the Great Diviner, she must have already divined their purpose in coming to the Luofu. He just didn't know exactly how much she had figured out.
Now that Welt wasn't here, he would have to be the one to play it by ear. He hoped Fu Xuan hadn't divined the parts they were trying to keep secret, otherwise, it might lower the Luofu's opinion of the Astral Express.
"Great Diviner, please ask your questions."
"Alright. Then, ahem, I shall ask... You are not married, are you?"
Fu Zhu, who had already been mentally preparing all sorts of answers, was completely thrown by Fu Xuan's question. His mind went blank for a second.
"What?"
Even Yanqing and Qingque stared at Fu Xuan, completely bewildered.
Why would the Great Diviner ask such a question? It was ten parts, or even nine parts, just plain wrong!
Thinking Fu Zhu hadn't heard clearly, Fu Xuan asked again.
"Are you married?"
Although Fu Zhu didn't understand why she was asking this, he still answered honestly.
"No."
Fu Xuan breathed a small sigh of relief upon hearing his answer.
Just this morning, after performing her routine divination for the Luofu, she had also performed one for herself. The result told her that four Nameless would arrive on the Luofu today, and among them would be her fated person.
This sent Fu Xuan into a panic. She immediately had someone find all four Nameless, intending to meet them and see who the卦象 (guàxiàng - hexagram/divination sign) was referring to as her fated person.
The first to be brought over were March 7th and the Trailblazer. Fu Xuan, who knew she preferred men, didn't pay them much mind and instead asked them about the other two Nameless.
At the time, this is what they had said.
March 7th: "Mr. Yang seems to have a wife already. I don't know about Fu Zhu, but he probably doesn't!"
The Trailblazer: "Mr. Yang might be a bachelor, but my old bro is a different story. He's got his main wife March 7th, and his concubine Bronya!"
This left Fu Xuan completely baffled, not knowing whose story was true and whose was false.
However, from their words, Fu Xuan at least knew that of the two remaining male Nameless, one was older. Her fated person was unlikely to be him, which meant it could only be the other one.
And so, Fu Xuan looked at Fu Zhu with a nervous expression and asked again.
"How old are you?"
"22."
Fu Zhu was utterly baffled. What exactly had this Great Diviner divined?
Why was she conducting what felt like a census instead of getting to the point?
Upon hearing Fu Zhu's answer, the expression on Fu Xuan's face grew somewhat conflicted.
She had assumed her fated person would be a long-life species like herself, but from Fu Zhu's current appearance and age, he was clearly a short-life species.
She had already lived for several decades, yet Fu Zhu was only 22. She never knew that she was into... relationships with younger men...
No! How could she possibly fall for a short-life species!
She had heard of several cases of relationships between short-life and long-life species, but without exception, after a few decades, the long-life species was left to live out the rest of their days in sorrow. Some even fell to the Mara because of it.
With all these examples before her, would she really fall for a short-life species?
No... The divinations of the Matrix of Prescience are never wrong. It has been so for many years.
The contradiction between these two facts left Fu Xuan's mind in turmoil.
"Great Diviner?"
Seeing Fu Xuan remain silent for a long time, Qingque called out to her softly.
Fu Xuan snapped back to reality and gave an apologetic shake of her head to Fu Zhu.
"My apologies. I was contemplating another matter and forgot to ask for your contact information. Here."
Fu Xuan proactively took out her phone, wanting to exchange contact information with Fu Zhu.
This action left everyone present stunned once again.
Seeing her reaction, Fu Xuan hesitantly pulled her hand back and asked in a small voice, "What's wrong?"
The Trailblazer immediately became alert and elbowed March 7th, who was beside her. "Watch out, March. This one is coming for your position as the main wife!"
Qingque looked on in amazement, shaking her head. "Well, I'll be damned... a barren tree is blooming..."
Yanqing scratched his head off to the side, completely lost as to how things had developed this way. He could only lower his head and pretend he heard nothing.
Fu Zhu thought for a moment, then took out his phone and scanned the QR code Fu Xuan presented, successfully adding her as a friend. At the same time, he couldn't help but ask a question back.
"Great Diviner..."
"You may call me Fu Xuan. I am not one to cling to rigid, old-fashioned rules."
"...Alright, Fu Xuan. You called us here because you divined something about the Stellaron Hunters, right? Why are you... asking these incomprehensible questions?"
Fu Zhu was truly at a loss. Combining her adding him as a friend with her previous two questions, no matter how he looked at it, this didn't feel like a discussion of important matters. It was more like... a blind date?
Although Fu Zhu had never been on a blind date, based on the snippets he'd read online, Fu Xuan's questions and actions gave him the distinct feeling of being on one.
Weird! So weird!
When Fu Xuan heard Fu Zhu mention the Stellaron Hunters, she blinked in a daze.
"Huh? What Stellaron Hunters?"
As she said this, Fu Xuan no longer gave off the imposing aura of the Great Diviner, but rather the adorable confusion of a young girl.
However, the others didn't notice this, instead staring at Fu Xuan in collective bewilderment.
Fu Xuan belatedly came to her senses, cursing herself internally.
She had been so focused on the divination about her fated person that she had forgotten the latter half of the reading, which had indeed mentioned the Stellaron Hunters!
Fu Xuan silently chided herself for being too hasty. The matter of her fated person was not something to be rushed. Otherwise, wouldn't everyone find out right away?
She didn't want news of her love life to be spread all over the Luofu the very next day.
"Ahem, ahem. I, of course, divined the matter of the Stellaron Hunters. I was just about to start talking about it now."
Then what were all those previous questions for?!