[Holy crap, I'm dying of laughter. Lady Qingque is truly someone who can even leave March 7th speechless.]
[The cinematography here—Qingque really treats those tiles as her lifeline!]
[Little March is utterly dumbfounded.]
[Can't hold it in anymore. Hahaha, are we even going to resolve the crisis? The Scalegorge Waterscape storyline is hilarious.]
[As expected of a Honkai: Star Rail web drama—always delivering laughs where you least expect them.]
[Has the miHoYo writing team also embarked on the Path of Elation?]
[Qingque's luck with tiles is just too good.]
[Honkai: Star Rail's writers are way too dedicated. These mahjong tiles, hahaha.]
——
Caelus felt his brain short-circuiting. "The Master Diviner's way of assigning personnel is… truly unconventional."
Qingque flashed a flawless, unreadable smile.
"My apologies for keeping our esteemed guests waiting for so long."
Surprisingly, Welt showed interest. "It wasn't too long. Watching you play so enthusiastically piqued my curiosity about this 'Divine Jade Abacus' tile game."
"Ahaha, you're so patient, considerate, and discerning, sir! If you're interested, I can teach you how to play. It's quite fun!"
"Gladly."
March 7th rubbed her chin. "Mr. Yang, are our roles reversed here?"
Afterward, the trio from the Express and Tingyun followed Qingque's lead toward the Divination Commission.
They hadn't gone far when, in an open area with an excellent vantage point—
A colossal tree towered in the distance.
"Whoa! Look, what's that?" March 7th pointed at the tree.
Everyone followed her gaze. Even from such a distance, the sight was awe-inspiring.
Tingyun remained composed. "That is an ancient tree known as the 'Ambrosial Arbor'—once a prized treasure of the Xianzhou Luofu."
In stark contrast, Qingque seemed astonished. "The Sky-Faring Commission knows its history too? Impressive! Most of the younger generation can't even name it now. Legend says the Ambrosial Arbor is a remnant from the ancient Xianzhou's voyages beyond the heavens.
"Though it looks like a withered stump from afar, the Dreams of the Imperial Capital records that at its peak, it 'scraped the firmament and bore the stars upon its boughs'!"
March 7th scratched her nose. "Uh… what does that mean?"
"It means the tree was so tall it touched the sky, and stars hung from its branches."
Qingque gave Welt a thumbs-up. "Mr. Yang is quite cultured. But it's all just legends anyway. I see this view every day on my commute—it's lost its charm.
"Let's keep moving. We're almost there. Stay close, everyone."
In the blink of an eye, the five arrived before a starskiff.
——
The screen abruptly cut to black.
Instead of continuing from Caelus' perspective, the story shifted back to Dan Heng's side.
Dan Heng, Sushang, and Luocha were still traveling together.
Upon reaching a temporarily safe area, Sushang suggested taking a break.
Though the trio had just survived life-or-death situations together,
they now maintained a cautious distance from one another.
Finally, Sushang broke the silence. She stared at Dan Heng and asked, "You're not mad if I call you 'Silent guy,' right?"
Dan Heng glanced at her but didn't respond.
"...Ugh, the nickname fits perfectly. I'm rested now. Let me know when you two are ready."
Dan Heng was naturally reserved and taciturn,
but even he couldn't help being curious about certain things.
His gaze kept drifting to the large coffin on Luocha's back.
Luocha noticed immediately and spoke first.
"Brother Dan Heng, are you from the Luofu?"
Dan Heng nodded, then shook his head.
"My apologies, that was presumptuous. I sometimes struggle with social boundaries—I hope I didn't offend."
Dan Heng smiled faintly, unbothered. "May I ask what's inside that coffin?"
"Ah, a troublesome bond. I got caught in a conflict and ended up indebted to someone, so I agreed to deliver a body back to the Xianzhou.
"I suppose I have a talent for attracting trouble. I thought things would be safe once we reached the Luofu, but then… well, you saw what happened."
Dan Heng nodded. He knew this was likely just a polite deflection—
but ultimately, the coffin's contents were none of his concern.
"Let's go."
As the story progressed, Dan Heng retraced Caelus' steps, encountering many Mara-struck Cloud Knights and monsters frozen by March 7th.
The journey was silent. After several battles, Dan Heng, Sushang, and Luocha found a starskiff that could take them to the Central Scalegorge.
During this segment, Luocha and Dan Heng exchanged extensive dialogue.
Their conversation was seamless, logical, and utterly flawless.
Luocha's perfection only deepened the audience's suspicion.
[This Luocha is definitely shady.]
[Agreed. The giant coffin is one thing, but his answers are airtight—even Dan Heng can't find a flaw.]
[No flaws, and that's suspicious? Where's the justice in that?]
[Bro, there's a war going on, Mara-struck everywhere, and this guy's casually hauling a coffin around. Who's inside—his lover? And he's not even flustered.]
[Also, this whole section is just Dan Heng retracing the Express trio's steps. There's no reason to give Luocha this much screen time unless he's hiding something.]
[The greatest flaw is having no flaws!]
[I'm the Seer. Luocha's the Werewolf. Witch, poison him tonight.]
——
After Dan Heng's group boarded the starskiff,
the scene shifted abruptly.
But instead of Dan Heng's trio disembarking, it was Qingque's team that arrived.
Under Qingque's guidance, the group reached the Divination Commission—the Xianzhou's hub for divination and intelligence.
The architecture was ethereal: pavilions soared above the clouds, floating gardens pierced the sky, exuding an air of mystique.
Yet the Commission's gates were tightly shut, as if rejecting all visitors—including their own Qingque.
Qingque stared at the unmoving doors and muttered, "How odd…"
"Let me guess—the door suddenly broke?" March 7th planted her hands on her hips, ready to deploy her door-opening magic.
"No idea. The gates are locked. They've never been locked before… and no one told me to bring a key.
"Ugh, no matter how bad the cafeteria food is, you can't just serve guests a closed door!"
"Are you sure you're from the Divination Commission?"
After spending time with Qingque, Caelus had mastered the art of deadpan reactions. "Is there a chance you got fired?"
Qingque shrugged. "No way. I was already demoted to archive duty—what more does the old lady want?
"Don't panic! The Commission has more than one entrance. I know a backdoor for emergencies."
Under Qingque's guidance again, the group arrived at the "Gate of Untroubled Ease"—
her usual sneaky exit for slacking off.
But—
Another setback.
Qingque's voice carried a hint of frustration. "Damn this Stellaron corruption, ruining everything!
"Ugh, this door's locked too. If the Master Diviner has to wait any longer, she'll definitely think 'that unreliable Qingque' messed up again…"
March 7th whispered to Welt, "Mr. Yang, they sent this person to fetch us. You still think the Diviner isn't mad?"
Welt then followed Qingque's instructions and unlocked the door, finally granting them entry.
"Why is getting through a door so hard? Is there a princess trapped inside waiting for us to save her?" Caelus quipped, channeling March 7th's energy.
Just then, Abundance Emanators appeared.
March 7th sighed. "Surprised? Not even a little. Can we get a more creative random encounter next time?"
Caelus summoned his bat. "Time to fight!"