"Are you surprised? I'm not surprised at all."
March 7th looked at the decorative screen blocked by the Ambrosial Arbor's branches with an I-knew-it expression and spoke to Wende beside her.
"Alright, we're all used to this by now, aren't we…"
Wende also wore a look of resignation as he stared at the branches.
"Used to it… yes… we are indeed used to it."
Welt looked at Master Gongshu with a heavy heart. He was tired.
"Err… just this one last thing!"
Master Gongshu, looking a bit embarrassed, held up one finger.
"Really? If you're lying to us, then you'll have to give us one of your golden automatons to play with."
Stelle crossed her arms, giving Master Gongshu a very smug look.
"What! A golden automaton?! Do you think you can even carry it? Don't you push your luck, little one~!"
As Master Gongshu spoke, he got so emotional that he broke into a theatrical chant.
"So you're already admitting that you're going to have to compensate us?"
March deadpanned at Master Gongshu. You might be scamming someone for the first time, but this is definitely not the first time we've been scammed!
"Let me think, even if we burn all these vines, we still won't get to the Alchemy Commission smoothly. We'll probably have to fight a boss or something along the way. And to beat the boss, we'll probably have to sever its weak points or something."
March ticked off the possibilities on her fingers as if it were routine.
"Umm… may I be so bold as to ask who you distinguished trailblazers are…?"
Hearing March's flat tone, Master Gongshu's gaze toward the Express crew instantly filled with reverence. He clasped his fists and spoke to Welt with great respect.
"We are from the Astral Express. General Jing Yuan sent us to handle matters related to the Ambrosial Arbor and the Stellaron."
Seeing Master Gongshu's new attitude, Welt could only repeat what he had said before.
Klak klak klak…
"Wende, I want to eat egg tarts next time."
"Okay, I'll make them for you, but you can't have too many."
"Why not?"
"Because you'll get fat."
"Miss Tingyun, do you want some egg tarts?"
"March… don't drag other people into this. I'll make them for you."
"But I want to eat more!"
"Wende, I want an egg tart made with mung bean juice."
"You're being a little too extreme."
"This… we're going to have to pay to replace his oven, aren't we?"
"Hehe… there's no need to worry, everyone. This little lady has been a merchant for many years and is quite skilled at making use of local materials. The automatons in this Artisanship Commission…"
"As expected of Miss Tingyun!"
"Err…"
Welt's eye twitched as he looked at the four behind him, who had at some point started chatting about domestic trifles. It was one thing for Wende to join in, but Miss Tingyun, what are you getting mixed up in all this for!?
And… this atmosphere of wanting to slack off instead of putting in effort… could they have been infected by that Qingque from the Divination Commission?!
"Achoo!"
Qingque, who was playing Qiongyu Cards in Changle, suddenly sneezed.
"Strange, was it really that cold in the Divination Commission that I caught a chill?" Qingque muttered to herself in confusion.
"Miss Qingque, didn't you say the Divination Commission is very busy right now? Is it really okay for you to be out here slacking off?" her opponent asked with concern.
"Aiya, don't worry, don't worry! Her old ladyship the Diviner has already prepared everything that can be prepared. What does she need me for?!"
Qingque played a tile and grinned as she sipped her Xianren Happy Tea.
Ring ring ring… Incoming call from the Vertically Challenged Sovereign…
And so, after Master Gongshu promised them a golden automaton—and guaranteed he would customize its armor and paint job according to Welt and Wende's requirements—the Express crew finally mustered their spirits to solve the series of problems before them.
"So, couldn't we just have Stelle burn this thing down?"
March looked on, speechless, as Master Gongshu made a big show of pushing a large instrument out from the warehouse.
Clang!
Hearing this, Stelle decisively summoned her lance and scraped it against the ground.
Fwoosh!
A lively flame danced actively on the tip of her weapon.
"Err… wasn't I just worried that fire alone might not be powerful enough to burn through the Arbor sprite's branches?!"
Master Gongshu watched the flame on Stelle's lance, swallowed nervously with an awkward expression, and tried to force an explanation.
"Stelle, put the fire on the ground."
Wende shook his head at the still-stubborn Master Gongshu, then turned to Stelle.
"Oh…"
Stelle nodded in understanding. She walked to the side and, under Master Gongshu's pained gaze, plunged the tip of her lance into the floor.
FWOOSH!!
Instantly, flames roared to life from the lance, as conspicuous as a bonfire in the darkness.
"Ah, this… that Arbor sprite is from the Ambrosial Arbor! The power of Abundance on it is very difficult to sever with just this fire. You still need my [Lightflow in a Box]…"
Wende and Stelle exchanged a look, seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes. Wende shook his head, then walked forward. He aimed a lightning needle in his hand carefully at Stelle's burning lance and shot.
[Overload]
BOOM!!!!
The moment the lightning and fire made contact, a violent burst of flame erupted from the lance, startling the crowd who had been listening to Master Gongshu's nonstop spiel.
"Ah, this… is this part of our settings?" March couldn't help but quip, staring at the extremely abnormal explosion.
"Master Gongshu, do you think this is enough?"
Wende clapped his hands together, a kind smile on his face.
[Option 1: Let's hurry up and use this thing (Lightflow in a Box) to clear these roots.]
[Option 2: Is this thing really reliable?]
[Option 3: Can I just burn it with fire?]
[Option 4: Wende, I'm hungry.]
"??? Wait, is the fourth option for real?"
Sister Guoguo, who had just been discharged from the hospital, stared at the fourth option in a daze.
[Hey, just pick it. When in doubt, pick Wende. Wende is the almighty C!]
[Wende! My C!]
[The moment I see Wende, I know I can't leave my medicinal plaster on the windowsill.]
[Why?]
[Because the plaster would get moist~]
[For a second there, I couldn't tell if I should call you Cyno or just insane…]
[Insane Cyno!]
[Cyno: Hello. Are you polite?]
Seeing the deranged bullet comments, Sister Guoguo followed her heart and chose option four.
The Trailblazer in the game looked at Wende.
And then…
[Achievement Unlocked: You're Playing the Wrong Game, Aren't You?]