"Ahem, so you wanted me to be the temporary commander."
Finally understanding the situation, Chu Ze coughed drily, a slightly troubled expression on his face.
He had just played a reverse card, hoping to bluff his way through it.
But unexpectedly, Xueyi had still figured it out.
Thinking of this, Chu Ze said with some hesitation:
"To be honest with you, I'm a bit reluctant to temporarily return to military service."
"It's like quitting smoking halfway through, and then suddenly being asked to smoke two cigarettes as a reward for my recent performance... It's just too tempting."
"And nominally, the Cloud Knights responsible for patrols are under the new Garrison Officer. For me to rashly take over the commander's position would be very rude to that junior."
Xueyi nodded slightly:
"I understand your point of view, but the situation is special. Should we still be concerned with social etiquette?"
This wasn't just simple social etiquette.
It involved changes in loyalties between old and new factions, the authority of the new Garrison Officer, and the chain of command, among many other issues.
Of course, besides this, Chu Ze had other little thoughts.
—Being a commander would definitely take up a lot of time.
In his final period on the Xianzhou, he still wanted to spend more time "communicating" with Ah Fu.
And he also needed to find a way to raid a few Borisin strongholds to earn some fuel money for the Cosmic Superman.
Anyway, with Jing Yuan overseeing the Luofu, he didn't think those little impostor thieves could swagger around under the nose of the Divine Foresight General.
Seeing his troubled expression, Xueyi sighed softly:
"So be it. After all, this is outside your authority, and we can't force you."
"In that case, the Divine Foresight will step in and urgently recall the new Garrison Officer to take command of the scene."
Chu Ze nodded slightly:
"Let's decide on that then."
But seeing the obvious look of regret in Xueyi's eyes, after a slight hesitation, he still spoke up:
"On the day of the gala, I will go to the scene to watch the performances."
"If there really is an emergency, I will step in to help."
Xueyi's expression visibly relaxed a lot:
"That's enough. Thank you for your contribution to the Xianzhou."
"You're welcome."
...
...
Jing Yuan was the pillar supporting the Luofu.
But if even petty thieves required him to step in, it might make outsiders think the Luofu was weak and lacked capable people.
So Chu Ze still made a suitable promise.
Hopefully, there won't be an opportunity for him to make a move that day...
...Wait, did I just raise a huge flag?
He quickly shook his head, forcefully changing the subject:
"By the way, Judge Xueyi, I remember the Ten-Lords Commission's duty is to deal with criminals and the mara-struck, right?"
"Why did you personally return to the living and discuss such a topic unrelated to the Ten-Lords Commission with me?"
Xueyi explained:
"Actually, the real reason for my visit, besides the aforementioned request, is something even more important."
"That is to conduct a deductive observation of your mother to determine the approximate time she will fall into mara."
"She is not currently within the Xianzhou's territory, and we have no way to contact her."
"So please inform your mother to return to the Luofu soon to accept the Judge's examination."
Chu Ze immediately raised an eyebrow:
"Huh? My mom? Why would she fall into mara?"
Xueyi answered seriously:
"Because according to lifespan calculations, her life is nearing its limit, and she could fall into mara at any time."
Chu Ze shook his head:
"That's not right. My mom doesn't have mara, and she doesn't need to return to the Xianzhou."
"...Eh?"
This time it was Xueyi's turn to be confused.
The puppet girl tilted her head slightly, a cute, dazed expression on her face:
"Every Xianzhou native has to do this. Why doesn't she need to return? What does that mean?"
"It means exactly what it says."
Chu Ze said quite naturally:
"She doesn't have mara, and she doesn't need to return to the Xianzhou. It's only natural."
Xueyi was still puzzled.
But it seemed as if a voice echoed in her mind again.
[She doesn't have mara, and she doesn't need to return to the Xianzhou. It's only natural.]
In an instant, her somewhat blocked thoughts cleared up.
Xueyi showed an expression of sudden realization:
"I see. After I return, I will withdraw all proposals concerning your mother."
"I was out of line for saying such strange things just now."
"It's fine, it's fine. Everyone gets confused sometimes."
Although he didn't understand why Xueyi would question a well-known fact for so long, she was a beautiful puppet girl after all, so Chu Ze ultimately didn't complain and just moved past the topic.
...
...
After finishing their business, Xueyi left directly.
After all, her time among the living was limited, and she had other things to do and couldn't spend it all on Chu Ze.
After seeing Xueyi off, Chu Ze returned to his room.
He was originally planning to check the star rail navigation routes and formulate a plan to borrow some grain from the Borisin.
But Xueyi had just mentioned his mom, and thinking about it, it had indeed been a long time since he had a real-time call with her.
So Chu Ze took out his phone and pressed the call request for the contact labeled [Old Mother].
Luckily, this time there was no "signal out of service area" prompt. After a brief ringing, the call connected.
"Hello, Mom?"
Chu Ze said with surprise: "It actually went through? So you're not on a business trip?"
A familiar and gentle voice came from the other side:
"Son, what is it? Mom's busy with work, I don't have much time to chat."
Chu Ze sat down on the sofa:
"It's nothing, just calling to check on you."
His mom's voice came from the receiver:
"Mom's doing great. Compared to me, you should take good care of yourself."
"What I want to see most is you growing up healthy and strong!"
The undisguised words of concern made Chu Ze's heart feel a little touched.
To be able to enjoy the love of family in the vast universe, just thinking about it made the trivial matters of life seem less tiring.
"By the way, Mom, how's your work?" Chu Ze asked.
But his mom's tone suddenly changed:
"Son, what is it? Mom's busy with work, I don't have much time to chat."
"?"
Chu Ze was slightly taken aback.
That sentence... sounded like he had just heard it.
Without puzzling over it for too long, drawing on past experience, he narrowed his eyes slightly:
"Mom, you're not using an AI auto-reply system to fool me again, are you?"
His mom smiled slightly:
"Aiya, how could I? Mom misses you so much, how could I use a machine to trick you."
The voice was very gentle, but Chu Ze was unmoved: "Really not?"
His mom smiled slightly: "Aiya, how could I? Mom misses you so much, how could I use a machine to trick you."
Chu Ze: "...It's a machine."
His mom: "Aiya, how could I? Mom misses you so much, how could I use a machine to trick you."
Chu Ze: "Transfer to a human operator."
His mom: "Aiya, how could I? Mom misses you so much, how could I use a machine..."
Click!
Chu Ze decisively hung up the phone.
Taking a deep breath, a pained expression appeared on his face.
"This is my mom... this is my mom..."
"Don't complain, if you complain, you've really lost..."
-------
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