Stepping out of the hot springs.
Both Sylvia and Acheron were flushed from head to toe, their bodies glowing pink and steaming with heat.
"Let's go grab a drink after the soak."
Neither of them changed out of their swimsuits. They simply toweled off, threw on some jackets, and headed straight to the bar.
"There's even a bar on board? This starship must not come cheap."
Acheron casually picked a bottle from behind the counter—something Sylvia didn't recognize—and poured herself a glass, taking a sip.
"No idea. Firefly booked it, but yeah, it probably cost a pretty penny."
Seeing this, Sylvia didn't reach for her own drink. Instead, she slid her glass over, signaling Acheron to pour her one as well.
"What kind of liquor is this?"
"One that… reminds me a little of home. It's pretty strong, though, so go easy."
Acheron tipped the bottle and poured only a small half-glass for Sylvia.
Sylvia didn't mind. Leaning back on the sofa, she tilted her head and took a delicate sip.
"Mmph… not very tasty…"
Squinting, she smacked her lips a few times, letting the spicy burn in her mouth settle.
Beside her, Acheron watched Sylvia's reaction with rapt attention before lifting her own glass and taking a large, unflinching gulp, swallowing it without so much as a twitch.
"Compared to other drinks, it's definitely not what you'd call delicious, but the flavor is unique. If you can't finish it, just hand it over."
Acheron extended her glass, gesturing for Sylvia to pour the rest into hers.
But Sylvia only clinked her glass against Acheron's before taking another sip.
"Mmm… no, it's just a little half-glass anyway."
Acheron wasn't sure why Sylvia insisted on finishing it, but since she showed no sign of letting go, there was no point forcing the issue.
The reason, simply put, was that Sylvia just wanted to understand a little more about Acheron's past.
By now, Izumo had long been submerged in Nihility, untraceable, and Acheron herself remembered almost nothing.
In a situation like this, Sylvia's desire to learn about Acheron's past felt somewhat futile.
And who knew how long it would be—maybe never—before Acheron could recover her memories on her own.
Besides, there was no guarantee Acheron would ever fully regain them. What if she only recovered enough to function and then stopped?
No one could say for sure.
That small half-glass took Sylvia the better part of a system hour to finish.
As for Acheron, she had polished off the entire bottle long ago.
--+--
Two days later.
The starship arrived at the Xianzhou Luofu.
Thanks to Sylvia's pass, they sailed smoothly into the Luofu's starport.
During those two days, Sylvia had finally managed to fully retract her draconic features, no longer drawing unwanted attention.
But in exchange, once the horns and tail were tucked away, she could feel her sensitivity to the Path of Permanence had dulled slightly.
Still, it was undoubtedly far stronger than it used to be.
Just as they stepped out of the starport, they unexpectedly ran into Tingyun, who stood fan in hand, smiling warmly and waving in their direction.
"Benefactor, over here~"
"Tingyun? What are you doing here?"
Sylvia walked over with a smile, giving Tingyun a once-over. She looked just the same as the last time they'd met.
"Why, Benefactor, if I hadn't received word from a colleague that you'd docked at the Luofu starport, I wouldn't even have known you'd returned."
Putting on an exaggeratedly 'hurt' expression, Tingyun gazed steadily at Sylvia, her fan half-hiding her face, eyes shimmering like autumn water.
Her fluffy tail quietly brushed against the back of Sylvia's hand.
"Ahem… I was planning to visit the Sky-Faring Commission afterward."
Sylvia cleared her throat, resisting the urge to give that tail a couple of strokes.
"Really?"
"Absolutely."
Seeing Sylvia nod, the 'hurt' on Tingyun's face vanished without a trace, replaced by a radiant smile.
She took Sylvia's hand and began leading her away.
"Where are you headed this time, Benefactor?"
"I plan to visit the Divination Commission first to see Fu Xuan. After that, I'll probably go meet General Jing Yuan."
"In that case, I won't intrude on your meeting with the Master Diviner. But later, you must come to the Sky-Faring Commission, all right? I'll treat you to a simple meal."
Hearing the names Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan, Tingyun could guess Sylvia was here to discuss something important.
Although the Xianzhou had been quiet lately, Tingyun's position allowed her to pick up on quite a few unusual signals.
Something significant was likely brewing on the Luofu in the near future.
And Sylvia's return at this time somewhat confirmed some of Tingyun's hunches.
If Sylvia was meeting the Master Diviner and the General today, it probably wasn't appropriate for Tingyun to tag along the whole time.
So she naturally took a step back and extended a dinner invitation instead.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Seeing Sylvia accept so readily, Tingyun's smile grew even brighter.
"Hehe~ Let me arrange a starskiff for you first."
Tingyun escorted Sylvia all the way to the starskiff and even slipped a box of pastries and two cups of Immortal's Delight into her hands.
Sylvia wasn't hungry, but the snacks and tea would hit the spot.
She had no idea how Tingyun had noticed or when she'd quietly prepared them.
All she could think was, 'Tingyun's pampering really is the best.'
--+--
Arriving at the Divination Commission.
Sylvia didn't stop to greet Qingque, who was on gate duty.
Instead, she went straight to Fu Xuan, who was busy working before the Matrix of Prescience.
Perhaps because she'd already foreseen Sylvia's visit, Fu Xuan was alone by the matrix.
"Sylvia, long time no see. I calculated yesterday that you'd come to see me soon about a matter, but I didn't expect you so quickly."
Fu Xuan lowered her hands and turned to face Sylvia.
Only to have one of the cups of Immortal's Delight pressed into her grasp.
"From Tingyun. She said to tell the Master Diviner to take a break and not overwork herself again."
"…And why are you calling me 'Master Diviner'? Just tell me what's going on."
Fu Xuan shot Sylvia a sidelong glance before nudging her with an elbow, sipping her tea as she did.
"Right, it's easier if you just see for yourself."
As she spoke, Sylvia channeled the power of Permanence within her, focusing it on her forehead and tailbone. Then, with a soft shwoop, her dragon horns and tail slid free.
Fu Xuan nearly dropped her Immortal's Delight in shock.
"You… you're a Vidyadhara?! But no, if you were a Vidyadhara living abroad, I would've detected it in one of my many divinations about you."
The sudden, staggering revelation sent Fu Xuan's mind racing, so much so that she instinctively bowed her head and took several quick gulps of tea to steady herself.
"Just what happened to you?"
Fu Xuan's expression turned serious.
This was a scenario she'd never encountered. Not just her—probably not even the General had… wait, actually, the General might have seen something similar.
"Don't tense up. Have some tea and calm down first. This has nothing to do with the Xianzhou."
Sylvia pushed the cup closer, aiming the straw toward Fu Xuan's mouth, then gave a brief explanation of her situation.
"…So, I came mainly to ask if I could borrow some texts related to Permanence. I figured the Divination Commission might have some."
"Sigh… give me a moment to process this. Today's divination didn't indicate anything like this at all."
Fu Xuan also fell into deep thought, troubled by Herta's startling conjecture.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.