March 7th was deeply wounded by that conversation with Bailu. Seeing the stream chat made it even worse! Although Stelle opening the chat was essentially rubbing salt in the wound, as a fellow member of the Express crew, she still tried to offer some comfort.
"It's okay, March. You were born from Six-Phased Ice yourself. You don't have a mom or a dad either, just like Bailu. Technically, you didn't really hurt her feelings since you're in the same boat."
"Thank you, you really know how to make someone feel better," March 7th whimpered, her voice thick with tears.
On the screen, Little Gui wandered around the area. Bailu was busy treating the wounded; it seemed her appearance was just a cameo for now, with no further immediate plot involving her. Then, Little Gui bumped into an NPC named Dahao.
"Excuse me, little sister, a moment of your time."
"Thank goodness you stepped in earlier to help the citizens of the Exalting Sanctum and the Dragon Lady."
"You mean the Dragon Lady of the Alchemy Commission, Lady Bailu?" Stelle's character asked.
"That kid? Sounds like she's a pretty big deal," March 7th remarked in surprise.
Dahao didn't dwell on Bailu. Instead, he shifted the topic. "I heard from my friends in the Sky-Faring Commission that the General has invited several guests specifically to solve the troubles plaguing the Luofu. I take it that would be you all."
"If you don't mind, I would like to invite you to the Office of the Commission of General Affairs for a chat. I want to discuss the troubles currently facing the Exalting Sanctum..."
As the dialogue ended, a prompt popped up in the game.
[Adventure Mission: Venom of the Viper, Longevity of the Plover. Accepted.]
"An Adventure Mission?" Little Gui glanced at the screen. "Why did I suddenly pick up a side quest? I'm supposed to be heading to Kafka's interrogation. I don't have time for a chat at the Office of the Commission of General Affairs!"
Saying this, Little Gui moved to switch the mission tracker back to the Trailblaze Mission. Suddenly, brilliant gift effects flooded the stream!
[[Emanator of Cat-Petting 8190] has sent 5 Diting Storms to Little Gui! Message: [Host, do the side quest first!]]
[[Emanator of Cat-Petting 8190] has sent 5 Super Starskiffs to Little Gui! Message: [Let's see what danger is hiding in the Exalting Sanctum!]]
Guinaifen blinked, instinctively thanking the donor. She was still a bit hesitant, though. After all, plenty of people were waiting for the main story and the result of Kafka's interrogation.
Then, the gift effects flooded the screen again!
[[Almond Hunter] has sent 10 Star Rail Passes to Little Gui! Message: [I'm with the Cat-Petting bro!]]
[[Are Bailu's Feet Stinky] has sent 15 Star Rail Special Passes to Little Gui! Message: [Side quest first. I care way more about the hidden trouble right outside my front door.]]
Seeing so many gifts filling the screen, Guinaifen clapped her hands together. "Aiya! You family members are reading my mind! We definitely have to do this side quest first! We have to figure out what's threatening the Exalting Sanctum!"
"What's that saying again? The safety of the people comes first! Little Gui is on the job!"
Inside the Starskiff, March 7th was disgruntled when she saw Little Gui heading toward the Office of the Commission of General Affairs.
"Wait, no, Little Gui! I'm still waiting for the interrogation results! You have to have principles! You can't just flip-flop because of a few gifts!"
However, her messages were quickly buried by the mountain of other comments. Only a couple of people replied to her.
"You haven't even sent a single ticket and you're making demands?"
"Not a local, so you don't care about our safety, huh?"
March 7th immediately replied: "How can you say I don't care? I'm doing this for your General Jing Yuan!"
This time, nobody even bothered to reply. March 7th was so annoyed she reached for her wallet, ready to top up and engage in a full-blown flame war with the other viewers.
"Forget it, March," Dan Heng stopped her. "I want to know what hidden dangers are lurking on the Luofu as well. Kafka is an unstable external threat, but it seems there's an internal faction that has been plotting within the Luofu for a long time."
Hearing this, Tingyun, who was piloting up front, glanced at Dan Heng through the Starskiff's rear-view mirror.
Are they about to discover the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus? she wondered. Damn this game. It really won't give me a moment's peace.
She looked out the window at the Ambrosial Arbor. There were still no signs of it sprouting yet.
Phantylia felt a surge of extreme dissatisfaction. You pawn of Abundance, you're far too slow!
She pushed the Starskiff's engines, speeding toward their destination. Mr. Yang looked up at her, keenly feeling the vessel accelerate.
"It seems Miss Tingyun is also anxious after hearing about the danger to her home," he remarked.
In the stream, Little Gui arrived at the Office of the Commission of General Affairs. She had expected to find a few hidden Mara-struck in the Exalting Sanctum, but the reality was far more shocking!
After handing over the "Unsent Letter" item she had found earlier, a sweating Dahao brought in Qingzu, General Jing Yuan's chief strategist. On the Luofu, she was a person of significant standing.
"To an outsider, this letter looks like nothing more than a joyful message from someone who recovered from a long illness," Qingzu explained. "But what is written inside actually violates the Ten Unpardonable Sins. It is nothing short of high treason."
"'Merciful Medicus'no law-abiding citizen of the Alliance would ever utter that title. Because the one it refers to is the Xianzhou's greatest enemythe Aeon of Abundance, Yaoshi, whom we call The Plaguesth Author."
"Behavior like this reminds me of an organization that hasn't been seen on the Xianzhou for a thousand years... the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
As soon as she said those words, the chat exploded!
"The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus!?"
"Holy crap! I went out this morning and someone asked me if I 'craved immortality.' I thought they were just crazy and walked away. Now that I think about it, were they a member of the cult!?"
"I've heard of them! They poison people under the guise of healing them and perform inhumane experiments on your body!"
"Mama mia! Is it really that scary? An anti-social organization is hiding near my house!?"
"I'm terrified to even leave my room now..."
Watching the comments fly by, Guinaifen couldn't help but sigh. "Friends! So you've all experienced similar things? We outworlders have to make sure we stay safe while living on the Xianzhou!"
Sushang's voice came from the background: "Don't worry, Little Gui! From now on, I'm following you everywhere! I'll even watch the door while you're in the outhouse!"
Because of the bombshell news, Guinaifen was now fully invested in the side quest. It was no longer just a game mission; it concerned the safety of the Luofu's citizens! If she could use this mission to dig out the entire Disciples of Sanctus Medicus organization, that would be amazing!
Inside the Divination Commission, Fu Xuan stared at the stream with a grim expression. She had originally planned to follow the Express crew to the Shackling Prison, but seeing this changed everything.
She suddenly calmed down, her mind racing.
"The majority of the Luofu's military has been deployed to the Shackling Prison, and even the General has rushed over. If I were to leave as well, wouldn't the Luofu be left completely defenseless from within?"
"Good, good! This mission was triggered just in time!"
"The hidden internal cancer that even I couldn't divinethe Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. I'll see for myself exactly where you are hiding!"
Fu Xuan immediately took the command tally Jing Yuan had left behind and summoned the remaining Cloud Knights in the city. As soon as the game revealed the cult's true nature and location, she would strike instantly. She would round up every last one of those abominations in a single sweep!
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).