Xianzhou Luofu, Divination Commission.
"General, so Cloud Knight soldiers have gone missing."
Fu Xuan found Jing Yuan and spoke with a solemn expression.
The hand with which Jing Yuan had been about to place a ga piece paused in mid-air. His brows knitted; he imdiately sensed that sothing was wrong.
"Lord Fu, tell the details."
"General, the Cloud Knights reported that two people from one of their squads have disappeared."
To be honest, things like this had almost never happened in recent years. No one wanted to casually offend the Xianzhou Luofu.
"How has the recent entry and exit situation on the Luofu been?" Jing Yuan asked.
This matter was not so simple. As the general, he had not sensed anything at all.
"There hasn't been anything unusual, and there are no records of anyone leaving the ship." Fu Xuan had already investigated before coming to Jing Yuan.
"It seems soone thinks my Xianzhou Luofu is easy to bully." Jing Yuan's tone was faint.
"The Qiongguan Formation didn't divine anything?"
Fu Xuan shook her head. "I tried, but it was all a blur. I couldn't see anything."
Hearing that, Jing Yuan's expression beca more serious.
The Qiongguan Formation was a divination array that allowed its user to gaze upon past and future. As the Luofu drifted across the sea of stars, it could not be without this for even a day.
The reason the Luofu had been able to turn danger into safety again and again was all thanks to the Qiongguan Formation.
Yet now there was soone even the Qiongguan Formation could not observe.
"An Emanator." Jing Yuan spoke in a low voice.
The first thing that ca to his mind was that level of powerhouse. No matter how accurate the Qiongguan Formation might be, it could not spy on Emanators of the Aeons.
Of course, there were also so special individuals—those who walked Paths such as Nihility, Mystery, Elation, or Finality were all difficult to observe.
"An Emanator?" Fu Xuan's expression showed her confusion.
She did not understand.
How could an existence like that possibly bother to kidnap a few ordinary Cloud Knight soldiers? What would be the point?
"Don't say you can't figure it out. I can't figure it out either," Jing Yuan said helplessly.
Indeed, to capture a few ordinary Cloud Knight soldiers, there was no way an Emanator would be that idle.
"Lord Fu, trouble yourself to use the Qiongguan Formation to divine it again. If you really can't locate them, rember to give proper compensation to the families of the missing." Jing Yuan continued.
There was nothing more he could do. If an Emanator really had made the move, and could co and go without a trace, then it simply ant the other party's strength surpassed his. It would be impossible to find them.
Fu Xuan nodded, then left on her short legs.
"A troubled season indeed…"
Jing Yuan let out a slight sigh. He had not told the simple-minded Fu Xuan that this might also have been the work of soone from within the Luofu itself. How could he not understand the darkness lurking beneath the surface?
Could there be soone who wanted to study the Xianzhou people's physiques?
A Mara-Struck body was sothing many of the old fossils avoided like the plague. Once the Mara affliction flared up, it was basically a death sentence.
Koji had no idea that Jing Yuan was filling in the blanks with his own imagination. So naless Emanator, or so old geezer on the verge of succumbing to a Mara-Struck body, was now taking the bla for him.
Teyvat, Suru City.
"Venti got thrown into jail again?"
The mont Koji ca back, he heard that Venti had been locked up for having no money on him.
Venti was performing true to form. It really felt like there was no god more outrageous than he was. This had to be the umpteenth ti; saying it had only happened a few tis would definitely be an understatent—ten-plus tis was entirely possible.
"That word 'again' is doing a lot of work there." Rukkhadevata laughed.
"In Inazuma, Venti was also thrown in for sothing like this."
Koji could only shrug with a wry smile.
In Liyue, he could open a tab and didn't have to go to jail.
In Mondstadt, Venti could make money by singing and collecting tips, but in other nations, bards weren't nearly as popular.
"Back when the Seven gathered, Barbatos ended up locked up too," Rukkhadevata said, amused.
There really weren't many gods who could disgrace themselves this thoroughly.
"Is he out yet?" Koji asked.
"Mm." Rukkhadevata nodded.
"I rember Jean gave Venti so Mora. He already burned through it all?" Koji raised an eyebrow in puzzlent.
"I checked Barbatos' purchase records. He bought several bottles of rather expensive wine." Rukkhadevata pressed her bright lips together in a smile.
Right. Once he had money, of course he would go on a revenge-spending spree. Even a god was no exception.
"Everything's fine at the Akademiya now?"
Koji knew very well that once Rukkhadevata took action, anyone who had been in league with Azar would all be dragged down.
"Alhaitham and the others are very capable," Rukkhadevata praised without reservation.
"Pfft, I bet Alhaitham is walking around with a permanent grimace." Koji couldn't help laughing.
Alhaitham did not care much for status. A calm and comfortable life was what he truly pursued.
Though the position of Acting Grand Sage was high-ranking and powerful, Alhaitham genuinely didn't care about it. On the contrary, he saw the position as a nuisance.
If it were Koji in his shoes, he would have made the sa choice. When you compared a relaxed job with a house attached to an extrely high-pressure position with endless work, most people would clearly pick the forr.
"Heh, yes. Alhaitham even complained to that he's not suited to being Acting Grand Sage," Rukkhadevata said with a smile.
"However, I didn't approve his resignation. Suru is seriously lacking in talent. At the very least, we have to wait until I've found a suitable candidate."
It wasn't that she wanted to make things difficult for him; truly capable people like Alhaitham were hard to find.
"After a few hundred years, has the position of Grand Sage really beco this unpopular?" Rukkhadevata herself didn't quite understand.
Back when she had been alive, scholars would scramble and fight bloody academic battles over the title of Grand Sage. The intensity of the competition had been no less than that of the Archon War when choosing the ruling Archons.
"Tis have changed, Rukkhadevata. There's far too much work tied to the position of Grand Sage. Anyone who likes a laid-back life wouldn't want to sit in that chair," Koji said.
That was not a job where you could slack off. Overti was the norm. Compared to that, being a scribe was much more relaxed.
Rukkhadevata let out a small sigh. When she had decided to let Alhaitham directly assu the position of Grand Sage, she had been t with his imdiate, decisive refusal. There hadn't been the slightest hesitation, as if the position were so kind of terrifying monster.
"What has Nahida been up to recently?" Koji hadn't seen that little feather-ball in a while.
"She requested to go study and observe within the Akademiya herself," Rukkhadevata replied.
Nahida knew very well how much she still lacked. For the past five hundred years, she had only co to know things through the Akasha, and her understanding of reality was not deep. If she wanted to beco a qualified Dendro Archon, she had to understand the people of Suru.
"That's putting all the pressure on the teachers," Koji said teasingly.
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had formally affird the status of the Little Lucky Grass King. Although the people of Suru still acknowledged the first Dendro Archon, the little Archon's standing was not affected. She could be said to be the princess of Suru.
With a student like that, how could any teacher not be nervous? If anything went wrong, they might be fired on the spot.
"If Nahida does sothing wrong, I won't show her favoritism," Rukkhadevata said seriously.
It was one thing to take care of Nahida in daily life, but when it ca ti to uphold justice, she had to be fair.
Koji did not comnt. If Nahida really made a mistake, Rukkhadevata would definitely give her a thorough lecture.
(End of Chapter)
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