"General… you scoundrel!"
The mont the Express crew stepped into the Divination Commission, they heard Fu Xuan's slightly exasperated voice.
"You see, my reinforcents have arrived."
Jing Yuan's projection smiled as he looked at the approaching group.
"Since the Stellaron Hunters intend for the Xianzhou and the Express to form an alliance, then I, Jing Yuan, will not be polite."
"????"
The mbers of the Express crew wore looks of utter confusion.
"You're going to order us around again?"
Stelle put a hand on her hip, staring at Jing Yuan with a deadpan expression.
"I knew it… when the General smiles, life and death beco uncertain," March 7th quipped listlessly.
"Sigh… this is my own fault. It was I who had extra expectations of the General," Fu Xuan said, rubbing her forehead as if nursing a headache.
"Uncle Yang… are you sure we're still going to get to rest?" Wende asked Welt, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
"Err… well, we should," Welt replied, montarily at a loss for words. Are we… really not just here to be manual laborers?
"Ahem… I know you are all deeply fatigued. It is a matter of necessity, with the Xianzhou in such chaos. If you don't mind, how about you make do with a night here at the Divination Commission? It will also give ti to think of a counter-strategy and see how I might be of assistance to you all."
Fu Xuan, who had just been handed military authority by Jing Yuan, shook herself out of her skepticism. The most urgent matter at hand… was indeed to rest.
She needed to organize her troops and deploy them imdiately. The Express crew would have to proceed to the Artisanship Commission ahead of ti and rendezvous with her there. But mobilizing troops was no small matter. Even with the support of her divination arts, deploying large numbers of Cloud Knights from different divisions in a short ti was a difficult task. Therefore… until the Cloud Knights arrived, she could only rely on the Express crew.
Since she needed to use them, she couldn't just work them like mules. If the big cake the General had drawn for them ended up being a trap, she would also bear a considerable amount of responsibility.
Although the situation on the Xianzhou was urgent… this was the only way.
"Yay! We can rest! Even though we spent most of today traveling, solving puzzles, and moving things, getting a break is always good!"
March stretched and tugged at her clothes.
"Master Diviner, we could actually rest once we get to the Artisanship Commission," Welt suddenly suggested, earning a confused look from March.
"No, the situation at the Artisanship Commission has not yet been assessed. It would be risky for you to proceed rashly. It's better to take a short rest first. Once I have new intelligence, I will summon a starskiff to take you there."
Fu Xuan shook her head, rejecting Welt's proposal.
"In that case, we will not disappoint the Master Diviner's kind intentions. We will go and rest first."
"Mhm… as for the guest reception area in the Divination Commission… I'll have Qingque take you. You are old acquaintances, after all."
And so… Qingque, who was just about to take a starskiff back to Changle for a ga of cards, was dragged back by Fu Xuan. She looked at the group with a resentful expression.
"I'm just saying… does the Master Diviner not have anyone else she can use?!" Qingque complained about Fu Xuan's lack of compassion as she led the way.
"Umm… it seems like she really doesn't have anyone else available," March said, scratching her head as she recalled the earlier conversation between Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan.
"Ugh! Forget it, I'll just slack off in the employee dorms tonight, I'm too lazy to go back. The guest reception area is just up ahead. You should be the only guests in the Divination Commission right now, so you can make yourselves at ho. I'm heading out!"
With that, Qingque scurried away as if her life depended on it.
"…Can I call Fu Xuan and ask her to dock Qingque's pay?" March grumbled, watching the retreating figure.
"Probably not. The Master Diviner already said that almost all of her salary for this month, including bonuses, has already been deducted…" Stelle said quietly, her eyes filled with a hint of pity and sympathy for Qingque.
Her own allowance had also been deducted away with each and every shattered vase…
"Since it has co to this…"
March turned her gaze to Wende.
"Alright, alright, I'll get right on it."
Wende raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. Who was he to break a promise to little March?
"Yay! My little cookies!"
That night, because they were the only guests in the Divination Commission's reception area, everyone got their own private room.
And today, Wende slept particularly soundly.
In fact, everyone that night slept particularly soundly…
Everyone, that is, except for one person.
"Tingyun" quietly sat up in bed. She glanced at the ti, a strange smile gracing the corners of her mouth.
She gently pushed open her door and peered down the hallway, her erald eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at the towering Ambrosial Arbor outside the window.
Then, she slipped into Wende's room next door.
"…"
Wende's eyes were shut tight, his brow slightly furrowed, as if he were dreaming of sothing.
"Hehe… what a beautiful physical vessel…"
Looking at Wende's lean but powerful body, which was well-defined without being brutish, "Tingyun" strode forward without a shred of restraint. Her ice-cold hand gently traced the lines of his abdominal muscles.
"Possessing both Abundance and Destruction… little one, the secrets you carry… are quite nurous, aren't they~"
"Hiss…"
When Wende woke up the next morning, he drew in a sharp breath of cold air. Why did his entire body ache? Was he tired from creating the Light Cone yesterday? Or did he pull a muscle helping move parts of the Matrix of Prescience?
Or perhaps… it was the dream he had last night?
Wende touched his forehead. The warmth of his palm eased the needle-like stabbing in his head.
He hadn't slept well. He'd dreamt of many things, but now he couldn't rember any of them… Yet he had a nagging feeling that whatever happened in those dreams was definitely not good.
"…Mmm…"
Without using his Yin-Yang power, he used the power of Abundance to soothe himself. Feeling his body gradually return to normal, Wende quickly washed up and then stepped out of his room.
"Good morning, Miss Tingyun."
Wende greeted Tingyun, who was standing nearby, admiring the Ambrosial Arbor.
"Mm… Benefactor Wende, good morning to you."
Tingyun wore the sa ever-present, gentle smile.
For so reason, Wende felt that her complexion was much ruddier and more vibrant than before.
"Wende… morning," March said, opening her door. She looked completely drained as she greeted him.
"Err… morning?"
Next ca Stelle, and even Welt, all of whom looked utterly exhausted.
This left Wende feeling very puzzled, but when he observed the Yin and Yang within them, he found that there were no changes at all… How strange…
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