"Huh? We've been deceived?" March 7th blinked in surprise before clapping her hands in sudden realization.
"That does make sense. Unlike Jarilo-VI, where we went before, this place looks thriving—nothing like it's been affected by a Stellaron."
"In that case, Mr. Yang, why don't we go shopping—" March circled back to her earlier suggestion. This girl… no, all young girls seemed to have an intense fascination with shopping.
Someone like Stelle, who took an interest in trash cans, couldn't just be called rare—she was practically one in a million.
"It's still too early to draw conclusions. We need further investigation to confirm whether the Xianzhou Luofu truly harbors a Stellaron," Welt offered his suggestion—a very reasonable one.
"But how do we investigate?"
March scratched her head. Normally, Dan Heng would be the one strategizing. If she had to come up with a plan herself… well, sorry, but that was beyond her.
Just then, Stelle, standing beside March, suddenly moved. With light steps, she approached a Cloud Knight standing guard.
"She's not actually planning to… Wait! Stelle, come back!" March seemed to grasp Stelle's intentions and immediately shouted to stop her. But it was too late—our Trailblazer had already reached the tall, imposing Cloud Knight and, like an absolute fool, asked:
"Hey, mister, do you know where the Stellaron is?"
The moment those words left her mouth, March and Welt exchanged a silent glance, both thinking the same thing: 'This is bad.'
Some time later…
"Let us out! We're really innocent—we're good people!" March pounded on the detention room door, nearly in tears, begging the Cloud Knights to release them. Behind her, Welt sighed repeatedly, as if lamenting, 'These newcomers are so hard to manage.'
As for the one responsible for this mess—our Trailblazer, Stelle—she was currently curled up in a corner, clutching her head with a big bump swelling on her forehead, looking utterly pitiful.
"March is so violent…" Stelle sniffled, wiping away her little tears.
"Shut up! You big dummy!" March glared fiercely at Stelle, who wisely zipped her mouth shut.
Watching the two girls' antics, Welt smiled warmly before reassuring them, "Don't worry. The Xianzhou authorities are verifying our identities. I'm sure they'll release us soon."
No sooner had he spoken than a click sounded—the detention room door was unlocked from the outside.
Tap, tap, tap…
A mature foxian woman strode gracefully into the room. She had deep green hair and wore black high-heeled shoes with gold trim. Her dress, cut just above the knee, revealed a pair of slender, jade-like legs. Every movement, every accessory, exuded an air of refined elegance.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Yukong, the Helm Master of the Sky-Faring Commission aboard the Xianzhou Luofu."
Flipping through the documents in her hands, the foxian woman addressed the three matter-of-factly. "The Sky-Faring Commission has verified your identities. You are indeed Nameless from the Astral Express."
"Hehe, see? I told you it was a misunderstanding!" March giggled before asking eagerly, "So, Helm Master Yukong, now that our identities are confirmed, can you let us go?"
"I'm afraid not." Yukong closed the file and shook her head.
"Huh?" March froze, not quite processing the response.
"How did you learn about the Stellaron crisis on the Luofu? The Xianzhou has sealed all information—even locals are unaware, save for high-ranking officials. So how did you, outworlders, come by this knowledge?" Yukong's gaze sharpened like a blade, piercing March's skin.
"Well…"
March was at a loss for words. She couldn't just blurt out that the intel came from the Stellaron Hunters like that dummy Stelle would, could she?
"Hmph!" Seeing March's silence, Yukong scoffed. "Since you refuse to speak, I won't press further. The Xianzhou is not an unreasonable place." Then, her tone shifted again.
"However, until the Stellaron issue is resolved, you'll have to remain here a while longer. Once the crisis is dealt with and we confirm the Nameless bear no ill intent, you'll be free to go."
"This…"
"Hahaha…! Yukong, we mustn't mistreat our guests." Just as the group despaired, a hearty laugh echoed through the room.
Turning toward the sound, they saw a dignified silver-haired man push open the detention room door and stride confidently toward Yukong and the Nameless.
"General Jing Yuan! Why have you come personally?" Yukong was visibly surprised. She hadn't expected Jing Yuan to appear in person. After all, despite his exceptional competence and peerless strategic brilliance, the general was also notoriously lazy.
Under normal circumstances, Jing Yuan wouldn't take a single step outside the Seat of Divine Foresight—even inspections of the Six Charioteers were conducted via holograms. So why had he suddenly come to the Sky-Faring Commission in person?
"I came to meet our guests from the Astral Express. With the Luofu facing threats from within and without, the Xianzhou needs friends and allies." Jing Yuan extended a hand toward Welt, who stood up and shook it solemnly.
"But, General—"
Yukong tried to protest, but Jing Yuan cut her off before she could finish.
"Helm Master Yukong, my decision is final. Let's not dwell on this further."
"Understood." Yukong bowed slightly, offering no further objections. Satisfied, Jing Yuan nodded.
"Everyone, please accompany me to the Seat of Divine Foresight."
——————————————
"A familiar presence… It seems March and the others have arrived on the Xianzhou Luofu." Back in Qingque's home, Yun Fan's divine sense swept across the entire Luofu, taking in every detail.
Including…
"Heh, interesting. Since she couldn't possess Tingyun, she went for Dan Shu instead, huh? Phantylia…"
That day, thanks to Qingque's heroic rescue, Tingyun had escaped being possessed by Phantylia. Now, the Lord Ravager had taken Dan Shu as her vessel instead—a twist of fate, one might say. Though, of course, Yun Fan didn't believe much in fate.
"According to the message from my avatar, he's already settled in Penacony. He even accepted the invitation from the Aeon of Elation to stir up some trouble during the Charmony Festival. Tsk, isn't that overstepping a bit?"
As he spoke, a faint smirk tugged at Yun Fan's lips. Clearly, his words and thoughts weren't entirely aligned.