"Mr. Welt, there is no need for this. I have already heard from Yunli that you promised her a personal favor. In that case, how could I possibly accept your thanks again?"
One hand stroking his grizzled beard, General Huaiyan shook his head and did not accept Welt's gratitude. Carrying the other party along to the Xianzhou Luofu was merely a convenient favor for them.
Moreover, the Astral Express was also an ally of the Xianzhou Alliance. To demand such a price from the other party for such a small matter would be far too shameless.
"This… Very well, then I shall follow General Huaiyan's wishes." Seeing Huaiyan reject his offer, Welt did not say anything more. Just as Huaiyan had said, the 'price' he had already paid was more than enough to cover the 'fare' for this free ride.
"Mr. Welt? You are here too?"
Just as Huaiyan and Welt were conversing, a somewhat puzzled voice suddenly reached both their ears. Both parties tacitly paused their conversation and looked toward the direction the voice came from.
"Master Diviner Fu Xuan, it has been a long time."
Following the sound, the first person to enter Welt's sight was our short-statured, 'perfectly ordinary' Miss Fu Xuan. At this moment, she was standing with her hands on her hips, looking at him with a face full of surprise and uncertainty.
Behind Fu Xuan stood a girl of similar height with chestnut-colored hair, who currently looked extremely drowsy—it was none other than Qingque, who had stayed up all night playing Jade Abacus last night and was now the Deputy Master Diviner of the Divination Commission.
"Mr. Welt, this seat remembers that you left with the Astral Express for the Festival Planet Penacony, correct? How could you…"
Our Miss Fu Xuan frowned slightly. Welt had clearly left with the train, so why was he appearing here again? Could it be… that he was someone else in disguise?
Thinking of this, a trace of vigilance could not help but appear on Fu Xuan's face. In this vast galaxy, there were countless races or abilities capable of disguising themselves as others.
For example, the Masked Fools who walked the [Elation] Path possessed the ability of a thousand faces and could use the power of their Path to disguise themselves as other people, thereby seeking amusement in the 'mortal world.'
"Ahem, Miss Fu Xuan, please do not misunderstand. The situation is like this…"
Welt also noticed the wariness on Fu Xuan's face. This was currently a very special period. The Xianzhou Luofu had only recently escaped from crisis, and the Martial Arts Ceremony was about to be held. It was understandable for Fu Xuan, as Master Diviner of the Divination Commission, to be cautious.
"It is like this. On the way from the Xianzhou to Penacony, the Astral Express encountered remnants of [Propagation], a giant True Stinger…"
Welt briefly recounted the series of events: how the Astral Express encountered the giant True Stinger, how they escaped danger, and why he had appeared here.
After listening to Welt's explanation, the wariness in Fu Xuan's heart eased somewhat. However, out of caution, our Master Diviner still contacted the Astral Express on the spot. Only after receiving Himeko's reply did she finally believe Welt's identity.
"I apologize, Mr. Welt. I was rude earlier."
"Master Diviner Fu is too polite. These are extraordinary times, and I understand." Welt shook his head, indicating that he did not take the matter to heart.
"Hahahaha…!"
A hearty laugh suddenly rang out. Our General Huaiyan of the Zhuming stroked his grizzled beard and slowly walked up to Fu Xuan.
"Could you be…"
Looking at the short, white-haired and white-bearded little old man before her who looked like a 'dwarf,' our Miss Fu Xuan seemed to recall something and asked tentatively.
"Could you be General Huaiyan of the Zhuming?"
In truth, our Lady Fu Xuan had never met Huaiyan in person before.
Fu Xuan was born into a stargazer family on the Yuque Xianzhou and was the most outstanding young talent of the younger generation in her clan. Therefore, in her youth, she had once met General Yaoguang of the Yuque Xianzhou's military.
Later, due to a prophecy, Fu Xuan left her hometown and came to the Xianzhou Luofu, where she met General Jing Yuan of the Seat of Divine Foresight.
As for General Huaiyan of the Zhuming, she only knew his general appearance and had never seen him in person.
"Master Diviner of the Divination Commission—Fu Xuan, hahahaha! This old one has also heard of you for a long time. It is truly a great fortune for the Luofu to have talents like you who can plan across the heavens and earth! Hahaha…"
Huaiyan praised Fu Xuan without stint. As one of the Seven Arbiter-Generals of the Reignbow, he could tell that the Master Diviner before him was by no means an ordinary person.
"This… You flatter me. I am merely an ordinary Master Diviner…"
...
"Hello, I am Yunli. May I ask how I should address this young lady?"
Seeing her grandfather and this Master Diviner 'hit it off at first sight' and begin their mutual commercial flattery, our Miss Yunli could not help but gently press her forehead. Her grandfather was good in every way, except that once he opened his mouth, he could not stop.
"Ah? Oh, hello, Miss Yunli."
Seeing the black-haired girl of similar stature to herself take the initiative to speak to her, the originally drowsy Qingque instantly lost all sleepiness.
"My name is Qingque, and I am the Deputy Master Diviner of the Divination Commission. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Yunli."
Qingque smiled slightly and extended her slender, jade-like hand toward Yunli.
"Miss Qingque, hello."
Yunli also extended her small hand and gently shook Qingque's. Feeling the warm, smooth, and silky sensation from the other party's palm, our Miss Yunli could not help but feel a little envious of how well the other girl maintained her skin.
After all, the weapon Yunli used was a giant sword—one that, when fully unleashed, was many times larger than herself.
Having swung such heavy iron for many years, the girl's palms could not possibly be as smooth as Qingque's. On the contrary, Yunli's hands had quite a few calluses. Although they might not be noticeable usually, once they came into contact with someone's skin, they would definitely be felt.
'Qingque… This name sounds so familiar. I feel like I've heard it somewhere… Oh, right!'
Looking at the girl before her with two huge dark circles under her eyes, our Miss Yunli finally recalled something. She remembered her grandfather mentioning that a [Causality] Emanator had appeared on the Xianzhou Luofu.
That [Causality] Emanator had single-handedly slain the 'Extinction Lord' Zephyro under the command of the Scourge of Extinction's ancestor, and had also uprooted the Ambrosial Arbor by herself, eliminating this great disaster.
And the name of that [Causality] Emanator was Qingque.