After a bit of sightseeing and snacking, Caelus and his friends took a starskiff to the nearest interstellar tourist spot, Changle.
As a grotto-heaven for both commerce and residence, Changle was filled with all sorts of shops run by Xianzhou locals and outworlders alike—teahouses, restaurants, inns, opera houses, and more. It was a one-stop shop for eating, drinking, playing, and lodging!
And yet, in the star-ranking of the Xianzhou's recommended must-see tourist spots, it was considered one of the lower-tiered ones.
"Wow! It's so lively here!"
Prosperous gilded domes coexisted with green-tiled flying eaves, and holographic star charts shone alongside traditional lanterns. The streets bustled with pedestrians.
The girls marveled at the flourishing scene. Little Duckling and Bai Xi once again felt the awe that came with a prosperous interstellar civilization.
"A place this big must have so many treasure chests!" Stelle clenched her fists, growing excited.
"Would you just cool it!"
March 7th gently punched Stelle's shoulder.
While she knew jades were a good thing, the process of finding them was a real test of one's patience.
"Esteemed benefactors, would you care to rest for a while in a teahouse? Oh, or you could visit a few of my humble shops~"
Fanning herself lightly, Tingyun chuckled. "I've already instructed the shopkeepers to prepare gifts. Compared to the life-saving grace you've shown, these are but meager trifles, hardly a sign of my respect."
"You're too kind, Miss Tingyun. The Nameless never seek reward or fame for helping others."
Old Yang felt he had to salvage the reputation of the Nameless, which had been led astray by Caelus and Stelle.
"Holy crap, you're a rich lady?"
Caelus's attention was drawn more to the 'few shops' part of her sentence than to the gifts.
Besides being a guide for the Sky-Faring Commission, Tingyun was also the chief representative of the Blazing Prairie Fire Merchant Guild. Her net worth was naturally substantial.
Driven by an instinct etched into their DNA, Caelus and Stelle exchanged a look before lunging to hug one of Tingyun's legs each, their eyes gleaming with pure sincerity.
"Rich lady, hungry, food!" ×2
"Hey, do you two have to latch onto every rich lady you see? And Caelus, Bronya is watching, you know!"
Little March retorted with deadpan eyes.
What she wanted to complain about even more was that Bronya seemed completely unfazed by Caelus hugging Tingyun's thigh and begging to be kept.
"You jest, benefactors. My meager assets are barely enough to get by. How could I be considered a rich lady?"
Having grown accustomed to the antics of the two crazy gray-hairs, Tingyun wasn't flustered at having her legs grabbed. She just smiled and replied modestly.
"Please, you two, get up quickly. Don't let the passersby laugh at you."
"No, no, no, how is this a joke? I can clearly see the envy in their eyes."
Stelle rubbed her cheek against the soft flesh of Tingyun's leg.
Facing the bizarre and subtle gazes from the onlookers, Stelle held her head high with pride and declared:
"I can hug a rich lady's thigh. Can you?"
Her smugness, as if she had won a competition, left the passersby utterly confused. One of them muttered under their breath:
"Weirdo..."
The corner of Tingyun's mouth couldn't help but twitch. After much persuasion, she finally got the two gray-hairs to release their grip on her legs.
Afterward, Tingyun led the group to a nearby teahouse.
"Don't miss out, step right up~!"
"Azure Sea Tea special, seating is free~!"
Tables and chairs were set up both inside and outside the teahouse for guests to rest or have tea. Even if you didn't order tea, the establishment would provide complimentary cool water or iced drinks to quench your thirst.
"A clever marketing tactic."
Caelus observed the growing stream of customers and the free drinks being served, then glanced at the tiered pricing for the various teas.
This owner knows how to do business.
Few people in the teahouse were actually drinking tea. Most were just stopping by for a rest and a cup of water. Occasionally, you could see some more mature-looking individuals coming from the upper floor, seemingly having business meetings, while others were groups of friends who had bought some snacks to chat and hang out.
"I'll have the Stardew Jade Nectar, the Springbloom Cup Essence, and that Skywhale's Falling Snow..."
Hearing Tingyun say that she would cover the bill, Stelle began ordering from the menu without a shred of courtesy, as if she were the King of Hell calling out names. Both the owner and Tingyun were stunned.
They had never seen anyone order tea like that in a teahouse!
Not to mention that the different flavors would clash with each other, but mainly...
"Hey, hey, can you even finish all that?!"
March 7th poked Stelle's slightly bulging tummy.
"*Hic*~! Not a problem!"
Stelle let out an adorable little hiccup.
"You only hiccup when you're half-full. A hiccup means you're not full. Not full means you're hungry. And if you're hungry, you should eat."
The logic was sound!
"Besides, with my constitution, how could I possibly be defeated by a few mere cups of tea?"
Stelle patted her chest confidently.
"And there's Caelus. If I can't finish it, he can eat it."
As long as they held hands, maintaining skin-to-skin contact, their shared senses would be enhanced to the point where they could fully experience each other's sense of taste.
This way, they could savor the delicious food without getting full or fat. It was perfect!
"Caelus! Caelus!"
Twisting her little head, Stelle began to look around, calling out for her backup stomach, only to find that the spot where Caelus had just been was empty.
"Huh, where did Caelus go?"
While Stelle was recklessly ordering from the menu, Caelus had noticed that besides the tea and dining area, another section of the large teahouse was hosting other activities, and it was quite crowded!
People were gathered in small groups around tables. In the center of each table were thick, rectangular blocks with different colored patterns and characters painted on them.
The strange, crooked characters automatically translated in Caelus's mind into familiar circles and bamboo patterns. It was Shenzhou's national pastime—Mahjong!
Caelus naturally knew how to play. In fact, he was a Soul-Heaven level existence who could dominate a table of Mahjong Saints with one hand!
Come to think of it, he had gotten into the game 'Mahjong Soul' because of its crossover with Lelouch of the Rebellion, which featured C.C.
At the edge of the game area, three people were gathered around a table.
As Caelus walked over with interest, a coolly dressed foxian lady among the three suddenly lit up and greeted him with fiery enthusiasm.
"Hey there, friend, care to join us for a game of Celestial Jade Tiles?"
They were one player short and were looking for someone to complete their table when they spotted this incredibly handsome young man. They didn't hesitate to invite him.
Whether he could play or not was another matter; the main thing was that he was handsome!
When Caelus wasn't causing trouble, he was just like a silent Stelle. With his naturally aloof and noble temperament, he was a bona fide cosmic pretty boy.
After all, Stelle was the galaxy's succubus!
"Sure, but I've never played before. Could you explain the rules to me?"
Caelus smiled and walked over, taking the empty seat.
"No problem, no problem. The three of us are beginners, too."
Gaming is one of the fastest ways to make friends. Coupled with the natural affability of a Masked Fool, Caelus quickly got along with the three of them.
On Earth, the origin of Mahjong is still a matter of much debate and legend, but that doesn't stop it from being one of Shenzhou's most iconic games of chance.
It sprouted in the Tang dynasty, broke through in the Song, underwent a revolutionary change in the Ming, and the modern version was finalized in the 19th century.
As for Celestial Jade, Caelus was also curious about its origin.
The two ladies explained it to Caelus, one after the other.
"They say this game, Celestial Jade, already existed back in the ancient empire, but its rules were lost during the Xianzhou Alliance's long interstellar journey."
"Thanks to a certain diviner from the Divination Commission who wishes to remain anonymous, who compiled its rules and created the jade tiles and boards, we're now able to play such an interesting game!"
In the years that followed, Celestial Jade spread like wildfire throughout the Xianzhou in an unbelievably short amount of time.
"Is that so? To be able to recover a lost piece of culture from fragmented ancient texts... that diviner must be a genius!"
Caelus had a good idea who it was. "Four kongs, I win."
"Huh?" ×3
Seeing the eighteen tiles Caelus revealed, the other three couldn't help but cry out in surprise. "Caelus, is this really your first time playing?"
The old Xianzhou brother sitting opposite Caelus started to look suspicious. This was clearly a pro smurfing in the low ranks!
"It really is my first time playing Celestial Jade Tiles."
Caelus raised his hand and swore. What he used to play was called Mahjong.
And Celestial Jade Tiles was basically identical to Riichi Mahjong.
"However, my friends are still over there, so I won't play any more."
Having learned the origin of Celestial Jade Tiles, Caelus lost interest in playing. The main reason was that these three beginners were just too terrible!
Just as he was about to head back to the tea and entertainment area, he suddenly heard a girl's clear voice from within the game section:
"Kan! After a Kan! Self-drawn full flush! I win~!"
The familiar voice made Caelus stop in his tracks. He turned to look in the direction of the sound.
She was a petite girl, her thin sweater revealing smooth, delicate shoulders as fair as silver. She wore a cloud-patterned, cyan butterfly-tail skirt.
She was so small that she was almost completely hidden by the back of her chair. From behind, all you could see was her tea-colored hair tied into twin tails, with fluffy white bird-ball ornaments at the ends.
"Huh? Qingque, you won again? It's only been fifteen rounds!"
"Hehe~ Just lucky, just lucky."
The green-clad girl who had won wore an apologetic smile. She then took out her jadescreen and delightedly tapped on the red packets sent by the three losers in their temporary group chat.
Looking at the amount that popped up, the girl nodded leisurely. "My luck is really quite good today."
Oh?
To run into this little slacking sparrow... Caelus's interest was immediately piqued.
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