Chapter 239: A Foxian Tale of the Haunted 『 Part Fourteen 』
「 Although A-Zhuo could change forms within the illusion, she was still easily subdued by Stelle.
Now that things have come to this, she has no choice but to accept reality. She must be temporarily separated from Bailu. Even the longest playtime must eventually come to an end.
She transformed into a wisp of ghostly fire and burrowed into the gourd. With the disappearance of the heliobus, Bailu's half-lidded eyes gradually regained their clarity. Her memories felt somewhat blurred, as if she had just awakened from a strange dream.
Bailu felt guilty that everyone had been running around searching for her, her sensibility heartbreakingly mature. Just as she was about to apologize, Guinaifen beat her to it:
"Being controlled, being confined—isn't it human nature to want to escape? It's those adults who are always trying to correct your behavior, those people who think they know what you should do, who are the problem."
Guinaifen's own childhood trajectory was similar to Bailu's; she, too, had been ordered by her family to do this and that. Consequently, she rebelled, ran away, and eventually settled in Xianzhou. She believed that Bailu, too, would find the strength to leave her current life behind and embark on the next chapter.
After this infusion of "chicken soup for the soul," Bailu broke into a smile through her tears and left the illusion with the group.
Not long after, Little Gui scrolled upon another post. It mentioned that everyone in the Divination Commission was acting strangely, scaring the original poster out of any mood to play cards.
Upon seeing the news, Stelle immediately notified Qingque, telling her to act as the "sect master" of the Divination Commission for the time being and not to let anyone leave. Meanwhile, the ghost-hunting squad set off for Fyxestroll Garden to beat up Cirrus first and ask questions later.
Inside Fyxestroll Garden, Cirrus remained as arrogant as ever, though unfortunately, its strength wasn't half as tough as its mouth. Once again, it was successfully subdued by Stelle. Accepting defeat and combining this with Huohuo's intelligence, it deduced that the heliobus occupying the Divination Commission was none other than Keralum.
Keralum, like Fu Xuan, possessed the ability to divine the past and predict the future. Possessing Fu Xuan could be considered a perfect professional match. 」
「 .....」
〜Marvel Cinematic Universe〜
The night sky of New York was illuminated by countless neon lights. On the terrace of the Stark Tower penthouse, Tony leaned against the railing, holding a glass of amber whiskey. He looked down at the ice cubes in his glass, which refracted the light into myriad fragmented halos, his gaze somewhat distant.
"Doctor, since that heliobus, like Fu Xuan, can predict fate, then it must have predicted the fate of the Heliobi Uprising's failure. In other words, the igniter of that rebellion knew they were fighting a battle with a zero percent win rate."
"Is there a possibility that Keralum could predict a method with a 100% chance of defeating the General? …Of course, the probability might be low, but it definitely wouldn't be zero. As long as it was calculated enough times, it would absolutely find a way to defeat the General."
Behind him, Strange shook his head gently, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes hiding a myriad of experiences Tony could not decipher.
"Time cannot simply be summarized by numbers, Tony. It is more like an… infinitely extending web, where every node connects to countless possibilities."
"Oh, come on, Doctor, don't bring out your time theory again."
Tony rolled his eyes and took a sip of whiskey.
"I'm asking about practical application. Since one can foresee the future, why not just find the guaranteed method for victory directly?"
"Because there is no absolute method for victory."
Strange looked up at the night sky. Against the backdrop of the light screen, the stars above seemed dim and insignificant.
"Any choice comes with a price. The greatest irony of foreseeing the future is—the more you know, the more you understand that a perfect ending cannot be forced."
"Even if a method to defeat the General was found… win against General Teng Xiao, and then what? Is the future over? Facing the next General, Jing Yuan, what would the rebels do then?"
The night breeze brushed over the terrace, carrying the distant clamor of the city. Tony was silent for a moment, then suddenly picked up the bottle and poured a glass for Strange as well.
"You know what, Doctor? Sometimes I think you wizards are even more rational than we are."
He handed over the glass. "But that leads to another question—if the future Keralum predicts will absolutely happen, then what about free will? Isn't it just a joke?"
Strange took the glass but did not drink immediately. The golden liquid swayed in the cup, reflecting the distorted shadows of the two men.
"The Eye of Agamotto allows me to see the future, but it does not decide the future,"
He said softly.
"Believe in fate, but there is no need to resign yourself to it… Tony."
—
「 The group arrived at the Divination Commission, and Qingque, who was acting as the "Master Diviner," immediately ran over to ask about the situation.
Sushang felt there was nothing to hide, so she told the truth. Upon hearing this, not only did Qingque not panic, but she even volunteered to lead the way for them.
Arriving within the Matrix of Prescience, they saw seven or eight diviners gathered around the Master Diviner, muttering things like "There is only ever one path," "Divination is meaningless," and "The study of divination no longer exists."
The Master Diviner was also chanting something, but it didn't sound like she was calculating navigation routes. Seeing that the Master Diviner's state was amiss, Huohuo took out her bell and shook it gently, attempting to break into the illusion shared by the Master Diviner and the heliobus.
Unexpectedly, the Master Diviner turned her head directly and shouted angrily: "Silence! Within the Divination Commission, no noise is permitted!"
Fu Xuan walked toward the group aggressively, not caring that Huohuo had exposed her identity as Keralum in public. She placed one hand on her hip and sneered at their arrival: "What you call me is unimportant. Whether Fu Xuan or Keralum, I am the sole master of this Divination Commission."
"The divination work is currently at a critical juncture and will tolerate no disturbance from others. Even if you are judges of the Ten-Lords Commission or guests of the Astral Express, you will not behave presumptuously here!"
Having said this, Fu Xuan's gaze sharpened as she glared fiercely at a bewildered Qingque.
"Hmph, Qingque! You again. Was it you who brought these outsiders into the Commission? Do you treat the rules I set on ordinary days as mere wind past your ears?"
Fu Xuan grew angrier as she spoke, her silver teeth clenching lightly, until she finally announced on the spot:
"Qingque, you're fired!"
The Master Diviner's impassioned declaration caused everyone to cast sympathetic glances at Qingque.
Qingque, too, could not recover from the shock for a long time. "Me…? Th-this…"
"Damn it! We're down one person just like that!" Sushang was still feeling indignant on Qingque's behalf, but in the next second, she saw Qingque's face flush with radiance. She threw her head back in excitement, the corners of her mouth rising harder than the recoil of an AK.
"…This is just too awesome!!" 」
「 .....」
〜Genshin Impact World〜
Teyvat, Liyue—
"Wait… why is she making that face?"
Keqing was stunned. In her impression, a job at the Divination Commission was an "iron rice bowl"—the kind where once you secured it, you never had to worry for the rest of your life.
This job was equivalent to the Liyue General Affairs Office; countless people fought tooth and nail to get in every year. Although the income was average, there were various subsidies during holidays, and it was stable. Compared to commercial activities fraught with various risks, this path was revered by many as the top choice.
"Perhaps there is a severance package upon leaving? I remember the General Affairs Office has something similar…"
Yanfei recalled fighting a few similar lawsuits regarding labor contract terminations; whether in Liyue or Fontaine, there was a considerable sum involved.
"Is getting that compensation worth being so happy? But the job is gone!"
Keqing still couldn't understand. She had seen with her own eyes those General Affairs Office employees who were ordered to be dismissed for slacking off and refusing to change.
The expressions on their faces were as if they had heard their own death knell; if not for the handrails on the steps at the entrance of the General Affairs Office, they probably would have found it difficult even to walk down the stairs.
"Compensation is often linked to the length of service. The longer you work, the more compensation you get."
Yanfei pressed her index finger against her chin, falling into deep thought.
"I'm not sure if the Xianzhou has similar labor contracts, but if they do, considering the Xianzhou natives work on a scale of centuries… having received this compensation, Miss Qingque might not be financially free, but she probably won't have to worry about food and drink for a long time."
—