"The Jade Abacus of Allying Oath... this feels like a major foreshadowing."
After chatting with Fu Xuan, the rest of Little Bear's days were mostly spent visiting people. Life remained a bit dull.
But Little Bear soon perked up, his spirit rekindled. Spotting Lumina in the Seat of Divine Foresight and the Jade Abacus of Allying Oath placed on Jing Yuan's desk, he realized this must be a major foreshadowing planted by the writers.
[Brothers, wielding the Jade Abacus of Allying Oath, I'm terrifyingly powerful now!]
[So what if I'm a noob? So what if I'm weak? You won't believe it, but with just a slight move, I could claim the entire Xianzhou Luofu!]
[Come at me, bros! (Laughing while covering his face) Since you attacked me, don't blame me for calling in my allies! (Sinister grin)]
[Speaking of the Jade Abacus of Allying Oath, do you think they'll use it up in the next version?]
[If they use it in the next version, things will get interesting! Kafka herself said the Astral Express will face the Aeons head-on in the future. When that time comes, we'll need to use every ounce of power we can muster. The Xianzhou's gift of the Jade Abacus of Allying Oath is likely for just such a purpose...]
"This must be something truly important," Little Bear murmured, listening to Jing Yuan's authoritative words in the game. "It seems this is why the Stellaron Hunters brought the Astral Express to the Xianzhou."
A moment later, a realization struck him.
"The Stellaron Hunters claimed that if we hadn't come to the Xianzhou, over half the population might have died."
"But logically speaking, with Lumina present on the Xianzhou, such catastrophic losses would be impossible."
"Which means what the Stellaron Hunters said might not be entirely true."
"As for why Lumina came to the Xianzhou... could she really just be passing through?"
Little Bear, channeling his inner Sherlock Holmes, lowered his head, cupped his chin, and muttered to himself, much like the scatterbrained March 7th, blurting out every thought that crossed his mind.
[LOL, the Stellaron Hunters' sense of security doesn't even measure up to a ten-thousandth of Lumina's.]
[Even though the Stellaron Hunters are all stunningly beautiful, I trust Lumina more! No ulterior motives here—I just desperately want the Saintess to stomp on my face with her bare feet (perverted laughter).]
"Hey, stop acting crazy here! This is my place to be crazy!"
"Ahem, let's get back to the story." Realizing he'd accidentally voiced his thoughts aloud, Little Bear coughed a few times to hide his embarrassment.
Whew, that was close! Watching too much March 7th is starting to rub off on me...
[March 7th: Wait, what, buddy? You're dragging real-world stuff into this?]
Pushing the thought aside, Little Bear continued through the story, eager for more explosive revelations...
But alas, nothing earth-shattering occurred, not even after the memorial ceremony ended and they returned to the Astral Express.
"We're already back on the train? Is that really it? This is way too short..."
After bidding farewell to some individuals on the Xianzhou Luofu, the player's perspective returned to the Astral Express.
Little Bear initially assumed the problem was his own—that he was so engrossed in the story that time had flown by. He even switched screens to check the time.
Little Bear felt a pang of disappointment upon realizing that less than twenty minutes had passed since the story had begun to unfold.
"Come on, let's hope miHoYo delivers a final act that leaves us on the edge of our seats."
While this might have been wishful thinking on Little Bear's part, miHoYo had proven themselves capable of pulling off such twists in the past.
"Alright, do you all have any urgent matters to attend to? Take some time to bid farewell to your friends on the Xianzhou. The Astral Express will depart for its next destination in three hours System Time."
In the game, Himeko addressed March 7th, Dan Heng, Stelle, and the others with a warm smile.
"Yay!" March 7th, who had been looking somewhat glum, instantly perked up at the news.
Even though it was only three System Time, every moment she could spend with Sister Lumina made her heart flutter with joy!
As March 7th's enthusiastic "Yay!" faded, the game screen abruptly went black.
After a brief second of darkness, text materialized on the screen.
Meanwhile, in the Shackling Prison...
"Miss Lumina, while I won't stop you from going anywhere or pry into your motives, this is the Shackling Prison. Is it... appropriate for someone of your standing to be here?"
Within The Shackling Prison, a figure in a white dress—completely out of place in this desolate environment—stood side-by-side with a man clad in armor.
Sensing the aura emanating from Lumina beside him, Jing Yuan sighed, his voice tinged with resignation.
"General Jing Yuan, perhaps your excellent upbringing has caused you to overlook a crucial point," Lumina said, shaking her head with a faint smile.
"Any wrongdoing, as long as no one discovers it, ceases to be wrong."
She brushed a strand of hair from her face, offering a faint smile as she elaborated.
Jing Yuan: ...
Upon hearing this, Jing Yuan fell silent, finding an unsettling logic in Lumina's words.
[Hey, hey, hey! The player's perspective is watching right now! Are you just throwing your image away?]
Seeing Lumina's increasingly unmasked nature, the System assumed she was unaware and urgently prompted her.
"Image? Isn't this my true image?" Lumina chuckled softly upon seeing the System's message.
"The flawless initial impression has already been firmly established in their minds..."
"Now is the time to reveal a touch of my true nature—a flaw or two—to forge a deeper connection with them..."