"Everyone, thank you for waiting... um, this young lady here..."
After a brief discussion with the Cloud Knight Captain, Yanqing hurried back to the group. He was about to explain the situation when he noticed Little Swarm lying in Lumina's arms, her face flushed crimson, and immediately grew concerned.
"Ah, it's nothing, just a minor issue," Lumina waved dismissively, assuring Yanqing there was no need to worry.
"Um... are you sure she's alright? Should I fetch a Physician to check her over?" Despite Lumina's reassurances, Little Swarm's condition—her face flushed, her eyes swirling like mosquito coils, suggesting poisoning—hardly seemed minor.
"Yanqing, don't worry so much! Sister Lumina is a world-renowned super-Physician! If she says it's nothing, then Little Swarm is definitely fine," March 7th chimed in, noticing Yanqing's lingering worry.
"You're right! I almost forgot—Lady Lumina's Medical Arts are unparalleled," Yanqing nodded in agreement, his doubts easing.
Lumina cradled Little Swarm in her arms, her hand emitting waves of emerald light that flowed into the child's body. The light soothed her shyness and other emotions, while also creating a protective layer to prevent her from fainting again when she awoke and recalled this moment.
"Ugh..." A soft groan escaped Little Swarm's lips moments later.
Hearing this, Lumina immediately placed the child in March 7th's arms.
"Ugh... What just happened?" Little Swarm's vision gradually cleared as she lay cradled in March 7th's embrace, still slightly dazed.
She only remembered being held by Sister Lumina, and then... nothing. The next thing she knew, she was in this very situation.
Pushing herself up from March 7th's embrace, Little Swarm steadied herself. As she looked at Lumina, a faint blush crept across her cheeks, but unlike before, she didn't faint, much to everyone's relief.
Too shy... the group thought in unison.
"Ah, right, I haven't yet asked for your name," Yanqing quickly interjected, sensing the awkward atmosphere. He wanted to smooth things over while also getting acquainted with this unfamiliar face he hadn't seen before.
"Li... Little Swarm, a Nameless from the Astral Express," Little Swarm stammered, her cheeks still slightly flushed.
"Ah... so you're Sister Little Swarm. It's my first time meeting you. I'm Yanqing, Cloud Knight Lieutenant of the Luofu Cloud Knights."
"If you ever need anything on the Luofu, don't hesitate to come find me."
To the Xianzhou people, the name "Little Swarm" sounded unmistakably like a nickname. But given the vast cultural differences across the Cosmos, Yanqing paused for a moment before dismissing it.
"Sister..." The crowd couldn't help but glance at Yanqing and Little Swarm in surprise at the honorific, but no one said anything.
"Mhm, I will," Little Swarm replied, nodding vigorously like a chick pecking at grain. The title "Cloud Knight Lieutenant" sounded impressively powerful, and Yanqing himself looked remarkably formidable.
"Then... let's head to the Palace of Astrum. We shouldn't keep the General waiting." Sensing Little Swarm's somewhat worshipful gaze, Yanqing felt a little uneasy. He scratched his head and quickly changed the subject.
"Let's go," Lumina said, her voice carrying authority. Noticing that nearly all eyes were on her, she gave a brief nod and took the lead.
-
Outside the Palace of Astrum on the Xianzhou Luofu.
"Go on in, I'll wait for you here at the entrance."
"Little Swarm should come too—it's a good chance for her to meet Jing Yuan."
Stopping before the Palace of Astrum, Lumina gestured for the group to enter.
"Sister Lumina, aren't you...?" March 7th began.
"I already met Jing Yuan earlier today, so there's no need for me to see him again," Lumina replied with a smile, anticipating March 7th's question. "Besides, he asked to see you all specifically. It wouldn't be proper for me to intrude."
Having already met Jing Yuan and Huaiyan, Lumina saw no reason to meet them again. Moreover, Jing Yuan had invited the Astral Express, and she didn't want to force her way in.
There were also some matters she wanted to discuss with the Astral Express in private. Her presence might influence the conversation, so it was best to avoid complicating things unnecessarily.
"Ah, I see. Then let's go in," March 7th said, nodding in agreement. Without further hesitation, she and the others followed Yanqing into the Palace of Astrum.
As the group disappeared inside, silence settled around Lumina once more.
Hmm... why do I keep getting this feeling of being a lonely old woman again?
After waiting in place for a while, Lumina felt a sudden sense of déjà vu. Her lips twitched, and she couldn't help but feel somewhat speechless.
Shaking her head, Lumina's gaze fell upon the System screen before her. She idly swiped through it, but after finding it rather dull, she quickly lost interest.
"Hmm?"
"Oh right, I almost forgot about the Players!"
Remembering the System's function, Lumina slapped her forehead, her expression suddenly dawning with realization.
Grabbing her phone, she opened the Player community app and began browsing.
[Xianzhou Wardance Ceremony!]
[Heavenly Strike General! Candle Abyss General! Two Great Xianzhou Generals!]
[Feixiao!]
Since it was currently Version 2.4, the top posts in the community primarily revolved around discussions about the new Xianzhou characters.
"Hmm?"
But as Lumina's gaze scrolled downward, she soon spotted a thread directly related to herself.
Ranked fifth, with a timestamp indicating it had just been posted, it seemed destined for the top spot if it gained traction.
[With the Three Generals Present, Lumina Has Nowhere to Run!]
"What the hell is this? Where did this 'Fabricated History' even come from?" Lumina had to admit, the thread's title was exceptionally eye-catching, instantly grabbing her attention.
Lumina clicked on the post and began scrutinizing the "History Fictionologist's" absurd fabrications.
[ Currently, it's known that three Generals will be heading to the Luofu, and it's also known that Lumina will be going there as well. Doesn't this seem too coincidental? After some research, I discovered that the Wardance Ceremony isn't a particularly grand affair—the General of the Xianzhou wouldn't normally attend. There's only one possible explanation: they're going to arrest Lumina, the Emanator of Abundance! ]
"Does this person actually believe their own analysis?" Lumina's lips twisted into a wry smile, her face radiating speechless exasperation.
She scrolled down to read the comments section.
[1st Comment: OP, quick look! I found a pig! [image.jpg] (Screenshot of this thread)]
[6th Comment: Can't tell if you're genuinely stupid or pretending. Lumina instantly defeated Phantylia and shows no overt hostility toward the Xianzhou. The Alliance would have to be suffering from millennia-old brain thrombosis to attempt something like this. (Facepalm emoji) ]
[13th Comment: Dumbass OP, the Ambrosial Arbor on the Luofu is acting up. Feixiao and Huaiyan are clearly going there to investigate that. ]
[18th Comment: I'm just waiting to see when this pig finally deletes the thread. (Eating popcorn emoji) ]
[203rd Comment: "Fortune favors fools" really came true! This post is trending! (Facepalm)]
Seeing the fool who posted this thread get roasted to oblivion, Lumina nodded in satisfaction. Serves you right for posting such fabricated nonsense.
"Hmm, that reminds me," Lumina muttered to herself, "after all this time, there must be tons of fan art and derivative works of me by now, right?" She tapped open several fan creation websites and searched for "Lumina" in the search bar.
In the next instant, a dazzling array of fan creations flooded her screen.
Hiss... hah... hiss... hah... hiss... hah.
Lumina's mouth watered as she scrolled through the endless stream of stunning fan art of herself on her phone.
Her little fingers tapped relentlessly across the screen, saving every image that caught her eye.
"My wife! My wife! My wife!"
As she saved each breathtaking fan creation, Lumina raved maniacally about every single one.
This feels a bit weird, but... is it really that weird?
After all, if Lumina herself called these fan-created masterpieces "my wife," there couldn't be anything wrong with it, right?
Probably...