Chapter 63: The Swap That Shuffled the Stars
🔄 Act I: A Mysterious Memo
Ne Job was enjoying a rare quiet morning, sipping moonberry tea and sorting scrolls by sparkle intensity, when a scroll popped into existence with a fwip and smacked him gently on the forehead.
"Ow," he muttered, unrolling it.
> Inter-Departmental Development Initiative
> Effective immediately, all interns will participate in a 48-hour department swap.
> Assignments are random. No exceptions.
>
> Ne Job → Department of Celestial Cartography
> Intern Glint (Cartography) → Bureau of Minor Miracles
Ao Bing leaned over his shoulder. "Cartography? That's the mapmakers! You'll be drawing stars!"
Taiyi Zhenren raised an eyebrow. "They're notoriously… particular."
Ne Job sighed. "How hard can it be to draw a few constellations?"
Twinkle buzzed nervously.
---
🗺️ Act II: Welcome to the Department of Celestial Cartography
The Department of Celestial Cartography was nothing like Ne Job expected.
It was vast — a dome-shaped chamber with floating platforms, glowing compasses, and scrolls that rearranged themselves midair. Star charts shimmered across the ceiling, constantly shifting.
A tall, stern figure approached. "Intern Ne Job?"
"Yes, sir!"
"I am Director Vega. You will assist with the recalibration of the Northern Sky Grid. Do not smudge the stardust. Do not sneeze near the Nebulae Index. And above all — do not touch the Compass of Infinite Bearings."
Ne Job nodded. "Understood."
He was handed a quill, a scroll, and a pair of anti-glare goggles.
"Begin."
---
🌀 Act III: Chaos in the Charts
Ne Job tried his best.
He traced constellations, labeled star clusters, and even plotted a new comet route. But the charts kept shifting. The Compass of Infinite Bearings spun wildly whenever he got near.
At one point, he accidentally connected two stars that weren't meant to meet — and created a new constellation shaped like a teacup.
Director Vega was not amused.
"This is not a tea atlas," he snapped.
Ne Job apologized and tried again.
But the more he worked, the more the charts rebelled. Stars blinked out. Coordinates danced. A rogue constellation shaped like a duck began waddling across the sky.
Ne Job sighed. "I think I broke the heavens."
---
🧭 Act IV: A Visit from Glint
Back at the Bureau of Minor Miracles, Intern Glint was having her own troubles.
She'd tried to organize the miracle scrolls by alphabetical order — which caused the Miracle of Spontaneous Laughter to activate every time someone said "Blessing."
She'd filed Twinkle under "T" and locked it in a containment orb.
Ao Bing was horrified. "You can't alphabetize miracles! They're emotional!"
Taiyi Zhenren muttered, "This is why we don't let cartographers near feelings."
Glint frowned. "But order is everything."
Ao Bing sighed. "Not here. Here, we follow the rhythm of kindness."
---
🧠 Act V: Ne Job's Realization
Back in the Cartography Dome, Ne Job sat on a floating platform, watching the stars swirl.
He took a deep breath.
"Okay," he whispered. "You're not just dots. You're stories."
He stopped trying to force the charts into grids. Instead, he listened.
He let the constellations guide him — the Archer of Autumn, the Laughing Lantern, the Spiral of Second Chances.
He drew what he felt, not what he was told.
The charts settled. The Compass stopped spinning.
Director Vega blinked. "What… did you do?"
Ne Job smiled. "I stopped mapping stars. I started mapping meaning."
---
🌌 Act VI: The Swap Ends
The next morning, the interns returned to their original departments.
Glint handed Twinkle back to Ne Job. "I… may have underestimated your methods."
Ne Job grinned. "And I may have underestimated the stars."
Lord Xian summoned them both.
"Your swap was… illuminating," he said. "Ne Job, your charts have been submitted to the Celestial Almanac. Glint, your filing system has been repurposed for the Department of Divine Receipts."
They both bowed.
---
📜 Epilogue: A New Map
That evening, Ne Job unrolled a fresh scroll and began sketching.
Not stars. Not miracles.
Connections.
A map of kindness, laughter, and learning — with a tiny teacup constellation in the corner.
Ao Bing peeked over his shoulder. "What's that one called?"
Ne Job smiled. "The Intern's Compass."
Twinkle hummed.