---o---
"What a headache..."
Looking at the text on the light screen before her, Fu Xuan frowned slightly, feeling a touch of helplessness.
She was currently leading a contingent of Cloud Knights into the Scalegorge Waterscape. Before this, the entire Alchemy Commission had been thoroughly investigated and was, for all intents and purposes, completely cleaned out.
It was worth noting that the Alchemy Commission was a special case; the position of its 'Master Alchemist' had long been vacant. As of now, no one occupied that seat.
And Dan Shu, as the Chief Alchemist, had always acted with the authority of the Master Alchemist. None of the other Five Charioteers of the Xianzhou Luofu had ever questioned the decisions of the Alchemy Commission's Chief Alchemist; they had always tacitly accepted her as the true Master Alchemist, the one who wielded the great power of the commission...
Therefore, with the number one and number two figures in the entire Alchemy Commission being the same person, and with her having initiated the revival of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, it was nearly impossible for anyone in the commission to escape the charge of treason. The vast majority of the alchemists had been incited to join the Disciples, and even those who hadn't truly joined were, whether through deception or for personal gain, complicit in helping Chief Alchemist Dan Shu research "elixirs."
For the Cloud Knights to storm the Alchemy Commission and drag out ten people to be thrown into the Ten-Lords Commission would be a grave mistake. But if they only dragged out eight of those ten, it was more than likely that two followers of the Disciples would slip through the net...
After leading the Cloud Knights to sweep through the Alchemy Commission, she now brought them charging into the Scalegorge Waterscape, where they immediately ran into the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and the Antimatter Legion who had just arrived at the Xianlong Great Hall. This place was a much tougher nut to crack than the Alchemy Commission.
Whether it was the elite Disciples who hadn't been hiding in the Alchemy Commission but had been living under their old identities, and who had invaded the Scalegorge Waterscape with the minions of [The Destruction] to lay their hands on the Ambrosial Arbor's root, or the Voidrangers personally empowered by [Lord Ravager Phantylia] with combat strength far exceeding the mass-produced batches from the War Forges, they were all considered rather troublesome enemies.
Although the vast majority of the Cloud Knights on the entire Xianzhou [Luofu] had already been mobilized, and the rest were on their way back to rendezvous with the main force at any moment, the enemy they now faced was not one that could be easily swept away in an instant.
When these Cloud Knights clashed with the minions of [The Destruction], it would take at least an hour to determine a victor if no Emanator-level power intervened—
Of course, that victory could only go one way... the Cloud Knights would purge the entire realm of the Scalegorge Waterscape, thoroughly wiping out every last enemy.
After all, nearly all the Cloud Knights from the entire world-ship had arrived... While the Xianzhou [Luofu] was far from being as martially inclined as the Xianzhou Yaoqing, as the Yaoqing's sister ship and the flagship of the Alliance's capital, the Luofu had always maintained an above-average level of military strength...
The reason it would still take an hour to determine the outcome was simply because of the great importance of the Scalegorge Waterscape. Everyone was being extremely cautious to avoid damaging the ancient relics of the Boling Sea.
For the people of the Xianzhou, these things were "history," and destroying any part of them could be considered one of the "Ten Unpardonable Sins," a true act of "destroying Alliance fellowship"...
But unfortunately, such obstacles were meaningless in the face of an absolutely overwhelming power disparity—Jing Yuan, at times like this, was never stingy about stretching his muscles. With the Lightning-Lord dancing with thunder on the distant horizon, a torrent of brilliant golden lightning instantly scoured the realm, and all evil was reduced to dust, merely coating the Xianlong Great Hall in a thin layer of white ash.
...Come to think of it, the judges of the Ten-Lords Commission wouldn't pursue Jing Yuan for "destroying Alliance fellowship" over such a small matter.
The minions of [The Destruction] and the remnants of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were thoroughly cleared out, but the seal of the Ambrosial Arbor's main root was right before them. Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan were completely clueless as to how to open it. To do so would require Dan Heng, who had been exiled from the Xianzhou [Luofu]. And Dan Heng was currently far away on the Nameless's express. How could he possibly pop up to help them?
In the end, Fu Xuan had no choice but to order her troops to stand down and wait, hoping to catch [Lord Ravager Phantylia] either coming out from within the seal or trying to re-enter the Vidyadhara palace ruins from the outside...
And in the meantime, she would wait and see what kind of mess her simulated self had gotten into in the Life Simulation Game...
But unfortunately, after deciding to increase vigilance in the bustling commercial hubs of the Central Starskiff Haven and the Exalting Sanctum, and to rigorously search for the presence of [Lord Ravager Phantylia], she had received no new intel whatsoever...
Although the appearance of a Lord Ravager in the Exalting Sanctum or the Starskiff Haven would be an unacceptable situation for the Xianzhou [Luofu], the Cloud Knights in the simulation, under her guidance, had practically cleared out both places and screened every single passerby. Yet, even with the help of the Ten-Lords Commission's artifacts, they couldn't find a single trace of Heliobus activity—
All of this proved that [Lord Ravager Phantylia] was not hiding in the bustling city streets. Her previous decision had been wrong.
But a wrong choice didn't mean it had no effect... Fu Xuan was now stuck here. With the path tested in the simulation leading to a dead end, her real self had also reached a standstill. As a diviner who had always prided herself on seeing the future with crystal clarity, she was unwilling to take risks with her own life and waste time investigating in reality...
After all, the very survival of the Xianzhou [Luofu] was at stake. One wrong step could truly push the Luofu into the abyss of total incineration, into a future of fine white ash...
But just as Fu Xuan was frowning, indecisively looking at the simulation screen before her and preparing to make a new choice to have her simulated self scout the path ahead—
Her Jade Abacus phone vibrated slightly. Fu Xuan was startled for a moment, then immediately took it out and saw a new message from a pinned contact...
Herta: Ron says, go to the Artisanship Commission next.
Herta's message was concise, a single, headless sentence.
But the moment Fu Xuan saw that sentence, she understood Ron's idea... As one of the Six Charioteers of the Luofu, aside from her colleagues, no one understood this Xianzhou ship better than she did.
Although the pressure from the sudden cascade of events had left her a bit breathless and she occasionally overlooked some important information, that didn't mean she would forget those things after being reminded...
"The Artisanship Commission... the Furnace of Creation... those Heliobi?"
She muttered to herself, then turned without a moment's hesitation, walking towards the nearby Jing Yuan, who had just commanded the Lightning-Lord to descend and was now lazily yawning, looking somewhat weary.
Seeing Fu Xuan approach, Jing Yuan immediately asked:
"Lady Fu, how goes it? Have you divined our path forward?"
"I have, General."
Fu Xuan replied without hesitation:
"Assemble the army... The enemy in the Scalegorge Waterscape has been cleared. We only need to leave a portion of the Cloud Knights to stand guard."
As she spoke, she pointed towards a distant direction:
"Next, we go to the Artisanship Commission..."
"To borrow the General's prestige and have a little talk with those Heliobi!"
---o---
[You have left the Scalegorge Waterscape with Herta and Bailu. Since Bailu will be of no use in the next phase and would be in great danger facing [Lord Ravager Phantylia], you have no choice but to temporarily place her in a pharmacy within the Alchemy Commission.]
[Because the alchemists of the Alchemy Commission, frantic over Bailu's disappearance, discovered her back in the pharmacy, her return as sudden as her vanishing...]
[She was sleeping soundly when she returned. The alchemists of the Alchemy Commission were utterly baffled, unable to comprehend what Bailu had gone through.]
[And you, the "culprit," have already left with Herta, swiftly making your way to the most scorching place on the Xianzhou [Luofu], the Luofu's [Artisanship Commission]...]
The text on the light screen faded away, and a new scene appeared on it:
Stepping off the starskiff and onto the Artisanship Commission's Skiff Landing Platform, Ron looked at the well-maintained facilities before him, feeling a bit unaccustomed to it.
The game he played before his transmigration didn't have such a complete Artisanship Commission... During the Stellaron crisis on the Xianzhou [Luofu], the entire ship was severely affected by the regenerating Ambrosial Arbor, and the Artisanship Commission was one of the most heavily damaged areas.
During the Stellaron crisis, the Artisanship Commission was severely eroded by a fragmentum, causing the vast majority of its artisans to be evacuated. Afterward, the Ambrosial Arbor began to grow, and countless gnarled vines and thick branches pierced into the Artisanship Commission's interior, turning the place upside down...
"I didn't expect the complete Artisanship Commission to be so strict. The buildings are all sharp and angular, and the guards are stern..."
He muttered to himself as he looked at the several Cloud Knights standing guard outside the main gate of the Artisanship Commission in the distance. He then led Herta and strode forward, stopping before the Cloud Knights who immediately raised their cloud-honed lances to block their path.
"The Artisanship Commission is a restricted area. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter..."
They recited the rule by rote. One Cloud Knight looked at Ron with some suspicion:
"An outworlder? Do you have a travel permit?"
Ron nodded and handed Fu Xuan's writ to the Cloud Knight:
"The Master Diviner, Lady Fu, has ordered us to come and find the Master Artisan of the Artisanship Commission, Gongshu. Please inform him and have him come to receive me."
Seeing Fu Xuan's writ, the guards dared not be negligent. They saluted and immediately jogged into the Artisanship Commission to find Gongshu...
The highest position in the Artisanship Commission is the Master Craftsman, one of the Six Charioteers. The current Master Craftsman, Zhulun, is currently on the Xianzhou Zhuming for an exchange visit. Just like the Alchemy Commission, his duties are being handled by a subordinate.
The only difference is that the Chief Alchemist of the Alchemy Commission, Dan Shu, was a truly unpardonable villain, whereas the Master Artisan of the Artisanship Commission, Gongshu, was an old-fashioned man who, aside from being inept at social graces, was extremely strict and highly responsible...
Before long, Master Artisan Gongshu came rushing out, led by the guard. His hands were still stained with ink, as if he had just been pulled from his workshop while drafting a new mechanical design.
Before Master Artisan Gongshu could ask anything, Ron, who had grown a bit impatient, immediately flashed Fu Xuan's writ in front of him and said sternly:
"Recently, a vile enemy of [The Destruction] has infiltrated the Luofu. To prevent them from hiding within the Artisanship Commission and destroying the Furnace of Creation, we are here under the orders of the Master Diviner and the Seat of Divine Foresight to inspect and guard this crucial location until the enemy is purged, to prevent any mishaps."
"To think that a vile enemy of [The Destruction] has hidden within the Artisanship Commission? This crucial location cannot be violated! The villains must be swiftly swiftly purged and repelled~"
This Master Gongshu spoke with a certain theatrical flair. One couldn't help but wonder if, in his long life of several hundred, perhaps even a thousand years, he had actually learned the art of street busking...
But although the tone of his speech was comical, his expression was quite serious. It was likely just a habit he'd developed over the years.
He turned without hesitation and walked away. "Follow me this way, then... Come, this way, please~"
Ron was a bit speechless, but he followed closely behind with Herta. They followed Master Artisan Gongshu through the Court of Tranquil Ingenuity's passages, then passed through a "Mirage-Shifting Screen" to traverse the void, crossing the incredibly complex pathways of the undamaged Artisanship Commission and arriving directly at its very center—before the Furnace of Creation.
Master Artisan Gongshu pointed to the cauldron not far away, where a raging fire burned, seemingly never to be extinguished.
"This~ is the prized treasure of the Artisanship Commission, the Furnace of Creation!"
Ron nodded. He walked towards the Furnace of Creation and called out:
"Herta, you're up."
Herta, who had been using her Emanator powers to conceal herself nearby, nodded. With a snap of her fingers, Master Artisan Gongshu's perception and thoughts seemed to warp. He muttered something about "today's blueprints aren't finished yet," and strode away...
The task Ron was about to undertake was not quite the same as what he had told Gongshu upon entering. Leaving him here would only cause trouble. It was better to get rid of him cleanly.
Walking up to the Furnace of Creation, Ron lightly tapped the furnace before him. The wall of the furnace was incredibly hot, like the burning anger of those imprisoned within.
"Can you hear me?"
Ron knocked on the furnace wall, his tone calm.
"Stop playing dead. If you can hear me, find someone who can make decisions to come out and talk..."
After a moment, Ron thought about it and contradicted himself:
"Forget it. Just get [Fuyan] out here. From now on, I'll treat all of you as [Fuyan]. It's not like you Heliobi mind merging occasionally anyway..."
After a moment of silence, a sharp voice came from within the Furnace of Creation—
"A human? An outworlder? Hehe, the Xianzhou people have truly fallen, to actually let an outworlder find this place..."
It giggled and snickered, the sound like scratching a blackboard, enough to make one's skin crawl and break out in goosebumps.
Ron shuddered, too lazy to even listen to its nonsense. He interrupted without hesitation:
"I'm too lazy to listen to your ramblings. Don't disgust me with that voice... I've come to find you on official business."
As Ron spoke, his tone grew serious:
"I want to make a deal with you..."
"A powerful Heliobus has infiltrated the Xianzhou [Luofu]. [Lord Ravager Phantylia] is currently hiding somewhere unknown..."
"Help me find her, and I will agree to one condition from you... one that isn't too outrageous."
"—How about it? This deal?"