Several days had passed since their arrival at the Xianzhou…
Sylvia, clutching a copy of [100 Authentic Xianzhou Sayings Even Off-Worlders Can Master], politely declined the tour guide that Yukong had arranged for her.
She strolled alone near the Exalting Sanctum area, flipping through the little booklet with amused interest as she wandered.
The pamphlet explained or acted out various colloquial phrases through short, illustrative scenarios.
To Sylvia, it felt a bit childish—like something straight out of an elementary school English textbook.
Still, there was a certain novelty to it.
But for Acheron, it was just right. That's why, before they parted, Acheron made sure to take that very booklet with her.
She'd said that next time they had the chance, she'd properly accompany Sylvia on a tour around the Xianzhou.
Though who knew if Acheron would even remember this little book by then.
With that thought, Sylvia took out her phone and snapped a picture of the Exalting Sanctum, sending it off to Acheron.
The message showed as unread, and Acheron was offline at the moment.
When an Emanator travels alone across the galaxy, they don't always follow the charted paths forged by Trailblazers.
And without a starship's signal amplifiers and receivers, relying solely on a portable mobile device made it hard to maintain a stable connection out in the depths of space.
Before she left, Acheron had specifically reminded Sylvia about this.
So Sylvia wasn't bothered. After sharing her moment, she simply tucked her phone away.
She didn't have any particular goal in mind for her solo outing today—it was just that Exalting Sanctum was lively, and she remembered that this was a place where you could play Celestial Jade.
Otherwise known as mahjong.
And that thought made her fingers itch a little.
After all, back home, during holidays or festivals, she'd always play a few rounds with relatives.
And during university, if any of her roommates or friends knew how, they'd occasionally gather for a game or two.
Ending up in a place so unfamiliar, finding a corner like the Xianzhou that felt oddly comforting was a genuine solace for Sylvia.
And something like Celestial Jade? It made her all the more curious to see what it was like here.
As for whether she might run into Qingque while playing—she hadn't really thought that far ahead.
In the game, there was only one spot with a mahjong table, but Celestial Jade was actually pretty popular throughout the Xianzhou. It definitely wasn't limited to just a handful of tables like in the game.
And the real Exalting Sanctum was hundreds, if not thousands, of times larger than its in-game counterpart.
The place was bustling, full of energy, with crowds flowing in every direction and lively shops lining the streets.
Trying to run into one specific person here? That was nothing short of a pipe dream.
Sylvia stopped a few passersby who looked like Xianzhou locals and asked for directions, soon finding the nearest parlor.
Even before she reached the entrance, she could already hear the distinct clatter of tiles being shuffled and stacked.
Inside, players and spectators gathered together, chatting in low murmurs that filled the space without becoming overwhelming.
As she wandered further in, she noticed most patrons were Xianzhou natives or Foxians, with very few off-worlders dressed in non-Xianzhou styles.
Combined with the fact that Xianzhou residents rarely had flashy hair colors, Sylvia's snow-white hair and foreign attire made her stand out immediately.
The moment she stepped inside, quite a few eyes turned her way.
And likewise, amid the mixed sounds of tile-play, one voice in particular caught Sylvia's attention.
"Aha, self-draw! I win!—My luck's really on fire today. Again, again!"
It was a voice she'd heard countless times in the game, and it instantly cut through the crowd's noise, drawing Sylvia's gaze.
She turned and saw a young woman seated at one of the tables, dressed in green outerwear over a black knit top, who immediately stood out.
Her brown hair was tied into twin tails, each adorned with a fluffy white pom-pom that added a touch of playful charm.
At that moment, the girl was gleefully pushing over her tile formation, clearly having won the round.
Her tablemates sighed as they pulled out their coins, grumbling:
"Qingque, you've been at the table since early morning, winning this hard—aren't you afraid the Master Diviner will catch you again?"
"Hey, now, don't say that! Today, I've got orders from the Master Diviner herself—paid mahjong time. I'm going all out!"
Qingque declared triumphantly, puffing out her chest and waving a hand with an expression that seemed to say 'heaven on earth is right here'—both cheeky and endearing.
"Oho, you must've woken up groggy and mixed up dreams with reality. You really think the Master Diviner would let you play from dawn till dusk?"
"You hopped on the table first thing this morning—you probably didn't even check in at the Divination Commission, did you? Careful, or the Diviner might come arrest you in person."
One of her fellow players couldn't help but tease as the auto-shuffler racked the tiles.
They were all old Celestial Jade buddies who'd known each other for ages—they knew Qingque's habits all too well.
She was an expert at slacking off. In any other line of work, she'd be living the dream, but she just had to end up in the Divination Commission.
All the Master Diviner had to do was lift a finger, and Qingque would get nabbed.
Because of this, they'd even had the rare privilege of seeing the current Head of the Divination Commission, Fu Xuan, up close.
If Qingque's slacking was bold enough to bring Fu Xuan down in person, it went without saying just how often and how brazenly she skipped work.
They thought things couldn't get more extreme, but today Qingque had finally grown bold enough to skip her daily check-in altogether.
Good grief.
Would they get to see Lady Fu Xuan again today?
Sylvia stood nearby, listening to their conversation.
To be honest, she didn't buy it either.
Tiny Qingque, skipping work and getting scolded by the Master Diviner? Wasn't that just a normal day?
There was no way the Divination Commission would officially send her out just to play Celestial Jade.
But just then, one of the players' jade abacus devices vibrated on her wrist. She tapped it open, and her face fell.
"Oh no, my mentor says she needs me for something. I have to go."
"Seriously? We're about to deal the tiles, and you're leaving now?"
"Sorry, sorry! Next time, drinks are on me. If I don't go, my teacher will hang me off a starship and let it fly for three hours."
With an apologetic smile, the friend grabbed her coat and hurried off.
Perhaps because Sylvia's white hair was just too eye-catching, just as Qingque was about to grab a random passerby to fill the empty seat, her eyes landed on Sylvia and she paused for a second.
She seemed to mentally scan her memory but came up blank on having seen Sylvia in this parlor before.
Her face lit up, and she waved eagerly, calling out:
"New here? Ever played Celestial Jade before? What's your name? Wanna join a round or two?"
Sylvia had already been thinking about sitting down for a game, so she hadn't expected Qingque to invite her first. Naturally, she took the seat across from Qingque without hesitation.
"My name's Sylvia. I've had some experience with Celestial Jade—I know the rules. But I don't have any Strale on me, only credits."
"No problem, credits are fine! We accept both here on the Xianzhou anyway."
Hearing that, everyone at the table could tell Sylvia was probably an off-worlder who'd only recently arrived.
But off-worlder or not, it didn't matter in this parlor—as long as you could play, you were welcome.
The others watched as Qingque started dealing the tiles, grinning as they remarked:
"Qingque, you're so eager—watch out for beginner's luck. You might lose all the Strale you won today."
Qingque smoothly fanned her tiles out in a row, radiating confidence. With a hand like this, losing would be a real challenge!
"Heh, in Celestial Jade, luck counts for thirty percent, skill for seventy. Today, I'll show you—even against a newbie's lucky streak, I can still win!"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.