At this moment, Qingque looked utterly dejected, like a frost-bitten eggplant.
Standing at the entrance of the Divination Commission, she couldn't help but let out a long sigh as she read the 'shocking words' Sylvia had sent on her phone.
"What a disaster… This is obviously huge trouble. For such a big matter, why does the Master Diviner always send a small fry like me?... I never should've taken this job in the first place!"
The moment Qingque recalled how the Master Diviner had unexpectedly sought her out for field duty that day, and how she'd agreed without hesitation, she desperately wished she could travel back in time and give her own forehead a couple of good thumps—just to knock some sense into herself.
"Sigh… I hope tomorrow I'm just there to show the way."
Qingque looked up at the sky, silently praying that she wouldn't be caught up in anything when tomorrow came.
--+--
Over on her end, Sylvia saw that Qingque had only sent a question mark in reply before going silent. She could easily imagine Qingque right now, probably lamenting how she'd been saddled with another troublesome task by Fu Xuan.
So, she sent a follow-up message.
[Sylvia: Playing Celestial Jade today?]
[Qingque: No! Because of you, the Master Diviner caught me again. Can't play!]
Seeing Qingque's complaint, Sylvia finally couldn't hold back a laugh.
Just picturing Fu Xuan, after probably wrapping up at the scene, swinging by the parlor to nab Qingque, made the corners of Sylvia's mouth twitch upwards.
For Qingque, today was truly a case of "wrong place, wrong time."
But then, thinking about how Qingque was always slacking off, that tiny flicker of guilt in Sylvia's heart promptly vanished.
--+--
Evening.
After mooching a meal from Tingyun at the Sky-Faring Commission, Sylvia returned to her residence and contacted Silver Wolf.
She wanted to ask if the Stellaron Hunters could give her a bit of an informational advantage.
Right now, Phantylia was still lurking in the shadows, watching the show from who-knows-where. If she could find out Phantylia's current situation, maybe she and Jing Yuan could secretly turn the tables on her.
But Silver Wolf's opening line instantly dashed Sylvia's hopes.
[GamingDomainDivaSilverWolf: Don't even think about it. Elio would never reveal destiny to you. But he did say we could offer you some… alternative assistance.]
[QuadCoreGreatsword: Duckkk, I didn't even say anything yet…]
[GamingDomainDivaSilverWolf: Cut the crap. You want it or not?]
[QuadCoreGreatsword: Really? No room for negotiation?]
[GamingDomainDivaSilverWolf: Obviously. Hurry up. If you don't give me an answer, the other assistance is off the table too.]
--+--
Meanwhile.
Silver Wolf lay sprawled on her sofa, half-heartedly playing a newly released mini-game while chatting idly with Sylvia.
If anyone had been there, they would have noticed Silver Wolf's face was slightly flushed, and her raised feet were fidgeting, crossing and uncrossing restlessly.
"Honestly… What kind of ridiculous task did Elio give us? And how can Kafka and Sam both be totally fine with it…"
Just thinking about the details of the mission Elio had assigned them made Silver Wolf's cheeks burn.
"Sylvia's a woman, you know? Maybe she'd prefer someone like Blade. What does it have to do with us?"
But as a Stellaron Hunter, a mission was a mission. Silver Wolf still had to carry it out. Though, if Sylvia herself wanted to make a change, well, that wouldn't be her fault, would it?
[QuadCoreGreatsword: Yes, yes, yes! Something's better than nothing. But you have to tell me what kind of help it is first, and what I need to do in return.]
Sylvia's reply popped up. Silver Wolf stared at the text and sighed.
She comforted herself internally—they were both women, after all, and Elio did say it was just a nominal formality.
Then, with a slightly reddened face, Silver Wolf typed her response:
[GamingDomainDivaSilverWolf: The cost is assisting us when opportunities arise, obviously. What else did you think? It's not like you're joining the Stellaron Hunters.]
[GamingDomainDivaSilverWolf: As for the help… Elio said we Stellaron Hunters can form a nominal marriage contract with you on behalf of a civilization. And it's just a formality! Don't go reading into it!]
"Holy sh—"
The moment Sylvia read Silver Wolf's out-of-nowhere message, she tumbled right off her bed and onto the floor.
She even blurted out a curse.
What kind of insane thing was she saying?!
[QuadCoreGreatsword: Wait, are you being serious??]
[GamingDomainDivaSilverWolf: Of course we're serious. But it's just a contract, nothing more. Don't get any other ideas. Though, if Kafka's willing, I don't really care either way.]
[QuadCoreGreatsword: What exactly did Elio say about me?]
Though startled, once Sylvia calmed down, she immediately realized:
Elio must have noticed something. Perhaps in a positive future, the Stellaron Hunter women were all by her side; or maybe he saw some strange vision where she gained power through marriage.
No matter what, for the 'Slave of Fate,' Elio would absolutely not have his subordinates do something like this just to build goodwill with her.
And for Silver Wolf and the others, without a compelling reason, they'd likely never agree to such an absurd proposition.
Even if it was just a nominal contract.
[GamingDomainDivaSilverWolf: None of your business. You think we'd tell you about internal meetings? Blade's dense, you could do anything and he wouldn't get it. If you don't mind that Sam's a robot, we could make it work on some open-minded planet. As for me and Kafka… don't tell me you're into that??]
[QuadCoreGreatsword: Let's not involve Blade… So what if I am into that? What era are you living in that you'd even care?]
Silver Wolf was taken aback by Sylvia's reply.
Did she even know Sam's secret???
Sam had never revealed their true form to outsiders. Even the Intelligentsia Guild doesn't know who's inside Sam.
How could Sylvia, someone who only recently appeared on the galactic stage, possibly know?
"Just what secrets is she hiding… How does she know so much insider intel? With Robin and the Family, and now Sam… This woman probably even knows the IPC's classified information."
Silver Wolf was deeply unsettled. She even wondered if Sylvia's initial meeting with Acheron had been intentionally arranged because she knew about Acheron's background.
If Sylvia's ability was truly information-gathering…
That was kind of terrifying…
Silver Wolf shuddered involuntarily. Nobody wouldn't fear someone who could see right through you.
"…But she still needs to ask us about Phantylia's whereabouts, so there must be significant limitations to what she knows."
Thinking that, Silver Wolf calmed down again. As long as she couldn't dox people in real life, it was fine.
[GamingDomainDivaSilverWolf: Suit yourself. Ask them about the specifics yourself later. I'm sending you their contact info.]
[GamingDomainDivaSilverWolf: [Contact Card: Kafka], [Contact Card: Sam]]
[QuadCoreGreatsword has added Kafka]
[QuadCoreGreatsword has added Sam]
--+--
T/N: 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.