『 [ Speaking of which, why hasn't she arrived yet? ]
[ They say the Merlin's Claw strikes like lightning. Being late isn't her style. ]
Huaiyan squinted his eyes again, and the heavy atmosphere from earlier suddenly vanished into thin air.
[ That's not true, General Huaiyan. She's been here a while, but I'm sure you've heard of her unbridled nature. ]
Just as Huaiyan finished speaking, a voice traveled from afar, reaching Huaiyan's ears. Jing Yuan and Huaiyan also saw two people walking in from outside the Palace of Astrum.
[ As soon as she disembarked from the starskiff, she mentioned having something to attend to and simply disappeared. ]
Following up on his companion's words, the other person added.
[ You must be the messengers from the Xianzhou Yaoqing, I assume. ]
Jing Yuan looked toward the two.
[ We are Jiaoqiu and Moze, retainers of the Merlin's Claw. It's an honor to meet you in person, Arbiter-Generals. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Why is there another squinty-eyed guy?"
Stelle: "What, are you copying General Huaiyan?"
Stelle: "How audacious! (funny_face.jpg)"
Jiaoqiu: "I'm not copying General Huaiyan."
Jiaoqiu: "My eyes are just naturally small."
March 7th: "I don't believe you. You're definitely doing it on purpose."
March 7th: "Squinty-eyed foxes always give off the vibe of being up to no good."
Jiaoqiu: "Oh, Miss March, you shouldn't question my character based purely on my appearance!"
Jiaoqiu: "I, Jiaoqiu, have lived an upright life and have never done anything against my conscience!"
Moze: "Heh."
Jiaoqiu: "?"
Jiaoqiu: "What's that supposed to mean, kid?"
Moze: "Nothing. Just thought you were pretty shameless."
Furina de Fontaine: "Hahaha, looks like Mr. Moze doesn't agree with Mr. Jiaoqiu's words!"
Hu Tao: "To be fair, since Mr. Jiaoqiu can serve as the General's retainer, he's definitely not a bad person."
Hu Tao: "But looking at his squinty eyes, he's probably got a belly full of mischievous schemes."
Lumine: "But still, having a belly full of schemes doesn't make you a bad person."
Lumine: "Yeah, that's very reasonable."
Silver Wolf: "So he's a black-hearted fox, then?"
Silver Wolf: "Well, that fits the persona of a cunning tactician."
Hotaru: "Hmm… based on some movie scenes, shouldn't he be holding a feather fan to fit the persona better?"
Jiaoqiu: "Ah, about that…"
Feixiao: "Hahaha… you're absolutely right!"
Feixiao: "Exactly, he really does have a fan!"
Feixiao: "He loves to fan it around whenever he has nothing to do."
Feixiao: "He calls it 'fanning the flames' to sound elegant."
Paimon: "Eh? He really has one?"
Paimon: "Then it seems Mr. Jiaoqiu is indeed that kind of schemer with a belly full of bad ideas!"
Paimon: "As expected, when you meet someone with squinty eyes, it's best to keep your distance!"
Paimon: "Otherwise, you might get terribly tricked!"
Jiaoqiu: "Ahem… actually… I'm not a retainer!"
Jiaoqiu: "I'm a healer!"
Jiaoqiu: "This guy Moze is the actual retainer!"
Seele: "Who are you trying to fool?"
Seele: "This Mr. Moze looks way more like an assassin."
Stelle: "Indeed."
Stelle: "Moze looks like an assassin or assassin."
Moze: "Do I look that much like an assassin?"
Moze: "But I'm actually a bodyguard."
Moze: "Hmm… I'll find some time to adjust my outfit."
Moze: "To make myself look more like a bodyguard."
....
『 [ Interesting. A guest arrives, but instead of coming straight to see the host, she sends messengers instead. ]
[ What kind of play is she putting on this time? ]
[ Tell me, what could be more important to her than coming here? ]
Hearing Jiaoqiu's words, Huaiyan immediately asked with a smile.
[ My superior heard that a new wonder has recently appeared in Scalegorge Waterscape on the Luofu, which is highly spectacular. She presumably went to enjoy the view. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
March 7th: "A new wonder in the Luofu's Scalegorge Waterscape?"
March 7th: "Oh!"
March 7th: "I get it!"
March 7th: "They're talking about where the Ambrosial Arbor's roots are!"
Stelle: "General Jing Yuan, this squinty-eyed fox is mocking you!"
Stelle: "Aren't you going to summon the Lightning-Lord to beat him up?"
Jiaoqiu: "Oh, please don't!"
Jiaoqiu: "I wasn't mocking anyone. I was merely stating facts!"
Jiaoqiu: "My General is indeed interested in that place, and I was only answering honestly!"
Feixiao: "Hahaha, Jiaoqiu, if Moze said that, maybe everyone would believe it."
Feixiao: "But coming from you, even if you just tried your hardest to open your eyes, no one would believe it!"
Jiaoqiu: "Darn it, why?"
Jiaoqiu: "Just because this kid Moze looks more honest than me?"
Moze: "It's not that I look honest. It's that you look too deceitful."
Moze: "I suggest you get plastic surgery."
Jiaoqiu: "Get lost!"
Mualani: "Hahaha, are these General Feixiao's retainers?"
Mualani: "Why do they seem more like a pair of frenemies?"
Lumine: "This shows that they have a really good relationship."
....
『 [ A 'spectacular' view? Hah! Did you hear that, Jing Yuan? This person is being sarcastic.]
Huaiyan laughed and spoke in a teasing tone.
[ Please do not misunderstand me, General Huaiyan. I was simply stating the truth. Master thought it would be inappropriate to keep you waiting, so she sent us here... ]
[ Once she's finished admiring the scenery, she'll personally come and apologize to both of you. ]
Jiaoqiu opened his eyes as he spoke this time. He suddenly looked much more serious. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "I can tell Jiaoqiu is trying really hard to open his eyes."
Stelle: "Too bad that compared to General Huaiyan's bright, wide eyes, they're still lacking."
Jiaoqiu: "There's nothing I can do about that."
Jiaoqiu: "Who told me to be born with small eyes?"
March 7th: "Small eyes are fine. The main thing is you're a Foxian."
March 7th: "A squinty-eyed Foxian… combining these two elements instantly makes you look highly untrustworthy."
Moze: "Be precise. Remove 'seems like'."
Moze: "He is indeed untrustworthy."
Jiaoqiu: "Hey, you kid!"
Jiaoqiu: "Are you picking on me on purpose?"
Moze: "Just stating facts."
Moze: "If you feel offended."
Moze: "I won't retract it either."
Moze: "Because I didn't find a retract function."
Moze: "So I suggest you selectively ignore it."
Hanabi: "Hahaha~"
Hanabi: "You two are quite the characters."
Hanabi: "Even Hanabi-sama was amused by you~"
Feixiao: "Apologies for these two clowns."
Feixiao: "But don't get me wrong, I'm actually very serious, absolutely nothing like these two blockheads!"
Jiaoqiu: "Heh."
Moze: "Heh!"
Feixiao: "?"
Feixiao: "Wanna fight?"
....
『 The scene shifts, moving outside the Palace of Astrum.
[ Drat, I forgot to ask Yunli to return my sword... ]
After Yanqing led the three out of the Palace of Astrum, he suddenly realized that he had seemingly forgotten to demand his flying sword back!
[ I'm afraid you won't get that sword back! ]
Stelle thought about the conditions Yunli had mentioned earlier and shook her head.
[ That won't do! Every sword is Yanqing's treasure! ]
[ If the General hadn't stopped me, with that girl's arrogant tone, I would have definitely shown her my swordplay… ]
[ Speaking of which, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel the General was a bit… today. ]
[ hmmm, reserved? Could it be because of Elder Huaiyan's visit? ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "I didn't sense reserved. I only felt General Jing Yuan was much more serious than usual."
March 7th: "That's true. I remember last time on the Luofu, every time we saw General Jing Yuan, he had a smiling, lazy look."
March 7th: "He exuded a strange vibe of being a slacker, like a slacker general."
Stelle: "Slacker general?"
Stelle: "Man, that title actually fits Qingque perfectly!"
Qingque: "Cut it out!"
Qingque: "I HAVE NO AMBITION TO BE A GENERAL!!"
Jing Yuan: "Hahaha, I never expected that in your eyes, I actually looked like someone lacking ambition?"
Jing Yuan: "Does this mean I should learn from Lady Fu's appearance of worrying about the state and exhausting herself?"
Fu Xuan: "Excellent!"
Fu Xuan: "I am deeply gratified that the General has this realization."
Jing Yuan: "Hahaha, I think I'll pass."
Jing Yuan: "I'm already up there in years. Maintaining a sense of relaxation is quite nice."
Qingque: "Oh, as expected of the General!"
Qingque: "I also think we should maintain a sense of relaxation at work!"
Qingque: "After all, proper balance between work and rest helps improve efficiency!"
Stelle: "Are you sure you have a balance?"
Stelle: "Do you actually work?"
Qingque: "Of course I do!"
Qingque: "You only see me when I'm resting on shift, but you don't see me when I'm working hard!"
Qingque: "But that doesn't mean it doesn't exist!"
Stelle: "Tsk, Qingque, it's fine to fool the Diviner, but don't fool yourself!"
Fu Xuan: "What do you mean, fool me?"
Fu Xuan: "Would this Diviner be fooled by Qingque?"
Fu Xuan: "With a quick divination, I know exactly what Qingque is doing!"
Fu Xuan: "There is absolutely no way I'd be fooled!"
March 7th: "Lady Fu, you must know that the devil is always one step ahead!"
March 7th: "Maybe Miss Qingque knows how to counter your divinations? (giggle.jpg)"
....
『 [ Reserved? Really? ]
March 7th scratched her head, indicating she didn't see it.
[ Maybe I'm overthinking it. ]
Yanqing waved his hand.
[ No, you're not. ]
[ When I entered the Palace of Astrum, I realized that the messenger from the Xianzhou Zhuming was actually the Arbiter-General himself. So, the messenger from the Xianzhou Yaoqing must be the Merlin's Claw herself, I presume? ]
Dan Heng asked thoughtfully.
[ That's right. ]
Yanqing nodded.
[ That's what makes this entire thing so unusual. ]
Dan Heng frowned.
[ What's so unusual about it? They simply received an invitation from Jing Yuan, just like the Crew, right? ]
March 7th was somewhat puzzling.
[ The Wardance is just a small festival, and now we have two Arbiter-Generals from other Xianzhou ships here. I'm afraid they're here for something more. Maybe they've come to hold Jing Yuan accountable for the Ambrosial Arbor Crisis? ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "My goodness, Detective Dan Heng!"
Stelle: "From just those tiny details, you deduced the reason for these two Generals' arrival?"
Dan Heng: "It's not hard to guess."
Dan Heng: "After all, under normal circumstances, the Wardance Ceremony would never warrant the presence of multiple Generals."
Dan Heng: "You have to know that each General is the absolute core of their respective Xianzhou ship."
Dan Heng: "While the ships wouldn't stop functioning without them, it would still have a major impact."
Dan Heng: "Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, they usually do not leave the Xianzhou they oversee."
March 7th: "The thing is, the Luofu was also a victim. Holding them accountable seems a bit unreasonable, doesn't it?"
Feixiao: "Haha, calling it 'holding accountable' is a bit harsh."
Feixiao: "I think, rather than holding them accountable, it's more like a post-disaster investigation."
Feixiao: "Investigating the causes and consequences of the Luofu's Ambrosial Arbor disaster on-site."
Feixiao: "To shut the mouths of some guys in the Alliance!"
Huaiyan: "It surprises me that General Feixiao thinks this way."
Huaiyan: "It seems the three of us have reached a consensus without even realizing it."
....
『 [ Holding them accountable? Surely not. Come on, didn't the Luofu fall victim to the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and the Antimatter Legion? Why would they blame the victim? ]
Hearing Dan Heng's words, March 7th immediately showed a surprised expression.
[ Dan Shu's rebellion and Phantylia's scheming are merely one side of the story to the other Arbiter-Generals of the Alliance. Only a single piece of incontrovertible evidence remains, creating an endless source of potential complications. ]
Dan Heng explained briefly.
[ The Ambrosial Arbor! ]
Yanqing chimed in instinctively.
[ Yes, it's undeniable that the plaguemark, which was subdued by the Xianzhou Luofu, has resurfaced. But was it really a conspiracy instigated by the Antimatter Legion, or does it indicate a traitorous intent from within the Luofu, implicating Jing Yuan himself? ]
[ Once the spark of suspicion is kindled, it proves hard to extinguish. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Himeko: "Dan Heng hit the nail on the head."
Himeko: "And this might be the real reason the General invited us to watch the ceremony?"
March 7th: "Oh, right!"
March 7th: "Our Express Crew witnessed the entire Ambrosial Arbor disaster, so we can naturally testify for the General!"
Stelle: "I knew the General wouldn't invite us for no reason."
Stelle: "But if it's just testifying, that's not hard."
Huaiyan: "Haha, actually, we do not doubt Jing Yuan's loyalty to the Alliance."
Huaiyan: "Since he took office, we have seen all the good changes on the Luofu."
Huaiyan: "To say such a person would rebel, haha, not only do I not believe it in my heart."
Huaiyan: "Even the Marshal herself doesn't believe it."
Huaiyan: "But there's nothing we can do. The incident has occurred, and the entire Alliance is aware of it."
Huaiyan: "And some people can't sit still. They insist on grasping at this non-issue to find fault with Jing Yuan."
Huaiyan: "So out of necessity, the Marshal could only act according to official procedures and sent us to thoroughly investigate this matter."
Furina de Fontaine: "I think I understand."
Furina de Fontaine: "Is it because within the Xianzhou Alliance, there are also people who don't want to see General Jing Yuan do well?"
Feixiao: "You can basically look at it that way."
Welt Yang: "It seems the Xianzhou Alliance is not as monolithic as we imagined…"
Jing Yuan: "Is there any faction that is truly of one mind?"
Jing Yuan: "Even the Family of Harmony, which prides itself on being united, has different minds within, doesn't it?"
Jing Yuan: "However, as long as we still practice the Path of the Hunt, that is enough."
....
『 [ We can testify for Jing Yuan. No wonder we were called back to watch the ceremony. ]
Stelle finally understood why Jing Yuan had specially invited them.
[ What was I thinking, seriously? Here I was, looking forward to a carefree and enjoyable trip. But it seems wherever we go, drama is just around the corner. ]
March 7th's face immediately fell, showing a disappointed little expression.
[ Aww... I was so excited. I thought those Arbiter-Generals were just here to see the ceremony... ] 』
『 ....』