No Idea What to Call This Chapter

Just as Xingben was about to press for more information about March 7th, her terminal suddenly vibrated. She picked it up and glanced at it; it was a message from Welt. The message was brief, saying that the Seat of Divine Foresight was still discussing the matter and that they were free to move around for now, and that they would be notified as soon as there were any developments.

Xing stared at the message, her face gradually contorting: Old Yang wouldn't be back for a while, and Bai Luoming and March 7th would definitely be going out on a date soon, so wouldn't that mean no one would be watching me for a while?

The more Xing thought about it, the more hopeful she felt, and her face became even more distorted, as if the entire trash can of Luofu was already hers for the taking.

Bai Luoming looked at Xing's expression and couldn't help but feel curious. Normally, even the smallest message shouldn't elicit such an expression.

"What's wrong? Is there some happy news? Why are you smiling like that?"

"Ahem, it's nothing." Xing then realized that her expression might have been a bit too exaggerated, and coughed lightly as she spoke.

"Uncle Yang just messaged us saying we can go to Luofu later, he probably won't be back for a while."

Upon hearing this, March 7th paused, slowing down her eating. Just as March 7th was about to say something to end the awkward topic, her terminal began to vibrate incessantly.

She put down her chopsticks and picked up the terminal with some confusion to check it.

On the screen, a contact with an image of Imperial Jade was frantically sending her messages.

[Imperial Jade Solo Fan: Are you there? Are you there?]

[Imperial Jade Solo Fan: Where are you? Where are you?]

[Imperial Jade Solo Fan: Please reply immediately! It's extremely urgent!]

[Imperial Jade Solo Fan): We're one short for mahjong! We're waiting for you guys! Come on!]

Below this series of messages was also the location of a teahouse.

March 7th stared at the barrage of calls, utterly bewildered. "This is... Qingque? It's only noon, shouldn't she be at the Divination Commission right now? How come she has time to play cards with us?"

Xing leaned closer for a look, still chewing on a pastry, and mumbled, "Maybe... he skipped work?"

"No way, doesn't Qingque seem to enjoy going to work? She was so eager to take us there yesterday..."

March 7th retorted, but she was also very curious as to why Qingque had time to play cards at this time. With this in mind, she typed a reply to Qingque, "[Don't you have to work?]"

The message was sent out almost instantly, and a voice message popped up.

As soon as I opened the voice chat on March 7th, Qingque's self-righteous voice immediately came through. "Work is nothing compared to playing cards! Besides, my main focus is on keeping my card-playing buddies company; work can wait! Hurry up, we're just waiting for you guys!"

After listening to the voice message, March 7th's lips twitched. He put the terminal on the table and sighed helplessly, "... Okay, let's take back what we just said. She skipped work."

Upon hearing the words "playing cards," Bai Luoming's eyes lit up.

He slammed down his chopsticks and stood up.

"Wait for me a moment, I'm going upstairs to get something."

"What are you taking?" Xing asked curiously.

Bai Luoming didn't answer directly, but instead pushed up his non-existent glasses and gave a knowing smile, "Marvelous Tool we'll use in the card game later."

After saying that, he turned and ran quickly toward the elevator without waiting for their reaction.

Back in his room, Bai Luoming pulled out the small black metal box and took out the seemingly ordinary black-rimmed glasses.

He walked to the mirror, put it on, and looked at himself in the mirror.

From the outside, it's just a pair of ordinary glasses. Putting everything else aside, wearing glasses does add a touch of the suave villain's charm.

He concentrated and tried it against the wall.

The scene before him changed instantly; the solid walls became transparent, and he could clearly see the wiring and pipes inside the walls and the skeletons of servants walking down the other side of the corridor.

Great, it works perfectly.

Bai Luoming withdrew his gaze with satisfaction, his smile widening.

Qingque, oh Qingque, please don't blame me.

Who told you to walk right into this door?

Wearing his glasses, he returned to the first-floor restaurant in a cheerful mood.

Xing was counting on his fingers, seemingly calculating the types of trash cans in Luofu. When he saw Xing come down, he stopped and looked Xing up and down.

"Hey Old Bai, you're not nearsighted, why are you wearing glasses?"

March 7th also cast an inquiring glance, her gaze fixed on his eyes.

"Just an ornament." Bai Luoming pushed up the frame of his glasses, the lenses reflecting a faint light.

"There's no one on the Xianzhou who knows you, yet you're all dressed up." Xing silently complained, looking at Bai Luoming, whose demeanor had drastically changed after putting on glasses.

"Don't worry about that, I'll just wear these glasses when I go out in a bit."

"Whatever you want."

After a quick tidying up, the three of them stepped out of the guesthouse together.

Outside, the streets of Luofu remained bustling and orderly, the Starskiff traversed the sky methodically, and shops and stores lined the roadside everywhere.

Xing hadn't gone far when she slowed down, her gaze drawn to an ornate box carved with auspicious cloud patterns by the roadside.

Upon seeing the trash can, Xing was momentarily captivated. She quickly walked to the side of the trash can and solemnly introduced it to the two of them.

"Let me tell you, I saw this kind of trash can in the documents last night. It has automatic compression and sorting functions inside, and it can also..."

As Xing spoke, she reached for the trash can, striking a pose as if she were making a heroic sacrifice, as if it were a necessary step to put her words into practice.

Just as she was about to put her "Trash Can Sociology" into practice again, Bai Luoming reacted quickly and grabbed her by the back of her collar.

"Stop."

"No! My trash can!" Xing struggled violently as Bai Luoming held her in his arms, desperately reaching for the trash can, but under Bai Luoming's restraint, all her efforts were in vain.

Bai Luoming: Do you really think the title of "numerical monster" is just for show? This tiny Stellaron Spirit can't even hold my hand.

"Let's go, we still need to get to the teahouse, don't delay on the way." Bai Luoming grabbed her by the collar and dragged her away from the trash can that was so tempting to her.

"Besides, I'm going to buy another Jade Abacus later. If you come with me obediently now, I'll buy you one too."

Bai Luoming's suggestion was not just a casual remark; he had thought it through last night. Not only would he buy one, but he would also buy one for everyone on the Astral Express Crew, ostensibly to follow local customs.

That way, even if the Herta finds out, he'll have an excuse.

March 7th agreed with Bai Luoming's words. Although Xing regretted not being able to study the trash can in depth, she could still tell which was more important, a trash can that might not even be able to be shipped or a new Jade Abacus.

Led by Bai Luoming, the three of them found a nearby shop that specialized in selling Jade Abacus.

The shop is small, but it displays a wide variety of Jade Abacus models, from the most basic communication models to high-end models with various complex functions.

Bai Luoming didn't know much about these things, so he simply told the shopkeeper, "Bring me seven of the latest Jade Abacus models. Money's no object."

The boss beamed with joy upon seeing the arrival of a major client and immediately brought out the jade Jade Abacus.

After checking that the goods from the shop owner were in good condition, Bai Luoming readily paid for them, immediately opened the packaging, and kept the rest separately, intending to give them to those who weren't present later.

The new Jade Abacus feels smooth and warm to the touch. When the screen lights up, streaks of ink spread across the interface, a feature very characteristic of the Xianzhou.

"Wow, this is beautiful!" Xing held the new Jade Abacus with great delight and immediately began to explore its various functions.

March 7th seemed much more skilled; she lifted the Jade Abacus and pulled Bai Luoming over.

"Come on, look at the camera."

With a "click," a group photo was captured in the Jade Abacus in her hand.

In the photo, March 7th is making a peace sign with a bright smile, while Bai Luoming stands beside her with a gentle expression.

Looking at the photo on March 7th, he nodded in satisfaction, Jade Abacus the screen, and set the group photo as his screensaver.

Xing was initially quite happy holding the Jade Abacus, but seeing the two's intimate actions, the brand-new Jade Abacus in her hand suddenly didn't seem so appealing anymore.

"Ahem, that's enough, Qingque is waiting for us." She coughed twice, interrupting March 7th's attempt to continue taking pictures.

On March 7th, seeing Xing's unfriendly expression, her face flushed slightly, but she still obediently put away the Jade Abacus, took out her terminal, and led the way to the location sent by Qingque.

Soon, following the location sent by Qingque, the three of them passed through several bustling alleys and arrived at the teahouse where Qingque was.

The teahouse is located on the edge of Aurum Alley. Although it's on the edge, there are quite a few people coming and going. Ironically, because it's on the edge, it's not too noisy, making it a quiet oasis amidst the hustle and bustle.

As soon as the three entered, they saw Qingque sitting in a prime spot by the window, waving excitedly at them from a distance.

"Here! Here!" Qingque waved and called out loudly to the group, as if afraid they wouldn't hear her and would come to the wrong place.

The three approached and sat down opposite Qingque.

At this moment, not only was a pot of fragrant hot tea already brewed on the table, but each person also had a cup of "Immortal's Joy Tea," a specialty of Xianzhou, placed in front of them.

"Wow, you're so well-prepared!" March 7th picked up her milk tea, took a sip, and her eyes lit up.

"That's right," Qingque said smugly. "When playing cards, you need to have a sense of ritual."

Bai Luoming also took a sip of the milk tea; it was fragrant and had a rich milky flavor.

But more than milk tea, he was curious about something else.

He put down his cup, looked at Qingque, and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, you just skip work so openly, doesn't Fu Xuan Taibu care? It's only noon, if you get caught, you're probably in for a rough time."

Upon hearing Bai Luoming mention Fu Xuan, Qingque showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, she leaned closer, lowered her voice, and mysteriously told everyone, "Oh, you're overthinking it. Let me tell you, skipping work today is a godsend!"

"What's the meaning?"

"The Lord Diviner hasn't come to the Divination Commission all day!" Qingque spread her hands, a hint of excitement on her face. "Nobody knows what big plan she's up to. Anyway, the Lord Diviner isn't at the Divination Commission; we haven't even seen a shadow of her."

She then slammed her hand on the table as if it were perfectly natural and said loudly, "Since the boss isn't here, who can stand not skipping this lousy shift? Could you stand it if you were in my shoes?"

Upon seeing this, Bai Luoming suddenly realized what was going on.

No wonder she dared to swagger out and organize a gathering at noon; it turns out the boss wasn't home.

Wasn't Fu Xuan unusually dedicated to his work in order to inherit the general's position? Or was it because he was discussing important matters with Old Yang and Jing Yuan that he didn't have time to deal with Qingque?

"Hiccup, thank you for the meal."

By this time, Xing had finished her milk tea. She stood up, wiped her mouth, and said...

"You guys stay here and play cards. I'm going to wander around and check out the local 'trash can culture'."

"Sit down!"

"Don't go!"

Bai Luoming and March 7th acted almost simultaneously, one on the left and one on the right, pinning down her arms.

"What are you saying? We're one short for this game. If you leave, it'll be hard for us to find someone," Bai Luoming said to Xing, half-coaxing and half-persuading. "Let's finish the game first, the trash can isn't going anywhere."

"Yeah, yeah," March 7th chimed in, "This is also about experiencing the Xianzhou culture, it's better than you rummaging through the trash can, right?"

Xing glanced at the two of them, then at Qingque, who looked on expectantly. Finally, with their combined efforts, she reluctantly sat back down in her seat.

"Okay, shall we play a few rounds then?"

With Xing taking his seat, the game finally had four players.

Qingque rubbed her hands excitedly, explaining the rules of the Imperial Jade to the group while pushing a brand-new set of Imperial Jade to the center of the table.

"Come on, let's get started!"

The crisp sound of shuffling cards echoed in a corner of the teahouse.

In this battle, Qingque, as a seasoned veteran of Imperial Jade, was skilled and had a thorough understanding of various rules and card counting techniques. She was full of confidence and believed that she would definitely crush Bai Luoming and his group today, believing that she had an absolute home-field advantage.

Xing was experiencing this kind of game for the first time, but she didn't care at all. Relying on an extraordinary intuition and unconventional methods, she aimed to defeat the master with a flurry of punches.

March 7th and Xing's situation was similar; they relied entirely on their newbie status, drawing cards based on intuition, with luck fluctuating wildly and full of uncertainty. But she didn't care. More than the card game, she enjoyed being with Bai Luoming.

Bai Luoming, on the other hand, sat calmly in his chair, completely unconcerned about the eager crowd in front of him.

Based on the rules explained by Qingque, he deduced that this was the mahjong he used to play before he transmigrated. He was confident that he was second to none in this area, after all, he was the kind of person who could beat the old men and women who played mahjong all year round in the mahjong parlor!

Moreover, putting that aside, he also has an absolute trump card hidden in his hand, namely the magical and wonderful items given to him by the Herta!

He was wearing glasses at the moment. In his view, the neatly stacked wall of cards on the table, which others saw as an unknown fate, was, in his eyes, a transparent code already marked.

He has seen through everyone's cards!

With that in mind, Bai Luoming thought for a moment and decided to turn off the X-ray vision mode. After all, there were still two newcomers, and he didn't want to discourage them too much.

Ultimately, this card game was nothing more than an old man playing with a child.

As Qingque called out "Start," the four of them simultaneously reached out and touched the wall of cards.