Actually, the list of future successors had already been decided. As for the future Supreme Diviner, if Fu Xuan really took over her position and became general, then only Qing Que would be qualified to take over as Supreme Diviner.
Although Qing Que slacked off every day, there was no denying that she was truly talented.
But...
"Supreme Diviner? Supreme Diviner went to play cards—cough, cough, to understand the people's situation. Please forgive the general."
This was bad. Jing Yuan Yuan could already imagine the scene: Fu Xuan going to the Divination Department to look for Qing Que, only to find that no one was keeping an eye on her, and that she had gone out to slack off and play cards.
This was bad. I had trusted AI proofreading too much. I only discovered after flipping through the comments that AI didn't seem to recognize ancient units. My hundred shi and hundred dou had been corrected into 100 kilograms. Aha had invaded AI!
Chapter 60: Chocolate and Houttuynia Candied Haws
Jing Yuan felt that the scene was too beautiful to look at. He could already imagine the future general and future Supreme Diviner chasing each other around every day, so he hurriedly changed the subject and stopped the conversation from continuing.
"Miss Kiana, the reason Lord of the Bow sent someone to find you was simply to invite you to become his envoy. Of course, in return, you would gain extremely high decision-making authority within the Xianzhou Alliance. If you don't wish to join the Alliance, you could also become a wandering hero. You wouldn't be bound by too many restrictions."
Kiana finally understood why Lord of the Bow had sought her out. So he wanted to compete with Aha for her?
Still, she hadn't expected that Lan was merely a revenger who liked fighting and chased after the Abundance every day, yet he also had this kind of intention.
Why didn't the others have such intentions? Were the Aeons all this honest, or did they simply not want to compete with Aha?
Kiana had guessed wrong. Although many people had given up, besides Lan, the Hunt Aeon, two others had joined the competition. However, those two were short-handed, and their identities presented certain problems, so they had not yet contacted Kiana.
"Forget it. Being an envoy sounds exhausting. I think things are fine as they are now."
"All right, but you're still our honored guest."
Jing Yuan Yuan was just about to end the topic and begin making new arrangements when he heard Kiana's final question before leaving.
"By the way, why aren't the Aeons themselves handling the recruitment? Why are they looking for you?"
Kiana had only said it casually before leaving.
Jing Yuan Yuan sat in his seat. After a long while, he finally gave his answer in his heart.
"Why else? Yaoguang went off to fight again. This time, there are even signs that the Scourge of Abundance has taken action. Lord of the Bow has already led the charge."
Kiana had thought that her companions had already left with Tingyun. But after she left Shence Manor and planned to look around nearby before going to the hotel, she discovered that everyone was waiting for her.
It wasn't just everyone from the train. Tingyun was also chatting with the others while waiting for her.
Besides them, there was also a little fellow chatting with everyone.
"What? The Sushang Clan is actually that amazing? By the way, doesn't this count as violating the laws of physics? What about the conservation of energy?"
"I don't know. But since it's the power of the Eternal Lord, it makes sense, right?"
"Um, could you use standard galactic terminology? You keep saying this lord and that lord, this ancestor and that ancestor, this commander and that commander. I really can't tell them apart."
"It's the Aeon of the Immortal, so March 7th, you should spend more time reading books when you have the chance."
"Kiana, you're out. Did that Jing Yuan Yuan give you a hard time?"
When March 7th saw Kiana come out, she immediately abandoned Bailu, who had been chatting with her just moments before.
She rushed straight to Kiana's side and looked her up and down.
She seemed to want to see whether Kiana had been injured.
Meanwhile, Ouyang habitually pushed up his glasses, because Kiana's remark just now had left him somewhat dazed.
Telling someone else to read books? That wasn't like the Kiana in his memories. Could she have changed gender?
But it wasn't that Kiana had changed. It was just that, while she had been staying at the space station, there had been nothing to do. Apart from wandering around every day, Kiana could only pass the time by scrolling through her phone, or occasionally going to the training room prepared for the researchers to exercise.
Besides, the Xianzhou and the Interastral Peace Corporation had a very close relationship.
And because of her connection with Asta, Kiana had learned quite a lot about the Xianzhou through various documents and records.
Once everyone had gathered, Tingyun took them to their lodging, then led them around the Luofu.
The Luofu was thriving. All kinds of vendors had set up stalls along the streets, and quite a few young people were out on dates.
Some children who had not yet reached school age were also playing and causing a commotion with their friends by the roadside.
But as they walked, Kiana felt that there seemed to be fewer people in the group. When she turned around, she found that Bailu had stopped in front of a stall at some point.
The little child's chubby hand was pressed against her mouth, and there seemed to be a little drool at the corner of her lips.
She was clearly a physician from the Alchemy Commission, yet she looked just like a child.
Well, by the Sushang Clan's method of calculating age, Bailu really was merely a newborn child.
"What is it, Bailu? Do you want candied haws?"
"Yes, but I forgot to bring money."
As Bailu spoke, she rummaged through her little pocket and found it empty. Since she had left in such a hurry, her little wallet had been left behind in the Alchemy Commission.
Seeing Bailu like this, Kiana waved her hand grandly.
"Go ahead. Take whatever you want. I'll pay."
"Can I?"
"Of course. If you feel bad about it, just treat it as payment in advance. If I get sick someday, remember to come help me."
"Mm."
Bailu nodded happily. After all, if it was merely an advance payment for medical expenses, then there was no problem at all.
Still, Bailu didn't take very much. She only took one ordinary candied haw.
"Boss, this one, this one, and this one too. I'll take them all. Actually, Boss, you can go off work now. I'll take everything that's left."
"Ah, customer, eating so much will make you sick. If you really like them, I'm here every day. You can come by every day."
"It's fine. I have a way to preserve them. Boss, calculate the total for me."
"That'll be 220 Xundi. You can just give me 200 Xundi."
Kiana was just about to take out her phone to pay when she suddenly remembered a problem. She didn't seem to have any Xundi.
"Um, can I pay with Credit Points?"
"Of course. Just scan here."
"Interastral Peace Corporation payment received: 40,000 Credit Points."
"All right, Boss. I've transferred it."
Kiana distributed the candied haws she had bought among everyone. She left the rest to March 7th, who sealed them with Formless Ice, and they took them into the space.
"Eh? What kind of candied haws are these? A black lump? Amazing, there's white stuff too."
"They seem to be chocolate and houttuynia?"
Kiana suddenly thought of a way to distinguish whether the Tingyun before them was the original or Phantylia. She had originally thought that the previous diagnostic fee would come to nothing, but now it seemed that she might get it after all.
They hadn't gone far when they saw a large crowd gathered ahead. While everyone's attention shifted there, Kiana used her spatial ability to transfer a very small amount of chocolate into the candied haw in Tingyun's hand.
Not long afterward, she noticed that Tingyun seemed somewhat unwell.
"Honored benefactors, I don't know why, but I'm somewhat thirsty, and I also feel some pain in my abdomen. Please allow me to go buy some water first."
"No need. I have some here. I'm also half a physician, so let me check you. If that doesn't work, Bailu is here too. Let her take a look at you."
Chapter 61: Beauty Reclining on Her Side
Tingyun took two sips of the water Kiana handed her. As she watched Kiana solemnly take her pulse and then lightly press her abdomen several times, the discomfort she had felt vanished instantly.
"I never imagined that, aside from fighting, you were also skilled in medicine, Honored Benefactor. I truly..."
"With nothing to repay me with, you can only offer yourself to me?"
Bailu, however, immediately thought of food poisoning when she saw Tingyun's behavior. Not long ago, a Fox Clan woman had come to her for treatment, and her symptoms had been identical to Tingyun's.
The only difference was that the other woman's condition had clearly been more serious, and her tail had also begun shedding fur.
After questioning her, Bailu had discovered that she had eaten chocolate sold by an Outworlder, which had caused food poisoning.
"Forget it. I'm fine now. It might have just been bloating."
After this incident, Kiana could confirm that the person before her was not Phantylia, but Tingyun herself. After all, Phantylia belonged to the Suiyang Clan. Although she could change her appearance, she couldn't alter her physical structure.
The Fox Clan belonged to the canine family, and the problem just now had been caused by accidentally eating chocolate.
As they continued wandering, they suddenly discovered a stall selling all kinds of records.
Ouyang was instantly drawn to it.
Because of the emergence of the Interastral Peace Corporation, fewer and fewer people used old antiques like record players. Especially in recent years, many people had begun listening to music on their phones. Most of the records on the train were either antiques or custom-made items.
With so many records at this stall, the train's record player would finally have more music to play.
"Shopkeeper, which records here are the newest?"
"Oh my, I can tell at a glance that you're a connoisseur. Take a look at these. They're all Miss Guinaifen's latest albums. There were already very few albums to begin with, and these records are even rarer treasures. It's not often that I meet someone who knows their stuff. How about this? For just 2,000 Xundi, the latest record is yours."
"Boss, I'll take it."
"Wait, wait."
Fortunately, Tingyun stopped Ouyang in time, preventing him from becoming a sucker.
When the shopkeeper saw someone interfering, he was just about to scold them.
But when he saw that it was Tingyun, his attitude immediately changed.
"Ah, are you Miss Tingyun's friends? This humble one truly failed to recognize Mount Tai. How about this? I'll only charge you the cost price—200 Xundi."
"One?"
"All of them."
Seeing that Ouyang had obtained all the records for only 200 Xundi, or 40,000 Credit Points, while the shopkeeper still looked as though he had made a profit, he understood that he had just been fleeced.
"Thank you for helping me, Miss Tingyun."
"By the way, honored benefactors, your clothing seems somewhat out of place here. I know a shop that can tailor a new outfit for each of you, and it won't cost a thing. What do you think? Please consider it a token of this humble woman's gratitude for your saving my life."
After discussing it, Stelle and Ouyang decided not to go with Tingyun to have clothes tailored. Instead, they planned to return to the hotel to rest and investigate clues related to the Stellaron.
They had not gone far when Tingyun brought the two of them to the shop. A Fox woman nearby also came over to greet Tingyun.
After they spoke for a while, Tingyun sat down at the entrance, while the other two were taken to the changing room to have their measurements recorded.
The first step was measuring their height and length. When measuring March 7th and Kiana's legs, even the shopkeeper, who had measured countless people for custom clothing, couldn't help praising them twice.
"Both of you have long, well-proportioned legs, as if they were masterpieces created by an artist. Especially the elegant curves of your thighs, which resemble a winding stream and make people unable to resist throwing themselves into them."
"You're too kind. You're very pretty too."
The shopkeeper said nothing, merely smiling as she measured them in other places and chatted with them.
"What colors do you two like? Or are there any styles you want? Ordinary clothes would seem like a waste of your natural beauty. Would you be interested in trying formal dresses?"
"By the way, do you two need..."
The conversation had been going well. When it was time to measure their figures, Kiana went first. The shopkeeper merely sighed over how Kiana's body seemed heaven-sent, with proportions that were far too perfect.
She didn't even dare imagine it. In a few more years, Kiana might become a star in her own right based on her appearance alone.
But when it was time to measure March 7th's chest, the shopkeeper clearly froze.
Shopkeeper: Confusion +1.
She measured several more times. At first, she thought she had made a mistake, but after confirming that March 7th really was completely unremarkable, she said nothing more.
Seeing that the shopkeeper had fallen silent, March 7th thought something had happened.
She hurriedly asked,
"Is there a problem?"
"No, no."
Shopkeeper: Speechless +1, Speechless +1.
Only after all the measurements were complete did she lean close to March 7th's ear and whisper a few words.
"Um, do you need one of those things?"
"One of those?"
"You know, padding. Something too large would look rather awkward, but going from an A to a B wouldn't look awkward at all. Instead, it would further bring out your charm."
Before you continue