But on the surface, Qing Que still looked like a lazy slacker, completely different from the turmoil inside her.
"By the way, I'll take you out to eat. The Supreme Diviner prepared the food... It's not that I doubt the Supreme Diviner's cooking, it's just..."
Just what?
She was just worried that Fu Xuan's prepared meals would all be various kinds of sweets.
After all, Fu Xuan's sweet tooth was famous.
But in the end, the two of them still arrived at Fu Xuan's residence, took out the dinner Fu Xuan had prepared, reheated it, and began eating.
Looking at the message that had arrived on her phone, Qing Que felt that tomorrow might not be a good day for her.
Fu Xuan: Qing Que! You are not allowed to take Youlande outside to eat! The food outside is not healthy!
Qing Que really wanted to reply, When you're gulping down Star Taro Bobo every day, how come you never say that?
But before she could actually send it, Fu Xuan sent another message.
Fu Xuan: Star Taro Bobo is an exception!
Qing Que: This is bad. Has the Supreme Diviner's divination ability improved again recently? Does it have to be this ridiculous?
After they finished eating, Kiana took off the white stockings she had worn all day and was about to wash them and hang them up to dry when Qing Que stopped her.
"Why wash them? Just hang them up first. Wouldn't it be tiring to wash every item every time you change it? Just wash them all together later."
Kiana felt that Qing Que had a point, so she hung up the white stockings and returned to the sofa to watch the Interastral Peace Corporation's gossip program.
Seeing that it was getting late, Qing Que decided she should head back early too.
After saying goodbye to Kiana, Qing Que had just stepped outside when she saw a familiar creature at the entrance.
"Huh? Isn't this that little guy from the Craftsmanship Department that was modeled after the Fox Clan? What was its name again? Oh, right—Diting!"
"I remember Diting was borrowed to investigate someone or something, wasn't it?"
Qing Que had not wanted to meddle, but after seeing what the other party was holding in its mouth, she suddenly felt that it looked strangely familiar.
It was a pair of white stockings.
And judging from the familiar pattern, even if she had turned over a new leaf that day and stopped slacking off, Qing Que could never have forgotten who these stockings belonged to.
"Wait, aren't these the Supreme Diviner's stockings?"
"No, that's not right..."
Although their Supreme Diviner was rather petite, this pair of stockings was clearly two sizes smaller.
Suddenly, Qing Que whipped around and looked toward the place where Kiana had previously hung her stockings.
There were no white stockings there anymore. There was only an empty clothes hanger.
Qing Que felt that her brain could no longer process what was happening.
Why had Diting from the Craftsmanship Department come here to steal stockings?
Could it be that the Craftsmanship Department had run out of money?
Had they started a new business venture?
Craftsmanship Department: We didn't! We have nothing to do with this! Even if we started a new investment-attraction channel, we would never steal a little girl's stockings!
When Qing Que got a clear look at the people following Diting, she had originally intended to report them to the Cloud-to-Guard, but suddenly lowered her phone. Her hand, however, remained hovering over the dial button.
"Huh? Weren't we looking for Kiana? Why does Diting keep going to such strange places?"
Stelle's hair was disheveled, and she stared resentfully at March 7th ahead of her.
Although Uncle Yang had arranged things so that she had not told March 7th about Kiana and Youlande's situation,
Ouyang had later told March 7th that Kiana was fine and that there was no need to worry. She had merely gone off to take care of some personal matters.
Stelle simply had not expected March 7th to be so persistent. Diting's trial-use period had already ended.
Tomorrow was the day they would use Diting to search for traces of the Stellaron Hunters.
But that evening, March 7th found Tingyun and asked to borrow Diting once more.
The result was that Stelle had already prepared to take a nice bath and go to sleep.
She had even decided to meet the Duke of Zhou in her dreams and discuss her views on trash cans.
Then March 7th forcibly dragged her out.
"Why don't we find Uncle Yang? I want to sleep!"
"Uncle Yang is getting old. We shouldn't make him stay up late."
"You know this counts as staying up late, yet you still say that? Do you remember what you said in Belobog, back in the Lower District?"
Seeing March 7th put on an expression that clearly said, What are you talking about? I don't know anything, Stelle imitated what March 7th had said back then.
"No, no, I can't! I've never stayed up all night before, okay? Do you know how bad staying up late is for your skin?"
But in the end, March 7th still dragged Stelle out.
"Huh? Diting stopped moving. Did it find something?"
March 7th went over to Diting, thinking it had found a clue.
Then she saw Diting raise the white stockings in its mouth, as if it were asking for praise.
March 7th took them and rubbed the smooth fabric, feeling the warmth still lingering on them. She could not help saying,
"They're warm. They're fresh."
Seeing March 7th lift the stockings and prepare to bring them to her nose for a sniff, Qing Que finally could not hold back.
"Stop! You three perverts up ahead! I've already reported you to the Cloud-to-Guard! Stop those obscene acts right now!"
Kiana heard Qing Que shouting outside and poked her head out through the window.
The moment her little head appeared, Kiana saw March 7th holding the stockings she had just taken off, as though she intended to examine them carefully.
Kiana: ?
"Wait, what's going on? How did March 7th become a pervert after only two days apart?"
Pink hair, a pink sack earlier, a girl who liked cute girls, and now she was plotting against her!
I get it. You're Elysia!
Seeing Qing Que take out her phone and contact the Cloud-to-Guard, Kiana had originally planned to speak up and rescue her companion.
But...
"No, I'm not a pervert! I'm just looking for my friend. I want to know whether my friend's scent is on these."
March 7th should have kept quiet.
After hearing that, Qing Que became even more convinced that March 7th was a pervert.
Would a normal person look for someone by their scent?
Even the Fox Clan, despite their keen sense of smell, would not identify people that way.
Even Stelle took several steps back, wearing an expression that said she did not know this person.
Stelle began to wonder whether March 7th and Kiana had some relationship she did not know about. Otherwise, how could March 7th know what Kiana smelled like?
After hearing March 7th's words, Kiana also chose to remain silent.
She gave up on stopping Qing Que.
After taking one last look, Kiana closed the window.
She pretended that nothing had happened and that she knew nothing about it either.
This was also to ensure that when she recovered and reunited with March 7th, the two of them would not be too awkward when they met.
But...
After the Cloud-to-Guard arrived, they discovered that the culprit had not left.
Even with Qing Que's testimony, and even though the evidence was still in March 7th's hands,
the Cloud-to-Guard still had to ask the victim what had actually happened.
When they knocked on Fu Xuan's residence and saw that Little Kiana was the one who opened the door, the Cloud-to-Guard soldiers froze for a moment. Then, their gazes toward March 7th filled with a trace of anger.
"Little girl, don't be afraid. I'm a colleague of the Supreme Diviner and Qing Que."
"We'd like to ask whether the stockings in that pink-haired girl's hands were hung out on your balcony to dry."
When Kiana nodded, the Cloud-to-Guard soldiers had Qing Que take Kiana back inside. They told her that she did not need to be involved in what happened next.
After the main gate closed, several Cloud-to-Guard soldiers surrounded March 7th and Diting.
"Miss, please come with us."
But after glancing at Diting, the soldiers exchanged looks and took out their phones to contact their superiors.
They suspected that people from the Craftsmanship Department were involved too.
Meanwhile, at the Cloud-to-Guard's garrison, only some personnel were on duty. One elderly man looked at the message sent by the subordinates who had just gone out.
This veteran, who had seen countless battles, slammed his fist onto the table.
"Old Li, why are you suddenly so angry?"
"Look for yourself."
The other man took the phone. After reading the message, he also slammed his fist onto the table.
"Damn, something like this actually happened? And the Craftsmanship Department was involved too? I've long been sick of those old fellows who do nothing but tinker with parts all day."
"Exactly. And it was the child recently adopted by the Supreme Diviner of the Divination Department. She might even be the next Supreme Diviner—or the one after that."
"Even if she isn't, if my granddaughter's undergarment had been stolen..."
"Damn!"
The table was slammed again, ending its brief existence with a single final sound.
Table: You keep pounding me every day. Is it fun? Fine, then! I'm done playing with you!
"Someone, notify every Cloud-to-Guard member we can reach and have them assemble! We're going to the Craftsmanship Department and see what those people have to say!"
Jing Yuan Yuan of the Divination Department had already been planning to rest, but after hearing the news and learning that the Cloud-to-Guard intended to surround the Craftsmanship Department,
Jing Yuan Yuan was left with a baffled expression.
Even she, the Divine General known for leaving nothing unaccounted for, could not understand what had happened.
Why was the Cloud-to-Guard suddenly so furious?
Sushang had just been preparing to rest when, as a new Cloud-to-Guard recruit, she also received an order from her superior.
"Huh?"
Unfortunately, Jing Yuan Yuan quickly suppressed the incident with an order.
"This is bizarre. Isn't that Diting from the Craftsmanship Department? I thought Tingyun had lent it to the Nameless so they could investigate the Stellaron Hunters?"
"Why would it sneak out at midnight to steal stockings?"
Although she had stopped the Cloud-to-Guard from surrounding the Craftsmanship Department, after this incident, Jing Yuan Yuan still decided to send someone there to investigate whether those people had installed some strange new functions in Diting.
Inside a small room.
"Name."
"March 7th."
"Age."
"Hmm? About seventeen?"
"About?"
"Yeah, I lost my memory."
"Forget it. Sex."
"..."
Before you continue