"That's true. Xiao Xi's question is exactly what I'm wondering about too." Welt nodded in agreement.
"Well... faced with questions from two Nameless who refuse to play by the rules, I'm not quite sure what to say." Tingyun hesitated, then tried to deflect.
"You are... Nameless aboard the Astral Express. Given how baffling the situation is, why don't you come with me to meet Lord Yukong of the Sky-Faring Commission? I'm sure she'll be able to give everyone a satisfactory answer."
The group exchanged glances. In the end, Welt nodded. "All right. Sorry for the trouble, Miss Tingyun."
"It's only what I should do." Miss Tingyun had recovered from her earlier lapse and was smiling again.
The group dealt with quite a few more Mara-Struck soldiers as they continued along the road.
"The road ahead is blocked by shipping containers. We may have to go around..." Tingyun said, stopping in front of several towering stacks of containers.
"That's all right. No need to waste time. I can just fly everyone over." Ignoring Tingyun's suggestion, Xiao Xi waved her hand, and everyone floated up and over the containers. "There we go. Let's get moving."
Xiao Xi had no desire to spend any longer with the mysterious Miss Tingyun. By now, she was almost certain Tingyun was an Emanator of Destruction, serving Nanook.
A Lord Ravager had already infiltrated the Xianzhou. In these circumstances, spending even one more second around her would be irresponsible toward her companions' safety. But exposing her now carried an even greater risk.
No matter what, they had to meet the Xianzhou's leader first. They could gauge her attitude and the state of affairs before deciding what to do.
After walking a while longer, the group finally reached the place where the starskiffs were parked.
"Everyone, this is the place. We'll take a starskiff straight to a safe location. Once we get there, we won't encounter any more of those monsters from along the way."
Everyone took their seats inside the starskiff, while Tingyun went to the front to pilot it. As the starskiff slowly rose into the air, Xiao Xi sent a message to the group.
(Xiao Xi): Things are urgent, so I'll keep this brief. Miss Tingyun is an impostor, disguised by a Lord Ravager. I can also sense that something is off about the tree at the center of Luofu. The situation on Luofu is definitely bad—in fact, it may have reached rock bottom.
(Xiao Xi): There are all kinds of factions mixed up in this. When we meet the person in charge, we mustn't show weakness. We're here to help, but even if we do get dragged into this, we can't step blindly into this mess. Besides, we have nothing to feel guilty about. If something goes wrong, make sure you all stay safe. I'll handle the rest.
(March 7th): A Lord Ravager, an Emanator of Destruction? We're going all out right from the start? Not gonna lie, that's terrifying.
(Stelle): Yeah, Xiao Xi. Can you beat an Emanator of Destruction? If not, we should just leave, right?
(Xiao Xi): Don't worry. Leaving now would make us even more suspicious. Then we'd have no way to explain ourselves. When we get off, I'll give each of you a blessing. It'll automatically heal you if you're badly wounded, give you a shield, and let you teleport.
(March 7th): Yay!
(Welt): Xiao Xi is right, but we still can't let our guard down.
"Benefactors, Starskiff Haven is just ahead. Our ship will dock there." At last, their destination was in sight. Tingyun gestured toward the port ahead and introduced it to us.