Yukong

Luofu Xianzhou - Palace of Astrum

Upon entering the Palace of Astrum, one could see a teal-haired foxian woman facing a large screen, speaking to someone beside her. It seemed this was the Lady Yukong that Tingyun had mentioned.

Seeming to notice our arrival, she turned around and greeted us in a cold tone, "Greetings, passengers of the Astral Express. I am Yukong, the head of the Palace of Astrum."

How should I put it? Her attitude upon our first meeting could hardly be called friendly.

"I have already heard Tingyun's report regarding your affairs. My duties do not typically include receiving tourists, but since you are aware of the Stellaron and have specifically requested to assist the Luofu, it is only reasonable that I meet with you personally to decline your offer."

"Understood, Lady Yukong. We have heard your stance. Since our help is not needed and the current situation on the Luofu makes it unsuitable for us to linger, we shall return to the Express immediately."

"Rest assured, Lady Yukong. With your words, our Express will not interfere with the internal affairs of the Xianzhou." Fearing a misunderstanding, Xiao Xi took the initiative to add.

"Indeed. The Astral Express follows the Path of Trailblaze. We are merely trailblazing here and have no intention of meddling in local affairs," Welt added with a nod of agreement.

"Since the Luofu doesn't need help, can we leave now? Where is the next stop for the Express?" Hearing Xiao Xi and Welt, March 7th had already begun calculating which planet to visit for the next trailblazing expedition.

"Wait, no, you cannot leave yet." Pulled back to reality by March 7th's words, Yukong hurriedly stopped them.

"Cannot leave? Why? Didn't you just state that you don't need the Express's help?" Stelle asked, puzzled. "If that's the case, wouldn't the Astral Express leaving the Luofu be best for both of us?"

Yukong paused at these words. She admitted that Stelle's logic was sound, but the orders she had received were to limit the Astral Express's interference in this incident as much as possible, while also ensuring they did not simply walk away.

"This... it is mainly because some matters still require investigation, such as how you came to know about the Stellaron, and how you entered the Xianzhou when the Jade Gate had already been sealed."

"After all, the Luofu's post-incident inspection revealed that a hacker from the Stellaron Hunters named Silver Wolf had illegally hacked the Jade Gate to open it, yet she specifically let only you in..."

"So it wasn't your official Luofu personnel who opened the gate for us! No wonder our landing spot was so strange," Xiao Xi said, feigning surprise. "So everything happening now is the work of the Stellaron Hunters."

"No wonder we ended up in such a dangerous place the moment we left the train. So that's what happened. This must be a conspiracy by the Stellaron Hunters. They wanted to use the monsters at the port to kill us, hoping to create an irreconcilable conflict between the Express and the Luofu Xianzhou so they could fish in troubled waters."

By the end, Xiao Xi sounded genuinely furious. "The Stellaron Hunters are truly cunning. Fortunately, we are strong enough, otherwise, we would have died without even knowing why. This is truly outrageous. Lady Yukong, have you managed to capture the culprit?"

"Ah, how dangerous!" Hearing Xiao Xi's words, March 7th chimed in immediately. "That's right! This matter has already endangered the safety of tourists. Has your Xianzhou caught the culprit yet?"