Luofu Xianzhou—Exalting Sanctum
"Let's go, let's go! Time to get something to eat!"
"Yeah, let's sample some of the delicious food here on the Luofu Xianzhou."
Although the recent Stellaron explosion had left the Luofu in a tense situation, with many of the larger hotels closed, the Exalting Sanctum was still bustling.
Small street-food stalls and shops were everywhere, and the vendors' calls rang out from both sides of the street. All in all, it was still a lively place.
After all, keeping up an ordinary life in the midst of a great disaster was no easy task. Many shops on the Luofu had temporarily closed.
"Floating Goat Milk! Hot, steaming Floating Goat Milk! Come get a cup as you pass by..."
"Singing Lotus Cake, fragrant and crispy Singing Lotus Cake! You won't lose out by buying it, and you won't get cheated! What are you waiting for..."
The calls of the street vendors filled the air. Stelle and March 7th had gone to enter a "big eater contest."
Xiao Xi and Welt, on the other hand, had found a teahouse. They ordered a few cups of hot tea and sat down to listen to a storyteller while they drank.
The Astral Express Crew had been there for quite a while. In the meantime, Stelle had gone undercover under the alias "Grey Peony" and taken down one of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus' hideouts. She had also captured an organization leader named "Green Hibiscus" and rescued a Cloud Knight along the way.
"How was that? I was pretty impressive, right?" Stelle asked proudly after telling Xiao Xi and the others about her eventful adventure.
"Mm-hmm! Our Stelle is the best!" March 7th replied, clapping.
"She really was impressive," Xiao Xi chimed in.
"The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus—a group that illegally preaches immortality on the Luofu Xianzhou. They're also followers of Yaoshi, the Aeon of Abundance. Xiao Xi has a strange feeling that they must be behind many of the events unfolding on the Luofu."
"In the days ahead, they'll probably cross paths a few more times—though certainly not under pleasant circumstances."
"By the way, when are we leaving? I also confiscated an alchemical recipe from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. I was planning to show it to someone at the Alchemy Commission." Stelle took out a sheet covered in writing and asked Welt.
"The Divination Commission's Master Diviner, Fu Xuan, still needs some time to prepare. I think there's enough time for you to look into that recipe, Stelle," Welt replied calmly.
"Then I'm relieved. Uncle Yang, I'd better hurry. I'll be off." Holding the recipe, Stelle hurried away.
So Welt and Xiao Xi never expected that when Stelle returned, she would look so dejected and downcast.
"Stelle, are you okay? Didn't you go ask about the recipe? What happened? You don't seem to be in a very good mood," Xiao Xi asked with concern.
Stelle nodded. "I went to the Alchemy Commission first and asked Master Alchemist Dan Shu about the recipe. Dan Shu is a person with a disability. She's blind, but through her own efforts, she managed to join the Alchemy Commission. I even went with her to visit some children who had faced the same kind of hardship as she had."
"I thought she was a good person. I even thought we were at least friends. But I never imagined she was the leader of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus—the real mastermind behind that so-called recipe. She even gave me a pill, then said she wanted me to experience the greatness of Yaoshi for myself."
"If it weren't for my unusual constitution, something terrible might really have happened. And after discovering her true identity, I still let her get away."