"Hello, you two. I am Yukong, Helmsman of the Xianzhou Luofu's Sky-Faring Commission. Since you've come here, I imagine you've already looked into who I am."
Neither of them spoke, waiting for Yukong to continue.
"So I'll dispense with the pleasantries. What brings you here?" Faced with Yukong's direct question, Topaz answered just as frankly, "We would like to meet the Emanator of [Elation], Lingchen.
"If you know him, we hope you can pass along our request for an appointment. We'll await your reply."
She wasn't the sort who liked beating around the bush. Besides, when meeting a powerful Emanator of [Elation], trying to play games with him might get them killed before they even knew how he'd done it.
After all, even the formidable power of the Ten Stonehearts came only from a share of the authority wielded by Diamond, an Emanator of [Preservation].
So she simply asked Yukong to pass along the request. If Lingchen wanted to see them, they would meet. If he didn't, that would be perfectly understandable given his standing. In that case, they would make a few investments, investigate why the Imaginary Wall had appeared, then leave.
Still, wasn't that a little too direct?
Aventurine thought the woman before them would probably refuse.
He sighed inwardly, considering other ways they might arrange a meeting.
"Indeed. Just as he said, you asked outright."
Yukong nodded.
"Huh?" Topaz froze for a moment.
She hadn't expected that answer from Yukong.
Aventurine was a little surprised too.
"Did the Emanator already know we would come here?" Topaz asked.
That went without saying. He hadn't merely known-he had even predicted who would come and how they would ask.
Why did he seem more like an Emanator of [Erudition] or [Remembrance]?
There was definitely a touch of divination to this.
Aventurine thought to himself that this Emanator was no ordinary figure.
He wondered whether the man would agree to meet them.
"That's right. The presence of [Elation], the crystals of [Remembrance], and the appearance of the Imaginary Wall have drawn the attention of major powers across the cosmos. The Xianzhou Luofu prepared well in advance, and so did Lingchen."
Speaking of Lingchen brought a faint sigh to Yukong's heart.
She had realized that she did seem to have some feelings for him.
Over the past few months, she had occasionally joined Lingchen and Tingyun on their shopping trips. He also sometimes invited her out alone during her free time, whether to tell her stories, go shopping, watch illusion theater, or simply have fun... He had even helped mend her relationship with Qingni, who had chosen the life she wanted.
It didn't sound like much when listed out, but it had genuinely warmed Yukong to Lingchen. She even felt considerably younger, a little like a Foxian girl of a hundred or two hundred years old.
But whenever she thought of Lingchen's age, then her own, she found it difficult to make a move. She also knew what he wanted, which left her constantly wavering.
"Miss Topaz, Mr. Aventurine, Lingchen has already left instructions. This is the address of his residence. I still have some matters to attend to, so I won't be accompanying you.
"Enjoy your time on the Xianzhou."
Lingchen had told her that if anyone from the corporation named Topaz, Aventurine, Jade, or the like came by, she could simply send them to Fu Xuan's Home.
Given Lingchen's status as an Emanator, even if they learned where he lived, no one would likely dare spread the information, much less show up without an appointment or advance notice.
So Yukong wasn't worried at all. She handed them the slip of paper bearing Lingchen's address.
"If you have matters to attend to, Miss Yukong, please don't let us keep you. Aventurine and I can manage on our own."
As expected, Helmsman Yukong had a connection to Lingchen.
Topaz and Aventurine exchanged a glance, certain suspicions now confirmed.
As they read the address, both gradually grew surprised.
... "Qingque, Fu Xuan is doing this for your own good."
At Fu Xuan's Home, Qingque was tearfully complaining to Lingchen. From the looks of it, she had sneaked over.
Sparkle had left early that morning. Before leaving, she had even said something like, "Next time we meet, the great Sparkle will stuff a bomb inside herself, and then, boom! You won't be able to use it."
Good grief. Were all the Masked Fools this unhinged these days? Still, Lingchen had watched Sparkle leave with complete confidence. After all, he had already planned to learn bomb disposal.
Of course, he had also given her a mask before she left.
It was something akin to a [Preservation] Cornerstone, powerful enough to keep Sparkle safe.
Feixiao had also left early. Although her desire to score another great victory had something to do with it, the main reason was that the Xianzhou Alliance was preparing to move against certain old fossils. She had already been away long enough with Jiaoqiu covering for her.
"Lingchen, I know the Lord Diviner means well, but I just want to live a peaceful life."
The documents on her desk seemed to be multiplying. Qingque felt she could no longer simply drift along.
"Do you think that's possible?" Lingchen gave a "cold chuckle" at Qingque's tearful complaints.
"Your talents have already been uncovered. At this point, you have only two choices."
Lingchen held up two fingers.
"Which two?" Qingque looked at him expectantly. She actually had two choices? She'd thought she had none left.
"The Seat of Divine Foresight or the Divination Commission."
"Waaah~ No!"
With Lingchen confirming it beyond all doubt, Qingque could no longer deceive herself.
P.S. Sigh, unbelievable. They were still renovating and hooking up that stupid wiring late at night. The power went out again right after I posted the last chapter.
Today's update will have to be 5,300 words. I'm going to confront property management.
Chapter 79: A "Fairy Tale" for Qingque
A little story. "Is there really no way out?" Qingque looked at Lingchen through tear-filled eyes.
"Although you look very pitiful right now, unfortunately, your intelligence more than makes up for it."
Lingchen looked at Qingque with pity.
"The Xianzhou is facing a gap between generations of talent, and Jing Yuan will soon step back from the front lines. Unless something unexpected happens, you'll have to choose between General and Diviner. Little Sparrow, you wouldn't want the Luofu to face disaster in the future, would you?"
After all, Lingchen wasn't a Xianzhou native, and the Luofu wasn't his Luofu. Qingque understood that perfectly well.
She couldn't say something like, "But we still have you."
"I, I..." After stammering for a while, Qingque began to resign herself to her fate.
"Besides, whether you become the General or the Diviner, you'll be free to do your own thing once your work is finished. Think about Jing Yuan's working hours, then think about the hours the Lord Diviner would keep if she only did her regular duties."
At Lingchen's words, Qingque instinctively began imagining it.
According to the enormous pie in the sky her dear Diviner Fu had promised her, the General had lately been starting work after ten. With her efficiency, she could probably push that back another hour.
As for the Diviner's position in the Divination Commission, without extra tasks such as calculating where she had run off to or how many spies and traitors were hiding within the commission, the actual duties would probably take only five or six hours.
Put that way, she seemed to have plenty of time. It might even be more comfortable than things were now. After all, the assignments she currently completed included documents from
both the Divination Commission and the Seat of Divine Foresight.
Watching Qingque's "there's still hope for my future" expression, Lingchen shook his head inwardly.
How could the duties of the Luofu's Six Charioteers be that simple? The things outside their so-called regular duties made up the bulk of the job. It would be easy if all they had to do each day was handle the basic paperwork placed on their desks.
"Wait. Although that does sound right, the Lord Diviner and the General have both been terribly busy lately. I might run into the same thing in the future, right? No, no. Little Sparrow here should just go look after the archives.
"If the sky falls, the tall people can hold it up."
Qingque sounded as though she were talking to herself, or perhaps searching for an excuse.
"Little Sparrow, I'm not from this world. So as far as fate is concerned, I probably shouldn't be here."
With a gentle smile, Lingchen drew Qingque over and had her sit in the chair beside him.
In the courtyard of Fu Xuan's Mansion, soft breezes drifted past. Warm sunlight filtered through gaps in the leafy shade and fell upon them both.
"Do you know Jing Yuan's past? Or Little Xuan'er's?" Qingque paused, then shook her head.
She had only worked her way through the examinations because of her family circumstances. How could she possibly know such things?
"The High-Cloud Quintet went through the War of the Shuhu and the Moon Drinker Rebellion. Now, Jing Yuan is the only one still on the Luofu. Little Xuan'er's master, Jing Tian, died in the Third War against the Denizens of Abundance. All of this points in one direction..." As he spoke, Lingchen abruptly changed tack.
"Let me tell you a story about a future that might happen if I weren't here."
Lingchen suddenly found himself interested.
"Huh? What kind of story?" Qingque grew curious, even forgetting to eat the Imperial Jade-shaped pastry Lingchen had conjured for her.
One day in the future... Fortune Teller Zhang San tapped a sturdy-looking female employee beside him and pointed toward the Diviner a short distance away. "Hey, sis, why does Diviner Qingque always look so gloomy and terribly serious?
"And for some reason, those slackers among us always get caught, no matter what tricks they use to shirk work."
Fortune Teller Li Kui smiled beside him. "Ah, with those innocent eyes, you must be new.
"You don't know this, but the Lord Diviner used to be a lowly employee herself, and a true master of slacking off. Sometimes, even the previous Lord Diviner couldn't locate her with an Aeon-given object. But then that war... Ah..." Seeing Li Kui sigh only made Zhang San more curious.
"Did something happen back then?" "You don't know? Sigh... Has it really been that long?"
Li Kui shook her head without getting angry. It was perfectly normal for some people to have no interest in such things... After surviving the crisis, most people instinctively avoided thinking back on that blood-soaked era.
"The fighting was horrific. General Jing Yuan overused the Lightning-Lord during the war, and because of his advanced age, he became mara-struck right then and there. Even so, with the last of his willpower, he made the branches growing from his body bind the enemy. He and his foe were impaled together by the Lightning-Lord, and he died. Diviner Fu finally became the General as she had wished, and Lady Qingque took over as Diviner at General Fu's request."
Perhaps because she noticed Qingque glance their way, Li Kui lowered her voice further. Cupping a hand over her mouth, she leaned toward Zhang San's ear.
"General Fu should have been delighted to take over, but from that moment on, she never smiled again. She worked for hours and hours every day... Then, as you know, the Xianzhou Alliance joined the final battle. During that battle, to protect the Luofu, General Fu... Sigh." Li Kui sighed, glanced toward Qingque, and continued, "Afterward, the Lord Diviner's temperament changed. She became much stricter with everyone. She always brought a cup of Immortal's Joy Tea to work, and often worked until midnight. Look..." Li Kui signaled to Zhang San with her eyes.
Zhang San happened to see Qingque staring blankly at the Imperial Jade tile in her hand.
"The Lord Diviner sometimes stares at her tile like that. Sometimes, she also turns around to look behind her. According to the other fortune tellers, you must never disturb her at those times, much less approach her from behind. Otherwise, you can expect a scolding.
"Sigh... Actually, everyone knows whom the Lord Diviner is waiting for. But everyone also knows that person will never return."
"That person?" "Yes. Last time, the Lord Diviner fell asleep from exhaustion at work. A fortune teller came over to drop off some documents and heard her talking in her sleep."
"No, Lord Diviner!... If only I'd been the one to activate it back then..." P.S. Thanks to the generous Sangsang Shi Wushuang for the monthly ticket.
Please send some flowers and votes.
The picture shows a serial drama.
Chapter 80: It's All Aha's Fault
"Well? Did you like that story?" Lingchen looked at the dazed Qingque.
To tell the story, he had even used a little power of [Elation] to create an ultra-immersive 3D projection. The images changed in real time with his narration, making the experience feel almost real.
Lingchen rubbed his eyes. Damn it, now he had become the joke.
He desperately wanted to pull Fu Xuan into his arms right now and comfort her.
He had hurt himself almost as much as his target. Judging by Qingque's reaction, the story had certainly hit home, but it had nearly done the same to Lingchen.
A faint, almost imperceptible laugh came from the void. Lingchen knew he hadn't imagined it.
Aha was definitely laughing at him.
Damn it. One day, when he had the chance, he would find out what it felt like to spin Aha around. He was only like this because of the power of [Elation]. It was all Aha's fault! That bastard had definitely spiced up his emotions just now.
"What's wrong with you two? Did I come home too early?" The moment Fu Xuan entered, she saw Lingchen's pained expression and Qingque's vacant stare.
She made a quick divination with her fingers. Auspicious.
Thinking back over her work, she had indeed exceeded her quota. She had only returned after divining that nothing else would come up.
The timing and circumstances couldn't have been better.
That familiar, sweet, adorably soft voice drifted over from the entrance.
Lingchen had lived his whole life as though treading on thin ice, and he had only ever heard that kind of soft voice from two girls.
So he knew who it was in an instant.
He glanced toward the entrance and saw Fu Xuan standing there, looking rather bewildered.
"Xuanbao~" Fu Xuan cried out as Lingchen pulled her through the air into his arms.
"Y-you, what's wrong?" Fu Xuan blushed, but then immediately sensed that something was off with Lingchen's emotions.
Lingchen said nothing. He merely buried his head against Fu Xuan's shoulder and took a deep breath.
The power of [Elation] enveloped his body, and the familiar fragrance made him feel "alive" again.
"W-why are you suddenly... Qingque's still here~" Completely flustered by Lingchen's sudden move, Fu Xuan's face turned bright red.