According to the original plan, Blade should have been captured by Luofu, then a Stellaron would erupt, and in the resulting chaos, they would infiltrate Luofu.
Now? They'd just have to go and check if Blade was still around.
But given Blade's capabilities, he was probably doing fine… probably.
...
At this very moment on the Luofu Xianzhou.
Jing Yuan sat silently, staring at the complex state of the chessboard—
It mirrored the turmoil in his own heart.
------------------------------
Xianzhou Luofu, Divination Commission.
With her pink hair styled in an intricate fashion, Fu Xuan sat with eyes closed in silent contemplation.
She silently recited a divination incantation in her mind.
She often meditated like this, believing that only by making full use of every fleeting moment could she progress steadily.
Only then could she push that irresponsible General Jing Yuan out of power and lead the Xianzhou Luofu to a better future!
"Master Diviner, any signs or omens?"
Was that Qingque's voice she just heard?
Fu Xuan, whose mind had been calmly focused, furrowed her brows instinctively.
She remembered she had sent Qingque out on an errand. Why would she still be—why was she hearing her voice?
Without thinking, a scolding remark escaped her lips: "Qingque—! Slacking off again!"
Qingque had been crouching down, softly calling for Fu Xuan, but was startled stiff by the sudden outburst.
Terrified, she instinctively tried to bolt.
But Fu Xuan was faster. Her hand, like a clamp, firmly seized Qingque.
"Ahem, Lady Fu, I really do have something important this time! And I wasn't slacking off—I was forcibly conscripted by the General!"
A cry of woe echoed through the spacious office. Fu Xuan sighed, rubbing her forehead in resignation.
She let go of Qingque's arm, who didn't dare struggle but clearly wanted to. Fu Xuan coughed lightly and straightened her posture.
"Speak quickly, what emergency requires a military response?"
Withdrawing her hand sheepishly, Qingque looked nervously at Fu Xuan's displeased face and gave a forced laugh.
"Got a bit worked up there. Anyway, I don't know the details, but the General urgently summoned you. Seems serious, you better go fast."
Fu Xuan nodded slightly and was just about to rise when she suddenly turned and smiled at Qingque, whose fingers were nervously poking each other.
"Since you're back, there's no need to complete the task I assigned you earlier."
"Really?!" Hearing she was off the hook, Qingque's eyes lit up instantly, already imagining where to slack off next.
"Mhm, you'll be in charge of the paperwork on that desk instead. Make sure to process it properly."
"Yeah, sure—huh? Wait, what?"
Before Qingque could fully react, Fu Xuan had already turned and was just a retreating silhouette.
She glanced back at the towering pile of documents on the desk.
A cold wind blew through the half-open window.
Qingque swore she could hear the sound of her own heart breaking.
...
"What do you want with me, General?"
As soon as she entered, Fu Xuan saw Jing Yuan striking a pose in front of a chessboard and spoke irritably.
"Ah, Master Diviner Fu, you're here." Jing Yuan casually placed a piece on the board and smiled.
"You'd better have a real reason for calling me—if this interrupts my work, I'll file a formal complaint and make you regret holding onto your post."
"Haha, if it really delays your duties, feel free to file it."
Laughing, Jing Yuan finally spoke seriously.
"There is indeed a serious matter I need your help with."
"Go on, I'm listening."
"Do you remember the major criminal the Cloud Knights captured a few days ago?"
"The Stellaron Hunter, right? I remember. What about him—need me to pry out some intel?" Fu Xuan crossed her arms, smirking.
Even if Jing Yuan was the general, intelligence gathering still fell under her jurisdiction.
"No, not that. Something more important—he escaped."
"Oh, escaped... What! Escaped?!"
Fu Xuan's eyes widened instantly, her voice rising several levels in disbelief.
"Do you realize how dangerous a Stellaron Hunter is? Do you know how tense everyone was just to catch that guy?"
"Calm down. Precisely because the matter is so serious, I summoned you to help track him and make up for the Cloud Knights' failure."
Fu Xuan stared daggers at Jing Yuan, her chest heaving slightly. After a long pause, she calmed down, her expression grim.
"I'll have the Divination Commission enhance signal monitoring and prepare all countermeasures."
There was no use blaming Jing Yuan now.
The priority was to recapture the escaped Stellaron Hunter.
"By the way, for such a serious matter, shouldn't we have Yukong return? She's the Helmswoman of the Sky-Faring Commission—how can she be absent at such a critical time? They need her leadership too."
It wasn't that Fu Xuan didn't trust the Sky-Faring Commission, but given the gravity of the situation, only Yukong, the legendary pilot, could give her peace of mind.
Not that she, as the dignified Diviner of Luofu, feared a mere Stellaron Hunter. The Xianzhou Luofu had sailed for thousands of years; it wouldn't be overturned by a single criminal.
"Haha, no need to recall Yukong. She's on another important mission. I'll be counting on you for this, Lady Fu."
"Heh, then why don't you give up the title of General already? That way, I could better coordinate Luofu's defenses."
With a huff, Fu Xuan left the Divine Stratagem Hall quickly.
"Ah, wait, Diviner Fu—these are the locations where the Stellaron Hunter is likely to flee or rendezvous with accomplices. Assign someone to monitor the signals."
"Understood."
Fu Xuan took the booklet from his hand expressionlessly.
She left the Divine Stratagem Hall with it in hand.
Back at the Divination Commission, standing at the door, she looked back in the direction of the General's hall and gave a small snort.
"Hiding things again. Do you think I got this position for nothing?"
"Qingque!"
...
Astral Express.
"Alright then, the next destination will be the Xianzhou Luofu."Pompom nodded in agreement to the two who had been persistently begging.
"Yay! Pompom is the best!" March 7th cheered and, in the blink of an eye, scooped Pompom up and spun around in place.
"Whoa! Don't just suddenly hug the conductor without asking!"
Pompom, who had just been put down, glared angrily at March 7th, then after a moment gave a huff and took a quick snapshot.
"Mm~, I'm not going."
Just then, Dan Heng spoke.
"Eh? Why not!?"
March 7th, who had just gotten excited, felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her.
Though confused, she didn't throw a tantrum and just looked at Dan Heng questioningly.
"I have some… history with the Xianzhou Luofu. It's inconvenient for me to go."
"Eh? I always wondered with Stelle which force had it out for you. So it turns out it's the Luofu, huh? Isn't there any way to ease things? Maybe we can ask Tingyun and the others to help? They seem to have some clout over there."
Dan Heng shook his head.
"No need."
He truly didn't expect that missing this meeting would lead to the next expedition destination being set to Luofu.
Completely unexpected.
But he wouldn't let his personal issues hinder others' trailblazing journey.
At worst, he'd just skip this one and stay on the train with Pompom.
"Then let's forget it. If Dan Heng isn't going, we're not going either. Sigh, guess we'll just wait till next time."
"Yeah, it's just the Xianzhou. We're not that interested anyway."
Hearing Dan Heng's words, March 7th and Stelle responded.
If Dan Heng decided not to go after arriving, they'd just feel regret. But now that it was clear he had past issues with Luofu, how could they abandon their companion and go have fun on their own?
"It's just a pity about the all-inclusive offer Tingyun promised me."
Thinking about the all-you-can-eat-and-stay deal now out of reach, the two exchanged a glance and sighed in unison.
Seeing the two dejected girls, Welt and Himeko shared a smile.
They hadn't explicitly rejected Luofu as an option earlier.
After all, as part of the Astral Express crew, some things can't be kept hidden.
Of course, they hadn't guided the discussion either. If the final decision wasn't Luofu, they wouldn't mind.
Dan Heng's identity was ultimately too sensitive.
Whenever he's ready to share with them, that would be the time.
"In that case, let's switch back to the original route."
"Everyone buckle up. Three, two, one, launch!"