The starskiff drifted along its rail of light, carrying them over the immense sprawl of the Xianzhou Luofu. Sunny leaned against the railing, watching the scenery pass by beneath them. The ship moved fast, but the city was large enough that nothing ever felt like it was rushing. Towering structures rose out of the clouds like the ribs of some ancient celestial beast, while smaller skiffs darted around them with practiced precision. Below, the winding platforms and bridges formed a layered maze lit by lanterns and soft sigils, the areas sectioned off into technological island interconnected by long walkways and bridges.
He didn't know much about the Luofu, but he did know how to compare.
Hotspots back in the Outskirts were… louder. Hungrier. The air down there had always smelled like desperation, burned ozone, and frying oil. Here, the air was clean, sharp with incense, tinged by the faint hum of engines and the soft chatter of people who didn't seem starved for anything. Even the disorder here felt organized.
It reminded him of the day he had finally reached the Heart and looked through that window, just for his world to collapse in front of his eyes…
A rustle of fabric and an overly pleasant perfume snapped him out of the memory. Tingyun approached with a practiced smile — one that was warm enough to be inviting, but calculated enough to set off every warning bell in Sunny's skull.
'Oh boy…'
She clasped her hands together, leaning forward slightly.
"Esteemed guests, how are you finding the scenery of our humble vessel?"
Sunny didn't answer immediately. He could feel March beside him, leaning on the railing and taking pictures with her camera. A good buffer, even if she didn't realize she was one.
Tingyun smiled wider, shooting another question.
"And you, mysterious traveler, you have a very discerning gaze. The way you observe… I can tell you must be someone with stories."
Sunny maintained a completely polite, meaningless smile.
"I guess you could say that."
She stepped closer. Too close. He casually moved a step to the left, not breaking eye contact. March didn't seem to notice; she was focused on trying to zoom in on some unusual clouds.
Tingyun blinked, but her expression didn't slip. She adjusted her posture, folding her fan in front of her chest.
"How fascinating. And where does someone like you come from?"
Sunny answered honestly:
"Well, relative to where we are now, you could say I'm an alien from somewhere that isn't here."
"Oh? And where is somewhere?"
"My mother's womb."
Her laugh was airy, practiced. She leaned closer again — too smooth, too confident. Some part of Sunny's brain instantly supplied the archetype: jade beauty trying to pry secrets out of the oblivious protagonist. Except Sunny wasn't oblivious. He was, if anything, hyper-aware of the situation.
'That's me. Completely aware of any and all hints that come my way. Never been clueless in my life…'
He moved again when Tingyun's hand drifted toward his sleeve. She hid the failed attempt behind another charming laugh.
"My, you're quick."
"Just used to crowded spaces."
"Of course. Someone like you must attract all sorts of attention."
That line would've made him snort if he didn't have a reputation to maintain. She wasn't wrong; his life was practically a parade of trying to figure out whether or not the next person was trying to kill him, lick his boots, or violate him.
He wasn't sure what category Tingyun was aiming for yet.
But she was trying something.
The starskiff finally began to descend. Starskiff Haven opened up beneath them like a blooming flower made of stone and metal. Platforms branched outward in a radial pattern, layered and busy with foot traffic. Ships arrived and departed in constant rhythm. Despite the crowd, though, it wasn't chaotic. There were no clusters of mercenaries waiting for contracts, no desperate vendors pushing cheap weapons into people's hands, no deals happening in alley shadows.
It served the same purpose as a Hotspot, yes — but the sanitized, controlled kind. No grime. No tension snapping in the air. Just unrest simmering underneath the polished surface.
Sunny took it in with a practiced eye. People whispered among themselves. Officials stood rigidly near the edge of platforms, pretending everything was fine. Cloud Knights patrolled with quickened feet.
A massive structure of flowing architecture and pale gold plating, rising like a beacon. It dominated the entire area, unmistakably the heart of the Sky-Faring Commission — the Palace of Astrum, as Tingyun called it.
He leaned slightly toward March.
"We might need to run if she leads us there."
March blinked.
"Run? Why?"
Sunny shrugged.
"She has more authority here than we do. If she decides to make up a story, well… who do you think they're going to believe?"
March frowned, glancing at Tingyun, who was already directing them toward the gangway. Sunny's shadows shifted subtly at his feet. He wasn't going to get jailed, drafted, interrogated, or recruited today — not unless he was properly bribed.
He had already been bribed by some war criminals, so the Xianzhou would need to get him a better offer.
Fortunately, Tingyun did not lead them to the Palace of Astrum.
Instead, she guided them down the platform, past a row of vendors selling steaming buns and glowing trinkets, and toward a sleek, multi-storied hotel adorned with soft lanterns and carved jade panels. The entrance glowed with warm light, and a concierge bowed as they approached.
Tingyun halted and turned to them with a bright, professional smile.
"Your companion, Mr. Yang, should be inside. He requested accommodations here while preparing to assist with… the Luofu's situation."
Tingyun hid a smirk behind her fan.
"Oh, and before I leave—"
She reached into her sleeve, pulled out a small card, and handed it directly to Sunny. Her hand brushed his — light, deliberate.
"For… future cooperation. I believe we'll be seeing much of eachother soon."
Sunny stared at the card for exactly half a second.
Then Tingyun was already gone. Fast. Faster than he expected someone in heels to move.
He exhaled, his gaze shifting back to normal.
'The hell is that thing…?'
March elbowed him with the smuggest grin she could physically form.
"You totally swept her off her feet."
Sunny scowled.
"…I suppose even fools are entitled to their own opinions."
"Hey!"
He shrugged.
He really wasn't fazed. He had seen worse. He had survived worse. Pretty faces stopped affecting him after Solvane, the immortal Saint whose Flaw turned people into obsessive admirers. Killing someone like that changed a person's tolerance permanently.
And before that? March fell on him once and he was suffocated by accidental cleavage. He'd accidentally groped Bronya while lost in fog. Seele wore revealing clothes while they read comics together and didn't seem to catch the memo. And Sparkle — Sparkle was her own category of psychological warfare.
Compared to all of that, Tingyun's polite flirtation barely registered.
With his shadows stretching subtly into the building, Sunny located Welt's exact room. Dan Heng wasn't with him, though — odd, but not concerning yet.
He nudged March.
"Third floor."
They entered the hotel, rode the lift, and walked down the quiet corridor. Sunny knocked once. The door opened immediately, as his shadow had long detected that the only occupant was standing by the door, for whatever reason.
Welt stood there, same exact glasses, same exact scarf, and same exact cane. Sunny had been wondering for a while whether or not people outside of Earth didn't have a habit of having more than one set of clothing. Mundane humans didnt have Memories that refreshed after a quick resummoning.
Oh, but Welt was clearly nothing that could be considered mundane, even if Sunny couldn't place his finger on it.
The man in question sighed as if he aged a decade — his actual age was unknown to Sunny — before muttering:
"That woman is really something… come in. I'm unsure if we have time to catch up, so let me explain the situation currently."
'Yay! No filler!'
Sunny cheerfully skipped into the room as March mumbled about how bland this reunion was.