Luocha, my friend, was probably backed into a corner with no other choice.
He still had a job to do, so naturally, he couldn't keep clashing with Noldrei here.
So, after a brief probe, Luocha realized Noldrei was not someone to be trifled with and wisely made a hasty retreat.
Fu Xuan was a different story.
One moment, they were holding hands and happily drinking together; the next, she had flipped out and was storming over to Noldrei's table, demanding justice.
"I knew you'd be back. Did you run into some trouble?"
There wasn't a hint of surprise on Noldrei's face. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was the Master Diviner, as he was far more composed than the actual one.
Fu Xuan's brow was tightly furrowed as she asked resentfully, "Why did you do it?"
"You finally asked. I thought you were just going to keep trying to guess my motives with that little head of yours."
Noldrei had always felt he was quite open and honest with Fu Xuan, even openly discussing his actions with her.
But Fu Xuan had always insisted on figuring out his motives on her own.
General Jing Yuan was much simpler; he had just asked directly.
And only now did Fu Xuan think to come and ask him the reason for his actions.
"I want to see the level at which you Xianzhou people handle your internal conflicts."
Noldrei's answer stunned Fu Xuan. She had wracked her brains trying to understand his motives, only to find out it was just to test the abilities of the Xianzhou people?
He pointed to the seat beside him, gesturing for Fu Xuan to sit, and continued watching the local entertainment known as storytelling.
"A civilization, a collective organization, exists to serve the internal needs of that civilization. Therefore, it must properly handle its internal contradictions."
"The Pure Land theory is just a tool to test the waters. It can bring your internal conflicts to the surface, letting those who need to state their positions do so, and letting those who need to act do so quickly. The internal conflicts of the Xianzhou will then naturally rise to the surface."
"Once they've surfaced, I can see how capable you Xianzhou people are at solving problems."
Seeing her get angry and about to stand up, Noldrei immediately poked her Matrix of Prescience with his index finger, pushing her back into her chair.
"Hey, you can't look at me like that. It's just that you Xianzhou people didn't think of a method like the Pure Land theory yourselves. I'm just an outsider who happened to mention it."
"Besides, you should really do something about those Disciples of Sanctus Medicus openly recruiting people on the streets."
Fu Xuan felt her breath catch in her throat. She couldn't even muster a reason to retort.
'This despicable villain!'
The Master Diviner's face turned red hot. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to kill every last one of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. Why did those bastards have to provoke such a character, dragging her into this passive position along with them?
Fu Xuan said through gritted teeth, "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me?!"
Noldrei nodded thoughtfully. "Master Diviner, if a man who wants to kill someone comes to ask me why he wants to kill, and I tell him directly, and as a result, he becomes even more determined in his decision to kill... and I don't ask for any benefit from him, would you say I've incited him to murder?"
"Of—" She started to speak but swallowed her words.
Fu Xuan had been about to pin the blame on him, but she realized she couldn't so easily place the responsibility on Noldrei's shoulders.
The contradiction was there. Even if Noldrei hadn't pointed out the reason, it would have erupted one day.
Noldrei had merely explained why the contradiction existed. He couldn't truly be called the one causing trouble for the Xianzhou.
But the scary thing in this world is when you just... state things plainly.
For the first time, Fu Xuan felt the powerlessness of her divination skill. She didn't have Noldrei's ability to perceive all these contradictions.
If she had that ability, why would she be a Master Diviner? She'd be a candidate for General.
"You... you bastard!"
Perhaps the Master Diviner was just too well-mannered, as she could only think of a few curse words.
For Noldrei, who had undergone advanced studies in Earth's civilization, it was hardly enough.
'The civilization on Earth is still wilder. The thinking of the people there is younger and more active.'
Noldrei began to miss his family back home.
It was too late for him to reset to factory settings now. The people of Earth had already polluted him into his current state.
"Master Diviner, what about your Matrix of Prescience? Why don't you go and give it a try?"
"The Matrix can only calculate information on the target's 'time,' 'space,' and 'cause and effect.' It's useless for anything else. The moment my actions are involved, it easily becomes... not the result I want." Fu Xuan pouted. Now that she understood the limitations of the Matrix, she would no longer blindly trust its calculations.
"You, on the other hand, knew about these problems but didn't tell me. Were you just trying to watch me make a fool of myself?"
It wasn't surprising Fu Xuan would think that. Who told Noldrei to reveal so much more to Jing Yuan?
Noldrei thought for a moment. "Since you came looking for me, let's not discuss your personal problems, shall we? Let's get back to the issue of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. How about it?"
Fu Xuan said with a cold face, "You knew about all this and were just watching me for your own amusement. Do you really expect me to calmly explain the situation with the Disciples to you?"
Noldrei held up a single finger and said with a smile, "One condition. As long as you agree to one condition, I'll tell you how to solve this problem in a short time, and even let it help you consolidate the position of the Divination Commission. How about it?"
Fu Xuan's resolve wavered for a second, then she quickly shook her head. "I will not fall for your tricks again!"
She watched as Noldrei closed his eyes again, as if certain she would agree.
Fu Xuan was unwilling, but she couldn't let the formulas continue to spread.
She really couldn't think of a way to deal with their influence.
The Master Diviner said with humiliation, "I... can... but it absolutely must not harm the interests of the Xianzhou."
"Deal!" Noldrei agreed instantly.
He pulled up the formulas on his phone and placed it in front of Fu Xuan. "Don't think of the formulas as just simple formulas. This thing is a tool. It's a tool to make the Xianzhou people realize that within their own ranks, there are beings who look like them but are, in fact, completely different."
"To deal with the influence of the formulas, you have to tackle it from two angles. One is the formulas themselves, and the other is the conflict they cause. If you don't have the ability to handle the internal conflicts of the Xianzhou, then you have to start with the tool itself."
"The formulas are the Alchemy Commission's tool to horizontally slice through the Xianzhou. You must, therefore, operate the formulas to vertically slice through the Alchemy Commission's interior."
Fu Xuan's young face still held a trace of bewilderment. "I know what you mean, but I want to know how to do it."
Noldrei said with deep meaning, "The authorities must not only announce that these formulas are real, but also state that they were absolutely not released by the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. The believers of the Sanctus Medicus would surely love nothing more than for all the Xianzhou people who betrayed the Sanctus Medicus to die from the Mara. Why would they be so kind as to develop formulas for them? Introspection is hardly as quick and convenient as directly attacking the enemy, wouldn't you say, my dear Master Diviner?"
The Master Diviner was so incensed by his backhanded sarcasm that she immediately saw red