Everyone stared at the cracked Astrology Orb in Mona's hands, frozen in place.
"M-Miss Mona?"
"Ah… this? It's fine!" Mona snapped back to herself and quickly offered an explanation, trying to stay composed. "This Astrology Orb has just been used for too long—it was bound to give out sooner or later."
"Really?"
"Yes, really!"
"Can it still be used?"
"Nope."
Mona shook her head, then tucked the damaged orb away and pulled out a smaller one.
"I'll use a different one."
"What's that one?"
"This is my personal Astrology Orb. It's been with me since I first started learning divination."
"And the one just now?"
"That was my mas—uh, I mean, my mentor's Astrology Orb."
"Miss Mona's mentor! I bet she must be amazing!"
"She… yeah, she's kind of impressive."
Just as Mona lifted the new orb and was about to start the second reading, a familiar voice rang out from outside.
"What's going on in here? Why's everyone crowded together? Looks lively."
"Miss Yelan's here!"
Mona turned to see the wealthy woman who'd given her a million Mora just days ago striding into the shop.
Yelan looked at Mona and smiled like this was their first meeting. "You must be Miss Mona?"
"Yes, that's me!"
"I've read about you—an exceptional astrologer. I suppose you're here today to consult with Mr. Xia?"
"Mm…"
It was clear Yelan didn't want others to know they'd met before, so Mona simply nodded, playing along like they were strangers.
"What happened just now?" Yelan asked.
"Miss Mona was doing a reading for Xia Ci."
"And?"
"Then the Astrology Orb just… broke."
"Oh? Really?" Yelan glanced casually at Xia Ci.
Xia Ci gave an innocent blink.
"Miss Mona's about to try again!" someone added.
"I'll watch too, then."
Mona lifted the Astrology Orb once more and resumed the divination for Xia Ci.
This time, the orb didn't break.
But it also didn't react.
Mona frowned as she lifted her head, staring at Xia Ci.
"Miss Mona? What's the result?"
"Your fate… seems to be hidden by someone."
"Hidden? I didn't do anything. Could it be my cousin?"
"Your cousin…"
Mona hesitated. She wanted to say no—your cousin hasn't even masked his own fate, let alone yours. It's unlikely to be him. More likely someone else entirely.
But seeing how much Xia Ci admired her cousin, and considering she was technically just a guest here for dinner, Mona couldn't bring herself to blurt out something that harsh.
"…It might be him. Whoever it was, their divination skills are extremely strong—on par with mine. I couldn't glean anything."
"I told you my cousin's amazing."
"..."
Mona silently put the Astrology Orb away.
Her mind drifted back to the cracked orb from earlier.
Back then, she'd definitely seen something—faint images of constellations flashed across the orb, but they disappeared too fast for her to interpret.
Which meant… that Astrology Orb wasn't a fake after all.
Her mentor's Astrology Orb was fundamentally different from her own.
It was like comparing a legendary artifact to a common tool.
She now suspected that her first divination had been detected—and countered—by whoever was hiding Xia Ci's fate. That retaliation had caused the orb to crack.
Oh no oh no oh no…
That orb was her mentor's treasure!
If the old lady found out she'd broken it, wouldn't she tear her limb from limb?!
Cold sweat began to trickle down Mona's back.
After all, she had been the one to overstep—this whole mess was entirely her fault.
Mona wiped her forehead.
Looks like she wouldn't be going home anytime soon.
Not until she managed to fix that Astrology Orb… or found a better one...
But astrology instruments weren't exactly cheap…
Sigh. Time to start saving up again.
Mona let out a quiet sigh in her heart.
Just then, Xiangling came out of the kitchen carrying a platter and called, "Food's ready!"
"Yay!"
The irresistible scent of fried chicken and crispy fries wafted through the air. Mona let go of her worries for the time being and joined everyone else at the table.
And just like that, her frustration faded.
Honestly? With Mr. Xia's fried chicken on hand, she couldn't care less about that cranky old lady back home.
Xia Zhi stepped out of the kitchen and gave Mona a courteous nod. "Excuse me for a moment, Miss Mona."
"No worries, Mr. Xia! Thanks for all your hard work!"
Xia Zhi smiled and nodded in return. From his god's eye, he could still see a half-complete Silver Tier Progress Bar hanging over Mona—leftover from the Rainbow Juice she'd had last time.
Today, that bar would finally hit 100%.
He sat down and discreetly used a Skill Steal on Mona, acquiring a brand-new skill: [Astrology Master].
Though it fell under the same category of divination, it was distinctly different from the fortune-telling methods of Moon Carver—it was more like two disciplines from the same arcane tree.
After they'd polished off the chicken, Xia Zhi struck up a conversation with Mona.
Initially, Mona had only humored him out of politeness. She figured she owed him at least that much after scarfing down his food.
But bit by bit, she started to realize something felt off.
Xia Zhi really knew astrology.
Not only could he fluently rattle off every kind of star chart theory, but he also had this uncanny ability to interpret them from angles she'd never even considered.
Mona couldn't help taking him seriously.
Their conversation grew deeper and more intense.
Until, at some point, a familiar notification chimed inside Xia Zhi's mind.
[Progress Bar: 100% reached. Silver Treasure Chest unlocked.]
Xia Zhi cut the conversation short, offering Mona an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Miss Mona—I've got to get back to cooking."
"Ah… Oh. Alright."
Mona watched him walk away, visibly reluctant.
Their deep dive into astrological theory had left her with a wealth of new insights. She felt like her whole understanding of astrology had expanded. If Xia Zhi hadn't gotten up, she honestly would've been happy to keep chatting forever.
Charlotte leaned in and whispered, "So, Miss Mona? What do you think?"
Mona thought for a moment, then replied earnestly, "Mr. Xia is truly impressive in this field."
Charlotte beamed. "Right? Even Moon Carver once praised him like that. He said Mr. Xia's a rare talent."
Mona's expression froze. "Wait… hold on. Who did you just say?"
"Moon Carver."
"The Liyue Adeptus who's famous for his mastery of divination?"
"Yep! He and Mr. Xia are good friends. He eats here all the time."
"Then why didn't you tell me earlier?!"
"…Was that supposed to be important?"
Charlotte tilted her head, clearly confused.
Mona nearly burst into tears.
She'd spent all this time trying to figure out who had hidden Xia Ci's fate—and shattered her mentor's Astrology Orb in the process.
She'd even started to suspect it was Xia Zhi himself—after all, he did seem capable of it.
But now, she had a strong suspicion it was Moon Carver.
If Charlotte had told her sooner that an Adeptus like that had deep ties to this place, she never would've recklessly tried to divine Xia Ci's fate.
She'd heard plenty during her time around Xiao Market about Liyue's strong belief in "respecting the Adepti."
And now she'd gone and run headfirst into that taboo.
"Miss Mona? Why are you sighing?"
"Sigh... I ate too much... My stomach's feeling a bit queasy…"
"Here, have some tea. It'll help you digest."
"..."
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