"Stelle, why aren't you off searching for your trash cans?"
On the Xianzhou Luofu, within the Central Starskiff Haven, Lumina, March 7th, and Stelle appeared.
March 7th felt a twinge of annoyance at Stelle's arrival.
With her hands on her hips and a pout on her face, she gestured impatiently, urging Stelle to go find her beloved trash cans. "Don't bother Sister Lumina while she's showing me around the Xianzhou!"
Stelle had been obsessed with flipping through trash cans back on Jarilo-VI, and she was still doing it on the Xianzhou Luofu. But as soon as Sister Lumina showed up, Stelle's trash-can-flipping hands froze!
What was that saying again? March 7th muttered to herself. Acting one way in public and another in private...
"Trash cans?" Stelle blinked, glancing at Lumina. She feigned confusion, scratching her head, and asked March 7th, "What trash cans?"
March 7th: ???
Fine, fine! So you're abandoning your beloved trash cans just to hang out with Sister Lumina?
Traitor!
March 7th cursed Stelle silently with her most scathing mental insult.
In front of her beloved Sister Lumina, March 7th felt compelled to maintain at least a semblance of proper decorum.
"Alright, little March," Lumina said, "if Stelle wants to come, let her. The more the merrier!"
Though Lumina couldn't quite understand why March 7th seemed so concerned about Stelle's presence, she saw no harm in it. In fact, she thought the extra company would make things more lively.
Besides, since General Fu Xuan would be covering the entire bill, the more people there were, the bigger the tab they could run up.
Once Fu Xuan ran out of money, her haughty arrogance would naturally crumble. Then...
Hmm... But as the Master Diviner of the Luofu's Divination Commission, Fu Xuan could probably buy the entire street and still only give herself a mild headache...
With her resources and the wealth she'd accumulated over the years, the idea of bankrupting her seemed utterly impossible.
Lumina shook her head, dismissing the thought. Might as well spend as much as I can while I can.
After all, it would be foolish not to take advantage of the Master Diviner—no, the General's generosity, right? o(* ̄▽ ̄*)ブ
Lumina decided she might even learn a thing or two from the shopping habits of that primogem colored aeon of shopping ...
"Lady Lumina... I-I'm here..."
Just as Lumina was mentally studying shopping strategies, a breathless young girl's voice echoed through the air.
The three of them turned to see a petite, brown-haired girl panting heavily, her limbs flailing as she slowly jogged toward them, looking like she was about to collapse to the ground from exhaustion.
It was Qingque, bombarded with texts and calls from her own Master Diviner—or rather, General Fu Xuan now—forcing her to come to work.
And to top it off, she had to race from the Exalting Sanctum to the Central Starskiff Haven in just thirty minutes...
If Fu Xuan's tone hadn't been so solemn and serious, Qingque would have thought she was joking.
Thirty minutes? From the Exalting Sanctum to the Central Starskiff Haven? Me... I have to do that?
Qingque never knew she was so capable. What kind of filter does Master Diviner Fu—General Fu, that old lady—have for me? Why does she believe in me so much?
Qingque dared not speak, nor dared she ask. The voice of their Master Diviner Fu... General Fu Xuan, to be exact, left no room for argument. Helpless, Qingque hadn't even had time to pack or tidy up before rushing out the door.
Despite rushing at breakneck speed, it still took her nearly a full hour System Time to reach her destination.
Has General Fu Xuan been bragging again?
Knowing Fu Xuan as well as she did, Qingque was certain her master couldn't possibly be unaware that traveling from the Exalting Sanctum to the Central Starskiff Haven in just thirty minutes was utterly impossible.
The only plausible explanation was that General Fu Xuan had boasted she might already be waiting for Lady Lumina at the Central Starskiff Haven. Now, to avoid being exposed as a liar, she was forcing Qingque to work under immense pressure.
In mere seconds, Qingque's razor-sharp mind pieced together the entire situation.
As expected, with a black-hearted leader like Fu Xuan, nothing ever goes smoothly...
Qingque sighed inwardly.
"Heh, didn't General Fu Xuan say she'd been waiting for us at the Starskiff Jetty?" March 7th couldn't resist teasing Fu Xuan as she eyed the breathless and late-arriving Qingque.
Sister Lumina had warned her not to provoke a Luofu General to her face. But if she mocked her behind her back, that should be fine, right?
"Aiya, Master Diviner Fu... General Fu, that old lady, it's perfectly normal for her to brag a little to save face sometimes."
"Besides, you guys probably didn't believe her anyway, right? In that case, just treat whatever Master Diviner Fu—General Fu—said back then as a fart. Just let it go."
Hearing this, Qingque caught her breath, waved dismissively, and said casually to March 7th.
To be honest, Qingque found it a bit strange that her own Master Diviner had suddenly become a General of the Luofu, even if only in an acting capacity.
Although everyone on the Luofu knew about Master Diviner Fu's long-held ambition to become a General.
In essence, aside from Master Diviner Fu Xuan's die-hard loyalists, neither the neutral faction nor Jing Yuan's supporters held much hope for her.
After all, Jing Yuan had performed exceptionally well. Suddenly passing the mantle to Fu Xuan would likely only provoke discontent and confusion among the Luofu populace.
While Fu Xuan herself might have perceived the gap between her and Jing Yuan as small, to outsiders, the difference between them seemed as vast as the heavens and the earth.
If Jing Yuan scored a perfect 100, Master Diviner Fu Xuan would barely scrape by with a 60—a passing grade, just barely qualified to serve as the Divine Foresight General of the Luofu.
However, with a perfect 100-point precedent already in place, who could possibly be satisfied with Fu Xuan's mere passing grade?
Furthermore, since Jing Yuan hadn't died, his sudden abdication would inevitably lead the Luofu populace to suspect that he was suffering from some health issue.
After all, that's how those melodramatic dramas always play out—fueling fears that such trite, melodramatic power struggles might unfold over the Luofu's General position.
If someone were to spread a false rumor, Lady Fu Xuan would be finished.
"Hmm... Respected and esteemed Master Diviner, keep up the good work! Qingque here can only offer you some hearty cheers."
Though Qingque wasn't particularly optimistic about Fu Xuan's chances, she silently cheered her on. After all, if Fu Xuan were to leave, there would be no one left at the Divination Commission to keep Qingque in line. o(* ̄▽ ̄*)ブ
But then again, since Lady Fu Xuan is now a General in the Seat of Divine Foresight, why does she have any authority to command me, a Diviner of the Divination Commission...?
The Six Commissions aren't supposed to issue cross-departmental orders, so I have no reason to obey Fu Xuan's commands as the Divine Foresight General, right...?
At that moment, Qingque felt like she had stumbled upon a perfect opportunity to slack off.
Ding-a-ling~ Ding-a-ling~ Ding-a-ling~
Just as these thoughts crossed Qingque's mind, her phone suddenly rang.
Hearing the ringtone, an ominous feeling immediately surged through her.
And sure enough, when she picked up her phone, the words "Master Diviner" flashed across the screen...