Watching Stelle so naturally reach some sort of consensus with that suspicious person, Wende knew that sending her to gather intelligence was indeed the most correct choice! Anyone with a normal thought process would probably have been suspected by that shady character, right?
"Look, it seems like he's going to take Stelle somewhere," March said, watching the man in green lead Stelle away. She whispered to Welt and Wende behind her.
"Let's follow them quietly and see what he's up to."
Wende silently tucked a copy of the Xianzhou Morning Post, which he had swiped from who-knows-where, under his arm. He bent down, staying out of the man's line of sight, and gave chase.
"Err... Wende's been infected too, hasn't he?" March muttered to herself, looking at the newspaper under Wende's arm.
"Infected with what? Let's follow them first."
Welt, also holding a copy of the Xianzhou Daily Morning Post, followed in Wende's footsteps.
"Hiss... Oh no, there's a virus!"
Seeing the two of them already exhibiting symptoms of "Stelle Syndrome," March gasped, completely oblivious to the fact that she was the very first one to be infected.
"Hey~ Wait for me..."
March lowered her voice. Seeing the two of them getting ahead, she swiped a book from a nearby stall, held it in front of her face, and hurried after them.
They tailed Stelle and the green-clothed man all the way to a small courtyard, watching them enter together.
Seeing Stelle go into the courtyard with the man, Wende found a suitable spot nearby and sat down.
"Alright, all we have to do now is wait here."
Wende unfolded the Xianzhou Morning Post and spoke softly to Welt, who was beside him and also reading a newspaper.
"Mm, I just saw two people nearby who have been observing this area the whole time. They should be their lookouts," Welt replied with a slight nod.
"So why are you two reading newspapers while I've got a romance novel?" March asked, looking down at the book in her hands, titled Pestering the General to Marry Him. The art style was clearly out of place!
"March, it's just a disguise. Besides, we don't know how long Stelle will be in there. You can read your romance novel for a bit to pass the time," Wende said while reading the paper.
Huh? This newspaper seems to be an old issue... Mmm, Starry Pop Bubble Tea is made from garbage... Looks like you can only trust bubble tea you make yourself... Maybe I should buy some Xianzhou specialty tea leaves on the way back to the Express and make some for them?
Wende stroked his chin, thinking seriously.
"Special discount on Xianzhou specialty coffee... payment with Credits accepted, free shipping within the galaxy..."
Welt fell into deep thought as he looked at the shopping guide section. Himeko must never find out about this!
"Mmm... He looked at the general before him, deeply captivated by his resolute face and broad shoulders..."
Are Xianzhou novels... all this bold? How did this even get past the censors!
Seeing the indescribable text that followed, March's face turned beet red, but her large pink-and-blue eyes remained glued to every line, the corners of her mouth turning up unconsciously.
"Wait... something's not right? Aren't both of the main characters male?"
March seemed to realize something, staring blankly at the words on the page.
"Forget it, I'll just keep reading. I'm bored anyway."
..................
"So, are the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus a proper villain organization? Why do they all seem a bit unhinged?"
Sister Guoguo looked at the bizarre group on the screen, especially that thing in the garish green clothes called Green Hibiscus, and couldn't help but feel suspicious.
[Does a villain organization even need to be 'proper' or not? They're all gonna be eliminated anyway!]
[Well, why would anyone with a good head on their shoulders join something like this?]
[That makes sense. This feels more like a make-believe convention run by patients from a mental asylum...]
[Excuse me, most of us patients in the mental asylum are very law-abiding and don't go out causing trouble!]
[And you are?]
[A patient. What's wrong?]
[Oh, never mind then...]
..................
Stelle stared numbly at the books before her.
"This many?"
Green Hibiscus nodded.
"Yes, this many. Copy it five thousand times to demonstrate your piety to the Lord of Healing!"
Green Hibiscus's tone was filled with piety and reverence, as if copying scriptures was some grand, ritualistic act.
"Is it like this for everyone who joins your organization?" Stelle's mouth twitched as she spoke to the big green idiot before her.
"Yes. This is merely the simplest test. There will be additional tests later, depending on the situation," Green Hibiscus said, nodding at Stelle as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"After all, this is how I joined the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus back in the day."
"So... you're just purely trying to pass on the hazing you went through to us, aren't you?" Stelle narrowed her eyes and retorted.
"In any case, just get to copying. Once you've copied it five thousand times, I will permit you to proceed to the next trial," Green Hibiscus urged, waving his hand at Stelle.
..................
"Why isn't there any movement yet? She hasn't actually blended in, has she?"
March, who had already finished half of her novel, took a moment to glance at the silent courtyard before whispering to the other two.
"Don't be ridiculous. With Stelle's intellect, she could easily outsmart them, right?" Wende said nonchalantly, flipping a page in the Xianzhou shopping guide he was holding.
Mmm... these Xianzhou dishes are all so strange... But that Golden Automaton Alley looks quite nice... However... Candied Nuts Vide? What is that?
"Indeed, we must trust in Stelle," Welt said, fully agreeing with Wende as he continuously flipped through a collection of Xianzhou specialty products.
Mmm, this bracelet looks nice. A Jade Abacus... I already have a phone, so I probably don't need one, right?
"So where did the new reading material in your hands come from?" March asked, completely baffled as she looked at the new set of publications the two were holding. When did they switch? How did she not know?
"Hmm... I don't know," Wende said, closing the guide to think carefully. He shook his head and opened it again to continue browsing.
These publications and books just sort of appeared in front of us.
"Mmm..." March pursed her lips. She glanced at the two romance novels that had appeared beside her at some point and suddenly felt that this wasn't so bad after all.
..................
"Waaah, my hand is so sore and numb..."
Stelle copied the scripture with a deadpan expression, but inside, she was wailing.
"Hey... stop copying! Come over here!"
Suddenly, a soft voice came from behind Stelle.