Chapter 421: Lingsha's Mental Breakdown! She's Her Own Biggest Hater!
The Alchemy Commission.
Lingsha, who had just taken office, was currently watching the story play out.
Her transfer had happened much faster than expected.
Lingsha suspected that the influence of Honkai: Star Rail played a major part in this.
Even if the higher-ups hadn't originally planned it, now that the game had portrayed it this way, she would have been transferred over eventually anyway.
Of course.
Now was not the time to dwell on that.
Lingsha looked at the livestream, her brow furrowing slightly.
Watching her in-game self was a bit like looking back at her younger, slightly rebellious, and ignorant self.
But now…
Lingsha knew.
How difficult things had been for Jing Yuan!
His greatness needed no further explanation.
There must have been hidden truths behind the events of the past!
Jing Yuan had dedicated his heart and soul to the Luofu.
Yet, at a time like this, her in-game self was actually expressing dissatisfaction toward him!
She had been so incredibly thoughtless!
Lingsha felt a wave of embarassment.
She wished she could dive into the game and replace that resentful version of herself.
And at that moment, a plot point occurred that made Lingsha lose her composure even more.
Jing Yuan's words just now were a subtle hint to Dan Heng.
However, he didn't spell it out completely.
He kept it brief and respectful.
The past had already reached a closing note in the Version 1.5 Companion Mission.
There was no point in dwelling on it further at this stage.
However…
Her in-game self didn't know any of this!
Unlike in reality, the characters in the game didn't have access to something like Honkai: Star Rail!
So, she spoke up directly: "The Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae."
The air seemed to freeze.
Yet her in-game self continued to lament: "The Marshal used Hoolay's transfer to hand over the Luofu, which not only temporarily calmed the malice of the Yaoqing Foxians, but also served as a warning to the Luofu Xianzhou after its period of chaos."
Jing Yuan shifted the topic: "That is the balance, and a step that had to be taken. The Xianzhou Alliance is not a dictatorship run solely by the Xianzhou natives. Only when the Foxians, Vidyadhara, and Xianzhou natives form a tripartite alliance can there be a future."
Yet, her in-game self was still relentless.
In a mocking tone, she asked Jing Yuan:
"Lingsha has learned much. Did you hold the same balancing mindset back then when you weighed my master's fate, exiling her to the Zhuming Xianzhou, only to sit back and watch the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus rise from the ashes within it?"
Awkward!
So incredibly awkward!
Lingsha herself felt that her in-game counterpart had gone too far!
How could she have been so thoughtless?
Jing Yuan had already made it very clear.
He was acting for the sake of the bigger picture!
Yet she…
She behaved like a petty provincial troublemaker, seeing nothing but her own tiny patch of dirt!
At this point, Jing Yuan stopped hiding the truth.
He said: "You say I was reluctant to excise the cancer from the Alchemy Commission, and instead sent the healer who wished to save it to the Zhuming Xianzhou…"
"Did your master ever tell you… that out of her own wishful benevolence, she used the convenience of her visits to perform a medical technique on Dan Heng—who had just completed his hatching rebirth at the time—allowing him to recall memories of his past life?"
As soon as these words were spoken, both the Lingsha in the game and the Lingsha outside the game were stunned!
Dan Heng also showed a look of shock.
Jing Yuan continued: "She believed that if the High Elder regained his past consciousness, he would be able to resume the Vidyadhara's duty of guarding the Ambrosial Arbor, force the restless factions into hiding, and allow all the internal strife of the clan to settle down and return to the right track."
"But as I said just now: many benevolent acts meant to help others are merely the beginning of disaster. Since then, the Six Charioteers agreed that the Alchemy Commission would no longer have the position of Cauldron Master, until your arrival today."
Watching this unfold, Lingsha's face turned pale.
Her hands trembled slightly.
She quickly lit a stick of soothing incense to calm herself down.
Her master had actually committed such a grave error!
It could almost be said that Dan Heng's subsequent series of painful experiences stemmed from this very act!
Her master was actually one of the main culprits!
Guilt, shame, anxiety, and various other emotions flooded her mind.
Even the soothing incense was useless now.
After all, Lingsha was also a Star Rail player.
She had witnessed Dan Heng's story, knew of those unbearable past memories, and had felt his pain.
She knew exactly what this meant to Dan Heng.
Yet, in the story…
Her in-game self was still somewhat dissatisfied!
"If that is the case, this one must thank the General for protecting my teacher with a decree of exile."
Jing Yuan shook his head: "Quite the contrary, it is I who should thank you."
"What I do and seek is nothing more than a clear conscience. But in the long life of a long-life species, can one truly remain blameless? Miss Lingsha was implicated by her master's sentence and had to travel far from home, completely ignorant of the reasons behind it."
"Now, the situation in the Alchemy Commission is complex. The Alliance sending you here to take on this thankless chore has spared me a lot of worry. Shouldn't I thank you?"
Lingsha smiled gently: "…As expected of the Divine Foresight, you don't even leave an opening for someone to hold you accountable."
"Let's get this straight: the Alliance sent me here to handle public affairs properly, not to make me choose a side."
Jing Yuan also smiled slightly: "It doesn't matter whose side Miss Lingsha wants to stand on. After all, both you and I stand on the side of the Alliance, do we not? Let us go."
At this moment, in front of her screen, Lingsha's feelings could no longer be described in words.
She was too narrow-minded!
Her perspective was far too narrow!
Jing Yuan had clearly done everything within his power to be as benevolent and righteous as possible.
Yet, she had actually thought of holding him accountable?
Look at his magnanimity!
And look at hers!
If that were all, it would be one thing.
But her master had committed a grave error, and the victim was standing right next to her.
She hadn't offered a single word of concern, yet she had acted so aggressively!
For the first time in her life, Lingsha found herself so utterly detestable!
So incredibly punchable!
She couldn't stand it anymore!
Her state of mind was completely compromised.
Even chanting "the world is so beautiful, yet I am so irritable" was useless.
This time, her defense was completely shattered.
She immediately sent a real-time bullet comment!
[ Does Lingsha have some kind of mental issue? Clearly her own master committed a wrong, and clearly someone else is the victim, yet she acts all self-righteous and demands answers… I have never seen such a brazenly shameless person. ]
This highly aggressive comment quickly caught the attention of many players.
Soon, a player replied: "You can't really put it that way. From Lingsha's perspective, she really was wronged, so it's normal for her to feel a bit dissatisfied."
"The Lingsha here is probably just being a bit tsundere. In truth, she has already acknowledged Jing Yuan's actions."
"Even though she's dissatisfied, at least she expressed it to Jing Yuan's face. Those people who are respectful on the surface but plot behind your back are the truly detestable ones!"
Seeing these players defending her, Lingsha didn't feel happy at all.
Instead, she became even more frustrated.
[ Lingsha is simply a selfish, egotistical snob. She only cares about herself and her master, completely disregarding the feelings of others. Dan Heng is the one who should be demanding answers from her, and she should be apologizing to General Jing Yuan. ]
More and more players couldn't take it anymore and replied:
[ Hey sis, are you a Jing Yuan fan or a Dan Heng fan? Is there really a need to be so hostile?
Yeah, isn't it better to watch the story rationally? Why bring it down to personal grievances and conflict?
I think this person is just jealous of Miss Lingsha and is deliberately trolling.
I just checked, this person's IP address shows they're in the Alchemy Commission!
A little troll, showing your tail now, aren't you!
I suggest Lingsha do a thorough investigation to see which of her subordinates is being so wild! ]
In front of her screen, Lingsha let out a sigh.
Although she usually tried her best to remain detached and keep her mind at peace, when encountering something so closely related to herself, she still couldn't help but feel her emotions surge.
The more she tried to control it normally, the more obvious it became in moments like this.
That was why she had posted those somewhat extreme comments just now.
Fortunately, she had calmed down now.
Lingsha did not plan to post in the livestream chat anymore.
Instead, she would take actual action.
She would perform her duties as the Cauldron Master of the Alchemy Commission to the best of her ability, thoroughly clean up the Commission, and use her actions to make up for her misunderstanding of General Jing Yuan and repay the Xianzhou.
At the same time, she would send an application to the Astral Express.
She still owed Dan Heng an apology.