Jing Yuan speaks with a cheerful smile.
"That's exactly why we need Fu Qing to act. To counter a Stellaron Hunter who can see the future, only the all-knowing Fu Qing can step up."
"As for manpower—I wouldn't come unprepared, would I?"
Staring at Jing Yuan's face, free of any trace of tension or worry, Fu Xuan instinctively casts a divination.
Moments later, her little face surges with disbelief.
"General!… You didn't know someone would take advantage of my absence to sabotage the Matrix of Prescience Ultima, did you?"
Many people, possibly affected by the Stellaron, suddenly turned Mara-Struck, causing quite a stir in the Commission.
Then the Matrix of Prescience Ultima was sabotaged, one thing leading to another.
Now, with the culprit unknown, they can only hope for Bai Xiao's testimony.
But he lies wounded in the Matrix, gravely injured and sent for treatment, with no telling when he'll wake.
"Fu Qing, what are you saying? I don't follow." Jing Yuan tilts his head.
"…You… you…"
What in the world!
Fu Xuan's raised arm drops, and she grits her teeth in frustration.
"You'd better not follow!"
"Alright, alright, I do follow. As for the answer, let me keep it a little secret for now." Jing Yuan smiles mysteriously.
"Jing Yuan!"
Fu Xuan's face flushes red.
She doesn't even call him General, showing how flustered she is.
"What are you thinking?! You want me to interrogate a criminal but let the Matrix of Prescience Ultima fall into chaos without warning me!"
"The situation's unclear now. You know better than I do the losses and risks of the array shutting down!"
"This isn't like your usual dodging of minor issues with me. Tell me, what's on your mind?"
Jing Yuan: "Calm down, Fu Qing."
"The array's down, a helper nearly died, and fixing it will take time, effort, and manpower. How can I stay calm?"
"I'm just one person, not a three-headed, six-armed deity!"
Fu Xuan isn't just angry—her lips carry a hint of grievance.
To her, Jing Yuan always plays coy, keeping critical matters vague.
Without clarity, the next steps are hard to execute properly.
What kind of general messes with the Six Chariots like this?
It's the first time Jing Yuan sees Fu Xuan with this expression. His smile falters, his tone growing serious.
"Everything hinges on timing. Fu Qing, you know this better than I do—"
"When the time comes, I won't keep playing riddles."
"As for fixing the array… help is on the way. Look, here they come."
Fu Xuan follows Jing Yuan's gesture.
She sees Qingque leading a group, quickly approaching.
Qingque: "Master Diviner, the guests are here."
Fu Xuan looks back at Jing Yuan, her expression hard to describe.
"…The General's knack for using every available resource is truly ruthless."
The Astral Express crew are guests here to observe an interrogation, and it's not even time to question Kafka yet, but they're being asked to help?
That's just…
She's embarrassed on his behalf.
Jing Yuan, fully aware of what Fu Xuan's thinking, smiles unsurprised.
"They're here, so we might as well make full use of them."
"Stepping into the Matrix of Prescience Ultima without my permission breaks protocol—"
Stelle rolls her eyes, but before she can speak, Fu Xuan's next words stop her from retracting them.
"If I put it that way, it'd seem I lack courtesy. Meeting you all is a pleasant surprise."
"Qingque may seem unreliable at times, but she tries her best when it counts."
Fu Xuan muses that Qingque's recent performance hasn't been bad. Maybe it's time to pull her out of the library and train her properly.
For some reason, Qingque suddenly shivers.
She has a bad feeling about this…
Stelle speaks listlessly, with a resigned tone.
"The ultimate tool person makes a grand entrance. Happy now, Master Diviner?"
"How could I…"
Fu Xuan's expression stiffens slightly.
"I meant to show you the Divination Commission's wonders once the Matrix was running again. Alas, making you guests wait is my failing."
March 7th: "No need for formalities. We overheard some of the General's words. If there's a task, just hand it to us."
The ultimate tool person…
March 7th's face shows only acceptance at Stelle's apt description.
No helping it—she's used to it.
A few more Trailblaze missions, and Stelle will get used to it too.
Good partners share the pain.
"Then I won't beat around the bush."
"The Divination Commission is short on manpower. I need your help to restart the Matrix's bases and clear out the Stellaron corruption."
Fu Xuan drops her cryptic speech, getting straight to the point.
Hearing about restarting the bases, Qingque freezes, blurting out:
"The bases were already shut down before. I restarted them with Mr. Bai before heading to Exalting Sanctum."
"How are they down again? Oh, and where's Mr. Bai?"
As she speaks, she notices Fu Xuan's face darken ominously and holds back from asking further.
Just how much happened while she was gone…?
Fu Xuan takes a deep breath: "He's gravely injured. We'll discuss that later. For now, prioritize restarting the bases and clearing the Stellaron corruption."
Stelle: "We did run into plenty of Mara-Struck on the way, but they don't count as Stellaron corruption, right?"
True Stellaron corruption refers to Rift creatures.
Fu Xuan shakes her head: "Normally, those who fall to Mara aren't so ferocious."
"The Mara-Struck roaming the Commission are different, with greater destructive power and vitality, qualifying as Stellaron corruption."
Stelle ponders for a moment, dismissing the urge to explain further.
She carries a Stellaron in her body and knows what that power feels like.
The Mara-Struck they encountered weren't caused by a Stellaron.
There's definitely another reason.
Her guess? Probably some unknown poison.
Uncertain.
At this moment, Stelle thinks of Leon.
If someone like Leon, skilled in medicine and poisons, were here, he might find clues on the Mara-Struck.
Seeing Stelle's expression, Fu Xuan roughly guesses her thoughts and elaborates.
"I know your doubts. The Stellaron corruption I refer to includes not just Mara-Struck but also Rift creatures."
"The Xianzhou Alliance has soared for 8,000 years—how could we not know the dangers of Stellarons?"
Stelle nods in realization. So they just hadn't encountered Rift creatures on the way.
She adopts a cautious expression.
"Dealing with corruption is fine, but fixing the bases—doesn't that count as spying on Divination Commission secrets?"
"Of course not." Fu Xuan assures.
"Alright then, but we don't know the array. How do we fix it? Are you giving us a crash course?"
"I'll have Qingque accompany you to handle the repairs and restarts of the bases."
March 7th playfully curls her fingers.
"Stelle, Uncle Yang, I divined for myself and found we're all destined to toil."
Stelle: "Master Diviner Fu, can you show us that thing?"
"What thing?"
"Say that magic word!"
"…Wh-what? What magic word?"
Fu Xuan is puzzled at first, then looks evasive.
March 7th chimes in: "Oh, just a simple word that works wonders everywhere: Please~~"
Fu Xuan's expression freezes.
She starts forming a sentence but hesitates.
After an awkward pause, she finally speaks, a bit stiffly.
"P-please, I ask you all to lend a hand to the Divination Commission."