"You jest, miss. I am but a humble traveling merchant; this coffin does not belong to me. I was merely entrusted by someone to return their remains to the Luofu for proper arrangement..."
"Oh, I thought this [box] was a weapon you used for fighting. It must hurt a lot to hit people with it..."
Xianzhou natives didn't recognize coffins. Sushang thought that if this thing were given to Little Gui, she could probably come up with quite a few tricks with it.
"Using it as a weapon... you overestimate me, miss." Luocha smiled faintly, though a trace of wariness toward Freesna had already risen in his heart.
"True... then what exactly is this thing?"
Luocha stalled: "A tool for doing business."
"So... are you two alright?"
Freesna and Luocha shook their heads in sync.
"That's good. I am the Cloud Knight Sushang, just transferred here from the [Yaoqing] Xianzhou!" Sushang introduced herself. She already knew Luocha's name, so she turned to look at the silver-haired girl with elf ears beside him.
"Does the introduction need a prefix?" Freesna blinked. When away from home, one gives themselves their own identity: "Then... the sole Saintess of the Church of Eternity—Freesna."
"Eh? You're from the Church?"
Freesna nodded proudly, her impression of Sushang rising significantly.
"Strange, Uncle Adrian never told me the Church had a Saintess..." Sushang muttered in a low voice.
"Business first. This whole area is under martial law. I'm currently evacuating the civilians. Follow me, and I'll take you to a safe place."
"Miss Sushang, what has happened on the Xianzhou? I have come and gone as a merchant many times, but I have never seen Starskiff Haven in such a state."
"This, uh, it's inconvenient for me to disclose. I just received orders to come and rescue civilians... To be honest, I don't know either. Anyway, just follow me, you two."
"Cough... thank you for your kindness, but I can leave the port on my own... Do you need me to give you a lift?" Freesna explicitly rejected Sushang's proposal.
"No can do. Look at the time; there's no one left in Starskiff Haven. Miss Fre... Fre-aiya, can I just call you Saintess Big Sister? This name is too hard to pronounce."
Freesna nodded frantically. Finally, someone believed she was the Saintess of the Church! Truly something to celebrate!
For the sake of this child being so considerate and kind, she decided to go along with her. It just so happened that she hadn't visited the Xianzhou in a long time.
"Let's set off! You two follow close behind me. Cloud Knight Sushang will definitely protect your safety! Uh... although you probably don't need me much."
Thinking of how Freesna had instantly obliterated the Mara-Struck Soldiers just now, Sushang hadn't even seen clearly how she made her move.
"Oh right, later on, can you help me sign my name... I don't recognize too many characters, and I'm afraid of writing them wrong..."
"If the cargo lanes of [Cloudford] shift even slightly, the entire route becomes completely different," Luocha reminded them.
Freesna remained silent. Since she had teleportation abilities, she didn't know the way at all.
"Haha, this lady just came from here. I know it well. You can't go wrong following me."
Sushang put her hands on her hips. "Tell me when you're ready, and we'll head out."
"Forgive my presumption, but may I ask where you are from, miss?" Luocha took the initiative to sidle up to Freesna. Considering he didn't know much about the people of [Eternity], he began to probe for information.
He didn't know if he didn't ask, but he happened to hit the nail on the head.
"The deceased Elven race. Why... are you interested in my background?"
"Apologies, sometimes I don't quite grasp the boundaries of communication. I hope I haven't offended you."
Freesna took the opportunity to ask back: "On the contrary, you don't look like a Xianzhou native. Where are you from?"
"Traveling merchants have no belonging; we drift everywhere, making the sea of stars our home. But if you are curious, miss... my registration place in the Alliance is the Xianzhou [Yuque]; my registration number with the IPC belongs to the North Valley Star: Starpeace Shopping Center Branch."
"...So, Luocha is just the common name I use on the Xianzhou. Outside the Xianzhou, I have a more tongue-twisting name. I guess you want to ask about that too?"
"No, I don't want to ask."
Luocha: ...
"Haha, your way of speaking is quite unique, miss." He smiled awkwardly. Not a single person from [Eternity] was easy to deal with.
"Perhaps I just have a knack for getting into trouble. I originally thought arriving at the Luofu would be safe..."
"Hearing that the Luofu is under lockdown, how much do you know?"
"Almost nothing. I was supposed to board a ship and leave the Luofu according to my schedule when I suddenly heard that a disturbance had broken out. For more detailed information, Ms. Freesna might as well ask Miss Sushang, who is a Cloud Knight."
"Don't worry, this lady will tell you everything I know. I heard that an Antimatter Legion bomb was found somewhere... For safety's sake, the entire Luofu has to be locked down, and it will only reopen once the bomb is cleared. I don't know if it's true."
"Anyway, the higher-ups didn't say anything specific, just told me to come over and evacuate the people in Cloudford."
"Miss Sushang mentioned earlier that she comes from the Xianzhou [Yaoqing]."
"Mmhmm, you listened very carefully!"
Luocha switched positions and actively shared intelligence with Freesna: "As far as I know, although each Xianzhou ship acts independently, the Cloud Knights are under the unified command of the Marshal. Therefore, it is not strange for soldiers and generals to be transferred frequently between the various Cloud Knight branches."
"Perhaps I just have a knack for getting into trouble. I originally thought arriving at the Luofu would be safe, but then something like this happens..."
"Don't worry, I will definitely protect you!" Sushang vowed solemnly.
"So, how long has Miss Sushang been in the Cloud Knights?" Luocha asked curiously.
"Not long... but this lady has undergone strict Cloud Knight-style training since childhood! My dad and mom are both famous people on the Xianzhou [Yaoqing]... otherwise, I wouldn't be here. So from the moment I was born, the two of them educated me strictly."
"Don't look down on me just because I'm a recruit~ I have a secret weapon I haven't used yet!"
Freesna was slightly surprised; she had never been to the Xianzhou [Yaoqing]. "Is there any difference between the Yaoqing and the Luofu?"
"Oh... Saintess Big Sister, you haven't been there? I think [Yaoqing] and [Luofu] each have their own characteristics. Although I am a Luofu Cloud Knight now, I still think the Yaoqing is a bit better."
"Take the leadership for example. I feel General Jing Yuan isn't as reliable as our General Feixiao of the Yaoqing... Uh, forget that last sentence. Pretend I didn't say anything."
Realizing that she was now a [Luofu] Cloud Knight and shouldn't publicly say things that stir up opposition, Sushang hurriedly corrected herself.
However, having witnessed Freesna's skills, Sushang was actually quite curious about who would win in a fight between her and her own General.
Sushang turned to look at the two: "Are we not moving yet? It's not safe to delay here too long."
...
The scene shifts to the Sleepless Earl Teahouse.
"Eh, Big Sister Tingyun, what happened to your neck?"
Mengming looked at Phantylia, who was wearing a neck brace and could only look up to speak to her, her eyes full of confusion.
Is this... a stiff neck from sleeping?
"Nothing... happened." Phantylia was expressionless, the highlights already gone from her eyes.
"Do you really not need to go to the Alchemy Commission to have it checked?!" Mengming, unaware of the truth, looked shocked.