The group followed Qingque to the side door of the Divination Commission. From how familiar she was with the path, March 7th suspected this girl often slipped out this way during downtime.
Why did every Xianzhou person she met seem so effortlessly lazy, inside and out?
Yesterday at the Sky-Faring Commission, when they met Yukong, even the General of the Divine Strategy Mansion hadn't shown up in person—just a holographic projection.
And today, that Lord Ravager Phantylia couldn't even be bothered to act, saying outright that she had "other things to do."
If you're going to put on a show, at least commit. Was this really how Yukong expected her to entertain guests? Phantylia might be the laziest Lord Ravager March 7th had ever seen.
"You seem pretty familiar with the route. Slacking off a lot, huh?"
"Sharp eyes, miss. We at the Divination Commission call this door the Carefree Gate. When we've got nothing to do, we slip out here to wander for a few hours."
"A few… hours? I don't need useless info like that."
"Then how about something useful for Miss March?" Adrian said.
"Sigh. Never mind. Serious business first."
As expected, the side door wouldn't open either, prompting Qingque's complaint: "This blasted Stellaron Core erosion—what a mess it's caused."
"Oh no, this door won't open either. If we take too long, the Diviner will definitely think 'unreliable Qingque' messed up again…"
March 7th stepped forward. "I know this part—it's puzzle-solving time! No need for Uncle Yang this round. Watch me!"
"You're not gonna say something silly like 'open sesame,' right?"
"Hey, don't bring up old stuff! What if these doors are voice-activated?" March 7th huffed.
"Huh? That wouldn't be good. The Divination Commission doesn't seem to use voice control… Well, not bad to try. Go ahead, Miss March."
Qingque stepped aside. "Need a hint?"
"No! Watch and learn!" March 7th faced the door. "Open sesame!"
"I told you, there's no voice control—"
Before she could finish, a black-gold thread silently slipped into the switch mechanism.
With a creak, the door responded. The faint sound of gears turning followed.
"No way… it's actually voice-activated?" Stelle's eyes widened. Maybe Jarilo-VI's tech really was that outdated.
"Wow! Miss March, you're amazing! An outsider opened the Divination Commission's door so easily. Ahem! I hereby pass the title of Carefree Gate Master to you!"
"Huh… Do I really have the power to speak things into existence?" March 7th was stunned. She hadn't expected it to work.
"Confidence is a good thing, Miss March. Believe in yourself," Adrian said calmly, retracting the thread under Dan Heng and Walter's gaze.
At times like this, avoiding complicated puzzles was best.
…
Before the Matrix of Prescience, the path was clear—no rift creature ambushes. Qingque led them at full speed.
"Great, no time-wasting battles!" March 7th cheered. The Divination Commission's crisis seemed over; interrogating Kafka had been exhausting enough.
"Up ahead is our pride—the large-scale jade abacus computation terminal: the Matrix of Prescience."
"I've heard that term 'jade abacus' a few times," Walter said. "What exactly are they?"
"Jade abaci are… well, jade abaci," Qingque said. "Good question, Mr. Yang. Let me think… The Book of Changes Mirror Insights says: 'Engrave living jade, divine the profound.'
"Like carving a seal, the Artisanship Commission inscribes billions of invisible runes into the crystal lattice of the jade. Then they embed them into mechanisms to operate according to specific designs.
"Some jade abaci are small enough to wear as jewelry. The large ones are used in arrays to calculate variables, revealing past and future alike."
She gestured toward the massive structure before them. "Like this Matrix of Prescience. From celestial movements to cellular changes—if enough data exists, it can answer anything."
"It's said the runes and formulas were guided by the Lord of Universal Knowledge, the Wisdomwalker. Its depth is such that only the Diviner herself truly understands it."
Connecting it to the Erudition Aeon, Stelle realized. "So it's basically a supercomputer?"
"Seems that way," March 7th said. "But jade abacus sounds cooler. And what computer has divine origins like this? Technology personally guided by an Aeon…"
Even Herta's space station might not have something comparable. March 7th had never seen tech linked to the Wisdomwalker before.
"Anyway, don't overthink it," Qingque said. "As long as it runs, what difference is there between a jade abacus and a computer?"
"Like today—as long as someone guides you here, whether it's Qingque or Bailu, it doesn't matter."
"Well said," Adrian agreed. The kids at the Church had lived by that—ignoring identity, doing what needed to be done.
He recalled his time there. He'd volunteered to help, and while tired from work, had gone to the sanctuary to rest. At his own statue, he saw fruit offerings.
Seeing no one around, he grabbed an apple and bit into it—just as the golden-haired acting priestess walked in.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" she yelled, seeing him holding fruit meant for the Eternity Aeon.
"Wait, I can explain." Adrian cleared his throat. He was, after all, a reasonable Aeon—so he decided to tell the truth.
"Sigh… no helping it. I can't hide it anymore."
"My devout follower, rejoice! Before you stands none other than the Eternity Aeon Ite in the flesh!"
"How about it? Shocked? Moved? Meeting your own aeon at last!" He spread his arms, radiating light brighter than Pontiff Blake's.
The priestess stared, speechless.
Impersonating a deity—double offense.
"Brother volunteer, are you so hungry you're hallucinating? We must've overworked you." She sighed. "Anyway, I'll report this to Pontiff Blake later."
"Now, if you're done, go back to your paperwork. And remember—don't eat Lord Ite's offerings again."
"Since it's your first time, just copy the Eternal Doctrine once."
"Sigh…"
Adrian sighed. These days, even telling the truth got him no faith.
Returning to the present, Qingque continued, "We're almost at the heart of the Matrix of Prescience. The Diviner should be waiting for us there."