The setup the Ten-Lords Commission has in Fyxestroll Garden was pretty much the same as in the game.
Just on a slightly larger scale than what you see in-game.
Huohuo led Sylvia into the Ten-Lords Commission's office area, and surprisingly, no one came up to question them.
"Lately, a lot of my colleagues have been dispatched to Fyxestroll Garden for field duty... those Heliobi are just way too hard to catch."
Huohuo's voice, as always, had that pitiful, endearing quality to it.
"Haah~ If it were one big Heliobus, things might actually be easier."
Sylvia instinctively thought of a more convenient solution; if it were one big one, you'd only need to take it down, and Sylvia could probably handle that herself.
But having little Heliobi scattered all over the Luofu? Now that was the real backbreaker.
If it weren't for meeting Guinaifen in the game, who dragged them along to look for clues on those online paranormal forums, who knows how long they'd have been at it.
The Ten-Lords Commission really does operate too far outside the everyday lives of people on the Luofu.
Sure, they're above it all, but sometimes that makes them a bit rigid.
Huohuo clearly didn't see it that way. Just the thought of all those Heliobi gathering together to form one giant one...
They'd probably end up tearing the whole Fyxestroll Garden apart.
"No, no, no! A big Heliobus would be way more terrifying! Who could even beat that? Please, big sis, don't say such unlucky things. What if these Heliobi actually merge together? That would be a disaster!"
Huohuo quickly waved her hands, even standing on her tiptoes as if to cover Sylvia's mouth.
She couldn't bear to hear about anything scarier.
Sylvia caught Huohuo's little hand and tilted her head to dodge the attempted muzzle.
"Alright, alright, I won't say it. But if you ever run into any trouble, Huohuo, you can always contact me."
"It's, it's fine! Don't judge me by my cover, I, I'm also a Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission! Eep—!! Big Sis, Big Sis! Save me?!"
Huohuo was trying to prove she was capable.
But this time, Tail seized the opportunity, chuckling lowly as he conjured a gust of eerie wind, scaring Huohuo so badly she crouched down, arms over her head, burrowing into Sylvia's embrace.
"Hahahaha—!! Damn, that kills me. A little thing like that spooks you into almost rolling into a ball of fluff, and you call yourself a Judge."
"...Mr. Tail!! You scared me again!"
Hearing Tail's laughter, Huohuo instantly realized he'd been messing with her again.
Maybe she could let it slide usually.
But boasting in front of this big sister, only to be humiliated like this by Mr. Tail?
Huohuo's face flushed crimson in an instant, and even her voice unconsciously got much louder.
"This time, this time I'm really gonna get mad!"
"Haha—if getting mad means you'll actually grow a spine, then I'd be happy to congratulate you."
Sylvia wasn't sure if Huohuo was genuinely angry. Looking down, she saw Huohuo still nestled against her, her little face bright red.
Puffing up her cheeks, she twisted around to glare at her tail.
Tail, as usual, just chuckled and taunted her.
"You, you... you rotten Mr. Tail! I'll have Big Sister seal you up right now!"
"Haha—huh?! Fine, you little runt, you dare threaten me now?!"
Tail, who had been roaring with laughter, suddenly sounded like someone had grabbed him by the throat.
If it were any other Ten-Lords Judge, fine, but Sylvia was the kind of tough cookie who actually dared to suppress a big Heliobus within herself.
Tail was naturally wary of Sylvia.
But for that coward Huohuo to now use her as a shield to scare him? That ticked him off royally.
The green flame on Huohuo's tail suddenly shot up high.
With a menacing hiss-crackle, it loomed over Huohuo like a wild beast, pretending it was about to bite.
"Eeek—!"
And Huohuo immediately dove headfirst back into Sylvia's arms.
"Kills me! You spineless wonder, if you really got me sealed, what could you even do? Go sell pastries from a little cart on the street?"
"Th-there's nothing wrong with that... I never wanted this Ten-Lords job anyway, but they kept saying I had talent... sob..."
"Look at you, all pathetic. How'd I end up sealed to your tail anyway?"
"I-It's not like I asked for it..."
Seeing Huohuo so pitiful, Sylvia patted her head again.
Having experienced the story, Sylvia knew Huohuo actually couldn't bear to part with Tail. Sure, he had a foul mouth, but he'd also protected her more than once.
While they were bickering, Sylvia finally spotted the thing set up in Fyxestroll Garden, the one that looked like some kind of alchemy furnace.
According to Huohuo, this was the new device installed to reseal the Heliobi.
Several others were set up elsewhere in Fyxestroll Garden.
Together, they formed something like a large-scale sealing array.
Since it was a rush job, it couldn't compare to the big furnaces of the Artisanship Commission anyway.
But hey, once the main furnace was fixed, they'd send these back. As long as it was sturdy and functional, that was enough.
No need to be too critical.
"Sister, I'm going to activate this device, and then... you just need to release the Heliobus."
Even though Huohuo claimed to hate her job, when it came to actually doing the work, her tone became more focused.
And her hands moved with practiced ease.
Definitely not the level of a novice.
Considering that, as far as Sylvia remembered, everyone else praised the talismans Huohuo made, Huohuo really sold herself short.
She really wished Huohuo could be a bit more confident.
Thinking about it, Sylvia couldn't help but think of the Luofu's compulsory education, which seemed seriously lacking in moral guidance.
She wondered if Jing Yuan would change things.
With talent like Huohuo's, plus Tail's assistance, she should have been a brilliant, spirited young Judge.
If it weren't for those nasty experiences when she was little, would she have turned into such an insecure kid?
Watching Huohuo activate the device, Sylvia withdrew the cage that had been holding the Heliobus.
That mass of Heliobus was then sucked into the furnace by some strange force.
"That's pretty amazing. How does it work?"
"Big Sis' sealing method is even more amazing, isn't it...? How do you safely seal them inside yourself and still use their power freely...?"
Huohuo didn't understand Sylvia's amazement.
If the Ten-Lords Commission had a sealing method as convenient as Sylvia's, dealing with Heliobi wouldn't need all these complicated steps.
They could probably even give every Judge their own Heliobus, boosting their overall combat strength immensely.
Even after millennia of dealing with Heliobi, safely and stably wielding their power like Sylvia does remains an unattainable goal for the Luofu.
The best they have is Huohuo, barely coexisting with one.
Other unorthodox methods mostly cost you your life and are taboo on the Luofu.
Just then, a voice approached from a side path.
"Huohuo, don't dwell on such dangerous thoughts."
"Yikes—Lord Hanya? You, you scared me! Why are you here?"
Startled by the sudden voice, Huohuo flinched and clung tighter to Sylvia's arm before turning to see her superior.
Hanya looked at Huohuo, who was practically glued to Sylvia, and tilted her head slightly:
"It seems your relationship with Miss Sylvia is even closer than what the reports indicated."
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T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.