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Yukong, who had been observing the group with a sharp, professional eye, finally paused her duties. The elegant Foxian turned her gaze toward the Trailblazers, her presence commanding the entire room.
"Greetings, guests of the Astral Express."
She spoke with the measured composure of a high-ranking official, her demeanor generous yet unmistakably firm. "Tingyun has briefed me on your intentions. Typically, my schedule does not accommodate impromptu meetings with travelers. However, since you possess knowledge of the Stellaron and claim to offer aid to the Xianzhou Luofu, protocol dictates I grant you this audience..."
She paused, her voice dropping an octave as the previously polite atmosphere vanished.
"...Simply to personally decline your offer."
The refusal hit like a wall of ice. Stelle, the gray-haired "Galaxy Raccoon," blinked in confusion. "Huh? Why?"
Yukong launched into a clinical, long-winded explanation. To the average listener, it was a dense thicket of political jargon and security protocols, but the underlying message was clear: the Luofu was strong, the Stellaron was a manageable internal nuisance, and the Express crew were primary suspects in a security breach.
"So, what you're saying is," Kenta interrupted, summarizing her speech with a dry, eccentric wit, "the Luofu is so powerful that a world-ending seed of destruction is just a Tuesday for you. But because your 'firewall' got cracked by a hacker named Silver Wolf right when we showed up, you've decided we're the 'devils'—or rather, the colluders—who let the Stellaron Hunters in. Thus, you're refusing our help and forcing us to stay here for a little game of 'house arrest'?"
Yukong froze. She clearly hadn't expected a "space vagabond" to translate her high-level diplomatic posturing into such blunt, irreverent terms. She sized Kenta up, her purple eyes narrowing. "Your choice of words is... peculiar, guest. But that is the general gist of the situation."
Kenta let out a short, sharp laugh. "You want us to play prisoner? We have no reason to stay, and you have no legal grounds to keep us. I'm a free man."
His tone was joking, but the air around him suddenly felt heavy. He was the "Carefree Wanderer," after all. Don't talk to me about political necessity. You can try to cage the bird, but don't be surprised when the bars melt.
Yukong's expression darkened. "It seems this guest does not intend to speak reasonably."
Kenta scoffed. "Reason? I'm too lazy to waste reason on someone who has already made up their mind. You aren't worthy of the breath it takes to explain it."
"Uncle Yang! Uncle Yang! Do something!" March 7th whispered frantically, tugging at Welt's sleeve.
Strangely, Welt Yang—the group's reliable patriarch—remained still. He pushed up his glasses, his eyes gleaming with a sudden, knowing insight as he leaned on his cane (the one capable of manifesting literal black holes). He looked at Kenta, then back at Yukong, and a faint smile touched his lips. He had seen through the play.
Just as Stelle gripped her baseball bat, a new voice rippled through the palace.
"Haha, Yukong, don't be so fierce. If word gets out, the galaxy will think the Xianzhou Alliance has forgotten how to treat honored guests."
A projection shimmered into existence. A man with flowing white hair and lazy, golden eyes appeared, clad in the ornate armor of a High General.
"General Jing Yuan—" Yukong acknowledged.
"The Astral Express allied with the Stellaron Hunters? Preposterous," Jing Yuan said, his two-sentence intervention instantly dissolving the hostility in the room. "They are mortal enemies. To suggest otherwise is to ignore the history of the Trailblaze."
Kenta's lips curled into a tiny, almost imperceptible smile. Finally, the 'Good Cop' arrives. They took the bait.
He knew the game. One person plays the aggressor to test the target's resolve and see what they're hiding; the other enters as the savior to build trust. He and Sampo had used this exact tactic to sell "ancient relics" in the Underworld more times than he could count.
Jing Yuan's projection strolled closer. "Pardon the interruption. I am the General of the Luofu Cloud Knights—Jing Yuan."
He surveyed the group. Suddenly, Kenta's heart skipped a beat. A massive wave of déjà vu crashed over him. Wait... have I seen this episode before? It felt exactly like the moment he met Kafka on the train—that crushing sense of "I know you."
He braced himself for the General to stop, stare, and fall into a dramatic silence. Fortunately, Jing Yuan's gaze was democratic. He acknowledged everyone equally, his golden eyes moving past Kenta without lingering.
Kenta exhaled. Phew. Even if I lived here before, I guess I wasn't high-profile enough to be on a General's radar.
"The Stellaron is an internal affair," Jing Yuan continued, his masterful rhetoric taking center stage. "It is a Xianzhou problem, and we shall provide the solution. However..." He paused, his tone shifting. "There is one matter I must ask the Express to assist with. Please, follow me."
He signaled them to a quieter corner of the Sky-Faring Commission. There, he explained the real mission: Kafka was still on the ship, and her companion, Blade, had been apprehended but was proving difficult.
"I want you to apprehend Kafka," Jing Yuan stated. "It will clear your names of suspicion and help us understand the connection between the Hunters and the Stellaron. What say you?"
Welt Yang looked at the group, then nodded. "We accept."
Jing Yuan smiled. "Excellent. I will provide the necessary support for your hunt."
The crew turned to leave, but before Kenta could take a step, the General's voice rang out again—no longer the "Good Cop," but something far more personal.
"Phew—now that official business is concluded, it's time for private matters." The laziness in his voice vanished, replaced by a warm, ancient familiarity.
"It has been a long time, Grandmaster Kenta."
Kenta: "..." How is it even possible for me to run into an acquaintance every time I step off the train?
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