With Phainon here, things became much more convenient.
He raised his hand.
Sitting in the chair, holding a teacup, Stella watched as countless golden threads suddenly burst forth from Phainon's body.
It wasn't an exaggeration.
It was literally countless.
Those golden threads were as fine as strands of hair, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, but they were real—radiating outward from Phainon's chest, instantly piercing through the roof of the Seat of Divine Foresight, piercing through the clouds in the sky, spreading out in all directions.
Stella's mouth hung open, the teacup paused at her lips.
Hundreds of millions of... Core Flames?
He said hundreds of millions??
Hun-dreds of MIL-lions???
The golden threads spread at an absurdly fast speed.
Stella blinked once, and they had already covered the entire Seat of Divine Foresight.
He blinked again, and the golden threads swiftly flew out of the Seat of Divine Foresight.
Before he could finish his third blink—
"Found them."
Phainon withdrew his hand, his tone still calm.
"Seventeen bases of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus in total. Scattered across the Luofu. Five are large and need to be prioritized—"
Jing Yuan raised an eyebrow.
But before he could ask anything, Phainon raised his hand again.
Cracks of light split the air.
Not one crack.
Five cracks.
Five Hundred Realm Doors opened simultaneously, neatly arranged in the center of the Seat of Divine Foresight's main hall. Their lights intertwined, illuminating the entire hall as bright as day.
Jing Yuan's hand, holding his teacup, paused slightly.
"Groups."
Phainon looked at everyone, his tone serious.
"Welt, solo group."
Welt adjusted his glasses and stepped toward the first door.
His steps were steady, the tap of his cane crisp, his back looking utterly reliable.
"General Jing Yuan, solo group."
Jing Yuan set down his teacup and stood up.
He walked with his hands clasped behind his back to the second door, glanced back at the mountain of yet-to-be-cleared Disciples of Sanctus Medicus prisoners piled in the hall, then at Yanqing who was heading for the third door, and finally at Stella who was still sitting in his chair drinking tea.
"Don't drink too much."
He said.
"I have questions for you when I get back."
Stella: "...Oh."
"Yanqing, solo group."
Yanqing gripped his sword hilt, his face unable to suppress his excitement.
"General, rest assured, Yanqing will not disgrace the mission!"
With that, he dove headfirst into the third door, fast as if afraid someone would change their mind.
"Dan Heng, March 7th, Stelle, one group."
Dan Heng walked silently toward the fourth door.
March 7th bounced along after him, camera still in hand.
Stelle, carrying her baseball bat, passed by Stella and casually ruffled her hair.
"Be good and drink your tea."
Stella: "...I'm not a kid."
Stelle: "Mhm mhm, I know."
What's with that dismissive tone!
"Jing Yuan, Dan Feng, Jingliu, one group."
Jing Yuan stretched lazily and sauntered toward the fifth door.
Dan Feng followed behind him, his sleeves fluttering, his dragon horns glowing softly under the light of the door.
Jingliu passed by expressionlessly, sword in hand.
Her gaze swept over Stella sitting in the chair, then over Bai Heng who was cracking melon seeds next to Stella, finally landing on Yingxing.
"Keep an eye on them."
Jingliu said.
Yingxing: "...Me?"
"Mhm."
"I'm watching two of them?"
Jingliu didn't answer, already stepping through the door.
Yingxing opened his mouth, then closed it.
Fine. He was used to it anyway.
The five groups, each leading a squad of Cloud Knights, filed in one after another.
The lights flickered.
The five Hundred Realm Doors stood quietly there, like five giant mirrors, reflecting different scenes inside.
Stella sat in the chair, holding her teacup.
Next to him were Bai Heng and Yingxing.
The three of them sat in a row, six eyes fixed on the five doors.
Two seconds of silence.
"So..."
Bai Heng spoke cautiously.
"We just... wait here?"
Yingxing cracked a melon seed.
"What else? Go in and get dragged into a fight by Jingliu?"
Bai Heng imagined the scene.
Jingliu cutting people down in front, her behind—doing what? Driving a starskiff inside a building to increase psychological pressure on the enemies?
"...Tea, tea."
She picked up her teacup and gulped down a large mouthful.
Stella also picked up her teacup and took a small sip.
Then—
Sounds came from the doors.
The first scream drifted out from the first door.
"Aoww! Oww! Oah!"
Stella's hand paused.
That was Welt's door.
The second scream drifted out from the second door.
"Why is the Xianzhou General here?!"
Stella blinked.
General?
Oh right, General Jing Yuan went in.
The expressions of those Disciples of Sanctus Medicus upon seeing the General must have been priceless—
The third scream drifted out from the third door.
"Lackeys of the Abundance! Die! Ugh!"
Then came the sound of a sword.
A very crisp sound of a sword.
Then the sound of heavy objects falling—*plop, plop, plop*, like dumplings dropping into water.
Stella silently raised his teacup and took a sip.
Yanqing... is really efficient.
A commotion came from the fourth door.
"Take this, take this, take this—!"
"March, you missed, that's a pillar."
"Huh? Sorry, pillar!"
"...Why are you apologizing to a pillar?"
"...Stelle, don't copy her."
"I'm not copying, I'm recording. Note: March 7th apologizes to pillars."
"Stelle—!!!"
Then came Dan Heng's sigh.
The very helpless kind.
The corner of Stella's mouth couldn't help but twitch upward a little.
The fifth door was the quietest.
Quiet to an excessive degree.
Only after more than ten seconds did a faint sound come—
"Resolved."
It was Jingliu's voice.
Stella almost spat out her tea.
Soon, no more screams came from the Hundred Realm Doors.
Instead, there were sounds of heavy objects being dragged, the orderly footsteps of Cloud Knights, and the occasional exchange of "This one's still alive," "That one's unconscious," "Carry them away, carry them away."
One after another, members of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were thrown out of the doors by the Cloud Knights.
Like dumplings.
Really like dumplings.
Watching those people pile up into a small mountain in the hall, Stella suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Didn't they just haul away another mountain?
And now another one?
Are the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus mass-produced?
*Thud.*
A person jumped out from the fourth door.
Stelle walked out, carrying her baseball bat, looking refreshed and satisfied after her workout.
"Done fighting!"
She walked over to Stella, plopped down next to him, and casually picked up Stella's teacup to take a big gulp.
Stella: "...That's mine."
Stelle: "Mhm, tastes good."
The point isn't whether it tastes good or not!
Jing Yuan walked out from the second door.
Robe neat, hair undisturbed, expression serene, as if he'd just gone for a stroll.
He walked into the hall with his hands clasped behind his back, glanced at the newly piled human mountain, then at Stelle who was drinking Stella's tea, and finally at Stella.
"Is the tea good?"
Stella: "...It's quite good."
Jing Yuan nodded, saying nothing more.
Yanqing walked out from the third door.
Sword sheathed, his face still wearing an expression of lingering excitement.
"General, the seventh base of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus has been cleared. Twenty-three captured in total, none escaped!"
Jing Yuan nodded: "Good."
Yanqing's eyes brightened.
Welt walked out from the first door.
He adjusted his glasses, expression calm.
Dan Heng and March 7th walked out from the fourth door.
March 7th bounced over to Stella's side.
Dan Heng's face was expressionless, but a bit of dust clung to the hem of his clothes.
The Cloud Knights carried people, their expressions tired but their eyes satisfied.
From within the fifth door, Jing Yuan, Jingliu, and Dan Feng emerged.
All five groups had returned.
The five Hundred Realm Doors still stood quietly.
The Cloud Knights began clearing the new human mountain—carrying some, dragging others, moving the unconscious Disciples of Sanctus Medicus members out of the hall.
Soon, the hall was tidy again.
Only a pile of messy footprints remained, proof that something had indeed just happened.
Phainon raised his hand.
The five Hundred Realm Doors closed simultaneously.
The light vanished, and the hall returned to its normal brightness.
He turned to face everyone.
"There's one more base of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
He said.
Jing Yuan, about to sit down, paused.
"One more?"
"Mhm."
Phainon's expression became slightly subtle.
He looked at Jing Yuan, seeming to hesitate.
Sensing his gaze, Jing Yuan frowned slightly.
"What is it?"
"This base..."
Phainon paused.
"...is in the Alchemy Commission."
Silence.
Jing Yuan's hand stopped mid-air—he was about to pick up his teacup.
The teacup hovered at his fingertips.
"You..."
Jing Yuan's voice was a bit dry.
"Don't tell me..."
He slowly set down the teacup.
"...the Alchemy Commission has been infiltrated by the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus..."
Phainon nodded.
"Mhm."
Jing Yuan opened his mouth, then closed it.
Phainon continued: "The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus' leader is also there."
Jing Yuan: "..."
Jing Yuan was silent for three seconds.
Then he picked up his teacup and took a sip.
Set it down.
Picked it up again, took another sip.
Set it down again.
"So."
His voice was very calm.
"The Alchemy Commission."
"Mhm."
"The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus headquarters."
"Mhm."
"The leader is there."
"Mhm."
"The place where I sometimes drink tea and chat."
"Mhm."
"Those physicians who took my pulse."
"Mhm."
"Those alchemists who helped me regulate my health."
"Mhm."
Jing Yuan closed his eyes.
Took a deep breath.
Slowly exhaled.
"Good."
He said.
"Very good."
His tone was frighteningly calm.
Jing Yuan silently took a step to the side.
Then took another step.
And another step.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Jing Yuan's voice came from behind.
Jing Yuan froze in place.
He slowly turned his head, forcing a smile.
"Um... I just remembered, there's a pile of documents back at the Seat of Divine Foresight that need handling..."
"Mhm."
Jing Yuan nodded.
"They should indeed be handled."
Jing Yuan's eyes lit up.
"Then I—"
"You handle the paperwork."
Jing Yuan cut him off.
"Leave the rest to me."
With that, he reached out and placed a hand on Jing Yuan's shoulder.
Gave a light push.
Jing Yuan stumbled back a few steps and landed in the chair piled high with documents.
"Wait!"
Jing Yuan's eyes widened.
"Why am I handling the paperwork?!"
Jing Yuan was already walking toward the main door.
But he didn't look back.
"Because I'm stronger than you."
His voice drifted back from the doorway.
Very calm.
Very serene.
Carrying a hint of a faint smile.
Jing Yuan: "..."
Jing Yuan looked down at the mountain of documents before him.
Looked up at Jing Yuan walking toward the Alchemy Commission.
Looked down at the documents again.
Looked up again.
"Dammit!"
He finally couldn't hold back.
"Bullying me because I'm only LV.32 now!!!"
Dan Feng passed by him and patted his shoulder.
"My condolences."
Jingliu passed by him and gave him a look.
"You'll get used to it."
Bai Heng walked over with her teacup and curiously looked at the document pile.
"This many? Need help?"
Jing Yuan's eyes lit up: "Really?"
Bai Heng: "Of course—I'll call Yingxing over."
Jing Yuan: "...What's the difference?"
Bai Heng: "He's smart."
Yingxing stood up from his chair: "I don't—"
Bai Heng was already pulling him over by the sleeve.
Sitting in her chair, watching this scene, Stella couldn't help but laugh.
He raised her teacup and took a sip.
LV.32...
Suddenly, my LV.1 Tribbie doesn't seem so pitiful.
At least I'm not being forced to handle paperwork in a chair.
By the door, Jing Yuan's figure had already disappeared in the direction of the Alchemy Commission.
Only a sentence drifted back:
"Work hard, don't slack off."
Jing Yuan lay sprawled over the document pile, utterly despondent.
"I hate this original body..."