After watching the animated short "A Flash," Fu Xuan was left with a whirlwind of emotions. However, now was not the time for sentimentality. She needed to address the contents of the video immediately.
She reached a decision quickly. "No, this video cannot be seen by the citizens of the Luofu!"
"The former Sword Champion of the Luofu, the mentor of General Jing Yuan herself, falling to the Mara-struck and turning her blade against her former home... such a thing must never be made public. It would severely damage the reputation of the Xianzhou Luofu and undermine the trust the people have in the Cloud Knights and General Jing Yuan!"
As she spoke, Fu Xuan reached for her Jade Abacus to contact the relevant authorities in the Realm-Keeping Commission. However, she stopped dead when she saw the viewer count in the top-left corner of the screentens of thousands of people were already watching in real-time.
The live comment section was a synchronized flood of messages.
"It's too late..."
...
"Waaaah, the Mara-struck state is so cruel!"
"Curse that damn Plagues Author! Are you only satisfied when you see brothers slaughtering each other, masters and disciples becoming enemies, and the heroes of old losing their minds?!"
"General Jing Yuan was... truly young back then!"
"Jingliu was so cool before she fell to the Mara-struck! What a pity, for such a legend to end like that..."
"Master Yu Ling, I beg of you! You have to make that final move where Jing Yuan summons the Lightning-Lord into his Ultimate!"
"Seconded!"
"Put General Jing Yuan in the Warp banner tomorrow! Don't make me get on my knees and beg!"
...
Seeing Fu Xuan's distress, Qingque tried to offer some comfort. "Master Diviner, please, don't worry. This is just the beginningthink of it as a little appetizer!"
"There are definitely even bigger bombshells coming!"
"Once the storyline actually reaches our Luofu, things are going to get even wilder..."
Fu Xuan massaged her temples with one hand. "Enough, Qingque. Don't say another word."
"This matter... this must be reported to the General as soon as possible."
"Right, right! Report it to General Jing Yuan and let the old man handle it!" Qingque nodded her head like a little chick pecking at grain. "In that case, Master Diviner, I'll take my leave and get back to work."
"Wait, Qingque!"
Just as Qingque was about to slip out the door of the Divination Commission, she was caught.
"Since you have been observing this game for several days, I command you to continue your observations! If any extreme rhetoric appears among the player base, report it to me immediately."
Qingque's energy drained instantly. "Yes, Master Diviner..."
But then, a thought occurred to her. The Master Diviner hadn't given her any other tasks. She was basically getting paid to play a game! Wasn't this much better than her usual work? Now she could play openly and honestly!
Qingque's eyes brightened, and a faint blush of excitement appeared on her face.
After Qingque left, Fu Xuan continued to gather information about Honkai: Star Rail online. The more she saw, the more shocked she became. Although there was no information on the developer, the players' reviews offered a glimpse into the grand scale of the project.
"This... this is..."
"If the story really reaches the Xianzhou Luofu, what then?"
"Even the Matrix of Prescience can only look into the past to know the future, calculating general possibilities or showing a mere fragment of what's to come."
"But this game... it presents future experiences through a narrative performance? Truly... incredible!"
She had found Qingque's claims ridiculous before, but with the facts laid out in front of her, she had no choice but to believe.
Fu Xuan organized her findings into a concise report and sent it off to the Seat of Divine Foresight. While waiting for a reply, she paced back and forth within the Divination Commission, a rare sense of unease gnawing at her.
How will the General decide? Will he believe in this bizarre game? If he doesn't, how can I convince him in the most efficient way?
Lost in thought, Fu Xuan suddenly paused. She took out her Jade Abacus and began searching for Honkai: Star Rail in the app store. Since divination couldn't find information on it, she would have to experience the game for herself.
Right then, a holographic display appeared on the sand table, showing Jing Yuan's figure. He looked as relaxed and lazy as ever.
"General!" Fu Xuan asked urgently. "Did you read the report I sent? About that game..."
Jing Yuan raised a hand, non-chalantly cutting her off. "I haven't read it."
"You..." Fu Xuan froze, ready to emphasize the game's importance, but Jing Yuan spoke first.
"There's no need for alarm, Fu Xuan."
"I've been following this game for a while now."
"What?!" Fu Xuan was stunned.
"There is a streamer on our Xianzhou Luofu named Guinaifen. She started streaming the story of Honkai: Star Rail yesterday. I happened to stumble across her stream, so I have witnessed the entire plot firsthand."
It took Fu Xuan several seconds to process this. "I see. As expected of the General."
Jing Yuan smiled. "So, there's no need to rush. Our Seat of Divine Foresight isn't exactly lagging behind when it comes to intelligence. For now, we just need to keep following the story from Guinaifen's perspective."
Fu Xuan breathed a long sigh of relief and finally sat down. But she stood up again almost immediately. "In that case, I need to log into my own account as well. The two of us must actively guide the conversation in the stream. We'll play the roles of ordinary viewers to prevent the public narrative from turning against the Luofu."
"No problem," Jing Yuan agreed readily. In fact, he had already sent quite a few comments.
"This is my account. Approve the friend request on your end."
The two of them added each other quickly. Jing Yuan's lips curled into a smirk. "Fu Xuan, your username is quite interesting."
[Relentless Divination Machine] replied: "Yours is no less impressive."
[Surfing with Real Name]: "Alright, let's head over to the stream together."
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