Chapter 132: Fuli: I Come from Plandae...
"Actually... couldn't we just jump over it?"
March 7th stared at the gate before them, which wasn't particularly high, her voice laced with innocent confusion. Why all the fuss about smashing the door or taking a long detour?
This height was clearly something a person could just hop over.
'Is there some rule on the Xianzhou Luofu that forbids jumping over doors?'she wondered.'Or is there someone here who can't make the jump?'
And wasn't Starskiff Haven supposed to be a port? Why install so many gates that were neither high nor low?
Stelle, Caelus, Welt, and Tingyun all fell into a subtle silence.
"That makes sense!" Stelle's eyes lit up. She took a half-step back, coiling her legs as if preparing for a leap. "I'll go first..."
"Stelle, don't be so hasty."
Welt pushed up his glasses, his tone as cautious as ever. "Things on the Xianzhou Luofu often cannot be judged by their appearance. Many seemingly ordinary structures are actually high-tech marvels integrated into daily life."
He gestured vaguely. "Recall the Cloud Knights we encountered on our way here. They all appeared to be holding large blades, as if they were from an age of cold weapons."
March 7th thought back, and it did seem to be the case.
"But in reality, their traditional appearance is merely a matter of ceremony," Welt continued. "The bows they use are actually ray guns, their flying swords are sophisticated drones, their greatswords are mono-molecular vibrating blades, and their starships are armed with particle cannons."
He paused, his gaze returning to the unassuming gate. "This gate looks ordinary, but it might conceal sensor mechanisms or protective force fields. Leaping over it rashly could lead to unforeseen consequences."
Before he could even finish his sentence, Caelus had already performed a nimble flip, landing with perfect stability on the other side. He turned and gave the group a casual wave, his expression clearly saying, 'See? Nothing happened.'
Welt froze. He remained silent for two seconds, then calmly pushed his glasses back up his nose. "It seems... I was overthinking it."
"But, this humble one..." Before Tingyun could finish her protest, Stelle had already turned around and scooped her up by the waist in a princess carry.
"It's fine," Stelle grinned, planting her feet firmly. "I'll take you across!"
"Wait, wait—ah!"
Before Tingyun could fully react, she felt her body become weightless. Her line of sight shot upward, and the faint whistle of wind rushed past her ears. In the blink of an eye, Stelle had carried her over the gate and landed on the other side, setting her down with gentle precision.
Tingyun steadied herself, the tips of her ears burning a faint red. She didn't know whether to be angry or amused.
These people from the Astral Express... their style of doing things was a bit too "direct."
"What? The people from the Astral Express have already tracked down the Stellaron Hunters?!"
Fu Xuan, having just returned to the Divination Commission, hadn't even had a moment to ask about Leon's group when she heard a subordinate come rushing in with the report.
She sprang from her seat almost instantly. Kafka... she had to bring that woman to justice with her own two hands.
As for these other people... "Qingque," she instructed rapidly, already moving toward the exit, "You go and greet them first. After taking a simple statement, you can arrange things as you see fit. Also..."
She didn't stop walking, her voice trailing behind her as a clear reminder, "Don't forget the main task."
On the way back to the Divination Commission, Fu Xuan had already come to a rough conclusion. She had most likely wronged the Astral Express crew. Their attitude was too calm, almost righteous—nothing like that of wanted criminals harboring ulterior motives.
"Don't worry, Grand Diviner! I won't forget, I won't forget~"
Watching Fu Xuan's figure hurriedly disappear through the door, Qingque quietly breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping in relaxation.
She turned around, the feigned seriousness on her face melting away completely. It was replaced by a lazy, languid smile that screamed 'finally, I can slack off' as she slowly sauntered back to her workstation.
She skillfully pulled a blank statement form from beneath a teetering pile of files, picked a half-bald brush from the pen holder, and dipped it in ink. Only then did she look up at Leon and the others.
"Alright, alright, the Grand Diviner is gone. Let's just go through the motions and get this over with."
Her tone was light and conversational. The tip of her brush scribbled casually on the paper; she didn't even ask for their names before she started writing, having already learned them on the way here.
"By the way, where are you all from? What are you doing on the Xianzhou Luofu?" Qingque asked, her brush doodling more than writing.
"As for me, I'm from the Astral Express," Leon replied with a relaxed smile. "And I'm naturally here on the Luofu for some sightseeing."
At that moment, Dan Heng's form had quietly been replaced by a phantom image, a subtle shift no one seemed to notice.
"I was invited by Leon to come and play on the Xianzhou Luofu." Fuli smiled faintly, her voice soft and gentle. "As for where I'm from... I come from Plandae."
"Plandae?" Qingque's brush paused. She looked up, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. Plandae... that was known as the "Nursery of Remembrance," the territory managed by the Garden of Recollection.
"You come from Plandae?" She looked Fuli up and down, her gaze inquisitive. "You wouldn't happen to be a Memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection, would you?"
Fuli's serene demeanor didn't quite match the legends of Memokeepers, who were said to exist as living concepts. However, Qingque didn't dwell on it, simply assuming it was a matter of personal style.
"Hahaha, I'm from Belobog! Also invited by Leon to come play on the Xianzhou Luofu," Aha answered with a hearty laugh. Since he was using Sampo's identity, it was only reasonable to borrow his place of origin.
'Belobog?' A name she'd never heard. Probably some obscure little planet. Qingque just nodded, not paying it much mind.
"Got it, got it. You're all here on the Luofu at Leon's invitation, right?" she said, summarizing everything with a wave of her hand. She then turned her gaze toward Nanook, whose name sounded a bit difficult to pronounce. "Your turn."
"...Adriftheim." After a long silence, Nanook spoke the name in a low voice.
It was his true homeland, and the very place where he had ascended to godhood. A land, however, that had long since been annihilated, turned to dust in the forgotten past.
'Adriftheim?' Another planet name she'd never heard of. Qingque's brush didn't stop moving as she silently made a mental note.
"Pier Point," Qlipoth answered, his voice a deep, resonant bass.
"Pier Point?" Qingque's brush froze mid-stroke. She looked up in surprise. "Isn't that the headquarters of the Interastral Peace Corporation? Are you with the IPC?"
She found it impossible to associate the calm, solid-looking man before her with the shrewd, calculating corporate drones she imagined. Besides, the IPC's reputation within the Xianzhou Alliance... wasn't exactly stellar.
"No." Qlipoth simply shook his head.
"Not from the company, yet you're from Pier Point? Strange..." Qingque muttered, vaguely feeling that something was off but unable to put her finger on it.
Finally, her gaze fell upon Nous.
"Herta Space Station," Nous answered calmly.
"Herta Space Station? I thought you'd be from Planet Screwllum. You guys really do come from all over the universe," Qingque sighed, then began a cursory search on her terminal.
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