Chapter 134: Jingliu: My Moe-Struck is Acting Up
"Do you... understand what she's saying?" March 7th blinked, whispering to Stelle who stood beside her. Even with the Synesthesia Beacon active, why did it still sound like complete gibberish?
"I don't," Stelle admitted, shaking her head with perfect honesty. "Even the Beacon can't translate it."
"Ahem..." Fu Xuan's pointed ears twitched, and she couldn't stop herself from speaking up. "If you take issue with this seat's manner of speech, you are free to state it plainly."
"We were commissioned by General Jing Yuan to apprehend the Stellaron Hunters," Welt stated, taking a step forward with a calm, measured tone. "We appreciate your assistance, Grand Diviner, but this person must be escorted by us to the General."
"That will not be necessary." Fu Xuan raised a hand, producing a scroll from thin air. "This seat holds a written order signed by the General himself—please, take a look. Once you have captured the Stellaron Hunter, the Divination Commission is to take over the interrogation process."
"So we don't have to go with her? The General is pretty considerate, huh?" March 7th remarked with a hint of relief.
"I understand," Welt said, his voice deep and unwavering. "However, the General also promised to share intelligence with us. We have the right to know every word Kafka speaks."
"Ah?..." Fu Xuan was visibly taken aback, unable to suppress a muttered complaint. "Can that man ever stop digging pits for me to fall into?"
"We will not complicate your procedures; we only ask to observe the interrogation. Would that be acceptable?" Welt continued his proposal, his logic unassailable.
"Fine. A necessary concession for a pressing matter..." Fu Xuan finally nodded in agreement. "You will all follow me to the Divination Commission."
"Can't we just question her here?" March 7th couldn't help but grumble. "Stellaron Hunters are so cunning. What if she runs away again?"
"Mommy isn't that kind of person!" Stelle and Caelus retorted in perfect unison.
Their synchronized defense left everyone else momentarily speechless. The Astral Express crew, however, was already used to it; after all, this particular quirk carried a faint shadow of Leon's influence.
In truth, even March 7th, for all her complaining, didn't truly believe Kafka was purely evil. In the game Leon had shown them, Kafka was the one who guided them from the very beginning; she didn't seem like a villain at all.
It was just... the Stellaron Hunters' reputation preceded them. To avoid arousing the suspicion of the Xianzhou Luofu, the crew had no choice but to cooperate for the time being.
"With this seat present, she will not escape," Fu Xuan declared, her tone absolute. ", the methods required to pry open a Stellaron Hunter's mouth and compel them to speak the truth can only be performed at the Divination Commission. The auspicious hour has arrived; it is time to move. Everyone, this way please."
...
Meanwhile, in another corner of the Xianzhou Luofu.
"Who are you?"
Jingliu, having just slipped onto the Luofu's soil, felt a presence materialize out of thin air beside her. Her entire body went rigid. She didn't turn, only tilting her head slightly, her voice as frigid as splintered ice.
"Why are you here?"
She had only just set foot on the Luofu, yet someone had managed to approach her so silently. If not for the complete absence of hostility from the other party, her sword would have already left its sheath.
"Hello there, Jingliu." Leon smiled brightly, his tone disarmingly lighthearted. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Jingliu finally turned to face him.
She stood tall and imposing, her pale, blue-white hair swept into an exquisite circular bun and secured with a simple black ribbon. A black blindfold embroidered with a silver moon covered her eyes. This was not because she was blind, but a desperate measure to shut out the familiar, agonizing sights of the Luofu. Those images from the past were too sharp, too easily capable of triggering the Mara-Struck state rooted deep within her, sparking an uncontrollable, world-ending urge to kill.
The blindfold was a fragile barrier between her and madness.
Jingliu... born on the fallen Xianzhou "Cangcheng," she was once a member of the legendary High-Cloud Quintet, the revered Sword Master of the Luofu, and the architect of the Cloud Knights' invincible legacy.
Now, her name had been systematically erased from all official records. She was a traitor to the Xianzhou, forever walking the razor's edge of madness, obsessively pursuing a blood-soaked vow from a bygone era. Countless Abominations of Abundance had fallen to her blade: the Feathered Guards of the Wingweavers, the Nest-Fathers of the Borisin, and even mountain-sized mechanical beasts—none could withstand a single strike.
In the end, however, her mind was consumed by Mara. She went on a rampage, becoming a major criminal exiled to wander the stars.
Sensing her quiet return to the Luofu, Leon couldn't resist coming over to see for himself. After all, who could say no to a tragically unhinged beauty?
"You know me?"
No emotion could be detected in Jingliu's voice, yet hearing her name spoken so casually caused her aura to fluctuate almost imperceptibly. It had been so, so long since she had last been here.
There was someone... who still remembered her?
Her very existence had been intentionally forgotten by the Luofu authorities; she was now nothing more than a traitor on the verge of insanity. If not for her quest to seek revenge against that supreme being and find the power to slay "Abundance," she would never have set foot on this land of love and hate again.
"My name is Leon," he said with a warm smile.
"Leon..." Jingliu repeated the name in a low voice, then shook her head. "I have never heard of you."
"But I know you. And quite a few other people know you, too." Leon blinked, his smile widening. "I'm an admirer of yours! Could I have your autograph?"
As he spoke, he actually reached into his pocket, fished out a sticker bearing Jingliu's image, and then presented a pen and paper to her with practiced speed.
'So fast? When did he even hand them over?' A slight chill ran through Jingliu's heart as she focused on the sticker.
Though she wore a blindfold, she was not truly blind. At this moment, the "self" on the sticker came into view. The blindfold wasn't the black silk with the solemn silver moon she wore, but was instead drawn with a pair of vacant, comical googly eyes. Her normally cool and imposing visage looked utterly derpy.
Staring at her own image on the sticker, Jingliu fell silent. She had no memory of ever owning such a blindfold.
"What, you don't like this one?" Leon scratched his head and, as if performing a magic trick, produced a second sticker. "Then how about this one?"
Jingliu looked at the second one. This was even worse. The pattern on the blindfold had been replaced with a simple `>_<` emoji.
"Not fond of this one either? No matter, I have many more collector's editions!" Leon was filled with an almost manic enthusiasm as he pulled out a whole stack of stickers, fanning them out before her like a deck of cards.
Phrases like "Moe-Struck," "Whatcha lookin' at?" and "Come to the Luofu and be my dog" were plastered across them, each paired with an exaggerated or wacky caricature of her.
Jingliu was speechless.
'There is something wrong with you,'she thought, her voice a dead monotone in her own mind.'Something very, very wrong.'
It was the first time in centuries she had seen such things, and her emotions were fluctuating violently. For a terrifying moment, she felt the familiar, cold rage of her Mara-Struck state about to erupt.
But then her mind snagged on that "Moe-Struck" sticker. The sheer, unadulterated absurdity of it short-circuited the rising tide of madness.
In this subtle, deadlocked moment, a clear, youthful voice approached from a distance, shattering the frozen air.
"Why are there still civilians trapped here? The Cloud Knights' work in this area has been far too negligent!"
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