Chapter 159: Kafka: Don't Be Scared
"At this moment, we have to say that magical word," Caelus added in perfect sync with his sister.
"...What word?" Fu Xuan was taken aback, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"A simple word that can make friends from all over the world willing to help," March 7th explained, blinking her wide, innocent eyes. "Please."
Fu Xuan fell silent. 'They aren't just trying to trick me into saying the word 'please', are they?'
She held her silence for half a second before finally letting out a soft, defeated sigh, the corners of her lips twitching into a reluctant curve. "Fine. Please."
"Roger that!" March 7th nodded with immense satisfaction, as if she had just won a major victory.
"Qingque, I'll leave the matter of restarting the Matrix's base array to you," Fu Xuan instructed, turning to the perpetually drowsy diviner. Her tone grew slightly more solemn. "Also... forget everything you just saw and heard."
A faint warmth crept up her ears, and she shot Qingque a mock-stern glare that held no real heat.
"Yes!" Qingque responded with a crisp salute, her posture suddenly ramrod straight.
Once the group had walked a fair distance away, Qingque couldn't help but let out a long, mournful sigh. "This is just biting the hand that feeds... not only do I get no reward, but I'm also given more work."
Her shoulders slumped dramatically. "The Grand Diviner wants me to take you all to restart the Matrix of Prescience's base array." She dragged her feet, the picture of misery. "I went to so much trouble to get transferred to the library—such a quiet and hidden place where I could slack off in peace... Now it's all ruined."
She continued to grumble under her breath. "If I don't do it well, I'll probably be kicked out of the Divination Commission. But if I do it too well, won't troublesome errands from above just keep rolling in? I should have just stayed at the game table and refused to leave..."
Letting out another long-suffering sigh, she begrudgingly led the group toward the Matrix's core.
"Hey, Leon..." March 7th, incapable of staying quiet for long, leaned in close and whispered conspiratorially, "What exactly happened to the Xianzhou Luofu this time?"
"Why don't you try to piece it together yourself first?" Leon raised an eyebrow, his smile carrying a hint of playful encouragement.
"Fine, I'll piece it together..." March 7th began counting on her fingers, her expression turning serious. "It's nothing more than the Stellaron, the rumors, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus... oh, right, and that 'Ambrosial Arbor'."
As she spoke, her eyes suddenly lit up with a flash of insight. She lowered her voice to a dramatic whisper. "Could it be... that a Lord Ravager really brought a Stellaron here and is plotting against the Ambrosial Arbor?"
Hearing her words, Leon's footsteps faltered for a fraction of a second.
'Something's not right,'he thought, his placid expression nearly crumbling.'This is really not right. Isn't your intuition a bit too accurate? With you around, what's the point of Elio?'
Currently, Phantylia's identity had not been exposed. Even Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan hadn't completely locked onto that possibility yet. Their logic was a slow, methodical process: a Stellaron erupts on the Luofu, which points to hidden forces manipulating events from behind the scenes. They strike at the surface-level executors—the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus—and from there, begin to suspect a conspiracy of internal and external collusion, finally deducing that the ultimate target might be the Ambrosial Arbor.
Jing Yuan and the others had to sift through countless clues just to barely touch the edge of the truth before Phantylia decided to reveal herself.
And now, March 7th just... makes a casual guess?
'Well... maybe your future self logged in and transmitted memories to your past self?'Leon mused wryly.'Oh, wait, not transmitting memories, but a flash of divine inspiration... no wonder you're always a prophet, March 7th.'
Unfortunately for her, her flash of inspiration was for a normal scenario. This time... the focus wasn't on Phantylia.
"How about it? Don't you think what I said makes a lot of sense?" March 7th straightened her back proudly, beaming as if she'd solved the universe's greatest mystery.
"A Lord Ravager... it is indeed possible," Welt nodded thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "Ordinary forces wouldn't dare to provoke the Xianzhou so directly."
He had originally suspected the Masked Fools or the Fictional Historians were involved, but after learning the rumors had originated from Leon, he had temporarily set that line of inquiry aside. The Xianzhou Luofu was a major power in the cosmos, operating under the watchful gaze of The Hunt. As everyone knew, if you sent a signal to Lan, the Aeon of the Hunt would answer with a giant, celestial rocket.
In such a situation, the only ones who would dare to provoke the Xianzhou Luofu were followers of Abundance or Destruction. Of course... it could also be internal strife within the Xianzhou itself.
"By the way, Leon, what about those friends of yours?" March 7th suddenly remembered something, her curiosity piqued. "It seems I haven't seen them at all."
"Actually, you've all met already," Leon said with a knowing smile.
"Met?" March 7th was stunned.
"Hmm? The three I was playing cards with just now are Brother Leon's friends," Qingque chimed in naturally.
"Those three? Oh..." Stelle's eyes widened in realization. "Then... what about the other two?"
"You've seen the other two as well," Leon's tone was relaxed. "Didn't the Astral Express 'escort' them to the Shackling Prison? Oh, and one more... who was disguised as a Cloud Knight."
"The man in the yellow suit who calls himself Sampo, and that incredibly beautiful girl named Elysia—right?" Caelus recalled, the pieces clicking into place. After all, among the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus they had encountered, only those few had left a deep impression.
"That's right. It's them." Leon's lips curled, his smile laced with pure amusement.
"Wait, that's not right!" The more March 7th thought about it, the more her brain seemed to short-circuit. "How did your friend end up as a minor leader of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus? Is he an undercover agent? And another one disguised as a Cloud Knight? My god... your friends are just too..."
She got stuck, unable to find the right word to describe the sheer chaos.
Qingque, standing off to the side, silently scratched her head. 'Would it be... best for me to pretend I didn't hear anything right now?'
Brother Leon's friends' style of doing things was a bit too... "casual."
With Qingque's guidance, the Astral Express crew successfully completed the task assigned by Fu Xuan and returned to the main platform of the Matrix.
"You've done well. I can already sense that the Talismans of the Matrix of Prescience have been relit," Fu Xuan said, her gaze fixed on the flowing light within the massive array. Her expression softened slightly. "Next, I will interrogate Kafka. Those at the center of the Matrix might feel some impact. Are you ready?"
"Ready!" the Astral Express crew responded in unison.
Fu Xuan gave a slight nod to the Cloud Knights standing guard nearby. Before long, two of them escorted Kafka into the heart of the Matrix.
"Is such a grand display necessary?" Kafka's steps were composed, her posture as elegant as if she were attending a grand banquet. She appeared not as a prisoner, but as an esteemed guest. "I said I would cooperate with you."
Her mere presence made both Stelle's and Caelus's eyes light up. From a distance, Leon offered her a warm smile and a subtle nod. As expected of Kafka... even when imprisoned, her composure and charm did not diminish in the slightest.
"You are a wanted criminal skilled in using Spirit Whisper to disturb people's hearts," Fu Xuan stated, her voice calm and unmoved, yet carrying an unquestionable authority. "This Diviner has no interest in your words; you may say whatever you wish."
She gestured toward the glowing array beneath their feet. "But the Divination Commission has its own ways to dig the truth out of you... ways that reveal far more than words ever could."
"Then please, Grand Diviner, witness my 'destiny' well." A playful, almost dangerous smile flickered across Kafka's lips. "I hope... you won't be scared later."
As she spoke, she took the initiative, stepping forward without a hint of hesitation and walking directly toward the center of the Matrix of Prescience.
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