Chapter 180: Call Me Big Sister
Ruan Mei was mobilizing her personal starship, setting a direct course for the Xianzhou Luofu.
As for Herta's words, they had certainly left an impression on her. Then again, perhaps they hadn't.
Jealousy? Such an emotion simply did not manifest in Ruan Mei. Her disposition was inherently cold and detached. However, the fact that Leon had sent so many useful messages to Herta but not a single one to her did stir something… subtle within her.
She picked up her device.
[Ruan Mei: Nous, Nanook, Qlipoth, Aha, and Fuli are all with you?]
A message was sent, straight to the point.
Leon's reply came almost instantly.
[Leon: Yes, they are all on the Xianzhou Luofu.]
He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Very few people were privy to this information yet. While Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan were aware, they hadn't breathed a word to anyone else, and the Astral Express crew had tacitly agreed to remain silent.
But Leon knew this secret couldn't be kept for long. After all, Aha had grandly declared that He would spread this "fun" throughout the entire sea of stars. By then, any civilization connected to the interstellar network would likely know about the gathering of Aeons. As for those isolated corners of the galaxy… surely Aha wouldn't go so far as to host a "Cosmic Livestream" just to broadcast the news, would He?
[Ruan Mei: Why did you tell Herta but not me?] she asked directly, without any preamble.
[Leon: Jealous?] he teased back, a smile in his text.
[Ruan Mei: A little. She was just showing off to me.]
[Leon: She really is bored, isn't she?]
Leon didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the mental image.
Before the thought could even fully form, the air behind Ruan Mei shimmered. A phantom-like distortion resolved into a solid form, and a pair of familiar arms wrapped naturally around her waist, pulling her into a warm embrace.
A familiar scent enveloped her, but Ruan Mei was not surprised in the least. She had witnessed Leon's elusive, space-bending abilities more than once.
"You're doing it again," she said, her head tilting slightly as a soft curve graced her lips. "Always appearing out of nowhere."
"Isn't this just to make a certain someone feel better?" Leon laughed softly, his warm breath brushing against the shell of her ear.
Ruan Mei tilted her head again, the silky strands of her hair brushing against Leon's cheek. She didn't break away from his embrace; instead, she leaned back, pressing herself more firmly against his chest.
"You know I don't actually care about those messages," she murmured.
Leon chuckled. "The way you're acting doesn't exactly look like you don't care at all."
Of course, Leon had plenty of ways—and more than enough energy—to divert Ruan Mei's attention.
"Leon… are you Akivili?" Ruan Mei suddenly turned in his arms, her hand rising to gently caress his face.
"Huh?" Leon was genuinely taken aback. "Is that Herta's theory? Or is that what all of you think?"
To be honest, the thought had never even crossed his own mind. He knew perfectly well that he wasn't from this world. But from the perspective of Ruan Mei and the others… someone who could casually mingle with a group of Aeons had to be an Aeon himself, right? And then there was his trailblazing behavioral style…
'Oh no,'he thought with amusement,'if I didn't know any better, even I would start to suspect I was Akivili.'
It was a plausible theory, but ultimately impossible. After all, if he really were Akivili… what would that make Stelle and Caelus? His long-lost grandchildren?
"It seems not?" A flicker of disappointment crossed Ruan Mei's eyes.
"Your acting skills have improved," Leon noted, unable to resist flicking her forehead lightly. "Was that disappointment intentional or just a slip? And what are you even disappointed about?"
"You know…" Ruan Mei closed her eyes, surrendering her sight to heighten her other senses, leaning into his touch.
Leon did know. He was well aware of Ruan Mei's unique, almost fanatical fascination with the Aeons. He had thought, however, that since his appearance, her single-minded pursuit had softened somewhat.
"You and Herta are quite close," he said suddenly, changing the subject.
"Yes. Before I met you, I didn't have many friends," Ruan Mei admitted, her fingertip tracing small, idle circles on his chest. "Herta is the best among them."
"Oh… I smell the scent of a 'female colleague'," Leon smiled mischievously.
"Female colleague?" Ruan Mei pondered the term for a moment, then understood his meaning. She looked up and gave him a charming eye-roll. "Boring."
She paused, her fingers slowly trailing downward, her tone shifting to one of genuine inquiry. "Or rather… does this kind of relationship make you even more excited?"
Her gaze was as clear as a mirror as she looked up at him. "Generally speaking, a man wouldn't truly like a 'female colleague' situation." A beat passed. "Unless… he wants both."
Leon was speechless. 'Should I say, as expected of a genius? Her guess is spot on.'
"It seems I hit the mark." A knowing look passed through Ruan Mei's eyes, but there was no anger in them, only a detached sense of understanding. "You really are greedy."
She wasn't angry. She had her own research to explore and was not the type who needed a lover to be clingy all day. In fact, if Leon actually demanded that of her, she would find it far more troublesome. Before he had appeared in her life, she had never seriously considered such matters at all.
But if it were Herta… it didn't seem entirely impossible.
And, if she could get Herta to call her "Big Sister"…
Unconsciously, the corners of Ruan Mei's lips curled into a subtle, satisfied smile.
"Whoa, the battle is really intense!" March 7th couldn't help but cry out, her eyes wide as she took in the scene before her.
Tingyun had led the Astral Express crew to the territory of the Alchemy Commission, which was now a scene of complete devastation.
Overturned refinement cauldrons lay on their sides, their contents spilled across the flagstones. Ornate pillars were shattered into jagged stumps. Precious herbs and alchemical equipment were scattered everywhere, crushed underfoot. Traces of fierce combat scarred every surface, and the air was thick with a scorched, acrid scent—a mixture of spent munitions and the ashes of burnt medicinal plants.
"It seems that while we were delayed at the Artisanship Commission, the Grand Diviner had already set out on her campaign," Tingyun observed, her gaze sweeping across the wreckage, her tone as placid as ever.
"She must have divined that the 'auspicious hour' had arrived," Stelle nodded in agreement.
"After all, she's the Grand Diviner. There's no way she'd just wait for us obediently," Caelus chimed in.
"Speed is of the essence in war," Welt said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his voice deep and measured. "Right now, the most urgent matter for the Xianzhou Luofu is to contain the spread of the Stellaron disaster."
As for the matter of the Aeons, that was a crisis far beyond what any mortal power could influence.
"General Jing Yuan entrusted the heavy responsibility of commanding the Cloud Knights to the Grand Diviner. He surely knew she would act according to her divinations," Welt added, his sharp gaze never relaxing as he scanned their surroundings for any threat.
"Fortunately, the General didn't make us join the front lines with the Cloud Knights…" March 7th's voice dropped, her eyes fixed on the faintly visible figures of fallen soldiers lying on the ground in the distance. "War and adventure are really different. All this… I'm a bit sensitive to these kinds of scenes."
"Benefactor, what are you saying?" Tingyun chuckled, covering her lips with her fan, though the mirth never reached her eyes. "This can hardly be called a 'scene'."
She raised her hand, gesturing toward the towering, silent silhouette of the Ambrosial Arbor in the distance. Her voice was soft, yet it carried an elusive, chilling distance. "The real show has yet to begin."
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