Chapter 209: What?! Teacher, You Came Back Just to Beat Me Up?

The Starskiff Haven was as busy as ever.

Compared to the chaos during their last visit...

This arrival felt almost too normal.

So normal...

That it actually felt a little strange.

The moment everyone stepped off the battlecruiser...

Its automated return protocol activated.

The sleek warship slowly lifted away before disappearing into the Starskiff Haven’s aerial shipping lanes.

"Hey!"

"The ship’s leaving!"

"Wait..."

"Why is the IPC battlecruiser leaving?"

"Yeah!"

"So those people weren’t from the IPC?"

"Then who were they?"

"That’s a limited-edition battlecruiser!"

"There were only a handful produced across the entire galaxy."

"Every single one has its own unique registration code!"

The identity of the ship’s owner quickly became the hottest topic throughout Starskiff Haven.

But honestly...

That wasn’t important.

What mattered was—

Luofu...

I’m back.

Stretching before them was the bustling commercial district of Starskiff Haven.

Starskiffs darted endlessly through the aerial traffic lanes overhead.

Naturally...

Any vessel permitted to fly freely within the Luofu belonged to the Sky-Faring Commission.

Evan had visited the starskiff shipyards at Cloudford before.

He could only admit...

Xianzhou elevated starskiff manufacturing into an art form.

Though every time he looked at them...

He couldn’t help complaining.

The Xianzhou loved giving their advanced technology elegant, ancient-sounding names.

Because of their extraordinarily long lifespans...

They tended to cling to tradition.

Take the Jade Abacus, for example.

It sounded like some mystical artifact.

In reality...

It was basically a handheld quantum computer.

Or Starskiffs.

They sounded like old-fashioned wooden boats.

They were actually sophisticated aerospace vehicles.

The so-called Delve Arts?

Folded-space technology.

The famous Matrix of Prescience?

Essentially an enormous predictive computing system.

By collecting and processing unimaginable quantities of data...

It calculated countless possible futures.

As for starskiffs...

Those were even more outrageous.

Rather than assembling them piece by piece using machinery...

Xianzhou literally grew them.

Their keel.

Their deck.

Their structural tendons.

Every major component was cultivated from specially engineered seeds before being assembled into a complete vessel.

When it came to production speed and manufacturing scale...

Even the IPC couldn’t compete.

It was one of the biggest reasons Xianzhou’s trade network remained so prosperous.

"Coming back here again..."

March planted her hands proudly on her hips.

"I’ve got so many feelings!"

Thinking back to everything that had happened during their previous visit...

Even now...

It still felt surreal.

Who would’ve thought...

That Miss Tingyun had actually been Phantylia in disguise?

And that she’d fooled everyone so perfectly.

It was unbelievable.

Then later...

They discovered that Phantylia’s true form belonged to the Heliobi.

That made everything even harder to believe.

After all...

They knew plenty about Heliobi.

Wasn’t Tail...

Huohuo’s grumpy companion...

One of them?

Even the legendary Flint Emperor was deeply tied to Xianzhou history.

Fu Xuan and Qingque had told them all about it back at the Divination Commission.

That suddenly made March wonder...

So...

Who’s stronger?

Phantylia?

Or the Flint Emperor?

A giant question mark appeared over her head.

"Ladies and gentlemen..."

Stelle suddenly announced dramatically.

"Presenting..."

"March 7th’s Poetry Reading."

"W-What?!"

"I’m not reading poetry!"

March protested.

"I was just thinking..."

"Last time we came to Luofu..."

"We got dragged into trouble almost immediately."

"This time..."

"We weren’t tricked..."

"We’re not chasing any fugitives..."

"And we even entered through the proper harbor instead of a cargo dock."

"It’s all been so peaceful..."

"How rare..."

"Stop!"

Evan’s expression changed instantly.

"Stelle!"

"Cover her mouth!"

"Hm?"

Before March realized what was happening...

Stelle had already slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Mmph?!"

Evan sighed.

"Oh, March..."

"Please don’t jinx us."

"Mmmph!"

She pulled Stelle’s hand away.

"Ptui!"

"Whose side are you on, Stelle?!"

Then she glared at Evan.

"And besides!"

"You’re the one who said General Jing Yuan invited us because something was going to happen!"

"How am I the jinx?!"

"I’m wishing for peace!"

"You’re the real bad omen!"

March angrily grabbed Stelle’s arm and pinched it.

Unfortunately...

It had absolutely no effect.

Normal people weren’t built like Stellaron vessels.

This was someone who could happily soak in boiling water without batting an eye.

Beep! Beep!

Evan’s Jade Abacus suddenly chimed.

A new message appeared.

Yanqing:Teacher! Teacher!

Yanqing:The Sky-Faring Commission just reported that a ship from Herta Space Station docked.

Yanqing:Have you all arrived at the Luofu already?

Evan smiled.

Evan:Pretty well informed.

Evan:Ready for your next trial?

Almost instantly...

The group chat exploded.

March 7th:Trial? What trial?

Stelle:Are we beating up Little Yanqing again?

Dan Heng:Interesting.

Inside the Seat of Divine Foresight...

Yanqing had only just managed to escape another "training session" with Jing Yuan.

Seeing the group chat...

He couldn’t help rolling his eyes.

After hesitating for quite a while...

He finally replied.

Yanqing:[Ignoring you.jpg]

Yanqing:The General asked me to meet you all at Starskiff Haven.

Yanqing:See you soon, Teacher~

Perhaps because the Wardance Ceremony was about to begin...

Starskiff Haven was more crowded than ever.

Merchants.

Travelers.

Visitors from distant worlds.

Everywhere one looked...

People filled the streets.

Normally...

Starskiff Haven wasn’t nearly this lively.

The Cloud Knights stationed throughout the district stood at full alert.

Of course...

Although their weapons resembled traditional glaives...

They were anything but primitive.

The Xianzhou’s technology had always hidden beneath an ancient exterior.

Very much a case of...

"Looks traditional. Actually sci-fi."

"Wow!"

March looked around excitedly.

"Has Starskiff Haven always been this crowded?"

"I can barely hear anyone!"

Dan Heng nodded.

"They’re all here for the Wardance Ceremony."

"The Wardance..."

March tilted her head.

"So what exactly do people do?"

"They fight."

Evan answered casually.

"What do you think?"

"March."

"Stelle."

"Want to sign up?"

"I heard the prizes are pretty generous."

"If you win..."

"You might not need Himeko to give you spending money anymore."

He pointed toward the Sky-Faring Commission.

"VIP registration’s simple."

"You just need to sign your name."

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