Chapter 492: Marry Acheron - 492

Although Fu Xuan was curious about all the strange things Sylvia had been up to lately, she'd at least come to understand why Sylvia had gotten involved with the borisin.

"I think I've got the gist of it. Still, it'd be best if you didn't go around announcing your name." Fu Xuan was worried Sylvia might march straight into borisin territory and introduce herself to the first person she met.

Sylvia was strong enough that she didn't need to fear retaliation from the borisin. Even so, acting as a mysterious Emanator without revealing her identity would be much safer. An unknown enemy was also far more intimidating.

"Come on, do I look like that kind of person?" Sylvia looked away, feeling a little guilty.

She'd actually considered putting on a grand display of power if she happened to run into a borisin army.

"Hah." Fu Xuan gave a scornful laugh. As if she didn't know what kind of person Sylvia was.

"As for transportation, it'd be better to ask the IPC for help. Using Xianzhou starskiffs would only make things more complicated."

"Oh, come on. Our dear Master Diviner should get some rest first."

Sylvia reached out and pressed her fingers against Fu Xuan's head, giving it a gentle massage. The soothing touch eased the discomfort caused by the third eye on her forehead.

Fu Xuan bit her lip, her face turning red as she fought to hold back a sound that almost escaped her mouth. Flustered and embarrassed, she slapped Sylvia's hand away.

"Another sneak attack! You scoundrel!"

"Scoundrel? Hey, don't slander me!"

Sylvia raised both hands with a grin, then caught the finger Fu Xuan was pointing at her nose.

"You've had a long trip. I just wanted you to relax for a bit. It's not like this is urgent."

Sylvia released her hands and gently guided Fu Xuan down onto the sofa by her shoulders. Though a little shy, Fu Xuan followed her lead and rested her head on Sylvia's lap.

"You've only just finished dealing with everything on the Luofu, Fu Xuan. You should take a few days to rest."

After all, her business trip to the Xianzhou Yuque had been anything but relaxing. Even Jing Yuan had managed to attract two other generals to investigate him.

Fu Xuan had gone to the Yuque alone, where she'd had to give testimony about Phantylia while also investigating Jingliu and Luocha. The pressure she'd faced could only have been worse.

"Or would you rather head back to the Luofu sooner?"

Sylvia placed her hand on Fu Xuan's head again, but Fu Xuan threw up both hands and grabbed hers before she could do anything.

"Stop pressing on my head! Seriously..."

Fu Xuan blushed and tilted her head back to glare at Sylvia.

'We're on the Astral Express, and Miss Acheron's right in the next car. Is this woman trying to embarrass me on purpose?'

With that thought, Fu Xuan pulled Sylvia's hands away from her head and placed them against her chest before answering.

"I'd certainly like to take the Express back as soon as possible, but with the plan you and Jing Yuan have arranged, the train can't go there just yet, can it?"

Fu Xuan knew all about Jing Yuan's arrangements. They'd spent the past two days waiting for the enemy to make their move and break into the prison so they could spring the trap.

If Sylvia returned now, she might scare those people off.

Sylvia nodded.

"That's right. I'm planning to arrive on the day of the Luminary Wardance Ceremony."

"Then we'll stick to that plan. I'm sure Jing Yuan can handle Hoolay and the borisin."

Fu Xuan knew that visiting the Xianzhou was a necessary step in building trust between Sylvia and Claretwheel Temple. Sylvia needed to borrow the Matrix of Prescience, while Claretwheel Temple needed the Xianzhou's guarantee.

It was a roundabout process, but there was no avoiding it.

She could only hope nothing troublesome happened that day.

Resting her head on Sylvia's lap, Fu Xuan held her hand and slowly relaxed, her eyes drifting shut. The business trip had left her worn out, but with Sylvia around, she didn't have to worry about anything going wrong.

Before long, she was completely at ease.

The Express cruised through the stars at a leisurely pace. Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and at last, the day of the Luminary Wardance Ceremony arrived.

Only then did Pom-Pom activate the Express's warp engine. With Sylvia protecting the starskiff attached to the rear of the train, they warped toward the Xianzhou Luofu.

--+--

Meanwhile, as the Astral Express crossed the sea of stars, events were already unfolding aboard the Xianzhou Luofu.

Inside the Shackling Prison, the leader of the borisin, disguised as a foxian, entered the mysterious prison dressed as a Cloud Knight and escorting two bound borisin prisoners.

The Shackling Prison was guarded by the Ten-Lords Commission, but the Cloud Knights handled most prisoner transfers. After all, it wasn't convenient for the Ten-Lords Commission to appear before the public.

As the prison gates slowly closed, the judge assigned to receive the prisoners cast a discreet glance at the Cloud Knights heading deeper inside. Then the judge took out a communication device and sent the signal they'd agreed upon.

Meanwhile, the guards stationed near the facilities holding the special mechs quietly went on alert. They began withdrawing in stages, leaving deliberate gaps in their encirclement.

Whether they could defeat the intruders or not, the Ten-Lords Commission intended to make the prison break appear successful.

At the same time, outside the Shackling Prison, the Astral Express trio stood before the main gate alongside Yanqing, Yunli, Moze, and the others.

"Whoa! So this is the Shackling Prison? That gate's huge!"

March 7th shaded her eyes with one hand and craned her neck to admire the grand entrance.

"Can I take a picture?"

Her hand was already reaching for her camera.

Yanqing, standing beside her, pointed at the soldiers guarding the entrance with a helpless look.

"If you do, the Ten-Lords Commission might actually throw you into the Shackling Prison. You'd better not."

"Uh..."

March scratched her head with an awkward smile and pulled her hand back.

"March, our target's dangerous this time. We need to be careful."

Officially, the group was entering the Shackling Prison to visit Hoolay. Their real objective, however, was to help Moze sneak into the deepest part of the prison and risk gathering intelligence from the borisin after Hoolay's release.

Once Hoolay escaped, he'd surely want to learn about the current state of the borisin as soon as possible. Of course, how much Moze could overhear would depend on luck.

As for the others, Jing Yuan and Huaiyan had sent Yanqing and Yunli along as a training exercise.

Stelle and March 7th, meanwhile, were just tagging along for the excitement.

Jing Yuan had personally asked Dan Heng to look after the group. As fellow members of the Express crew, Stelle and March couldn't stand the thought of waiting outside while Dan Heng went in, so they'd joined him.

The borisin were formidable, and Hoolay was dangerous enough on his own. However, with Dan Heng there to keep things under control, and with the enemy focused on escaping the prison, the danger shouldn't be overwhelming.

There'd be risks, but not enough to make it a near-certain death sentence.

For Yanqing and Yunli, this was a fine chance to gain some experience. Besides, Jing Yuan couldn't station an entire army at the prison without alerting the enemy.

A small team was the perfect choice.

--+--

Elsewhere, on the Scalegorge Waterscape's waters, Feixiao sat alone aboard a boat, waiting for movement from below.

All she had to do was wait for Hoolay to come out on his own.

--+--

At the Luofu's port, the Seat of Divine Foresight and the Cloud Knights had kept everything involving the borisin under wraps.

To ordinary visitors, the Luofu was still the same safe, bustling place it'd always been.

The Express pulled into the port, and Sylvia's group stepped off the train. There were at least twice as many Cloud Knights patrolling the area as before, and those were only the ones out in the open.

'Looks like Jing Yuan's keeping a tight watch on everyone entering and leaving the Xianzhou.'

However, they hadn't gone far when Sylvia spotted General Huaiyan sitting at a nearby stall, drinking tea and chatting.

Huaiyan noticed Sylvia and Mei at the same time. The old general smiled and gave them a friendly wave in greeting, with no apparent intention of coming over to talk.

Sylvia and Mei exchanged glances.

Neither had expected a general to be personally stationed at the port.

Fu Xuan also recognized General Huaiyan, but she didn't seem surprised. In fact, she looked as though she'd known he'd be there all along.

Instead, she kept looking around, apparently searching for someone.

"Fu Xuan, are you looking for someone?"

"Qingque. I told her ahead of time to come and meet us. Don't tell me she's gone off to play Celestial Jade again!"

Fu Xuan clicked her tongue and resisted the urge to use her third eye to locate Qingque.

"Ha..."

Sylvia's mouth twitched.

'Oh, Qingque. Looks like your carefree days are coming to an end.'

Fu Xuan sighed as well before addressing the group.

"Forget it. Let's leave the port and head straight to the Divination Commission."

She'd wanted Qingque to arrange a starskiff in advance and prepare everything at the Divination Commission before their arrival.

But that girl had let her down again!

Just as Fu Xuan led everyone out of the port, a small figure came stumbling toward them, gasping for breath and swaying from side to side.

"Hah... Hah... M-Master Diviner... I... Hah... I... I've come... to welcome you..."

Fu Xuan covered her forehead and sighed without a sound.

"Qingque, you're late."

"I... I'm sorry... W-Welcome back... from your triumphant return, Master Diviner... Cough, cough..."

Qingque staggered through her greeting and nearly fell flat on her face. Luckily, Sylvia reached out in time to catch her and let her lean against her arm.

"Spare me the flattery. First, tell me something. Have you been playing Celestial Jade again?"

Qingque looked utterly exhausted. She clung to Sylvia's arm with trembling hands, panting so hard that even her voice shook.

"I-I'm innocent, Master Diviner! I... I just went to the wrong entrance..."

Qingque pleaded her case in despair. Heaven knew she really hadn't let her duties slip because of a game today.

Although there was only one starport, it had plenty of entrances. No one knew which one Qingque had ended up at, but she'd clearly worn herself out running around.

Fu Xuan shook her head.

"Fine. I'll let it slide this time. Did you reserve the starskiff?"

"Y-Yes... Hah... O-Over there..."

Qingque pointed in one direction. She wanted to lead the way, but her legs weren't up to the task.

Instead, she gave Sylvia a pitiful look and whispered, barely loud enough to hear.

"S-Sylvia... Give me a hand... I... I can't walk anymore..."

Sylvia put a hand on Qingque's shoulder to support her, then sighed.

"You're a proper Xianzhou native, aren't you? How'd you let your stamina get this bad?"

"I'm a desk worker! Of course I'm no good at all that fighting and killing stuff!"

Qingque had finally caught enough of her breath to argue back. With a faint blush on her face, she grabbed Sylvia's hand and led her toward the starskiff.

The moment she sat down, she collapsed against Sylvia.

"You're a lifesaver, girl. Let me lean on you for a bit... I haven't run that hard in decades."

Fu Xuan was already annoyed by Qingque's sloppy behavior, but watching her lean against Sylvia right in front of her only made it worse.

Seriously?!

Even she, Master Diviner Fu, had never leaned against Sylvia in such an intimate way!

"Qingque! Show some manners in front of our guests!"

"Oh, come on, Master Diviner... Just let me catch my breath."

Qingque complained, but she still pulled herself away from Sylvia and leaned back against her seat.

"Catch your breath? Don't think I don't know how much time you've spent slacking off and playing Celestial Jade lately. And that Penacony Celestial Jade Tournament! Qingque, you've really outdone yourself!"

By the end, Fu Xuan was practically grinding her teeth. She looked as though she wanted to swallow Qingque whole.

That girl!

She had all that energy to spare, yet instead of working hard at the Divination Commission, she'd run off to Penacony and made a huge spectacle out of some tournament!

Fine. Very fine.

'So your limits are far beyond anything I imagined, Qingque. It seems I've underestimated you all this time.'

'I'll give you more work the moment we get back!'

"Uh..."

Qingque's eyes darted around, refusing to meet Fu Xuan's gaze.

Cold sweat had already broken out across her back.

She'd taken perfectly legitimate leave for the tournament and hadn't skipped a single day of work. But Qingque knew exactly why Fu Xuan was angry.

'I'm doomed!'

'A few days of fun at the tables, and now I'm headed straight into overtime hell!'

Worst of all, ever since returning from Penacony, she'd spent every day bragging to her gambling friends about her incredible performance in the tournament and how she'd fought her way into the finals.

Watching Qingque look as though the color had drained right out of her body, Sylvia couldn't help finding it funny.

One look at Fu Xuan's face was enough to tell that she was all bark and no bite.

Master Diviner Fu had never been good at hiding her feelings. To Sylvia, her expression was easier to read than her own.

It was just that Qingque was too scared to meet Fu Xuan's eyes right now.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so terrified.

In contrast to the noisy Qingque, Samatha and Sugata, who'd accompanied Sylvia, sat quietly in a corner with their heads bowed in prayer.

Perhaps they were praying for a smooth journey.

--+--

The starskiff traveled all the way to the Divination Commission without encountering any trouble. From the looks of things, Jing Yuan's plan was proceeding smoothly.

If nothing unexpected happened, the incident involving Hoolay would likely be resolved within the Scalegorge Waterscape.

At most, it might affect the Alchemy Commission. The Artisanship Commission probably wouldn't see much disturbance at all.

Of course, that was assuming nothing went wrong.

Reason told Sylvia that with three generals stationed aboard the Luofu, a mere Hoolay shouldn't be much of a threat.

But who could say for sure?

Hoolay had survived for centuries despite being repeatedly killed. There had to be at least a trace of an Abundance miracle involved.

If they pushed him too far, who knew whether he might use that miracle to unleash some kind of catastrophic attack on the Xianzhou?

With those thoughts in mind, Sylvia followed Fu Xuan all the way to the Matrix of Prescience.

As they'd agreed earlier, Fu Xuan gave a few brief instructions after returning, then began preparing to activate the Matrix.

With some time to spare, Sylvia called Jing Yuan over video.

When his image appeared before her, she waved with a cheerful grin.

"Hey, Jing Yuan! How're things going? Look what I've got here. I've brought you another whole heap of trouble!"

Even someone as calm and composed as Jing Yuan found himself at a loss for words after hearing that out of nowhere.

All he could do was smile.

"And who might these two be?"

Jing Yuan looked over the group. Samatha and Sugata stood out from everyone else.

Considering Fu Xuan was busy activating the Matrix of Prescience, he guessed the matter had something to do with them.

"Wait until Fu Xuan activates the Matrix, then take a look for yourself. This actually has something to do with the Xianzhou, too."

"Very well, very well. I'll wait and see, then."

Jing Yuan shook his head with a smile.

There was no need to rush things now.

--+--