Aurum Alley.
"Excuse me, sir. Mind if I share the table?"
"…Please, go ahead."
"Alright, thank you si… uh, sir?"
Qingque had just sat down when she stared blankly at the smiling man in front of her.
After snapping back to her senses, a flash of shock appeared in her eyes. She subconsciously jumped up from her chair.
"You you you… Aren't you that person who pretended to be White Knight—"
"Allow me to reintroduce myself, Miss Qingque. I am Leon, a Nameless of the Astral Express."
"Huh?"
"You don't believe me? You can ask your Master Diviner."
"I believe, I believe. No need to ask the Master Diviner, haha…"
Qingque subconsciously shrank her neck and laughed awkwardly.
It was working hours right now. She had secretly slipped out from the Carefree Gate.
Ask the Master Diviner?
What a joke!
Since Leon could walk openly through the streets and alleys of the Luofu without being wanted, he most likely wasn't lying.
Of course, the most important reason she believed Leon was that she had asked Fu Xuan about the identity of White Owl.
She still clearly remembered her superior's expression at that time.
Complicated, displeased, relieved, and somewhat helpless.
Fu Xuan only left one sentence: Don't ask. If you ask, it's all the General's doing!
That meant Leon impersonating White Knight was a secret mission instructed or approved by the General, and there must be a reason behind it.
In that case, why would a small librarian like her worry about it blindly?
"An invitation is not as good as a chance encounter. Let me treat you to a meal as compensation for deceiving you last time. How about it?" Leon smiled.
"Oh, it's fine. Although the Master Diviner didn't say it clearly, I could tell there was a reason you deceived me."
Qingque waved her hand.
"Then, do you still consider me a close friend?"
"Of course! Where in the world can one find a true confidant? People with the same aspirations aren't easy to come by!"
"Then if this close friend treats you to a meal, there's no problem, right? None at all."
Leon gestured around with his hand.
"Look around. Every seat is taken. Only this table of mine has space."
"Then Qingque shall respectfully accept rather than refuse. Close friend, after we eat and drink our fill, I'll take you to play Emperor's Enclosure Jade Cards. It's super fun!"
"Sounds good, sounds good."
Not far away, seeing that the two had finished talking, the restaurant owner Yan Cui finally stepped forward with enthusiasm on her face.
"Dear guests, what would you like to order?"
"Our restaurant has many signature dishes: Garlic Sprout Pork Belly, Chen's Tofu, Crispy Cucumber Spicy Chicken, and more…"
"If the guests are food explorers with unique tastes, then you definitely cannot miss Sugar Ball Stir-fried Vision Meat and Fruit Wood Roasted Shatayan Terror Bird Wing Roots…"
Hmm… Huh?!
Leon's eyelid suddenly twitched.
Sugar Ball Stir-fried what meat?
Vision Meat… wasn't that a type of Abundance abomination? Although such abominations no longer posed a threat now, using them as ingredients…
What a ruthless person.
The Shatayan Terror Bird was also heavyweight, but comparatively more normal.
Qingque seemed not to have noticed anything unusual. Her expression did not change.
"Qingque, you're a local. You order." Leon gestured.
"Ha, although I'm a local, this is actually my first time at Shang Zi Wei."
The little sparrow waved her hands, revealing shallow dimples as she smiled.
"Since my close friend is treating, it's better to let the guest follow the host's convenience."
Leon smiled and nodded.
"Alright then. Boss Lady Yan Cui, bring one of every dish you mentioned earlier, and also a serving of the signature Red Oil Chopped Beef Offal."
"Would you like any drinks?" Yan Cui asked.
Leon glanced at Qingque. Thinking that today was a workday on the Luofu, he subconsciously shook his head.
"No need. Drinking on a workday can easily cause problems. Besides, my close friend's age…"
Qingque heard that Leon was considering her and her smile grew much brighter.
"It's fine, it's fine. It won't affect anything. Don't judge by my petite appearance. I've already passed the adult examination and can drink!"
"Moreover— I'm the best drinker in my family!"
"Ancient people often toasted when forming friendships. We're becoming close friends, so we can't skip the wine. Bring a few cans first."
"Got it! Coming right up!"
Qingque was in an exceptionally good mood today.
She never expected that while sneaking out to slack off, winning a few rounds of cards, and finding a place to fill her stomach, she would run into Leon.
It resolved the previous doubts and made her understand that their friendship was not just an act.
She got to slack off, won big at cards, the friendship was pure, and next she could enjoy delicious food and wine.
Ah~~~
Today was really a great day!
The little sparrow's face looked content and satisfied, with a few traces of intoxication and fulfillment flashing in her heart.
Yan Cui was extremely efficient.
Before long, all the dishes and drinks arrived.
Leon didn't expect that although Qingque looked small and seemed to have the stomach of a sparrow, she could actually eat and drink a lot without being picky.
Once her chatterbox opened, she poured out the helplessness and bitterness in her heart.
"…Sigh. Back when I graduated, my mom told me that if I got into the Divination Commission and secured an iron rice bowl, I could finally breathe easy in the future."
"She didn't know, and I didn't know either. Only after joining did I realize how hard it is to eat the idle rice in the Divination Commission."
"No matter what the divination result is, if it's not adopted, then whatever. But if it is adopted and it mobilizes a large scale, yet in the end nothing happens—"
"The fun begins. When the blame comes down, how can an ordinary person bear it?"
Qingque's little face was slightly flushed. The alcohol was clearly taking effect.
"Leon, you're a Nameless of the Astral Express. That makes you one of the great heroes who saved the Luofu, right?"
"Let's not talk about great heroes. My motive for coming here was to protect my companions. Helping the Luofu was just a side thing."
Whether he was a hero or not didn't matter. He had long since grown numb to it.
Qingque didn't know about Leon's experiences and naturally took his words as modesty.
"Anyway, you're a hero of the Luofu. Telling you one secret thing shouldn't violate the rules…"
"Come come, lean in closer."
Qingque looked left and right to confirm no outsiders could hear, then lowered her voice.
"Do you know why I like going to Jian Yao Xuan to play cards? Because the boss Ruo Yue is my friend. She used to be a diviner in the Divination Commission too."
"As early as March 20th last year, when Ruo Yue routinely used the Luofu's navigation routes as the main focus to divine the future within ten days, she discovered something wrong."
"During the divination, the Matrix of Prescience's base talismans were disturbed, making it almost impossible to form a proper hexagram."
"Since the end of the third Abundance War, there hadn't been such a situation in decades."
"In the end, the hexagram's fluctuations… anyway, it was a great omen of misfortune!"
"Guess what the divination officers did at the time?"
"The three divination officers replied as follows: The relevant information holds no reference value. It is suspected to be caused by redundant elements mixed into the divination and is not to be trusted!"
"Another divination officer's reason was that once this hexagram was adopted, the effort required would be enormous. It must not be lightly acted upon because of one ominous hexagram."
"The last one harshly criticized Ruo Yue for being like those江湖 charlatans outside, full of the smell of fraud and deception…"
"Ruo Yue couldn't reproduce the hexagram. Not long after, for some unknown reason, she was fired by the Master Diviner… and ended up running Jian Yao Xuan to make a living."
"Sigh, my goodness. The system in the Divination Commission is simply too terrifying, too dark."
"From then on, I didn't dare to divine big hexagrams at all. I'm afraid of causing karma. Slacking off and living casually suits me better."
...