Sylvia gave a brief account of her time in Penacony.
Afterward, she extended an invitation to Fu Xuan:
"...So, Fu Xuan, would you like to take a trip to Penacony? You could consider it a business trip, paid for by the company."
"The Planet of Festivities, huh."
Fu Xuan felt a wave of sentimentality. On a personal level, she was quite curious about Penacony.
She was also rather curious about what kind of scene would unfold when Sylvia inevitably stirred up trouble there later on.
Unfortunately, she had other matters to attend to.
Fu Xuan bit down on her straw and shook her head.
"Apologies, I won't be going. I have important matters at hand; I need to depart for the Xianzhou Yuque in the coming days to deliver a report on the Ambrosial Arbor disaster."
Sylvia didn't react at first, then realization dawned on her—it was about that incident with Phantylia.
"The Ambrosial Arbor? Is this matter... really worth you reporting to the Marshal yourself?"
"...If this isn't considered important, then what else would be?"
Fu Xuan found Sylvia's reaction slightly amusing.
This incident involved the fall of a Lord Ravager, along with the resurrection and subsequent disappearance of the Ambrosial Arbor.
It even led to the breaking of a seal in the Scalegorge Waterscape that never should have been opened.
Could this woman be a bit more aware of the weight of her own actions?
There were even voices on the Yuque requesting that Jing Yuan bring Sylvia along as well. But since Sylvia was not a native of the Xianzhou, and—not to mention her formidable strength—she was also a lone wolf, Jing Yuan had rejected the request.
"Not only will I be heading to the Yuque, but over the next period, another Xianzhou General will arrive at the Luofu to conduct an investigation personally. You... should be extra careful."
Fu Xuan held great respect for the Generals of the Xianzhou, but she was well aware that the Xianzhou Alliance was, by nature, quite bellicose and adept at war.
The fact that the Luofu had been so peaceful for the last few hundred years was, in fact, the anomaly.
As an outsider who had participated so deeply in the Ambrosial Arbor incident, it would be difficult for Sylvia not to attract the probing eyes of other Generals.
And the most critical issue was that her own Matrix of Prescience could not discern Sylvia's future.
That was truly a headache.
While seeing the future wasn't always a good thing, being completely unable to perceive it brought its own set of anxieties.
Selfishly, Fu Xuan did not want Sylvia to remain on the Luofu during this time. But after hearing Sylvia's story, that plan had fallen through as well.
"Oh... is it really that serious? In that case, I suppose I should make the trip."
Sylvia ignored Fu Xuan's underlying implication. Seeing that Fu Xuan was getting anxious, Sylvia hurriedly explained: "I know you're worried, but let's not jump to conclusions. Don't forget, I have Phantylia right here in my possession. She isn't dead yet."
It wasn't as if there was no evidence; Phantylia, in all her existence, was still being held by her.
"...My oversight."
Fu Xuan stood there stiffly for a long moment, then, as if all her strength had suddenly vanished, her posture softened.
Watching Fu Xuan in this state, Sylvia couldn't help but raise her hand and pat her head.
"Thank you for being so concerned about me."
Little did Sylvia know, Fu Xuan had even been contemplating 'shielding' her just moments ago.
She felt happy, though it was clearly unnecessary.
It was the first time she had seen the side of Fu Xuan where worry clouded her judgment.
Besides, Jing Yuan was here, wasn't he? On this matter, they were on the same side.
"Ahem..."
Fu Xuan enjoyed the moment of silence for a while, then gave two dry coughs and dodged Sylvia's hand.
"Regarding this matter, I cannot give you any advice; just go directly to Jing Yuan. Let me see where he is."
She couldn't calculate Sylvia's future, but she could certainly find out where Jing Yuan was slacking off. Fu Xuan closed her eyes and used her Matrix of Prescience for a moment, then opened them, fuming:
"That man, Jing Yuan! He's off slacking at the Alchemy Commission again!"
"Haha~ Is he looking for Bailu?"
"Yes, we're going there directly!"
Fu Xuan held her Immortal's Delight in one hand and grabbed Sylvia with the other, heading toward the nearest back exit.
They rushed out the door. The first second, she didn't realize anything.
The second second, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, looked around, and gritted her teeth:
"Where is Qingque! She went off to play cards again, didn't she?!"
"..."
Sylvia kept her mouth shut, silently offering a prayer for Qingque.
Caught red-handed by the top boss—what a shame, truly.
This wasn't my fault.
"Forget it, I'll settle the score with Qingque later."
Fu Xuan didn't dwell on Qingque for long; after all, Sylvia's business was more important.
--+--
Alchemy Commission.
Ever since Dan Shu had gone missing and was confirmed dead by the Seat of Divine Foresight, an odd atmosphere had permeated the Alchemy Commission.
After all, they were already missing a master, and then Dan Shu, who had barely managed to hold things together, was gone too.
Now, within the Alchemy Commission, the influence of the Vidyadhara had almost completely suppressed the other two factions.
Although Bailu didn't care about such things, she had keenly sensed something was wrong.
After all, even sneaking out had become much more difficult for her recently.
"General, even though your problem is sitting in the Seat of Divine Foresight too long and needing to eat better, you can't just treat my place like your cafeteria!"
Bailu sat across from Jing Yuan, looking at the various dishes that had been express-delivered to the table. While her mouth watered with unrequited desire, she didn't forget to fiercely roast Jing Yuan.
"Eh, that's where you're wrong. In order to strictly follow the doctor's orders, one must take the medicine in front of the doctor, no?"
Jing Yuan unceremoniously added a bowl of rice for himself and passed a pair of chopsticks to Bailu.
"Slurp..."
Bailu took the utensils and was just about to dive in when she realized they were lacking tea. With a wave of her hand, she summoned a small dragon, filling the teapot in front of her with clear water.
The pot began to heat up automatically, but Jing Yuan, sitting across from her, raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't seen this technique the last time he visited.
"This is... Cloudhymn Arts? When did you learn this?"
"Hehe, see how well I use it? Sylvia taught me. I bet it'll startle her next time we meet."
"Sylvia, huh..."
Jing Yuan's heart, which had just been lifted, immediately relaxed.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, followed by it being pushed open with a bang.
Fu Xuan frowned, arms crossed, glaring fiercely at Jing Yuan.
This guy—usually, he liked to use make-believe illnesses to slack off at the Alchemy Commission for a few minutes. Today, he'd gone too far and was actually eating a meal here!
"Oh? What wind blew today to bring Lady Fu and little friend Sylvia here?"
Before Fu Xuan could vent her frustration, Jing Yuan raised his rice bowl: "You two came at just the right time. Would you like to sit and have a bite?"
"Eat, eat, eat! Has the General finished his work? How do you have the free time to eat idle meals here!"
Fu Xuan aimed her spear directly at Jing Yuan.
Meanwhile, Sylvia caught Bailu, who had just barreled into her arms.
"Just saying, it's been a while since we last met!"
Sylvia held Bailu under her arms and weighed her, finding she felt exactly the same as before—not a single sign of growing up.
"Yeah, I happened to have some free time, so I tagged along with Master Diviner Fu to see you."
"Hehe~ Look, look! I'm very powerful now!"
Bailu hopped off Sylvia and began to show off her recent cultivation results in the room. Though the power wasn't great, her control was excellent, and she performed several basic spells with fluid ease.
It was clear she had put a lot of thought into it.
As Bailu performed, she puffed out her chest and tilted her head back, wearing an expression that practically screamed, 'Praise me, praise me!'
"Bailu is amazing! You learn so fast. I'll teach you some advanced spells over the next few days."
Sylvia rubbed Bailu's head.
As she traveled further along the Path of Permanence, the variety of spells she could extract from that Dragon Sovereign's Light Cone increased day by day.
Offensive spells weren't convenient to practice for now.
But as it happened, Sylvia had discovered spells within the Cloudhymn arts that allowed for concealment, enemy detection, and suppressing one's aura.
These functional spells were subtle and had moderate difficulty—perfect for Bailu to learn in secret.
"Really?! That's great! I won't be bored anymore. Hmph! Once I master these, I'll smash those Preceptors' heads in!"
Bailu waved her small fist, looking fierce.
Rather than feeling intimidated, it only made her look adorable.
Sylvia touched Bailu's hair and said with a chuckle: "What I'm teaching isn't offensive magic. Even if you master it, you won't be able to smash any Preceptors' skulls."
"Ah—"
Bailu's face fell instantly.
But Sylvia continued: "However, once you've mastered them, no one in the Alchemy Commission will be able to find or catch you. You'll be able to run out and play as much as you want."
"Oh—!!"
Bailu, who had been feeling down, perked right up.
"Pfft—"
Jing Yuan, who had been talking business on the side, couldn't hold back a laugh.
Fu Xuan, however, found it hard to endure. Exhausted, she abandoned Jing Yuan, rushed to Sylvia's side in two steps, and jumped up, hooking her arms around Sylvia's neck, leaving her hanging on Sylvia's back.
"I brought you here, and this is how you corrupt the Dragon Girl?!"
"Gah—cough, cough! Easy, easy!"
Sylvia hurriedly reached behind her to grab Fu Xuan's waist, preventing her arm from choking her.
"I'm just encouraging Bailu's initiative! Plenty of people in the Vidyadhara know these spells; they're made for exactly this purpose. What does it have to do with me?"
"Besides, the other spells are either offensive or too difficult. These just happened to be a perfect fit."
Fu Xuan didn't understand the Cloudhymn arts, but logically, she felt there was no flaw in Sylvia's reasoning.
Bailu's situation indeed made learning offensive magic unsuitable—it would be too hard to hide. But she still felt there was something wrong with Sylvia.
"You... you're just twisting words!"
"Fine, fine, I'm twisting words. In any case, Master Diviner, could you please get off my neck?"
Sylvia reached behind her to support Fu Xuan, but there wasn't much to hold onto; the waist was thin and smooth, and she kept sliding downward.
With a gentle adjustment, her hands landed right on Fu Xuan's backside.
"..."
The moment her bottom, encased in white tights, was fully grasped by Sylvia, Fu Xuan froze.
She caught a glimpse of Jing Yuan, who was looking down at his tea, and then saw Bailu, who was watching her with curiosity.
Her small, fair face turned bright red instantly!
She hurriedly let go and slid off Sylvia's back as if she were fleeing.
"Ahem! That—that matter aside, regarding Penacony, I will urge Jing Yuan to come up with a plan as soon as possible. Come to the Seat of Divine Foresight later."
"Lady Fu, I don't recall agreeing to that yet."
"Oh, the General's attitude just now practically had the words 'I want to get involved' written all over his face."
Fu Xuan let out a cold snort. Jing Yuan's attitude had clearly been one of great interest. She could even distinctly feel that he had ideas about dragging certain people into this.
"Actually, I think it's quite fine to discuss it here. Lady Fu, there's no need to be in such a rush. Why don't you sit down and eat while it's still hot?"
Jing Yuan had no intention of getting up; he continued to urge them to sit and eat.
Fu Xuan felt that such things should be discussed in a proper setting.
Furthermore, with a Vidyadhara Girl present, she didn't think it was appropriate to discuss these things. But she couldn't say that in front of Bailu, so she could only glare at Jing Yuan with a sour expression.
Then, she sat down next to Sylvia, fuming.
--+--
The rhythm of Xianzhou people eating was always leisurely.
A single meal with tea would easily take a full cycle of time.
Although Sylvia felt Jing Yuan ate with the speed of an elderly man bird-watching on the street, it gave her just enough time to teach those new spells to Bailu.
The principles of the spells themselves weren't difficult, and Bailu had memorized them completely during the meal.
But these types of spells tested one's proficiency.
If the casting speed wasn't up to par and the effect wasn't perfect, the concealment would naturally be riddled with holes.
As soon as she finished eating, Bailu began to practice with great enthusiasm.
"Bailu, whenever you've mastered a spell, just send me a message, and I'll come back to teach you more."
"You got it, you got it! Next time for sure!"
Bailu waved at Sylvia as she left.
Sylvia didn't mind, leaving Bailu's residence with Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan.
The General seemed to want to take a walk or perhaps take a nap, but unfortunately, he was sent straight back to the Seat of Divine Foresight by a skiff Fu Xuan had summoned, giving him no choice.
Fu Xuan herself prepared to return to the Divination Commission; having been away for so long, she had work to attend to.
"Sylvia, after we part ways here, it'll likely be quite some time before we can meet again."
"Don't say that. Just let me know when you're returning to the Xianzhou, and I'll come to pick you up."
"Alright, I'm heading off."
Having received Sylvia's promise, Fu Xuan's mood improved considerably.
She actually wanted to go to Penacony quite a bit; Sylvia was about to go on an adventure, and she wanted to help. It was just a pity that the Yuque was urging her, and it wouldn't do to delay any longer.
Fu Xuan turned and left.
Seeing Fu Xuan disappear into the distance, Jing Yuan relaxed completely.
"Ha... Lady Fu is such a worrier. This matter isn't inherently troublesome, it's just that we need to consider who to send."
As Jing Yuan stepped into the gates of the Seat of Divine Foresight, he couldn't help but yawn.
"That's just Fu Xuan's diligent nature."
Sylvia smiled as she followed beside Jing Yuan, then continued: "Speaking of which, General, are you interested in that mask? It would be a nice choice if the Xianzhou could gain another source of combat power."
"It's certainly a good object, but this Mask of the Fools isn't something just anyone can wear."
Jing Yuan saw through it more clearly—or rather, as a General, he understood the meaning of an 'Aeon's Blessing' better.
That mask was power granted to Sylvia by the Aeon of Elation.
Sylvia didn't want it, and even wanted to sell it.
The Aeon of Elation might find it amusing, and thus would cooperate with Sylvia's actions.
The fact that the mask remained completely silent currently was proof that the Aeon of Elation was anticipating how this would play out.
But whether the 'fool' who spent money to take the mask off her hands would be able to please that Aeon after putting it on... that was another matter entirely.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL