After saying that, Dahao looked at the woman beside him with a strange expression.
No matter how you looked at it, what she had just done in front of these visiting guests was somewhat impolite...
If it had been any other time, or if Nero had been replaced with someone else, even if he had personally brought her here, he would have pretended he didn't know her at all.
Hearing Dahao return to the main topic, whether it was March, Stelle, or the Vidyadhara woman who had been happily absorbing Fish earlier, they all restrained their expressions.
Then Dahao began the introductions. He pointed at the woman and said, "The person beside me… this is Lady Qingzu, the Chief Strategist of General Jing Yuan. Regarding the matter of the letter, I believe it would be more appropriate for her to explain it."
After Dahao's introduction, the group nodded and looked toward Qingzu.
Qingzu looked at Stelle and spoke calmly, "I have already read the letter you obtained from the mara-struck.
"While the Cloud Knights were investigating the location of the Stellaron, I was also ordered by the General to track matters related to the mara-struck. Thanks to you, the clues have now surfaced."
"To outsiders, this letter would simply appear to be a piece of good news from someone writing home after recovering from a long illness."
"But the matters written inside actually violate the forbidden laws of the 'Ten Unforgivable Evils.' It can be called outright treason."
Qingzu's words gave Stelle a hint. Following her explanation, Stelle recalled the contents of the letter and said, "You mean the drug experiment mentioned in it?"
"Exactly." Qingzu nodded. "After the Alliance was established, all medical treatment on the Xianzhou has been bound by strict standards and limits."
"This is to prevent people from seeking immortality or mutation under the name of 'healing.'"
"The experiment mentioned in the letter has no record in any archives I searched. Considering that the Alchemy Commission's cavern realm has also been sealed… there is clearly some kind of hidden secret involved."
"The author of this letter was most likely the mara-struck individual you defeated. He was deceived by someone and poisoned under the pretense of curing an illness, becoming the creature you saw."
"A method like this reminds me of an organization that disappeared from the Xianzhou a thousand years ago… the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
"They are followers of Abundance who seek out forbidden alchemical formulas and pursue the so-called secrets of the path of immortality."
"I never expected that an organization long believed to be extinct would now rise from the ashes and begin causing trouble among the people again."
"The Seat of Divine Foresight must thoroughly investigate the current situation of this organization before the matter becomes irreversible."
"If you find similar clues in the future that might be related to the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, please bring them to the Seat of Divine Foresight and give them to me. Right now, we urgently need this kind of firsthand information."
Listening to Qingzu's increasingly serious tone and seeing her expression grow heavier and heavier,
Nero curled the corner of his mouth and raised a hand to cover it.
Others might not know what was happening at the Alchemy Commission right now, but how could he not know?
Not to mention that he had already gone through this part of the story before. The reason the Alchemy Commission was currently under strict control was something he had personally caused.
After discovering that the current Tingyun was actually Phantylia in disguise and informing Jing Yuan about it, Jing Yuan had already decided that while dealing with the Lord Ravager, he would also take the opportunity to eliminate those internal threats that had begun stirring because of outside assistance.
However, to ensure the success of the plan, the relevant information had not been distributed widely.
Aside from Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan, who were responsible for planning everything, only he, the "instigator," and Yanqing, who had been present that day, knew about it.
All of them were tight-lipped people, so there was no need to worry about any information leaking out.
If you had to say where the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were most likely hiding on the Luofu right now, the Alchemy Commission, with its natural advantages, was obviously the primary suspect.
While the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus still thought they were hiding well, Jing Yuan had already been watching them for quite a long time.
But to avoid alerting them before the net was cast, he had not taken action yet.
However, now that their base had been confirmed, ordinary civilians obviously could not be allowed to continue suffering harm.
Therefore, aside from those stubborn followers devoted to the Plagues Author of Longevity, some strong-willed Cloud Knights had also been specially arranged to go there and cooperate, so that the Abundance believers wouldn't grow suspicious because their usual flow of contacts suddenly decreased.
As for those strong-willed Cloud Knights, they were the first batch of soldiers trained under a new training method Jing Yuan invented after Nero returned.
The soldiers of the Xianzhou were already known for their strong will. So why add those four words as a special title for this group?
The main reason was Nero.
As everyone knew, the followers of the Aeon of Pure Beauty, whether the Knights of Beauty or the Mirror Holders, could both be considered extremely strong-willed.
From the perspective of ordinary people, both groups seemed a little fanatical.
One side practiced chivalry while constantly asking people to acknowledge that the goddess of Pure Beauty, Idrila, possessed unmatched beauty.
The other side kept making people look into mirrors to understand what true beauty was.
The will of the Hunt was already unbreakable, and now Nero just happened to be connected to Pure Beauty as well.
Jing Yuan was someone who was very good at ordering people around, and what he was famous for as the Divine Foresight General was not his martial strength.
He thought that perhaps he could borrow some of the power of Pure Beauty through Nero.
Although the process had not gone very smoothly, the result was still quite good.
After a period of effort, such a unit had finally been established.
Using the terminology of the followers of the Aeon of Pure Beauty, this unit could probably be called... "The Nero Knights."
Meanwhile, Stelle had been thinking for quite a while after hearing Qingzu's words.
Finally, she slowly raised her head and looked at Qingzu with a serious gaze, asking an extremely important question in a tone that sounded as if she were ready to face death.
Before Stelle could even speak, Qingzu had already noticed the change in her expression.
So Qingzu herself became tense as well.
However…
"What benefits do I get?" Stelle asked in a very cool tone, looking exactly like an assassin described in storybooks.
Hearing that, Qingzu opened her mouth but didn't speak. Instead, she took a deep breath.
For a moment, she felt like she had almost fainted.
You put on such a serious expression and tone, and in the end this is what you wanted to ask me?
Qingzu's face turned slightly red. She felt the blood in her entire body speeding up.
After being Chief Strategist for so long, this was the first time she had encountered something like this!
To calm the emotions that had suddenly surged like wind rippling across a lake, Qingzu took several deep breaths, spending a few seconds to regain her composure.
Only then did she speak to Stelle again in the gentlest tone she could manage.
"Don't worry. The Seat of Divine Foresight will not treat anyone who contributes to us unfairly."
Having served as a superior for quite some time, Qingzu was capable of managing subordinates.
But someone like Stelle, who caught her so off guard, had completely thrown her off balance.
Then she thought about Nero's personality as well, and suddenly everything became clear.
No wonder every time Nero went to the Seat of Divine Foresight to see the General, the General's expression afterward was always so subtle. So this was the reason.
Soon after, Qingzu pushed aside those thoughts that weren't suitable for work hours. With the mindset that extra help should not be wasted when manpower was insufficient, she spoke to the Trailblazer squad.
"Recently I received intelligence reports saying that, taking advantage of the current chaos, someone around Exalting Sanctum seems to be persuading outsiders from beyond the Xianzhou. Perhaps you could begin investigating there?"
"In fact, several months ago I once sent an investigator to secretly look into the matter. Some clues were found."
"But it seems the other side grew suspicious… the undercover agent lost contact. I suspect he may have been discovered…"
Qingzu's gaze turned toward the three members of the Astral Express.
"You are unfamiliar faces on the Luofu, and you are outsiders as well. I'll leave this matter to you. That way I can feel much more at ease."