Qingque led everyone forward, and at this moment they had not yet left Exalting Sanctum.
Standing on a two-story platform and looking into the distance, they could see a hazy sea of clouds churning.
At the top of the blue sky, beneath the stars, a single plant rose straight from the ground, its origin unknown, stretching toward the heavens, its destination unclear.
That tree had a majestic posture reaching into the sky, yet there was no sign of life on it. No new buds could be seen, no green leaves at all. It seemed to be a withered tree.
Seeing this, March couldn't help but feel curious and asked, "What is that?"
"An ancient tree called Ambrosial Arbour," Nero answered March's question.
Qingque then continued from Nero's words and explained, "This thing used to be a 'treasure' on the Luofu, a divine tree bestowed by the Plague's Author."
"It's said to be a remnant left behind when the ancient Xianzhou ships roamed beyond the heavens."
"But you should all be able to tell that now this thing is clearly not welcomed. The books say that ever since the Reignbow Arbiter cut down Ambrosial Arbour, this thing has been dead for thousands of years."
"But to be honest, young people on the Xianzhou nowadays rarely study history anymore. In the new generation, very few people can even tell its origin."
Qingque spoke as if it were nothing, light and casual. This girl always looked like she was slacking off and joking around, but every now and then she would unintentionally reveal knowledge far beyond ordinary people.
"From afar now, it's nothing more than half a dead tree. But according to the 'Dream Records of the Upper Nation,' in its prime its size 'climbed the vault of the sky and hung down the stars'!"
Hearing Qingque's explanation, March blinked twice. After a round of intense thinking, the beautiful girl asked with confusion in her eyes, "…What does that mean?"
"It means this tree was tall enough to reach the sky, and stars could hang down from its branches," Mr. Yang explained to March.
"Wow! Then how big would that be? As big as the train? No, as big as the Herta Space Station! No, that's not right either."
March imagined the scene described by Mr. Yang and was deeply shocked. "Stars hanging down… I'm afraid even the entire Xianzhou couldn't fit it!"
"Truly an unimaginably magnificent giant tree…" the little gray-haired one couldn't help but sigh.
"Exactly. In short, however big you can imagine it, that's how big it was."
Qingque spread her hands and said with little interest, "Anyway, it's all just legend. On my way to and from work, I see this kind of scenery every day. I'm already tired of looking at it."
Yanqing nodded and said leisurely, "Indeed. For the people of the Xianzhou, the withered branches of the Ambrosial Arbour tree have been visible every day since birth. After seeing it so often, it no longer feels strange."
"Besides, nowadays very few people know its origins and history. Perhaps after a few more generations, there will be a group of young people who simply treat it as some kind of scenery."
"Huh? That's too scary…" Huohuo shrank her neck, suddenly feeling a bit of fear and worry about the future of the Xianzhou.
Although she usually didn't think about these things much, and Yanqing had said it would take several generations, the lifespan of Xianzhou people was extremely long, and there was no rush for marriage and children.
Even a few generations later would probably mean five or six hundred years at the very least.
Still, being prepared for danger in times of peace was a principle people like Huohuo, who bore the name of ominous fortune, understood best.
Not thinking about it was one thing, but once she followed Yanqing's line of thought, it made her hair stand on end.
"Hmph! Scared, scared, scared. Is there anything that isn't scary to you?" Tail snorted first, then added, "But this time, what you said isn't wrong. Haha!"
Hearing the discussion among his companions, Nero raised his hand in a thinking pose and muttered softly, "That does make sense."
"We need to think of a solution. Might as well go find Jing Yuan and have him add this piece of history into the academy as part of compulsory education."
"Huh? We have to set up an academy?" Bailu frowned slightly upon hearing Nero's words and said unwillingly, "Can we not do that?"
Nero shrugged and said, "Not doing it isn't an option, but we don't necessarily have to take that route. For example, we could print this story on the packaging of certain items or gifts."
After saying that, Nero raised his hand and patted Qingque on the shoulder. "But we're just making a suggestion."
"If Jing Yuan actually implements it, the ones who'll suffer will probably be the Divination Commission and you guys at the Divination Commission. Hang in there, Boss Qingque!"
Qingque was stunned for a moment, then her face drooped slightly. "So me bringing this up basically means I'm finding ways to give myself more overtime…"
But soon, the girl smiled again, her eyes gleaming. "But there are so many people in the Divination Commission, it doesn't necessarily have to fall on me."
"At worst, I'll just come late and leave early. If the Master Diviner asks, I'll push everything onto you. That way, the Master Diviner won't blame me."
As she spoke, Qingque meaningfully patted Nero's back, clearly telling him to be ready to take the blame.
Nero shrugged indifferently. Let her report him if she wanted. It wasn't like they would actually drag him to work. And even if they did, planning this kind of thing required skills he didn't have anyway.
The kid's approach was simple, be sincere and tough to deal with, never taking a loss.
Mr. Yang, standing to the side, nodded as he watched their interaction. He thought Nero's plan was quite good.
But business came first. The casual talk ended here, and everyone followed Qingque forward again.
After turning a few corners, the group arrived at a pier, boarded a star skiff, and headed toward the Divination Commission.
After reaching the vicinity of the Divination Commission, Qingque led everyone running again.
Due to the Stellaron's erosion, the main gate here was tightly shut. Qingque casually explained and led them along another path.
Along the way, they encountered several waves of Abominations of Abundance, and also asked Mr. Yang to repair some equipment.
The distance wasn't far. There were no major troubles and only a few minor ones, so it didn't take much time. After winding around, they arrived in front of a platform.
Looking down from here, they could see land suspended within a cavernous realm, circling like a dipper.
All the decorations and instruments looked antique and elegant, yet carried an extremely transcendent sense of technological beauty.
Two aspects that would normally feel completely at odds were perfectly combined here, leaving people only in awe without any sense of awkwardness.
Qingque turned around and introduced it to the three from the train, "This is the large-scale jade abacus computation terminal our Divination Commission takes pride in, the 'Matrix of Prescience.'"
At this moment, looking at this massive and complex structure, Mr. Yang felt a bit curious, so he asked Qingque, "Along the way, I've often heard people mention the term 'jade abacus.' Miss Qingque, what exactly is a jade abacus?"
"Jade abacus… well, it's a jade abacus! That's a good question, Mr. Yang. I can't explain it clearly off the top of my head."
"Let me think." Hearing Mr. Yang's question, Qingque muttered to herself, unsure how to explain it.
She organized her thoughts a bit before continuing, "…The book 'Peering into Mysteries through the Mirror' says it like this, 'Living jade inscribed with sigils, divination scripts grasp the profound.'
"Like carving a seal, the craftsmen of the Artisanship Commission inscribe trillions of tiny talismans into the crystal lattice of jade, invisible to the naked eye."
"Then, according to need, they embed them into various mechanisms, allowing them to operate based on predetermined intentions."
"Some jade abacuses are small enough to be stored in bracelets or jewelry. The larger ones are placed into formations, used to deduce variables and understand the past and foresee the future."
"Like this grand Matrix of Prescience, whether it's the evolution of heavenly principles or the changes of the human world, as long as there is sufficient information, it can answer anything."
"It's said that the talismans and principles within it were derived from inquiries to the Erudition Aeon."
"Their depth is such that, in the entire Divination Commission, only the Master Diviner can truly be said to fully understand it."
Hearing Qingque's explanation, Stelle blinked twice. "Isn't that just a computer?"