The perimeter walls of the Divination Commission's inner sanctum were even higher, and the faint glow of protective arrays was visible.
Baiheng did not attempt to force her way in; she had long since memorized a back entrance from the data provided by the system.
She held her breath, silently counting the footsteps of the patrolling guards in her mind.
Now!
She leaned forward slightly, her entire body seeming to turn into a blur as she passed through the invisible array barrier at top speed.
Upon landing, she performed a light roll and hid within the shadows of a cluster of spiritual plants.
Her heart hammered in her chest, and her ears keenly captured the movements around her—no alarms, no disturbances.
" (Phew... Step one.) "
The inner sanctum area was even quieter, with hardly any Cloud Knights in sight, yet the invisible pressure was greater.
Every brick and tile here seemed to carry power, making Baiheng feel that maintaining her stealth state was becoming difficult, as if she were being scanned by countless invisible eyes.
She dared not be careless, and following the path in her memory, she crept along the shadows of the corridor pillars toward the private residence that doubled as Fu Xuan's office.
The private residence stood independent of the main building complex and featured a small Stargazer terrace.
At this moment, no light shone from within the residence; Fu Xuan appeared not to have returned yet, or was busy elsewhere.
But Baiheng dared not relax; the closer she got to the target, the more likely it was that unrecorded defenses were hidden there.
Sure enough, just as she was about five steps away from the wooden door of the residence, something unexpected happened!
A seemingly ordinary floor tile she stepped on suddenly gave an extremely subtle feedback.
This was not any known alert array mentioned in the system data!
" (Damn! Is it a trigger-type?!) "
The hairs on the back of Baiheng's neck stood up instantly.
She didn't know what would happen after triggering it—it could be an alarm, a restraint, or even a direct attack.
In a flash, she made the most instinctive reaction: not only did she not retreat, but she pushed her trait to the limit, instantly etherealizing her entire body.
" Hum... "
The imperceptible spiritual light on the floor tile merely fluctuated slightly, like the surface of water brushed by the very tip of a feather, and then returned to calm.
No alarm sounded.
" (That was close...) "
Baiheng felt her back instantly soaked in cold sweat.
This Divination Commission truly lived up to its reputation; even the floor tiles could be monitored by Fu Xuan with a casual hand.
She no longer dared to be overconfident, treading as if on thin ice with every step, carefully sensing the subtle differences in every inch of the ground ahead.
Finally, she arrived at the door of the residence.
There was a restriction on the door.
This was not a problem for Baiheng.
She extended her fingers, clad in special thin gloves, and like the most dexterous probe, lightly brushed across several key nodes of the door lock.
She did not force a breach.
" Click. "
With a soft sound, the door lock was quietly disengaged.
Baiheng quickly slipped inside and pulled the door shut behind her, but did not close it completely.
The room was pitch black, with only the faint light from the star charts outside the window and the distant realm providing some illumination.
The room was much simpler than she had imagined; apart from a bookshelf that took up an entire wall and a huge desk piled with dossiers, astrolabes, and counting rods, there was only a simple resting couch in the corner.
The air was filled with a faint fragrance.
Beside the desk was the designated spot.
Baiheng quickly took out the cargo from her close-fitting storage device—a pink fish plushie that was quite exquisitely crafted and adorably naive.
The fish's eyes were decorated with obsidian-like material, the fabric of the fins and Tail was soft and smooth, and it was stuffed full and soft.
Madam Herta insisted on placing this, and although Baiheng found it inexplicable, an order was an order.
She carefully placed the pink fish plushie on the side of the desk near the chair, ensuring it wouldn't be easily knocked off while remaining sufficiently conspicuous.
After finishing all this, she looked around again to confirm that she had left no traces—no footprints, no scent.
The "Presence Reduction" mode of her eye mask was active the entire time, and even the original alert devices in the room seemed to have remained undisturbed.
Retreat!
She followed the original path, leaving the residence at a faster speed than when she arrived, passing through the dangerous floor tile area, and finally blending into the still-sparse night crowds and architectural shadows, completely moving away from the Divination Commission.
Less than half a tea time after her figure disappeared around the street corner.
" Sigh... "
A light sigh filled with obvious exhaustion sounded outside the residence.
The wooden door was pushed open from the outside, and Fu Xuan, rubbing her throbbing temples, walked in slowly.
She casually lit the lamp on the table, the warm yellow light dispelling the darkness of the room and illuminating her slightly haggard face.
" That Qingque... she only approved thirty percent of today's documents again, and the rest are all piled up there. 'Feeling slightly unwell,' 'the stars are not suitable for desk work'... the excuses she finds are really becoming more and more perfunctory. Does she really take my Divine Eye for a decoration? "
Fu Xuan muttered complaints to herself while walking toward her desk, preparing to continue processing the mountain of official business.
Although these mundane tasks did not involve major divination of heavenly secrets, they were tedious and grinding, especially when one had such a capable (?) subordinate who was accustomed to "slacking off."
Just as she was about to sit down, her movements suddenly paused.
Her gaze fell upon the extra pink object beside the desk, which was completely out of place with the rigorous atmosphere around it.
" Hmm? "
Fu Xuan frowned slightly, took two steps closer, and bent down to look carefully.
It was a pink fish plushie.
The workmanship... was passable, the material was soft, and the shape... looked a bit familiar?
Fu Xuan had an excellent memory, and she immediately recalled the cyan-green fish-shaped pillow next to Qingque's workstation, which was almost treated as a permanent accessory and often used by its owner to cushion her naps.
The style... seemed very similar, just a different color.
" Who put this here? "
Doubts arose in Fu Xuan's heart.
The Divination Commission's inner sanctum, her private residence—who could enter without permission? Cloud Knights? Servants?
Or... was that fellow Qingque bold enough to sneak in and play a prank?
She reached out and picked up the plushie. It was indeed soft and comfortable to the touch, and the stuffing was quite resilient.
She subconsciously squeezed it, then turned it over to take a look.
Just as she was fiddling with the plushie, a small ball of paper, cleverly tucked into the seam of the fin, fell silently onto the desk.
Fu Xuan was startled, put down the plushie, bent down to pick up the paper ball, and slowly unfolded it.
On the paper was indeed Qingque's handwriting, which was not particularly neat but had its own free and easy, casual flair:
" To Grand Diviner Fu Xuan: Seeing that you have been exhausted by official documents and drained by star calculations recently, and that your brows often carry signs of fatigue. Although this subordinate is dull and lazy, I am grateful for your daily care. This little fish plushie was something I obtained by chance; it is soft to the touch and soothing to hold, perhaps it can be used to cushion your forehead during a short nap to relieve some fatigue. I hope you will not overwork yourself and take care of your precious health. — Your unworthy subordinate, Qingque, respectfully submitted. "
At the end of the text, there was also a simple, hand-drawn cartoon fish blowing bubbles, the strokes clumsy yet revealing a touch of Qingque-style nonchalance.
Fu Xuan held the note, stood in place, and was silent for a moment.
She looked at the note, then at the soft pink fish plushie in her hand.
The bright color looked a bit comical beside the serious desk, but strangely... it was not annoying.
" Hmph... meddlesome. "
Fu Xuan let out a soft hmph, her tone seeming somewhat disapproving, but those pink-purple eyes couldn't help but soften for a moment.
She refolded the note, seemingly wanting to toss it aside, but her movements paused for a moment; in the end, she opened a drawer and placed it inside.
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