So...
This is Xianzhou Luofu?
As the IPC transport carrying Luka and his companions approached the Luofu...
Even before passing through the Jade Gate, they could already see it.
An enormous Xianzhou flagship floated majestically before them.
Compared to it...
Their transport ship was no larger than a grain of sand.
This...
Was the legendary Xianzhou Luofu that Igor Haft had once visited.
"This..."
"This is Xianzhou?"
"Is this the Luofu that the legendary Igor once traveled to?"
Luka couldn't hide the amazement in his voice.
Beside him, Hook and Lynx pressed themselves against the window, staring wide-eyed at the colossal vessel ahead.
One of the Six Great Xianzhou Flagships.
Behind its magnificent exterior lay countless Delves—vast folded dimensions concealed within the ship itself.
This spatial-folding technology was used throughout the Xianzhou Alliance.
Even an ordinary starskiff contained space far larger than its exterior suggested.
Only the divine power left behind by the Reignbow Arbiter could sustain such unimaginable energy consumption.
"Lynx!"
"Look over there!"
Hook excitedly pointed toward the distant Jade Gate.
"Do you think we'll get to see Big Brother Evan again?"
Lynx smiled helplessly.
"Evan..."
"I'm not sure."
"But since you've come all this way..."
"I'm sure he'll come see you."
Unlike Hook...
Lynx had never actually met Evan.
By the time she returned from her expeditions...
He had already left Jarilo-VI aboard the Astral Express.
Everything she knew about him came from Gepard and Serval.
It was also through them that she learned...
The Plasma Spark Project had been Evan's idea.
Thanks to that technology...
Belobog had gained far greater confidence in its negotiations with the IPC.
Although...
Lynx had met Herta.
She happened to return while Herta was still visiting Belobog.
The Sky-Faring Commission
Following the Stellaron crisis...
Every vessel entering through the Jade Gate had to complete immigration procedures.
Even IPC ships received no special treatment.
Unfortunately...
Luka's group encountered a rather unexpected problem.
Sky-Faring Commission officer Xikui looked helplessly at the four visitors from Jarilo-VI.
The invitation letter they presented...
Didn't seem quite right.
"We've already verified it."
"The invitation was indeed issued by Luofu."
She held up the document.
"But..."
"The official seal doesn't match the current one."
She sighed.
"This invitation..."
"...was sent over four hundred years ago."
"...Four hundred years?!"
Luka's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That's impossible!"
"We only received it recently!"
Four hundred years ago...
Jarilo-VI had still been trapped beneath the Eternal Freeze.
Its people had been fighting simply to survive.
Did that mean...
Their invitation had been delayed...
By four hundred years?
Fortunately...
Svarog immediately began analyzing the situation.
Conclusion: The invitation was delayed during long-range transmission and only reached Jarilo-VI after interstellar communications were restored.
Xikui nodded.
"I believe the mechanical gentleman's conclusion is correct."
"It appears..."
"You've received an invitation that arrived four centuries late."
Luka's shoulders immediately slumped.
"So..."
"We weren't actually invited."
"This trip was for nothing..."
"How am I supposed to explain this to Lady Bronya and Captain Gepard?"
"They had such high hopes for me..."
Svarog calmly continued.
Priority Assessment: Emotional distress is not the primary concern.
Secondary Assessment: If we are not recognized as invited guests, all lodging and travel expenses must be paid personally.
Financial Evaluation: We cannot afford the required expenses.
Luka suffered yet another devastating blow.
Thankfully...
Xikui smiled.
"I think you've misunderstood."
"The Luofu really is holding the Wardance Ceremony."
"Anyone may register and compete."
"Invitation or not."
"The only difference..."
"Officially invited guests who pass the qualification rounds may directly challenge the defending champions during the Champions' Showcase."
"Ordinary competitors..."
"Must first fight through the Gatebreaker Tournament, advancing round by round until they earn the right to challenge the defenders."
Luka's fighting spirit immediately reignited.
"So..."
"The defending sword champions are the final opponents?"
"Exactly."
"Although you don't possess a valid invitation..."
"You may still participate."
"And still have every opportunity to earn victory and honor."
Svarog raised another issue.
"Correction."
"We still lack sufficient financial resources."
Xikui laughed.
"True friendship is worth more than money."
She gently held up the weathered invitation.
"An invitation delayed for four hundred years..."
"Surely that's a remarkable twist of fate."
"Since destiny has brought you to the Luofu..."
"We cannot fail in our hospitality."
"I'll submit a request."
"Your delegation from Belobog will receive accommodations equivalent to those of honored guests."
"So please don't worry."
She smiled toward Luka.
"However..."
"You'll still begin from the Gatebreaker Tournament."
"You'll have to earn your way to the final stage."
The Seat of Divine Foresight
As Luka's group entered the Luofu...
Within the Divine Foresight...
Jing Yuan leisurely stroked the giant white lion beside him while casually playing a game of Go with the young man seated opposite.
As expected...
The old fox remained as crafty as ever.
Without changing his expression...
He quietly replaced several stones on the board.
Yet...
The boy across from him never noticed.
Before long...
News of the four-hundred-year-old invitation reached him.
"A four-hundred-year-old invitation?"
"Let me see."
Jing Yuan set down his Go stone.
The nostalgic expression on his face immediately caught the boy's attention.
"Jarilo-VI..."
He smiled faintly.
"So..."
"That extinguished star still shines upon the star charts."
"My old friend..."
"It seems your descendants have finally answered my invitation."
His gaze slowly shifted toward Yanqing.
It had happened...
Seven hundred years ago.
Back then...
He had been about Yanqing's age.
Still only a young Cloud Knight.
The Wardance Ceremony had also been held that year.
During that tournament...
He met a fiery-haired young boxer.
A young man who had already conquered countless martial arts competitions across the galaxy.
As the years passed...
They became close friends.
Perhaps...
Best friends.
Unfortunately...
Life was as unpredictable as a game of Go.
Only later did Jing Yuan learn...
Why his friend had traveled across the galaxy.
He wasn't fighting for fame.
He was fighting...
To save his homeland.
A world suffering beneath the invasion of the Antimatter Legion.
At that same time...
The Luofu itself had become engulfed in war against the Denizens of Abundance.
As a Cloud Knight officer...
There was nothing Jing Yuan could do to help.
When the war finally ended...
His friend had already disappeared.
Three hundred years later...
When the Wardance Ceremony was held again...
Jing Yuan sent an invitation to that world.
Even though...
He believed its star had long since gone dark.
He never expected...
That four hundred years later...
The invitation would finally receive an answer.
Jarilo-VI.
A planet named after the God of Spring.
"...How unexpected."
He smiled softly.
"See that they're treated well."
"The invitation may have arrived four centuries late..."
"But we still honor it."
"Charge every expense incurred by Jarilo-VI's delegation..."
"...to my personal account."
"Treat them as honored guests."
He paused.
"As for the tournament..."
A mischievous smile appeared.
He wanted to see...
How his old friend's descendants would perform.
"So let them compete as ordinary participants."
He turned toward Yanqing.
"I've found you an interesting opponent."
"Huh?"
Yanqing had been completely focused on trying to break Jing Yuan's Go formation.
Only now did he finally look up.
"General?"
"What happened?"
Jing Yuan chuckled.
"Nothing."
"I was simply reminded of an old friend."
He stood.
"Come."
"Let's spar."
"Your teacher Evan will be arriving on the Luofu soon."
"He'll probably want to test your progress."
"...What?!"
Yanqing shot to his feet.
"General!"
"I still have to go meet Teacher Evan!"
"No more Go!"
"I'll be going now!"
Without giving Jing Yuan another chance...
He immediately fled.
Watching him disappear...
Jing Yuan simply laughed.
Sky-Faring Commission
After finishing the registration process...
Luka officially became a participant in the Wardance Ceremony.
At nearly the same moment...
Yukong received word that a delegation from Xianzhou Yaoqing had arrived.
She was already rubbing her temples while reading the endless messages in the Yellowbell Communication Network, where the Victor General kept calling her "Big Sister."
Before she could respond...
Another notification appeared.
Tingyun:Lady Yukong~ I've entrusted my benefactors to return to the Luofu first.
Tingyun:My body still requires treatment, so I won't be returning just yet.
Tingyun:Please don't worry about me. I'm safe and recovering well. I only hope everything is peaceful on the Luofu.
Seeing the messages...
Yukong finally relaxed.
One troublesome general.
One troublesome junior.
Being the Helm Master of the Sky-Faring Commission...
It really wasn't an easy job.
She could only hope...
That nothing major would happen on the Luofu over the coming days.
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