Qingque eagerly handed over a cold drink.
Taking it, glancing at it, Fu Xuan nodded slightly: "I still prefer Star Boba."
Sticking in the straw out of habit, she took a sip, savoring the sweet balls floating inside the cup.
Just as Fu Xuan was enjoying her happy moment with the Happy Tea, she suddenly turned her head to Qingque, who was also drinking.
"Qingque, as I recall, you're not supposed to be at the Divination Commission right now!?"
"…!!!"
'… I'm done for; The end…'
----------------------------
In the end, Qingque barely escaped punishment under Bailu's protection.
But judging by Fu Xuan's gaze, if there wasn't a new stack of documents on Qingque's desk after returning, that would already count as Fu Xuan being lenient.
"Has Luofu always been this interesting?" Herta asked thoughtfully.
"How could it be? At least in all the time I've been in Luofu... um... it seems I've encountered quite a few things." March 7th originally wanted to refute Herta but hesitated as she recalled recent events.
How should she put it—she had barely arrived in Luofu and had already confronted the Emanator of Destruction?
Thinking about it this way, it did seem like she started encountering strange things as soon as she set foot on Luofu.
"Ahem, these are just accidents. Usually, Luofu is very safe. Situations like today's all have reasons. This was due to the internal reforms of the Xianzhou Luofu, and it was only unusual because the General and I happened to be present."
Fu Xuan promptly interrupted this damaging discussion of Luofu's image.
Even though Luofu had indeed seen many disturbances recently, that didn't mean it was weak. If it weren't for the General's many schemes, things wouldn't have turned out like this under the jurisdiction of Luofu.
Hmm, confirmed — it's all the General's fault!
"By the way, did Ruan Mei come to Luofu for something important? If you need help, I can lend a hand."
Stelle looked at Ruan Mei and spoke.
She hadn't forgotten the accident Ruan Mei had caused back at Herta Space Station.
A Fifty-six second replica of an emanator of Propagation —if it weren't for her Stelle's extraordinary intelligence and unmatched skills, that situation would have been a disaster!
"I..." Ruan Mei was about to speak, but Herta quickly cut in.
"Actually, I just wanted to stroll around Luofu. After all, geniuses always need some inspiration. Since Ruan Mei happened to be free, I brought her along."
"Why does that sound so untrustworthy?" Stelle stared suspiciously at Herta.
This puppet wasn't exactly a good egg either.
"Hmph, I wouldn't bother fooling your brain that's barely the size of half a walnut." Herta turned her head disdainfully and glanced at the Master Diviner.
"Alright, alright, what are we all doing gathered here? Since it's over, we'll leave the rest for the General to handle. Let's head back and get some sleep—everything feels better after sleep. That's medical advice!" Bailu spoke righteously and confidently.
"Aren't we supposed to go see Big Fella? We even bought all these snacks."
"I think this still wouldn't be enough for Big Bro to take a sip of air."
"True."
Hearing March 7th and Stelle's conversation, a glimmer flashed in Ruan Mei's eyes.
Before leaving, Fu Xuan glanced back at the direction of the Scalegorge Waterscape, a hint of reluctance in her gaze.
...
The uprising on the Xianzhou Luofu were quickly suppressed by the Cloud Knights.
It didn't even cause the slightest ripple, being one of the quietest incidents in Luofu's history.
Only a few participants would occasionally talk about it.
"Hey! Dan Heng Passenger, you're back! You don't look so good... Wait, you actually seem very energetic? Hmm~ has Pompom already lost the ability to judge a passenger's condition?" Pompom exclaimed, holding its head in disbelief.
"I'm fine, just a little tired—it's a part of traveling." Dan Heng said helplessly.
Hearing Dan Heng's reply, Pompom sighed in relief, patted Dan Heng's leg with its tiny hands, and nodded knowingly.
"I knew it, the conductor's instincts don't fail. Oh, since you're not feeling great, you should go rest. When Pompom doesn't feel good, I like to sleep too."
"Mm, I will."
Dan Heng nodded slightly and walked over to Himeko, who was sitting by the sofa.
"You look like something good happened. Had fun in Luofu?" Himeko smiled lightly.
Being familiar with everyone on the express, she naturally noticed Dan Heng's different state.
Even when Jing Yuan announced the lifting of his exile order, he hadn't looked this relaxed.
"Mm, met some old friends."
After a slight hesitation, Dan Heng still chose to describe them as old friends.
After all, the Vidyadhara's reincarnation cycle supposedly severs ties with the past, but their appearance and traits remained similar. Even if he didn't admit it, they would still recognize him.
Occasionally, Dan Feng's memories would even flash through his mind.
"That must have been a nice journey of exploration." Himeko chuckled.
"I heard from March that Lady Herta also came to Luofu, along with Lady Ruan Mei."
"Yes, that's true. They should be with March and the others now."
"Let's hope Luofu won't get too chaotic."
Himeko sighed slightly and shook her head. Herta's temperament may easily irritate others during interactions, but ultimately, she wouldn't cause any real trouble.
Ruan Mei, however, was a different story.
Instinctively, she found it hard to believe Ruan Mei wouldn't stir things up. The most important reason, of course, was that Ruan Mei's life sciences had created many miracles.
But those miracles, when applied to people, weren't always so wonderful.
And there was also what Stelle had told her about Ruan Mei's experiments with the Swarm Disaster and the Emanator of Propagation.
"Sigh."
She sighed again, raised her eyebrows at the coffee she had just finished grinding, looked up at Dan Heng, and smiled: "Not feeling well—would you like some coffee?"
"...No need. Sleeping is better than resisting with stimulants."
Dan Heng replied calmly.
"Indeed, have a good dream."
Himeko smiled and went to brew coffee, while Dan Heng quickly stood up. Vaguely, he seemed to hear Himeko ask Pompom behind him whether they wanted coffee.
...
The commotion at the Alchemy Commission was quickly quelled.
Almost immediately after handling his own affairs, Jing Yuan apprehended the suspects, including the preceptors the very next day.
To collude with followers of Abundance on the territory of the Hunt.
It seems the preceptors have indeed become senile. Though they reincarnate, their decaying minds still lead them to commit one absurd mistake after another.
"That's how it is. Now the preceptors are so busy they can't bother me, hehe, I'm free now, I can go wherever I want, eat whatever I like in the Aurum Alley without even having to—"
While chewing non-stop, Bailu chatted with Godzilla.
As for Huanxi, though Bailu was a little upset at first, being quite clever, she had also noticed something unusual in Huanxi's behavior. This exposure happened at just the right time.
'The Luofu General, the former Sword Champion, the Master Diviner, Ruan Mei, the Stellaron Hunter Blade…'
'Even on a galactic scale, such prominent figures all gathering and taking action together—it was, honestly, quite a feat.'
'Herta and Ruan Mei also came?'
Hearing Bailu's words, Godzilla relaxed and slightly wagged his tail.
His eyes opened a little, the half-squinting pupils giving him a somewhat lazy feeling.
He wasn't surprised by Herta's arrival. After all, Herta was often quite idle. Being the top genius in the universe, she had plenty of time to tinker with things she was interested in.
Obviously, he was one of them. But Herta had always been smart and wouldn't act recklessly. This made him feel a bit regretful—if Herta were a bit more reckless, he could simply smack her with his tail.
As for Ruan Mei, he vaguely remembered her extreme rationality. Nothing could stop her exploration of life.
He wondered if she might create some sort of Godzilla 2.0…
Godzilla thought to himself.
Since Ruan Mei could replicate an Emanator of Propagation from the Simulated Universe, creating a Godzilla they could understand was naturally no problem. But that Godzilla was incomparable to the original him.
At this moment—
"Great beast, release me. This Lord Ravager will grant you blessings, and you shall receive the countless treasures I have accumulated over these years. They will all be yours."
A voice filled with temptation came from the hexagonal bronze vessel pressed under Godzilla's left claw.
It was Phantylia's voice. Compared to her previous aggressive and lively tone, now just hearing her voice made it clear that her condition was not good.
In fact, at first, Phantylia had endlessly greeted Jing Yuan and threatened Godzilla to release her, or else the Antimatter Legion would destroy everything the general had.
Godzilla, in response, had directly increased his absorption, temporarily silencing her greetings.
After realizing Godzilla could not be provoked, she began alternating between greeting Jing Yuan and enticing Godzilla to release her, usually doing this twice a day.
It wasn't that she could only speak twice, but after twice, Godzilla would feel annoyed.
A skit once or twice a day was enough; more than that would become nauseating, and she still needed sleep.
Slightly increasing the absorption force, Phantylia would smartly fall silent at such times.
Godzilla didn't even glance at her and directly covered the hexagonal bronze vessel with his claw.
As long as Phantylia made no sound, it was as if she had said nothing. Case closed.
Speaking of which—
Godzilla suddenly remembered something.
"Phantylia and the Flint Emperor on the Luofu are of the same kind, both were Heliobi doesn't that mean..."
The current main energy source of the Luofu was the Flint Emperor, once a powerful energy lifeform that wreaked havoc on the Xianzhou Luofu.
Such a big gift right nearby was very tempting to Godzilla.
But…
"Forget it." Swinging his tail, Godzilla dismissed the thought.
Compared to Phantylia, a mere incomplete Flint Emperor wasn't worth the trouble. Besides, Jing Yuan often provided him with many energy ores, and one shouldn't drain the pond to catch all the fish.
Jing Yuan's value should still be properly utilized.
Nodding slightly, Godzilla contentedly closed his eyes again, listening as Bailu shared with him the interesting things she had recently encountered.
Centered around him, the once barren Lin Yuan Realm was gradually covered in green. The vast lands, once ravaged by abominations and abandoned to seal the Ambrosial Arbor, were now starting to burst with vitality.
...
Thus, Luofu returned to peace again. Except for the occasional simple-minded individual, Luofu basically had no safety issues.
"Mm~~"
Stretching lazily, Fu Xuan twisted her neck, and a sour ache shot up to her head.
This was a common symptom after prolonged desk work. Although she was a long-life species, in this regard the Xianzhou people were similar to short-life species—just recovering faster.
Looking at the processed documents on the table, Fu Xuan was momentarily dazed.
In the past, the files at the Divination Commission always piled up like small mountains. Plus, the Divination Commission had to calculate all possible problems on the Luofu's routes, often making things extremely tense.
Of course, there were also leisure times.
Lost in thought, the pain from her forehead brought her back.
Turning her head, she saw a mirror in the corner, one she had collected from a diviner, only for use during work hours and to be returned after.
She saw herself in the mirror.
Hesitation, uncertainty, as if not knowing how to speak. Completely lacking the usual spirit she had when persuading the general to abdicate.
"Since the work is done, it's only right to have a proper personal life too, right?"
Influenced by a certain often-slacking library administrator, Fu Xuan had also learned this phrase, which she often used to convince herself to slack off.
After a moment's hesitation, she got up and walked out of the office.
The Divination Commission was large. As the department guiding the Xianzhou's path, there were always many people here, and the treatment was quite good.
Fu Xuan's passing didn't attract the attention of the diviners struggling with data.
Ignoring the boss during work hours was a necessary skill for all workers.
Exiting the Divination Commission, she made her way through the entrance..
Just as she was self-hypnotizing in her mind, a voice sounded beside her.
"Master Diviner, where are you heading? May I accompany you?"
"!!!"
The sudden voice made Fu Xuan instinctively step back. After stabilizing herself, she realized it was Herta.
"Phew, Lady Herta, if you have any matters to handle at the Divination Commission, please go in directly. Standing casually at the entrance might cause misunderstandings."
Fu Xuan let out a long breath, then immediately spoke to Herta with some annoyance.
She finally understood why March 7th always hesitated when mentioning Herta.
With this kind of personality, it was hard to imagine how she had survived without being beaten up.
Or perhaps she deliberately revealed her true nature only after becoming famous, so that those who could beat her wouldn't bother, and those who couldn't would be too eager to curry favor.
"I didn't expect Master Diviner to be standing dazed at her own doorstep, but this is indeed my fault. As an apology, shall I arrange for you to visit my space station?"
"No need." Fu Xuan's eye twitched slightly, and the light in Herta's eyes almost illuminated her — it was obvious she had come for her.
"Miss Herta, you don't need to speak in such... ambiguous terms. Let's just get along well."
After a moment of silence, Fu Xuan spoke.
If her own way of speaking came from a good education and extensive reading, then Herta's way of speaking seemed aimed purely at her own reasons, regardless of how others felt.
After spending some time together, Fu Xuan had come to understand just how low Herta's emotional intelligence was.
It wasn't exactly unbearable, but compared to normal people, Herta's strength gave her great confidence — enough to say annoying things without anyone daring to act against her.
"Alright then." Herta shrugged and spoke again: "Let's go meet Godzilla together."
"…There's no need to be so straightforward too."
Sighing, Fu Xuan nodded in agreement.
"I've heard that you have a good relationship with Godzilla, Miss Herta. I'll take you there."
...
Before long, Fu Xuan learned the reason Herta and Ruan Mei had come to Luofu.
Godzilla.
The giant beast lay crouched in the Scalegorge Waterscape, its mountain-sized body too enormous to look at directly.
The timid didn't even have the courage to face him, especially knowing that somewhere on his tail, in his claws, or mixed among the ores, there was a hexagonal bronze vessel sealed with an Emanator.
So...
"Miss Herta, I must remind you that Godzilla is a distinguished guest of Luofu. You too are a distinguished guest. If the two of you meet, it could lead to some unfortunate consequences."
Fu Xuan spoke seriously.
Godzilla wielded the power of destruction and abundance, and Herta was also an Emanator.
If the two clashed in Luofu, it would cause far greater chaos than any incident involving the Emanator, even more than Godzilla's battle with the Phantylia.
After all, Herta was far more cunning than the Phantylia.
"Don't worry, I have a great relationship with him. I even gave him one of my dolls — he really liked it, though he probably didn't bring it here."
Waving her hand, Herta casually dismissed the concern.
After all, what she said was true. That doll was indeed given to Godzilla. Since it was in his possession, what was the problem?
Rolling her eyes, Herta pretended to show concern: "If anything, you should be more worried about Ruan Mei. Her main field of research is in life sciences — if anyone's likely to cause trouble with Godzilla, it's her.
She's already stirred up plenty of trouble on my space station, though I managed to resolve it all."
Hearing this, Fu Xuan seemed thoughtful and nodded slightly.
Indeed, compared to Herta, Ruan Mei's research in life sciences made Fu Xuan more uneasy.
Seeing Fu Xuan seriously considering her advice, Herta secretly sneered.
Scheming behind my back, huh? Heh, proper people never scheme in secret — facing one's enemy head-on is the true genius approach.
Ruan Mei? How can you compete with me!