In front of the Artisanship Commission gate.
Master Gongshu came to a stop.
"This old man will go no further…"
"Just a few more steps, and we'll be at the entrance. Thank you for escorting me. Let us part ways here for now."
Su Shang: "It's only a few steps away. Won't you leave with us?"
"Everyone has their own duties. From the day I entered the Artisanship Commission, I have overseen the operation of the instruments within, never neglecting a single day. That is my responsibility."
"The students retreating to the gate—that is only natural. But I cannot let them see their master cowering in fear of death. Coming this far with you is enough. Now, I must see what more I can do for the Artisanship Commission."
"Little girl, no need to persuade me further. This old man values his life dearly and won't act recklessly. Go on, now."
With that, Master Gongshu turned around with the Diting, leaving only his retreating figure.
His gaze remained stubbornly fixed on the interior of the Artisanship Commission.
In the face of disaster, duty calls.
But the stench of decay lingers.
Before long, Master Gongshu would shout, "It's over! The furnace is done for!" and rush back inside the Artisanship Commission.
In the end, he would be rescued by the Astral Express crew.
So there was no need to worry about him—
—Now, escorting Xueyi to the Artisanship Commission's dock.
Suddenly.
A [Gatehouse Spirit] blocked their path.
At the sight of this monstrosity—
"Oh no! We've run into that damn gatehouse spirit again!"
They had encountered this enemy once before.
Once it activated [Malice Mode], not only would debuffs be ineffective, but it would also summon two goldfish monsters.
After that, every time it shifted, it could knock a character into a Weakened state!
"Last time, this bastard locked down my Jing Yuan for two whole turns!"
"The Divine Lance would just start running up, only to get knocked back down—over and over!"
"I was so furious I almost wanted to tear this gatehouse spirit apart with my bare hands!"
After unleashing two combat skills in a row, the [Gatehouse Spirit] swept its laser across the battlefield.
BOOM!
Guinaifen cried out: "Help me, Divine Lance!!!"
But there was no "Jing Yuan, unleash the Divine Lance!"
Because the [Gatehouse Spirit] slammed Jing Yuan down with a heavy strike—
So precise it didn't even feel like an in-game enemy.
More like a real player was controlling it from behind the scenes!
The Divine Lance…
Would have to start running all over again!
Guinaifen's blood pressure instantly spiked.
If Su Shang hadn't held her back in time,
She might have already started smashing her controller.
Meanwhile, the goldfish monsters began their breath attacks.
Jing Yuan's HP was pushed below half.
Right at that moment—
The story-given Luocha in the party suddenly raised his right hand.
"White Blossom Bloom!"
Jing Yuan, who had been forced into deep contemplation, suddenly straightened up!
"Thank you!"
The next second—
A ten-stack Divine Lance arrived as promised!
"Boom—!!!"
The two goldfish monsters instantly combusted, and the [Gatehouse Spirit] was left on the brink of death.
"Huh?!"
Guinaifen, who had been ready to restart the fight, nearly popped her eyes out at the sight.
"Wait… Luocha's skill auto-triggers?!"
"And—it removes debuffs from allies?!"
"Holy—!"
"This is insane!"
"She's literally the perfect survival support for Jing Yuan!"
"So that's how it works!"
"Debuff cleanse, auto-cast, massive heals… This is straight-up a 5-star limited character's power level!"
"For Jing Yuan's sake—!"
"She can fit into any team and massively boost survivability!"
"Good, good! This design is brilliant! I never managed to pull Bailu or Gepard, but now we finally have a 5-star Abundance healer!"
As for Guinaifen?
Needless to say.
After witnessing such a game-changing moment in battle, she had already engraved Luocha into her "must-pull" list.
---
Back to the story.
The journey alongside the judge named Xueyi seemed to be coming to an end.
"Everyone, the revival of the Ambrosial Arbor will inevitably attract calamity. The Cloud Knights are likely stationed near the Alchemy Commission, adjacent to the Arbor. Head there if you wish to proceed."
"Thank you for your protection along the way. I will report this deed to the Ten-Lords. If fate permits, I shall repay this kindness."
Xueyi boarded the starskiff and departed under the trio's watch.
Turning around, Su Shang said:
"Alright! Since the Cloud Knights are at the Alchemy Commission, I'll find a boat and rejoin my unit. What about you two?"
[Alchemy Commission… Let's go together.]
[Should we part ways here?]
Guinaifen remembered—in the main story, the Astral Express crew reached the Alchemy Commission via the Artisanship Commission.
Now, they had to reunite Dan Heng with the main group!
She immediately selected the first option.
Su Shang chuckled. "After traveling this far, you don't want to leave us, huh? Then let's go."
With the next phase of the quest about to begin,
Guinaifen stretched lazily and said to the camera:
"Alright, time for a quick break—!"
"Oh, I've never been to the Alchemy Commission before."
"I wonder what kind of scenery awaits there. Heh, playing the game is like sightseeing in advance."
"If the place is nice, maybe I'll host my next outdoor livestream there."
Just as Guinaifen perked up, brimming with confidence to continue—
[Rewards obtained: 30 Stellar Jade, 2 Trailblaze Guides…]
"Huh?!"
"Wait… It's over?!"
"No way! No way!"
After exiting the stage,
She checked the [Trailblaze Mission] tab—only to find no further quests available.
In its place were four words:
[To Be Continued…]
She closed the mission log, reopened it—
Checked again and again.
There really was no new main story!
Instead, there were piles of other side quests—
From the Express, the Space Station, Jarilo-VI…
Realizing this, Guinaifen slumped.
"It's gone… It's really gone!"
"I've actually reached the end of the content!"
"The cliffhanger is brutal! Right at the most critical moment! Dan Heng might reunite with the Express crew, or run into Kafka and Blade… The Imbibitor Lunae might even show up!"
"The upcoming plot is going to be insane!"
"Aaaaaah, I can't wait a single second! I need to see what happens next!"
"I'm gonna ask [Zhao Camera] for leaks on the upcoming story!"
Guinaifen felt utterly dejected.
Having followed the main story this far, she had immersed herself completely in the Trailblaze journey.
Now, suddenly forced to stop, a wave of emptiness washed over her.
"Folks, I'm just as desperate for the next chapter, but [Yu Ling] needs time to work on the game."
"Let's all be patient!"
"Type 'In [Yu Ling] We Trust' in chat!"
But—
Just as Guinaifen was about to lead the charge in spamming that line,
Staring at the empty [Trailblaze Mission] tab,
Something inside her snapped!
"Wait… Wait my ass!"
"I can't wait at all!"
"[Yu Ling], you better listen up! Release the next story update—TODAY!"
"I want to see the rest of the Trailblaze journey on the Xianzhou!"
"Now! Immediately!"
In the livestream chat—
Many had already started typing "In [Yu Ling] We Trust", forming neat rows.
But Xiao Guizi's sudden outburst left everyone stunned for a few seconds.
Then—
Came an even fiercer eruption!
"Xiao Guizi is spitting facts!!!!"
"You took the words right out of my mouth!"
"[Yu Ling], you hearing this?! This is the collective rage of the playerbase!!!"
"Let's flood [Yu Ling]'s account with demands! Storm them!"
"I'll lead the charge!"
To be continued…
Advance 100 Chapters are up on my Patreon!
pat reon.com/AlphaSenatus