Chapter 591: Nanook's Social Death! Caught Slacking, Qingque Cries!
"Hahahahahahaha!" Aha experienced the ultimate Elation; it was the ultimate joy brought to him by the silent, collective gaze of the other Aeons upon Nanook.
Nanook's expression was cold, his fists clenched so tightly that the space around them began to warp. The golden energy of Destruction spread outwards, causing cracks to subtly appear in the fabric of the starry sky. He was about to unleash his rage upon the cosmos.
"Clang!" A giant, crystalline hammer, larger than a star, descended from nowhere. The cracks in the sky were instantly repaired, smoothed over by an unstoppable force.
Qlipoth's Amber Body had descended. The giant hammer was already aimed at Nanook, a silent and absolute warning.
"..." The now-stable Nanook, facing the combined gazes of almost all existing Aeons, had his brief idea of lashing out shattered by Qlipoth's silent threat. He turned, drilled into a crack in the galaxy, and vanished. It was, for all intents and purposes, a humiliating retreat. Nanook had thoroughly suffered social death in the Aeon circle.
The other Aeons had come simply because of the power that had almost destroyed the universe not long ago. Now, only an aura that even they felt a primal fear towards remained. One by one, they departed. Aha also left with a final peal of laughter.
The universe indeed almost ended, but ordinary people felt nothing. The Xianzhou Luofu was still immersed in the joy of the upcoming New Year festival. The streets of Starskiff Haven were bustling with people, the air thick with the scent of street food and incense.
"Qingque, I can understand you slacking off during work, but now, even for the festival decorations you care about, you're being lazy and playing jade tiles. That's really inexcusable." Qingque, being lectured by Fu Xuan in a corner of the Divination Commission, sheepishly shrank her head.
"Qingque is slacking off again?" Ren emerged from a ripple in the void.
Fu Xuan showed no surprise, crossing her arms and glaring at Qingque. "When does she not? I, the Grand Diviner, usually turn a blind eye. But today she's slacking off even when it's not work. She's truly pushing her luck." She pointed to a pile of red boxes. "See, I asked her to hang these red lanterns for good fortune, and she still slacked off."
"Grand Diviner, I confess, is that enough?" Qingque confessed without being asked. She had been passing by, found the card table lively, was greeted enthusiastically by her card buddies, and simply couldn't resist… then she was caught.
"Heh heh, Qingque, you haven't changed a bit," Ren chuckled, teasing her.
Qingque made a bitter face. "My good buddy, don't rub it in. Help me beg the Grand Diviner. Let's go play cards."
"You! You're still thinking about that?!" Fu Xuan's eyes widened. "You're not leaving until all the lanterns in the entire Divination Commission are hung properly!"
Qingque was instantly struck by lightning. The entire Divination Commission… I wouldn't finish even after the card game ended!
Seeing her pitiful look, Ren snapped his fingers. Instantly, all the lanterns floated out of the boxes, flew to their corresponding positions along the eaves and archways, and lit up with a warm, festive glow.
"The lanterns are ready, Fu Xuan. Just let her go. She'll probably be miserable for the entire New Year otherwise," Ren advised.
"Wow! Card buddy, you're too good!" Qingque was so happy she wanted to jump up and down.
"This…" The lanterns were already hung. Fu Xuan was speechless. She sighed. "Ren, I just wanted to supervise her. Being too kind will only make her take a mile when given an inch."
Ren chuckled. "It's a festival. A proper relaxation is fine. After the New Year, just have her make up for the work."
"Yes, yes! I'll definitely work hard after the New Year!" Qingque guaranteed with a serious expression.
"Since you've said so… Very well, go," she relaxed her stance but added fiercely, "If I catch you slacking off again, don't blame me for being merciless."
"Cough, cough." Qingque, who indeed had the idea of continuing to slack off, immediately chickened out. She shrank her head, swore again, and then left, inviting Ren. "Card buddy, coming along!"
"You go first. I'll be a bit later."
"Oh, okay, waiting for you."
"Sigh…" Seeing her fanaticism for jade tiles, Fu Xuan felt a headache. Qingque was clearly very capable, but just had a bad habit.
"Don't sigh. Don't you think such a Qingque is quite cute?"
"Cute… I'd rather she be more mature."
"People will mature when it's time," Ren looked at her. "It's a festival outside. Aren't you going to see it?"
She looked at the sky and sighed. "No choice. The General's position is not easy. The work is too complex."
"Tsk tsk, when I first saw you, you were so eager for Jing Yuan's position. How have you changed?" he teased.
"That scoundrel Jing Yuan. He's probably somewhere drinking tea and listening to music right now," she felt a surge of frustration.
"Tell me what work you have, and I'll just casually take care of it for you. It's a festival, after all. You should relax. Let's go together."
"Ah?" She was about to refuse.
He didn't give her a chance. He instantly read her thoughts and, with a single snap of his fingers, all her tasks were completed. The stacks of data pads on her desk shimmered and then settled, their screens now displaying 'COMPLETED'.
"Done. Let's go."
Fu Xuan, who hadn't reacted, stood frozen, her small mouth agape.
"Why are you standing there? Let's go celebrate," seeing this, he directly took her small hand and pulled her out of the Divination Commission, leaving her to process the impossible as they stepped into the lively festival streets.
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