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Alchemy Commission, Director's Office.
Stacks of documents slid beneath Lingsha's fingertips, red as if they were about to drip with blood. To everyone else, the Director seemed to be processing her routine duties in a calm, orderly fashion—but only Lingsha herself knew that all of this was merely a façade.
In truth, her work efficiency had dropped by no less than twenty percent. If nothing unexpected happened, the on-duty physicians rotating in tonight would probably find the Director's office lit late into the night.
And the reason she was so unsettled was Bailu—who had once again secretly slipped away earlier that morning.
The moment she thought about how Bailu was probably off running wild somewhere she didn't know, the worry in Lingsha's heart felt like a lead weight, dragging her down until it was hard to breathe.
If Sylvester were here, he would probably say she looked like a biological daughter who was still one day short of adulthood, staying out all night in the neon-lit Exalting Sanctum with some unknown delinquent.
But if Lingsha really heard something like that right now, she would probably just let out a bitter smile and offer no rebuttal at all.
Because the current Luofu was far more dangerous than such a situation ever could be!
If it were only Borisin spies, it wouldn't have troubled her to this extent.
But the upper echelons of the Xianzhou already knew that the one who had unified the remnants of the Borisin tribes and was about to make a move against the Luofu was the Lord Ravager who single-handedly orchestrated the Ambrosial Arbor incident—Phantylia!
With her so-called "aesthetics of destruction," kidnapping the High Elder Bailu to intensify internal conflict within the Luofu was exactly the kind of outcome she would relish.
And what made matters worse was that the Alchemy Commission just so happened to be the very heart of the Ambrosial Arbor incident!
Although the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus had more or less been wiped out after voluntarily exposing themselves, who could guarantee that one or two fish hadn't slipped through the net?
Bailu's first escape might have left Phantylia without time to react—but this second escape? Phantylia might already be prepared, waiting patiently for the dragon to walk right into the trap.
If Bailu were to crash headfirst into the net of a Lord Ravager…
With her frail strength, wouldn't she be ruthlessly torn apart by those man-eating wolves?
Lingsha had once frightened Bailu by saying that Hoolay loved eating children's hearts and livers—but what she hadn't said was that Borisin nobles genuinely had a habit of deliberately letting prey escape, only to attack them repeatedly during the chase.
In the eyes of those wolves, what seeped from the prey's wounds wasn't just blood—it was an ever-thickening despair. And those Abundance abominations delighted most in precisely that kind of vicious pleasure.
As for other punishments like foot amputation, pouring molten lead, "playing the pipa," or drawing out the intestines—they were all inhuman techniques of extreme cruelty.
Bailu was nothing more than a little child with no weapons and only the most rudimentary self-defense arts. How could she possibly endure such torment?
Bailu, sprinting toward the Scalegorge Waterscape on her short little legs, had no idea that in the few hours since her escape, Lingsha had already imagined dozens of possible tragic outcomes for her—so many that she was nearly ready to prepare memorial items in advance.
"Bailu, please, nothing must happen to you. As long as you come back safely, Sister will grit her teeth and even join forces with Jing Yuan if she has to, just to fight the Vidyadhara Elders for your freedom!"
Lingsha slumped over her desk, lost in chaotic thoughts. When she thought of the Vidyadhara Elders, she couldn't help but pound her chest in resentment.
Her willow brows shot upward, and her muttering brimmed with undisguised fury. "It's all because those Vidyadhara geezers, clinging to their own power, used the [Dragonhorn Pillory] to seal Bailu's upper limit of strength. Otherwise, she wouldn't be this weak!"
The world believed that Bailu's weakness stemmed entirely from the previous Imbibitor Lunae taking away the inherited power of the High Elder—but that was only half the truth.
The other half lay in the shackle on Bailu's tail, which made it nearly impossible for her strength to advance.
The Vidyadhara Elders claimed it was to prevent her power from going out of control and repeating the calamity of the previous Imbibitor Lunae—but how could Lingsha not see how much filth and self-interest lurked behind that excuse?
Yet when she calmed down and thought it through, she knew she was alone and outmatched. If she truly wanted to oppose the Vidyadhara Elders, she might really have to join hands with Jing Yuan.
But would that perpetually smiling fox actually help her? The conveniences granted to the Vidyadhara by the Three-Fold Alliance also made it hard for him to act.
And if even he couldn't intervene, then who in the Luofu could stand against the Vidyadhara Elders?
Lingsha circled out from behind her desk and paced back and forth in the room, her expression tangled with worry.
Suddenly, her gaze landed on the newly installed safety apparatus in the corner. Stored within it was that machine—the [Doctors of Chaos's Prescription Machine].
In an instant, it was as if enlightenment struck her from above. Her mind cleared completely.
"Right—Sylvester!"
With his background and strength, the Vidyadhara Elders wouldn't dare provoke him at all. As long as he stood up for them, wouldn't every problem resolve itself?
The only thing left to consider was whether that man would be willing to help.
In the blink of an eye, Lingsha finished weighing her options.
As long as Sylvester agreed, no matter what conditions he asked—as long as she could fulfill them—she would grit her teeth and accept!
"Bailu, this time Sister will settle everything for you in one go!"
At that thought, her fiery temper could no longer be restrained. She shoved the door open and headed straight for the Exalting Sanctum.
But she had barely stepped outside the institute when a humanoid figure formed of golden light abruptly skidded to a halt right in front of her, nearly colliding with her.
Lingsha snapped sharply, "What demon are you? Reveal your true form at once!"
The golden figure didn't answer. Calm and unruffled, it shook the cardboard box in its hands, then pointed at Lingsha.
"For me?" she asked cautiously.
The golden figure nodded, set the box on the ground, and then scattered into countless motes of light with the wind.
"Hey!" Lingsha reached out in alarm, but only grasped a handful of light with shape but no substance.
Lowering her head, she saw a note sealed atop the box and slowly read aloud, "Miss Lingsha, this is a gift from Bailu—Sylvester."
"Hoo…"
The worry that had weighed on Lingsha's heart like a mountain instantly vanished. Her body and mind felt so light it was as if she had lost several ounces of weight.
She scolded softly, "That little rascal actually snuck off to open trash cans. When she comes back, I'll definitely lock her in confinement for a few days!"
Despite her words, the smile on her face couldn't be suppressed. She opened the box to see what kind of gift Bailu had prepared for her.
The child had grown up—she knew how to repay kindness now. This was the first time Bailu had ever given her something. No matter what was inside, even if it were a completely useless minor pill, Lingsha would still praise it for being sweet.
She tucked the metal case under her arm and looked at yet another note attached to it.
Smiling brightly, she read, "Oh, so it's a [Directional Anti-Organic Biological Mine (Endless Inferno Type)], capable of erupting with a conceptual fire that 'burns everything to oblivion'…"
Her voice grew softer and softer, the stiff smile on her face looking as if it had been coated in a layer of wax.
Glancing at the mine—which was so heavy it was nearly slipping from under her arm—Lingsha silently tightened her grip, forcing herself to keep perfectly still.
No… it's not going to explode just like that, right?
Whose delivery was this?! How could anyone dare ship something this dangerous?!
She ground her teeth and hissed under her breath, "Bailu…"
Only after reading the remaining information on the note did she carefully set the mine down and lock it inside the safety apparatus.
Lingsha dabbed the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, her vertical pupils fixed on the final line of text.
"Bailu may have gone to the Scalegorge Waterscape after opening the Trash Cans."
Lingsha's heart jolted as she shouted, "What is she going there for?! Who put such a terrible idea in her head?! Don't tell me she still has another mine and plans to take revenge on the Vidyadhara Elders?!"
Thinking of how Bailu had once secretly hoarded Concealment Pills, the more Lingsha thought about it, the more possible it seemed.
"This is bad!"
Whether the Vidyadhara Elders lived or died didn't matter—but if Bailu were punished because of this, that was absolutely unacceptable.
Unless she could take care of all the Vidyadhara Elders—but with just a few mines, how could that possibly be done?!
Lingsha sprinted all the way to her starskiff and shot off toward the Scalegorge Waterscape in a trail of dust.
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