Tracing the source of the cry for help, Adrian saw a familiar face—Phantylia the [Lord Ravager of Destruction], disguised as Tingyun, surrounded by Mara-Struck soldiers.
"Sir, this humble girl is the docking envoy for Luofu's Sky-Faring Commission trade guild. Please, be my hero and save the beauty… eh?"
Phantylia, in her role, displayed a surprised expression, but just as she launched into her self-introduction, she realized the other party had turned and run off without a backward glance.
Phantylia: …
Big brother, she'd racked her brains for this dramatic segment—could he at least play along?!
Looking at his attire, he didn't seem like a native Luofu resident, so how was he such a weakling…
Searching the memories of the foxian girl she'd possessed, Phantylia found no trace of Adrian in the past recollections, which only reinforced her certainty that Tingyun had never known Adrian at all!
The duck that had reached her mouth flew away, and Phantylia's face darkened. She briefly suppressed the Mara-Struck soldiers with Imaginary energy and began waiting for the Cloud Knights' rescue.
Sigh~ Unreliable, unreliable…
Boom!
A huge bag of Church specialties came crashing down from the sky, instantly returning the Mara-Struck soldiers to the warm embrace of Mother Earth.
Watching the Mara-Struck soldiers suddenly vanish, Phantylia's gaze went blank, and she blinked.
What… just happened?
"Miss Arcana, meeting by chance is fate, a destined thread connecting us. These specialties are a gift for you! No need to thank me."
Hearing the sudden voice, Phantylia inexplicably pulled out a bar of white jade soap and fell into thought.
…
Not long after Adrian left, Welt led the group into Xianzhou [Luofu] proper.
"Truly… a magical milk tea." Dan Heng held the photo he'd just taken, scrutinizing the image of himself.
Blond hair, blue eyes, black-and-white vestments…
Wasn't this Pontiff Blake?!
"Actually, there are still some differences between you and the Pontiff." March 7th observed closely—Blake had a silver-white [∞]-shaped cross on his chest, while Dan Heng did not.
Moreover, Blake's vestments were black on the left and white on the right, while Dan Heng's were the opposite.
"Wearing the face of an [Eternity] Emanator—Pontiff Blake is still quite famous across the cosmos, so that's a good thing! If you run into danger, just flash this face! Scare the enemy first!" March 7th marveled at her clever little brain.
Welt suddenly halted, analyzing the intelligence they had and their Trailblaze objectives with the group.
"Though the Stellaron Hunters threw out plenty of smoke bombs, the most important thing for this Xianzhou mission is…"
"Prioritize the Stellaron Core as the primary target, build relations with those in power, and sample the local cuisine." Stelle had already learned to buzz in.
"Looks like the Belobog mission really changed you a lot… you're even making plans now."
Even with Kafka present, Welt didn't shy away from mentioning her, just as she'd said on the train not long ago.
What was unfolding now was playing out exactly as in the [Script], so he intended to go with the flow.
"The Stellaron Hunters surely have ulterior motives, but considering their reputation and the emphasis in Kafka's words: there's a Stellaron Core on the Xianzhou, that much is certain."
"The Alliance and the train haven't had much contact in the past. Our arrival might not be entirely welcome. But Trailblazers seek neither fame nor fortune—we aim to provide aid within our means, extinguishing calamities as best we can."
"Keep this mindset and uphold the Trailblaze principles of [exploration], [understanding], [establishment], [connection]."
"Ohhh!"
After Welt's speech, the atmosphere ignited once more. March 7th cracked her knuckles, already raring to go!
…
Across from the [Sleepless Earl] Teahouse, Adrian looked at his milk tea shop, unchanged and still exuding that rundown mysterious vibe, and nodded in satisfaction.
Actually, there were some changes: a new sign had been added in front of the door.
[[Eternity]'s Secret Immortal's Delight Tea, limited to one bottle~ No bulk orders~ Welcome to sample~ New items won't be stocked, so look forward to them~]
[Note: Today's milk tea sold out. Come back tomorrow~]
As he pushed open the milk tea shop's door, he saw Qingque lounging on the sofa, leisurely scrolling her phone.
Spotting Adrian, Qingque sat up as if caught slacking at work, her pupils flashing with initial panic and confusion… but upon clearly seeing Adrian's face, she let out a long sigh of relief, her surprise turning to delight.
"Whew~ You scared me. I thought it was the Master Diviner finding out. Good, good."
"You… don't need to go to work?" Adrian was astonished. Had this girl moved into the milk tea shop?
"On this auspicious day, the first thing Adrian says to me is about work. Sigh~ That stings." Qingque sat up, pulling out her Empyreal Jade Tablet. "Today's auspicious for slacking off… inauspicious for work or going to the office!"
"Work at the Divination Commission can wait. Taking care of Adrian's milk tea shop comes first! This counts as official business—the Master Diviner has no grounds to criticize. It's perfectly reasonable."
The rest of the work could be done slowly. Helping a friend watch the shop was a full-immersion experience for Qingque, laying the foundation for her future retirement plans to open an [Empyreal Jade] parlor.
These blissful, leisurely times mustn't be disturbed by anyone. Back at the Divination Commission, she still had to watch out for Fu Xuan to avoid getting caught slacking.
Now, ever since Qingque took over the shop, the Master Diviner couldn't even find her if she tried. Life was so cushy~
What? What if Master Diviner Fu got mad?
Hmm… Send her some milk candy balls? Sweet treats should calm her down… probably…
"About the sign outside the shop…"
"Hey~ Even if it's just helping watch the shop, it's still proper business. And as a regular customer, how could I not take it seriously?" Before Adrian left, Qingque's habit was a cup of milk tea every morning.
If one day Adrian didn't open, she wouldn't be surprised—he'd probably overslept.
"To ensure stable daily sales and legitimize slacking during work hours, I came up with this strategy."
"First, hype it up to grab attention… [Eternity]-blessed milk tea—what would the flavor be like?"
"Then glance at the price! Whoa~ Affordable and approachable. Even first-time customers will buy a cup to try."
"Your milk tea, with those boba pearls that melt in your mouth, dense and delicate texture… Everyone who's tried it loves it!" Qingque praised from the heart.
"One sip leads to the urge for a second. At that point, look again… limited to one per person. What a shame, have to come back tomorrow~"
Qingque spread her hands. "Repeat this cycle, and you'll gain a bunch of loyal regulars!"
"As for me, watching the shop… I just open at set times, close once daily sales hit the mark. Half an hour of non-work later, the day's done! In my free time, I can even play a quick round of [Empyreal Jade]."
"This way… slacking off and working, both at once~"
After introducing her proudest business marketing tactic to Adrian, Qingque familiarly grabbed a cup of milk tea from the fridge.
"Alright, to celebrate Adrian's first trip ending… I'm off to play a round of Empyreal Jade! Bye-bye~"