Perhaps not wanting to be too obvious, after the initial probing was over, Tingyun didn't continue staring Lynelle down with questions.
Instead, she slipped perfectly into the role of Tingyun—the smooth, polished, and ever-diplomatic Amicassador.
After some conversation, sprinkled with just the right amount of hesitation and subtle testing, Tingyun began leading the group toward the Sky-Faring Commission of the Luofu.
As she put it, she was merely a humble and powerless receptionist—how could she possibly make decisions on behalf of the illustrious Lady Yukong of the Commission?
From the perspective of Welt and the others, this seemed like nothing more than a minor official's clever little trick—shifting responsibility to a superior to keep her own hands clean.
A practical and common tactic. But Lynelle knew better.
This "Tingyun" was actually Phantylia in disguise, and this move was simply her way of diverting suspicion and keeping herself out of the spotlight.
After all, on the surface, the Luofu was already dealing with the Stellaron crisis, while behind the scenes, the high-profile criminal Blade had broken out of prison.
With so much going on, how could the Luofu possibly spare the manpower to deal thoroughly with the Astral Express?
In the end, the task would inevitably fall to her—the one who had already handled affairs related to the Express.
Just as Lynelle expected, once Phantylia saw that the group no longer doubted her identity and had already mentally labeled her as "shrewdly self-interested," she relaxed and began probing once more.
"Oh dear, it seems those cargo containers ahead have blocked the path."
As they walked, Tingyun suddenly glanced forward.
"Might I ask a small favor of you, honored guests?"
"What kind of favor?"
Stelle, so accustomed to taking on requests back at the space station, responded almost on reflex, like muscle memory.
"It's nothing too serious."
Tingyun seemed a little taken aback by Stelle's "always ready" attitude and quickly shook her head.
"These containers are controlled by machinery and circuits. The fact that they've sealed the exit probably means the Cloud Knights wanted to create a more defensible position. All you need to do is find the corresponding control console and operate it to move the containers aside."
"Of course…"
Tingyun shot a subtle glance toward Lynelle, who was hovering close to Stelle. "If any of you have a… simpler method, that would be fine too…"
Before she even finished speaking, and to both Tingyun and Lynelle's surprise, Welt lightly pointed his cane forward, then casually flicked his wrist as if shooing away a fly.
The next moment, several tons worth of cargo containers lifted into the air like a child's toys and were gently set aside.
"There."
Welt adjusted his glasses and gave Tingyun a meaningful look. "Shall we proceed?"
"…You're quite skilled, honored guest," Tingyun replied, her cheek twitching slightly.
"But perhaps next time, let's avoid such a… brute-force approach. You might throw your back out."
"My apologies. But as you just mentioned, the Stellaron situation is urgent, and the anomaly at the port should be reported as soon as possible. Desperate times call for desperate measures—I hope you'll understand."
Having spent years after the Honkai conflict dealing with parliaments and governments across Earth, Welt was every bit as adept at diplomatic language as Tingyun.
In just a few exchanges, he left her momentarily speechless.
"You're quite right, honored guest. Let's hurry along, then."
After stubbornly creating several more roadblocks, only to watch Welt unhesitatingly move each container without ever letting Lynelle lift a finger, Tingyun finally gave up on trying to see Lynelle's abilities in action.
She led the four out of the port area and onto a pre-arranged starskiff, which carried them to Starskiff Haven.
"Well then…"
Once the starskiff had settled and everyone disembarked, Tingyun cleared her throat lightly. "Allow me, on behalf of the Sky-Faring Commission, to welcome you all to Starskiff Haven."
"Here on the Luofu, all matters related to airspace, navigation, and trade fall under the jurisdiction of the Sky-Faring Commission, one of the six governing bodies. As the largest port, the Starskiff Haven naturally operates under our administration."
"Since this is your first time visiting the Luofu, it would be my pleasure to give you a tour and play the host. But given the present circumstances, let's first pay a visit to the Palace of Astrum and inform Lady Yukong of your purpose here."
"Palace of Astrum?"
March 7th glanced around.
"Yes, right over there."
Tingyun pointed into the distance. "The tallest structure in the Starskiff Haven—that's the Palace of Astrum. It serves as the headquarters of the Sky-Faring Commission. We shouldn't delay; let's head over quickly."
"Uh, is there really such a hurry?" Stelle scratched her head.
"Ah, it's not that I'm rushing you—I'm just afraid that if Lady Yukong finds fault, this humble Amicassador wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility…"
"An audience with one of the Six Commissions calls for some preparation," Welt interjected.
"Don't worry, Miss Tingyun. We won't wander off. Please go on ahead and inform them. We'll wait for you at the entrance of the Sichen Palace shortly."
"…Very well."
Faced with Welt's unassailable logic, Tingyun pondered briefly before agreeing to his proposal. With another courteous bow to the four, she turned and departed without further ado.
--+--
Once Tingyun was out of earshot, both Welt and Stelle immediately turned their gazes toward Lynelle.
"…Huh?"
Feeling as out of place as a lone bird in the wilderness, March 7th stared blankly at their synchronized reaction.
"Why… are you both looking at Lynelle? Did something happen?"
"Lynelle, you're acting a bit different from usual," Stelle declared, hands on her hips. "Not sure what it is, but something's definitely up!"
"Exactly. And…" Welt paused briefly. "That foxian girl seemed particularly interested in Lynelle."
"Mr. Yang, you noticed?" Lynelle's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Welt.
She had thought she'd be fighting this battle alone, but after just a short time walking together, Welt had already picked up on the problem?
"Ahem. Well, I spent a long time locked in a battle of wits with a certain cunning blond man—never won, but you learn a thing or two after losing enough times." Welt coughed awkwardly before explaining.
"Along the way, Miss Tingyun repeatedly seemed to want Lynelle to use her abilities to operate the container control systems."
"Given that she seemed already familiar with Lynelle, I initially thought she suspected Lynelle had used her powers to open the Jade Gate."
"But then it occurred to me—the Sky-Faring Commission can actively check the access logs of the Jade Gate. Making such a probe in an unclear situation would make the Luofu side seem petty."
"What's more, with only Miss Tingyun present, there was no need for such a 'risky' test—it completely contradicted the 'self-serving, conflict-averse' personality she was projecting."
"After all, even if she were a fan of Lynelle's and wanted to see her idol use her powers, there's no reason to do it in the middle of a dangerous battlefield. It's just too illogical."
"So, each time, I moved the containers before any of you could act—to prevent Lynelle from using her abilities and leaving any evidence."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.