"As expected of Uncle Yang."
After hearing Welt's explanation, Lynelle's face showed a trace of astonishment.
"I... I did have a feeling that Miss Tingyun always seemed particularly inquisitive toward me, but since her behavior was so proper, I couldn't really say anything..."
"Hmm..."
Welt pondered for a moment before saying, "As an Amicassador of the Xianzhou, even if Miss Tingyun has personal thoughts, they certainly wouldn't override the Xianzhou's own interests."
"We'll head to the Sky-Faring Commission soon to meet that Lady Yukong. Although the Xianzhou Alliance is a top-tier power in the cosmos, our Express's reputation is well-established too."
"Plus, Lynelle has Herta backing her, so we don't need to worry about a repeat of the situation you faced on Jarilo-VI."
"And after that... Lynelle, if you still feel that Miss Tingyun is paying extra attention to you..."
"Then I'll make a run for it!"
Lynelle declared without hesitation. "On the Xianzhou's turf, we're no match for the locals. So, when the time comes, I'll just leave. Anyway, we need someone to gather intel outside the plan—can't always let the local powers lead us by the nose, right?"
"Exactly."
Welt nodded.
"W-wait, what?"
After listening to their discussion, March suddenly clutched her head, her expression dazed.
"Y-you mean there was actually that much going on beneath the surface? I thought Miss Tingyun was nice! We were all laughing and chatting along the way—how did I miss all that?"
"Pfft... Just give up, little March."
Lynelle ruffled March's hair, grinning. "As the Express's poster girl, you just need to handle photos and lighten the mood. Leave the thinking to me and Uncle Yang."
"Oh, that does sound a lot easier..."
March forced a stiff smile and swatted Lynelle's hand away. "So, are you saying I'm an airhead?"
"Not at all~"
After a brief rest, Welt led the three of them to the Palace of Astrum.
Just like in the story, during the back-and-forth exchange, Yukong and Jing Yuan played good cop and bad cop, successfully shifting the Express crew's mission from resolving the Stellaron crisis to finding Kafka, the Stellaron Hunter hiding in the Xianzhou.
After the conversation, Welt easily deduced the unspoken truth—the Xianzhou's claim that the Stellaron Hunter Blade had been captured was false; he had already escaped the Xianzhou's prison.
But for Lynelle, the most pressing matter might be another piece of news—as she expected, Tingyun was indeed assigned as the liaison for the Astral Express, responsible for guiding them through all matters on the Xianzhou.
"What do we do...? Looks like we can't shake off this Miss Tingyun, huh?"
Back in the guest rooms arranged by the Xianzhou, March looked at Lynelle with concern.
Though she hadn't noticed it at first, after Lynelle pointed it out, she started paying attention to Tingyun's every move.
While the ditzy March could hardly avoid blowing their cover, it didn't matter much since planners like her usually weren't factored into such schemes.
Lynelle only needed to listen to March's "prophetic layouts," while Phantylia, whose plans were laid bare by March, had much more to worry about.
"Given the tense situation, it's only natural for the Xianzhou to assign someone to keep an eye on us."
Welt gazed out the window.
"But it's a bit coincidental that it's still Miss Tingyun. From Jing Yuan and Yukong's words, it seems Tingyun's unusual behavior isn't directed by them."
"It's fine, let her follow if she wants. Next, Kafka's side is up to you."
Lynelle, who had been playing with a drone since returning to the room, suddenly looked up and cautiously scanned her surroundings.
"Uh... Lynelle, what are you doing?"
Stelle, half-sprawled on Lynelle's lap, looked bewildered as Lynelle started acting like a radar.
"Nothing, just using my abilities to check if there are any surveillance devices in our room... Seems the Xianzhou plays by the rules."
"Back to the topic... You guys go find Kafka. I'm heading to Cloudford."
"Is something urgent going on?"
Welt asked, puzzled. "Or did you find something?"
"Not exactly urgent... It's just that I spotted an acquaintance at Cloudford. Oh wait, maybe two now."
"Out of concern for one of them, I need to keep an eye on things to prevent any problems. Even though Cloudford is locked down, projecting a data avatar over there like Silver Wolf does is a piece of cake."
"Hey, stop speaking in riddles!"
March's cheeks puffed up like little buns.
"You're always calling me an airhead and then talking in half-sentences. What, got a problem with me?"
"Of course not, little March is adorable~"
Lynelle giggled, poking March's cheeks and listening to the soft squish sounds. "Actually, one of the acquaintances is our 'Cold Dragon Young' from the Express."
"That guy must've been too worried, so he came down again. Considering Dan Heng mentioned he has some unpleasant history here on the Xianzhou, he'll probably need a hacker and an intel liaison."
"I get the hacker part, but what about the intel liaison..."
"Check your terminal."
Lynelle pulled out her phone and woke the screen. "All other functions are normal, but communications are blocked—can't send messages... Of course, that kind of trick doesn't mean much to me."
"I see. Lynelle's as thorough as ever. So..."
Welt nodded. "You said there were two acquaintances earlier? One is Dan Heng, who's the other?"
"Well, how do I put it... Since I'm not sure of his name, I can only describe him. But I bet Uncle Yang will figure it out right away."
Lynelle showed a strange smile and listed a few key traits.
"Blond, male, tall, handsome, white-and-gold color scheme, carries a coffin, speaks politely, and..."
Lynelle struck a pose that felt all too familiar to Welt—arms spread wide. "Loves doing this."
"..."
Welt fell silent for several seconds.
"I think I know who you mean... Please make sure to keep an eye on Dan Heng. Don't let anything happen."
"And if you need anything, contact me anytime."
"Uncle Yang's expression... suddenly got so serious."
March gently poked Stelle. "Stelle, feels like we've stumbled into some high-stakes game, doesn't it?"
"Don't worry."
Stelle remained as optimistic as ever. "We've got veteran players carrying us. No biggie."
With the decision to split up made, Welt and the other two didn't linger.
Welt gathered his things, while March dragged a reluctant Stelle—still clinging to Lynelle—out of the room. Soon, the three of them were downstairs.
"Huh? Where's Miss Lynelle?"
Tingyun looked left and right but didn't see the little pink-haired girl she'd been thinking about (debatable), so she asked with a puzzled expression.
"Lynelle... isn't feeling well and needs to rest."
Welt's expression remained unchanged, his tone natural.
"There are many unique races in the cosmos, and Miss Lynelle happens to be one of them. Her daily sleep needs are about double those of the other young people on the Express…"
"Well, since we're just investigating for now, it should be fine if one person sits out, right? If needed, I can report it to General Jing Yuan?"
"Ah, you jest, honored guest."
Hearing Welt's serious tone, Tingyun quickly smiled. "You've come from afar as our guests; resting is no issue. If Miss Lynelle is unwell, let her sleep a while longer."
"Come, honored guests, this way. Regarding Kafka's traces, we've actually made some inferences..."
Perhaps because Phantylia herself felt she was being too obvious in her attention toward Lynelle, the foxian girl stopped asking and led the others to begin the investigation.
--+--
"Phew... finally, they're gone."
After watching the four depart from the window, Lynelle let out a sigh of relief.
It was just that having an Emanator-level being tailing her every move was seriously nerve-wracking. Plus, with March's "prophecies"...
"Now then..."
Strange light, interwoven purple and pink, began to surge from Lynelle's hands. "Time to whip up a data avatar."
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
[Stelle, March, Lynelle, where are you? I'm coming to meet up.]
[Message failed to send.]
"...So the signals are completely blocked?"
Dan Heng sighed, his frown deepening.
Ever since learning that Blade was also on the Xianzhou, he'd felt a constant unease, as if... his past was relentlessly catching up to him, and he was utterly unprepared.
[Beep beep—]
Just then, Dan Heng's communicator suddenly chimed.
[I mean... did you not notice that the 'message failed to send' was from me? Even little March wouldn't fall for that trick!]
"?"
Dan Heng blinked blankly and looked at the screen again.
Sure enough, the "message failed to send" was preceded by Lynelle's avatar.
"Uh... Sorry, my mind's a bit scattered. What's going on on your end?"
[Long story. Anyway, I'll toss my avatar over to you first, and we can talk properly. Meeting up can wait—we've got some unclear circumstances on our end too.]
After the message popped up, Dan Heng's terminal slipped from his hand.
Immediately, Lynelle's figure gradually materialized through clusters of pink crystals forming mid-air.
"Whew... First time using this ability. Sorry, Dan Heng—it's just that this body's way too fragile. I was afraid you might panic and skewer me into Lynelle confetti."
Lynelle grinned and started leading the way.
"Come on, turn right up ahead. There are two people not far from here—a Cloud Knight and a mysterious fellow... With the Luofu on full lockdown, you'll easily get questioned if you're alone. So, let's follow that Cloud Knight girl."
"Following a Cloud Knight..."
Dan Heng looked puzzled. "Won't that make us more likely to be questioned?"
"Different case. That Cloud Knight girl seems a bit ditzy... probably on par with little March."
"Let's go then."
With full trust in March-level intelligence, Dan Heng immediately agreed.
"Alright..."
Lynelle made a slurp sound. "I'll fill you in on what happened on our way."
"Okay, but what are you..."
"Having breakfast. My main body, I mean."
Lynelle's projection started munching. "Don't ask why I'm eating breakfast so late—someone's treating me, so why not?"
"...Let's go."
Dan Heng sighed helplessly as Lynelle's projection began chattering away, recounting the earlier experiences of their four-person group.
But on the other side...
"Miss Lynelle, have you finished your personal matters?"
"Yes, sorry to keep you waiting, General."
Lynelle set down her terminal and smiled. "And... thank you for the meal, General. The Luofu's morning tea shops really have a unique charm."
"Hahaha... I'm glad you enjoyed it, Miss Lynelle. This particular shop is my go-to spot for slacking off during work."
"If anything, I'm the one who's embarrassed—just as I was about to sneak out, I ran into our esteemed guest wandering about. So, I had to bribe you with some good food to keep it quiet."
Jing Yuan laughed and gestured, adding more pastries to their table.
Whether he truly ran into Lynelle by chance while slacking off, or whether he came with the intention of sounding out this Nameless who stayed behind... went without saying.
"Slacking off, huh..."
Lynelle smiled faintly. "General Jing Yuan, you've held this position for centuries, haven't you? It's rare to see someone still so youthful at heart."
"You flatter me, Miss Lynelle. To stay in this role for so long and keep a healthy mindset, one naturally needs a little secret."
"Oh?"
Lynelle looked curious.
"Back at the Palace of Astrum, did you happen to notice my packed schedule?"
"Uh..."
Lynelle thought carefully. "I don't think I saw one..."
"Exactly—I didn't see one either."
Jing Yuan flashed a sly, fox-like smile and nodded. "That's my secret."
--+--
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.