Finally returning to Luofu, Tingyun felt as if the great boulder that had been weighing on her shoulders had at last fallen away and her whole body relaxed.
"Benefactors, allow this humble lady to now take you to—"
"Pardon me, everyone."
Yanqing, who had accompanied them, approached just then and interrupted Tingyun.
"My apologies for the intrusion, but the General has instructed me to escort you to The Seat of Divine Foresight as soon as we return to Luofu."
X's curiosity kicked in immediately.
[The Seat of Divine Foresight? What kind of place is that?]
Daichi explained for him.
"The Seat of Divine Foresight is where the General of Luofu conducts affairs. If we're being called there, it probably means the General wishes to meet us."
"That's right." Yanqing nodded.
"The General wants to learn more details about the recent attack."
Then he turned toward Tingyun.
"Miss Tingyun, I'll entrust the honored guests to you. I still have other duties to attend to and can't stay with you any longer."
"No problem at all, leave it to me." Tingyun said with a nod, then began leading Daichi while introducing the sights along their path.
"This is the Cloudford Docks, most caravans that arrive in Luofu land here."
"And over there is Jade Storage Square, where caravans keep their goods. Because of the sheer amount of cargo, this place can sometimes feel like a maze. If you're not familiar with it, it's easy to get lost."
"And finally, here we are."
After practically walking the entire length of Cloudford Docks, Tingyun brought Daichi to a wide open platform.
She tapped her jade talisman a few times, and before long, a star-skiff gently descended in front of them.
"This is one of Luofu's new autonomous star-skiffs a latest model from the Artisans' Guild. It doesn't need a pilot; it's equipped with the Guild's most advanced mechanical intelligence. Just book it in advance, wait at the designated point, and it'll take you to your destination."
Tingyun spoke as she guided Daichi aboard.
This thing… it's basically Luofu Uber Auto Drive, huh?
Daichi looked out the window. The Luofu Xianzhou stretched vast and magnificent, far beyond what he'd seen in the game. Even the fused power of X seemed like a mere drop in this cosmic ocean.
The skiff began to move, soon carrying them to The Seat of Divine Foresight.
At the entrance of The Seat of Divine Foresight, a messenger soldier spotted them and quickly reported upward. Without any hindrance, the two were led inside.
Right upon entering, Daichi saw rows of Cloud Knights standing at attention. Behind them were stone guardian lions, their fierce eyes glaring, as if ready to tear apart any hint of threat within the hall.
In the center of the hall hovered a projected chessboard though the man playing sat quietly with his eyes closed, resting.
As Daichi and Tingyun approached, Jing Yuan opened his eyes and smiled warmly.
"General, I've brought the honored guests," Tingyun said.
"You have my thanks, Miss Tingyun."
Jing Yuan's gaze shifted to Daichi and the device hanging from his waist, the X Devizer.
"I am Jing Yuan, General of the Cloud Knights of Luofu. There's no need for formality, just call me Jing Yuan."
Daichi nodded and patted the X Devizer on his belt.
"My name's Daichi, and this is my partner X."
[Nice to meet you, Jing Yuan.]
A flicker of light danced across the terminal, and Jing Yuan couldn't help but show a trace of curiosity.
So it was true. Just as Yanqing had said this X, whether machine or lifeform was certainly fascinating.
Jing Yuan placed a hand on his chest and bowed deeply.
"Three times you saved the Whistling Flame Caravan from destruction and protected its people. For that, I offer my deepest gratitude."
"There's no need to be so formal," Daichi replied, a bit embarrassed.
"In truth, saving the caravan also meant saving myself after all I was part of it too."
"Ah, such humility. Perhaps I was too stiff." Jing Yuan smiled.
"Still, it remains a fact that you saved the caravan, and Luofu does not neglect its benefactors."
"Let's do this, while you're in Luofu all your expenses will be covered by the Divination Commission. And if you wish to settle here, Luofu will provide you with a fine residence."
"Then thank you for your generosity, Jing Yuan. And you don't need to call me 'benefactor' just Daichi is fine."
"Very well." Jing Yuan chuckled and glanced at Tingyun.
"Though, it seems you don't mind Miss Tingyun's way of calling you?"
Daichi hadn't corrected Tingyun's affectionate "Benefactor."
"Because…"
He shot a look toward Tingyun who was chatting with Qingzu nearby, and gave Jing Yuan a thumbs up.
"Miss Tingyun is an incredibly beautiful young lady!"
A beautiful fox-girl calling you 'my benefactor' every time who could resist that?
At his words, both Jing Yuan and the two women froze.
Then Jing Yuan burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Daichi, you truly are a man of passion."
Qingzu teasingly patted Tingyun's shoulder, while Tingyun's cheeks turned pink as she half-hid her face behind her folding fan.
[Daichi... why did Jing Yuan laugh?]
The innocent X sounded genuinely confused.
"Cough— You're still too young, X. That's... not something you need to understand right now."
[Huh? But I'm not young. According to your Earth calendar, I should be... um, actually, I don't really know.]
After all, when X was wandering the cosmos guarding planets and pursuing creatures that defied life itself, he'd never cared about such things. Even he didn't know when exactly he had come into being.
"X, have you existed for a long time?" Jing Yuan asked with genuine curiosity.
After all, the people of the Xianzhou cursed by the Aeon of Abundance had lifespans that could stretch indefinitely but the longer they lived, the greater the chance their mara would consume them.
When that happened, death followed.
Daichi placed a hand on the X Devizer.
"In theory, X should have an endless lifespan just like your kind."
After all, X was a Giant of Light and as far as Daichi knew, not one of them had ever died of old age.
They only fell in battle, standing against the darkness that threatened the worlds they swore to protect.
Except for those... who had turned away from the light.