Drifting clouds flowed past the horizon, and bright sunlight shot down. The weather on the Xianzhou [Luofu], under the regulation of the Six Charioteers, was always kept within a mild and comfortable range. Although the temperature and weather would change, it would never exceed a certain limit across the entire Xianzhou [Luofu]. The warm breeze blew onto Ron, making his eyes momentarily dazed.
The solid touch under his feet made him truly realize this was land, but the warm breeze made him feel a world away—
The extreme climate of Jarilo-VI was cold enough to freeze dripping water into ice. Severe, biting winds swept across the land at all times. The entire population of Belobog struggled to survive amidst the disasters of ice and snow. Even with the heaters fueled by Geomarrow and the protection of the Amber Lord, the temperature of Belobog could at best be considered "warm-ish."
Ron had long grown accustomed to the bone-chilling cold that felt like a knife slicing through skin and cutting into muscle, but this sudden arrival on the Xianzhou [Luofu] and the completely different sensation allowed him to indulge slightly in this warmth.
If only my luck was a bit better when I transmigrated and I went directly to the Xianzhou [Luofu]...
A small sense of regret couldn't help but rise in his heart, but this ripple of emotion quickly calmed down.
Time cannot flow backward; there are no "ifs" in everything—
Ron wasn't weak enough to have a severe psychological gap just because of the difference between the Xianzhou [Luofu] and Belobog, which was like a heavenly moat. After all, he was mentally prepared back when he transmigrated to Belobog.
Although he had given up hope due to repeated failures before the Life Simulation Game was fully loaded, muddling through his days like a walking corpse, that didn't represent Ron's essential nature as an extremely lazy person.
Years of harsh life had never crushed Ron's will, and the allure of a comfortable life was powerless to blind his eyes.
The slight daze in his eyes faded, replaced immediately by clarity. His gaze swept around, taking in the surroundings, and he instantly sensed a trace of something wrong—
Why is this port so deserted?
Most of the receiving ports in Cloudford were practically no different from cargo ports. That is to say, if one drove a starskiff to the Xianzhou [Luofu] and passed the entry application, most people would have to land at Cloudford along with densely packed shipping containers. They would pass through the extremely wide cargo lanes of Cloudford, and then find a path amidst the countless boxes piled up in the cargo stacking area, cross Cloudford to reach Starskiff Haven, and truly enter the interior of the Xianzhou [Luofu].
The Xianzhou [Luofu] is, after all, the flagship of the Xianzhou Alliance. It conducts trade with worlds in the star sea on normal days. Cloudford is known as "Goods flow like rivers, curios woven like clouds," swallowing and spitting out massive amounts of cargo from countless worlds all day long.
Everyone says the liveliest place on the Xianzhou [Luofu] is the Exalting Sanctum where starskiffs intersect, but in reality, the place that is brightly lit day and night, where everything turns ceaselessly, is the silent and seamless port of Cloudford...
But the port where Ron and Fu Xuan were now was coldly deserted. Let alone the endless flow of cargo, he hadn't even seen a single one of the cycranes common on the [Luofu]. There were only giant Aurumatons standing by the roadside, shooting cold red light from their eyes—
What Ron didn't know was that, since Fu Xuan personally piloted the starskiff to bring Ron here, the receiving port naturally wouldn't be the Starskiff Haven on Cloudford where fish and dragons mixed, but a special private port.
This port was specially set up for the High Elders of the Luofu's Six Charioteers. Not only was the straight-line distance closest to the connecting port leading to Starskiff Haven, but piling goods was also not allowed within a radius of several kilometers. Furthermore, dozens of Aurumaton sentries patrolled day and night, ensuring the safety of this road at all times.
This road had always been open only to the Luofu's Six Charioteers and honored guests of the Luofu. Now that Ron had stepped onto the land of the Xianzhou [Luofu] for the first time, he naturally stood here. The surrounding Aurumaton sentries turned their monitors toward the receiving port. The guiding lights on their bodies flashed with green colors, and they bowed slightly toward Ron and Fu Xuan, offering their so-called "respect" calculated by jade abacus chips...
Clack, clack, clack.
Fu Xuan at his side had no reaction to these Aurumaton sentries; she ignored them as a matter of course. She took steady steps forward, step by step. Her high heels, which barely added three centimeters to her petite height, stepped heavily on the ground, transmitting a steady knocking sound.
Ron followed the sound. He could see that following Fu Xuan's footsteps, there were faintly some dents on the floorboards of the Cloudford port... Although the high quality meant they didn't crack or shatter, it was visible just how powerful and how steady Fu Xuan's steps were.
Listening to the heavy footsteps coming from his ears, Ron followed behind Fu Xuan. His heart sank a little along with those heavy footsteps. Looking at Fu Xuan's back, he slightly furrowed his brows.
To be honest, he felt he had been very cooperative.
Although Fu Xuan came uninvited and extremely stiffly "ordered" him to board the Xianzhou [Luofu], Ron still didn't say anything. He didn't even delay the time and agreed to Fu Xuan's "order" on the spot, obediently following her onto the Xianzhou [Luofu].
After all, Ron felt that before he figured out the Xianzhou [Luofu]'s intentions and figured out why Fu Xuan brought him onto the Immortal Boat, it wasn't yet the moment to fall out with the Xianzhou...
That was why he was so obedient, cooperating fully by following Fu Xuan onto the starskiff and stepping onto the land of the Xianzhou [Luofu].
But... Ron suspected whether his choice was wrong.
After all, to figure out Fu Xuan's thoughts, he needed to communicate with Fu Xuan.
But the current Fu Xuan wasn't prepared to communicate with him at all. She didn't even want to look at him. She was so cold she didn't resemble that cute girl from the plot who would secretly steal milk tea and slurp it when busy with work.
Even her footsteps were deliberately stepped so loudly. Every ten steps or so, he could see a towering and cold giant Aurumaton guarding this road, constantly monitoring everyone passing through.
Every time Ron was scanned by the mechanical eyes on the heads of these Aurumatons, a trace of chill would rise on his back—
These Aurumatons were absolutely not ordinary creations... The armaments equipped on their bodies proved their identity. These giant Aurumatons were true weapons of war, combat creations sufficient to guard a region. And now, arranged on this road, he would see an Aurumaton guarding the road every few steps...
...This road, it isn't really a road for escorting a prisoner, is it?
Ron couldn't help muttering in his heart. Apart from him and Fu Xuan on this road, there were only these cold weapons of war. If someone were a prisoner being escorted, then obviously, it could only be him.
Then where are we going next? Directly to the Ten-Lords Commission's delve prison? or to the Matrix of Prescience first for interrogation?
Ron felt a bit of a headache... He clearly didn't do anything in reality yet. Why does it feel like he's inexplicably receiving the Kafka treatment?
No... this won't do.
If I'm really put into the delve prison, that would reach an unacceptable point—who knows what's waiting for him inside the Luofu's prison?
But Ron doesn't want to just flip the table and reveal his hand right now...
He looked at Fu Xuan's straight back and stiff footsteps, clenched his fist tight, took a deep breath, and overcame the small fear of new things in the bottom of his heart.
This atmosphere can't stay this cold anymore... If it really goes on like this, Ron feels what awaits him must be the torture of the Ten-Lords Commission—
I have to get some intelligence out of Fu Xuan no matter what.
Ron followed behind Fu Xuan. Fine sweat oozed from his forehead beneath his bangs. As luck would have it, this connecting port was actually very close to the port heading to Starskiff Haven. Before Ron had time to think much, he could already see the shadow of the transfer port not far ahead...
He had to provoke a topic. Try to say something. Just one sentence would do...
Knowing this might already be the last chance to be alone with Fu Xuan, although Ron completely hadn't thought of how to ask, he ultimately broke this rigid atmosphere. Trying to suppress his emotions, he casually found a topic and asked:
"Don't you have anything you want to say to me?"
................................
"Don't you have anything you want to say to me?"
A flat voice came from behind. This voice was so calm no emotion could be heard, seemingly completely serene.
Of course I have things I want to say... Ron, could it be you've arrived at this point already?
Fu Xuan couldn't help crying out bitterly in secret. A slightly pained expression had already appeared on her face, which was turned away from Ron.
She actually wanted to chat with Ron long ago... No matter what they chat about, it's fine. As long as she could pull her relationship with Ron closer, chat about anything.
Before setting out, she had already made complete preparations. She personally went to learn the currently popular "3000 Rules of Interpersonal Interaction," "One Hundred Ways to Make Him Care About You," and "Interstellar Trend Guide: Social Edition." She had all kinds of social techniques at her fingertips. Before leaving, she even used the Matrix of Prescience to calculate several times, preparing the best choices early on.
According to the calculations, she only needed to find Ron, invite him to board the Luofu, and casually chat about some topics on the way to pull the relationship closer. Then, she could reasonably throw out an excuse to keep him on the Xianzhou [Luofu], keep him at the Divination Commission, under her eyelids, allowing her to monitor Ron at all times to see if he was preparing any big moves...
But... she truly ignored one problem.
That was that she was truly too afraid. Afraid to the point that she didn't even dare to speak much to Ron in normal conversation.
The fear engraved in her bones from the memories of the past remained until now. The faint, phantom burning pain reminded her at all times of the death where everything burned to ashes in the Holy Light.
Xianzhou natives are immortal, but their spirits and consciousness are still as fragile as mortals—When ordinary Xianzhou natives grow older, the bitterness and pain accumulated in their memories will erode the will of the Xianzhou native, eventually causing them to fall into mara, descending into unsavable madness.
The memories brought by the previous two simulations Fu Xuan experienced already exceeded fifteen hundred years. For a Xianzhou native, the mental pressure of every year lived after a thousand years is like another heavy mountain falling. Fu Xuan should have collapsed immediately after contacting the simulation memories, falling into mara, becoming a monster that grows endlessly—
But the Holy Light burned everything.
At the end of the last simulation, Ron's Holy Light didn't just burn the Luofu and burn everything of Fu Xuan; it also burned away all those redundant, boring memories...
All the bitterness and pain in the memories were burned away by the true Great Terror, leaving only this sole terror flashing in Fu Xuan's mind at all times. That blazing Holy Light forced Fu Xuan to wake up at all times. The curse of mara was burned to ashes in the Holy Light. She couldn't even achieve the death of a natural end of life for a Xianzhou native, and brought this fear quietly into the grave...
Sometimes it is difficult to describe exactly how intense a mortal's fear of an Aeon is, but judging from the situation where even a curse like mara was thoroughly cut off by mental fear, Fu Xuan's terrified despair toward Ron was absolutely not a castle in the air.
Facing Ron's question, she stood on the spot. She wanted to say something, but her lips were trembling. She tried her best to open her mouth, but the moment she thought of the Ron she was facing, she couldn't say a word.
What should I say? What should I say now?
The social techniques are at my fingertips, but the fear echoes in my mind, leaving my brain blank right now.
She subconsciously wanted to delay time, tried to let herself recover from the fear, and just as she lifted her foot, she realized she should stop—she couldn't walk anymore.
Ahead was the receiving port. The transfer starskiff was parked right there. They had arrived. Where else could she walk to?
The scene fell into silence once again.
Until a moment later, a quiet sound of shuffling footsteps came from not far away. Fu Xuan instantly felt like she had grabbed a life-saving straw...
Anyway, no matter who it is, she doesn't dare to say anything to Ron, but does she not dare to speak to anyone else on this Luofu?
She wants to be a bit more normal, pull her emotions back, grasp the initiative of the matter back into her own hands. She absolutely cannot let the opportunity to keep Ron on the Luofu slip away in vain...
"Who?!"
She shouted sternly, seemingly wanting to vent the fear and pressure from all this time. The Omniscia detected widely, instantly looking toward the place where the sound came from—
A girl with grey hair wearing green clothes shook her shoulders. She walked out from behind the Aurumaton by the roadside somewhat awkwardly, shuffling her footsteps, and scratched her cheek embarrassedly:
"Ha, haha, Master Diviner, what a coincidence, haha..."
At this moment, silence reigned.
The awkwardness on Qingque's face increased.
She looked at the two "wooden blocks" who were looking at her simultaneously. Without saying a word, not knowing what they were thinking, she fell silent for a long time and finally squeezed out a sentence:
"Master Diviner, are you guys playing some game where whoever speaks first loses?"
"Umm... how about... count me in?"