A few hours earlier, right after Kafka's escape from the Divination Commission…
"Why is he smiling like that…"
March didn't even feel indignation. Just tired resignation.
Fu Xuan's gaze lingered on where Sunny had been laid to rest after he mysteriously passed out — narcolepsy, or something. A bit weird, but she's seen weirder.
March walked up to her and wordlessly held out the phone.
"He ran off."
Fu Xuan accepted the device without comment and examined the image carefully. There was no visible surprise on her face. If anything, she looked faintly satisfied.
"The background is from the Artisanship Commission."
March blinked.
"That's it? That's all you're gonna say?"
Fu Xuan handed the phone back.
"If he is there, then he is not lost."
March folded her arms.
"Yeah, but shouldn't we go help him?"
Fu Xuan's gaze shifted toward the distant horizon, where faint tendrils of smoke could already be seen rising.
"The Ambrosial Arbor's roots have sprouted in the Alchemy Commission. That poses a far greater threat to the Xianzhou than one individual wandering into danger."
March frowned harder.
"We can go help Sunny first, then head over there together."
Welt remained silent.
Fu Xuan tilted her head slightly.
"Do you have no confidence in your companion?"
March opened her mouth to respond — and nothing came out.
Confidence?
That wasn't the issue.
Sunny had a track record. A terrible one. He did the stupidest things imaginable and somehow survived them. He once cut off his own head to get rid of a collar — at least that was what she had heard. She had never seen it herself, but the fact that she couldn't tell whether it was an exaggeration or not said enough.
Her silence lingered.
Fu Xuan answered for her.
"He is not someone who takes risks without reason. If he acts, it is either for survival or to collect his dues."
March blinked.
"Collect his what?"
Fu Xuan paused, then gave a small shake of her head.
"If you do not know, then it is not my place to tell you. My apologies."
March stared at her, utterly lost.
Collect his dues?
What did that even mean?
Her brain, lacking context, filled in the blanks in the worst way possible. Sunny as some sort of shady loan shark, looming in dark alleyways and demanding repayment in terrifyingly calm tones.
Honestly, it suited him.
She almost laughed.
Fu Xuan continued, voice measured.
"He has the situation under control. We will redirect our efforts to the Alchemy Commission."
March hesitated, then glanced at Welt. He gave a faint nod, though his expression remained unreadable.
"Fine. But if he comes back missing a limb or something, I'm blaming you."
Fu Xuan ignored that.
"I had already planned to proceed there. March, Tingyun, you will accompany me. Mr. Yang may remain if he wishes."
March turned her head slowly.
"Wait. Why is Miss Tingyun coming?"
Tingyun stood a few steps away, hands folded demurely in front of her, veridian eyes smiling in polite amusement. She looked as elegant and harmless as ever, her fox ears twitching faintly.
Before March could fully process her own question, the thought dissolved. It slipped away like mist.
There was no reason to question it, she told herself. Tingyun was a representative of the Luofu. It made sense for her to be there.
She didn't notice the way Tingyun's smile stretched, ever so slightly.
***
About an hour later, they arrived at the Alchemy Commission.
Chaos greeted them.
Cloud Knights clashed with Mara-Struck in the streets, steel ringing against mutated claws. Some Knights fell, only to convulse and rise again moments later, flesh twisting grotesquely as mara overtook them mid-battle. March's stomach tightened at the sight. She had seen a lot since boarding the Express, but something about watching soldiers turn into monsters in real time made her skin crawl.
In the distance, massive crucibles belched thick, unnatural smoke into the air. The fumes shimmered faintly, carrying a subtle green hue.
Fu Xuan explained:
"Those are accelerating the mara. The smoke destabilizes the souls of long-life species — it could even effect Saints such as myself, who's souls are hardly at risk of hollowing. The Cloud Knights cannot approach without risking mutation."
March swallowed.
"And the weird robed people?"
"The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. A branch of the Denizens of Abundance. Rogue alchemists."
"Of course they are…"
She glanced sideways at Fu Xuan.
"You're not about to tell me to jump into that mess, right? Because I'm really tired of fighting and I absolutely refuse—"
Fu Xuan raised a brow.
"That is not your role."
March paused.
"…It's not?"
"General Jing Yuan advised that we use our unexpected guests as unexpected pieces. You will assist by disabling the crucibles."
March stared at the smoke.
"So… you need me to destroy all of them?"
Fu Xuan's composure cracked for half a second.
"No! Simply turn them off."
She took a small step backward, eyes flicking toward the smoke with visible unease.
March blinked.
'Wait.'
Fu Xuan was scared of it.
That made March feel significantly less confident.
Still, she rolled her shoulders and marched forward. Tingyun followed quietly behind her.
March glanced back.
"Why are you coming? That smoke makes mara worse, doesn't it?"
Tingyun waved a hand dismissively.
"Oh, I'm probably younger than you, Miss March. It will not affect me so quickly."
That made perfect sense.
March nodded.
"Right. Yeah. Good point."
She stepped into the smoke.
It stung her eyes and burned faintly in her lungs, but she pressed on, weaving between machinery and disabling each crucible one by one. The mechanisms were complex, but her aim was precise. A few well-placed arrows shattered control nodes. Others she manually sealed shut, muttering complaints the entire time about how this was definitely not in her job description.
Tingyun stayed close, offering polite encouragement.
Once the last crucible stopped spewing smoke, the air slowly began to clear. March exhaled in relief.
As she walked back toward Fu Xuan, her gaze drifted toward the sea beyond the Commission's outer edge. A boat was speeding away from the docks at impressive speed, cutting through the water with unnatural haste. A flying object quietly trailed behind it, keeping pace.
"Wow. That boat's really zooming."
She watched it for a second longer, then turned away.
The Disciples were retreating toward a massive cauldron in the distance, abandoning their positions as the Cloud Knights regained control.
March regrouped with Fu Xuan and Tingyun.
Together, they approached the enormous structure.
Unlike the others, this cauldron emitted no smoke.
Waiting before it was a small army of Masters and Awakened, their stances disciplined and deliberate. At their center stood a single Saint, robes flowing in ornate patterns.
March's throat went dry.
"Uh… we can win this, right?"
Of course, nobody thought to quell her concerns.
The Saint spoke first.
"So you succeeded in dousing the elixir cauldrons… Unimportant. The inevitable is already upon us."
Fu Xuan stepped forward without hesitation.
"Dan Shu."
He inclined his head slightly.
"I have met you before in my capacity as Chief Alchemist, Master Diviner. You do not seem surprised."
"Indeed. The General and I suspected the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were hiding within the Alchemy Commission. Without evidence, we could not act. Now you have revealed yourselves."
Her voice sharpened.
"Drawing a Stellaron into the Xianzhou. Reviving the Ambrosial Arbor. Infecting our people with mara. The Ten-Lords Commission will judge you for these crimes. That is, if you don't force me to kill you first."
Dan Shu's jaw tightened.
"Crimes? If I am guilty, then so are our ancestors! They were the ones who accepted the blessings of the Abundance and turned their descendants into long-life species... The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus are only walking on the road our ancestors once took. How is it a crime to seek ascendance?"
His gaze turned towards the silhouette of a massive tree in the horizon — the Ambrosial Arbor.
"In days of old, the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor enveloped the Xianzhou Luofu like a living creature. We controlled the stellar seas and none could stand in our way. Everyone could become a celestial and shift form at will. Divine miracles descended onto all nine Xianzhou ships. What a glorious time that was..."
His voice echoed across the area.
"How far the Xianzhou has fallen! We consent to be commanded by the Devilish Archer, suffer continuously at the hands of the Denizens of Abundance, and the Ten-Lords Commission even forces us to give up our immortality... How pitiful! I do not blame you for your ignorance — we were not born in the era when the Ambrosial Arbor first descended, nor did we witness its miracles. But now we now have an opportunity to restore the ancient laws..."
March listened, heart pounding.
Fu Xuan did not waver.
"Our ancestors fought alongside the Arbiter to destroy the Arbor. We established the Ten-Lords Commission to preserve our humanity. Your miracles are nothing but corruption."
Dan Shu snorted.
"You have discarded power. A foolish choice."
At his signal, the Masters and Awakened stepped outward, forming a wide circle.
Fu Xuan turned her head toward March.
"I trust you can handle the insects."
It wasn't a question.
It was a command.
March forced a grin.
"Yeah, yeah. No pressure."
Tingyun quietly stepped back, fading from immediate attention as if everyone simply forgot she was there.
March found herself surrounded as Fu Xuan walked over to Dan Shu.
She lifted her bow for a second, threw it away as it dismissed into sparks, and sighed dramatically as she closed her fists.
"Why is it that a cute girl like me never gets to sit back and shoot from a safe distance? Why do I always end up brawling like some kind of thug?"