A curious tug-of-war over [Qingque] unfolded within the Divine Foresight.
General Huaiyan, attempting to poach talent—perhaps acting a bit unbefitting his age—and General Jing Yuan, fiercely defending his retirement plans, engaged in a war of words that showed no sign of ending anytime soon.
As for Feixiao... ahem, she's always up for a fight or a drink, but arguing...
Let's just say that while she was a Xianzhou General and had received Alliance training upon joining, her background as a Borisin war slave, combined with her personality not exactly leaning towards intellectual sparring, meant she was simply no match for Huaiyan and Jing Yuan in this arena.
Besides, being in her prime, the Yaoqing didn't have such an urgent need in that department right now.
Furthermore, thanks to the elixir that cured the Moon Rage which had plagued Feixiao for so long, her tenure as the Yaoqing's Sky-Faring General was likely to be quite lengthy.
Also, and perhaps more importantly—
"Judging by your debate, it seems I've arrived at an inopportune moment."
A girlish voice, filled with a sense of ancient wisdom yet somehow incongruous, echoed in the empty hall. The familiar tone startled the two arguing generals.
Looking up, they saw Hua, the Marshal of the Cloud Knights—a young woman with white hair dressed in military attire.
She offered them a slight smile, then said apologetically, "My apologies, it seems I arrived a bit late."
Previously, [Qingque] had bluffed Phantylia, claiming Marshal Hua and General Yaoguang were leading the Yuque fleet as reinforcements. Clearly, that wasn't entirely a lie. Or rather, only half of it was.
To prevent the Yuque Xianzhou from being left vulnerable and open to attack, General Yaoguang, who guarded the Yuque, had not come. However, Marshal Hua had indeed led the Yuque's main force, the Mingke Guard, to provide aid.
However, because the Yuque served as the flagship Xianzhou, the distance was considerable. By the time she arrived with her fleet, the brutal war against the Legion was already over.
Honestly, Hua was quite astonished.
Although the Legion wasn't typically as resilient or tenacious as the Denizens of Abundance, intelligence from the Luofu indicated this was a full-scale invasion.
She had expected the Yaoqing and the Luofu would struggle just to hold out until Alliance reinforcements arrived, a process likely taking significant time. She had hurried, knowing the Trailblaze's Star Rail network should have shortened the journey. But it seemed the Legion had anticipated this when planning their attack.
The Star Rail network had been severed across dozens of light-years surrounding the star system where the Luofu and Yuque were docked, forcing Hua to resort to conventional, slower methods, expending great effort to finally reach them.
"Marshal, you're too kind," Jing Yuan said. "The Legion attacked in force this time, and even the Blemished One THEMSELVES appeared. If not for the Reignbow Arbiter's blessing, even your presence likely wouldn't have changed the outcome."
"The Blemished One?!"
"This is a preliminary report on the battle with the Legion. General Huaiyan, General Feixiao, and I intended to finalize it before submitting it."
"Allow me." Hua took the jade abacus containing the battle report from Jing Yuan and began reading carefully.
"..."
Surprise, astonishment, disbelief, and other subtle, complex emotions flickered across her face before being masked by the composure born of vast experience. Understanding dawned on Hua. "No wonder I saw the Reignbow Arbiter's arrows of light and heard the ringing hammer of the Forge Master on my way here. I hadn't realized the Blemished One himself had come..."
A wave of fear washed over her.
The Blemished One... the Aeon of Destruction!
No wonder Yaoguang's divination had predicted utter annihilation—ten deaths, no chance of survival.
With the Xianzhou's resources, even fighting the Antimatter Legion was a monumental struggle. As for Nanook... that was simply unthinkable. The gulf between an Aeon and mortals was a world of difference.
Under normal circumstances, even if she had arrived earlier, she would have just been another casualty for Nanook.
However... Hua scrutinized the report, her expression growing serious.
While the report contained many things requiring consideration—like the involvement of Glamoth, arguably the most powerful faction in the cosmos now, with whom the Xianzhou Alliance had previously had only limited contact, primarily through its subordinate, the Interastral Peace Corporation...
Yet now, Glamoth had extended aid... The Xianzhou would certainly owe them a debt of gratitude.
And then there was the report of an Aeon's Fall... Honestly, reading that Nanook had been killed made her head spin.
What the—?
The Blemished One was dead?
An Aeon had died?
Ever since receiving the Reignbow Arbiter's blessing and becoming the Xianzhou Marshal, she never imagined she would witness such an event.
In short... there was far too much to process, too much that defied belief. But for now...
"Let me meet this child named [Qingque]," Hua requested, her tone cautious and serious.
Without a doubt, this was necessary. It was the top priority. After all, reading Jing Yuan's report, Hua realized the name [Qingque] appeared constantly throughout.
From seeing through Phantylia's illusions and collaborating with Huaiyan to trap her, to commanding defenses and deploying forces against the Denizens of Abundance... well, compared to the rest, those achievements seemed almost minor.
Then there were her battlefield contributions: directing Jing Yuan to counter the Iron Cavalry's assault on Feixiao, the intriguing and strange elixir... even the former High-Cloud Quintet seemed to have returned from the grave. Including Baiheng, who had died so completely... And then Nanook...
Jing Yuan, who clearly held immense hope for [Qingque] as his successor, hadn't hidden her accomplishments in the report. If anything, his wording seemed rather understated.
Of course, there were also numerous points of concern, so many questionable aspects surrounding [Qingque] that Hua couldn't help but wonder if she had some ulterior motive. This was why Hua insisted on meeting her personally.
She needed to see for herself if there was something problematic about this girl named [Qingque].
However...
"Well..." Seeing Jing Yuan's troubled expression, Hua felt puzzled. "Is there a problem?"
"Marshal, if you wish to see her, it might be best... if you go to her," Feixiao suggested quietly.
Hua's eyebrow instantly shot up, her brow furrowing.
What did that mean? Such arrogance? Putting on such airs? Fine, so she wasn't coming to see me, the Marshal of the Xianzhou Alliance? I had to go see her? Why not ask me to kowtow while I'm at it?
Truthfully, Hua disliked putting on airs herself and didn't care much for the formalities of her rank unless necessary. Even so, she couldn't help but feel this [Qingque] child was perhaps a bit too... 'impertinent'.
Whether it was simple arrogance or pride born from her achievements... Hua's initial curiosity and positive impression of [Qingque] definitely took a hit.
"Very well. In that case, let me go and meet her myself." She sighed lightly, her tone laced with coolness and dissatisfaction.
Huaiyan and Feixiao, sensing her displeasure, exchanged subtle glances but clearly felt unable to comment further.
And so, with a resigned Jing Yuan leading the way, they found [Qingque] in the rear garden of the Divine Foresight.
At that moment, [she] appeared to be conversing with someone.
Hua observed her critically. Her first impression was actually quite good. She had taken notice of the girl before; [Qingque's] earlier achievements were already impressive enough. It was only out of caution that both she and Jing Yuan had adopted a 'wait-and-see' approach.
Of course, for long-life species like the Xianzhou natives, 'wait-and-see' meant something different than for short-life species—anywhere from a few years to several centuries.
Honestly, if it weren't for General Feixiao's comment earlier, Hua would have quite liked this child. She seemed modest and polite, not arrogant at all. A pity...
Hmm, who was that person she was talking to?
Hua, who had been focused on Qingque, glanced over at the young man with dark blue and white hair, and... just that one look sent a jolt through her. Something was wrong.
This person... felt strange... Wait, this person...?!
Feeling the turbulent blessing of the Reignbow Arbiter stir within her, sensing the connection—as undeniable as the link between a spring and its source, especially since the other party wasn't trying to hide it at all...
Realizing exactly what this meant, Hua's mouth fell slightly open, her mind went blank, momentarily shutting down.
"HE... could HE be..." In disbelief, she instinctively looked towards the three generals huddled beside her. Hua struggled to speak, stunned. They simply met her gaze and nodded silently.
That confirmation left Hua feeling like a fish out of water, as if choked, opening and closing her mouth, utterly speechless.
Perhaps drawn by the commotion, the young man turned HIS head and glanced sideways at them.
HIS gaze, sharp as an arrow, made the hearts of all four Arbiter-Generals present tighten.
"Ah, it's the Generals..." Qingque exclaimed. "Why didn't you announce yourselves? Really, now it looks like I'm being rude." She tilted her head. "Hmm... and this must be... Marshal Hua?!"
"...I am..." Facing the girl's curious inquiry, meeting that probing gaze which somehow felt intrusive, Hua replied cautiously, her tone strained.
Looking at the young man who was now also observing her with a scrutinizing gaze, the usually composed Marshal of the Cloud Knights didn't dare breathe too loudly.
Seemingly noticing this, [Qingque] turned to the source of the tension and complained with a hint of dissatisfaction, "oh my... it's all your fault! Look, you've made Marshal Hua nervous."
This nearly gave Hua a heart attack. Of course, what came next was even more likely to give her an aneurysm.
The girl waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind. Why don't you go wander around the Xianzhou yourself? The Marshal and the others seem to need me for something, so I don't have time to show you around."
Hearing this, Hua felt faint. She desperately wanted to say, I'm not important, really! Truly! Just attend to this esteemed person!
But the young man seemed to have no objections, rising and walking away.
As HE passed Hua and the generals, the four battle-hardened Arbiter-Generals held their breath.
"Alright, the nuisance is gone," [Qingque] said nonchalantly, nodding with satisfaction.
"So... Generals, Marshal, what did you need me for?"
"...How could you speak to HIM like that?" With the Reignbow Arbiter gone, Hua instantly regained some of her composure and authority, resuming her Marshal's bearing. Still, her tone towards Qingque held a hint of exasperated lecturing.
"Uh... is there a problem?"
"Of course, there's a problem! That was the Reignbow Arbiter!"
"Eh? You recognized HIM?" The girl's feigned surprise left Hua speechless, then almost made her laugh out of sheer exasperation. There are four Arbiter-Generals, Emanators of the Hunt, standing right here, and you're asking if we recognize our own Aeon?
"...Even if his appearance changed, the connection through the Path is unmistakable," she retorted, annoyed.
To those who walked the Path of the Hunt, Lan's presence was more blinding than the sun.
Of course, Hua admitted she had been momentarily thrown off. It was the first time she had seen the Reignbow Arbiter in that form, which was why she hadn't noticed him immediately.
"Oh."
The girl's simple reply filled Hua with frustration, making her lips twitch. What do you mean, 'Oh'?! What kind of reaction is that, child?! Show some respect for the Reignbow Arbiter!
Her mind overflowed with retorts, but being fundamentally traditional, Hua found it hard to express them so bluntly. She could only manage a helpless smile.
"In the future... please treat the Reignbow Arbiter with more respect."
"Hmm... is that necessary?" Qingque tilted her head.
"Ultimately, isn't HE just... HIM?"
"Being revered and all that... HE's never actually asked for such things, has HE?"
Hua, initially irritated, fell silent upon hearing [Qingque's] words.
It was true.
In reality, the Reignbow Arbiter had never demanded anything from the Xianzhou Alliance, not even requiring them to follow the Path of the Hunt.
After all, Aeons were capricious beings. They bestowed power not because they sought something in return, but often simply because 'They wished to do so.'
The Xianzhou Alliance's reverence for the Reignbow Arbiter was, in a sense, voluntary—a response to the favor THEY showed them.
Seeing Hua's complex expression, the girl smiled. "Honestly, you don't need to be so tense around HIM."
"Perhaps Aeons do hold a higher station than mortals, but ultimately, that's all it is."
"And for HIM, who was once mortal THEMSELF, the distance between HIM and people isn't truly that vast."