"Hmm? You're quite smooth with your words, aren't you?" After listening to Yun Fan's flattering remarks, Pom-Pom's long, fluffy ears twitched rapidly a couple of times. It wasn't hard to tell that the Conductor was in a rather cheerful mood at the moment.
"Passenger Yun Fan, from now on, aboard this train, you're under this Conductor's protection. If anyone dares to bully you, Pom-Pom will stand up for you." Pom-Pom adjusted the red top hat on its head, trying its best to put on a dignified appearance.
"Then this Yun shall express his gratitude to the Conductor." Yun Fan smiled and shook Pom-Pom's hand. Tsk tsk tsk, the texture of Pom-Pom's fluffy paw was truly delightful to touch.
"Then I… uh." After a brief handshake, Pom-Pom tried to pull its hand back but was shocked to find that no matter how hard it tried, its own paw remained firmly locked in place, as if clamped by iron tongs.
"Ahem, my apologies. That was improper of me." Yun Fan coughed lightly before reluctantly releasing Pom-Pom's fluffy paw.
'What a shame. I wanted to keep holding it a little longer.' Yun Fan sighed inwardly. After all, a "living plush toy" like Pom-Pom was far too rare.
He could swear on his life—among all the people he had encountered in the world of the Astral Express, Pom-Pom's paws had the best texture. Qingque, that little girl, came in second.
Of course, this wasn't to say Qingque was lacking. It's just that… well, she couldn't exactly be called a "little girl." Qingque was a Xianzhou native, and in terms of age, she might very well be several times older than Yun Fan. "If a woman is three years older, you'll be carrying gold bricks." So if she was many multiples of "three" older… did that mean he'd be carrying a gold mountain?
Naturally, this was only in terms of age. As for her physique… well… petite and cute? Hmm… perhaps "too bony" was more accurate. That night, Yun Fan had been poked quite painfully.
Xianzhou Luofu, Divination Commission…
"Ah… Ah-CHOO!!"
While working at her desk, Miss Qingque suddenly let out a massive sneeze. She rubbed her slightly sore nose and glanced around in confusion. Seeing that no one had noticed her, she scratched her head in bewilderment.
"Weird, why did I sneeze all of a sudden? Can Emanators even catch colds? Or… is Yun Fan thinking about me?" Recalling Yun Fan's refreshingly handsome face and his warm, fatherly embrace, two faint blushes bloomed on Qingque's cheeks, her eyes glazed over with a dreamy haze. Clearly, her thoughts had wandered into not-safe-for-work territory.
However, just as Qingque was lost in her fantasies, a pink-haired girl appeared silently behind her, stepping as lightly as if walking on water.
The newcomer was none other than Fu Xuan. Seeing Qingque in such a dazed state, the Master Diviner couldn't help but frown. This girl was far too irresponsible! Even if she had become an Emanator of Causality, she couldn't afford to slack off like this!
"Qingque," Fu Xuan called softly.
But Qingque, still immersed in her fantasies, failed to notice Fu Xuan's voice and continued sitting at her desk with a silly grin.
"Qingque!" Fu Xuan raised her voice, her tone sharpening by a notch.
At Fu Xuan's loud call, the other diviners in the commission all turned their gazes over in unison. When they saw Qingque daydreaming with a foolish smile while Fu Xuan loomed behind her with a darkened expression, they couldn't help but shoot Qingque looks of pity.
This poor fool… she's in for it now…
"QINGQUE!!!" Fu Xuan leaned down slightly, bringing her soft pink lips close to Qingque's ear, and shouted her name at the top of her lungs.
"WAAAH—!!" The unprepared Qingque was naturally frightened out of her wits by the sudden roar, nearly leaping out of her seat. As a result, the Imaginary energy within her body surged violently in that instant, and the overwhelming pressure of an Emanator erupted, crashing down upon the diviners of the commission like a tidal wave.
"Qingque, stop—!" Sensing the disturbance in Qingque's Imaginary energy, Fu Xuan quickly tried to intervene, but she was a step too late. By the time Qingque regained her senses, a small portion of the diviners had already been affected by the pressure, now slumped weakly on the ground, staring up at Qingque with terror in their eyes—as if she were some towering deity.
"Huh? Master Diviner, what's going on— Oh no! I'm sorry, everyone! I didn't mean to!" Only after snapping back to reality did Qingque glance at Fu Xuan in confusion before looking around and realizing the catastrophic thing she had just done.
With that in mind, Qingque hurriedly withdrew her pressure and stepped forward to help up the nearest foxian diviner. Seeing this, the other diviners who had been pinned down by the pressure struggled to their feet, not daring to make a sound.
The diviners of the Divination Commission all looked at Qingque with awe—a mix of reverence and fear toward a true powerhouse.
Of course, while in awe of Qingque, they couldn't help but wonder: Had Qingque always been hiding her strength, or had she recently encountered some miraculous opportunity that allowed her to grow so powerful?
"Phew—" Feeling the pressure lift from her shoulders, Fu Xuan finally relaxed. Though her own strength wasn't far from the level of an Emanator, she was still not one. The power of the "Omniscient Deity's" Third Eye was formidable, but when it came to analyzing the Path of Causality, she inevitably found herself somewhat outmatched.
Moreover, from another perspective, although Yun Fan walked the world as the First Emanator of Causality, in truth, he was the Aeon of Causality himself.
Thus, strictly speaking, Qingque was the true First Emanator. And as the First Emanator—as well as the first girl to have experienced "true zero-distance contact" with Yun Fan—he naturally wouldn't skimp on bestowing blessings upon her.
Qingque might not have realized it, but if she fully mastered the power within her, she could at the very least take on ten opponents single-handedly. For example… fighting ten Phantylias alone? Well… ten might be pushing it…
"Ahem, Master Diviner, what important matter brings you to seek this humble one?" Seeing everyone still staring at her without blinking, Qingque—who had never liked being the center of attention—cleared her throat and tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.