Far away in the Ten-Lords Commission, Hanya received a text message from Huohuo.
As soon as the Ambrosial Arbor stirred back to life, the Xianzhou was practically the first to react.
Many Xianzhou natives began to feel unwell.
But the Stellaron outbreak…
Hanya stared at the information in the message with confusion.
If she remembered correctly, Huohuo was supposed to be on leave today—where did she get such detailed intel?
After typing out her questions and sending them over, Huohuo quickly replied with an explanation.
"Just who is this 'Sister Sylvia' that popped out of nowhere? Subduing a Mara-struck individual in a single move is not something an ordinary person could do…"
Hanya furrowed her brows slightly, puzzled by this Sylvia.
According to Huohuo, the other was an off-world visitor, and she too had seemed surprised by the sudden incident at Starskiff Haven.
Yet in the next moment, she started talking about the Stellaron and the Ambrosial Arbor.
Doesn't that seem odd no matter how you look at it…
Better look into it first.
--+--
Meanwhile, at Starskiff Haven.
While walking, both Sylvia and Huohuo received emergency evacuation notices sent by the Realm-Keeping Commission on their phones.
Seems the Xianzhou's response was swift, after all.
But Starskiff Haven wasn't exactly stationed with a large garrison of Cloud Knights.
Relying solely on those patrols, maintaining order in a short time would be tough.
Though not numerous, Mara-struck individuals kept appearing here and there, beginning to wreak havoc and injure people.
Each emergence of a Mara-struck would trigger widespread panic.
After all, the Mara-struck… had always been an ill omen for the Xianzhou people.
Now that people were suddenly turning into Mara-struck out of nowhere, ordinary Xianzhou folks were genuinely frightened.
Throughout their journey, Sylvia naturally subdued every disturbance she came across with her own hands.
Huohuo, meanwhile, used some unknown method to immobilize the Mara-struck on the spot, waiting for the Cloud Knights to retrieve them.
"Sister Sylvia… why is this happening all of a sudden? The Stellaron and the Ambrosial Arbor… it doesn't seem like the work of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus either."
Walking along, Huohuo watched the once-bustling streets descend into chaos, her mood sinking.
Dealing with spirits and monsters on ordinary days was one thing, but how did she end up caught in a major event affecting the entire Luofu?
"It's not the Disciples, but as for who exactly is behind it, I don't know."
Sylvia shook her head. She had no idea who had the capability to infiltrate the Scalegorge Waterscape, plant a Stellaron there, and activate it.
Ah well.
At this point, if she rushed to the Scalegorge Waterscape now, it would only likely cause misunderstandings.
The original game didn't specify exact dates and times, so Sylvia hadn't known it would happen today.
Thinking about it now, the Astral Express would probably hold a meeting in a couple of days and then come to the Xianzhou.
"Oh… you're right."
Huohuo stuck close to Sylvia as they moved through the crowd.
Along the way, they could already see many Sky-Faring Commission pilots in uniform, patrolling the streets and alleys.
Compared to the initial chaos, things were clearly much more orderly now.
Though it seemed most of them were personnel mobilized on short notice.
The Sky-Faring Commission was originally a combat division, but with the Luofu focusing on recovery and rest, they now dealt more with transportation, trade, and similar functions.
Actual warfare had become rare.
But that didn't mean these people had lost their combat abilities.
Those like Tingyun, who could barely fight while piloting a starskiff, were actually the minority.
Just then, Sylvia received a message from Tingyun:
--+--
[Tingyun: Benefactor, something has happened on the Xianzhou. Where are you now?]
[Sylvia: At Starskiff Haven, heading toward the Sky-Faring Commission. Ran into quite a few sudden Mara-struck cases on the way. Are you alright over there?]
[Tingyun: Thank you for your concern, Benefactor. Aside from being a bit startled, I'm fine. But Benefactor really shouldn't wander outside right now.]
[Tingyun: However, I'm not at the Sky-Faring Commission at the moment and won't be able to return for a while. I'm afraid you might make the trip for nothing.]
[Sylvia: Not at the Sky-Faring Commission? Where did you go?]
--+--
Sylvia couldn't help but pause at the message—at a time like this.
Where on earth had Tingyun gone off to?
[Tingyun: Hehe~ Is Benefactor worried about me?]
[Tingyun: I'm at Cloudford taking inventory of a shipment, but a bunch of cargo crates toppled over and blocked the path. No need to worry, Benefactor—there are Cloud Knights with me.]
"…"
Even so, Sylvia really couldn't feel at ease.
Cloudford, a Stellaron outbreak, and Tingyun.
You're practically stacking every risky condition there is, you know?
[Sylvia: I'll head over to Cloudford instead. I came to see you anyway—turning back now would be pointless.]
[Sylvia: Hold on, I'll be there soon.]
On the other end of the phone, Tingyun pressed the device to her lips and smiled faintly after reading the message.
Yukong had already briefed her on what was happening on the Xianzhou.
Though there were Cloud Knights by her side, saying she wasn't worried would be a lie.
Because of the Ambrosial Arbor's influence, any Xianzhou native could succumb to Mara at any moment.
Tingyun knew a little martial arts, but if she had to face a Mara-struck foe, her skills would likely fall short.
[Tingyun: Thank you. I'll send over the map of Cloudford right away.]
--+--
After receiving the Cloudford map, Sylvia put away her phone and caught Huohuo looking at her.
"What's wrong?"
"N-nothing. Shall we keep going?"
"Mhm. That message was from a friend. She's stuck at Cloudford right now, so I plan to go check on her…"
As she spoke, Sylvia reached out and patted Huohuo's head, easing the girl's tension a little.
"If we're going to Cloudford, Huohuo, you don't have to come along. It's probably pretty chaotic over there."
Though she didn't elaborate, from Tingyun's description, Cloudford was likely in worse disarray.
Not necessarily because of people, but because the environment was a mess—the path would be difficult.
Someone as delicate as Huohuo didn't need to tag along and suffer.
Besides, they weren't far from the Sky-Faring Commission now.
But Sylvia had clearly underestimated Huohuo's level of social anxiety.
For Huohuo, going to the Sky-Faring Commission alone to take shelter was even more daunting than fighting Mara-struck at Cloudford.
At least at Cloudford, Sylvia would be with her, making her feel less nervous.
So Huohuo shook her head rapidly:
"No, no—I'd rather go with Sister Sylvia. It's… it's better to have more people looking out for each other."
"Well then."
Sylvia hadn't expected Huohuo to be so insistent.
Mainly because she'd never known someone with such a soft personality before—just reading character descriptions didn't give her much insight.
But if Huohuo wanted to come along, Sylvia certainly didn't mind.
Having someone to talk to on the way would be nice, after all.
"Alright then, if you don't mind, let's go together."
"Mm, mm, mm!"
Huohuo nodded repeatedly. Having to interact with all sorts of strangers along the way had already worn her out.
Thankfully, Sylvia had been there to take the lead—otherwise, Huohuo would have had to let Tail take over by now.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.