For Huohuo, maintaining order had never really been her strong suit.
If she had to go help at the Sky-Faring Commission, she honestly couldn't imagine coming out of it alive. Besides, the Commission seemed to be handling things just fine on its own.
Watching the chaotic streets gradually settle under the direction of one official after another, Huohuo finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief. At last, she wouldn't have to force herself to keep talking to strangers.
Despite working for the Ten-Lords Commission for so long, this was the first time she'd had to operate in front of so many people—truly a nightmare for this little fox.
Cloudford was different—fewer people, a less intimidating atmosphere, and no terrifying demons or monsters to face.
That place was much more her speed.
Today, Huohuo felt incredibly lucky to have run into Sylvia. Otherwise, she'd probably still be hiding somewhere.
The two of them made their way toward Cloudford.
Passing by the Sky-Faring Commission, they borrowed a starskiff for the journey.
Though Cloudford was connected to Starskiff Haven, it was still quite a distance away.
Walking would take too long—a starskiff was definitely the faster option.
With the incident at Cloudford, many scheduled shipments couldn't get out, so the incoming and outgoing routes were much quieter.
Starskiffs that had been rerouted also avoided the Cloudford direction.
So once they boarded, the latter half of the trip grew smoother and more relaxed.
As Sylvia piloted the starskiff at breakneck speed, she found a moment to chat with Huohuo.
"Speaking of Heliobi, I saw records at the Divination Commission—apparently there's one sealed inside a furnace at the Artisanship Commission. Did you know about that, Huohuo?"
"Huh? Sylvia, you even know about that?"
The more Huohuo talked with Sylvia, the more surprised she became. Why did it feel like Sylvia, an outsider, understood the Xianzhou even better than a local?
This wasn't something ordinary Xianzhou residents should have known.
At most, most people knew the Xianzhou had sealed away a Heliobus defeated by the general, but they definitely wouldn't know where it was sealed.
How did Sylvia know something like this?
"I have a rough idea, since I've got a big Heliobus inside me too. I learned about it when I spoke with Fu Xuan."
Sylvia explained with a smile, then suddenly added:
"But… with all this commotion caused by the Ambrosial Arbor, the tremors reached even the Starskiff Haven, and Cloudford seems to have suffered quite a bit of damage. If something happens at the Artisanship Commission… What if that furnace—"
"It won't! Absolutely not, no—please don't let anything happen!"
Huohuo's face instantly paled with terror.
She shook her head so hard it was like a spinning rattle drum.
She'd seen what kind of demons and monsters were sealed inside that furnace at the Artisanship Commission.
If something went wrong and the Heliobi inside were released, what kind of living hell would she have to endure next?!
"Sylvia! No, don't say such scary things—"
Sylvia reached out and patted Huohuo's head again.
But inwardly, she offered a silent prayer for the girl.
Look how scared she is—when the time comes, I'll just have to lend her a hand.
Just then, Tail, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly emerged.
"Heh—I hadn't even thought of that earlier. If all those guys inside get released, now that would be fun~"
"Mr. T-Tail! Don't gloat like that. And I'm never, ever undoing the seal to let you go back!"
"Who cares what I'm happy about? But before I eat you, I'm not planning on going back. Kekeke—just wait till I gobble you up in one bite!"
Tail's personality was proud and arrogant. After splitting off, it clearly wasn't too keen on returning and merging back into the greater Heliobus.
Huohuo might have guessed a little, or maybe she just didn't feel like arguing with Tail about it.
So she simply ignored Tail and turned back to talk to Sylvia instead.
--+--
The starskiff arrived at Cloudford.
Sylvia and Huohuo docked it outside rather than flying directly in.
It wasn't that they couldn't, but they were worried about possible attacks inside Cloudford—damaging a public starskiff wouldn't be great.
After all, it was government property; returning it in one piece was definitely preferable.
Better to park it safely outside.
Inside Cloudford, many of the originally stacked cargo containers and freight transport tracks showed significant damage or had collapsed outright.
Forget about clear paths—a single glance revealed blocked passages everywhere.
This was a place designed with vast storage areas and narrow transit routes.
Now, with containers toppled, even finding a way in was difficult.
This definitely wasn't something that could be cleared up quickly, and the entire starport would probably have to be temporarily shut down.
Thankfully, this area mainly handled cargo ships, so there weren't many people around.
Otherwise, casualties would have been hard to avoid.
Not knowing how long it would take for the Cloud Knights to arrive, Sylvia decided to head in with Huohuo.
Better to meet up with Tingyun first.
The map Tingyun had sent included her location—they could just follow it directly.
"U-um, how do we get in?"
Away from the public eye, Huohuo did seem a bit more at ease.
But looking at the mess before her in Cloudford, she wasn't sure how to proceed.
Climb over the containers?
"Let me see—"
Sylvia raised her left hand and gave a light wave. Slender threads shot out, hooking onto a fallen cargo container.
She lifted it from the ground and stacked it atop another nearby.
But clearly, more than just one or two containers had fallen ahead. If they tried clearing a path all the way through, it would take far too much time.
Huohuo watched Sylvia work from the side, her eyes shimmering with admiration.
"So amazing…"
Compared to Sylvia, Huohuo suddenly felt her own abilities were utterly insignificant.
By now, Sylvia had roughly assessed the situation.
Clearing obstacles could wait—for now, they should just fly in.
So while pulling out the Poké Ball containing Bella, she beckoned to Huohuo:
"Huohuo, come over. We'll fly straight in."
"Huh? Fly in, how—"
Boom—
Before Huohuo could finish, a flash of light burst forth.
Bella, released by Sylvia, stretched her wings freely, stirring up a howling gale in the air.
Huohuo's hat nearly blew right off her head.
Clutching her hat, she looked up, eyes wide, staring at the sudden, colossal creature that had landed before them.
She was so stunned she couldn't even speak.
Sylvia reached out and gently took hold of Huohuo's small fist, still gripping her command flag.
"Let's go. We'll ride on her and fly straight in."
Compared to a starskiff, Bella was far more convenient. If they ran into an attack, a single swipe of her claws would handle it.
Ordinary Abundance abominations would be no match at all.
Even against that incredibly tenacious deer, Bella should be able to take it down.
Sylvia wrapped an arm around Huohuo's waist and used a thread to hook onto one of Bella's horns, pulling them both up.
The girl was slim and small, light as a feather.
Her waist was soft too, with hardly any muscle to be felt—seemed like Huohuo didn't exercise much.
Once settled on Bella's back, Huohuo pressed tightly against Sylvia, her eyes squeezed shut.
--+--
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.