The sudden crisis threw the packed street into chaos. But alarms soon blared across the port, and the Cloud Knights nearby began to guide the crowds to safety. A host of starskiffs shot into the sky, ready to help the transport ship make an emergency landing. They seemed to have a plan for this.
Sylvia glanced at Jing Yuan. He was frowning at the ship as it plunged from the sky, a jade abacus in his hand. He seemed to be tuning in to the command channel at the scene.
Just then, another blast tore through the ship, which was already trailing thick smoke.
A bright flash of fire, a deafening boom, and a fierce gust swept across more than half of Starskiff Haven. Sylvia patted Bailu's head and smiled.
"Bailu, you're up."
"Got it! Leave it to me!"
Bailu had been itching to act. Bright purple lightning burst from her body, taking the shape of a great dragon that swept her into the sky.
"ROAARR!"
The young dragon's cry rang out as a dazzling surge of lightning shot upward. It spread into a vast electric net that swept toward the transport ship.
The net drew in the debris from the blast, trapping it before it could rain down on the port and the crowds below. It caught the falling ship as well, forcing its descent to slow.
Sylvia gave a pleased nod as she watched Bailu work. The starskiffs around the ship had formed an odd pattern, and they seemed able to slow its fall on their own. But the flying debris had wrecked their plans. Several chunks had punched straight through their shields and brought them down.
Sylvia had good reason to think this wasn't a normal blast. Xianzhou starskiff shields weren't that weak. Still, she was too far away, and it had all happened too fast for her to know what was going on inside the ship.
As luck would have it, while she'd been teaching Bailu Thunderchant magic, she'd also been thinking up some useful spells of her own.
Electroweb was one of them, based on an Electric-type move from Pokémon, a franchise she'd known in her past life.
She'd made a few tweaks and given it more power, so it could both deal damage and bind targets across a wide area. It worked well for clearing out swarms of weak foes or blocking attacks that swept whole areas.
This was a perfect case in point. The dazzling web of lightning stretched across most of the port and a good chunk of Starskiff Haven, catching every blast that threatened the crowds. Its light was bright enough to rival the Xianzhou's artificial sun.
--+--
Jing Yuan's frown had given way to wide-eyed shock. His gaze kept darting between Sylvia and the dragon within the net, as if he needed to check that what he was seeing was real.
Bailu had unleashed an attack on this scale? The same Bailu whose skills lay in healing, with little strength to speak of in a fight? And where had she learned a spell that made such fierce lightning? Didn't the Luofu's Vidyadhara all use Cloudhymn magic?
Sylvia seemed to notice his stare. She turned and raised a brow, her look all but saying, "Pretty great, right? I taught her!"
"…"
It was very impressive. Jing Yuan had no idea how she'd done it, but he was grateful for all she'd done.
As the transport ship touched down, the huge net above it shrank and faded. The lightning dragon vanished with it, and rain clouds sprang from the fading sparks.
Streams of water poured down, washing away the flames and the last force of the blast.
Bailu descended from the sky with lightning coiled around her, like a dragon maiden who ruled the thunder. She'd grown a little and no longer looked quite as young as before. After the sheer power she'd just shown, she seemed like a whole new person.
The Cloud Knights nearby and many of the tourists turned to stare at her. Even Yunli's eyes went wide. Bailu hadn't been like this before she'd left Penacony, had she?
The moment Bailu landed, though, she tipped her head back to look at Sylvia. The plea for praise was written all over her face.
"Great work! You've made real progress these past few days."
Sylvia wanted to tell her to show a bit more of a High Elder's bearing while they were on the Xianzhou. But the Preceptors had left Bailu with so little chance to see the world. After a moment's thought, Sylvia simply reached out and stroked her head.
"Hehehe. That's all thanks to your teaching!"
Jing Yuan gave a slight nod. Just as he'd thought, Sylvia was the reason for Bailu's change.
"General Jing Yuan, do you know what happened here?" Sylvia asked.
Jing Yuan answered with a smile. "It's nothing too serious. A transport ship from the IPC came under borisin attack and sent a distress call to the Xianzhou. The Cloud Knights got there in time to subdue the attackers. They'd planned to take them straight to the Shackling Prison, but…"
He nodded toward the ship, which was still trailing smoke. "Once they'd entered the Luofu, the borisin set off bombs they'd planted in advance. They were trying to blow up the Luofu's starport. If the Cloud Knights hadn't disarmed the bombs in the engine room in time, the blast would've been much worse."
As Jing Yuan explained, March 7th drew in a sharp breath. Given what she'd heard, she had good reason to suspect the IPC.
"Yikes… Could there be something fishy about that IPC ship?"
"I've had the same thought. That's why we're sending the transport ship, its cargo, and the borisin to the Shackling Prison for a full inquiry."
Jing Yuan nodded. If the borisin had launched a sudden raid, how had they found the time to plant so many bombs throughout the ship without anyone noticing? There might well be more to this.
Either way, they'd send it all to the Shackling Prison and work through the details there. They couldn't leave it in a port with this much foot traffic.
"Talk about getting caught in someone else's mess."
Bailu and Yunli both sighed. At such a tense time, an attack by the borisin had caused an IPC ship to explode right inside the Luofu's port. It really did seem like trouble had dropped into their laps.
Sylvia shook her head. "Hard to say. If I recall, the borisin are one of the Denizens of Abundance. Why would they raid an IPC ship for no reason, especially this close to the Luofu? They might be after something else."
She lifted her head and activated [Truth-Seeking Sigil], looking across the distance at the people who'd come out of the ship. She checked them all and found no impostors among the IPC staff.
Jing Yuan nodded in agreement. "My apologies. Since the borisin are involved, I'll need to inspect the scene myself. I'll have Yanqing look after you in my place."
He wouldn't normally need to handle this in person. But since he was already here, he might as well take a look. He spoke a few words into his jade abacus, and two Cloud Knights rushed over.
"General!"
"Are you two in charge of this area and the port?"
"Yes, sir!"
Both Cloud Knights nodded.
"Take me to the scene."
Jing Yuan had the two captains lead the way, then set off at a brisk pace. Sylvia turned back just then, her Truth-Seeking Sigil still active. Her gaze happened to pass over the pair, and one brow rose.
Why did that Foxian captain's true form look like a huge, shaggy wolf on two legs? Wasn't that a damn borisin?
She turned and gave Mei a slight nod toward them. "Mei, did you sense anything wrong with those two Cloud Knights?"
The question came out of nowhere, leaving the others baffled. Mei, though, nodded.
"There's something wrong with the Foxian. He didn't hide his malice very well. One glance at me gave him away."
--+--
Mei didn't tend to pay attention to people in the street unless they posed a threat to Sylvia. And ever since Sylvia had become an Emanator, Mei had felt quite at ease about her safety.
In other words, she could now ignore almost everyone around her and focus on Sylvia alone.
That was also why she'd drawn so little notice of late. If the Foxian hadn't glanced at her, giving away that faint trace of malice, she might never have noticed the Cloud Knight captain at all.
"Still, Jing Yuan should be able to sense it. He has a martial background, after all."
Xianzhou generals might come off a production line, and their strength might only be average among Emanators. But every person chosen for the role was a trained fighter. Mei didn't think the Foxian could hide that malice from Jing Yuan.
Sylvia nodded and took out her phone. "That's true, but I should still warn him. That wasn't a Foxian at all."
Jing Yuan might sense ill intent, but that didn't mean he'd guess the man was a borisin. To be safe, she sent him a message.
"Wait, wait, wait! What are you two talking about? What's wrong with that Cloud Knight? What do you mean, he wasn't a Foxian?"
March 7th was lost. It felt as if Sylvia and Acheron were trading riddles.
Sylvia looked at her and gave a slight shake of her head. "Too many eyes and ears here. We'll talk once we get to our rooms. I'm afraid this Wardance won't be a peaceful one."
March 7th let out a cry of dismay. "Huh… What?! You're kidding! Something's going to happen again?!"
What was going on? Why did trouble seem to strike wherever they went these days?
Stelle planted her hands on her hips and gave March 7th a weary look. "March, you've jinxed us again."
"Don't pin this on me! I haven't even said anything this time!"
Their banter eased much of the gloom. Soon after, Yanqing rushed over to meet them.
"Sorry, everyone! I'm late!"
Yanqing had been nearby and had headed straight for the scene when the blast went off. He hadn't expected Jing Yuan to show up. After a brief exchange of information, he'd turned around and come to find the Astral Express Crew.
"The Luofu's failed to give you a proper welcome and put you through a fright. Please accept my apology on its behalf."
Yanqing might've been small, but he carried himself like an adult, with tact and poise. He'd also lost much of the sharp edge he'd shown when they'd first met. The string of setbacks he'd faced had taught him restraint.
Barring any mishaps, it wouldn't be long before his sword slipped free of its sheath once more. When it did, its edge would be keener than ever.
"Oh, there's no need to be so polite. You're making me feel awkward!" March 7th scratched her head and waved him off with a laugh.
"Yanqing, could you take us to our lodgings so we can settle in?" Sylvia cut in before they could trade more polite words.
Yanqing nodded and got straight to it. Following Jing Yuan's instructions, he led the group to their hotel.
--+--
It didn't take long to put their luggage away. Once they'd settled in, everyone gathered in Stelle's room, with Yanqing joining them.
"Forgive the intrusion. The general asked me to seek your advice, Master Sylvia."
"Master, now?"
Sylvia broke into a grin. Sure, she'd been teaching Bailu, and Yunli had picked up a few lessons along the way. But she didn't think she'd quite earned a title like that.
Still, it was a small matter. She smiled and motioned for Yanqing to go on.
"Did Jing Yuan tell you anything?"
"The general only asked me to thank you for the information. He said he'd handle it with care."
It'd all happened so fast that Jing Yuan hadn't given Yanqing a full account. Sylvia nodded, then turned to explain to the Express crew, Yunli, and Bailu.
"Of the two Cloud Knight captains Jing Yuan called over, the Foxian was in disguise. His true form was a species that looked like a wolf standing on two legs—"
"A borisin?!"
Yanqing clearly knew more about the Abominations of Abundance than the Express crew did. The borisin were one branch of the Denizens of Abundance, a very tough foe and sworn enemies of the Xianzhou's Foxians.
Sylvia nodded at his stunned expression. "I don't know how he disguised himself, but his features matched a borisin's."
"How could… If the borisin have already slipped into the Xianzhou in disguise, why stage a terror attack as well? Wouldn't that put the Luofu on guard?"
Yanqing didn't doubt Sylvia's words. Given her strength and her ties to the Luofu, she'd no reason to lie to him. Before he'd left, Jing Yuan had also hinted that Sylvia might have a lead and asked him to find out more.
Yanqing knew what was happening on the Luofu. He also knew that an undying borisin leader lay locked beneath the Shackling Prison. If the borisin had gone to such lengths to sneak aboard, they had to be after their warhead.
But if that was true, why launch an attack now and alert the Xianzhou to their presence? It didn't make sense. Surely they didn't think that a band of captured borisin and a few spies within the Six Commissions could pull off a prison break by working from both sides?
The Shackling Prison stood apart from the other branches and fell under the sole control of the Ten-Lords Commission. They wouldn't let outsiders slip in there. The borisin warhead would have to escape the prison before he could even reach these hidden agents.
Yanqing frowned, trying to work it out. He kept running through ways the borisin might plan to break their leader out, and the others in the room wrestled with the same puzzle. But they had too few clues. For all their thought, they were doing little more than letting their imaginations run wild.
A sharp clap brought them back to the room. Sylvia had brought her hands together to get their attention.
"All right, we don't have enough clues, so let's stop forcing it. We'll only think ourselves into a dead end. Let's wait and see what Jing Yuan finds first."
Himeko and Welt weren't here. For now, Sylvia had more or less taken over as the group's stand-in parent.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL