"You're right, Master Sylvia. I'll take my leave."
The news was a bombshell. Yanqing had to get back and talk to Jing Yuan about where to start the search. First, they had to find a way to root out the borisin hiding among the Six Commissions.
How in the world had a borisin disguised itself well enough to join their ranks? Someone on the inside had to be helping. If only Lady Fu Xuan were still on the Luofu.
With those thoughts racing through his head, Yanqing hurried off. Yunli didn't stay much longer. Once Sylvia agreed to train with her tomorrow, she left as well.
Only Bailu stayed, keen to stick close to Sylvia. She now saw herself as Sylvia's student and the Express crew's doctor. The Alchemy Commission? The Preceptors? Never heard of them.
With just the Express crew left, everyone could speak more freely. March 7th was the first to voice her concern.
"Sylvia, are we getting involved this time? From what Yanqing said, they sound pretty tough."
She'd asked Yanqing about the borisin. They couldn't match the threat of an Emanator like Phantylia, but hearing how fierce they were had still left her on edge.
Stelle planted both hands on her hips, brimming with confidence.
"A few borisin? They won't last one round against the Galactic Baseballer!"
"I'll ask Sylvia to protect me, then. Have fun out there on your own."
March 7th rolled her eyes. Where did Stelle get all that nerve? She hadn't even seen what their foes looked like, yet she'd already decided they couldn't take a single hit.
Thank goodness Sylvia and Acheron were here. Without them, March would've been scared stiff.
Sylvia glanced at March, then at an eager Stelle and the ever-calm Dan Heng. She smiled.
"Don't worry. There's nothing for us to do yet. The Luofu's got more reason to worry about the borisin than we do. Jing Yuan might even sort it all out before we hear another word."
She paused, then added, "Besides, March, remember that we didn't just come here to see the sights. The Xianzhou Alliance is investigating Jing Yuan, and we're here to serve as witnesses. Until then, we should wait."
They'd met Huaiyan last time and cleared things up with him. Strictly speaking, though, he'd only been there as an impartial witness. Someone else held the actual order to investigate.
Who knew what that fierce, battle-hardened Merlin's Claw was like? What if she demanded a fight the moment they met?
"Oh, right! I almost forgot about that."
Now that March thought about it, she wasn't scared at all. They had two powerful Emanators on their side!
As long as she stuck close to Sylvia, she could strut around the whole universe unless an Aeon showed up. What was there to fear? It wasn't as if the Xianzhou Alliance could eat them alive.
"March... don't get carried away."
One look at her face told Dan Heng what she was thinking. Sylvia and Acheron were strong, and there'd be plenty of times when the crew would need their help. But that didn't mean relying on them should become everyone's first thought whenever trouble struck.
"Come on, I know! I'm not about to let feeling safe rot my brain!"
March pursed her lips. What was that supposed to mean? He made it sound as if she belonged in the same category as Stelle.
She was sharp as a tack. When had she ever been as weird as Stelle?
"All right, let's get some rest. Anything else can wait until tomorrow."
Sylvia rose to leave with Mei. But once they stepped outside, just as she was about to teleport away, she noticed Bailu still trailing behind her like a little shadow.
Uh...
Mei gave her a pointed wink. Sylvia turned and patted Bailu's head.
"Bailu, aren't you going back to visit the Alchemy Commission?"
"Nope! I'm the Astral Express's onboard doctor now."
"Uh, then why don't you go play with Yunli?"
At that point, Bailu could hardly miss the hint. Even Yunli could tell there was something going on between Sylvia and Acheron. She gave them a knowing smile.
"Fine, I'll go find Yunli. Have fun, Teacher!"
Bailu scampered off. Sylvia's cheeks warmed, and she felt as though her authority as a teacher had slipped a notch.
Then she caught Mei's amused look. Her eyes widened as she stared back.
"What're you looking at?"
"Am I not allowed to look?"
"Hmph. Come on, let's go."
Sylvia rolled her eyes and vanished. A moment later, Mei disappeared from the hall as well.
--+--
Though no one had stayed in the house for a while, its cleaning robot had kept it spotless. As soon as they arrived, Sylvia caught Mei by the hand and drew her toward the bed.
"I've missed this place."
Sylvia tried to sound casual, though the grin on her face gave her away. Mei sat beside her, looking amused.
"So have I. Feeling nostalgic?"
Sylvia tried to take the lead in their playful tussle, but Mei turned the tables with ease. In moments, Sylvia found herself caught in a loose embrace, her bold plan in ruins.
"You've got the strength, but your technique still needs work."
Mei smiled as Sylvia tried to wriggle free. Sylvia had become an Emanator, and a rare one who drew on two Paths at that. Her power had soared, and she now stood on equal footing with Mei.
But that only gave her the right to issue a challenge. It didn't mean she'd win.
"Ugh! Are you making fun of me?"
Sylvia puffed out her cheeks, her pride bruised. When had Mei become such a tease?
"I'm just stating the facts." Mei leaned closer, still smiling. "But I'm looking forward to the day you beat me."
"Hmph. Just you wai—"
A brief kiss cut off her threat. Sylvia's face turned bright red, and the rest of her protest dissolved into a flustered mumble.
'Raiden Mei, you menace! Just you wait. I'm writing this down.'
She'd settle the score one day. For now, she kept a mental tally of every teasing smile while the room settled into quiet.
--+--
Meanwhile, at the Sky-Faring Commission, Tingyun handed Yukong a list of the merchant ships and starskiffs damaged in that day's incident. Yukong gave it a quick read.
The losses weren't great. In fact, they were slight.
"We owe our Healer Lady a great deal. Without her help, the damage could've been far worse."
Yukong sounded moved. According to the reports, the Healer Lady had grown taller, and the large lock on her tail had vanished. After only a few days away, she'd returned in a very literal flash of lightning.
"Hehe, indeed. Give it a little longer, and we might have to start calling her High Elder."
Tingyun smiled. She knew Bailu fairly well, so seeing her grow stronger and break free of the Preceptors' control made her happy too.
"Speaking of High Elders..."
Yukong set down the report and looked at her.
"Sylvia's arrived on the Luofu as well. There's life in that empty house again, so she must've gone back there. Aren't you going to see her?"
"..."
Even the ever-poised Tingyun faltered at the sudden mention of Sylvia. Yukong sighed.
"We Foxians don't live as long as Xianzhou natives. Sylvia may've made her name through Elation, but we both know her roots lie in Permanence. She'll live for a thousand years at the very least. You're the one who can't afford to wait, silly girl."
Neither Yukong nor Tingyun was naive. They could see what was going on between Sylvia and the girls around her.
The Xianzhou was fairly traditional. Still, both its native people and the Vidyadhara lived long lives and had few children. In some respects, its customs weren't that strict.
More to the point, Tingyun couldn't outlive Miss Acheron. She was an Emanator of Nihility. Until Nihility consumed her, she could live as long as she wished.
Instead of hiding from the issue, Tingyun would be better off facing it. Whether she could accept the situation was another matter.
Sylvia had joined the Astral Express, so her future lay among the stars. Tingyun often traveled with merchant fleets herself. If she let this chance pass, how many more would they have to meet?
"...I know."
Tingyun opened her fan and hid her face from Yukong.
"Someone so strong is bound to have plenty of admirers. I've never hoped to have her all to myself."
She'd made a few quiet inquiries. Miss Acheron had no one else and had chosen to spend her seemingly endless years at Sylvia's side. Miss Robin had reportedly turned down the Family's invitation, and there were even rumors that she meant to board the Express.
But what about Tingyun? Whether it was lifespan, strength, or standing, she'd watched Sylvia soar ahead at breakneck speed and leave her far behind.
She didn't want to give up everything she'd built just to become a pretty ornament Sylvia could take or leave. Nor did she think Sylvia would want that for her.
That gave her even less reason to abandon her work. Yet the merchant guild kept her busy. Even if Sylvia could cross the stars with ease, they'd still spend far more time apart than together.
So... should she really tell Sylvia how she felt? Since returning to the Xianzhou a few days ago, she'd asked herself that question time and again.
Yukong sighed at the sight of Tingyun dodging the issue. Between her fallen comrade and her adopted daughter, she'd never given much thought to finding a partner herself. She had no wisdom born of experience to offer.
Besides, Tingyun was clever. When it came to reading people or steering a conversation, she was always the one pulling the strings. Who ever managed to turn the tables on her?
Even Yukong couldn't quite grasp what she was thinking. Who'd taught this girl to be so shrewd? Now she couldn't even find the right words to talk some sense into her.
Oh. She'd taught her.
Well, that explained it.
Yukong gave up. She'd just tell Sylvia and let her come fetch Tingyun herself.
"All right, all right. Get back to work."
"Then I'll take my leave."
Back to her usual poise, Tingyun snapped her fan shut and turned away with a smile. Yukong watched her go, then picked up her jade abacus.
'Tingyun, Tingyun. Don't blame me for handing you over to Sylvia.'
--+--
Meanwhile, at the Seat of Divine Foresight, General Jing Yuan had returned after Yanqing came back from his visit. He'd gone to the scene himself, but a general couldn't stay there dealing with every detail for too long.
Besides, the information Sylvia had brought called for his own oversight. He had to get to the bottom of it.
"...Where did these borisin come from?"
One thing was clear: the borisin hadn't had the means to pass themselves off as Foxians before. They'd also scorned the very idea. To them, such a disguise would've been an insult.
A third party must've stepped in. Someone had given them a way to do it and even talked them into setting aside their pride.
"Which of you could it be?"
Jing Yuan narrowed his eyes. He ruled out the Foxians first. The hatred between the two races ran deep, and the borisin could suppress them on a biological level. No Foxian would do this.
Next came the Xianzhou natives under his rule. The recent purge had brought all sorts of filth to light. Some of those caught up in it might've borne a grudge and let the borisin in.
Then there were the Vidyadhara high elders. They'd funded the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus not long ago, so backing the borisin now wouldn't be much of a leap. If anything, they were prime suspects.
The search would take manpower. So would the Wardance.
"It seems I was too lenient before."
Jing Yuan let out a quiet sigh. The purge had brought sweeping changes: some had gone to prison, some had faced execution, and others had been exiled. Yet even that hadn't curbed these people's ambitions.
It seemed he hadn't dealt harshly enough with them. After centuries without much action from him, some had forgotten that the General of Divine Foresight had earned his place on the battlefield.
"A shame we're short on people. I'll have to call on some unexpected help after all..."
He weighed how best to assign his forces. When would Fu Xuan return? With the Matrix of Prescience active and her third eye to guide it, they could spare themselves a great deal of work.
"Right. I also need to notify the Ten-Lords Commission. We must take care with that freighter full of strange armor."
After the incident, the Xianzhou authorities had detained the freighter and checked its cargo. They'd found autonomous machines built with some unknown form of biotechnology.
Under Xianzhou law, the machines would go straight to the Shackling Prison for review. The captured borisin would go with them.
Of course, Jing Yuan had a fair idea of what the borisin were up to. Whatever trick they planned to use was most likely hidden aboard that ship.
But unless they were going to vaporize the whole thing with a single shot, sending it to the Shackling Prison really was their best choice.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL