The borisin had gone to great lengths to slip into the Luofu. Anyone with half a brain could guess why: they were after their warhead, who'd been locked away for centuries.
With the Ambrosial Arbor gone, what else on the Luofu could be worth all this trouble?
Still, knowing their goal didn't change what had to happen. Those prisoners had to go to the Shackling Prison.
For one thing, the Xianzhou had to enforce its laws to the letter during the Wardance, at least in public. For another, the Shackling Prison was the best place to carry out the investigation.
Tourists packed every corner of the Luofu, while both the Alchemy Commission and the Artisanship Commission worked around the clock. Trouble in any of those places could shake the whole ship. Only the hidden depths of the Shackling Prison could keep an incident from becoming public news at once.
Keeping the fight inside the prison would limit the fallout. Jing Yuan was already thinking about how to make the IPC foot the repair bill if parts of the prison happened to get smashed.
So even though he could guess that sending the transport ship and the borisin to the Shackling Prison was exactly what the enemy wanted, he did it anyway. After all, as Yanqing had noted, the forces they'd shown so far stood little chance of pulling off a prison break.
That made Jing Yuan all the more keen to learn what they were counting on. What was so special about that cargo? If he didn't let the enemy taste a little success, how would he get them to show their hand—or draw out the traitors who'd turned against the Xianzhou?
A thief could wait forever for an opening, but no guard could watch every door forever. Now that Jing Yuan knew there were traitors among them, he had no wish to leave them in place.
The IPC staff claimed those biomechanical creatures had come from the Intelligentsia Guild. Yet the Guild shouldn't have had any ties to the borisin, much less traded with them. He'd have to sound out the IPC as well.
"So... am I luring them into a trap, or letting wolves through the door? Let's see who comes out on top."
Jing Yuan propped his head on one hand and smiled. Would the borisin reach their warhead first, or would he uncover their trail before then?
"Still, our young friend Sylvia's quite famous these days. If she moves around the Luofu in plain sight, she might scare our foes into staying put."
He began to consider how to discuss the plan with her. Neither Huaiyan's visit nor the arrival of the Merlin's Claw had been made public. Apart from a few trusted aides at the Seat of Divine Foresight, no one knew that three generals would soon gather on the Xianzhou.
Sylvia, on the other hand, had shot to fame. She stood out wherever she went, and she'd only just defeated Zephyro. It wouldn't do if she scared their enemies into hiding for good.
He'd visit her tomorrow and work out a plan. With that settled, Jing Yuan glanced at the mountain of papers on his desk and decided to leave them to tomorrow's self.
At his age, he ought to go to bed early and take care of his health.
--+--
Back at the hotel, March 7th and the others couldn't get to sleep, especially with the day's explosion still on their minds. The more March thought about it, the more she feared she'd jinxed them with her careless words.
In the end, she got Stelle and Bailu up and dragged them out to the night market. They could have fun until they wore themselves out, with Bailu leading them to the most authentic local spots.
Plenty of people would have a sleepless night. Sylvia might well have the hardest time of them all; after such a long evening, she was already worn out.
--+--
The next morning on the Xianzhou, Sylvia woke with a stiff back and aching shoulders. Mei still slept beside her, which made Sylvia raise a brow. Seeing Mei sleep longer than she did was rare.
As for all the teasing she'd endured last night, she'd filed it away for later. One day, she'd find a way to get even.
Sylvia rolled over beneath the covers, which rustled around her. She reached for her phone to check whether March and the others were awake, or if Jing Yuan had sent any news.
There was nothing from Jing Yuan, and no fresh updates from March's group either. The last street photos March had posted in the Astral Express group chat were from half past three that morning. They were probably still sound asleep.
A message from Yukong caught her eye instead. According to her, something seemed to be weighing on Tingyun's mind, and she'd been keeping her distance from Sylvia.
Yukong hadn't managed to talk her around. She hoped Sylvia could come to the Sky-Faring Commission, pick Tingyun up, and have a proper chat with her.
"Hmm... yes, we should talk."
Sylvia recalled how strange Tingyun had seemed when they'd parted in Penacony. She wasn't going to sit back and wait forever, nor did she want to give up on her.
Of course, if Tingyun truly couldn't accept her feelings, Sylvia wouldn't push. Kafka, for instance, clearly had no interest in that sort of thing, and Sylvia had left her alone.
But if Tingyun was just caught up in needless doubts, Sylvia meant to sit down with her and talk them through. With that thought, she climbed out from under the covers.
Mei stirred and opened her eyes. She rolled onto her side, watching Sylvia get up.
"You're up early."
Mei studied her with a faint smile. The power of Permanence was impressive; one night's rest had left Sylvia looking as fresh as ever.
Her gaze lingered long enough for Sylvia to guess what was on her mind. With a huff, Sylvia snatched up a pillow and tossed it over Mei's head.
"...I can tell you're up to no good."
"Off to see that little fox?"
Mei pulled the pillow away and gave her an amused look. Sylvia used to at least try to be discreet around her. Now she'd grown quite open about it.
"Uh... you've already heard my thoughts. What else is there to say?"
Sylvia cleared her throat, her boldness gone in a flash. Then she leaned back over the bed and gave Mei a brief kiss.
"Come on, then. What are you planning this time?"
"Oh? So eager?"
"...Don't act like I don't know you. You really think I can't hear anything?"
Mei's feigned innocence almost made Sylvia laugh in disbelief. She couldn't hear as much as Mei could, but that didn't mean she heard nothing. All this teasing was leading up to some new scheme.
Mei chuckled and reached up to pinch her cheek. "I'll tell you later. Go on."
"All right. I'll head out."
Sylvia brushed her cheek against Mei's, then got up and left the room. Out in the living room, she padded over to the chilled storage cabinet and rummaged through it.
She was going to see Tingyun, but she couldn't very well show up empty-handed. She planned to make a few scents for Tingyun's desk, along with some massage oils.
It'd been a while since she'd put her massage skills to use. Things in Penacony had been such a mess that she'd had little time or peace of mind for it. Still, she'd been planning to give Robin a proper massage once she boarded the Express.
Blending the scents and oils took little time. She might've been out of practice, but she'd gained the skill through the draw system. It wasn't something she could forget or lose.
She'd been at work for a little while when Mei came out of the bedroom in a robe. Watching Sylvia, she said, "It's been ages since I've seen you make these."
Before their trip to Penacony, Sylvia had often given her massages. Once their focus had shifted to matters there, though, that habit had fallen by the wayside.
"It hasn't been that long, has it? We've just been through a lot."
Sylvia looked up and smiled at her. At most, it'd been a few dozen days. For Mei, surely that much time should've passed in a blink.
Yet Mei came over and sat beside her. She reached out and traced a small circle on Sylvia's sleeve.
"No, it's been a very long time since you've treated me to one."
Measured against Mei's age, those few days might've meant next to nothing. But to her, they'd felt like a fresh start.
In that sense, those few dozen days mattered far more than most of the countless Amber Eras she'd lived through before them. The weight of time had little to do with its length.
"That's because you can finally relax."
Sylvia smiled at her. These days, Mei no longer had to spend every waking moment struggling against Nihility. She was even starting to share Sylvia's habit of sleeping now and then.
Still, Sylvia set down her work and moved closer. "But you're right. It has been a while. I'll make you a new bottle of oil in a bit."
Mei smiled and tipped Sylvia's chin up with a finger. "Perhaps I should learn too, so I can return the favor."
"You already gave my shoulders quite a workout last night."
With just the two of them in the room, Sylvia could speak freely. They'd grown close enough that she saw little point in getting shy over every small thing.
Still, that thought reminded her of something. She opened the system and brought up Mei's details.
[Target: Raiden Mei]
[Affection: 88 (Trust and Favor)]
[Relationship: Married in Name Only]
Unless the affection score rose or their relationship changed, the panel didn't pop up on its own. Sylvia felt that both their bond and their trust in each other had grown a great deal lately, yet neither the score nor the description had changed at all.
It puzzled her. She could accept that affection grew harder to raise as it climbed, but that relationship label was another matter.
After everything they'd shared, she and Mei still counted as married in name only? Surely that couldn't be right.
The system had accepted their bare-bones wedding back then. How could it still claim their marriage was in name only now, when they'd become so close?
What was missing? Sylvia frowned as she turned the question over in her mind.
Mei leaned against the arm of the sofa, resting her head on one hand. Seeing Sylvia's sudden frown, she asked, "What's wrong?"
"I'm trying to work out what kind of relationship we have now."
Sylvia trusted Mei, and she was still caught up in the question. So when Mei asked, she gave her the answer without a second thought.
Mei froze. Whatever she'd been about to say slipped from her mind.
She studied Sylvia with an odd look. She hadn't expected that subject to come up out of nowhere.
As for their relationship, there was still that ceremony Sylvia had coaxed her into when they'd first met. She'd never given Mei a proper explanation.
"What do you think?"
"Me? I'd say we're very close, of course."
Sylvia spoke as if the answer were obvious. But that wasn't quite what Mei wanted to hear.
"Speaking of which, when we first met, you took me through a ceremony and gave me a ring..."
As she spoke, Mei touched the ring on her finger. The hint could hardly have been clearer.
Before she'd even finished, Sylvia's heart gave a jolt. Right—she'd never fully explained that ceremony.
Could that be the reason? Mei had never heard Sylvia say what it meant, so the system still treated their relationship as unfinished?
At that thought, Sylvia grew serious. She climbed onto the sofa and knelt before Mei.
"...I'm sorry, Mei. There's something I didn't tell you back then."
Mei raised a brow, then gave a small nod for her to go on. Of course she'd known the ceremony had meant more than Sylvia had let on. She'd simply been waiting to see when Sylvia would bring it up.
Or perhaps that wasn't quite true. Mei hadn't felt any need to insist on an explanation. Even if Sylvia never gave her one, it wouldn't have changed much.
Their bond let her sense Sylvia's heart, and she knew those feelings were real. Sylvia had kept a few things from her at first, but under the circumstances, the ring she'd given her had more than made up for that.
Besides, even without an explanation, Mei could guess what the ceremony meant. She wasn't its only "victim" anymore, and she wasn't a fool. It'd clearly been some form of wedding rite.
Mei was neither unreasonable nor prone to sulking. So even though Sylvia hadn't said a word about it all this time, she'd never brought it up or held it against her.
Of course, now that Sylvia had raised the matter herself, Mei was happy to enjoy the sight. Sylvia looked so careful and earnest as she knelt before her.
Sylvia couldn't make out Mei's thoughts in full, but she could sense that the old lie didn't trouble her much. There was also a hint of mischief in her mood.
Perhaps Mei had never minded in the first place.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL