'Could it be…'
'She likes me?!'
With such a huge gift, she couldn't think of any other possibility besides liking her and wanting to pursue her.
It couldn't be that just because she had shown her Levi's photo earlier, she fell in love at first sight and planned to get close to Levi through her, right?
That was obviously impossible.
The woman in front of her, named Ruan Mei, carried a strong scholarly aura all over her. There was no way something like "love at first sight" would happen to her.
Besides, Levi wasn't so breathtakingly handsome that he could easily stir a girl's heart at first meeting.
So what exactly was she thinking?
Looking at Qingque's nervous expression, Ruan Mei still wore that gentle smile.
"I wonder if Miss Qingque could take me to meet Mr. Levi?"
'Damn it! She's here for the base!'
'Uh… wait, weren't we originally here for Levi anyway?'
"No need to worry." Ruan Mei placed the jar in front of Qingque, withdrew her hand, and reassured her, "I just want to confirm whether he's someone I know."
"What if he is someone you know?"
After asking, Qingque glanced at the jar and quietly moved it under the table.
Since it was given to her, she might as well take it.
Ruan Mei brushed the hair by her ear and softly said to Qingque, "I'll ask him to help with something."
"A very simple favor, for him."
She didn't tell Qingque exactly what the favor was, since she still wasn't certain whether he was the person she was looking for.
The vague shadow she had seen only resembled his figure.
Judging solely by body shape similarity, it wasn't enough to confirm his identity.
At the very least, she needed to hear his voice.
But even that wasn't absolute.
After all, voices could be disguised.
If he truly wanted to avoid her, then even if she searched the entire Xianzhou Luofu, she probably wouldn't find a trace of him.
That was what Ruan Mei thought.
She looked at Qingque, who was weighing the pros and cons in front of her.
Originally, she had planned to accompany Herta to find Levi and get acquainted.
Then settle near the Ancient Sea and see if there were any remaining creations left.
But she hadn't expected that she might have found a clue pointing to the creator himself.
Qingque slowly nodded. "Alright."
Taking her to see Levi wouldn't cause any trouble. Anyway, she couldn't beat Levi. Even if she was a member of the Genius Society, she still wouldn't be able to beat him.
Especially since there wasn't any sign of modification on her body.
That made it even more impossible.
But she didn't really need to tell her this in advance, did she?
After all, they already had Fu Xuan's authorization and came to ask her to contact Levi.
Even if she didn't say anything, she would have helped contact him anyway.
Why?
Herta could tell.
Ruan Mei clearly had some interest in that Levi, and this little sparrow in front of her had a good relationship with him.
By building a friendly relationship with her, she could use it when necessary.
Of course, all of this depended on the assumption that the person involved wasn't some brainless brute.
Judging from the Levi she had seen before, he didn't seem like a reckless musclehead.
After agreeing to take Ruan Mei to find Levi, Qingque turned her gaze toward Herta, who happened to be staring at her as well.
Their eyes met in midair.
Herta didn't react much. In contrast, Qingque quietly looked away.
For some reason, whenever she looked at her, Qingque always felt a sense of guilt.
And there was also a strange sense of familiarity that confused her.
She didn't know why.
"Let's go. I'll take you to find Levi."
———
Standing at the center of the Divination Matrix, watching the runes slowly emerge around her, Fu Xuan took a deep breath.
She murmured, "I wonder if Qingque has managed to contact Levi…"
As a glow lit up, the Divination Matrix was officially activated.
Fu Xuan crossed her hands in front of her chest. The floating runes gathered around her one by one, circling her.
Names came out of her mouth one after another.
"Stellaron Hunter Kafka, Alchemy Commission… Stellaron Hunter Silver Wolf, Cloudford… Stellaron Hunter Blade, Exalting Sanctum!"
"Hm?"
On the empty streets of the Alchemy Commission, Kafka sensed something and looked up toward the Divination Commission.
"Have we been discovered… I need to speed things up."
After learning the exact locations of the three from Fu Xuan, Jing Yuan waved his hand.
"Cloud Knights, heed my command!"
"Proceed immediately to the Alchemy Commission, Cloudford, and Exalting Sanctum to capture the Stellaron Hunters!"
———
Pop!
Somewhere in Cloudford, Silver Wolf was squatting in a corner, holding a game console in both hands, playing intensely.
Her mouth kept moving, chewing sounds continuing nonstop.
Her original task had been to open the gate for the Astral Express crew.
But she didn't expect them to arrive so quickly... and they didn't even need her to open the Jade Gate, they just got in on their own.
In the original script, she didn't need to do much, but at least she still had to contribute a little.
Now in this script, she didn't even need to lift a finger.
With nothing to do, she could only hide here and play games.
"Tch!" Midway through the game, Silver Wolf's expression turned annoyed, and her fingers pressed the buttons harder.
"When is that bastard Levi going to give me my worker back?!"
And also…
"I still haven't settled the score for him throwing me into the Shackling Prison!"
Suddenly, Silver Wolf stopped moving, turned off the game screen, and narrowed her eyes slightly.
She looked toward the direction of the star-skiff port.
So many Cloud Knights arriving all at once… did they find her?
After thinking for a moment, Silver Wolf turned the game console back on.
"Let's just consider it easing Kafka's burden."
She'd show herself after finishing this round. Anyway, with these small fries, there was no way they could catch her.
———
[Exalting Sanctum]
A man wrapped in bandages sat in a roadside teahouse. In front of him was a cup of tea that had already gone cold.
The shopkeeper looked at him with a rather strange expression.
The man had been sitting there for almost a whole day. He ordered tea but didn't drink it, just sat there.
Well, not exactly just sitting. His gaze had been fixed on the long line in the distance.
Those were patients who came to the Exalting Sanctum to seek free treatment from the Dragon Lady.
The famous Alchemist Dragon Lady was offering free consultations here.
Once that news spread, as long as people were still on the Xianzhou, no matter how far they were, they rushed here in a hurry.
This man, wrapped head to toe in bandages, was probably also here for treatment.
He must have been overwhelmed by the long line.
"Sir, if you're here for treatment, you won't make it today. It's best to come tomorrow before dawn."
"…"
The bandaged man didn't respond, still facing the sea of people.
The shopkeeper shook his head and turned back inside.
Tap! Tap!
Footsteps sounded.
Creak~
Blade slightly turned his head, glanced at the girl who sat across from him, his gaze lingering briefly on her fiery red lips.
Then he slowly looked away and continued staring at the crowd.
"Hey, are you going to drink this tea or not? If not, I'll have it?"
Stelle fanned herself with her hand, but it didn't help much.
Seeing the cold tea in front of him, she asked.
When he didn't respond, the bold Stelle cautiously reached out. Seeing no objection, she took it and gulped it down.
At that moment, another set of footsteps sounded.
Sensing a familiar presence, Blade suddenly tightened his grip on the Shattered Blade and looked toward the direction of the footsteps.
But by the time he turned his head, the owner of the footsteps had already arrived and sat beside him.
Stelle put down the teacup, startled by the sudden appearance of the white-haired woman.
"You…"