On the way to the Sleepless Earl's residence, Lumina studied the System screen, which displayed the full details of March 7th's sword training storyline.
Hmm... it seems March 7th ended her observation several days early because of me, Lumina thought, glancing at Yunli, Yanqing, March 7th, and the others beside her.
In the original storyline, March 7th was supposed to undergo several days of observation before Yanqing and Yunli reached their conclusion. However, due to the influence of Lumina's pendant, Yanqing and Yunli had reached their verdict ahead of schedule.
But...
Lumina glanced at Stelle and Little Swarm beside her.
...everything seems fine here?
Stelle, who was supposed to appear only after Yanqing and Yunli reached their conclusion in a few days, had arrived early.
Moreover...
"This... this isn't right?!"
Lumina's gaze shifted from the screen to two figures arguing loudly in front of the Sleepless Earl's residence.
No, it was two people: one shouting loudly, the other explaining softly.
It seemed... even with time accelerated, some side plots unrelated to the main story would still unfold as before.
Lumina had interfered with the Main Story several times, each intervention leading to different outcomes.
Now, a side plot had shifted. Yanqing and Yunli's observation of March 7th reached a conclusion earlier than expected, yet it had no impact on the subsequent chain of events.
Stelle had arrived ahead of schedule, and Scott was already causing a scene at the entrance of The Sleepless Earl.
None of these events had changed due to the accelerated Time.
Though the reason remained unclear, Lumina didn't particularly care.
These were just trivial matters. If they remained unchanged, so be it. They posed no threat to her plans, and might even provide some amusement along the way.
"Is that... Scott?" Yanqing's brow furrowed as he watched Scott arguing with The Sleepless Earl's owner outside the establishment. "How did this guy finish his investigation so quickly?"
"Hmm, someone you know?" Yunli asked, glancing at Scott, who looked like he was up to no good.
"Not really," Yanqing replied, shaking his head. "He's with the IPC. He messed up somehow and is probably being detained here on the Luofu temporarily."
"But... why is he allowed to roam freely on the Luofu?"
Yanqing stared at Scott, puzzled but ultimately accepting the situation. After all, Scott wouldn't be here unless the Cloud Knights had approved his presence. How else could a mere IPC employee bypass their stringent surveillance and openly argue with a shopkeeper in the middle of the street?
"Let's go over there," Lumina suggested, noting the growing crowd of onlookers. "If we let Scott keep arguing with the shopkeeper, we'll never get our milk tea."
"Yeah, Sister Lumina's right! Let's hurry over and get that jerk locked up!" March 7th raised her tiny fists, gesturing threateningly at Scott as if itching for a fight.
A burly man was clearly bullying a Foxian girl who stood about waist-high.
As a righteous Nameless aboard the Astral Express, March 7th couldn't stand idly by. She quickened her pace and strode purposefully toward them.
"Eh? E-eh-eh, Miss March, you can't just start fighting in the Luofu City Area!" Yanqing's eyes widened as he watched March 7th's surging aura, as if she truly intended to punch Scott. He rushed forward urgently to warn her, trying to prevent her rash action.
"Let's go, then," Lumina said. After checking the Cognitive Distortion aura she'd cast on herself, she nodded to the others and slowly began walking toward the entrance of The Sleepless Earl.
Lumina found it quite tiresome to cast Cognitive Distortion every time she went out. But there was no help for it—her status, influence, and fame left her with no alternative.
If Lumina were to venture out with her true face, setting aside the question of whether she could even walk normally, every influencer on the Luofu vying for clout would flock to her without hesitation.
Add in the gawkers, and the entire Central Starskiff Haven would likely grind to a halt for a while.
To prevent the Central Starskiff Haven from being paralyzed by her mere appearance, Lumina had to disguise herself subtly.
Hmm... Of course, Lumina's "Cognitive Distortion" ability was utterly ineffective against beautiful girls of a certain caliber.
This wasn't hypocrisy; Lumina simply believed that when facing a beautiful girl, she should uphold the highest standards of courtesy and never resort to hiding her true self.
Hmm, doesn't that sound just like hypocrisy? Lumina mused inwardly as she strode toward the entrance of The Sleepless Earl.
Though she recognized her double standard, she had no intention of changing it.
After all... I've earned the right to have double standards through my own merit. Why should I give that up?!