"Hmm~ hmm~ hmm~"
Aurum Alley bustled with life, its streets overflowing with chatter and color. And weaving happily through the rows of stalls was none other than the little dragon girl, Bailu skipping from one vendor to the next with boundless curiosity as if the entire world were her playground.
The recent resurrection of the Ambrosial Arbor had indeed brought an unexpected calamity to the Luofu. But thanks to the Xianzhou's strategists, the Cloud Knights, the Ten-Lords Commission… and that mysterious giant's sudden intervention, the disaster was contained before it could devastated the entire ship.
Only Scalegorge Waterscape suffered truly heavy damage.
Half the region was now reduced to jagged ruins, devoured by Woola or torn apart in the battle. Even with the full might of the Vidyadhara, repairs would take a long, long time.
And so, Bailu whose talents were too valuable to risk in the reconstruction had been placed under General Jing Yuan's supervision.
Or… she was supposed to be.
Of course, "placed under Jing Yuan" was one thing. What actually happened was that Bailu hugged the general's leg early in the morning, looking up at him with the largest, wettest, most pleading eyes imaginable… and Jing Yuan under his master very pointed "benevolent" gaze, surrendered immediately.
Thus, the task of babysitting fell to Jingliu.
And through a twist of coincidence, she and Bailu crossed paths with Daichi, who happened to be surveying how the Luofu had changed after the crisis.
Now, seated at a pavilion overlooking Aurum Alley bustling heart, Daichi lifted the warm teacup in front of him. He blew on it lightly, took a soft sip, and let out a relaxed breath.
Then he spoke.
"Master… I'll be leaving the Xianzhou soon."
Jingliu paused mid-sip. She lowered her cup, eyes reflecting the calm surface of her tea.
"You've already made up your mind?"
Daichi nodded. "Yes. Even though neither X nor I can confirm whether Greeza truly exists in this universe… the possibility alone is more than enough. We can't afford to take chances."
[Greeza's existence spells destruction for any lifeform unfortunate enough to encounter it.]
X voice resonated within him.
[It devours life energy to sustain itself, and ordinary attacks barely phase it. If Greeza was also sent here by Bullton power just like us, then we have no choice. We must find it before it finds anyone else.]
"So," Daichi continued, setting his teacup down with newfound resolve.
"We're planning to depart the Luofu in a few days. Master… thank you for teaching me swordsmanship, and for everything the people of the Luofu have done for us."
"…Those words." Jingliu replied, waving a hand dismissively.
"Save those words for the others."
Yet despite her tone, a faint softness flickered across her expression.
"I don't claim to fully understand your history with this Greeza." she admitted.
"You mentioned it to Jing Yuan as well. Given the help you've provided, repelling two Lords Ravagers, the Alliance will lend its strength if needed."
She paused, then added with a faint sigh.
"Though… that is something the general should be the one to say. It seems all this paperwork has made me sound like him."
Chin propped in her hand, Jingliu looked toward the lively street.
"If you're leaving, then go say your farewells properly. You've made quite a few connections here."
A thought crossed her mind, and she continued with a faint chuckle.
"Come to think of it… what you're doing aligns rather well with the Path of the Hunt, doesn't it? I wonder if the Reignbow Arbiter will cast a glance your way."
If Daichi ever joined the Xianzhou formally, perhaps the Seven Arbiter Generals might even become Eight. A whimsical idea, but not an impossible one.
"I doubt an Aeon would cast their gaze so casually," Daichi said with a wry smile, sipping the last of his tea.
And in the days that followed, he visited each friend he'd made on the Luofu.
—————————————————
Sitting in the Divination Commission, Fu Xuan looked at Daichi and X, her fingertips brushing subconsciously against the third eye on her brow.
"You're leaving the Luofu?"
Inside the Divination Commission, Fu Xuan looked at Daichi and X, her fingers instinctively brushing the third eye at her brow.
Her gaze sharpened, as if trying to read the future from their intentions alone.
"Yes." Daichi replied.
"Well, I've already foreseen this scene with my third eye," Fu Xuan said calmly.
"And you both have your own path. I won't say anything sentimental so instead, I'll wish you success."
[You saw this coming…? The first time we met, you said your eye had shown us before.]
X voice contain curiosity.
[Fu Xuan, can your eye see the future?]
"Seeing the future… something like that." Fu Xuan tapped her chin.
"It shows me possibilities. Before our first meeting, my third eye cycled through dozens of those possibilities already."
[Amazing…]
She straightened her back slightly at the praise.
"Then… can your eye or the Matrix of Prescience help us locate Greeza?" Daichi asked.
"Greeza…" Fu Xuan murmured.
"Jing Yuan did tell me to keep an eye out for that name."
But she shook her head.
"Unfortunately, my third eye hasn't shown me anything related to it. And for the Matrix of Prescience to divine something, it needs at least a thread of existing information. A completely unknown entity is nearly impossible to calculate."
"After hearing the name and traits from you, I searched everywhere I could, even the Interastral Peace Corporation archives."
She sighed. "But nothing. Not a single record. So the Matrix of Prescience likely won't help you."
"I see… that's a shame." Daichi exhaled softly.
"But don't worry," Fuxuan said, lifting a hand as if to pat his shoulder—only to notice the height difference and awkwardly settle for patting his arm instead.
"Even without divination, as long as someone is paying attention, the IPC's intelligence network will spread word of unusual phenomena. As long as it doesn't happen in a dead star system, we'll hear about it."
[Detecting Greeza through normal means… that's almost impossible though…]
X murmured, troubled.
Because if you can see Greeza with your own eyes, then it's already far, far too close.
On their home, Daichi and X remained deep in thought.
Greeza was a destructive force for a civilization and all life form, which was why X had once hunted it down.
Greeza had to be found. That was absolute.
Because if allowed to roam freely, it would eventually devour countless lives.
But the real reason they were anxious now was simple, X internal "Greeza radar" had begun responding more frequently.
Greeza was somewhere out there.
Close enough for X to sense.
"Ah! Our benefactor!"
A cheerful voice rang out behind them. Daichi turned, surprised.
It was Tingyun.