Aha's lips curved upward as THEY leaned close to Xun Yu's ear.
"Oh really~? Here's a hint~ Jarilo-VI~"
"Cough, cough, cough!!"
"…Alright, fine, that time I actually was being a weirdo…"
"But besides that, I didn't do anything else, right?"
"Of course you did~ My dear, you're not nearly perverted enough yet~ Hehehe~"
"...Why are you acting so flashy today?"
Xun Yu grabbed the little-loli Aha by the scruff of THEIR Fate.
"What? My dear doesn't like it?"
"But your browsing history is mostly Fireworks stuff anyway~"
"Stop! Don't bring up my browsing history. We're still friends!"
Xun Yu covered his face with one hand, looking absolutely done.
There went his lifelong reputation…
"That thing, my dear — didn't you already lose it long ago?"
"..."
"…Fair point."
"See~ No need to explain. I understand everything~"
Aha's "mischievous little gremlin" energy was way too high today…
If this loli weren't Aha, Xun Yu would've already taught THEM a lesson.
But unfortunately, it was Aha.
If he reacted, he'd just be dancing to THEIR tune.
Tch!
He really still couldn't beat the real Elation…
Xun Yu smacked his tongue, tossed Aha aside casually, and bolted away at light-speed.
Aha got up, stared at Xun Yu's fleeing figure, and burst into loud, unrestrained laughter.
...
"Judging from the photo, this should be the place. This… is a card parlor? What kind of trouble could be here?"
March 7 looked at the card house in confusion.
"Hah? Cards aren't trouble?"
"Ugh— what in the world is this hand?"
Qingque stared at her tiles in frustration.
"Card games are such a headache."
Xun Yu glanced at Qingque's hand.
Nope. Didn't understand a thing.
"Oh? Does this gentleman also play celestial jade?
Qingque's eyes lit up as she turned to address him while playing.
"Nope. Looks complicated."
Xun Yu shook his head. He used to be the classic "good student" type — gambling was like poison to him.
"Aiya, it's fine! You can learn. Just play one round of celestial jade — I guarantee you'll love it!"
"Judging by your noble bearing, you must be distinguished guests of the Divination Commission!"
"Sorry! Really sorry! I was planning to wait for you all… oh— Pong!"
"It's just that the nearby place was taken by the Realm-Keeping Commission. Too noisy— Chi!"
"I thought, meeting in such a chaotic place would be terrible, so— oh, my turn? Kong!"
"So instead, why not enjoy a leisurely visit to Changle Heaven and try the Xianzhou classic —Celestial jade?"
Stelle and March 7 were already facepalming.
Even though they'd only just met, they could tell this woman was deep into gambling…
"In that case, let's wait for—"
"Xun Yu, what are you doing?"
They turned to see Xun Yu setting up a table and laying out a fresh tile set. Qingque's eyes lit up again.
"Now that's what I like! One round of celestial jade and you'll be hooked!"
"We've got free time anyway. Perfect group of four — let's play two rounds~"
Seeing Qingque already heating up and Xun Yu handing out rule sheets, the three had no choice but to sit down.
Welt skimmed the rules and realized the game was very similar to one from his own world.
Maybe he wanted to relive his youth a little…
Maybe he wanted to show off to the younger ones…
Either way, he suddenly felt like demonstrating some skill.
The result—
"Uncle Yang, does this mean… I won?"
March 7 looked uncertain.
"..."
Xun Yu's eye twitched.
He vaguely remembered something about a "newbie blessing period" in tile games…
He called a nearby player to check.
"Oh— self-draw pure one-suit? Little girl, are you new?"
March 7 nodded blankly.
The player clicked his tongue, ready to observe the next hand.
Second round, third round — Stelle and Xun Yu both self-drew wins.
Qingque had finished her earlier game and stared in silence.
What kind of god-tier luck was this?
Welt was silent too, even though he was supposed to be the newbie.
Unfortunately, the fourth round never began.
Qingque was busy again, and the group had real business to handle.
"This celestial jade game wasn't bad, right? How was it, honored guests?"
Qingque asked brightly as she led the way.
"I'm still confused. It ended so fast I didn't even get to see my tiles."
"Same."
"Same."
"Heh, confusion is normal! Play more and you'll understand."
"Uh… I think moderation is best," Xun Yu said, watching Qingque's enthusiasm.
He was a bit worried March 7 and the others might actually get addicted.
They headed toward the Starskiff dock, where Tingyun appeared.
"Esteemed benefactors, your Starskiff is ready~"
"Wait… is that…?"
March 7 pointed to the distant giant tree.
"That's the Ambrosial Arbor of the Luofu. When whole, it could 'reach the heavens, and hang the stars from its branches.'"
"Xun Yu, when did you start talking like that?"
"Please, speak in a way we can actually understand."
"What's so hard to understand? Sometimes you need to reflect. Have you even studied these past years?"
"He means the tree was so tall it reached the sky, and the branches could hold stars."
"Oh my god— how big was it?!"
March 7 raised her arms wide.
"Doesn't matter how big it used to be. It's dead now. Let's go."
"True…"
...
"…That's weird."
Qingque scratched her head, staring at the tightly shut gates of the Divination Commission.
"Let me guess — door suddenly broke?"
She shook her head.
"No idea. The gate's locked? It's never been locked before… and no one told me to bring a key…"
"Hey! Even if the cafeteria is bad, you can't just lock people out!"
Qingque shouted at the gate, but it didn't budge.
March 7 finally frowned.
"Are you really with the Divination Commission?"
_________________________________________________________
TL note:
Taking it slow right now because I have a but ton of assignments