Yukong's rather gentle tone made the three members of the Astral Express feel happy.
However, when Yukong said what they would have to do next regarding staying on the Xianzhou, they couldn't stay happy anymore.
With a firm attitude, Yukong believed that before the Stellaron disaster was resolved, the members of the Astral Express needed to remain at the Sky-Faring Commission.
The Sky-Faring Commission would arrange lodging and meals for them.
In other words, the few members of the Astral Express needed to be placed under temporary house arrest.
It was not an arrangement that made people very happy, but from Yukong's point of view, there was nothing wrong with it.
As the Helm Master of the Sky-Faring Commission, Yukong was without doubt someone devoted to the Xianzhou and fully committed to her duty.
But at this moment, it was time for Jing Yuan to step in and smooth things over.
As a flash of light flickered, Jing Yuan's projection appeared here. He walked over while softly saying, "Yukong, there's no need for this."
"The three before us should all be Nero's friends. That child may think in unexpected ways, but his judgment of people has never been a problem."
Jing Yuan smiled lightly, winning some goodwill in one move. This was what you call the art of speaking.
As he spoke, a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes. His old friend hadn't come, which made things feel slightly lacking.
Because Nero had captured Blade and Kafka ahead of time, Jing Yuan was very clear about the Stellaron Hunters' purpose this time. On top of that, with Nero's connection, he did not mind giving out a favor.
Moreover, the Nameless aboard the Astral Express were all experts. A free ally was not something to waste.
On this point, Nero and Jing Yuan were quite similar. Both liked to make full use of their targets.
But not being able to see his old friend still made him feel a little regret.
He would talk with the Stellaron Hunters later and see if they could think of a way to force his old friend to show up.
Compared to the sudden situation in the original storyline, the current Jing Yuan was much more relaxed in handling this matter. Phantylia had no idea what she was facing.
As the Divine Foresight General known for his strategies, Jing Yuan and the Jing Yuan in intelligence reports could be considered completely different levels of combat power.
But Phantylia was not alone. Although the ending might be different, at least for now, she was not the only one being kept in the dark.
With Jing Yuan stepping in, the three members of the Astral Express no longer needed to be placed under house arrest.
Since Jing Yuan had already made a decision, Yukong did not say anything more. After that came a short period of casual chatting.
Jing Yuan introduced himself to the members of the Astral Express, followed by a round of polite compliments.
March 7th looked up at Jing Yuan. "The general of the Luofu…"
Then the beautiful girl's expression turned serious. She nudged Stelle beside her with her elbow and said in a mysterious tone, "Did you hear that just now? This general of the Luofu used such a close nickname like 'Nero' to call Nero!"
Stelle nodded.
Of course she heard it. Jing Yuan didn't lower his voice, and she wasn't deaf.
She could even guess what March 7th was going to say next.
"I even asked Nero before whether he had a special identity on the Xianzhou. I asked him twice. And that guy just said he sells tea!"
"Hmph! Nero was definitely lying to us. If he were just an ordinary tea seller, would the general of the Xianzhou call him in such a close way?"
"He must be some kind of famous person on the Xianzhou. Even if he doesn't hold an official position, he should at least be the young master of some big family. Maybe he's even related to the general!"
March 7th muttered beside Stelle. Although she lowered her voice, it wasn't really a secret. And with such a close distance, anyone who should hear it heard it.
Jing Yuan looked at March 7th with a slightly subtle expression.
Nero's friend was quite a lively one.
Stelle glanced at Jing Yuan, who was smiling, then at March 7th, who was still muttering beside her. An awkward smile appeared on her face.
'Oh no!'
'Mr. Yang is a mature adult. March doesn't notice, but I didn't expect I'd be the one suffering!'
Stelle pressed her lips together. Inside her boots, her feet tightened slightly, her toes curling.
Plotting things right in front of someone was not the first time it had happened. But now that Dan Heng was not here, this burden could only be borne by Stelle.
At this moment, March 7th clearly still hadn't noticed the change in Stelle's expression and continued, "Stelle, I'm telling you, a kid like Nero who lies needs to be taught a lesson by Sister March!"
As she spoke, March 7th made a motion of rolling up her sleeves, looking full of heroic spirit.
Stelle opened her mouth but couldn't say anything. She could only nod stiffly and mechanically.
Then March 7th thought for a moment, her eyes lighting up. She turned to Jing Yuan and asked, "General, what does Nero do on the Xianzhou? And what's your relationship with him?"
Facing March 7th's question, Jing Yuan smiled and said, "To be honest, Nero did not lie to you. He really does work at a teahouse."
"Ah?"
March 7th froze on the spot and blinked.
Clearly, this was not the answer she had expected.
The next second, the beautiful girl's face turned red. She shrank her feet back, her toes gripping the soles of her shoes.
Only then did March 7th realize that plotting right in front of someone felt kind of stupid.
At this moment, Jing Yuan continued, "As for my relationship with Nero? We both have white hair. Does that count?"
March 7th blinked twice, then pouted. "I can see that too…"
Even so, her first impression of Jing Yuan was extremely good.
She felt that General Jing Yuan was a refined, easygoing, and humorous person.
"However, although we don't have any special relationship, that child has made quite a few contributions on the Luofu. He could exchange them for a not insignificant official position."
"Unfortunately, he has no interest in that, and I can't force him, so I let him be."
"As for all of you… as Yukong said earlier, regarding the Stellaron issue, forgive me for not being able to entrust it to you. The affairs of the Xianzhou still need to be resolved by ourselves."
"But I can't let you return empty-handed. There are some other matters that require your help."
"There's no need to rush this. For now, I will arrange accommodations for you. After you rest well today, I will speak with you about it tomorrow."
Hearing Jing Yuan's words, Stelle narrowed her eyes.
"This familiar feeling…"
Noticing Stelle's expression, Jing Yuan laughed, "Hahaha, no need to worry. I have also heard Nero mention the interesting things from your journey on Jarilo-VI."
"As the General of the Luofu, I keep my word. If you don't believe me, you can personally ask Nero to confirm."
"I think before heading to your accommodations, you will also want to meet him."
———
[In A Certain Corner]
Blade and Kafka stood there, looking at each other.
"The mission succeeded.", Kafka said.
"But it didn't develop according to what was written in the script…"
Blade let out a breath, not feeling very pleased.
That guy Jing Yuan was too easy to talk to.
Placed in this mission, it felt too strange.
"There's no helping it. Elio said he couldn't see it. But at least the direction is correct." Kafka smiled lightly. "Still, to prevent the future from deviating, we'll stay here for now.