After the great battle at Fyxestroll Garden, the three of them, now with a new pet (meaning Cirrus), spent a few peaceful days on the Luofu.
One day, Guinaifen sent a message. In a development that felt strangely familiar, she directly asked whether the three of them had time to go to the place where the incident had happened.
[Guinaifen: Guys, got time? Can you make a trip to Fyxestroll Garden?]
Cirrus's large eye slowly floated up and settled beside Nero's ear. Squeezing into a spot among the three little heads crowded together, she looked at the message on Stelle's phone screen.
"Hey, isn't this the girl who got possessed by Huiyan that day? After something like that happened, she still dares to go back to Fyxestroll Garden. She really never learns her lesson!"
"You don't get it. If you want to keep making content and chasing popularity, that's how it is. It's hard work," March said.
Stelle quickly replied to Guinaifen, [Going to Fyxestroll Garden again? Wasn't the trouble we caused there last time already big enough?]
[Guinaifen: Sorry, sorry. The trouble last time was my fault.]
[Guinaifen: But this time, it really won't work without you guys.]
[Guinaifen: This invitation comes from Miss Hanya. She's gathering all the people involved to meet up.]
[Guinaifen: Alright, hurry over to Fyxestroll Garden. Typing is too troublesome. We'll talk in person.]
The three exchanged glances.
None of them refused. They immediately set off for Fyxestroll Garden.
When they arrived, besides Guinaifen, Huohuo, Sushang, and Hanya were also there.
The moment she saw the three of them arrive, Guinaifen hurried over and said enthusiastically, "Guys, you're finally here! Without you, our Ghost-Hunting Squad would be missing a major combat force!"
"Hah, that sounds nicer than it really is. Isn't it just because the animated Moon-Hiding Gourds are classified and can't be assigned to you?" Tail exposed the truth from behind.
Guinaifen laughed awkwardly, "So what? That's not important. I just wanted everyone to get some proper rest. But since they won't assign the animated Moon-Hiding Gourds to us, I had no choice but to ask for help."
Sushang looked around and suddenly said anxiously, "When it comes to fighting, I'm reliable too!"
Guinaifen turned and winked at her.
"Hehe, yeah. Sushang, you're most reliable when you're awake!"
Sushang froze for a moment, then gritted her teeth.
"Guinaifen, if you keep mocking me... I-I'll never cooperate with your chest-smashing-with-a-boulder performances again!"
"Oh? Looks like this little girl has trained well. Even with Lord Tail around, she doesn't faint anymore?" Cirrus flew out and looked at Sushang.
But the moment Cirrus finished speaking, Sushang quickly backed away and said with a pale face, "Y-you don't come any closer. No, I mean... keep a little distance..."
Cirrus's big eye froze in place.
Not far away, Tail burst into laughter.
The situation annoyed Cirrus, so she moved closer and stared directly at Sushang's face.
"What do you mean by that? You're not afraid of Lord Tail, but you're scared of me specifically?"
"I-I don't mean it on purpose..." Sushang glanced at Cirrus, then immediately turned to Tail. "At least Lord Tail looks like some kind of animal I've seen before. Y-you're just... a floating eyeball..."
Cirrus: "..."
'Damn it. I can't even argue with that!'
"So what's this Ghost-Hunting Squad all about?" Nero asked.
Hanya answered, "The proper registered name is the 'Ten-Lords Commission Special Operations Team for Handling Escaped Heliobus Incidents.'
"This team was established by decree of the Ten Lords. We wish to invite those who emerged unharmed from the recent Fyxestroll Garden disaster and have everyone search for and subdue Heliobi in the ways they do best."
Sushang narrowed her eyes as she listened.
"I'm a Cloud Knight, Huohuo is a judge, and we're obligated to follow the Ten-Lords Commission's assignments. Stelle and March are off-world friends who have contributed to the Luofu."
"Nero is a special case. Hard to say. In my impression, whether he does something depends entirely on whether he's interested..."
"But why drag an ordinary citizen like Guinaifen into this too? It's dangerous!"
Guinaifen, who had been listening nearby, blinked and looked at Sushang.
"...I get it. You think I can't help and will only cause trouble, right?"
Hanya sighed.
"Every flower and blade of grass on the Xianzhou has its purpose. Miss Gui naturally has strengths of her own."
"As a street performer who appears before the public and an online streamer, she understands very well how to expand the information sources we need."
"Besides, although this matter was initiated by order of the Ten Lords, no one is being forced to do anything. Anyone who isn't interested may simply leave."
As she spoke that last part, Hanya glanced toward Nero.
When this child had taken a group of people to the planet called Jarilo-VI for fun, a group of Knights of Beauty had come to the Luofu. Calling it a group was an exaggeration, it was only three or five people traveling together.
These people went to the Seat of Divine Foresight and said they had seen the radiance of Beauty in this star region and hoped to learn what had happened.
Afterward, the Luofu's upper management held a private discussion with those knights. When the knights left, the Luofu and that group of traveling knights had established an alliance.
Of course, none of that was important.
What mattered was that the Ten-Lords Commission's already somewhat unusual attitude toward Nero seemed to have completely dropped all pretense after that meeting.
They had decided to provide every possible convenience, almost as if they were deliberately trying to please him.
Hanya didn't know what had happened during that discussion, nor what secrets Nero carried, but the change in attitude from the Ten Lords was obvious.
Who knew what the higher-ups were planning behind the scenes...
Hanya didn't think any deeper about it.
In truth, however, the upper ranks of the Xianzhou weren't planning anything at all. At least, they weren't deliberately plotting against Nero.
The change in attitude simply came from a change in how they viewed his identity.
Perhaps they had discovered something during their private discussion with the Knights of Beauty. Or perhaps Jing Yuan had revealed something to them...
Whatever the source, they had realized that Nero was not simply extraordinarily powerful and the owner of Aha's Fragmentum Factory.
Of course, none of that was important to the current situation.
At this moment, Nero was clearly very interested in "ghost hunting."
[T/N: If you are liking the novel so far, considering leaving a review, power stone and comment below the chapter. You can also join the p@treon to support if you want. Enjoy~ Have a great day.]