Everyone gathered together and started reading Qingque's post.
This girl's username was 'Playing Cards with My Life'. In her post, she said that she had arrived late to work as usual and discovered that everyone in the Divination Commission was acting strangely.
She said everyone in the department looked haggard, with dark foreheads, unfocused eyes, and blank stares. Even their movements were unusually slow.
Curious, she asked what had happened, but nobody answered her. The entire Divination Commission felt gloomy and eerie, so much so that she wasn't even in the mood to play cards.
What felt the strangest to Qingque was that she had intended to slip away while nobody was paying attention to her, but unexpectedly ran into the Master Diviner.
Not only did the Master Diviner not criticize her attendance, she actually told her to continue arriving late as usual.
Such abnormal circumstances made Qingque feel that something must have happened inside the department.
"Wow, she's even openly writing that she arrives late as usual. Would she really prioritize finishing her work first like Nero said?"
"Miss Sushang's focus is really strange," Huohuo said.
After teasing Sushang, Huohuo continued, "The descriptions in this message are really bizarre. They seem very similar to cases of heliobus possession."
"If even an important department like the Divination Commission has been occupied by heliobi, then we'll have trouble."
"That's true. I feel like we should contact Miss Qingque first and tell her not to go to work," Sushang said.
"She already knows what the Divination Commission looks like, and we're still telling her not to go to work?" Stelle said in confusion. But then she added, "Forget it. I'll ask her."
After Stelle sent the message and warning, this was Qingque's reply.
[Qingque: ?]
[Qingque: You're overthinking it. When I saw what was going on, I turned left, walked out, and made a post.]
[Qingque: So what happened? Why does everyone seem like they're slacking off?]
After learning that Qingque had not gone deeper into the Divination Commission, they sent another message.
[Qingque, make sure to guard the entrance. Don't let anyone enter the Divination Commission, and don't let anyone leave.]
[Stay safe. We're coming right away!]
[Qingque: Understood. Looks like I've really become the one in charge.]
"Let's go. We're heading to the Divination Commission," Nero said. "Cirrus, if you have any guesses, tell us on the way."
"Hmm... a place on the Xianzhou that observes the future... other than Xiyan, it shouldn't be anyone else."
"As far as I know, it especially likes to entangle prophets and seers. It enjoys arguing with them about fate and watching them struggle between randomness and destiny."
"There are many theories about fate. In my opinion, that lump of protein inside human heads is terribly inefficient. Human guesses about fate are nothing more than analogies and illusions."
"But we Intangible Ones can gather together and resonate with one another, and then observe. Fate becomes as clear as candlelight."
"When fighting others, the ability to predict an opponent's movements is extremely important. That's why among the Heliobi gathered into the Flint Emperor, Xiyan held the role of seeing the past and future and predicting fortune and disaster."
"However, during that great war, Xiyan seemed to have sensed signs of defeat beforehand, yet for some reason, the Flint Emperor ignored its warning."
Along the way, Cirrus shared the information and guesses she had.
As for Cirrus's confusion, Nero said, "Because fate is a summary of life's helplessness. That's what 'do your best and leave the rest to heaven' means. Even confident and powerful people are still affected by the larger environment."
"An individual's world exists within this huge external environment. Some people drift along with it, while others choose to view the world from another angle."
"In other words, this huge external environment is made up of individuals, and every person has the ability to influence it."
"So truly confident and powerful people never dwell too much on the topic of fate. To them, fate is woven from their own choices and actions."
"Is it because fate exists that individuals make those choices, or is it because individuals make those choices that fate comes into being? That's a question that can't really be answered."
"But for every individual, isn't the master of both spirit and matter none other than themselves?"
"Instead of discussing fate, it's better to think about what to eat after dealing with everything. Rather than feeling sad over something vague and invisible, it's better to eat until you're full later. The happiness you get from good food can actually be seen and touched."
Everyone quietly listened to Nero's words.
Everyone had their own outlook on life, and Nero was definitely the most practical and the most carefree among them.
The Ghost-Hunting Squad quickly arrived at the Divination Commission and saw Qingque standing guard at the entrance.
Seeing everyone, Qingque greeted them.
"Oh, you're here!"
Then she looked at Huohuo.
"Even a judge from the Ten-Lords Commission came? With this lineup, something really must have happened to the Divination Commission. Otherwise Huohuo definitely wouldn't have time to mess around with you and prank me."
"We're the Ghost-Hunting Squad now. How are things inside?" March asked.
Qingque shrugged.
"I'm telling you, things inside the Divination Commission aren't right. Everyone's muttering to themselves. Are they planning some workplace rebellion?
"At first I thought maybe I'd accidentally set a bad example..."
At that point, Qingque narrowed her eyes.
"But seeing your group like this, whether there are ghosts or not is hard to say. Still, the Heliobi escaping after the Creation Furnace in the Artisanship Commission broke apart is real. Did the Divination Commission get hit too?"
Huohuo hesitated.
But since Qingque had already figured it out, continuing to hide the truth seemed pointless.
After all, she was Qingque. Unreliable as she might be, her abilities were real. She couldn't really be treated as an unmotivated diviner.
So they explained things to Qingque again.
Qingque's eyes turned as she changed the topic.
"I heard from someone at the Artisanship Commission that something leaked out over there. Several apprentices started talking nonsense. It was really scary... though maybe they just couldn't graduate and had mental breakdowns."
By saying that, Qingque was making it clear that she understood the nature of the incident and would keep it secret.
Besides, if the people who had come today weren't acquaintances, that sentence might have been the first thing she said.
It was better to hide things a bit. If she accidentally let something slip and the Master Diviner found out, the amount of work she'd have to do might double.
After talking a bit more, the group entered the Divination Commission under Qingque's guidance.
Then, almost immediately, they noticed the strange phenomenon within the Matrix of Prescience.
The Matrix had started operating on its own. The multi-ring structure floating in midair was enveloped in blood-colored mist. The mist squirming between the rings spread like blood vessels inside a living body, forming a layer of translucent flesh.
At the center of the rings, scarlet energy churned and crackled.
Below, countless Divination Commission diviners, along with Master Diviner Fu Xuan, stood there blankly.
They all tilted their heads upward and stared at the bizarre sight above, their expressions numb and lifeless, their eyes dull and vacant...