"My god, good thing I voted quickly. It's hard to imagine what would happen to me if I suffered that kind of verbal attack."
Cirrus watched with her mouth hanging open as Nero slowly drove Xiyan into despair step by step. At this moment, she could not help but sigh.
"Hehe, now you've gained a whole new understanding of how scary this kid is, right?", Tail said.
"I have, I really have." Cirrus nodded and muttered blankly as she recalled it.
"Even if this kid doesn't shine, he's still hard to possess. I understand now. What he's least afraid of are these long-winded methods that confuse people's hearts. His will is too firm. I've never seen someone so... so..."
While saying this, many thoughts must have crossed Cirrus's mind. Perhaps she wanted to say Nero was stubborn and arrogant, or perhaps she wanted to say he was self-righteous.
But to avoid getting slapped, she finally picked a word that sounded somewhat nicer from among many choices.
"Nero has always been like that," March said from the side. "What's amazing about this child isn't just his fighting skills and his ability to fix things. His mouth is just as amazing."
Having witnessed many times just how powerful Nero's mouth was, Stelle nodded repeatedly and added, "The most important thing is that once Nero starts talking, whether he's right or wrong, he won't stop. He won't give you even the slightest chance to argue back."
"People without manners can't answer him, and people with manners are even less able to answer him. But that's still the mild part. Do you know what's most important?"
Stelle spoke with a mysterious look.
The others shook their heads, while Qingque slowly said from the side, "The most important thing is that Nero doesn't let people off once he gains the upper hand."
"If Xiyan escapes again next time and figures out how to argue against Nero, Nero will just keep poking at its sore spot with 'I caught you,' and then use his overwhelming strength to capture it again without giving it any chance to resist."
"Tsk tsk tsk... what a hopeless sight. It can't outtalk him, and it can't beat him either... Going against Nero is really the bad luck it accumulated over eight lifetimes."
"Always lamenting its helplessness, yet refusing to do anything or make any effort, only blaming itself and wallowing in self-pity... People like that are the most useless."
"If it did something, even telling fortunes under a bridge, it'd be more useful than it is now."
"The only people qualified to say 'do everything humanly possible and leave the rest to fate' are those who have truly given their all. This guy doesn't count."
Nero came back carrying Xiyan. It was obvious that the child disliked the thing very much, and his tone was full of disdain.
"Come work at my factory later. It'll be a good chance to see the spirit of those employees working hard. Hopefully that'll change your outlook a little."
"If you like, putting you and Phantylia in the same room isn't impossible.", Nero shook Xiyan and spoke casually.
But Xiyan didn't respond. It only muttered repeatedly in an extremely sorrowful voice, "I see through it, I see through it..."
"I will fail. I can't possibly win!"
"Why, why is there no second path?"
"Everything in the universe has already been decided!"
"No, I... I can't possibly defeat him..."
It looked completely deranged.
Qingque glanced at Xiyan in disgust, then came to Fu Xuan's side.
"Master Diviner, are you alright?"
Fu Xuan shook her head and raised a hand to support her forehead.
"I... I'm fine. I just have a headache."
"It's normal to get a headache after hearing too many negative thoughts," Nero said as he waved Xiyan twice in front of Fu Xuan.
"Want to use that method of yours that starts by smashing stars and hit it a couple of times?"
Huohuo spoke from a professional standpoint.
"After being possessed by a Heliobus, there'll be some discomfort, but taking some medicine should be enough to recover."
Fu Xuan rested for a bit. After her head became somewhat clearer, she looked at the dark purple ghostly flame in Nero's hand that seemed to be crying.
The first word that popped into her head was "ugly."
Of course, Fu Xuan didn't say that directly. Instead, she said, "So this flame is Xiyan? Although it doesn't have much power, if it latches onto someone, it really can drag people into endless despair."
It was hard to tell whether Fu Xuan was praising Xiyan's ability or secretly mocking how ugly it was.
"Hurry... hurry and place me... into darkness...
"I've seen it. You will... lock me in prison...", Xiyan muttered absentmindedly.
Nero frowned, "Wow... this Heliobus is useless and annoying. Since when did my factory become a prison?"
As he spoke, Nero handed Xiyan over to Huohuo. After Huohuo put it into the Moon-Covering Gourd, Nero said, "Send it to the factory."
"If I remember correctly, a starskiff carrying supplies to Jarilo is leaving in the next few days. I must make it start working immediately, right now, this instant, and reflect on itself properly."
Huohuo nodded blankly.
However, she felt that, for Xiyan, calling Nero's factory a prison didn't really seem wrong.
Thus, the matter of Xiyan was settled.
Afterward, Fu Xuan forced herself to keep going and restored the Divination Commission's operations, while Qingque was "fortunately" not fired.
She failed to get her severance and open a card parlor, and was instead sent by Fu Xuan to stand duty at the library.
When the Ghost-Hunting Squad returned to Fyxestroll Garden, they found that Hanya seemed to have been waiting there for quite some time.
As soon as they met, Hanya said, "Everyone, you represented the Ten-Lords Commission and quelled the disaster within the Divination Commission."
"Your achievements are outstanding, and I share in the honor. I shall report this to the Ten Lords and commend you all."
This surprised everyone somewhat. They had only just returned from the Divination Commission, yet the Ten-Lords Commission had already received the news.
"Thank you for your praise, Lady Hanya," Huohuo said.
Hanya nodded and then said with some emotion, "I never expected that someone as wise and calculating as Lady Fu Xuan could also be bewitched by a Heliobus."
"Come to think of it... I can understand her troubles."
"After all, we are all walking our own unseen paths without the slightest deviation."
"Judges carry out the Ten Lords' decrees and execute orders, yet no one has ever explained their meaning to us..."
"Just like Lady Fu Xuan. No matter how cruel or terrifying the choices she sees are, as long as they benefit the people of the Luofu, she must choose them."
"Perhaps those decisions are all correct and far-sighted in the end, but we are flesh and blood after all. We can't help feeling pain during the process of making those choices..."
"Hah... forgive me. My mind wandered. The paperwork must have worn down my spirit. Today's matters are over, so please all get some proper rest."
After apologizing and saying her farewells, Hanya left.
The members of the Ghost-Hunting Squad also did not stay long. After saying goodbye, they dispersed. After causing such a commotion in the Divination Commission, it was time to get some proper rest.