'Qingque' rested for the night as the Luofu's diurnal system cycled back to day.
However, Fu Xuan showed no signs of waking up.
Judging that the Master Diviner still had quite a bit of sleep left in her, 'Qingque' decided to head straight out to the Seat of Divine Foresight.
When Jing Yuan saw this person suddenly materialize in his headquarters, even he lost his composure for a moment.
Though he didn't recognize the face, nor could he discern anything particularly extraordinary about the girl before him, he was still one of the Seven Arbiter-Generals.
The Lightning-Lord reacted to the manifestation of the Kālacakra Skyplume within 'Qingque'—or rather, it sensed its presence.
But herein lay the problem.
Jing Yuan remembered clearly that none of the current Seven Arbiter-Generals had been replaced recently. General Yao Guang of the Yuque had even been in contact with him just a short while ago.
Considering that the "Propagation Lightning-Lord"—that ridiculous anomaly—had appeared in the past, Jing Yuan made a reasonable guess: this was likely another "future possibility" that the Arbiter of Myriad Distinctions had plucked from who-knows-where.
"It has been a while, Madam Bai Ming. If you intended to visit, why not inform me in advance? I could have sent someone to receive you properly," Jing Yuan said with a helpless smile as he walked over to the petite young girl.
How did she turn into such a young lady this time? And she's even dressed in our Luofu style.
'Qingque,' however, rubbed her chin inquisitively.
After Fu Xuan met her yesterday, she didn't contact Jing Yuan? Was it because she forgot, or did she assume Jing Yuan already knew?
"Well, that's why I'm here now. Oh, and by the way, Fu Xuan might need a few days off. Do me a favor and let the Divination Commission know."
"Lady Fu? Did something happen to her?"
Jing Yuan wasn't worried about her safety.
Please—this was the Arbiter of Myriad Distinctions standing in front of him. Who could possibly harm Fu Xuan while she was around?
"Nothing serious. It's just that she's my Emanator now. I cured the chronic pain caused by the Third Eye on her forehead. She finally got a peaceful night's sleep yesterday, so she'll probably be out for a while longer."
"..."
Jing Yuan's pupils shrank, and his expression became quite nuanced.
Wait... is the Luofu really so short-staffed that you have to poach our people?
We finally get a Master Diviner with top-tier talent, and you're just going to spirit her away??
"About that... Madam Bai Ming, the Luofu is currently in dire need of personnel. You see..."
Jing Yuan put on a pitiful front, looking very much like he might cling to her leg and wail if 'Qingque' actually intended to kidnap Fu Xuan.
"What are you doing, acting like that? I never said I was taking her away. Besides, with Fu Xuan's sense of duty, even if I wanted to, she wouldn't have agreed to be my Emanator if it meant leaving," 'Qingque' said, rolling her eyes.
She didn't know what he was thinking, but it certainly wasn't anything good.
"Cough, I know Lady Fu holds the Xianzhou dear to her heart, but I just wanted to confirm, haha..." Jing Yuan laughed awkwardly before quickly changing the subject.
"Speaking of which, what is Madam Bai Ming's identity this time? Among the historical generals of the Alliance, there doesn't seem to be one quite like you."
"Oh, this time it's a future possibility of the General of the Yuque: Qingque. Right now, she's still just a lowly diviner in the Luofu's Divination Commission."
Hiss...
Jing Yuan sucked in a breath of cold air.
There's such a diamond in the rough hiding right here on our Luofu?
Regardless of whether she actually became a general, any "possibility" of it meant this person was undeniably gifted and an exceptional talent.
Cultivate her. We must cultivate her aggressively!
"You can save the shock for later. I'm here because I need a favor. Help me start an entertainment company on the Luofu."
"What scale are we talking about? What is the specific business, and under whose name should it be registered?"
"Under Qingque's name, of course. As for what we'll do... you know I set up that interface using Originium a while back, right? I plan to add some entertainment projects to it. Just provide whatever staff you see fit."
Jing Yuan nodded.
He didn't know what 'Qingque's' ultimate goal was, but it was a rare request from her.
He would fulfill it even if it meant losing money. The favor earned from this was worth far more than a few measly Credit Points.
"Very well. I shall have the results for you by this afternoon."
"That fast?"
"When the Arbiter of Myriad Distinctions makes a request, how could I dare be slow?" Jing Yuan gave a confident smile.
Other things might be complicated, but within the Luofu, he still had some sway.
--+--
Half a day later.
'Qingque' fished the real Qingque—who was currently obsessed with calculating tile combinations—out of the Divination Commission.
She took her to the company Jing Yuan had set up in the Exalted Sanctum. An entire building had been registered under Qingque's name, belonging to "Celestial Sparrow Entertainment."
Qingque nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the entire building was her personal property.
Space on the Xianzhou was vast, so typical real estate wasn't worth much, but a prime location in the bustling Exalted Sanctum was a different story. This building was worth more than centuries of her salary.
However, once she heard the name of the new company, she turned red with embarrassment, practically steaming.
"...'Celestial Sparrow Entertainment' is way too cringe. Can't we change the name?"
"Oh? Really? How about 'Celestial Qingque Entertainment' then?"
"..."
Qingque felt her vision go dark. That was even worse.
At least "Celestial Sparrow" didn't immediately link back to her personally.
If they used her actual name, she didn't even want to imagine what would happen when she had to introduce herself to people.
Watching her reaction, 'Qingque' grinned mischievously.
Still, she offered some comfort, patting Qingque on the shoulder. "Don't overthink it. In ancient times, 'Celestial Sparrow' was a title used for the absolute masters of Celestial Jade."
"...Really? You're not lying to me, are you?"
"Hah, would I need to lie to you? That 'Salted Fish' tile you designed? In ancient times, it was actually the image of a bird."
"Huh? But the one you showed me yesterday was also a salted fish."
"Well, I thought your design was pretty interesting, so I just went with it. It's just the style of a tile, after all."
Hearing this explanation, Qingque scratched her head and laughed.
So the original pattern wasn't actually a salted fish.
"In any case!"
'Qingque' patted the real Qingque's shoulder with mock solemnity.
"From now on, you are the nominal President of Celestial Sparrow Entertainment. In the future, when you walk out those doors, even Jing Yuan will have to call you 'CEO Qingque'!"
"...Please don't!"
To Qingque, these titles sounded like they were made up specifically to tease her. She even began to doubt if that whole "ancient title" story was actually true.
Then again, it was just a company for Celestial Jade tiles. It wasn't like the game was hard to replicate.
At most, they'd make a killing during the initial trend, but competitors would eventually split the market. If the name was cringe, so be it; no one would remember it in a few years anyway.
In that case...
CEO Qing it is. She'd just treat it like a bit of roleplay. Might actually be fun.
"Hey, Boss, what are we doing next?"
"The Artisanship Commission has already finished the tiles and the tables. Come on, I'm taking you to play tiles with Jing Yuan! We'll get him to help us with some promotion."
"???"
Qingque's head filled with question marks.
Play with who? General Jing Yuan?
"Me? Playing tiles with the Divine Foresight himself? Are you for real?"
Look, friend, what's our level, and what's the General's level? You just open your mouth and demand a meeting?
Qingque still believed 'Qingque' was just a particularly powerful Heliobus.
As for the building, she assumed it was an old asset the Heliobus had acquired years ago. After all, the building did look like it had some history.
"What's wrong with a game of tiles? It's fine, Jing Yuan and I are tight. After that, we'll head to the Synwood Pavilion to find a few merchant guilds for a couple of rounds. We won't have to worry about offline promotion channels then."
"We have an online plan too??"
Qingque realized she had still underestimated this Heliobus. This girl was planning a full-scale offensive on both the digital and physical fronts.
"Yep, we have it all. You think the 'CEO Qingque' title was a joke?"
"..."
Qingque went silent.
She watched her double drag her toward the Seat of Divine Foresight.
A bad premonition bubbled up in her chest. Had she just boarded a sinking ship? Was this person... actually planning to build a massive corporation?
But that didn't make sense. No matter how many connections one had, Celestial Jade had no "technical barriers." How could it possibly become that big?
Qingque shook her head. She figured the Heliobus had just been cooped up for too long and wanted to play a big game of pretend. No big deal!
Of course, if Qingque had known that the "online platform" for Celestial Jade wasn't some company app but the Originium System itself, she probably wouldn't have been so optimistic.
Once something became linked to an Aeon, profitability ceased to be a concern; people would show up in droves to throw money into the fire just to keep the flames going.
Regardless!
Qingque temporarily convinced herself and threw her heart into the noble cause of tile-playing.
Her first serious game of Celestial Jade...
Even though her opponents were a Heliobus imitating her, the General of the Luofu, and the General's secretary, Qingque didn't falter in the slightest.
Relying on her deep study of ancient Celestial Jade texts, she showcased the true spirit and prestige of the Divination Commission.
At the table, Jing Yuan was exceptionally pleased with Qingque's performance.
Despite the massive disparity in status, she wasn't timid at all. She was composed, polite, and knew exactly when to push or yield.
Even though Qingque was trying her best to project the image of a lazy "salted fish" who only cared about slacking off and playing tiles—someone who did the bare minimum in everything else—this behavior only served to raise her stock in Jing Yuan's eyes.
A game of tiles could reveal a person's true capabilities. In this regard, Jing Yuan felt that while Qingque was still a bit green, she was undeniably a talent worth nurturing.
Poor Qingque was just a fresh graduate with "clear, innocent eyes" who hadn't been in the Divination Commission workforce for long. How could she possibly know about these layers of observation?
She genuinely thought her "slacker" attitude would keep her from catching the General's eye, while also ensuring he wouldn't get angry enough to fire her.
She hadn't been employed long enough to get a decent severance package; being fired now would be a total loss.
If Qingque had a few more years of experience under her belt, she would have known exactly how to "perform" to get the result she wanted.
And so, looking at the smug Qingque, the satisfied nodding of Jing Yuan, and Qingzu—who also thought highly of the girl—'Qingque' had to press her lips together as hard as she could to keep from laughing out loud.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL