He was deep in thought, his fingertips tracing across the light screen as he prepared to pull up more detailed household registers and recent activity records for comparison. Suddenly, a clear and visibly displeased female voice rang in his ear, transmitted through his Jade Abacus:
"General! The analysis report regarding the recent anomalies has been sent to... General? Jing Yuan! Are you even listening?!"
It was Fu Xuan.
Jing Yuan's smile remained unchanged—it even brightened slightly—as he spoke leisurely into the communication device, "I'm listening, of course I'm listening. Minister Fu has worked hard. I've received the report and will look at it shortly."
There was a two-second silence on the other end, followed by Fu Xuan's annoyed voice, her speaking speed picking up: "You haven't even opened the file, have you! Always this dismissive attitude! Fine, I've finished reporting what I needed to report. Listen or don't, it's up to you! I don't have time to play riddles with you! Hanging up!"
"Beep—"
The communication was cut off decisively.
Jing Yuan looked at the now-silent Jade Abacus, shook his head with a helpless smile, and lowered his gaze slightly.
"Minister Fu's temper still needs a bit more tempering..."
He muttered to himself, but his gaze fell back onto the light screen that only he could see, the laziness deep in his eyes replaced by a flicker of sharpness.
With a light tap of his fingertip, he issued a new command:
[Continue observation. Prioritize recording contacts, conversations, and any abnormal fluctuations. Do not expose yourselves; specifically, avoid detection by Jingliu.]
Divination Commission, Fu Xuan's office.
Fu Xuan slammed the Jade Abacus onto her document-laden desk with a "clack" and crossed her arms huffily.
Her pale pink hair swayed slightly with her movements, and the Dharma Eye on her forehead seemed to dim a few shades due to its master's displeasure.
"Every single one of them... none of them make things easy!"
She grumbled under her breath, "That girl Qingque—just yesterday she was swearing up and down she was just 'a little tired,' and today she dares to take the day off without coming in at all! She didn't even give a proper reason! She must have stayed up all night playing cards again!"
Her gaze inadvertently swept across the corner of her desk, where a soft, pink fish plushie sat quietly—completely out of place in the serious office environment. It was the very one 'Qingque' had sent over via a messenger yesterday.
Fu Xuan glared at the plushie for a few seconds before finally failing to resist. She reached out, grabbed it, and pulled it into her arms.
The plushie was stuffed full and soft, carrying a faint, soothing fragrance (a scent specifically chosen by Baiheng), and it felt wonderful to the touch.
She rubbed her face gently against the plushie, her tense expression softening slightly, though her words remained sharp: "Hmph! Don't think you can get away with it just by sending a little trinket! Just wait until that lazybones gets back, I'll show her... I'll dock her salary! No, I'll make her finish all her backlogged work!"
Despite her words, she didn't let go of the plushie. Instead, she adjusted to a more comfortable position and began quickly browsing the next document awaiting approval. Only the slight curve at the corner of her mouth, which even she hadn't noticed, betrayed that her mood wasn't actually that bad.
Qingque's house, dining table.
Qingque poked listlessly at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, her eyes glazed over as if her soul had wandered elsewhere.
That overly realistic "dream," along with the impact of the name "Hua" at the end, had left her feeling unsettled all day.
The information she had searched for on her Jade Abacus was like a small thorn pricking at her heart, making her pulse jump every now and then.
(Cloud Knight Marshal Hua... that gray-haired woman in the dream... they couldn't really be related, could they? Is it possible it wasn't a dream, and I was actually pulled into some strange place where I met the projection... of that legendary figure herself?)
(And she plans to teach me? You've got to be kidding! I, Qingque, the Grandmaster of Slacking at the Divination Commission, live by the creed: never stand if you can sit, and never sit up straight if you can lie flat!)
(But... she seemed really powerful... she shattered such a huge sword with a single punch... If I actually learned that, would my luck at the card table get even better? Or maybe the Master Diviner... No, no, what am I thinking!)
"Sigh..."
Qingque couldn't help but let out another long sigh, her rice nearly poked into a paste.
"It's the middle of the day, what are you sighing for?"
Qingque's mother came out of the kitchen carrying soup. Seeing her daughter's miserable state, she couldn't help but nag, "Is the food not to your taste? Or did you lose at cards yesterday?"
"You wouldn't understand~" Qingque drawled, her face full of woe.
"Right, right, I wouldn't understand~"
Qingque's mother set the soup bowl down, sat down, and served herself a bowl, asking seemingly casually, "So what is it exactly? Say it out loud and let your old lady 'not understand' for a bit?"
Qingque put down her chopsticks, propped her chin on her hands, her eyes wandering. She said in a sleepwalking tone: "Mom, what if... I'm just saying what if... one day, while you're sleeping, an 'Immortal' gives you a dream, saying you have an extraordinary constitution and wants to teach you a peerless divine technique so you can protect world peace... would you agree?"
Qingque's mother paused her hand mid-bite, turned her head, and looked at her daughter as if she were a fool. She then reached out to feel Qingque's forehead: "You don't have a fever. What nonsense are you talking? An Immortal teaching you divine techniques in a dream? Aren't you just daydreaming? Or have you played so many cards you've gone senile and started taking storybook tales for truth?"
Qingque's mouth twitched violently. She slapped her mother's hand away and slumped powerlessly onto the table, burying her face in her arms as she groaned muffledly: "...As I thought, you really don't understand!"
She looked up, her face full of tragic resolve: "Your daughter... might really be... having one hell of a daydream!"
And this dream seemed to have a sequel in the works!
That was the most terrifying part!
Looking at her daughter's 'end-of-the-world' expression, Qingque's mother was both annoyed and amused. She shook her head, decided to ignore the girl's periodic fit of insanity, and went back to drinking her soup.
Inside the hidden carriage.
The carriage door slid open silently. System—her expression as calm and rippleless as ever—walked in without a sound.
She didn't interrupt the conversation, but simply stood by Black Herta's side, leaned down slightly, and whispered a few words at a volume only the two of them could hear.
Black Herta's hand holding her cup paused for a moment, a tiny ripple flashing deep within her violet-black eyes.
She tilted her head slightly and nodded to System, indicating she understood.
Noticing this brief exchange, Tribbie stopped her questioning and blinked curiously.
Black Herta set down her cup and turned to Tribbie, her expression remaining gentle: "Tribbie, I have some urgent matters to attend to immediately. I need to leave for a while."
Tribbie immediately nodded obediently. Although a flash of doubt crossed her eyes, she didn't ask anything. She simply set down her pillow and sat up straight: "Okay, Madam Herta. Go ahead and tend to your business; I'll take good care of myself."
"Mhm."
Black Herta reached out and gently ruffled Tribbie's soft, long red hair. She then stood up and walked toward a seemingly ordinary wall inside the carriage.
As she approached, the outline of a door automatically appeared on the wall, opening silently to reveal an infinitely extending pure white space beyond.
The door closed behind her, sealing off the warmth of the carriage.
Inside the pure white space.
Black Herta came to a halt and looked at the system light screen appearing beside her. Her voice returned to its usual coldness: "What is the specific situation?"
System didn't waste words, directly unfolding a massive semi-transparent screen in front of Black Herta that was constantly refreshing with data.
The screen was densely packed with names and real-time data streams, flickering like a star chart.
Most of the names were lit up, representing stable signal connections—names like [Jing Yuan], [Jingliu], [Qingque], [Baiheng], [Cipher], and so on.
However, one name, [Huo Huo], was currently shown in a piercingly dark gray. The data stream beside it was completely severed, like a thread cut out of thin air.
"Target Individual: Huo Huo. An unexpected situation has occurred. Monitoring signals and vital signs were completely interrupted 37 minutes ago, standard time."
System's voice was steady and flat, but the content of the statement was far from optimistic. "According to protocol judgment criteria, the probability distribution for the interruption is as follows: Highest probability—Target's life activities have terminated; Second highest probability—Target has left this universe or entered an undetectable isolated domain; Low probability—The medium (silk pouch) has been forcefully destroyed or shielded."
Black Herta's gaze locked onto the grayed-out name. She remained silent for two seconds before slowly speaking, her voice devoid of emotion: "Character death? System, don't tell me that Little Judge died just like that, for no apparent reason?"
"I am merely stating the highest probability possibility."
System replied matter-of-factly, "However, based on a comprehensive analysis of the target's recent data and environment, the 'death' probability must be further confirmed through on-site investigation. 'Leaving this universe' remains a reasonable secondary hypothesis."
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