Xianzhou — Sky-Faring Commission.
One of the Six Commissions.
It oversaw information related to all Xianzhou vessels and warships.
And as one of the Six Commissions,
the Sky-Faring Commission's headquarters was located on Xianzhou Luofu itself.
The current Helmsmaster of the Sky-Faring Commission was a Foxian named Yukong.
Once one of the Luofu's finest pilots,
she gave up flying after losing a close companion in a past war
and took up her post here instead.
Before long, led by the foxian acting escort envoy,
the group of four arrived at their destination.
"Esteemed Nameless," the foxian girl said politely,
"this is the Sky-Faring Commission."
"This place is called the Sichen Palace."
"I've already reported your information to the Helmsmaster."
"As for the star skiff wreckage, it has been handed over to the Divination Commission for damage analysis."
"Please, follow me."
She bowed again, impeccably courteous.
The Sky-Faring Commission of the Luofu served as the headquarters for the Alliance's Sky-Faring system.
The various Xianzhou vessels communicated through a unified system known as Huangzhong System.
And the Sichen Palace was its core—
the central command hub.
As Helmsmaster, Yukong usually worked here.
Thanks to the advance report, Evan and the others weren't subjected to preliminary screening and were allowed straight inside.
That didn't mean security was lax.
As the commission in charge of all incoming and outgoing vessels,
The Sichen Palace hid countless safeguards beneath the surface.
Soon enough, they saw a woman with emerald-green hair
and a pair of sharply perked fox ears.
This was Yukong.
"Helmsmaster, the Nameless have arrived."
"…Mm."
The foxian woman who had been operating the Huangzhong system looked up, her gaze settling on them.
Evan could clearly sense the suspicion in her eyes.
"Esteemed Nameless, it would have been proper for me to welcome you personally," Yukong said calmly.
"However, the report we just received has greatly unsettled the Sky-Faring Commission."
"So I must ask you to come here…"
"Let's skip the formalities," Evan cut in, waving his hand.
"We found that star skiff in a dead zone."
"If you want to know something, just ask."
He had never liked the Xianzhou's procedural style—
everything wrapped in layers of protocol.
It was far less relaxed than Jarilo-VI.
"…Very well," Yukong replied after a pause.
"Since you're being direct, I won't beat around the bush either."
"Before we proceed, our general has also been informed."
...
A projection flickered to life beside Yukong.
A young man appeared, his long white hair loose and slightly messy,
a beauty mark at the corner of his eye.
He wore an easy smile—
calm, relaxed—
Yet beneath it lingered a faint, unmistakable battle intent.
This was the one who oversaw the Xianzhou Luofu—
The Divine Foresight General, Jing Yuan.
Compared to the other Xianzhou generals spoken of in legend,
Jing Yuan was known as a commander who fought with strategy and intellect.
His raw power might not rival the very top of the Seven Arbiter-Generals,
but he was far from someone to underestimate.
After all—
He was one of the Seven Arbiter-Generals,
an Emanator-level figure.
"I've heard bits and pieces about the Nameless," Jing Yuan said gently.
"I simply didn't expect our first meeting to be under these circumstances."
"I am Jing Yuan, currently serving as Luofu's general."
"As for the matter at hand…"
"Mm. Let the children rest. I'll explain."
Welt Yang stepped forward.
As one of the Astral Express's public-facing representatives—
and its primary diplomat—
He had more than enough experience in this field.
(Former leader of Anti-Entropy, after all.)
"The wrecked star skiff was indeed recovered by us," Welt said calmly.
"And in that same star region, we also discovered Borisin beast ships."
In just a few sentences, he summarized the situation.
The part about Evan tearing apart warships—
and the Antimatter Legion's involvement—
was quietly omitted.
"A star region close to Xianzhou…"
"Attacked by Borisin?"
Yukong immediately pulled up the Huangzhong system.
This system wasn't just for communication—
it was also a massive star-route navigation map.
"The closest point to the Xianzhou is here," she said, highlighting a sector.
"A dead starfield, right in the middle of the main route."
"Passing through it leads directly to the Luofu."
"…That's where they lost contact."
"They?"
Tingyun.
Dan Heng had mentioned her before they disembarked.
She was the person in charge of that star skiff—
the head of the Minghuo Commerce Guild.
A guild directly under the jurisdiction of the Sky-Faring Commission.
Several system-hours ago,
her vessel vanished from the Huangzhong system entirely.
Only now did Yukong receive confirmation of what had happened.
Her voice trembled as she spoke.
Because Tingyun's parents had once been Xianzhou warriors,
and Yukong had practically watched Tingyun grow up.
To her, Tingyun was no different from a daughter.
"When we found the skiff," Evan said,
"there were no bodies inside."
"We don't know whether the Borisin have a habit of consuming their victims,
or if they were simply indulging in bloodshed."
"But if it's only bloodlust—"
"there may still be survivors."
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