Cecilia's words were gentle and perfectly measured, and paired with that soft, tender face of hers, they instantly eased the tension that had been hanging in the air.
Jing Yuan let out a slight breath of relief, though his eyes still swept warily across Kiana and Xingxiao.
It could not be helped. Even with Cecilia putting it that way, the sudden arrival of two Emanators of Destruction on the Luofu was still far too absurd.
"So she is Miss Cecilia's daughter..." He paused, as if still digesting the fact. "So it was all a misunderstanding. Ha, then it seems I truly was blind. I never expected Miss Cecilia to have such an outstanding daughter. She really does look every bit the remarkable young talent."
"But that display of hers gave us old folks of the Xianzhou quite a fright."
He had chosen the word outstanding very well.
After all, a girl who could command a Lord Ravager as her bodyguard certainly qualified as "outstanding."
At the side, Yaoguang closed her bamboo scroll and let her gaze drift back and forth between Cecilia and Kiana, thoughtful.
This Emanator of Abundance actually had a daughter who was an Emanator of Destruction?
Without a word, she secretly cast a divination on herself.
"I see now," she murmured softly. "No wonder... no wonder..."
That little movement naturally did not escape Jing Yuan. He tilted his head toward her and asked in a low voice, "What did you divine?"
Yaoguang shook her head. "Nothing."
Jing Yuan: "...Then what exactly are you 'no wondering' about?"
Yaoguang glanced at him blandly. "I'm only noting that this Miss Cecilia is even more interesting than I imagined."
Jing Yuan was momentarily speechless.
Though helpless in the face of Yaoguang's riddling manner, he knew the important thing right now was to settle this sudden misunderstanding properly.
He sheathed his array saber, and the easy, composed smile he was known for returned to his face.
Then he stepped forward a few more paces, his attitude completely different from the hostile one from moments ago.
"Since this is a misunderstanding, then all is well."
"Miss Cecilia's daughter has come from afar. She ought to be considered an honored guest of the Luofu. What happened just now was discourteous of us. I hope Miss Kiana will forgive it."
He gave a light cough. "Cloud Knights, stand down."
Kiana blinked, seeming a little surprised by how quickly Jing Yuan had changed his tune.
To be fair, the misunderstanding had indeed come about because her entrance had been far too high-profile. She just had not expected this famous general to be so accommodating.
But in truth, he had little choice.
By Alliance law, Jing Yuan should have subjected Kiana and Xingxiao to strict scrutiny.
After all, while the galaxy at large did not necessarily discriminate against those who walked most Paths—even Abundance—Destruction was the exception.
Because anyone who willingly stepped onto the Path of Destruction, unless forced there by outside circumstances or tragic pasts, was usually some variety of lunatic.
And as Emanators of Hunt, both Jing Yuan and Yaoguang had senses for Paths far beyond ordinary people.
Judging by the presence Kiana and Xingxiao had displayed, if a fight really broke out here on Luofu territory, forget both of them— even the slightly weaker Xingxiao could probably solo the entire Luofu.
When the other side's fists were that much bigger, naturally one had to adapt one's principles accordingly.
The smoothness with which Jing Yuan shifted his attitude left even the Cloud Knights staring.
And as the person directly addressed, Kiana handled it with easy grace.
She waved a hand casually, smiling in that harmless, approachable way of hers. "General Jing Yuan is too polite. This one was my fault too. I didn't think things through and made my entrance a bit too flashy."
"Next time I'll be more low-key. Maybe I'll just sneak in quietly or something."
Jing Yuan's smile froze for the briefest instant.
It sounded like a joke, but the more he thought about it, the less reassuring it became.
At the side, Yaoguang chuckled softly. "Interesting."
The look in her eyes as she regarded Kiana grew even more meaningful.
"Miss Cecilia's daughter truly is extraordinary."
Kiana tilted her head. "And this is...?"
"Yaoguang, Rongtao General of the Xianzhou Alliance," Yaoguang replied with a slight nod.
"I came to the Luofu this time specifically to pay Miss Cecilia a visit. I did not expect to meet Miss Kiana first."
"You came specifically to see my mom?" Kiana raised a brow and glanced back at Cecilia. "Mom, when did you get so famous?"
Cecilia sighed helplessly. "Child, I'm a doctor who heals and saves people. Isn't it perfectly normal for me to have a bit of a reputation?"
"Ohhh..." Kiana dragged the sound out.
To everyone watching, the interaction between mother and daughter looked utterly natural.
Only Jingliu frowned slightly.
Something felt off to her, though she could not put it into words.
Perhaps it was that faint sense of shared resonance?
Ever since she had accepted Cecilia's blessing, she could faintly sense fluctuations in Cecilia's aura.
And now she found that Kiana carried the same sort of fluctuation.
Perhaps... this was simply what people meant by blood being thicker than water.
After all, Jingliu had become an orphan when she was very young. She had long since forgotten what motherly love even felt like.
At that moment, Jing Yuan spoke again, breaking the subtle atmosphere.
"Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, would you all care to move to the Seat of Divine Foresight for a proper talk?"
He looked toward Cecilia, his tone sincere.
"Miss Cecilia has already rendered great assistance to the Luofu, and the Alliance has yet to formally express its gratitude. And now that Miss Kiana has arrived as well, it is only fitting that we do our best as hosts."
After all, there were still countless matters concerning the aftermath of the Ambrosial Arbor, as well as Theresa and Yuanqiao, that the Xianzhou Alliance had not yet discussed with Cecilia.
If Kiana really whisked Cecilia away now, who knew when they would next get such an opportunity?
But Kiana was the first to decline.
"We appreciate the General's goodwill."
"But the truth is, I came to the Luofu this time to see my mom because I also have something important to take care of."
Jing Yuan looked a little surprised.
At that moment, Firefly—who had been standing quietly behind the others—stepped forward.
Then Kiana explained further, "This is Miss Firefly. She's my friend, and she's also a patient I introduced."
"She has a terminal illness and urgently needs my mom to take a look at her."
"...Um, hello, everyone?" Firefly greeted a little uncertainly.
A patient?
Jing Yuan's gaze settled on the unfamiliar girl with the ash-white hair.
On the surface, with his experience, he could not tell what injury or illness she suffered from.
But then again, he was no professional physician. Failing to detect internal conditions was perfectly normal.
And besides, the reason Kiana had given was one he could accept.
...Not that he had much choice either way.
"In that case, we won't intrude further." Jing Yuan gave a small nod.
"The doors of the Seat of Divine Foresight will remain open to you at all times. If Miss Cecilia has a moment before departing the Luofu, we will be ready to receive her whenever she wishes."
With that, Jing Yuan left Changletian with the great host of Cloud Knights.
Once they were gone, Cecilia and Kiana exchanged a glance.
As people who kept their promises, it was now indeed time to honor one.
...
Xianzhou Luofu, Alchemy Commission.
After Jing Yuan and Yaoguang departed, Cecilia dismissed the Express crew as well and brought Firefly here immediately.
Then she borrowed a room from the physicians of the Commission.
At first, the Alchemy Commission's doctors had thought the whole thing rather baffling.
But after Cecilia made a single phone call to the Seat of Divine Foresight, the physicians' expressions changed at once.
Soon, only Cecilia and Firefly were left in the room.
Firefly sat on the edge of the couch, hands neatly folded over her knees, her posture so proper it seemed almost tense.
Her eyes kept darting toward Cecilia, only to quickly flick away whenever Cecilia looked back at her, like a small cat that was both wary and curious.
Cecilia, by contrast, was completely at ease. She dragged over a chair and sat down opposite Firefly.
"...Tell me, Miss Firefly, do you really have to look so scared of me?"
When she had been using Kiana's account before, Firefly had seemed like quite a bright, sunny girl.
So why was it that the moment she switched accounts, Firefly immediately turned into a nervous little animal again?
Really now—was that not blatant differential treatment?
Firefly blinked. "...Sorry. I'm just a little nervous."
Nervous about what? I'm not going to eat you.
Cecilia felt something was off.
But then again, when she thought about it, Firefly's reaction was perfectly understandable.
According to the setup, curing Entropy Loss Syndrome and continuing to live was presently Firefly's greatest wish.
From Firefly's point of view, Cecilia was very likely the "possibility" Elio had acknowledged in his script.
And that inevitably brought up Elio's rather strange bargain.
Every member of the Stellaron Hunters had made an agreement with Elio.
So long as they joined the Stellaron Hunters and acted according to his script, Elio promised that somewhere in the future they would encounter the means to fulfill their wish.
Tsk. Cecilia could not help but feel as though Elio had stolen half the credit for her own work.
"Oh right," she asked offhandedly, "what about that Blade you brought back last time? Has he killed himself yet or not?"
Firefly was caught off guard by the question.
"Sorry... I'm actually not too sure about his situation. I've mostly been staying by Miss Kiana's side these past few days."
"But according to Kafka, Blade... probably hasn't killed himself yet?"
By the end, even Firefly sounded unsure.
Cecilia did not pursue the topic further.
The situation was obvious enough. Somehow, Elio had apparently managed to persuade Blade to stay alive a little longer.
"All right, back to the main point. Let's begin the treatment."
Cecilia clapped her hands lightly and rose to her feet, walking toward Firefly.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter160)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter175)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 163
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 150
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 170
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 145
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 125
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 100
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 90
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 55
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 55
Still playing traditional Honk 35
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 35
What Should I Do After Switchi 24
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 35
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 27
Transmigrated as Sukuna 27
Checking In in Demon Slayer 32
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 44
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