Who Are You?

"Madam Yukong, there has been a subtle resistance regarding the handlers at the dock. Many wish to leave due to either 'urgent business' or feeling that something was wrong.

"Instruct the Cloud Knights on duty to continue the lockdown. Convey that they could continue their business once the situation has settled down."

"Understood!"

A man with sharp fox ears raised his hand to salute before leaving the Helm, where a few individuals gathered. The vast majority were members of the Sky-Faring Commission, but other members belonging to different departments were also present.

The Ten-Lord's Commision, Realm-Keeping Commision, and even Alchemy Commision.

A very rare occurrence but also indicative of the special situation the Luofu was currently facing at the moment.

Sending off the last person who wanted to give her a report regarding the worries the people of the Luofu were having, the foxian woman let out a tired sigh and sat down.

"Not only the Ten-Lords but the Divination Commission have sent their full stance on keeping individuals on the Luofu for an unknown amount of time…"

Yukong formally known as the Head of the Sky-Faring Commission voiced out her concern sensing the alarming rate the security was acting up.

Mass lockdowns and the deployment of many Cloud Knight units. All of which brought an uneasy feeling to bloom throughout the Luofu.

But thinking back to the message she received from the Cloud Knights a couple of hours prior about the cause of this unease, Yukong gripped the armrest of her seat.

"The presence of a Stellaron managed to find itself on the Loufu…" 

As a person in charge of handling and overseeing trade happening on the ship, learning that such a dangerous object managed to sneak itself without her knowing felt like a blow to her competence. 

Despite many of her subordinates saying otherwise she still felt slightly at fault for the situation happening.

"Madam Yukong."

"Hmm?"

She abolished herself for a while before a man wearing the Alchemy Commission's uniform came forward and politely handed her a form.

He had a slight limp which Yukong noticed but chose not to point out and the man felt grateful for not doing so.

"You are?" Yukong asked while skimming through the papers.

"Xiao Ju. I'm here to relay some requests from Madam Dan Shu about the outbreak of Mara happening within the Alchemy Commission."

"So they infested that area too…"

Xiao Ju managed to hear her words and his eyes twitched but was barely noticeable.

A prevailing silence continued as he waited for her instructions but suddenly he felt a sense of weakness attack his legs and he silently held onto the corner of the desk.

Beads of sweat went down his back but he quickly reached for his pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a pill. Putting it into his mouth, it quickly melted and a sense of control instantly engulfed him.

'That was the last one.'

Xiao Ju frowned seeing the empty pouch but he decided to think about restocking it later as Yukong raised her head. He straightened up and listened carefully.

"I will allow some paths to be open but only limited to the ones near the Commission."

"That's…"

"Understand that this is the most I can offer."

Yukong was firm with her decision. With the amount of conflict the Stellaron would bring, she wanted to contain the number of people using the ports.

Especially for the ones who wanted to take advantage of the confusion.

Seeing as she was not up to making any compromises, Xiao Ju reluctantly nodded his head and felt worried about how he could break this to Dan Shu.

"Madam Yukong~! I have come back with some important news!"

Wanting to express his gratitude, he took the permit Yukong gave him but a sweet voice suddenly rang through the Helm and walked towards the two.

Her soft green eyes landed on the two and they each had varying expressions when they met with the woman.

"Didn't I say not to speak so loudly when you enter the Helm, Tingyun?"

"Sorry, but I happened to meet with a few people."

Tingyun's infectious smile reached Yukong as she also smiled and Xiao Ju lowered his head.

Seeing the unknown person beside her, Tingyun asked. "Ah! Sorry if I'm interrupting. You are…"

"Xiao Ju from the Alchemy Commission. It's a pleasure to meet Miss Tingyun of the Whistling Flames Guild."

"Alchemy Commission…"

Tingyun hummed as she stared at Xiao Ju and he felt like his body was frozen. As if a predator was watching their prey.

After what seemed like hours, Tingyun eventually smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you for your hard work!"

"Y-Yes… Thank you!!"

Tingyun ignored his unsteady voice and immediately turned to Yukong who was curious as to why she returned so fast.

Informing her that she met with some individuals from the Astral Express and their reason for coming onto the Luofu. Yukong felt like another headache was about to arrive.

Sensing the serious atmosphere, Xiao Ju politely left the two and headed towards a drawer that had his name on it.

After entering a code and checking inside for any letters, he let out a bitter smile seeing nothing, and closed it after staring at the empty box for a while.

"Hopefully she understands that I'm doing this to help her…"

He mumbled under his breath thinking about his only family but managed to slap himself sensing that his thoughts were suddenly getting jumbled up.

"Must be the effects of the medicine."

Xiao Ju leaned against a pillar to help catch his breath which was getting harder as a sudden sharp piercing pain invaded his body.

Different from the one before, his head began to heat up but he had gotten used to it. 

Thinking about his family, he managed to pull himself together but the amount of pain was still a bit hard to handle.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Madam Yukong is expecting you."

"Thank you. Everyone let's go."

"Wait, Mr. Yang! I'm still not done eating!"

"...I'll give you 5 seconds."

"...*Crunch*...*Crunch*... Mmm..."

"Make sure to clean up your face before going in."

Amid his foggy mind that was riddled with pain, a few voices managed to reach him and Xiao Ju looked up to see who it was.

A group that looked foreign due to the clothes they wore and the atmosphere they gave off. He was certain that a few big shots had come to meet with Yukong.

Xiao Ju bowed his head sensing one of the members looking in his direction. Hoping that he was able to hide his complexion.

Hearing their footsteps inching closer, he prayed that they didn't notice as it would bring many troubles that he didn't dream of facing.

Luckily his prayers were answered and the door closed leaving his tired body to lean against the pillar. But a subtle scent managed to reach him instead. 

With the voices gradually disappearing, Xiao Ju suddenly felt a cool wind hit his body and the sharp pain that was attacking him began to strangely recede.

[Wait]

Hearing a whisper, he opened his eyes and quickly looked around but saw that no one was near him. 

Even the Cloud Knights that were stationed in front of the Haven were so far off that they couldn't whisper something he could hear.

"Was that the medicine…?"

Thinking that the relief was being accompanied by hallucinations, Xiao Ju immediately walked towards the Alchemy Commission to finish his job and hopefully head home.

***

"Why are you making that face?"

"What?"

Yuuto looked confused seeing Stelle poke his face and he swatted her hand away.

"Try and focus. We're meeting a pretty important person."

"I'm trying to but I feel a bit jittery."

Stelle mumbled and walked closer to him. "Compared to Belebog, this feels like if I mess up I'll be put into confinement inside a jail or something."

"I don't think you'll be put into jail for now at least…"

"At least? That's not helping me right now."

"Don't worry if you get put into jail I'll keep you company and sit inside with you."

"Why does it have to end up with both of us being in jail in the first place–?"

Yuuto ignored her grumble before stopping where they finally met Yukong who was patiently waiting for them.

Her authoritative gaze and stoic face made a few members flinch but Welt was composed and greeted her lightly.

She nodded before saying a few things.

"Tingyun has informed me of your purpose for visiting; however I must say that I would need to politely decline your proposal."

Right away Yukong didn't mince her words and firmly refused their offer to help with the Stellaron outbreak.

'As expected.' Yuuto expected her response and waited to hear her reasons.

"As part of the Xianzhou Alliance, we have more than enough resources and experience to handle the conflict known as the Stellaron. It may be serious but not to the point of requiring external assistance."

"That may be the case but we ourselves are very experienced in handling Stellaron disasters. If we could prevent the corrosion from affecting harmless citizens..."

"I said this before and it will be the last time I say it again. This is an internal conflict of the Loufu and there is no need for the Astral Express to get involved."

Welt was instantly shut down by Yukong who was adamant about her decision.

The way she spoke and the tone she gave, Welt noticed that it would be close to impossible to speak any words that would overturn her decision.

Compromising may also be a far-fetched idea that may be hard to offer.

As the two continued to exchange words, the other three stood behind Welt and patiently waited while enduring the eyes landing on them.

March nervously looked around sensing the atmosphere and Stelle already began imagining her life as a convict and her plans to escape. 

Yuuto also noticed their gazes but frowned when he felt something was off with a few of them.

His eyes let out a faint white hue and he instantly saw how a couple of members of the Commissions had a sticky energy wrapped around their hearts.

One that was faintly similar to the energy he absorbed when he finished off the soldiers inflicted with mara.

'Members of the Sanctus Medicus managed to infiltrate the Sky-Faring Commission?'

A surprising discovery dawned on him and began to wonder how far Phantylia dipped her fingers into the Luofu.

"I understand your sentiment but I'm also curious about one thing. It was only a few days but how can news about the Stellaron outbreak reach your ears if Starskiff Haven was under full lockdown the whole time?" 

"That's—"

"Not only that but our access history was recently hacked which allowed the Astral Express to enter through the Jade Gate. The person kindly left her seal and taunted us for quite some time."

The conversation between Welt and Yukong was reaching its peak but Yuuto couldn't help but want to cover his face after hearing the complaint Yukong made.

She tried to mask her tone but the four were able to tell that Silver Wolf managed to successfully push her buttons.

To a degree that she was grinding her teeth. Making the four feel bad for her.

"Anyways, many coincidences don't happen without a reason. It may be considered impolite but you four are forbidden from leaving Starskiff Haven until we properly investigate—"

[Wait a minute Yukong. No need to be so strict when we have such honored guests on board with us.]

Right before Yukong could gesture to take the four someplace else, a holographic image of a man suddenly appeared.

Long white hair that's tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon, golden eyes, and a mole under his left eye.

A gentle and handsome complexion. The man smiled at the four and Yukong suddenly stiffened up.

"General Jing Yuan!"

[You don't need to worry about the Astral Express working with the Stellaron Hunters.]

"But—

[It is a well-known fact that the two are mortal enemies so an alliance between them is impossible. Aren't I right?]

Jing Yuan nodded convincingly at his words thinking that it was a fact that couldn't be false.

However, March and Stelle unknowingly glanced at Yuuto who felt his mouth twitch, feeling their eyes land on him.

'I'm innocent…'

Leaving Yuuto under the subtle gazes of the two, Jing Yuan formally introduced himself.

[Apologies for interrupting your meeting. My name is Jing Yuan — I'm the general of the Cloud Knights here on the Luofu.]

Welt and the others introduced themselves as well, feeling the gentle atmosphere he gave off in contrast to the stoic one Yukong had.

It made the other person unknowingly relax but Yuuto felt a slight danger to this.

"General about the situation…"

[You don't need to worry. I also agree that this is a situation that can't be handled by an outside party. So Astral Express, I apologize that I cannot accept your kind offer to help deal with this issue.]

After hearing this, Welt was prepared to compromise as he felt Jing Yuan could provide that possibility. But to his surprise, he offered something else.

[I may not accept your offer to help resolve the issue but can I ask you a favor instead?]

"What kind of favor?"

[Uncovering the true intentions of the Stellaron Hunters.]

[The Divination Commission has been adamant about your involvement with the Stellaron HUnters but as I said before I feel like that was impossible.]

[So far I can presume that this was just a joust to sow discord between us and lure you into the Loufu for a hidden agenda only known to them.]

Jing Yuan continued to explain and the four listened, trying their best to control their expressions. 

With such a solid faith of being in no way involved with Kafka's plans was something hard to face but they needed to hold on as disagreeing would only complicate things.

[So the favor I wish to ask is to unveil the true intentions of the Stellaron Hunters and their connection to the Stellaron outbreak. What do you think?]

Welt looked at Jing Yuan who grinned delicately and felt a million questions pop up in his head. But held his tongue for now.

"We accept."

[Wonderful! The Loufu never fails to reward that which is given.]

After organizing a few things with Jing Yuan, he offered for the crew to head to a nearby hotel so they could rest for the day since he felt like it was a long journey for them.

Yukong offered to help and immediately called for Tingyun who she felt was right for the job.

[Wait before you lot go, I wonder if I could ask you guys a question?]

"What kind of question?"

Feeling her nerves calm down, Stelle tilted her head and asked.

[Hmm…]

Jing Yuan rubbed his chin as he thought deeply and a mysterious emotion flashed through his eyes.

[Do any of you like watching the moon rise?]

A simple question but one that holds many different answers.

"I think it's cool to watch?"

"It's pretty to take a picture of!"

"I never really thought about it."

Jing Yuan paid attention to each of their answers and he eventually looked at Yuuto who was the last one to answer.

Thinking for a while, he finally spoke. "I do. I find it beautiful to look at."

[I see… for me I like staring at the moon with friends but sadly I can't do so anymore.]

Jing Yuan chuckled deeply before departing. As if he found their answers interesting.

***

"That was stressful!"

Stelle jumped on the bed that was neatly made in front of her. After leaving the Helm and being guided into a local hotel for them to stay, Welt told the three to rest while they could.

Tingyun offered to show them a nice tea place so they could chat but they felt like enjoying tea during this occasion wasn't the best.

"I would say the same but I want to know why you're in my room?"

"March said she's going to sleep and I feel bored being in the room by myself."

Yuuto noticed Stelle hanging her head at the corner of his bed and wondered how boring it could be.

Feeling a bit stuffy, he opened the window and noticed how the previously bright sky turned a shade darker.

"It's amazing how they managed to make an artificial sky look so real," Stelle said while admiring the darkness gradually approaching.

"Residents of the Luofu have extremely long life spans so it requires them to think carefully about how they could preserve their mental health," Yuuto added.

"Just imagine looking at a pitch-dark sky your entire life. You're bound to have negative thoughts if you live your life like that."

"You're right…" Stelle agreed as she imagined herself living like that and felt like it would be a nightmare.

Seeing Yuuto stare out the window, she couldn't help but mumble.

"You know a lot…"

"I just know what I know."

Yuuto lightly tapped on Stelle's forehead as he found her thoughts funny and stretched his arms.

Sensing that he was about to do something, Stelle immediately sat up and looked at Yuuto who was already a foot out the window.

 "Don't tell me…"

"I'm going to roam around for a bit."

"I knew it."

Stelle looked at him suspiciously as a faint moonlit glow enveloped his body and a mysterious expression found itself on his face.

"I'll be back. Do you want anything?"

Stelle let out a sigh as she knew something big was going to happen but she decided to let future Stelle handle it.

"Just get me a snack like that thing we ate earlier, a drink and something filling."

"Quite the demand but see it granted."

That was the last thing he said before his body faded and left Stelle all alone in his room.

***

In a neighborhood far away from the hotel where the Astral Express was located, a familiar man entered a dark alleyway holding a paper bag.

"I wonder if Short Auntie has some leftover food I can take…"

Entering an area named [Aurum Alley], Xiao Ju clenched his rumbling stomach but seeing as no one was at the stall, he decided that he could just eat in the morning.

Reaching a small hut by the far corner of the alley, he turned the key and entered his house where a deafening silence took hold.

Closing the door, his attempt to control his expression immediately faded as his face contorted painfully.

He staggered and leaned against his wall. Frantically trying to reach his hand into the paper bag that had medicine that the Chief Alchemist made. 

"They said that it would take a few more trials to get the results I want but…"

Xiao Ju could still feel the pain despite taking the pills and his mind began to turn dark. 

He curled his body to forget the pain that gradually grew in intensity and thought about his family. A reflex that helped him get through the agony he received every time he took the medicine.

"Hopefully it doesn't last too long this time…"

[You must be…]

"W-Who!?"

Xiao Ju weakly raised his head hearing an unknown voice suddenly appear and felt a sense of fear different from the pain he currently has.

As if to answer his thoughts, a soft light grew from the center of his room before a man covered in white appeared.

A white robe with golden inscriptions near the sleeves and a veil that covered a portion of his face. His face was like a mosaic but the pure white iris of his eyes had sucked Xiao Ju's attention that he couldn't think.

His appearance was a shock to Xiao Ju that he even forgot his pain as he looked up blankly.

[Does it hurt?]

"..Ah..It…"

He couldn't form a sentence as he was still in a state of shock but he managed to regain his senses.

"Wh-Who are you…"

[Me?]

The man made a silent smile as a tall banner with a black frame and a white transparent flag materialized behind him.

[You can refer to me as the Immortal Sanctifier]

It was at this moment another piece of a man's black history was created. 

***

Goodluck on anyone trying to get either Aventurine or Acheron. I'll be over here holding onto my funds for a certain foxian woman.