"Qingque, you are the next Marshal of the Xianzhou Alliance."
Marshal Hua's words from that day still echoed in her ears.
Even in her dreams, she would recall his gaze filled with trust and expectation, and then wake up from a wonderful dream of slacking off with a cry of "Nooo!"
Phew, scared me to death, so it was just a dream—
Pah!
The thought of inheriting the position of Cloud Knight Marshal, the commander of the Cloud Knights, made Miss Qingque feel a sense of despair. Her back ached, her legs were sore, and her stomach felt bloated. Normally, Miss Qingque would have already pulled out her classic move of faking an illness to skip work.
But with the Luminary Wardance about to restart... the new Cloud Knight Marshal taking sick leave? Are you kidding me right now?
The thought that her miserable situation was all thanks to a certain someone made Miss Qingque grind her teeth.
Especially since she knew his whereabouts.
Although she wasn't as obsessed with him as those terrifying women, the painful memories from before had left their mark. Cherishing her slacking life and staying away from that scoundrel Jiang Qiao was her motto. Plus, the chat group was one of the few forms of entertainment she could use to pass the time and slack off during work. A certain someone's movements were crystal clear in Miss Qingque's eyes.
—Flirting with other girls.
Compared to others, if it was just this, Miss Qingque would have sneered at it. Flirt with whoever you want, just don't come and harm me! If someone else was "Jiang Qiao'd," wouldn't she be safe?
But if you added a prefix to this reason—You made me so miserable, I'm working overtime in pain, stuck at a dark desk, facing endless workdays, while you're having fun with other women...
It was like the saying, "I'm worried about my brother's struggles, but I'm also afraid he'll drive a Land Rover." What was unbearable was that she, who should have been able to drive a Land Rover, was now stuck in a big prison, while her good brother was happily driving a Land Rover, experiencing the customs of another world.
Just thinking about all this, Miss Qingque's expression twisted slightly.
In the next moment, she let out a chilling laugh.
"Hehehe..."
Soon, the reopened Luminary Wardance arrived as scheduled.
However, this time, the symphony, as advertised, was no longer just one or two Xianzhou ships, but as agreed upon by the Alliance—in addition to the original Luofu and Yaoqing, there were also the Fanghu, the Yuque, the Zhuming, and... the legendary, most mysterious Xianzhou, the Xuling!
Among the six Xianzhou ships, the Xuling, the headquarters of the Ten-Lords Commission, was undoubtedly the most secretive in the entire Xianzhou Alliance. Apart from the highest echelons of the Xianzhou, even the Six Charioteers, who held transcendent status in their respective Xianzhou ships, did not know what the Xuling was like, nor where it was located.
But this time, within the area designated for the Alliance by Glamoth, the people of the universe finally saw the most mysterious Xianzhou ship with their own eyes.
Like a ghost, it was extremely ancient and exuded an aura of silence and solemnity. And its appearance was completely different from other Xianzhou ships; the Xuling sailed directly out of the imaginary band, materializing from the imaginary.
"I see, the legendary, most mysterious Xuling of the Xianzhou is actually hidden in the imaginary space." The blonde, artificially intelligent woman in a professional suit, Zhezhu, couldn't help but exclaim as she gazed at the incredibly tranquil Xuling.
"No wonder even the Company couldn't find the location of the Xuling."
"Just like its name, Xuling—it means a tomb that exists in illusion." A cheerful female voice sounded. It was Feixiao, who smiled and explained the meaning of Xuling to the former.
Just like the Company's headquarters, Pier Point, it existed in a special dimension and star region, and its construction relied on the technology of that Amber Lord.
The Alliance was no different.
The Xuling was the culmination of technology developed by learning from the Arbiter. It could hide in the imaginary space and exist in an imaginary form in normal times, like a hidden arrow waiting to be released. The reason why only the Yuque could escort people to the Xuling was because in its hidden state, even the Xuling itself did not know its own location. Only with the help of the Starskiff Cloud-Piercer and specialized observation facilities could the Xuling's position be established in the real world.
The non-existent Xianzhou—this was the substance of the Xuling.
And in this aspect, the Company, and even the Family, had similar characteristics.
For example, Pier Point's separation of dimensions—a replication of the Amber Lord's wall-building technology.
The City of Dreams—Penacony.
Normally, it would be almost impossible to take down a force of this level from the front with hard power. As for the Company... it could only be said that they were unlucky to have run into an opponent who could turn the impossible into possible.
Feixiao sighed softly:
"Speaking of which, although I've heard about the existence of the Xuling from my master, this is the first time I've seen it with my own eyes."
While Feixiao was receiving Zhezhu, the representative sent by the Company, Jiang Qiao, who had arrived at the symphony venue, was also marveling at the venue while observing the unfamiliar Xianzhou ships.
Needless to say, the Xianzhou ships were a sight to behold.
Apart from the Luofu and Yaoqing, which he had already seen, there was the fiery red, lotus-like Zhuming, and the Yuque, which resembled a large navigation tower. He had seen all the Xianzhou ships he hadn't seen before this time.
And this venue under his feet...
Although according to Xianzhou custom, a retired warship was used as the venue.
But with six Xianzhou ships gathered, Glamoth Empire's intervention, and the attention of various forces in the universe, the original warship seemed a bit inadequate.
Fortunately.
Glamoth had prepared for this.
To promote entertainment and also to have a suitable performance stage, Glamoth's past engineering plans included not only that scientific star region, but also, at this moment, this star region-level art cluster hub.
Music, art... art and entertainment reached their peak in this star region. After its completion, it could almost be said to be the number one entertainment wonder in the universe, even surpassing the Family's Penacony in this aspect.
"Isn't this scale a bit too big?"
"...I'm not sure. I handed this project over to the people below to complete after handling the general outline. I heard they also referred to Eden's opinions, and the result... seems to be a bit too big indeed."
Faced with Jiang Qiao's question, Miss Firefly's expression was a little subtle.
How should I put it?
The construction of the giant entertainment facility was originally just to enrich the entertainment of Glamoth and the universe, and also to consume the overly vigorous energy of the Glamoth Iron Cavalry. Please, please don't be so capable! The expansion speed of the empire's borders is almost faster than the speed at which I can process documents!
In short, various reasons led to her letting this project go, which led to the situation today.
"Well, forget it... I guess it's come in handy at this time."
"Oh oh oh, you guys are here too~!"
A lively girlish voice sounded. Looking up, it was the Astral Express crew. March 7th was waving at them, very excited.
"Yes."
"It seems you've been doing well lately."
"Thank you for taking care of her these past few days. I hope she didn't cause you any trouble."
"Hehe, not at all."
"These few days with Sister Elysia, I feel like I have another sister."
"What's that word again?"
March 7th scratched her face.
Stelle said silently:
"Birds of a feather flock together."
"Birds... pah pah pah! You're the one who smells bad!"
"Great minds think alike."
Dan Heng reminded her coolly.
The latter smiled again, clapping her hands and saying proudly:
"Right, great minds think alike! Sister Elysia and I have great chemistry. I've even thought about forming a duo with her, called the Pink-Haired Cute Girl Duo!"
"You just came up with that on the spot, didn't you?"
"Hey, don't expose me! And I really did think about it, okay! Although the name sounds a bit random, we can change it later!"
While March 7th and Stelle were bickering, Miss Elysia quietly approached and sniffed:
"During my absence... you didn't do anything strange, did you?"
"No."
Mr. Jiang Qiao answered quite calmly.
He wasn't afraid even when being stared at by those eyes.
As the saying goes, a clear conscience is a sure card. He was innocent, so he wasn't afraid of being investigated.
"Oh~"
Elysia looked at him with a half-believing, half-doubting expression, but gave up after a moment.
Lie detector failed.
Could it be that this bad guy really didn't do anything? Was I overthinking it?
But why do I feel so annoyed?
It's bad Jiang Qiao's fault, for sure!
"Ah, Mobius, MEI, you're here too."
"Hehe, what, are you so surprised that I came?"
"MEI is easy to say, but Dr. Mobius, in my impression, is not the type who likes sports or participating in this kind of activity~"
"Hehe, that's probably a problem with your impression. I'm actually quite fond of sports~" Mobius licked her lips, brushed her abdomen meaningfully, and revealed a playful expression.
Looking at Mobius like this, Elysia's mood was a little subtle.
She knew very well that if Mobius was like this, she must have done something.
So... as expected, that bad guy did something with Mobius while she was away. No, to be more precise, Mobius did something to that bad guy!
Some unpleasant images flashed through her mind, and Miss Pink Elf puffed out her cheeks, a little unhappy.
"Alright, don't tease Elysia, Mobius."
"I'm not~"
Mobius swayed her body slightly, covered her mouth, and defended herself in a strange tone.
...Something felt strange.
Elysia tried to see something, but MEI was also a little helpless and amused. She took the initiative to start a topic, diverting Elysia's attention from Mobius to herself.
However, during this period, that restless Miss Snake would intervene from time to time, as if showing off, and would also let out some unsettling hums.
Elysia didn't understand what the former meant, but she didn't mind teasing her about it.
After all, she was indeed a little angry about what Miss Mobius might have done to a certain someone while she was away!
That being said, the results seemed to be minimal.
Somehow, after her "training," Miss Mobius's tolerance seemed to be unusually high. No matter how hard she racked her brains, she couldn't seem to make Mobius show that angry and flustered look again. Instead, she just kept smiling at her. Elysia was a little frustrated by this.
"Hmm? Qingque is looking for me, I'll be right back."
As the "victim" caught between the two, Mr. Jiang Qiao was a little helpless. You two are bickering, is it necessary to use me as part of the play?
The answer was yes.
After all, holding a certain someone hostage was like holding the Jiangzi to command the pig woman.
Mobius had to admit that she and Elysia seemed to be incompatible. Just hearing her speak, even though she knew it was childish, she would still be easily defeated and angered.
However, as long as she had a handle on things, not only did she enjoy watching this foolish woman's cluelessness, but the feeling of having something in her hands was indeed more satisfying and easier to handle!
Especially when a certain Mr. Jiang was present—persecuting two at once, Miss Mobius was simply overjoyed.
And now, a certain someone's departure didn't matter.
After all, if she maintained this state while talking to this annoying woman in front of her, Miss Snake felt that she had the energy and interest to play with her all day long~
And so, Elysia and Snake bickered, and MEI watched the show.
And Mr. Jiang Qiao, following the rare invitation from Miss Qingque in the chat group, arrived at the room specially prepared for the Xianzhou and Qingque by Glamoth.
"Is this the place..."
"Ah, you're finally here."
"Yes, I'm here, Qingque."
"What did you want to see me about?"
"What's the matter?"
Hearing this question, Miss Qingque's smile grew wider.
"Something's the matter~ Of course something's the matter."
"Come in, I'll tell you slowly~"
"..."
Looking at Qingque like this, Jiang Qiao felt that something was a little strange.
But, he still stepped in without a second thought.
In the next moment...
Click
The open door was slammed shut in an extremely rough manner.
And what followed was...
"You made me wait so long... I finally got a chance to catch you, you rascal!"
"Repent to the Arbiter! Take this, you surnamed Jiang! I'm not done with you!"
"Trying to run? Hmph, don't even think about it! Today, I, Qingque, will act on behalf of the Arbiter! I'll uphold justice and get rid of you, you big scourge!"
"...Hmph, now you know my power!"
"You... how do you still have strength..."
"Wait—!"
"Let me rest... just for a moment! Dare you let me rest for a moment!"
"Haha, you fell for it! That was just my delaying tactic!"
"Watch me..."
"..."