After making short work of a few specialty dishes, Moonscar bade farewell to the proprietress, Yan Cui.
She took Little Bailu and her bestie—who had jokingly 'pledged her body' to her—to the Starskiff Haven ferry and hailed a Starskiff.
Target: The Alchemy Commission.
The Exalting Sanctum delve and the Elixir Grotto-Heaven were quite far apart; even on a high-speed Starskiff, the journey would take some time.
On the Starskiff, Bailu spoke in an old-fashioned, 'little adult' tone, explaining matters related to the Alchemy Commission to Sister Sushang and Guinaifen.
In ancient times, the Alchemy Commission was the department with the highest specifications and treatment among the Xianzhou Six Commissions, bar none.
Its function was not to cure the sick and save lives, but to research the methods of immortality and refine Immortal Pills, reaching its zenith after obtaining the longevity blessed by the Abundance.
However, following the Mara-struck turmoil and the shift in faith to the Hunt, laws prohibiting immortality were promulgated one after another. Consequently, the social status of the Alchemy Commission on the Xianzhou plummeted.
From a core institution exploring immortality, it gradually degenerated into its current state, responsible only for regulating medical affairs. Furthermore, due to the 'political correctness' of resisting the Abundance, its personnel and funding were cut time and again.
The fact that the position of the Head of the Alchemy Commission had remained vacant for so long was also related to this.
If it were any of the other five Commissions, it would be absolutely impossible for the Head's position to be empty for such a long time.
"We're here. Go past this intersection and keep moving forward, and you'll reach the Healer's Market."
Stopping in her tracks, Bailu raised her hand and pointed ahead.
"This place is really lively."
Moonscar looked up. Before her lay an extremely grand market. Orange maple leaves swayed like fire, and branches stood tall like dragon heads.
Surrounded by rivers and overlooking the sea, the place was endowed with the fine spirits of the universe. The air was filled with a faint scent of medicine. One look was enough to tell that the housing prices here were not low.
After all, this was the area of the Alchemy Commission open to the outside world.
Bailu put her small hands on her hips. "I usually do my consultations here."
To be precise, the vast majority of healers and alchemists within the Alchemy Commission conducted their consultations in this designated outer zone.
No matter how low the Alchemy Commission's status was now, it was still one of the core Six Commissions. In ancient times, it would have been the Imperial Medical Bureau, specialized in treating the Emperor and refining Immortal Pills, populated by elite imperial physicians.
How could one of the state's core institutions allow ordinary people to enter and exit at will?
March 7th, Seele, and Little Duck had previously been stuck at the Healer's Market for a while, having to use tactical reinforcements just to gain entry into the Alchemy Commission's interior.
Now, unfamiliar with the place and people, they were wandering around inside like headless flies, looking for a lead.
"Let's go."
Moonscar rubbed Bailu's small head.
"Sister Sushang, stop rubbing my head, or I won't grow tall!"
Bailu shook her small head vigorously to throw off Moonscar's hand, then moved her little chubby legs to lead the way.
Just then, a logistics cycrane flew by, emitting a voice that said, "Milord, this way!"
"Tsk tsk, I never expected the Alchemy Commission to actually become the base camp of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
While leading the way, Bailu crossed her arms, pouted, and sighed with emotion.
Although Moonscar had produced evidence like the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus prescriptions, she still found it somewhat hard to accept. Her own base camp was actually a den of filth for the minions of the Plagues Author?
Absurd!
It was too absurd!
With Bailu walking in front, the three of them passed through without obstruction. Who could stop the Healer Lady from taking patients for a consultation on her own turf?
The brown-haired girl walked side-by-side with Guinaifen behind Bailu, looking around at the simple, unsophisticated buildings filled with a sense of history, and spoke casually:
"Based on what you said earlier, Bailu, this isn't anything strange."
"The Alchemy Commission was originally the place where the faith in the Medicus originated. The alchemists of the past were incredibly glorious. Later, as they declined along with the Alchemy Commission—rising and falling—the change in circumstances naturally made it hard for those believers of the Medicus to let go."
Upon entering the interior of the Alchemy Commission, Moonscar had activated auto-battle. At this moment, the one controlling the body was Li Sushang, and these words were also spoken by Li Sushang.
This caused Guinaifen, who was following alongside, to have a subtle expression.
Rising and falling? Hard to let go? Are these words that can come out of Shangshang's mouth?
Shangshang is using idioms now!?
No, can falling in love really bring such a huge change to a person?
"Bailu, think carefully. Is there any place you don't usually go to, or somewhere you think might be problematic?"
Taking back control of the body, Moonscar lowered her voice and asked.
Switching control was very simple; it only required a thought from her. She could even achieve ultra-high-speed switching, swapping several times a second.
Moonscar's control of the body and Li Sushang's control of the body operated on two different levels of perception regarding their surroundings. When Li Sushang was 'logged in,' her perception was higher.
"A suspicious place?"
Bailu was as familiar with the Alchemy Commission as she was with her own home. The purple-haired little loli rested her chin on her small hand and fell into deep thought.
Racking her brains and scratching her head in hard contemplation, Bailu's eyes suddenly lit up. "I remember!"
"Once, when I sneaked out at night, I saw a sneaky figure heading towards the Elixir Research Terrace!"
"Thinking about it now, those people were likely the bad guys from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus!"
"What kind of place is the Elixir Research Terrace?" Guinaifen asked in confusion.
"It's where the doctors of the Alchemy Commission gather to study the art of healing. Do you see that tree in the central courtyard? It's one of the main root systems of the Ambrosial Arbor."
Bailu pointed her small hand in a certain direction.
Moonscar could see the withered yet tall and upright branches of the tree.
"A place where many people gather for meetings without attracting attention... indeed, it's a very suitable stronghold for the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. Let's go take a look."
"But is it okay to just go over there like this?"
Looking at the healers coming and going in the distance, Bailu turned back to look at Moonscar and Guinaifen.
"The Elixir Research Terrace is a place for healers and alchemists to discuss medicine. Generally speaking, patients wouldn't appear over there."
With Bailu's status, she could bring patients over, but if they ran into acquaintances on the way, she would have to give an explanation.
"Well..."
Moonscar pondered. She could casually make up several reasons, but the more she said, the more loopholes there would be.
It wouldn't be good if the people from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus noticed them.
"Of course we can't just go directly."
After a moment of hesitation, Moonscar pulled a mask out from behind her like a magic trick, under Guinaifen's astonished gaze.
"What is this? Shangshang, when did you learn magic tricks too?"
The orange-haired, single-ponytail girl leaned in close.
"I watched you perform so much, Little Gui, that I learned it by osmosis."
This was a lie. The mask in Moonscar's hand was a Persona Mask sent over by Caelus through the system's equipment space.
"This item is a prop I exchanged a treasure for with a friend. It possesses magical power."
Using the pretext of an exchange would lay the groundwork for why Fenghuang Down would be in Caelus's hands later.
As for the friend... a boyfriend is also a friend!
Caelus planned to equip every Valkyrie with a main weapon to cultivate intimacy and eventually perform Divine personality awakening.
Caelus's main weapon was the Curio yo-yo, occasionally using Jizo Mitama. Seele had the Black Abyss White Flower, and Bronya currently dual-wielded the Crushing Bone Bunny and Jizo Mitama.
Caelus intended to make Fenghuang Down Li Sushang's main weapon. The Key of Consciousness could provide a certain boost to the Taixu Sword Art.
"Magical power?"
Guinaifen and Bailu looked at each other, revealing curious expressions.
"That's right, just like this."
Moonscar put on the Persona Mask and took hold of Guinaifen and Bailu's tender white hands. The shadow beneath her feet rippled like a lake surface disturbed by the wind.
Amidst Guinaifen's surprised exclamation of "!!", Moonscar pulled the two of them down into the Kingdom of Shadows, moving towards the Elixir Research Terrace through the Shadow World.
"Bailu, which way did the sneaky figure go last time?"
"Over there!"
Every time they traveled a certain distance, they would float up to the surface to let Bailu confirm the direction.
"I don't know exactly where they went."
Bailu had only seen it by coincidence while sneaking away.
"Shangshang, what do we do next? Search everywhere?"
In a certain shadow within the Elixir Research Terrace, Guinaifen asked her best friend.
Search everywhere?
Wouldn't that make them as clumsy as the 'clever and quick-witted' Ah Qi?
"Wait."
Moonscar gave the command.
The moment her voice fell, shadows wriggled in every nook and cranny of the Elixir Research Terrace. Shadow soldiers the size of cockroaches emerged.
Hundreds of small shadow soldiers began to move within the perimeter of the Elixir Research Terrace.
The Shadow-Eating Soldiers' ability to devour shadows was essentially Chi Magic. Moonscar controlled these Shadow-Eaters to track every healer within the range of the Elixir Research Terrace.
This wait lasted for a full hour.
"Found it!"
"Huh? What did you find?"
Bailu and Guinaifen, who were squatting on the ground playing Gomoku (Five-in-a-Row), jumped up upon hearing this.
"A problematic place."
The target followed by one of the Shadow-Eaters had suddenly been lost. Normally, such a situation would not occur.
Taking Guinaifen and Bailu's hands, Moonscar moved through the Shadow World to the position of that Shadow-Eating Soldier.
It looked like a very ordinary room, the door locked with a simple, ancient lock.
But it only looked ancient on the outside.
Making intelligent, high-tech creations look like antiques was an old Xianzhou tradition.
That was a smart electronic lock requiring authorization verification. Without permission, it was impossible to open unless a formidable hacker took action.
To hack the lock without triggering the alarm would require a top-tier hacker.
Of course, there was no need to call Silver Wolf for support for such a small matter. Why did they have to pick the lock?
Wouldn't it be better if I just stepped right past it through the Shadow World?
In the real world, no door could stop me, the Trailblazer!
Ripples rose from the shadows on the floor inside the room, and three figures emerged from within.
"It doesn't look like there's anything strange here?"
Looking around at the interior decor and facilities, the medicinal herbs and tools scattered on the table—everything was arranged in a way that was common for the Alchemy Commission. Bailu couldn't find anything abnormal.
"No, there is definitely a problem here. Let's split up and search," Moonscar asserted.
"Okay."
The three split up to act. Before long, Guinaifen's hushed shout came over.
"Shangshang, Bailu, come look at this quick!"
"Little Gui, what did you find?"
Moonscar and Bailu ran over to Guinaifen's side.
"There seems to be a mechanism here!"
It was a bookcase holding medical classics. After pulling out a drawer, Guinaifen discovered that the way it moved was not quite right.
"I saw this when I was learning magic tricks before."
Tricks like swallowing swords or piercing the back all required mechanical props to work. As an acrobat, Little Gui had dabbled in this.
She groped around the drawer and gently clicked a mechanism.
Accompanied by the sound of gears turning, a section of the floor moved away, revealing a passage leading underground.
"This is really hidden well!" Bailu exclaimed.
"Good job, Little Gui!"
Moonscar patted the orange-haired girl's fragrant shoulder. Even with Li Sushang's strong perception of energy, she wouldn't have been able to detect a mechanism like this that had no energy fluctuations.
The deep, dark corridor led underground. It wasn't pitch black inside; there were lamps on the walls at regular intervals.
Moonscar took the lead, with Bailu and Guinaifen following closely behind.
The tunnel was neither long nor short. After walking for about five minutes, they reached the end, which was blocked by a door.
As the group arrived, a cold voice came from the other side of the barrier:
"The Merciful Medicus, the Ambrosial Arbor grows."
Bailu and Guinaifen were a bit nervous, and they both looked toward their pillar of support.
Moonscar was unhurried:
"Disciples as one, together ascend the Immortal Path."
Caelus was practically the second-in-command of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus by now; how could he not know their secret code?
Upon receiving the correct password, the closed door slowly opened. A breeze rushed out from within, and the internal scenery was gradually revealed.
A Grotto-Heaven!
After seeing the world behind the door, Bailu and Guinaifen had looks of shock on their faces.
It was a Grotto-Heaven!
There was actually a secret Grotto-Heaven beneath the Elixir Research Terrace!
Moonscar understood in her heart. No wonder the Shadow-Eating Soldier lost the target; the process of crossing into a Grotto-Heaven was equivalent to performing a spatial jump.
A Shadow-Eater in its weakest state couldn't keep up.
"Who goes there?"
There were guards at the entrance of the Grotto-Heaven. Seeing the unfamiliar faces entering, one asked vigilantly.
"I am Ink Plum. This is Orange Osmanthus."
Amidst Bailu's sluggish expression, Moonscar picked her up with one hand and covered her mouth.
"The final moment of the plan will arrive soon. By the order of the Head, I have brought the Healer Lady here to extract the Vidyadhara High Elder's marrow."
As she said this, Moonscar also had Li Sushang release killing intent and sword intent, locking onto Bailu's neck.
"Don't!"
The little one's pupils instantly dilated to the extreme. The highlights faded from her eyes, which filled with terror as her body trembled.
She portrayed the appearance of fear vividly. The highest realm of acting is not acting at all!
No!
Why did you suddenly sell me out!?
Bailu was truly scared in her heart. That killing intent, which felt like thorns on her back, made her almost believe that Sister Sushang had defected and joined the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus!
Bailu's fear, which didn't seem faked in the slightest, made the Disciple of Sanctus Medicus guard believe the story immediately.
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