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The sun was setting, the hour when the citizens of Luofu finished work and relaxed.
Street vendors selling snacks had barely set up their stalls when they saw a squad of Cloud Knights suddenly emerge from the Seat of Divine Foresight, surrounding several high-ranking figures. Thinking it was a leadership inspection, they pushed their carts and vanished in an instant.
Even so, the streets of Exalting Sanctum remained bustling, with storefronts, street performers, and teahouses maintaining a lively scene.
Yet amid this festive atmosphere, Xueyi looked visibly flustered.
Jing Yuan's question had hit the mark.
Coincidentally, she didn't have full confidence in these matters herself.
To put it plainly, almost everything she knew came secondhand from Huohuo.
"General Jing Yuan, I arrived here immediately after receiving the news. Everything I know has been conveyed to you through the Jade Abacus."
Under normal circumstances, she would have investigated first and reported only after forming at least a preliminary conclusion.
But the matter of the Joyseeker could hardly be considered normal.
Every appearance in the universe by THEM had nothing to do with normal or ordinary.
Even if she moved slowly, Luofu could easily become THEIR stage for a performance!
Xueyi's mind churned like stormy waves, but her expression remained icy: "Thus, the situation must be investigated firsthand by us."
Jing Yuan remained silent for a moment before slowly nodding: "As it should be."
He understood that although Xueyi's actions were urgent, she had made the correct choice.
With an Aeon visiting incognito, following standard procedures would have given Aha enough time to scatter masks all over Luofu.
Seeing such urgency suddenly put on pause, Lingsha's impatient temper threatened to boil over.
She quickly asked, "Do we have any leads? We can't just run around Exalting Sanctum like headless flies, can we?"
"Of course." Xueyi's gaze shifted to Huohuo, hiding to avoid being noticed, and to Tail, dressed like a ghost, standing behind her.
"Huohuo, you were the first to notice. Think carefully—did you overhear anything more specific?"
At her words, Jing Yuan, Lingsha, the Six Charioteers, and nearly a hundred Cloud Knights all turned to look at Huohuo in unison.
The dual pressure of rank and presence made Huohuo flinch.
Her small face scrunched as she looked at Tail.
It's your fault for speaking so casually. Otherwise, we'd already be off duty, and now we're subjected to the General's triple questioning.
Tail unusually didn't retort. Sheepishly, he turned away and quietly submitted.
"Uh, I… I'll think…"
Faced with everyone's expectant gazes, Huohuo wracked her brain to recall the scene.
But they had left in such a rush that she hadn't paid attention to any details. Even the news of the new Aha visiting Exalting Sanctum had reached her ears passively; she hadn't consciously registered it.
And yet, the intense scrutiny of these high-ranking figures made her feel immense pressure.
She didn't dare admit she hadn't heard anything.
So, she pushed her brain, hoping to force some useful information out.
"Could there be some unspoken secret?" Lingsha asked anxiously after Huohuo remained silent for so long.
Alright!
Huohuo finally realized that she simply couldn't remember anything.
She stammered, "Uh, act-actually I…"
"Eh? What a coincidence, you're all here?"
A young male voice reached their ears. Instinctively, everyone turned toward it.
In front of the Spare Time Bookstore, at the tables and chairs for pedestrians, Sylvester finished the remaining tea, pressing a few tour darts into the bottom of the cup, and then walked toward them.
After briefly sizing them up, he half-jokingly greeted: "Everyone's gathered—could this be an after-work dinner?"
"Phew~" Hearing someone speak, Huohuo immediately relaxed.
She shook her head slightly: "No, it's overtime."
"Haha, if Shopkeeper Sylvester wants a dinner gathering, naturally there's no problem."
Jing Yuan took over the conversation, his expression shifting from tense to warm and welcoming.
"What a coincidence. I was just thinking of chatting with Shopkeeper Sylvester. Might I trouble you for a moment?"
Searching high and low in vain, yet finding it effortlessly.
This shopkeeper must know far more than Huohuo. Asking him would save much effort.
And so conveniently, they met him right on the street—truly like divine providence.
"Chatting, you say?"
Sylvester's gaze toward Jing Yuan was filled with disbelief.
You expect me to casually chat? You're not some retired old man.
A matter serious enough to mobilize all Six Charioteers, and judging by their stance, it wasn't combat-related.
There was only one thing that fit their behavior recently.
Still, Sylvester saw no need to point it out.
"Of course, a chat is convenient. I come here daily to listen to stories; there's an artist named You Ci, who today told a remarkable story."
"Called The Shocking Grand Judgment—Acting Grand Guardian Pera Judges the Usurper Bronya, truly magnificent, full of twists and turns. Discussing this would be delightful."
"Ah…" Jing Yuan was left speechless.
Just hearing the title seemed harmless, but he couldn't really chat about it.
The Joyseeker could appear on the Xianzhou at any moment; waiting even a minute could result in a major incident.
He spoke bluntly: "Ahem, Shopkeeper Sylvester, let's not beat around the bush. Did the Joyseeker visit the Curio Trash Can this morning?"
"Ah, so it is about this."
As expected, Sylvester smiled and pointed toward the central square.
"Right there. Just now, THEY were performing tricks with Guinaifen."
The top of the head smashed by a great stone—they were having so much fun.
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