Either way, Sylvia felt she needed to clear things up. She hadn't thought of it before, but now that she had, she didn't want to brush it aside.
"Back when we first met, didn't I talk you into helping me with a ritual?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Well, where I'm from, that ritual's a wedding."
"I thought so."
Now that Sylvia had said it, she found it wasn't all that hard. Mei just gave a calm nod.
"I thought you'd use that as another excuse to push me around."
Sylvia wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or let down. Mei, on the other hand, laughed.
"I don't need an excuse to tease you. Making one up would just make me look petty."
"..."
Sylvia's face froze. Was that another jab at how she never came out on top? She should've kept her mouth shut.
Still, now that Mei had acknowledged it herself, a chime rang out. At last, Mei's stats updated.
--+--
[Target: Raiden Mei]
[Affection: 88 (Trust and Favor)]
[Relationship: Married]
['Go on, keep lying. The higher her affection gets, the worse it'll be when it all blows up in your face.']
['Tch. Knowing you, you'd probably enjoy getting teased about it.']
[Rewards: One gold draw, one purple draw, one green draw]
--+--
Even the strange commentary had gained another line. Sylvia's mouth twitched as she thought of how Mei always got the better of her when they were alone.
Damn it! When would she finally get to call the shots?
At least she'd received all three draws at once. Since she'd tricked Mei into the relationship at first, the system had only given her a beginner's reward. It'd held back all the affection rewards tied to Mei, but now she'd claimed the whole lot.
Three draws. Sylvia looked at the number, though she didn't rush to use them. For once, she wasn't worried about lacking firepower, so she'd rather get a few clever utility skills than another boost to her strength.
That could wait. She glanced at the pile of ingredients nearby and decided to finish making the essential oils and room fragrances first.
--+--
Ever since General Jing Yuan had announced the Wardance, more and more starships had been passing through the Xianzhou Luofu each day. The Sky-Faring Commission's workload had grown along with them, and yesterday's incident had only made things worse.
The Ten-Lords Commission had taken over the case, with the Alchemy Commission helping with the inquiry. Even so, an explosion at the starport was enough to give Yukong plenty to worry about.
As for Tingyun, she might've been keeping her distance from Sylvia on purpose, but she really did have her hands full. When Sylvia arrived, the whole Sky-Faring Commission was a hive of activity. She was about to ask where Tingyun was when a door opened and Yukong stepped out.
"Sylvia, you're here. Looking for Tingyun? Oh, you've brought gifts, too."
Yukong glanced at the fine paper bag in Sylvia's hand. A soft, clean scent drifted from it, and one light sniff seemed to clear some of the fog from her tired mind.
"Isn't Tingyun here?"
"I'm afraid you've just missed her. Some work came up, so she went over to the Realm-Keeping Commission."
Yukong shook her head. Sylvia could only sigh at the poor timing, then took a palm-sized glass bottle from the bag.
"This one's for you. It's a room fragrance I made. Keep it at home to help you unwind."
"Oh? There's one for me, too?"
Yukong took it in surprise and sniffed the mouth of the bottle. The scent was lovely, unlike anything she'd smelled before. Had Sylvia really made this herself? She hadn't known the girl had a knack for this sort of thing.
She cradled the bottle and thanked Sylvia, still impressed. "Would you like me to send you Tingyun's location? She should be somewhere in Exalting Sanctum by now."
Sylvia thought for a moment, then shook her head and raised the paper bag.
"I'll let her work. I can come back later, but could you leave these at her desk for me, Yukong?"
Besides Yukong's gift, the bag held another room fragrance for Tingyun's office and some massage oil. Yukong pointed toward one corner of the commission.
"Go ahead and put them there yourself. Most of Tingyun's coworkers know you."
Tingyun's desk was in the same spot as last time. Sylvia hadn't wanted to wander into the office area as an outsider, but Yukong didn't seem to mind at all. With the Helm Master herself giving her permission, what else could she say?
She thanked Yukong and headed over. A few people seated near Tingyun's desk glanced her way. They seemed to recognize her, since none came over to interrupt.
That didn't stop them from sneaking looks at the Emanator of Elation whose fame had spread so fast. Sylvia paid them no mind and turned to Tingyun's neat desk. The desk itself was standard issue, but the way she'd arranged her things was very much her own.
Sylvia set the paper bag in the most obvious spot on the work surface. Then she sat down, left Tingyun a note, and got up to leave.
She didn't linger at the commission. Once she was back out on the street, her thoughts turned to the incident. The Xianzhou hadn't made any move today, so she guessed they were still looking into it.
She couldn't expect them to solve the whole thing in one night. Even if they wanted the Astral Express Crew's help, they'd need a few leads first.
As for the crew themselves, Dan Heng had checked in with the group chat, but the others were probably still asleep. Sylvia had planned to invite Yunli to Aurum Alley for another taste of the Xianzhou's old favorites. She could tease the kid and use a draw while she was at it.
But halfway there, a tall Foxian woman with white hair came over and greeted her as if they already knew each other.
"Hey there, young lady!"
Sylvia turned in confusion and looked the woman up and down.
"Are you talking to me?"
"Of course! I was looking out from my ship and spotted you. One glance told me you've got the makings of a real fighter, so I got excited and came right over."
As she spoke, Feixiao raised a hand and pointed behind her. A starskiff was coming in to land near the port. That seemed to be the ship she meant.
"Is that so...?"
Sylvia could tell this Foxian was a skilled martial artist. After all, she'd jumped from a ship that far away and landed right behind her. That took some serious strength.
She had to be a high-ranking officer in the Xianzhou Alliance, at least.
Was she one of General Feixiao's people, the group Jing Yuan had mentioned? At a time like this, the only senior officials making a special trip from another ship should be from the Xianzhou Yaoqing.
"You're an envoy from the Xianzhou Yaoqing, right?"
The Foxian raised a brow, as if Sylvia's blunt question had caught her off guard. Then she brushed off her surprise and grinned.
"Haha! You figured me out. In that case, let me introduce myself. I'm Feixiao. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Sylvia. Wait, Feixiao? You're not the general known as the Merlin's Claw, are you?"
Sylvia had heard the name from Huaiyan. He'd said Feixiao was quite young, but a fifty-year-old Foxian and a hundred-and-fifty-year-old Foxian looked much the same. It was hard to tell from their faces.
"Oh? You've heard of me?"
"General Huaiyan mentioned you."
Sylvia studied the white-haired Foxian with interest. Feixiao was doing much the same to her.
"I've barely arrived on the Luofu, and I've already met a strong fighter! Come on, let me buy you a drink!"
Feixiao acted as if they'd known each other for years. They'd barely exchanged a few words, and she already wanted to drag Sylvia off for drinks.
"..."
Sylvia was getting a clear sense of her character. Still, she shook her head.
"I've promised to help a kid with her sword skills today. Besides, you just got to the Luofu. Shouldn't you stop by the Seat of Divine Foresight first?"
"Oh, that's fine. My people can handle it. And as it happens, I know a thing or two about weapons myself."
Just then, the jade abacus Feixiao carried began to ring. She didn't seem bothered in the least. After sending a brief, halfhearted reply, she put it out of her mind.
"There. All sorted!"
"..."
What kind of general just did whatever she pleased?
Sylvia couldn't quite believe someone with a string of great victories behind her would act like this. Maybe Feixiao only let this side of herself show off duty. Or perhaps she'd gone out of her way to approach Sylvia for a reason.
"...All right, then. Anywhere you'd like to eat?"
Oh, well. Jing Yuan had asked her to serve as his witness anyway.
Though, now that she thought about it, Aha's meddling had left the Ambrosial Arbor trapped inside her Herrscher Core. She couldn't take it out anymore, at least not for the time being.
To remove it, she'd first have to cut her link to the Fool's Mask. But the mask was still keeping the force of Zephyro's final blast sealed within the core.
She could draw on some of the Ambrosial Arbor's power, though. The question was whether Feixiao would accept that as proof.
Feixiao broke into a broad grin.
"No idea. Why don't you pick somewhere, Sylvia?"
That answer came as no surprise.
"Aurum Alley, then. Come on."
Sylvia turned to lead the way and took out her phone to message Yunli and Bailu. Before long, Yunli came bounding aboard the starskiff that would take them to Aurum Alley.
"Good morning!"
"Morning. Have you eaten?"
As she spoke, Sylvia turned her hand over and produced a Berrypheasant Skewer. She held it out, and Yunli's eyes lit up.
"Wow!"
She'd already had breakfast, but a snack wasn't the same thing as a meal. Surely there was room for both.
"Thank you, Big Sis Sylvia!"
"Oh, so now you remember to call me Big Sis?"
Sylvia reached out and pinched Yunli's round cheek. Give her something tasty, and it was all "Big Sis." When they'd met yesterday and there'd been no treats on offer, she'd just used Sylvia's name.
Honestly, this kid.
"Mmph..."
Yunli knew she didn't have a leg to stand on. She didn't resist as Sylvia tugged at her cheek, only blinked up at her with a pitiful look. Then, with her cheek still caught, she stuffed the skewer into her mouth.
Sylvia couldn't help finding it funny. Did she really love sweets that much?
Feixiao watched them with interest.
"So this is the kid you mentioned?"
"Who's a kid?"
Yunli's cheeks bulged with her mouthful, but that didn't stop her from talking back. She clearly hadn't recognized Feixiao.
Sylvia chuckled and ruffled her hair.
"At your age, what else would you be? This lady's going to help teach you swordplay later, too. She's very strong."
At that last part, Yunli stopped pouting. She looked back and forth between Sylvia and Feixiao in shock.
"Huh? Really?"
Sylvia's praise had floored her. Yunli might not know Feixiao, but she knew Sylvia. Just who was this white-haired Foxian?
"Of course. We'll head to Aurum Alley first. She's treating us. Then we'll find a place for your lesson."
"Yay!"
Yunli raised her skewer high and cheered.
--+--
By the time Sylvia had taken Yunli and Feixiao to train near the Alchemy Commission's coast, Tingyun had finished her work at the Realm-Keeping Commission and returned to the Sky-Faring Commission.
The moment she reached her desk, she spotted the paper bag. A lovely scent drifted from inside.
She glanced around. Her coworkers all pretended they hadn't been peeking, only to turn right back the moment she looked away. An Emanator had come in person to leave that gift. Who wouldn't be curious?
To their disappointment, Tingyun only opened the bag far enough to take a quick look inside. Her cheeks flushed at the sight of the familiar bottle of essential oil. It reminded her of their first meeting, and how Sylvia had left her flustered.
Of all the things she could've given her, why this?
Tingyun kept smiling through her blush as she grumbled to herself. It felt as if Sylvia was trying to hint at something.
She picked up the bag to put it in the drawer beside her. That revealed the note tucked beneath it.
The note held a simple greeting, a list of what the oil and fragrance could do, and a reminder to get enough rest and take care of her tail. Since Sylvia had left it in an office, she hadn't written anything out of place.
Yet Tingyun found herself smiling. She read the plain little note over and over, as if some secret lay hidden between the lines.
When she caught herself, she glanced around. Once she'd made sure none of her coworkers had seen her acting so silly, she let out a breath of relief. Then she smoothed the note with care and tucked it into a notebook.
She'd go and see Sylvia later.
Tingyun had thought Sylvia would take longer to get in touch, as she usually did. Then she recalled the knowing smile Madam Yukong had given her when she'd returned.
There'd also been a new bottle of room fragrance on Yukong's desk. Its design matched the other bottle in the paper bag.
Most likely, Madam Yukong had a hand in this.
Tingyun sighed to herself as she thought it over. She just hoped she'd be able to keep her composure when she saw Sylvia.
As a merchant, she'd never liked pouring her troubles onto other people, especially when those troubles had to do with Sylvia.
Telling her would only give her more to worry about. Tingyun would rather work through them on her own.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL