Standing in front of the General's Mansion, Levi straightened his clothes.
After telling the guards by the gate why he had come, he didn't run into the kind of trouble you usually see in dramas.
Once the guards learned his matter concerned the The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, they immediately led him inside.
"This involves the The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, so whatever you do, don't lie," one of the guards warned seriously.
They stopped in front of a door. The guard knocked and explained Levi's purpose.
Moments later, Jing Yuan's voice came from within.
"Come in."
The guard turned to Levi and signaled for him to enter.
Levi did as told, pushing the door open and walking inside.
Not far ahead, a man sat before a chessboard, a white stone in his hand, deep in thought.
Levi knew right away that this was the man who had spoken, Jing Yuan, the General of the Xianzhou Luofu.
Jing Yuan placed the white piece on the board with a satisfied nod, then stood and looked toward Levi.
"I know you," he said with a slight smile. "You're that guy who's always playing cards with that diviner from the Divination Commission, what's her name again? Qingque?"
As he spoke, Jing Yuan chuckled to himself.
"You wouldn't know this, but her supervisor, the Divination Commission's chief diviner, has come to me many times to complain."
"She said you two were corrupting the Luofu's public morals and asked me to ban people from playing Jade in public areas. Of course, I refused."
"I also heard something else." Jing Yuan's gaze flicked to Levi's smooth arm. "They say you were gravely ill, went to the Alchemy Commission for medicine, and that only the Vidyadhara 'Medicine Dragon Girl' was willing to help you."
"She spent her own funds, concocted new medicine for months, yet your condition never improved, and they said you wouldn't live much longer."
"Looking at you now, though, I'd say that was nothing but a rumor."
Staring at Levi, Jing Yuan could sense vigorous energy flowing through him, yet there were no signs of martial training.
He was, without question, an excellent candidate for the Cloud Knights.
If Jing Yuan could figure out how this man had fully recovered within just half a day, and if it wasn't connected to the The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus or remnants of the Abundance, then he planned to extend an invitation to Levi to join the Cloud Knights.
"Thank you for your concern, General. I have only Bailu's care to thank for my recovery."
Levi didn't want to get dragged into explaining how his Honkai disease had been cured.
He was just here to report intel on the Sanctus Medicus. Once that was done, he wanted to go home and eat, he didn't have time to chat with Jing Yuan.
He pulled the letter from his pocket and handed it over.
"About an hour ago, someone slipped this through my door and left in a hurry."
Jing Yuan sniffed the air. A faint medicinal scent reached his nose.
That alone was enough to confirm the letter's author, it really did come from the The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
He looked at the contents.
"Midnight, Aurum Alley…"
Rubbing the edge of the paper between his fingers, Jing Yuan asked, "Besides you, does anyone else know about this?"
"There were plenty of people on the way here," Levi replied. "It's hard to say if someone from the Sanctus Medicus hiding in the crowd saw me come."
Meaning, the whole group might already know.
Levi shrugged. "I've told you everything I know. Can you make sure those people stop bothering me?"
"I came here specifically to cut them off for good. I've just recovered, I still have decades left to live, and I want to enjoy it in peace. I don't want those lunatics disturbing me."
"If everyone thought like you, the Luofu would be much more peaceful," Jing Yuan sighed, seeing the sincerity in Levi's face.
"Unfortunately, there will always be those who crave 'eternal life.' They only see the time it offers, not the sin that lies behind it."
Those who fall into the shadow of corruption lose all reason, all humanity.
That was something the Xianzhou people had learned through blood and tears.
That was why the Divination Commission's Arbiter-General had been born, to hunt down the Abundance's disciples.
That was why the Xianzhou roamed the galaxy, following the Arbiter's path to root out every remnant of the Abundance.
Only those who had witnessed and endured it understood the cruelty hidden beneath the illusion of immortality.
After a moment of silence, Jing Yuan said, "Rest easy. I'll have the Cloud Knights increase patrols around your home to ensure your safety."
Levi didn't bother to ask how the General knew where he lived, he didn't really care.
He simply nodded, then turned and left the General's Mansion.
As he watched Levi's back fade into the distance, Jing Yuan smiled.
"What an extraordinary man."
He had never met someone so calm and open-minded.
He could now confirm that Levi had no connection to the The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
Even if there had been some contact, it wasn't deep.
He also understood why the Sanctus Medicus had delivered the letter after Levi's recovery.
"This kid's illness was cured overnight!"
Yesterday, no, even this morning, Levi's arm had still been covered in purple veins. By noon, they were gone.
Even Jing Yuan himself had only just learned that Levi was fully cured, how could the Sanctus Medicus, constantly hunted by the Luofu, possibly know?
"Hmph… So his disease healed completely in just a few hours…"
Jing Yuan still found it hard to believe.
Not because of how fast Levi recovered, but because of how drastically his constitution had changed afterward.
Assume that how Levi looked now was how he'd looked before his illness.
Then ask, how long would it take a bedridden man, sick for years, to return to his old state after recovery?
Jing Yuan shook his head. "No matter how he did it, as long as it's not connected to the Abundance's remnants, it's fine."
He looked again at the letter. "Midnight, Aurum Alley… I'll be there."
———
Leaving the General's Mansion, Levi walked straight home.
Passing by the restaurant where he used to work, he bought some food with his credits and gave it to the owner.
After all, that restaurant had been the only one on the entire Luofu willing to hire him, he owed them at least that much gratitude.
At the same time, he noticed several million credits had suddenly appeared in his company account.
Checking the transfer history, he saw it came from within the company.
They must have mistaken his account for someone else's, likely an important member's.
Thinking for a moment, Levi sent a message to Silver Wolf.
[Silver Wolf, help me move my company account into that hidden database you set up in the company system.]
[Okay (ᗜ ‸ ᗜ)]
"?" Levi stared at the overly cheerful tone and the strange emoji that followed, confusion all over his face.
[You're not Silver Wolf. Who are you?!]
Had someone hacked into the Stellaron Hunters?
Would this drag him down too?
Soon, Silver Wolf replied.
[I'm 'Worker-Bot.' My boss is busy right now, so I'll be assisting you instead (ᗜ ‸ ᗜ)]
Levi raised an eyebrow.
'Worker-Bot?'
Yeah, that name rang a bell, it was an AI.
Seeing that Silver Wolf hadn't been caught by the company, Levi continued.
[Can you handle it without her?]
Worker-Bot didn't respond for a while. Then came the reply, [All done. Goodbye (ᗜ ‸ ᗜ)]
That emoji, Levi couldn't help but laugh every time he saw it.
He couldn't hold it in.
"Levi? Hey! Levi! It is you!"
Not far away, Qingque, who had been playing cards, caught sight of his back and could hardly believe it.
When Levi turned at the sound of his name, she realized it really was him.
Qingque waved her Deiheng Jade cards excitedly. "Don't just stand there! We've got a few friends here, come on, let's start another round!"
——
At that same moment...
In the chat group, Elysia began emitting darkness, distortion, and crawling.
[Elysia: Help me! Why! Why is this happening!!!]