"Are you saying that after he stuffed you in a burlap sack and did some unspeakable, secret things with you, he just let you go? And he didn't even demand you keep his current location a secret?" Jing Yuan found Fu Xuan's account strange.
He had basically guessed Chen Li's origins, but he couldn't figure out the purpose of his… return to the Xianzhou.
"That's right." Although Fu Xuan felt Jing Yuan's words were a bit ambiguous, she couldn't pinpoint where the problem was.
"Where is he living now?"
"In the home of a Foxian named Tingyun."
"Oh? This Tingyun… does she have any connection to him? Can you tell?" Jing Yuan immediately pressed for more information upon getting the clue.
"There shouldn't be a connection. I could tell he didn't even know whose house he was in at first," Fu Xuan said.
Originally, she had wanted to reveal a flaw in her story to give Jing Yuan a hint, but whenever she tried, a compelling force would make her continue speaking without any change in expression or sign of deception.
She couldn't even make an unnatural pause.
"Is that so… Then I'll have to trouble you, Lady Fu, to gather some information on this Miss Tingyun… go directly to the Sky-Faring Commission. I'll find an excuse to inform Yukong. Afterward, input Miss Tingyun's information into the Matrix of Prescience. If we can obtain more information about this ruffian, we might be able to deduce something," Jing Yuan said.
Ask the myriad spirits through the abacus, exhaust all matters through the matrix.
The Matrix of Prescience was a vital instrument of the Divination Commission, used to calculate star routes and divine the future.
Whether it was the evolution of celestial principles or the metabolism of mortal generations, as long as there was sufficient information, it could answer any question. Its talismans and principles were a gift from Nous, the Aeon of Erudition.
"…Alright." Fu Xuan's expression remained unchanged, but she was inwardly struggling to keep her composure.
Because of the Compulsory Transaction Gold Coin, she had already gathered information on Tingyun before coming to see Jing Yuan; she had to ensure the deal was completed smoothly.
But no matter how much information the Divination Commission collected, it couldn't compare to what the Sky-Faring Commission had. Now, Jing Yuan asking her to investigate this matter was tantamount to leaking Tingyun's information even more thoroughly.
Could this also be within his calculations? That 'Dad' is terrifying!
"Then, should we dispatch the Cloud Knights to monitor Tingyun's house?" Fu Xuan asked.
"No need. With his skills, escaping surveillance should be simple. Besides, his movements are unpredictable. If we alert him, it might backfire. When I have time, I'll pay a visit myself."
"You'll go personally? Then you must be careful of his burlap sack." After giving this warning, Fu Xuan departed.
Watching her leave, Jing Yuan looked in the direction she had indicated Chen Li was in.
"A storm is brewing."
---o---
"I see. Tingyun is currently on another planet for business negotiations and will only return to the Xianzhou after they conclude in a few days. It seems there's still plenty of time…" After getting the information about Tingyun from Fu Xuan, Chen Li added the matter to his to-do list.
He would build up his strength for a few days before going to find trouble with Phantylia.
"Now, who should I forge a Curio for… Qingque is a no-go; she hasn't collected suitable materials yet. Most importantly, if she also had a Curio that could evade Fu Xuan's divination right now, it would inevitably drag her into this mess."
Besides, Chen Li was also considering adding that function directly to the Friend Circle.
The chat software he used to use had a feature to change one's online status: you could choose to be online, busy, or invisible.
If he added this function to the Friend Circle, anyone with a similar need could share the Curio.
He might be able to save himself from forging a whole bunch of similar Curios and make a huge profit in Crystals.
All Qingque needed was to prevent Fu Xuan from discovering her slacking off. Whether she chose "busy" or "invisible" was her own business.
"I could also forge a disguise Curio. When you're out and about, you give yourself your own identity. Having just one identity definitely won't do."
Chen Li didn't care about being wanted, but it would be annoying if it caused trouble when he tried to interact with people.
"The transformation ability of the Masked Fools is very interesting. Perhaps I can ask Sparkle about this."
"Secondly, I also need to forge a Curio for myself that can rapidly strengthen my physical attributes. The Allocation ability is useful, but it's no good if my base stats are too low."
As the items on his to-do list grew, Chen Li realized he had a lot to do.
There was even the Flame-Chaser Paradise-ification Project.
"Hm? Robin got the delivery? It's about time you felt the chill…" Receiving this message, Chen Li couldn't help but snark.
He had wanted to meet Robin mainly to use her as a channel to get to the Star Rail universe, but the problem was, he was already here.
But then again…
Chen Li: Miss Robin, I'm your fan.
"Eh?" Just after finishing the letter her brother had sent and skeptically accepting the communication channel with the so-called Curio Forger, Robin saw his message.
Chen Li: Just a joke to lighten the mood. Did your brother tell you the relevant details?
Robin: He did. My brother said in his letter that you would forge a microphone-type Curio for me that can be used for self-defense and can also carry my voice farther.
Chen Li: That's right.
Robin: And I need to prepare the Entries needed to forge the Curio in advance, correct?
Chen Li: Yes.
Robin: Then what should I prepare? And how will the forging fee be calculated?
Chen Li: It's best we discuss this in person. Since you need a microphone-type Curio, and you're a famous singer in your world, your personal belongings might have suitable Entries. As for the forging fee, you don't need to worry about it.
Robin: Has my brother already paid for me?
Chen Li: More or less.
After much deliberation, Sunday had chosen to use Curios and items containing the power of an Aeon's Path or other items of representative significance as the forging fee.
Robin: In person?
Chen Li: If you're worried I'll do something outrageous when I come to your world, you don't have to. Because I've already done it.
Robin: Eh?
Chen Li: I won't go into the details, but in short, I'm on the Xianzhou now.
While chatting with Robin, Chen Li uploaded some scenery photos he had taken on the Xianzhou before he was officially wanted.
Worried I'll run wild in your world? No need. I'm already running wild in your world.
Robin: No, I'm not worried about that. My brother spoke very highly of you in his letter. It's just that I've just finished a concert, so there might be quite a few people around.
Chen Li: Relax. No matter how many people are around you, can it be more than the number of people I sent to see the Aeon of Abundance?
Robin: The Aeon of Abundance?
Chen Li: Ah, due to a strange coincidence, I had a brief encounter with the Aeon of Abundance.
Robin: ???
Robin was sure her brother's letter hadn't mentioned that at all.
At the same time, she carefully examined the photos Chen Li had sent and compared them with images of Xianzhou architecture she found online. She confirmed that they were indeed some of the famous sights of the Xianzhou.
"It seems he really has come to this world. In that case, there shouldn't be a problem bringing him to the concert venue, right?" Having just finished a concert and resting backstage, Robin hesitated for a second before accepting Chen Li's request to meet.
Since her brother had such a high opinion of him, his credibility must be extremely high.
Besides, it's not like she, Robin, was completely defenseless!
---o---
"Wow, so this is backstage at a concert? It's my first time here." Chen Li's eyes widened as he took in the sights after being "guided" by Robin to the concert backstage.
"Hello, Mr. Chen Li." Robin waited until Chen Li had finished observing his surroundings before slowly extending her hand.
With verdant, lake-green eyes, long, flowing, light purple hair, and a metal halo floating above her head, Robin was dressed in a gorgeous gown that was dazzling in the eyes of any beholder.
"Hello, Miss Robin." Looking at the beautiful and elegant young woman before him, Chen Li lightly shook her hand and immediately let go.
He was very interested in Robin, but he was even more interested in the Entries on her.
"Mr. Chen Li, are you alright?" Noticing that Chen Li's gaze was fixed on the halo above her head, the wings behind Robin's ears fluttered slightly as she asked, a little embarrassed.
"Ah, my apologies. The halo above your head is too dazzling. You can just call me Chen Li; no need to be so formal," Chen Li said apologetically.
In his eyes, the "halo" above her head was exceptionally tempting.
There were several very distinct Entries on it, but since he hadn't touched it, he didn't know the specific details.
To understand the Entries on the halo, he would need to touch it.
"Then you can just call me Robin. Perhaps there are no Halovians in your world, so it's normal to be curious," Robin said, very understanding. She was used to it.
Let alone an outlander like Chen Li, even for the native residents of the Star Rail universe, the Halovian race was one of the rarest to encounter.
It was perfectly normal for the halo of a Halovian to be particularly eye-catching to others.
"In that case, Robin, let's discuss the matter of forging the Curio," Chen Li said, getting straight to the point.
"Alright. These are the items I usually use during my concerts. Could you see which ones can be used to extract Entries?" Having learned about the principle of Entry extraction from Sunday's letter, Robin had prepared these items before he arrived.
"Uh, Chen Li, what do you mean by constantly staring at my halo?" But when Robin turned her head after laying out all the items, she found him still staring at her halo. A bad premonition instantly bloomed in her heart.
Chen Li said nothing. He just gave her a thumbs-up!