"Can you not be such a jinx?!"
While March 7th was scolding Zeig, Tingyun continued:
"N-No… I'm not here to issue a mission."
"See? She still has a conscience, right?" March 7th laughed.
Zeig remained silent.
"Benefactors, if you have time, please remember to stop by the Geoharmony Division. That's all this humble one has to say."
"Huh?"
Seeing Tingyun hurriedly run off again, March 7th asked in confusion:
"Geoharmony Division? What kind of place is that, and why are we supposed to go there?"
"I don't want to go. It doesn't look like anything important." Zeig squatted on the ground. March 7th only heard the "TiMi" sound from his phone.
"…"
"Why did you start playing games? What if she really has something important?"
"…"
Seeing that Zeig was ignoring her, March 7th took out her phone and asked Tingyun for the location of the Geoharmony Division.
A moment later, March 7th spoke:
"Ah, Tingyun said the Geoharmony Division ran into some minor trouble and it would be best if fresh faces went to help."
"Then let Uncle Yang go." Zeig was still sitting on the ground, playing his game.
"Uncle Yang?"
March 7th glanced at Welt, who was being nagged by Luocha in the distance, and said nervously:
"Let's forget it. Uncle Yang's reputation is much bigger than ours now. He's the famous Yang Transcendent."
"We don't have time either."
Zeig tilted his head and glanced at the tall Ambrosial Arbor in the sea of clouds:
"That thing suddenly grew. It's probably nothing good. Jing Yuan will probably give us work later, right?"
"Hey, sending one person won't hurt!"
"Then you go."
"Huh? Why me?!"
"Because you're the Earth Tiger Hero. Staying here won't do shit."
"Damn…! How can you say such cold words to a beautiful girl like me? You weren't like this toward Kafka!"
"…How can a filial son speak ill of his mother?"
"You really were brainwashed, weren't you?!"
…
Given that Tingyun had piloted the starskiff for so long along the way—with no merit, at least she had worked hard.
For her sake, March 7th still went alone to the front of the Geoharmony Division.
"If it's too troublesome, then I won't take it. At least I came. Tingyun can't say we're heartless!"
Thinking this, she pushed open the doors of the Geoharmony Division.
"…"
The scene inside was somewhat different from what March 7th had imagined.
It wasn't as grand as the Seat of Divine Foresight or the Sky-Faring Commission, nor as large as the Divination Commission.
It looked like a simple, ancient office space.
On each wooden desk were piles of scrolls and books that resembled Xianzhou-style folders.
Closest to March 7th sat a bearded man.
He looked up at March 7th and asked:
"Young lady, what brings you to the Geoharmony Division?"
"Uh, Tingyun sent me."
March 7th smiled awkwardly:
"I heard you needed help with something, so I came to take a look."
The bearded man thought for two seconds, then stood up in surprise, overjoyed:
"So you're the General's honored guests! I didn't expect you to actually take our request to heart and come so quickly. We're truly grateful!"
"I've already heard about everything the Express crew has done on the Xianzhou. You are truly people of great righteousness!"
"Uh." March 7th said quietly:
"You mean the things Uncle Yang did?"
"Ah!" The bearded man waved his hand.
"Some minor conflicts were inevitable when you honored guests first arrived on the Xianzhou! Don't mention it anymore, young lady. Now we're all on the same side. We should get along well!"
Seeing how enthusiastic the people at the Geoharmony Division were, March 7th also felt inclined to help and said:
"So, what exactly happened?"
"Let's sit down and talk. Come, have a seat, young lady!"
"Uh… this is a bit too polite."
The bearded man quickly stood up and offered his chair to March 7th.
After March 7th half-heartedly sat down, the bearded man pulled over another chair and sat beside her, explaining:
"Young lady, what's your name?"
"I'm March 7th."
"Good, haha—good name!"
"So, Miss March, during your time on the Xianzhou, you must have seen many Mara-struck, right!"
"Ever since the Stellaron disaster arrived, the spread of Mara-struck madness has become even faster."
The bearded man sighed:
"Mara-struck has always been a fate the Xianzhou people have avoided. Under the watch of the Ten-Lords Commission, it shouldn't have appeared so frequently."
"But now more and more people—especially Cloud Knights who have to endure pressure and risk—are falling into Mara-struck. Moreover, their appearances have become extremely terrifying, like monsters. This is different from my past understanding of Mara-struck…"
"What?"
As she listened, March 7th couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"Weren't Mara-struck originally covered in withered leaves?"
"Well… yes. But their appearance was never this extreme before."
The bearded man looked at March 7th as if he had seen hope:
"So I suspect there must be a conspiracy behind this!"
"As the saying goes… the wind begins at the tips of the green duckweed. Although I'm just a minor official at the Geoharmony Division, working on the front lines for a long time has always allowed me to catch the scent of danger first."
"Wow, your nose is as sharp as Zeig's!" March 7th exclaimed.
The bearded man's smile froze:
"It's just a metaphor."
"Miss March, do you understand the severity of the problem?"
"?"
March 7th scratched her head and asked in confusion:
"Is it that serious? In that case, Jing Yuan should have taken action, right?"
"You're right—haha!"
"?"
Under March 7th's bewildered gaze, a woman also dragged over a chair and sat beside her.
The bearded man introduced her to March 7th:
"This is Lady Qingxuan, sent by the Seat of Divine Foresight. She is General Jing Yuan's Chief Strategist."
"As for the rest, let her explain."
Immediately, the woman spoke:
"It's an honor to meet you, Miss March. Just now, Dahao has already roughly told you what happened. I'll explain the specific details."
Her expression was grave:
"A few days ago, we obtained a letter from a Mara-struck individual. To outsiders, this letter was merely a joyful family message about someone recovering from a long illness. But the content written inside actually violates the prohibition and can be called treasonous."
"The drug trial mentioned in the letter is actually the main culprit behind the worsening of Mara-struck among the Xianzhou people!"
"This kind of behavior makes me think of an organization that has been extinct on the Xianzhou for a thousand years… the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
But before Qingxuan could continue, March 7th stood up directly, flipped over, and landed at the door.
"Haha… sounds way too troublesome. I knew I shouldn't have come. Just pretend I was never here. Bye!"
"?"
With a bang.
When March 7th left, she considerately closed the door behind her.