"?"
Zeig shouldered the camera, freed one hand to point at himself, and asked doubtfully:
"You're calling me?"
"Mm."
Welt said impatiently:
"Isn't it just registration? Make up any name you want. Don't waste time on the road!"
"I never change my name when traveling, nor my surname when sitting!"
Zeig shouted loudly:
"I am the special envoy appointed by the Buddha, the Jade Emperor, and Guanyin Bodhisattva to fetch the scriptures from the West—the Handsome-as-Hell Monkey King, Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong from the Water Curtain Cave in the Flower Fruit Mountain—!!"
"…"
"Just call him Zeig." March 7th said speechlessly.
"Oh oh~ Benefactor Zeig, is it? You really have personality. This little girl will note it down and fill out the forms for the three of you later."
Along the way, March 7th spoke to Tingyun again:
"You know, your words sound quite pleasant, but you always act with that native arrogance. We saved you, yet you keep provoking Uncle Yang. If I hadn't held him back, you might have really lost your life!"
"Benefactor misunderstands." Tingyun covered her smile with her fan:
"This little girl has no choice in the matter. If positions were reversed, you would also be wary of strangers, right?"
"That may be so… but getting misunderstood everywhere we go is really infuriating."
"Too noisy…! As expected, besides being stinky, women only know how to chatter endlessly!"
"Don't mind him. Uncle Yang will return to normal after a while."
"…I see."
The group was repeatedly blocked by containers. Without needing to say more, no matter how unwilling Tingyun was, she still obediently went to solve the problem.
During these times, the three would rest on the spot.
Only after Tingyun opened the path and returned would they continue onward.
Though it was a bit tedious, the four's progress was still quite fast.
"Earlier, you mentioned the Stellaron? Right?" Tingyun suddenly asked.
After confirming that as long as March 7th held him back, Welt would only curse no matter how displeased he was and wouldn't actually make a move, Tingyun finally breathed a sigh of relief and spoke more.
But she would still get retorted by Yang Transcendent.
"Hmph, you are from the Sky-Faring Commission and should know the threat of the Stellaron! Right now, immediately, at once! Take us to the Stellaron's location!"
"…Benefactor, I already explained this matter earlier. The current situation on the Xianzhou is complicated and intricate. We absolutely cannot act rashly. We must first return to the Sky-Faring Commission and discuss it properly."
At this point, Tingyun sighed and said regretfully:
"Previously, as an ambassador, I visited many planets and witnessed quite a few tragic scenes of Stellaron corrosion."
March 7th suggested:
"Right? Later you need to properly persuade your Lady Yukong to cooperate well with us. That way we can resolve the crisis faster."
"Haha, okay."
After Welt punched away another pouncing monster, Tingyun finally spoke:
"Benefactors, the skiff I mentioned is just ahead. On the Xianzhou, we generally call them starskiffs."
"Does this thing need someone to pilot it?" Zeig shouldered the camera and stepped forward, examining the starskiff docked ahead with suspicion:
"I don't know how to pilot this kind of thing. Don't count on the Entanglement from over there either. If we need to bore a hole with a spaceship, we can still look for her."
"What do you mean!" March 7th said with feigned anger.
"As for Yang Transcendent over there who looks like he wants to strangle you… I advise you not to talk to him~"
"Benefactors need not worry. As an ambassador, piloting starskiffs is a basic skill in our line of work."
"Please take your seats on board. We will depart shortly."
Welt snorted coldly and boarded first.
Zeig shouldered the camera and followed closely.
Once seated on the ship, Zeig's first action was to point the camera lens at Welt, extend the microphone, and conduct an interview:
"Respected Mr. Welt Yang, as the former leader, may I ask what gains you have made on this journey?"
"Gains?" Welt glanced at Zeig impatiently:
"Hmph, I can't even kill the monsters directly every time. What gains are there to talk about? None of those Cloud Knights you saved followed us. They're all busy collecting the monsters' corpses!"
March 7th, who boarded afterward, complained:
"Hehe, Uncle Yang, look, do we even need Cloud Knight soldiers on our side? You're so strong—one punch, one small karami."
"Is this a matter of combat strength?"
Welt said coldly:
"It's a matter of attitude! As guests arriving on the Xianzhou, no one welcomed us and we even faced all kinds of vigilance!"
The most time-consuming things along the way weren't clearing out mara-struck soldiers, but the conflicts with Tingyun and the rescued Cloud Knights.
Some were dissatisfied because Zeig took their money privately.
Some were worried about Tingyun's situation because of Welt's overly arrogant attitude.
Others criticized because March 7th littered tissues, saying it wasn't environmentally friendly or hygienic.
These trivial matters annoyed Welt far more than the mara-struck soldiers. If March 7th hadn't held him back, another large batch of Cloud Knights would have been forced to kneel.
"Benefactors, please sit tight. This little girl is going to sail the ship."
…
Under Tingyun's control, the entire starskiff slowly began to tremble.
Then it shot forward like a bolt.
A long while later.
The starskiff landed steadily.
The three followed Tingyun and disembarked together.
Tingyun walked ahead, turned around, and smiled at the three:
"All right. Please allow this little girl to welcome the honored benefactors to the Central Starskiff Haven on behalf of the Sky-Faring Commission!"
Welt didn't care about this. After pushing up his glasses, he said displeased:
"I'll wait here. Quickly have that Yukong come see me."
"Uh… This benefactor, what this little girl means is… we should go see Lady Yukong, rather than have Lady Yukong come see us personally."
"Lady Yukong is very busy. On the Xianzhou Luofu, all matters concerning airspace, navigation, and trade are handled by the Sky-Faring Commission, one of the six commissions. As the largest port, the Central Starskiff Haven falls under its jurisdiction."
"What? We traveled thousands of miles to get here, yet she won't even move a step?!" Welt said angrily.
"Ehh ehh ehh!" March 7th quickly ran in front of Welt to block him, then said to Tingyun:
"Don't provoke Uncle Yang. Just go notify Lady Yukong and have her come. Uncle Yang has been fighting the whole way without anything to eat. Even if you don't treat us, we still need to find a place to rest and eat something!"
"This…"
Tingyun showed a troubled expression, but when she met Welt's terrifying gaze again, she quickly changed her words:
"All right… Please benefactors take a short stroll here, eat some food and replenish water. Put it on the Sky-Faring Commission's account. This little girl will now head to the Palace of Astrum to report."
After speaking, Tingyun left dejectedly.
Immediately after, the three found a restaurant, sat down, and ordered food.
About… an hour later.
A large group of Cloud Knights surrounded the place.
"…"
"The people from the Astral Express are here, right? How audacious. Lady Yukong has ten thousand affairs to attend to every day. How could she personally leave the Palace of Astrum to receive you? Hurry and follow us back to the Palace of Astrum to await judgment!"