Hearing Qingque's sudden, whimsical burst of inspiration, the 'Qingque' standing before her wore a complicated expression as she stared back.
"Given the current state of our company, do you really think there's any need for the boss to personally head out and expand our borders?"
"..."
Qingque was speechless.
When the Interastral Peace Corporation is already rushing to hand over money—literally giving away the hardest-earned credits in the universe for free—there really is no point in seeking further expansion.
And so, with the dull, lifeless eyes of a dried fish, Qingque slumped back into her chair. At the mere thought of what lay ahead, the light seemed to vanish from her eyes.
To think, she was the great Qingque! Since the day she'd gained wit, she had lived by the 'Way of the Golden Mean,' making it her life's creed throughout her early years.
Being too excellent draws unwanted attention and the weight of unnecessary expectations. That's exhausting.
Being too pathetic leads to being loathed and buried under infamy. That's tragic.
So, staying right in the middle, stepping perfectly on the passing line—not too good, not too bad, but always managing to scrape by—that was the ecological niche meant for her.
Yet here she was. A latent potential she'd never shown—one she herself found unbelievable—had been discovered by Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan.
On top of that, she'd been handpicked by a deity who entrusted her with power and a company guaranteed to never lose a credit.
On the surface, her life was soaring. But without a doubt, this ran completely counter to the 'ordinariness' she craved.
"Sigh... I've spent my life walking on thin ice. Boss, do you think I'll ever make it to the other shore?"
Though 'Qingque' didn't know every detail of her life, she knew exactly what kind of person she was. After considering what she knew about the various Generals, she spoke up:
"Qingque, tell me... is it possible that your 'steady' mindset is precisely the deciding factor in why they chose you?"
"...?"
A mental question mark popped up over Qingque's head. She struggled to lift her gaze toward the deity sitting across from her, her lip twitching.
"If the selection criteria for the Generals were based on my kind of character, then I'm afraid the Xianzhou Alliance is truly doomed."
"Little Qingque, I won't allow you to insult yourself like that."
"Sigh..."
Qingque didn't have the energy to argue. She just let out another long, heavy sigh. She didn't even have the heart to go find other employees for a few rounds of Celestial Jade.
"Look on the bright side. Even though you're exposed, you're holding the reins of a cross-galactic mega-corp. If you ever want to stay far away from the typical workplace in the future, you'll have a perfectly legitimate reason."
"...This company of yours won't stay 'reasonable' for long if it keeps growing like this."
Even if Qingque didn't understand business, she at least understood how bright the brand of an Aeon shone.
More importantly, her big patron—the one backing little old Qingque—was clearly not a deity who liked to sit still.
It had only been a few days, and already several games had appeared within the once-empty Originium, and every single one was quite interesting.
Heaven only knows how much more stuff this person is going to cram into it next.
Aside from everything else, the mere fact that a producer can make a wish to turn their hard-earned work into reality after completing achievements... that alone would drive producers across the entire universe mad.
As long as 'Qingque' willed it, Originium would be stuffed to the brim with high-quality creations.
"What do you mean 'mine'? This is clearly Boss Qingque's big company."
Hearing those words, Qingque's expression suddenly shifted.
She asked seriously, "Boss, will you come back after you leave?"
"Well, do you want me to come back, or do you not want me to come back?"
"Don't joke around at a time like this."
Qingque looked weakly at the smiling 'Qingque.' She had finally managed to be serious for once, only for the person opposite her to keep teasing.
Seeing this, 'Qingque' chuckled. She moved around the desk, walked up to the girl, and unceremoniously reached out to rub the top of little Qingque's head.
"If you're going to miss me, just say so. Since when did little Qingque become such a dishonest little tsundere?"
Without giving her a chance to retort, she reached out and scratched Qingque under the chin.
"Celestial Sparrow Entertainment is fairly important to me. I'll definitely be back often to inspect your work. If you don't do a good job, I'll reveal your true talents to Jing Yuan and recommend you to the Yuque."
"Anything but that!"
Qingque, who had instinctively squinted her eyes while having her chin scratched, was suddenly miserable again.
If she actually ended up at the Yuque, it would be the end of the world.
After teasing little Qingque for a while and satisfying herself, she let the girl go off to play cards. As for 'Qingque,' she strolled over to the Alchemy Commission.
She only went there to say hello to Hyacine; she didn't go to see Dan Shu.
After all, she wasn't that close to Dan Shu, and after everything that had happened, being around each other would probably be a bit draining.
Hyacine was the same as ever, like a sponge soaking up biological knowledge from the Xianzhou.
At the same time, using her identity as a Digimon, she was experimenting with all sorts of novel yet effective medical treatments. With that level of drive, she probably wouldn't be heading back to Amphoreus for a long time.
As for Hyacine's teacher, Dan Shu—ever since her sight was restored, everything was fine, except her relationship with her best friend had become increasingly close.
They were practically inseparable. It was only because they both held high positions in the Alchemy Commission that things weren't even more... intense.
After getting a brief update on the situation, 'Qingque' strolled over to the neighboring Artisanship Commission.
She didn't have any acquaintances here, but she still took the time to find the Luofu's new High Elder.
The last time she'd been to the Luofu, she'd only met him once during the incident with the Ambrosial Arbor's roots; they hadn't had much interaction otherwise.
However, considering he was quite familiar with Dan Heng, and since Dan Heng was actively distancing himself from these friends of his past life, she figured since she was here, she might as well bring him some news.
It was a strange world. The original Yingxing, after being resurrected, should have been unable to seek death, joining the Stellaron Hunters and chasing Dan Heng across the universe.
Now, they were worlds apart, living their own lives without interfering with one another.
One could only wonder if Dan Heng's state of mind was much better now without being hunted across the stars.
Unfortunately, Dan Heng was a man of few words; they weren't close, so there was no way to compare.
When 'Qingque' found him, Yingyue seemed to sense something and looked straight over.
The moment he laid eyes on her, Yingyue felt as though he was hallucinating.
She looked like nothing more than a short young girl, yet for some reason, for a fleeting moment, he felt as if he were facing the Permanence itself—the Ancestor Dragon.
The feeling vanished as quickly as it came. Yingyue simply assumed he was mentally exhausted from his recent sleepless research into smithing.
He decided then and there to give himself a day off to rest. Otherwise, a lapse in concentration while working would lead to a disastrous loss.
"You are... Madam Bai Ming, I presume."
Yingyue thought for a moment before making his guess.
He had seen the real Qingque—the one who came to the Artisanship Commission to order a massive amount of Celestial Jade tiles and tables. Though they looked identical, their temperaments were worlds apart.
Combining that with recent rumors, Yingyue suspected he was standing before the Arbiter of Myriad Distinctions herself. He just didn't know why she was looking for him.
"It's me. I didn't expect you to recognize me so quickly."
'Qingque' smiled as she walked up to Yingyue. This guy looked quite similar to 'Blade'—even their clothing styles were the same.
Aside from the addition of dragon horns and a tail, there wasn't much difference.
"Does Madam Bai Ming require something to be crafted?"
"Not really. I was on my way to the Alchemy Commission and remembered I hadn't met you yet, so I stopped by to take a look." 'Qingque' waved her hand with a smile, stating her purpose.
"And, I thought I'd bring you some news. Dan Heng has ended his hundreds of years of wandering. Not long ago, he boarded the Astral Express. He has a place to call home now."
"..."
Yingyue fell silent.
Jing Yuan hadn't told him any news regarding Dan Heng, and given his own unique status, it wasn't convenient for him to leave the Luofu as he pleased.
Thus, he had always assumed Dan Heng was still wandering somewhere, lost.
But, the Astral Express... That small faction had only recently been revived, and who knew how many eyes were currently fixed on it.
If conditions allowed, he truly wanted to help Dan Heng out.
Yingyue could guess why Jing Yuan hadn't told him. It was because he was already pondering over forging a better spear for Dan Heng and finding a way to send it to the Express.
An act like that could be seen as minor or major; at its most serious, it could be called the Luofu's High Elder secretly contacting a major Xianzhou criminal. It was only natural for Jing Yuan, as General, to have reservations.
But while he understood, Yingyue had no intention of giving up.
"Thank you for the news, Madam Bai Ming. I am deeply grateful."
"It looks like you have something in mind?"
Yingyue nodded, then seemed to weigh his words for a moment before saying, "I want to forge a better spear for Dan Heng... no, for the others as well. The weapons from hundreds of years ago can no longer keep up with the times. I plan to replace them all with something better."
Originally, Yingyue only wanted to make a new weapon for Dan Heng. But then he thought, since he was already set on it, he might as well make new ones for everyone.
Jing Yuan's long blade, Jingliu's sword, and Baiheng... he wasn't sure what weapon Baiheng used now; he'd have to ask around.
At the thought, the urge to work reignited within him, and his plan to rest was forgotten.
'Qingque' wasn't a person of the Xianzhou, so she had no such reservations. "And can you even get in touch with the other three?"
"I'm not sure. Perhaps Jing Yuan has a way."
As she spoke, she curiously performed a quick divination on how this would turn out.
Surprisingly, the hex indicated it would actually succeed, and it seemed Jing Yuan would play a major role in making it happen.
This caused 'Qingque,' who had intended to help, to drop the idea. Since the divination put it that way, she'd leave the headache to Jing Yuan.
Seeing Yingyue's eager-to-work expression, 'Qingque' didn't disturb him further. After a few more words, she took her leave.
While strolling along the path, she sent a quick message to Baiheng and Jingliu.
Their reactions were quite consistent: both first worried about Yingyue's situation on the Luofu, then expressed that if such weapons were truly made, they'd be happy to accept them.
As for Dan Heng's side... she had no interest in getting involved in the entanglements between those two complicated men.
Compared to that, she was more interested in seeing who she'd pull in her next gacha roll.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL