The street outside Yichen Inn was brightly lit.
As if the chaos of the day had all been an illusion.
Which made sense.
Although news of the Stellaron crisis had briefly exploded across Luofu's major information networks earlier today—
Under the joint handling of the Six Commissions and the Cloud Knights of the Divine Foresight Pavilion,
everything had been forcefully suppressed.
Outside the major cavern realms, aside from stationed Cloud Knight garrisons, most internal patrols had already withdrawn.
However—
The Port Prohibition Order issued by the Sky-Faring Commission still hadn't been lifted.
No one was allowed to freely enter or leave the Xianzhou—inside or out.
Every major transit route remained tightly guarded.
That said—
Among the Six Commissions, the Artisanship Commission in Changletian was far busier than the others.
The Artisanship Commission was essentially the Xianzhou's law-enforcement authority.
Anything big or small fell under its jurisdiction.
Major incidents—like today's Stellaron outbreak—required them to coordinate with the Cloud Knights.
Minor matters—like retrieving lost courier birds—were also their responsibility.
This time, a star skiff delivered by the Nameless had been handed over to them for forensic investigation.
Don't be fooled by how small the Artisanship Commission appears in the game.
As one of the Six Commissions, its actual territory was extensive.
Even in Changletian alone, it possessed a dedicated administrative complex.
Though it often looked like it was "assisting" the other commissions—
Once you looked closely at its responsibilities,
you'd realize its authority was absurdly broad.
Public security.
Fire control.
Population records.
Calendrical systems.
On paper, it seemed subordinate.
In practice, it looked more like a supervisory authority.
Of course, some long-lived Xianzhou natives didn't see it that way.
"Has the jade-abacus recorder on that star skiff been handled?"
"This was personally instructed by the Chief—no information about that person must be leaked."
Every Xianzhou star skiff, large or small, carried a black-box jade abacus.
Each time a skiff passed through the Jade Gate,
it logged a complete manifest of all personnel aboard—
Including detailed records of everyone who boarded or disembarked.
The Xianzhou had survived for countless ages precisely because its rules were never broken.
Even the Sky-Faring Commission followed them.
Even if Tingyun was merely a minor guild representative,
her data would still be meticulously recorded.
"It's already been taken care of," another voice replied quietly.
"The skiff damage report has been submitted to Yukong."
"If nothing unexpected happens, this incident will be classified as an accident—
an encounter with a Borisin beast-ship."
"And Tingyun… will be listed as not present aboard that vessel."
"Yukong won't notice."
"Good."
"The Chief said—once the Merciful Medicus manifests again on the Luofu…"
"She'll personally preside over our brothers' funeral rites."
"Merciful Medicus, the Arbor shall bloom."
"Merciful Medicus, the Arbor shall bloom."
The moment the traitor finished destroying the last data record—
Pshk.
A blade pierced straight through his back.
No blood spilled.
Instead, it was entirely absorbed by the dagger.
"You—!"
"Rest now, brother. For the great cause of the Sanctus Medicus."
"Don't worry. No one will know you died."
"Not even the Chief."
The blade drank him dry.
From its surface, vine-like branches sprouted—
attempting to drain the wielder as well.
In the next instant,
the assassin burned them away with a strange flame.
"…The fire of the Ashen Calamity Progenitor."
"Merciful Medicus, the Arbor shall bloom…"
The corpse—completely desiccated—collapsed.
A vial was produced.
Powder sprinkled.
Moments later, the body crumbled into dust.
A passing breeze scattered it into nothingness.
The wind lifted the assassin's hood—
Revealing slightly pointed ears.
A Vidyadhara mole?
Interesting.
Back at the inn.
"Tingyun" extended her pale right hand, lightly lifting Evan's chin.
Evan had always been considered handsome back in the Underworld—
Otherwise, he wouldn't have made Seele blush.
With that single teasing gesture,
the air in the room instantly turned strange.
"You're…" Evan said calmly.
"You're not Tingyun, are you?"
"Should I call you Tingyun… or by your other name?"
"Annihilation Lord—Phantylia."
Her fingers stiffened.
For a brief moment, surprise flashed across her eyes.
Then she smiled, spreading her hands.
"Tsk. How boring."
"You Nameless really can't take a joke."
"For now, you may still call me Tingyun."
"As for Phantylia—that name's off-limits, alright~"
She pressed a finger lightly against Evan's lips.
"What do you want?"
Evan didn't move.
His gaze swept over her calmly.
Objectively speaking—
Tingyun's figure was exceptional even among Foxians.
And what man didn't like foxes?
It was just that some people weren't allowed to bring them home.
Bare shoulders.
Elegant curves.
A plush, swaying tail.
Perfect.
And unlike ordinary foxes—
There was no trace of animal musk.
Probably because she meticulously cared for her tail.
She'd once said it herself—
Before sleep, you had to groom it properly.
Use a boxwood comb.
Massage scented balm into the base.
Wrap it in plain cloud-silk.
By morning, the tail would be soft and fluffy.
"Shh~"
"The night is long, and sleep escapes me…"
"I won't eat you, Mr. Evan. What are you afraid of?"
"Afraid?"
Evan scanned her again—
And still found no treasure chest.
Which meant one of two things.
Either she had nothing he needed—
Or the time wasn't right yet.
A hunter knew what to do when facing prey that wasn't ready.
Set the trap.
Then wait.
Phantylia clearly wasn't ready to abandon Tingyun's identity yet.
Her scheme was still unfolding.
"Heh. What makes you think I'm afraid?"
Evan grabbed her wrist instead.
An Annihilation Lord?
He had no fondness for any of them.
The three great cosmic scourges—
The Abundance's people,
the Spawn of Propagation,
and the Antimatter Legion.
Annihilation Lords were Nanook's hounds.
Nanook believed civilization itself was a cancer.
That only absolute silence was mercy for the universe.
The Path of Destruction was one thing.
Its Emanators and followers?
All lunatics.
Even the Aeon wielding that Path pushed the "civilization-as-cancer" doctrine to its extreme.
And those Annihilation Lords—
None were simple.
Phlogiston Wind—obsessed with violent aesthetics.
In Star Calendar 6804, he ignited New Bethlehem's sun.
In 7143, he birthed planet-wide cyclones.
In 7658, he crushed an entire world from beneath its crust.
Starhowl—whose armies spanned the galaxy.
Iron Tomb—who weaponized AI, causing mass cognitive collapse.
And Zhuluo—
eliminated only through immense sacrifice by the Galaxy Rangers.
That was how monstrous they were.
"Oh?" Tingyun smiled lightly.
"Not afraid?"
"How interesting."
"You're the first little cutie I've met who doesn't fear me."
She didn't pull her hand away.
Instead, her smile turned provocative.
Not Tingyun at all.
A dangerous woman.
"An Annihilation Lord isn't that impressive," Evan said calmly.
"Phantylia, do you really think I don't know what you are?"
"You picked the wrong target."
"I'm just a treasure hunter."
"But since the prey walked up on its own…"
"I have no reason to let you leave so easily."
His gaze sharpened.
With the aid of his appraisal ability,
he saw past the disguise.
Suiyang.
An energy lifeform wielding near-Emanator-level power.
Almost comparable to the legendary Blazing Sovereign of Xianzhou myth.
But still—
An energy being.
Even Phantylia required the Ambrosial Arbor and a Stellaron
to challenge Jing Yuan.
And she'd still lost—
Especially after Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae returned.
One-versus-two.
Defeated.
And fled to trick the Borisin.
"But honestly…"
Evan's smile suddenly turned wicked.
"This body of yours?"
"Where it should be big…"
"It's really not small at all."
"I can see why you're so desperate for a real body."
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