Mobius looked at the sea of kneeling Vidyadhara before her and, for a moment, said nothing.
Truthfully, she had long known the Luofu's Vidyadhara would come looking for her.
From the instant Aha exposed her identity before the entire galaxy in the Divination Commission, Mobius had already foreseen a scene like this.
It was just that, in all those futures that never came to pass, she had seen with her own eyes exactly how ridiculous this bunch of Dragon Elders could be.
Colluding with outside enemies, imprisoning their own High Elder, and now even wanting the Vidyadhara to toy with Propagation...
All in all, there was only what you couldn't imagine, never anything they couldn't do.
So when Tao Ran knelt before her, eyes red and voice choked with emotion as he begged her to "take charge of the Luofu Vidyadhara," Mobius felt absolutely nothing.
If anything, she kind of wanted to laugh.
But what surprised her was this—
She discovered that the ordinary Xianzhou citizens gathered in Changle Heaven were also looking at her with hopeful eyes.
Not just the Vidyadhara.
All the ordinary people nearby.
The same common folk who had just been stuffing pastries into her hands and trying to give her wooden swords had now all gone quiet, their gazes fixed on her, full of cautious, restrained anticipation.
Mobius froze for a brief moment, then understood.
Of course.
To these ordinary Xianzhou citizens, all the twists and turns within Vidyadhara politics were things they neither understood nor cared about.
But if she, the orphan of Yuanqiao, were willing to stay on the Luofu, willing to become the Luofu Vidyadhara's High Elder—
then she would no longer be a guest, no longer an outsider.
She would become one of their own.
Someone they could rightfully protect, rightfully cherish, rightfully shower with their remorse and affection.
Mobius's brow slowly knit together.
...Wait.
Sure, the Alliance was taking wonderful care of her right now, but if one really thought about it, she was technically still undocumented.
Yuanqiao was gone.
And if she had ever once possessed a registered identity, it had been erased along with Yuanqiao by Mystery.
The Xianzhou Alliance might have announced that it would hold a welcome celebration for her. The generals might all be treating her like one of their own children. The entire galaxy might know she was Yuanqiao's Jade Sovereign.
But in the Xianzhou Alliance's official records system, Mobius was currently still someone who officially did not exist.
What the hell, why didn't anybody say this sooner?
Thinking about it now, even if she were to formally join the Xianzhou Alliance someday, she genuinely had no idea which ship her household registration would end up under.
The Luofu? The Yaoqing? The Zhuming?
Or would they have to create an entirely new category just for a surviving citizen of Yuanqiao?
That thought alone gave her a headache.
Forget it. No point thinking about that right now.
Mobius lowered her gaze again, fixing it once more on Tao Ran.
The young man was still kneeling there, his posture impeccably reverent, but Mobius noticed that his fingertips were trembling faintly.
As if he were some deeply devout believer.
The corner of Mobius's mouth twitched.
Oh, come on.
Putting on an act for me now?
As if I don't know what kind of person you are.
In those futures that never came to pass, you were the one who colluded with a Lord Ravager of Destruction and dragged the entire Luofu Vidyadhara into the abyss.
And now here you are kneeling in front of me, one "Lady Mobius" after another, one plea after another about "Please take charge of the Luofu Vidyadhara," saying it all more sweetly than a singer reciting lines.
What, do you think I'm easy to fool because I'm three?
Even so, Mobius did not hurry to answer him.
She had no idea why the Luofu still hadn't dealt with a Dragon Elder who had colluded with outside enemies, but in the end, it had nothing to do with her.
Instead, her gaze drifted away from Tao Ran and fell on Lingsha at her side.
"Danzhu," Mobius said.
Lingsha turned her head slightly. "...Yes?"
"What do you think?"
Mobius tossed the question to her.
She wanted to see how Lingsha would react.
After all, this new Master of the Luofu Alchemy Commission was, at the very least, one of the higher-ranking Vidyadhara who still possessed some trace of conscience.
But to Mobius's surprise—
Even Lingsha hesitated.
That completely floored her.
What was this?
Since when was this your character setting?!
Lingsha's gaze shifted from Mobius's face to the Vidyadhara kneeling across the street.
Tao Ran knelt in the front, with younger members of the clan behind him, all keeping their heads lowered and their bearing humble to the point of perfection.
Lingsha's eyes rested on them for several seconds.
If this had been before, she would have told these Dragon Elders to get lost without a second thought.
After all, Bailu, the current High Elder, was still very much in office. For them to come with such proposals while she still sat in that position was outright disrespectful. It meant they simply did not regard Bailu as anything at all.
But honestly...
Now that Lingsha had returned to the Luofu, a part of her truly did want Mobius to stay there.
After all, ever since entering the wider world, the first place Mobius had come to was the Luofu, and she had already been here for quite some time. There was nothing unreasonable about letting her continue to stay.
In fact, it was probably what everyone on the Luofu wished for.
But obviously, things were not that simple.
After the truth of Yuanqiao had been exposed, Lingsha, as a mid-level figure on the Luofu and, more importantly, as the person currently responsible for looking after Mobius, had naturally heard a few things through unofficial channels.
Rumor had it that, in order to commemorate Yuanqiao and welcome the Little Dragon Sovereign's return, the Alliance had already made a decision.
They would not merely hold a welcome celebration on the Luofu.
No—
Once the Luofu's festivities concluded, Mobius would be taken next to the Yaoqing, then the Zhuming...
The Alliance intended to bring her, in sequence, to every ship—including the reclusive Lingxu—so that each might properly welcome her in turn.
Truthfully, Lingsha had no objections to that. She had no particular complaints.
But the real problem—
was General Yaoguang, and Yuque.
Yes.
As the one who had proposed this welcome procession in the first place, Yaoguang had very deliberately arranged for Yuque to be the final stop.
And Lingsha did not need to think very hard to understand exactly what that meant.
Unbelievable.
As expected of Yuque, famous for strategy and calculations—they were already pulling tricks.
Did they not understand the meaning of fair competition?!
If it had been Zhuming, that would have been one thing. If it were Zhuming, she could at least shamelessly find an excuse to follow Mobius there and skip work.
And so, caught in those thoughts, even Lingsha found herself wavering.
Tao Ran, still kneeling, clearly caught that flicker of hesitation on her face from the corner of his eye.
His heartbeat sped up immediately.
Lingsha.
The Luofu Alchemy Commission's new Master.
One of the few powerful Vidyadhara who had never been successfully drawn into the Dragon Elders' faction.
And she had hesitated.
What did that mean?
It meant that she, too, was considering the possibility. That somewhere deep down, she also believed Mobius becoming the Luofu Vidyadhara's High Elder was not impossible.
That she was, in the end, a reasonable person.
Straightening his back just a little, Tao Ran spoke again.
"Master Lingsha."
He used her official title rather than her name.
A reminder.
That she was not merely Mobius's attendant, but also one of the Luofu Vidyadhara, a leading official of the Alchemy Commission, a woman with duties and a position to uphold.
Lingsha's gaze flickered and settled on him.
Tao Ran continued, "Master Lingsha, I understand that, having only recently returned to the Luofu, you do not yet fully understand us. And perhaps, because of a few things others have said, you have formed... some unfavorable impressions of the Dragon Elders."
"In past years, some of the things the Dragon Elders did, and some of the things they said... I admit, they may indeed have gone too far."
He did not deny the past.
Among Dragon Elders, that already counted as extraordinary honesty.
"But today I have not come in my capacity as a Dragon Elder. Nor on behalf of any faction."
His voice sank low, as though he were truly suppressing powerful emotion.
"I stand here only as an ordinary member of the Vidyadhara."
"The Vidyadhara have waited too long for a true High Elder."
"Dan Feng, the Imbibitor Lunae... betrayed us. He betrayed the duties of a High Elder, betrayed the future of the Vidyadhara, betrayed the inheritance of Permanence."
"And as for the Plagueless Dragon Lady..."
"Lady Bailu possesses the destiny of a High Elder, the bloodline of a High Elder, even the power of a High Elder."
"But she does not possess the heart of one."
He said it lightly, but each word was like a needle sliding straight into Lingsha's heart.
Because Tao Ran was right.
Bailu really didn't want to be the High Elder.
From the very first day she had been confined in the Dragon Elders' carefully constructed "High Elder's residence," she had not wanted that title.
What she wanted was freedom.
The world outside.
The ability to run wild through Changle Heaven like an ordinary child, eating as many snacks as she pleased.
Not to be trapped inside a gilded cage.
Not to be displayed as the symbol of the Vidyadhara.
Not to be forced to study rituals and ancient texts she had no interest in at all.
After a moment of silence, Lingsha finally said, "Mr. Tao Ran, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Tao Ran lifted his head and met her gaze.
"Master Lingsha, what I wish to say is this."
"Lady Bailu agrees."
The air in Changle Heaven seemed to freeze.
Mobius's brow furrowed slightly.
And this time, even Lingsha's expression changed.
"What did you say?" Her voice dropped.
Tao Ran did not look away.
"Before coming here, I went to see Lady Bailu. I told her that Yuanqiao's Jade Sovereign, the disciple of General Crimson Kite, the sole inheritor of all six dragon lineages—Lady Mobius—was now on the Luofu."
"I told her that Lady Mobius bears the bloodline of Permanence, the source of the Vidyadhara, the last flame left in this world by the Dragon Ancestor."
"I told her that if Lady Mobius were willing to assume leadership of the Luofu Vidyadhara... willing to become the new High Elder..."
His voice paused.
"Lady Bailu said yes."
At last, Lingsha had no answer.
Although she had only recently returned to the Luofu, she had spent enough time around that Dragon Lady to understand her.
From the very day the Dragon Elders elevated her as the "Plagueless Dragon Lady," Bailu had never spent a single day without wanting to escape from that role.
She did not want to be shut away in that grand residence.
She did not want to study those tiresome old texts.
She did not want to be placed on a shrine and worshipped as the symbol of an entire people.
If Mobius were willing to take that position from her...
Of course Bailu would say yes.
She would probably jump for joy.
Lingsha pressed her lips together.
And suddenly, she realized that her hesitation had not only been because "Mobius staying on the Luofu" would be good for the Luofu, or good for the Vidyadhara.
It would also be good for Bailu.
That little girl, imprisoned in a High Elder's seat that had never belonged to her, could finally cast off those chains and live the life she actually wanted.
Lingsha's eyes lingered on Tao Ran's face, on that face filled with sincerity and piety.
She knew full well Tao Ran was no good man.
She knew what the Dragon Elders had done in the past, what they were doing now, and what they still intended to do.
She knew that if Mobius truly took charge of the Luofu Vidyadhara, the Dragon Elders would not simply surrender. They would merely change their methods, their rhetoric, their masks, and continue pursuing their own ends.
But Mobius was different.
Mobius would have the direct attention of the entire Alliance.
Whatever else happened, the Dragon Elders would never again be able to treat her the way they had treated Bailu.
And, to be fair, the Dragon Elders truly did not seem to intend that.
For all their stubbornness and rot, they revered the inheritance of Permanence with genuine fervor.
This was a Dragon Sovereign who had inherited the transmission of every dragon lineage.
In the scenes Aha had broadcast, they had even seen a true dragon-shaped Mobius with their own eyes.
So now, those Dragon Elders genuinely did wish to serve Mobius—the true dragon.
And yet—
just as Lingsha was about to speak, a chill ran through her clenched hands.
What was she doing?
How could she even be thinking like this?
Mobius was only three.
She had only just lost her master, her ship, her entire world.
What she needed now was not to be pushed into another position, not to be saddled with another burden, not to be lifted up and displayed as some sacred symbol.
What she needed was time.
Time to slowly adapt to a world without her master, without Yuanqiao.
Time to slowly learn how to live alongside that loss.
Time to slowly grow up, slowly become strong, slowly become the person she herself wanted to become.
Not to be shoved into another cage.
Lingsha took a slow breath, then let it out.
She opened her mouth, ready at last to refuse these Dragon Elders—
when a hand reached in from behind and gently settled on Mobius's shoulder.
The hand was long-fingered and pale, like carved white jade.
Around its wrist rested a green jade bracelet whose delicate patterns gleamed warmly in the sunlight.
Mobius blinked, not even having time to turn around before the hand's owner scooped her up from the ground.
"Eh?!"
She gave a short cry of surprise.
Her feet left the ground, and she was gathered securely into someone's arms.
That embrace carried a faint fragrance—something like fresh herbs mixed with dew, cool and clean without being overpowering.
Instinctively, Mobius grabbed at the person's collar and looked up.
A face like polished jade met her eyes.
Soft brows, elegant features, a graceful nose, lips curved with the faintest smile—her whole appearance looked as though she had stepped out of an ink painting.
Well...
That description was a little much, even Mobius had to admit.
But the woman seemed to have gone to the trouble of dressing herself up with unusual care today, so this was honestly the impression she gave.
"Uh... Auntie Yao?"
That was right.
The newcomer was none other than Yaoguang.
For reasons unknown, the General of Strategic Insight had suddenly arrived.
Yaoguang repeated, "Auntie?"
"Little Dragon Sovereign, I may have seniority, but I'm still quite young. You can call me big sister if you like."
...Right.
The corner of Mobius's mouth twitched.
She did enjoy playing up the "little child" angle sometimes lately.
But she still did not particularly like calling people "big sister."
At least, not right now.
And ever since Aha's visit, every one of these generals had started treating her with this maddeningly affectionate tone.
It was just a bit too warm.
Mobius understood why, of course.
But their enthusiasm still scared her a little.
She had not yet had the chance to say anything when the Vidyadhara kneeling on the ground could hold back no longer.
"Insolence!"
A sharp, furious voice came from behind Tao Ran.
It belonged to a white-haired elder wearing a dark teal robe much like Tao Ran's, though the cloud embroidery at his hem was even more elaborate, clearly marking him as someone of high standing.
He sprang to his feet, too agitated even to brush the dust from his knees, and pointed at Yaoguang, his voice shaking with anger.
"Who are you, to behave so disrespectfully toward the Jade Sovereign?!"
"The Jade Sovereign is Yuanqiao's Dragon Sovereign, the personal disciple of General Crimson Kite, the sole inheritor of the Six Dragon Transmissions! How dare some nameless woman hold her so casually in her arms?!"
"Put her down! At once!"
His voice rang through Changle Heaven, drawing even more stares.
Several other Vidyadhara rose to stand at his side, their faces dark, their gazes sharp as blades.
"That's right! The Jade Sovereign is too exalted for such disrespect!"
"Set the Dragon Sovereign down at once!"
"If you refuse, don't blame us for what follows!"
Voices rose one after another, and the peaceful mood in Changle Heaven turned instantly tense.
As for Mobius, now sitting quite comfortably in Yaoguang's arms—
she had only one thought.
Oh wow. This is going to be good.
Still, these Vidyadhara actually had not recognized Yaoguang?
Then again, when she thought about it, it made sense.
In the story, the Xianzhou generals had all been one enigmatic bunch after another.
Even Pearl of the Stonehearts had only learned what Yaoguang looked like in the second phase of Penacony's Dreamscape.
So perhaps it really was not strange for these Vidyadhara not to recognize her.
Thus Mobius did not struggle, did not explain, did not say a word.
Because a show like this did not happen every day.
Yaoguang, of course, noticed the strange little gleam in Mobius's eyes.
But she did not seem to mind in the slightest.
She lifted her head and looked calmly at the indignant Vidyadhara.
Then—
"Enough!"
Tao Ran's voice cut across the rising clamor, sharp enough to silence everyone else.
He was still kneeling, but his back was straight now, and his eyes were fixed on Yaoguang with unmistakable complexity.
Then he spoke.
"May I ask... are you General Yaoguang of Yuque?"
That was right.
Tao Ran had recognized her.
After all, he was one of the Luofu's old hands.
And when Aha had turned the galaxy's gaze toward the Divination Commission, this woman had clearly been present there as well.
So who had been on the scene then?
Three generals whose identities were obvious. A Master Diviner. A Dragon Sovereign.
Which left only one unknown figure.
And did anyone really have to guess any further?
The answer was simply: someone you absolutely should not offend.
At once, Changle Heaven fell silent.
The Vidyadhara who had just been shouting all went still, each of them staring wide-eyed at the "nameless woman" they had just rebuked.
Yuque.
General Yaoguang.
Those words together were enough to drain the blood from any Xianzhou native's face.
Yuque was the Alliance's eye, the ship responsible for watching the galaxy for remnants of Abundance, controlling the broadest intelligence network in the Alliance.
And Strategic General Yaoguang was the owner of that eye.
A woman famed for her schemes and her methods—a figure of great weight in the Alliance.
The elderly Vidyadhara who had spoken before was now deathly pale, his lips trembling as he tried and failed to get a single word out.
"Lord Tao Ran... are you certain that is General Yaoguang...?"
Tao Ran did not even look at him.
"...Silence."
At once, the old man shut his mouth.
Tao Ran rose to his feet and faced Yaoguang with measured care.
"General Yaoguang, may I ask what brings you to Changle Heaven today?"
Yaoguang did not answer at once.
Supporting Mobius easily in one arm, her pale hand resting securely at the child's waist, she simply said:
"As for me? I'm just here to watch the show."
Tao Ran's expression stiffened for a moment. Clearly, that was not the answer he had expected.
Meanwhile, Yaoguang's gaze swept slowly over the gathered Vidyadhara. The faint smile remained at her lips, but there was no warmth whatsoever in her eyes.
"I heard everything you said."
"Please take charge of the Luofu Vidyadhara. Please become our new High Elder. Please lead us back onto the path of Permanence..."
She repeated Tao Ran's words one by one, each syllable soft, yet in the ears of the Vidyadhara it felt like needles pricking them in turn.
"How beautifully said."
She lowered her head and glanced at Mobius in her arms, then lifted her gaze again toward the crowd.
"But if I remember correctly... the Luofu Vidyadhara already have a High Elder."
The air grew taut.
Tao Ran's pupils contracted, and the faces of the Vidyadhara behind him changed all at once.
Yaoguang continued, "Bailu, the Plagueless Dragon Lady. Is she not your High Elder?"
"Or have you already deposed her?"
"N-no, General Yaoguang, you misunderstand!" cried the white-haired elder, his voice filled with panicked urgency.
"Lady Bailu is naturally our High Elder. That has never changed. It is only that..."
"Only what?" Yaoguang cut in.
"Only that Lady Bailu is still young and requires time to grow. And Lady Mobius's appearance is a blessing from the heavens to our people. We merely hoped..."
"Hoped to replace one child with another?"
Yaoguang's voice remained gentle, but on the word child her tone sharpened like a blade.
Silence struck again.
Tao Ran opened his mouth, then closed it.
Yaoguang no longer looked at him. Instead, her eyes moved over every Vidyadhara face before her, one by one.
"Just now, you told me to put her down."
"You said I was disrespecting the Jade Sovereign."
"You accused me of slighting a Dragon Sovereign."
She paused, then smiled faintly.
"Well then, I should ask you something."
"You are trying to force a three-year-old child into the role of High Elder."
"And that is what you call proper respect?"
The moment those words fell, the expressions of the Vidyadhara twisted completely.
Not pale.
Red.
They were practically turning crimson with humiliation and fury.
If the person standing before them had not been a general, they would undoubtedly have exploded on the spot.
But unfortunately for them, the world had not granted them that "if."
Because standing before them really was a general.
Yaoguang continued in that same unhurried tone.
"The Alliance has already reached a decision. Lady Mobius will remain the Dragon Sovereign of Yuanqiao. She will remain Yuanqiao's Jade Sovereign."
"So I advise you all to abandon this line of thought."
"After all... Lord Tao Ran, the things you and your elders committed before... it is not that the Alliance has forgiven them."
"It is only that, at this particular moment, the Alliance has no spare time to waste dealing with you."
This time, Tao Ran could say nothing at all.
Instead, it was Lingsha who quietly let out the breath she had been holding.
Because this, in truth, was the right decision.
And yet—
for some reason, at that very instant, another dreadful premonition rose in Lingsha's heart.
Sure enough, the next moment—
Yaoguang lowered her head and looked again at Mobius in her arms.
Those warm jade-like eyes were filled with a light Lingsha had never seen before.
A look of absolute intent.
Then Yaoguang spoke.
"Little Dragon Sovereign, I do, however, have a suggestion."
"Since the Luofu Vidyadhara are being so rude, then how about this?"
"Once the welcome celebrations are finished, why not come stay with us in Yuque for a while?"
Lingsha's pupils shrank.
There it was.
She knew it.
Yaoguang went on, "Yuque may not be as lively as the Luofu, but it has one great virtue: peace."
"No one will disturb you there. No one will force you to do anything."
"You can sleep as late as you want, eat whatever you want, go wherever you want."
"If you'd like, I can take you to see Yuque's stargazing terraces. The night sky there is the finest in the whole galaxy."
"If you'd like, I can teach you chess, teach you to read, teach you anything at all you'd like to learn."
She paused, her gaze fixed squarely on Mobius's face, those eyes full of unwavering certainty.
"And if you are willing—"
"Yuque can raise you."
Join here to read ahead.
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