"Everyone from the Astral Express, it's a pleasure to meet you. No—" Fu Xuan's voice rang out, lilting yet measured, as her pink-gold eyes locked onto Felicity with an inscrutable gleam. "Rather, I should say I've already met you—long before this moment."
A faint glimmer pulsed from the gem between her brows, catching the light like a tiny star in the dim chamber. She dipped her head gracefully, her aura sharp as the edge of a blade concealed within silk.
"General, Felicity is merely a doctor on the Astral Express crew," Welt interjected smoothly, his gaze sharp yet composed. "I hardly believe she would interfere with your plans."
For a fleeting second, Welt's eyes flashed with a hint of something—regret, perhaps, or restrained calculation—as he stepped in to shield Felicity.
"Alas, this is beyond my hands." Jing Yuan's sigh was long and laced with helplessness, his languid wave almost a dismissal as his attention drifted lazily back to Fu Xuan. "If blame must fall somewhere, let it fall on my old friend Fu Xuan. I'll leave the rest to you."
Fu Xuan's posture stiffened, her expression freezing mid-motion. Her thoughts prickled with irritation.
It was you who wanted to detain Felicity, and now you're pushing the burden onto me...?
Though her heart sighed, she maintained an outward calm, her voice low and even as she turned to Welt, arms crossed with deliberate poise. "The hexagrams I drew this morning were… turbulent. The lines scattered, the patterns unclear. After much calculation, the name that emerged, time and again, was—"
Her gaze shifted to Felicity, eyes narrowing. "Felicity."
She inhaled softly, her tone steady but edged with caution. "This isn't a matter of doubting your abilities. But the safety of the Xianzhou Luofu is at stake. I must be thorough."
Welt, a man who had seen more than most, understood the weight behind Fu Xuan's words. Her gaze wasn't to be dismissed. Yet, for a heartbeat, he could find no counterargument. Silence stretched, thin and brittle.
Then, at last, Felicity's voice broke the stillness.
"I'll go."
Her tone was gentle but resolute, cutting through the tension like a soft breeze through still air. She nodded to Welt, her emerald eyes glinting with a hint of mischief, then turned her gaze to Fu Xuan—and smiled.
A sudden realization settled in Felicity's heart, light but unshakable.
She wasn't afraid of death. The worst that could happen? A cell, some chains. Freedom lost, yes—but that wasn't the end of the world, was it? If they wanted to throw her behind bars, they'd have to catch her first. And if it came to it… well, she'd take the Xianzhou down with her before she let herself rot in a cage. Not that she wanted innocent people to get hurt, of course—but still.
"Everything alright?" Welt asked quietly, his worry barely concealed behind the measured cadence of his words.
He knew well enough—Felicity wasn't just a doctor. If this went wrong, the consequences wouldn't stop at exile for them. For her… it could be far worse.
Felicity waved a hand with airy nonchalance. "All good."
And then, with a playful grin, she extended a hand toward Fu Xuan. "I'd like to go with the pretty lady."
March 7th's face contorted in mock indignation, her voice rising in a playful whine. "Sister Felicity! What you said just now—are you really ignoring me for someone new?"
"March," Welt cut in softly, offering a faint smile of reassurance. "Felicity has her own reasons."
Even if he couldn't quite read her thoughts, Welt had seen enough—Felicity, who had barely set foot on the Luofu, had already managed to track down the Lord Ravager. That alone spoke volumes.
With a sigh, he relented. "Be careful."
He gave Felicity a brief nod, heavy with unspoken meaning.
"You have good taste," Fu Xuan said with a faint quirk of her lips, the corner of her mouth lifting ever so slightly.
"Thank you for trusting me." Felicity's smile softened as their hands met—a warm, fleeting clasp.
Fu Xuan's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than necessary, something unspoken shimmering behind her pink-gold eyes. But she quickly turned away, voice crisp. "Let's not waste time. We need to move."
Indeed, she was intrigued.
Fu Xuan had spent her life as a diviner—calculating, predicting, threading together the threads of fate. Ever since the Aeon of Erudition, Nous, had granted her the Omniscia, her vision had been sharp, her insight unparalleled. Matters large and small, all revealed themselves before her in orderly lines of cause and effect.
But Felicity… Felicity was a paradox.
The hexagrams around her twisted, fractured, like mirrors shattering under an unseen hand. The futures branched into endless phantoms, each leading somewhere different, nowhere certain. Felicity's destiny was too vast—like an ocean she couldn't chart, a mist she couldn't pierce.
What unsettled Fu Xuan even more was the blankness that lay behind Felicity's past. It was as if the woman had simply… appeared, born from the void itself.
Fu Xuan, who prided herself on her clarity, felt a flicker of unease.
And yet, it wasn't just Felicity. The other two—March and the pink-haired girl—also shared this strange aura. Three women from the Astral Express, each wrapped in a tangle of fate that defied comprehension.
Still, it was Felicity who stood out the most—not because she was special in some grand, celestial sense, but because her fate was too expansive, too ambiguous. That made Fu Xuan pause. It hinted at something—a sliver of possibility, almost too faint to grasp.
Her gaze lingered on Felicity, who caught it and smiled back, her emerald eyes glinting with mischief and warmth.
"Where are we going?" Felicity asked, her voice light, carrying on the breeze.
"To the Exalting Sanctum," Fu Xuan answered, voice steady once more. "We'll meet the Healer Lady there. She'll explain what you must do."
"Got it," Felicity replied with a carefree nod, her mood almost cheerful as she slipped her fingers around Fu Xuan's slender hand, the contact light but deliberate.
Fu Xuan glanced down, startled by the gesture, but she didn't pull away.
No matter how many fortunes she drew, the subtle threads of the heart—of emotions, desires, and whims—could never be fully measured. The paths of heaven were vast, but the human heart was even more complex.
Still, without using her divination, Fu Xuan could see clearly enough—Felicity held no ill intent. And for now, that was enough.
The Exalting Sanctum lay at the heart of the Xianzhou Luofu, an elegant sprawl where the past met the present, where ancient ruins peeked from beneath sleek architecture, and the Synwood Pavilion loomed in the distance. Bridges arched like silver ribbons across the sky, connecting towers adorned with blessings of abundance. Everywhere, people strolled—fox-eared and tailed, mingling with humans marked by the aura of Abundance.
Felicity's eyes widened as she took in the view, curiosity dancing across her face. It was a world so unlike Belobog—grand, otherworldly, alive with possibilities.
"This is the Exalting Sanctum," Fu Xuan explained, her tone measured yet almost gentle. "It's a place where merchants thrive, where travelers gather for fine food and street performances. If you wish, you may wander, buy a trinket or two. The expenses will be covered by the Sky-Faring Commission—no need to worry."
Felicity tilted her head, her smile playful as her gaze shifted back to Fu Xuan. "So… what's our plan?"
Fu Xuan's face stiffened, her voice catching for the briefest of moments. "Ah… my plan… is for you to eat, drink, and enjoy yourself here. Wait for an opportunity to arise. Understood?"
Her tone betrayed a flicker of exasperation—half at the situation, half at herself.
Though she prided herself on her sharp mind, Fu Xuan couldn't decipher Jing Yuan's strategy. The general had left her with nothing but a cryptic smile and a single sentence: "Take her to the Exalting Sanctum, and you'll see."
And now she was tasked with coordinating with the Astral Express crew to capture the Stellaron Hunter lurking within the Luofu.
Fu Xuan rubbed at her temples, sighing inwardly, wondering if she should ask the Healer Lady for a few calming brews to soothe her nerves.
But her thoughts were cut short. From the corner of her eye, she caught a flicker of movement—small, quick, almost furtive.
Her gaze sharpened instantly.
A petite figure had emerged from the shadows at the street's edge. The sight made Fu Xuan's breath hitch.
It was the very person she had been seeking—the Healer Lady herself.
Bailu.
--+--
T/N: Damn do I find translating this fic a bajillion times easier than the seele fic, mainly cause I already have experience.