The entire Divination Commission immediately sprang into action, descending into a state of controlled chaos. The high, keening wail of the emergency alarm, a sound not heard in decades, echoed off the high, vaulted ceilings. Diviners, who were usually calm and measured, moved with a frantic haste, their robes flying. Jade abacuses clattered, holographic screens flashed with red warnings, and the massive, golden core of the Matrix of Prescience began to spin up with a low, ominous hum.

You stood by, outwardly appearing as cooperative and concerned as every other diviner, playing your part as "Jiang Xuan" to perfection. Inwardly, however, you were calculating, your mind a steel trap of cold logic. Phantylia's plan, your grand design of revenge, was proceeding perfectly. This chaos was merely the opening act.

A few days later, while you were collating falsified "anomaly reports," a subtle, encrypted message arrived on your personal jade slip. It was from one of your informants, a network you had meticulously built within the Luofu's infrastructure.

The Astral Express has arrived at the Luofu.

You glanced at the message, and a complex, almost imperceptible smile touched your lips before you schooled your features back into a mask of diligence.

She has arrived.

The girl who was once a Stellaron Hunter. The girl who, in your simulations, had called you "Dad" with innocent eyes and "husband" with a flustered heart. The girl who was once your companion, and who was now a Trailblazer.

Stelle.

According to Elio's script—a script you were now actively rewriting—she should be here to help the Xianzhou fight the Stellaron. But... this time, for the sake of your true revenge... she was no longer just a companion.

She was a variable to be managed, or a pawn to be used. You felt a faint, phantom ache of an emotion you'd long since buried. You quickly crushed it.

"Jiang Xuan," Fu Xuan's sharp voice interrupted your thoughts. She had been working nonstop, and the strain was visible in the tight line of her mouth.

"Yes, Master Diviner? What are your orders?" You turned to her, your expression one of perfect, attentive duty.

"Go organize the recent anomaly reports from the Alchemy Commission," she said with a frown. "I feel that this matter isn't that simple. The Stellaron's energy is... irregular."

"Right away, Master Diviner."

You were halfway through sorting the data when a breathless Cloud Knight burst into the commission, his armor clattering.

"Master Diviner! Urgent news! The Stellaron Hunter... Kafka... has been captured by General Jing Yuan!"

A murmur of shock and relief went through the hall.

Fu Xuan's eyes narrowed. "Captured? So quickly?" She sent you a private message. "Jiang Xuan, come to my office. Immediately prepare the Matrix of Prescience. This Seat will personally interrogate Kafka."

"Understood," you replied, your heart quickening. The next act was beginning.

Soon, the central divination chamber was prepared. You stood by the control panel, ensuring the Matrix's energy flowed smoothly. A small group walked in. Leading the way was Fu Xuan, her expression grim. Behind her, bound in glowing, energy-forged shackles, was Kafka.

Even in captivity, Kafka maintained an air of unruffled elegance. Her smile was lazy, her wine-red eyes holding a hint of amusement, as if this were all a minor inconvenience. As she entered, her gaze swept across the diviners, past Fu Xuan, and finally landed on you.

Your eyes met for a fraction of a second. Kafka's lips curled just a little more. She knew you were here. She knew this was part of the plan.

You merely gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod, then shifted your gaze back to your console, continuing to play the part of a diligent, unimportant diviner.

"Bring her to the center of the array," Fu Xuan ordered, her voice sharp.

Just then, footsteps came from the main entrance. A diviner hurried over. "Master Diviner, the people from the Astral Express have arrived. General Jing Yuan has given them clearance to observe the interrogation."

"Let them in," Fu Xuan said, her patience clearly wearing thin.

Your heart, despite your cold control, inexplicably skipped a beat. She has arrived.

First to walk in was a vibrant, pink-haired girl, her eyes wide with wonder. "Wow, is this the Divination Commission? It's so magnificent! Look at that giant gold thing!" March 7th looked around, her camera already clicking.

Next was a steady, middle-aged man with glasses—Welt. His gaze was serious, analytical, sweeping over the Matrix and Kafka with the air of a seasoned scholar.

Finally… a gray-haired, golden-eyed girl walked in.

It was her. Stelle.

The moment she stepped into the hall, she suddenly froze. Her body went rigid, her hand instinctively pressing against her chest as if something was intensely stirring within.

This feeling… so strange…

She subconsciously pressed her hand to her chest, her golden eyes searching the hall, trying to find the source of this sudden, powerful emotional pull.

Then, she saw you.

The Foxian youth standing dutifully beside Fu Xuan, with pristine white ears and a devastatingly handsome face.

Stelle stared at you in a daze, unable to look away. It was as if a current of electricity had passed through her. So familiar… Why did she have this feeling? Her heart was pounding, a chaotic, painful, and yet somehow... joyful rhythm. She couldn't understand it. She knew she had never seen this man before.

"Hey, Stelle? You okay?" March 7th's voice pulled her back to reality. "What are you looking at so intently?"

The pink-haired girl followed her gaze and then revealed a knowing, mischievous smile. "Oh~~" she cooed. "Looking at a handsome guy, huh? I see, I see!"

"No, no!" Stelle's face instantly flushed a bright red, and she hastily averted her gaze. "I was just… spacing out! He... he just... looks a bit familiar..."

"Spacing out while staring at a handsome guy?" March 7th chuckled mischievously, bumping her with her shoulder. "You wouldn't be falling in love at first sight, would you?"

"No way!" Stelle anxiously argued, her voice a little too loud. "I just… I really feel like I've seen him before…"

This time, your gazes met directly. You watched her flustered, confused state, her golden eyes wide and searching. You looked at her with your own deep, calm eyes, then offered a polite, detached nod before turning your attention back to the Matrix.

Even with her memories gone, you thought, your mood somewhat complex, does the core connection still remain?

"Cough, cough." Fu Xuan's sharp cough broke the strange atmosphere. "Members of the Astral Express, if you've seen enough of my subordinates, may we begin?"

"Ah, sorry! So sorry!" Stelle quickly averted her gaze, her cheeks still burning.

Fu Xuan walked to the center of the array, facing the bound Stellaron Hunter. "Next, I will use the Matrix of Prescience to interrogate Kafka. All of you will bear witness."

[Inorin's Note: The Matrix of Prescience is the Divination Commission's supercomputer, a powerful divination tool that allows Fu Xuan to calculate and perceive a multitude of future possibilities and truths.]

Kafka was escorted to the center. As she passed by you, she said in a voice so low it was only a breath, a whisper only your Foxian ears could catch, "Long time no see, Orion."

Soon, the Matrix of Prescience began to operate. A dazzling golden light enveloped the chamber, and countless data streams flowed around Fu Xuan. She closed her eyes.

Suddenly, she opened them, her pupils contracting violently. She staggered back a step, her face draining of all color.

"How is that possible…?"

Kafka, bathed in the golden light, merely smiled languidly. "The truth is always unexpected, isn't it, Master Diviner?"

"Utterly absurd! This is impossible!" Fu Xuan's voice trembled, a mixture of shock and anger. She, the Master Diviner, had never lost her composure like this.

"Master Diviner, what exactly did you see?" Stelle took a step forward, her concern overriding her earlier embarrassment.

Fu Xuan's gaze swept across everyone—Kafka, Welt, March 7th—and finally settled on Stelle. Her eyes were filled with a cold, almost accusatory light.

"The Stellaron Hunters… are not the culprits," Fu Xuan said, her voice shaking. "The divinations are in chaos, but they all point to one thing. The true source of this crisis... it is you. The Astral Express…"

She shook her head in disbelief. "If you want to know the details, ask this woman yourself. This Seat... begs to be excused!"

She turned and stormed away, her robes billowing, leaving the stunned and utterly confused Astral Express crew behind.

Stelle slowly walked towards Kafka, her mind reeling from the Master Diviner's accusation. But her peripheral vision, her senses, her very soul, kept involuntarily drifting towards the handsome, white-eared diviner still standing calmly by the array.

That sense of familiarity was too strong. It was a magnetic pull she couldn't ignore.