After passing through several heavily guarded defense lines and several palaces, Si Luo finally entered a room with a very sci-fi feel.
As the Cloud Cavalry Army retreated, Si Luo let go of the hands of the two little lolis, gave a look to San Yueqi and the others, and walked towards the fox woman who was standing in front of the desk deep in the room and quietly examining them.
"I have heard about the incident. First of all, thank you for rescuing the child."
When Si Luo arrived at the steps under her desk, the fox lady with long green hair finally spoke. Perhaps because of her high position, her tone was very calm, yet it carried an inexplicable majesty.
"It's just a small favor, don't worry about it."
Si Luo responded softly, and his equally calm gaze and unchanging smile made Yukong become a little serious.
After all, people who can show their emotions on the surface are not scary. The scariest thing is the person whose thoughts can never be guessed.
"That being said, it is true that you saved the lives of the Xianzhou people... However, before I present you with my thank you gifts, I hope you can resolve some of my doubts..."
"That is why you chose to board the Immortal Boat at this time."
Yukong's expression became noticeably more serious. He stared into Si Luo's eyes with an extremely majestic gaze, trying to create a sense of oppression on him in this way.
"Moreover, the Immortal Boat completely sealed off the Jade Realm Gate a few days ago. I hope you can explain in detail how you entered."
"Because I learned from the Star Core Hunter that a star core crisis broke out on the Immortal Boat, so I came here to provide you with assistance."
Si Luo looked at Yukong calmly, and at the same time, he spoke frankly about his relationship with the Star Core Hunter - after all, his wife was involved, and if he started to dislike his family now, Silver Wolf and the others would definitely be dissatisfied when they found out.
"As for the Jade Realm Gate, someone opened it for us, but I don't know who it was."
"Although I also want to believe you, the culprit that caused the chaos on the Immortal Boat is the group of Star Core Hunters! There is no need to worry about the Star Cores. This level of crisis is not enough to threaten the Immortal Boat, so I am very sorry, we do not need your help."
Upon hearing that they were connected with the Star Core Hunters, Yukong's attitude suddenly became cold.
"Therefore, before we handle this incident, I hope that everyone can stay safely under the supervision of the Tianbo Division... In consideration of Tingyun's matter, all the expenses of your travel during this period will be borne by our Tianbo Division, and we will send you off the Xianzhou after the matter is resolved."
It was obvious that she had already regarded Si Luo and the others as accomplices of the Star Core Hunters, and only gave them some preferential treatment because he had saved Ting Yun.
“Regulation…”
Si Luo narrowed his eyes slightly, and was considering whether to make some big moves when a voice suddenly sounded from behind him, followed by an adult male with white hair tied in a high ponytail, wearing light armor, with yellow pupils, tear moles at the corners of his eyes, and a blue ring around his throat walked in.
"I hope I didn't disturb your chat by coming here uninvited this time~"
"General! Why are you here?"
Yukong was obviously surprised when he saw him, then he came to his senses and spoke with a little confusion.
"I heard that Lord Yukong has a few guests from the Starry Sky Train here... I happen to have known the Starry Sky Train for a long time, so I came here to meet the legendary nameless guests."
The man responded with a chuckle, then walked straight up to Si Luo and introduced himself in a friendly manner.
"Nice to meet you. I am General Jing Yuan of Luofu Cloud Cavalry."
"Si Luo, the unknown guest of the Starry Sky Train."
Si Luo turned his gaze to him with interest.
He had an impression of this name, having seen it in the Black Tower's database before...and all those whose names were recorded by the Black Tower were famous figures in the interstellar space.
"I heard that the Star Train aims to rebuild interstellar routes and help several planets solve their star core crises. Now I see that Mr. Si Luo is truly an outstanding person."
As the messenger of the Hunting Star God and the General of Divine Strategy whose reputation resounds throughout the galaxy, Jing Yuan's eyesight is directly proportional to his strength. However, after seeing Si Luo, he found that he could not see anything unusual about him at all. The only thing he could see was his handsome face that made him marvel in amazement.
"You're welcome, General."
"However, when Xianzhou needed help, Mr. Si Luo came over. This is really a timely help."
"Lord Yukong, I believe that the guests of the Star Train are not the same as the Star Core Hunters. I wonder if we can arrange for them to be guests of the Shen Ce Mansion."
"But... General..."
"This is my decision. If anything goes wrong, I will bear all the responsibility afterwards."
"Yes! General!"
Yukong finally agreed.
Although she and Jing Yuan are both the highest authorities in the [Six Imperials], Jing Yuan was once one of the [Five Heroes on the Cloud] who were feared throughout the galaxy and had made great military achievements. It can be said that she grew up in the legend of Jing Yuan and is a standard ancestor-level elder.
"Then, if you don't mind, Mr. Si Luo, could you come with me to the Shen Ce Service Center and listen to my commission?"
Jing Yuan looked at Si Luo again and asked gently.
"of course."
Si Luo responded without hesitation, making Jing Yuan's smile even more intense.
"Mr. Si Luo is straightforward. Then please follow me. After all, the situation is urgent and you may need to act as soon as possible."
"Um…"
Under Yukong's somewhat helpless gaze, Jing Yuan greeted them warmly, and Si Luo nodded, took Clara and the others' hands, and left Sichen Palace with Sanyueqi and Xing following behind Jing Yuan.
Chapter 86: The Hunt for Kafka
Compared to Yukong, who has a more straightforward personality, Jing Yuan is more like a qualified superior. Although he also has doubts about Si Luo and the others, he appears to trust them very much. He even takes the initiative to tell Si Luo the general situation of the fairy boat and entrusts them to help hunt down the Star Core Hunter, as if he has entrusted them with an important task.
At least the more innocent girls like San Yueqi were successfully bewitched by Jing Yuan's enthusiasm and completely let down their guard.
"Don't worry about the star core. This is not the first time that Xianzhou has dealt with this kind of thing. Besides, it is not convenient for outside forces to interfere in such affairs."
With Jing Yuan leading the way, Si Luo and his companions naturally entered the [Shen Ce Mansion] unimpeded. After entering Jing Yuan's office, this adult man with a very friendly attitude motioned for them to sit down, and then sat opposite him like old friends reminiscing about the past.
When talking about the star core problem, his expression did not change much. As he said, this was not the first time they had encountered such a crisis.
"I understand...but we don't need to help with the star core. So what does the general want us to do?"
Si Luo was very honest now. He just put his arms around Clara and the others' shoulders, letting the two little lolis lean on his arms, and responded with a chuckle.
Clara and Lingke were very well-behaved, but Sanyueqi and Xing were a little restless because Si Luo's arms were already occupied. They couldn't get close to him and kept looking at the new environment around them, unable to calm down at all.
"Regarding this, we discovered the intrusion of the Star Core Hunters not long ago. Although the Cloud Cavalry captured a member of the Star Core Hunters, another member named Kafka managed to escape and then completely disappeared."
"I heard before that the Star Core Hunter had hacked into the train system and contacted you... So I hope Mr. Si Luo can help us hunt down the Star Core Hunter member who escaped."
"That's no problem, but what exactly do we need to do?"
Si Luo chuckled and nodded.
Not long ago, Silver Wolf had secretly told him the news about Kafka. Although he didn't say it explicitly, he knew that his wife wanted him to take care of her a little.
After all, although Kafka is very powerful, Luofu Immortal Boat is not a second-rate small force. One careless mistake may lead to all previous efforts being wasted.
"Regarding this, I heard that Kafka once invaded the train and contacted you, so I hope Mr. Si Luo can give the footage at that time to the craftsmen of the Construction Department for analysis to determine her approximate location."
Jing Yuan did not hide the fact that he had eavesdropped on their conversation with Yukong before, and even inadvertently stated the information that Si Luo had not revealed as the fact - after all, Si Luo only said that the Star Core Hunter had contacted them, but did not specifically say who it was.
Therefore, if Si Luo did not refute, it would mean that it was Kafka who contacted them. If he refuted, he would have to consider the possibility that there were other Star Core Hunter members lurking in the Immortal Boat.
"Can…"
Si Luo still responded without hesitation, and his straightforward attitude made Jing Yuan even more enthusiastic.
"Well, I wish us a pleasant cooperation in advance, Mr. Si Luo."
"Yes, but the general may need to arrange a guide. After all, we are new here and don't know the specific situation of the fairy boat."
"It's natural!"
"I heard that Mr. Si Luo had saved Miss Tingyun in Xingcha Sea. So from now on, Miss Tingyun will be responsible for leading the way for you."
Jing Yuan chuckled and spoke, but Si Luo was not interested in chatting with a grown man. Seeing that he had already arranged the next things, he stood up.
"In that case, please arrange for someone to take us to see Miss Tingyun."
...
"Boss, is it really okay for us to ignore the star cores and go find the star core hunters?"
Following the Yunqi Army arranged by Jingyuan out of the Shen Ce Mansion, San Yueqi came up to his side and asked in a low voice.
"No problem. Xianzhou already has experience in dealing with star cores. They might be more professional than us... And if they need our help even for something like this, it would damage Xianzhou's reputation if it got out."
Si Luo responded with a chuckle.
Even though not having their help would result in many sacrifices, Xianzhou would never let outsiders interfere in such matters before the situation got out of control. After all, if a big force couldn't even handle such a small trouble on its own, it would definitely deal a heavy blow to Xianzhou's reputation when the news got out.
This is also the reason why Jing Yuan entrusted them to hunt down Kafka. It was nothing more than finding something for them to do so that they would not have the leisure to interfere with the Yunqi Army's processing of the star cores. By the way, try their luck and see if they can take the opportunity to lure out the star core hunter.
"Oh…"
San Yueqi nodded, not quite understanding, but since Si Luo said so, she didn't think about it anymore. She put these things behind her and moved closer to Xing to discuss the new things around them.
“They are indeed benefactors!”
Returning to the center of Xingcha Sea again, Si Luo and his companions had not walked too far when, accompanied by a cheerful voice, a slightly charming fox girl came towards them with elegant steps. When the Cloud Cavalry who were leading the way saw Tingyun, they first saluted slightly, then quickly turned around and left.
"I heard that you are now the general's distinguished guests. I am so happy in my heart~"
Ting Yun stopped in front of them. Her coquettish words combined with her beautiful face were so destructive that Si Luo narrowed his eyes instantly, not knowing what he was thinking.
"Miss Tingyun is waiting for us?"
"Of course, after all, I promised my benefactors to be a guide, and Lord Yukong allowed me a few days' vacation because I was frightened~"
When Tingyun was speaking, his eyes were always on Si Luo. Sanyueqi and the others even suspected that this beautiful fox girl fell in love with him at first sight.
"I see... I guess I have to apologize to you, Miss Tingyun."
"Not long ago, the general commissioned us to hunt down the members of the Star Core Hunters, and arranged for you to be our guide during this period... So Miss Tingyun may not be able to enjoy a vacation for a while."
"It doesn't matter. Rather, I am so happy that I can help you, my benefactors~"
Tingyun's face still had that gentle smile on it, and his happy words with a hint of excitement made Sanyueqi and the others feel a little touched, and they had a better impression of this beautiful fox girl.
"Well, without further ado, could you please, Miss Tingyun, take us to the Industrial Manufacturing Department?"
Because it seemed very interesting, Si Luo did not reveal everything. He just chuckled and nodded, then turned the topic back to business.
"Of course no problem! Please follow me, benefactors~"
...
After arriving at the Industrial Manufacturing Department, the craftsmen who had already received the news quickly came to greet us.
Si Luo took out his cell phone and transmitted the video of his conversation with Kafka on the train.
Anyway, he had checked and there was nothing over the line, and his communication with Kafka was also very normal, except that there might be some controversy in the relationship between Xing and Kafka, but given Jingyuan's personality, he would definitely not care about such trivial matters.
After all, he noticed that the general on Luofu had never regarded them or even the Star Core Hunters as criminals who brought the star cores into the Immortal Boat from the very beginning. The vigilance in his heart was probably only because he could not figure out why the Star Core Hunters lured them here.
"This voice..."
The craftsmen from the Industrial Manufacturing Department did not pay attention to other aspects. They were carefully watching the changes in the environment around Kafka as she spoke, as well as the sounds in the background as she spoke.
However, Kafka's background was always fixed, probably in a certain room, so they couldn't determine the exact location at all. But soon, they found a clue through the background sound when Kafka spoke.
Although it was only for a moment, that somewhat different sound was very familiar to those who had lived in the fairy boat for many years.
"It's Star Port!"
Tingyun noticed this detail instantly, thought about it for a while, and quickly made a judgment.
"Indeed! Only Starport can hear it so clearly."
The craftsmen from the Gongzaosi also gave a positive reply, and then quickly notified the surrounding Yunqi troops, asking them to report the news to the Shen Ce Palace.
"It seems that if nothing unexpected happens, Kafka is currently hiding in Star Harbor."
"Then what do we do next?"
Tingyun turned his gaze to Si Luo, looking at his handsome face, his eyes flickering slightly, wondering what he was thinking.
"If we delay, something bad may happen. Let's go to Star Harbor first... and see if we can find any traces of Kafka's activities!"
Si Luo responded without hesitation, and the craftsman from the Industrial Manufacturing Department nearby pressed a button after hearing it. Soon, a small creature that looked very cute ran over happily and stopped in front of Si Luo.
"Mr. Si Luo, this is a tool developed by our Industrial Manufacturing Division. It is called Di Ting. It has inherited the keen perception of the fox people and can track things based on tiny clues. I think it should be helpful to you!"
Although they were not sure about Si Luo's specific identity, they naturally did not dare to hide anything since he was a distinguished guest of the Shen Ce Palace and the general had previously sent someone to instruct the Engineering Department to provide him with as much help as possible.
"Ah."
Si Luo nodded, and Ting Yun once again took on the task of guide, leading them out of the Industrial Manufacturing Division and heading to the location of Gingxing Port.
...
The travel between the caves in the fairy boat almost entirely relies on the Star Raft, and [Returning Star Port] is the place where the Star Raft is specially manufactured. This is why Tingyun can identify the location instantly.
