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ArabicHonkai Star Rail: My Chat Group is Full of Broken Timelines — Chapter 21
Chapter 21: A General’s Condition
“Auntie Yukong, could you maybe drive a little faster?”
On a sprawling skyway of the Luofu, Kazuki stared out the starship’s window at the clouds drifting past with agonizing slowness. He couldn’t stop himself from tapping a restless rhythm on the passenger seat’s armrest. The skiff was moving at a pace barely faster than a pedestrian’s stroll, its levitation engine emitting a low, steady hum, as if terrified of disturbing the peace.
Yukong’s hand on the control stick remained perfectly still. Her gaze was locked on the navigational markers floating ahead, and she answered without turning. “Be quiet, Xiao Trianne. Piloting a starship requires absolute concentration. There is no room for even the slightest carelessness.”
The retort left Kazuki speechless, and he let out a silent sigh. If he had known Auntie Yukong drove this… steadily, he would have been better off walking to the Seat of Divine Foresight. He might have even arrived sooner.
But it was far too late for regrets. The starship glided along the skyway like a lazy, sightseeing bird. As it passed over the corridor bridge of Cloudford, he could clearly make out the plumes of steam rising from the tea stalls lining the market below.
After what felt like nearly half a system hour of this leisurely drift, the iconic, upturned eaves of the Seat of Divine Foresight finally entered his view. Its gilded brackets, a signature of Xianzhou architecture, shimmered in the sunlight like the scales of a slumbering, colossal beast.
The starship came to a perfectly smooth stop in the docking area. As Kazuki unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed the door open, he couldn’t resist a final complaint. “Auntie Yukong, I have to say, riding in a skiff piloted by you… I never would have guessed this was a racing-spec model.”
Yukong’s reaction was not what he expected.
“What? This is a racing-spec starship?!” Having long since retired from her days as a “speedster girl,” Yukong was no longer familiar with modern skiff models. She had simply assumed a young man like Kazuki would naturally gravitate toward this kind of sleek, cool-looking vessel.
Her expression hardened. “No. I’m confiscating this starship. How many credits did it cost? I’ll transfer the amount to you when I return,” Yukong declared sternly.
“Uh, there’s no need for that. I won’t be using a starship for a while, anyway,” Kazuki said, thinking of his impending departure from the Luofu.
Yukong, however, completely misinterpreted his words. She assumed he meant he was going to retake his pilot’s license exam. This time, she resolved, she certainly wouldn’t let him pass so easily. She would hold him back, at the very least, until he reached the age of maturity at two hundred.
Wait… a fleeting, melancholic thought crossed her mind. I likely won’t live to see Xiao Trianne turn two hundred… but that child, Tingyun, is still young. I’ll wait until Tingyun inherits the position of Helmsman, and then have her supervise him.
Kazuki and Yukong entered the Seat of Divine Foresight, their light-hearted bickering echoing in the grand halls. Out of caution, while Yukong and Jing Yuan discussed official business, Kazuki found a seat to the side and simply observed, not wanting to bring up his own affairs just yet.
Sandalwood incense curled lazily through the air of the general’s study. Yukong’s voice was clear and organized as she delivered her report. Jing Yuan nodded occasionally, though his gaze would drift toward Kazuki from time to time, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
It wasn’t until Helmsman Yukong had taken her leave that Jing Yuan finally set down the scrolls in his hand and spoke with a grin. “Alright, she’s gone. You came to see me because of what happened last night, didn’t you? You weren’t hurt in Aurum Alley?”
His all-knowing expression made Kazuki feel a touch helpless. “I wasn’t hurt. That Mara-struck patient, A-Hong, didn’t even lay a finger on me.”
“Oh? I heard a young lady came to your aid?” Jing Yuan leaned back in his chair, swirling the tea in his cup with a lazy smile. “A beauty saving the hero. I understand, I understand.”
It seemed Firefly’s existence hadn’t escaped the ever-watchful eyes and ears of the Seat of Divine Foresight after all.
“Great-Uncle, you’re over eight hundred years old. Why are you still so gossipy?” Kazuki pressed a hand to his forehead, his exasperation plain.
“It’s precisely because I’m over eight hundred that I need to gossip,” Jing Yuan replied, his tone utterly righteous. “Look at me. My days before becoming Mara-struck aren’t that far off. If I don’t find some entertainment, how am I supposed to endure what’s to come?” He paused, then leaned in closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “That girl, Firefly… who is she to you?”
As he spoke, he even scooted his chair closer to Kazuki, his posture suggesting he was moments away from pulling out a bag of melon seeds to listen to the story.
“Stop, stop.” Kazuki waved his hands frantically, trying to steer the conversation back on course. “We’re here to talk about serious business.”
“Sigh. Can’t you satisfy the curiosity of this old man? You know, I’ve always been a Minister Fu supporter. She’s such a good person; of course I have to look out for her,” Jing Yuan lamented with a dramatic sigh.
“Fu Xuan…” The name brought back a complicated memory, and Kazuki’s expression shifted. He recalled the very first time they had met.
It was during the Third Abundance War. Kazuki had only been a few years old, and Fu Xuan was the newly appointed Grand Diviner of the Xianzhou Luofu’s Divination Commission. At the time, she had been received by the Jing family to meet him—her nominal fiancé.
To say the situation had been awkward would be an understatement. Fu Xuan, upon learning her fiancé was the famous child prodigy of the Luofu, probably thought to herself: ‘Since this person became famous at a young age, just like me, he must possess some remarkable capability…’But the reality she was presented with was…’What?! You’re telling me this small child is my fiancé?!’
To this day, Kazuki could not forget the look of sheer disbelief on Fu Xuan’s face as she pointed at him. Besides, she had never truly accepted him as her fiancé. After all, who would be happy about being saddled with a child groom? Especially not someone as proud as Fu Xuan, who was working tirelessly toward her goal of becoming an Arbiter-General of the Alliance.
The title of “fiancée” was just something he used to tease her. When the time actually came to fulfill the marriage contract, Kazuki figured he would simply make a contribution to the Alliance matching the price his family had paid, thereby compensating for their loss.
“Sigh.” Seeing the complex emotions flicker across Kazuki’s face at the mention of Fu Xuan, Jing Yuan couldn’t help but sigh again. It seemed his grand-nephew’s perception of Minister Fu was still stuck a decade in the past.
However, Jing Yuan didn’t intend to point it out. Although he was a “Minister Fu supporter,” he had no desire to interfere in the affairs of the younger generation. Fate was not something that could be forced.
“Alright, back to business.” Jing Yuan’s playful expression vanished, replaced by his usual calm authority. He took a document out of a drawer and pushed it across the desk toward Kazuki. “Your exit permit. It’s done.”
The document bore the dual seals of the Seat of Divine Foresight and the Sky-Faring Commission. The ink was still fresh, clearly having just been approved.
“I knew you’d come through, Great-Uncle!” Kazuki’s eyes lit up. He snatched up the document and flipped through it, a great weight lifting from his shoulders. He had only mentioned it last night, and it was already settled this morning. Who said the General of the Divine Prowess was a slacker? This was efficiency at its finest.
“However…” Jing Yuan suddenly pulled the document back, tapping the tabletop with a single fingertip. “I have one condition.”
Kazuki had been mentally preparing for this. He wasn’t surprised. “What condition? Is it about the things I promised you last night, Great-Uncle?”
“No. Those can’t be considered conditions. Those are principles for how a person should conduct themselves,” Jing Yuan denied flatly.
‘True enough…’ Kazuki thought. If a person’s moral conduct only went as far as not breaking the law, they would be quite the deranged individual indeed.
“For your safety,” Jing Yuan continued, his voice even, “I’ve decided to set a small goal for you. That is… before you leave the Luofu, you must defeat my apprentice.” He paused, his gaze unwavering. “Yanqing.”
“What?!” The word burst from Kazuki’s lips, his voice cracking with shock. “You want me to fight Yanqing?!”