Life gradually returned to normal. Xiaoxi had been having a fairly peaceful couple of days… except when it came to sleeping at night.
The matter with the Apocalyptic Church had settled, and Wange Yue’s issue had been resolved fairly satisfactorily.
The public security in North Blossom City had also been steadily improving during this time.
If there was any lingering loose end from this incident, it was probably just that the hashtag “Eternal Star x Blood Moon Witch” was still trending on the hot search.
For the past couple of days, Ye Xinglan had accompanied Da Tianxin on a full tour of North Blossom City.
Xiaoxi had originally hoped that the rich girl would burn off enough energy during the day to quiet down at night, but it turned out she was overthinking it.
Another regretful event was that Xiaoxi hadn’t been able to stop the historic meeting between Da Tianxin and Silver Bell.
That day, Silver Bell came looking for Ye Xinglan to play games and happened to run into Da Tianxin.
With Ye Xinglan’s introduction, they chatted briefly… and then it spiraled out of control.
Those two were practically Boya meeting Zhong Ziqi—kindred spirits finding each other in a desolate land.
Now they’d get together every day to chat… Xiaoxi had no idea what they talked about, but Da Tianxin came back every time with a satisfied, happy smile on her face, which made Xiaoxi feel uneasy.
What good thing could possibly make Da Tianxin that happy?
Two days passed like this. Just as Xiaoxi was considering whether to sleep in a separate room from Ye Xinglan for a while to recuperate, her mom suddenly sent a message.
After lunch, Xiaoxi had just walked out of the bedroom when she saw Ye Xinglan lying lazily on her back on the sofa, using a few tentacles to hold up her phone and scroll through a game.
“Where’s Tianxin?”
“Oh, she finished lunch and dashed off next door. Probably went to chat with Ling’er.”
“…Alright, don’t be lazy either. The old… Miss Astrologer wants us to come over for a bit.”
Xiaoxi took a deep breath to perk up. She had actually expected this day to come.
Although her mom had said in the hospital room that Xinglan’s problem was taken care of, she knew they’d have to formally bring Xinglan along for a proper discussion.
When the two arrived at the Association, the Astrologer was brewing tea in her office.
Her office was on the top floor of the North Flower City Association, with a clear view of the skyscrapers across the street.
The cabinets were filled with crystal balls, tarot cards, and other divination tools.
The office really had an “Astrologer” vibe. If it were before, Xiaoxi might not have thought twice.
But now that she knew her mom was actually the Astrologer, looking at the office’s decor made her feel a bit off.
Xiaoxi suddenly understood—she could finally empathize with how her younger sister felt when she found out Xiaoxi was [Eternal Star] and then came home to see a room full of Eternal Star merchandise.
Come to think of it, was this the first time she was meeting the Astrologer in an official setting after learning about her mom’s identity?
It felt weirdly awkward, and her heart inexplicably tensed up.
“Mom… Miss Astrologer… Good afternoon.”
Xiaoxi struggled for a long time, not knowing what form of address was appropriate. But beside her, Ye Xinglan’s eyes widened in disbelief the moment she heard the word “Mom.”
“You may continue calling me Miss Astrologer,” the Astrologer said with an elegant smile.
“Let’s try to use our titles during work hours. Wait a moment—I need to contact someone else. Would you two like some tea?”
“Oh, thank you, Miss Astrologer.”
Xiaoxi and Ye Xinglan settled onto the sofa by the door, watching the Astrologer busy herself nearby.
Suddenly, Ye Xinglan nudged the toe of Xiaoxi’s shoe, furrowed her brow, leaned in, and whispered.
“Xiaoxi, that’s not really appropriate, is it?”
“Huh? What?”
“I know the Astrologer is one of the Six Seats, and it’s normal for you to want to get on her good side. But you can’t call her Mom just to be friendly! What if our actual mom found out?”
Ye Xinglan spoke with righteous indignation, and only then did Xiaoxi realize she hadn’t had a chance to tell her that her mom was the Astrologer.
Right, from the rich girl’s perspective, suddenly calling her “Mom” would definitely seem strange.
“Cough, Xinglan, actually…”
“I see Miss Ye Xinglan is looking quite well. Have you been keeping up with your magic replenishment these past two days?”
Before Xiaoxi could deny it, Ye Xinglan jumped in.
“Of course! I’ve been consistently replenishing my magic. Don’t worry, Miss Astrologer~”
‘Great! I should have told her about Mom earlier. Now saying something like that in front of Mom is so awkward!’
Sure enough, the Astrologer didn’t reply, just smiled meaningfully.
A moment later, she locked the door and drew the curtains.
After the communication connected, Delta’s figure appeared in the projection.
“Well, it’s been a while, you two. I won’t waste time with pleasantries—let’s get straight to the point.”
Delta still had heavy dark circles under her eyes.
She held a small lab notebook and immediately started asking the two a series of questions about their physical condition, leaving Xiaoxi a bit flustered.
“Hmm… I see… Alright. I’ve got it. You can discuss the rest with Miss Astrologer.”
The head of Hidden Bone Hall seemed very busy.
After asking her questions, she cut off the communication without any extra words, leaving the other two sitting blankly in the office.
“Miss Astrologer, what was that…”
The Astrologer sat behind her desk and struck the exact same pose as Commander Ikari.
“You two need to go to Hidden Bone Hall.”
Xiaoxi: “?”
Xiaoxi was dumbfounded. That semi-independent organization not controlled by the Association, whose headquarters no one even knew the location of? Why would her mom suddenly send them there?
“Don’t you remember, Miss Xiaoxi?” the Astrologer reminded. “We agreed earlier—you help me out, and I’ll find a way to solve Miss Ye Xinglan’s magic power out-of-control problem, right?”
“However, as you know, the Blood Moon Witch’s condition is rather special. Only Hidden Bone Hall’s magical technology can properly solve the problem. Lady Delta has already agreed.”
Xiaoxi remembered. Back when she was still wary of the Astrologer, the other party had indeed proposed such a deal… The problem was that now she didn’t think it was that urgent.
The rich girl was replenishing her magic so much that she was almost overflowing—there was no risk of magic depletion leading to loss of control!
“Wait, I have a question,” Ye Xinglan raised her hand. “If I solve my magic power out-of-control problem, then I won’t need Xiaoxi to replenish my magic anymore, right?”
The Astrologer smiled. “Yes, that’s correct. That way, Miss Xiaoxi won’t have to work so hard either. Something to celebrate, isn’t it?”
“…Maybe we don’t need to go to Hidden Bone Hall after all? I think things are fine the way they are now, Xiaoxi. Besides, the Six Seats are probably busy, right? Let’s not bother them, what do you say?”
Xiaoxi: “…”
‘Your intentions are way too obvious! And don’t say weird stuff like that in front of Mom, geez!’
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She’s going to burn Xiaoxi out at her rate.