Late at night, in the underground black market of Xiahai City, inside Fox Momomo’s tent.
When Xiaoxi arrived, the Astrologer was in the middle of a divination session with two others.
She had borrowed Fox Momomo’s crystal ball, and the smooth surface reflected her lovely face as she held her breath and focused.
“Hmm… It looks like your career is about to take a turn for the better. You might encounter a new opportunity—in short, there will be a positive change.”
“Yay!”
Hearing the Astrologer’s words, the little money-loving fox was so delighted her tail practically wagged up into the sky.
“As for Minister Lin’s…” The Astrologer peered into the crystal ball.
“You haven’t encountered any particular setbacks at work recently, but you’re entangled with all sorts of things, so you’ll probably be working overtime more often?”
Miss L closed her eyes in despair. “That’s nonsense, totally nonsense. I’ve never believed in superstitious fortune-telling.”
Xiaoxi: “……”
Seriously now, so when the fortune is good, you call it a blessing and take it, but when it’s bad, suddenly it’s all superstitious nonsense, huh?
Xiaoxi was actually surprised that the Astrologer, such a big shot among the Six Seats, didn’t put on any airs at all and was willing to hang around with them doing divination……
Of course, the fact that Xiaoxi referred to it as “playing” meant she didn’t really believe in this stuff either.
“Miss A Li, would you like to check your career fortune too?”
Just as Xiaoxi was about to tactfully refuse, the Astrologer closed her eyes with a mysterious air and continued.
“Hmm… No need to check. Miss A Li’s career is under a lucky star right now. I’d wager you’re about to get an unexpected windfall, aren’t you?”
No sooner had the Astrologer finished speaking than Xiaoxi’s phone chimed with a notification.
She picked up her phone and, the moment she saw it, her eyes went wide.
No way, are you serious?!
She’d just received a bank deposit notification—five figures, instantly freezing Xiaoxi’s brain… This fortune-telling stuff… Well, maybe there’s a reason it’s been passed down for so many years.
You can’t just dismiss it as feudal nonsense so lightly, right?
“Madam Astrologer, how… how did you divine this one?”
“Oh, that’s not fate. I told the Association to send the payment,” the Astrologer smiled.
“The higher-ups have just officially moved your file into the Association’s system under the name of Magic Girl Sirius. This is the back pay they owed you for the last few months.”
Xiaoxi hadn’t expected the Astrologer, a Six Seats bigwig, to have such a playful side, but it made her realize something at once.
“So, if the Association has taken over my file, does that mean the Council agreed to my request from earlier today?”
“That’s right. From now on, you’ll receive orders directly from the Council, but you’re free to decide whether to accept them. Miss A Xing no longer needs to participate in the Association’s daily affairs either, though your salary will still be paid as usual.”
“But as for Miss Ye Xinglan, there are still two members of the Six Seats who simply can’t relax. They insist on at least monitoring the Blood Moon Witch’s location and status with a Locator.”
Xiaoxi shook her head solemnly. “If there isn’t complete trust, then there’s no trust at all. If the Council doesn’t trust me, I can’t trust them not to tamper with Xinglan.”
“I’d suggest Miss A Xing not use forceful measures to solve the problem.”
The Astrologer immediately guessed Xiaoxi’s intentions.
“With your ability, Miss A Xing, I’m sure you could easily pressure the Council into giving in with sheer force—but is it really worth falling out with them so thoroughly?”
“Hidden Bone Hall’s research and medical technology for mutants is the best around. You know the Blood Moon Witch is an artificial mutant created by the Divine Summon Order, and her condition is complicated. If something goes wrong, there’s no hospital better than Hidden Bone Hall.”
The Astrologer gently coaxed,
“You should weigh the pros and cons before choosing how to act. Since there are times you need the Association’s help, it’s better to handle things as smoothly as possible without giving up your own terms. Don’t you think so, Miss A Xing?”
“I still have some ways to mediate this matter. Let me try to handle it first. If I really can’t fix things, we’ll do it your way. How about that?”
Calming down, Xiaoxi realized the Astrologer did make sense, but she couldn’t help feeling her tone was a bit odd.
She could have just gotten straight to the conclusion, but instead, she’d explained things step by step like a mother guiding her child—pointing out not just the method but the reasoning behind it too, gently leading her along, and on top of that, the Astrologer just exuded that wifely vibe…
What’s more, for someone who’s one of the Six Seats, the Astrologer’s position here was a little peculiar, wasn’t it?
Xiaoxi didn’t distrust her, but she honestly couldn’t figure out where this bigwig’s loyalties and background lay.
Even though the identities of the Six Seats were kept secret, Xiaoxi had a pretty good idea of which organizations had formed the Association after the Great Chaos.
With a bit of research, she could guess which group leaders might have made it into the Six Seats.
Except for the Astrologer—no matter how hard Xiaoxi searched these days, she couldn’t find a single clue.
As mysterious as if she hadn’t even existed during the Great Chaos Era… Oh well, if she can’t find out, then so be it.
She just shouldn’t pin all her hopes on the Astrologer, that’s all.
“Oh, right, Madam Astrologer, about that last question from our conversation earlier today…”
“Oh, that? The Six Seats added it as a last-minute question during our meeting. It’s actually quite important—the fact that you’re a couple is one of the main reasons they felt comfortable letting you oversee the Blood Moon Witch. The Six Seats wanted to confirm whether your relationship is truly solid.”
The Astrologer winked playfully. “I suppose I don’t need to help you prepare the answer for that, right? Still, Miss A Xing’s answer really surprised me.”
“Ah, young people’s romances really are enviable. Makes me remember my own days with a lover. Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave…”
Xiaoxi cleared her throat. If she’d known, she wouldn’t have asked that question with Miss L and Fox Momomo present.
Now those two were staring at her so curiously her cheeks were starting to burn.
“Ahem, Madam Astrologer, actually, I do have one more question.”
“Um, about… about Xinglan’s answer at the time…”
It wasn’t like she could chase the other two out of the tent just for this, but she also didn’t want to miss this chance, so she could only muster her courage and ask quietly.
Truth be told, Xiaoxi was just like Ye Xinglan: curious about the answer but too embarrassed to ask directly, so both of them pretended not to care, waiting to see who would break first.
But Xiaoxi had way more patience—she didn’t need to get the answer out of her little girlfriend.
“Oh~ Miss A Xing wants me to snitch?” The Astrologer grinned knowingly. “Alright, but I may not remember everything—Miss Ye Xinglan’s answer was so long, you two are complete opposites in that sense.”
“During the conversation, Miss Ye Xinglan seemed uninterested until this question came up. Then she perked right up and told us all sorts of things. Let me see…”
“For example, Miss A Xing’s hair smells wonderful; Miss A Xing is tiny and adorable, and even cuter when you’re holding her; she cooks really well, her hands are soft and small, and when she gets angry, you just want to tease her even more, and then…”