Chapter 245

In the illusion realm, although A Zhuo could change forms, he was still easily dealt with by Xing.

Things have come to this point; it also has no choice but to accept reality and must temporarily part ways with Bai Lu. No matter how long the frolic, there will always be a day it ends.

It turned into a cluster of ghostly fire and burrowed into the Wangyue Hu; as Suiyang faded, Bai Lu's half-open eyes gradually regained clarity. She felt her memory was a bit blurry, as if she had just had a strange dream.

Bai Lu felt guilty that everyone had been running around looking for her; she was so sensible it made one's heart ache. She was just about to apologize when Gui Naifen interrupted, saying: "Being controlled, being imprisoned naturally makes one want to escape—that's only natural. The problem lies with those adults who constantly want to correct your behavior, those who think they know what you should do."

Gui Naifen's own childhood resembled Bai Lu's—she too had been demanded by her family to do this and that, so she rebelled and ran away, eventually settling on the Xingzhou. She also believed Bai Lu would have the strength to leave her current life and move on to the next stage.

After being doused with some motivational soup, Bai Lu also broke into tears then smiled, and left the illusion together with everyone.

Soon after, Xiao Guizi saw another post saying that everyone in the Divination Bureau was acting strange, scaring the landlord out of his card‑playing thoughts. Seeing the message, Xing hurriedly informed Qing Que, telling her to first hold down the fort as the "head" of the Divination Bureau and not let anyone inside rush out. At the same time, the ghost‑catching squad set off for Suiyuan, planning to first give Fu Yan a beating and then ask about the situation.

In Suiyuan, Fu Yan remained as arrogant as ever, but its strength was still less than half its bluster, and Xing subdued it again. Willing to bet and accept loss, it combined Huo Huo's intel and guessed that the entity occupying the Divination Bureau's Suiyang was Xiyan.

Xiyan, like Fu Xuan, possesses the ability to discern past and future and predict fate; possessing Fu Xuan counts as a professional match.

——

Marvel Universe.

The night sky over New York was lit by countless neon lights; on the rooftop terrace of Stark Tower, Tony leaned against the railing, holding a glass of amber whiskey. He lowered his gaze to watch the ice cubes in the glass refract countless tiny halos in the light, his eyes somewhat unfocused.

"Doctor, since that Suiyang, like Fu Xuan, can predict fate, it must have foreseen Liaoyuan's defeat. In other words, Liaoyuan knows it is fighting a battle with a zero percent chance of victory."

"Could there be a possibility that Xiyan can predict a method to guarantee a 100% victory over the general? … Of course, that probability might be low, but it certainly isn't zero; if it runs enough calculations, it will definitely find a way to defeat the general."

Behind him, Strange lightly shook his head; the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes held countless experiences Tony could not fathom: "Time cannot be simply summed up by numbers, Tony. It is more like…… an infinitely extending net, each node connected to countless possibilities."

"Oh come on, Doctor, don't drag out your time theory again." Tony rolled his eyes, took a sip of whiskey, and said, "I'm asking about practical application. If you can foresee the future, why not just find a surefire way to win?"

"Because there simply is no absolute surefire method." Strange lifted his gaze to the night sky; under the shimmer of the light barrier, the stars above looked dim and tiny: "Every choice comes with a price. The greatest irony of foreseeing the future is—— the more you know, the clearer it becomes that you cannot force a perfect ending."

"Even if you find a way to defeat the general…… after beating Tengxiao General, then what? Is the future over? When faced with the next Jingyuan General, how will Liaoyuan proceed?"

The night breeze swept over the terrace, bringing the distant city's clamor. Tony fell silent for a moment, then suddenly picked up the bottle and poured Strange a glass as well.

"You know, Doctor, sometimes I think you wizards are even more rational than we are." He handed over the cup, "But that raises another question—if Xiyan's foreseen future is absolutely going to happen, what about free will? Isn't that a joke?"

Strange took the cup but did not drink right away; the golden liquid swirled in the glass, casting distorted shadows of the two of them.

"The Eye of Agamotto lets me see the future, but it doesn't decide it." He spoke softly, "Believe in fate, but there's no need to resign yourself to it…… Tony."

——

Everyone arrived at the Divination Bureau; Qing Que, who was in charge of the "head" role, immediately ran over and asked everyone about the bureau's situation.

Su Shang saw no reason to hide anything, so she simply told the truth. Upon hearing it, Qing Que not only stayed calm but even volunteered to guide a few of them.

Upon entering the Poor Observation Formation, they saw seven or eight diviners gathered around the Divination Bureau, muttering things like "the road is forever only one path," "divination is meaningless," "the study of divination no longer exists," and similar remarks.

The Divination Bureau was also muttering under its breath, but it didn't sound like it was divining a route. Seeing that the bureau's state was off, Huo Huo took out a bell and gently shook it, trying to break into the illusion shared by the bureau and Suiyang.

Unexpectedly, the bureau turned around and snapped, "Silence! No noise allowed inside the Divination Bureau!"

Fu Xuan strode toward the crowd with a mighty aura, not caring that Huo Huo had exposed its Xiyan identity in front of everyone. She planted one hand on her hip and sneered at their arrival: "What you call me doesn't matter; whether Fu Xuan or Xiyan, I am the sole master of this Divination Bureau."

"\"Divination work is now at a critical juncture and cannot tolerate disturbance. Not even judges from the Ten Kings Bureau or passengers of the Starrail Express may behave recklessly here! \"

Having said that, Fu Xuan's eyes turned icy as she fiercely stared at the bewildered Qing Que.

"\"Hmph, Qing Que! Is it you again, bringing these outsiders into the bureau? Have you turned my everyday rules into wind in your ears? \""

The more Fu Xuan spoke, the angrier she became; she lightly clenched her silver teeth and then bluntly declared:

"\"Qing Que, you're fired! \"

The Divination Bureau's resounding, impassioned statement drew sympathetic glances from everyone toward Qing Que.

Qing Que, still stunned from the shock, could not regain her composure for a long time: "I…? This, this also……"

"\"Damn! We just lost a member in an instant!" Su Shang was still indignant for Qing Que, but the next second she saw her face flushed with excitement, head tilted back, the corners of her mouth turned up so fiercely even an AK could not suppress it.

"\"……This is just too great!! \""

——

Teyvat, Liyue.

"Wait…… why does she have that expression?" Keqing froze; in her memory, a job at the Divination Bureau was an iron rice bowl—once you got it, you were set for life.

This position is equivalent to Liyue's General Affairs Office; every year countless people fight to get in. Although the pay is average, there are various subsidies during holidays and it is stable. Compared with risky commercial ventures, many people regard this as their top choice.

"Maybe quitting comes with a compensation package? I recall the General Affairs Office also had such a thing……" Yanfei also remembered having filed several similar lawsuits before, all concerning labor contract termination; whether in Liyue or Fontaine, there was a substantial payout.

"Having received that compensation, is it really worth being this happy? But the job is gone."

Keqing still couldn't understand; she had personally seen General Affairs Office staff who were fired for slacking off and refusing to improve, their faces as grim as hearing a funeral bell—if not for the handrail on the office's front steps, they might not even be able to walk down the stairs.

"Compensation is usually tied to years of service—the longer you work, the larger the payout."

Yanfei rested her index finger on her chin and fell into thought: "I'm not sure if the Xingzhou has similar labor contracts, but if it does, given that Xingzhou natives work in increments of centuries…… Miss Qing Que, who received that compensation, might not be financially free, but she'd probably never have to worry about food and drink."