Kiana and the Captain's Bizarre Adventure

After entering the Tianbo Bureau, the group met the person in charge of the Tianbo Bureau.

"Let me introduce you all. This is Lord Yu Kong, the head of the Sky Ship Bureau."

Tingyun introduced Yukong to everyone, saying that Yukong had blue hair and, like Tingyun, fox ears and a tail.

After looking around at everyone's faces, Yu Kong said seriously, "I have already heard the general situation from Ting Yun. First of all, I would like to thank the Starry Sky Train for its enthusiastic help, but a mere Star Core Immortal Ship is not something that outsiders need to solve."

Walter raised his hand to interrupt March 7, who was about to speak, and said, "I understand what Lord Sky Soaring means, but the Star Core is no ordinary thing after all. It would be great if we had more manpower to deal with it, wouldn't it?"

"I'll say it again, no need for you all to trouble yourselves." Yu Kong's attitude was very firm. "And I also have a question that I need you all to answer."

"Oh? But it doesn't matter."

"Just a few system hours ago, the Sky Ship Bureau ordered the Jade Realm Gate to be completely sealed. The merchant ship that stopped in the clouds should have been the last spaceship to arrive. But then someone hacked into the system, opened the Jade Realm Gate, let a spacecraft in, and then withdrew from the system. But that hacker arrogantly left a symbol, which, judging from the symbol, is undoubtedly the work of Silver Wolf, a member of the Star Core Hunters, and the spacecraft that was let in is undoubtedly your Starry Sky Train..."

“We’re not entirely clear on this either,” Walter explained. “While we came at the Star Core Hunters’ request, it doesn’t mean we’re in cahoots with them.”

"That's true, but you don't have any evidence to prove your innocence, do you? In that case, we have no choice but to consider imprisoning you."

"You can't say that. If others find out, won't they say that our Immortal Ship has neglected them?"

The speaker was a person who appeared as a projection at some unknown time. He had smooth, long, silver-white hair, with slightly long bangs covering his right eye, leaving only his left eye with a hint of languor in his golden pupils.

Yu Kong hurriedly replied, "General!"

"It seems you are the legendary General Jing Yuan of the Divine Strategy Army. I, Walter, have long admired your name."

Jing Yuan laughed and said, "I won't mention your great name; I just happen to know a little about strategy. It's the people on the Starry Sky Train who are the real big shots, renowned throughout the world!"

"Let's refrain from further flattery. May I ask the purpose of the General of the Immortal Ship's personal visit?"

"Naturally, it's to help the people on our Star Train."

"But General..."

Before Yu Kong could finish speaking, Jing Yuan interrupted him: "The people of the Starry Sky Train have always acted with integrity and honesty. I believe that everyone here must have been deceived by the Star Core Hunter's sweet talk. The Star Core is a matter of great importance, so my subordinates naturally need to be more careful. I apologize for any inconvenience caused."

"We understand Miss Yu Kong's concerns, but why would the General offer such unsolicited help? Surely his visit isn't solely to clear our names?"

"Of course, I personally believe that everyone on the Star Train is innocent. However, you all came to the Immortal Ship at the request of the Star Core Hunter, and it will probably take some effort to prove that you have no connection with the Star Core Hunter."

"Speak freely, as long as it doesn't involve matters of principle, we are happy to help."

"It's very simple. I hope everyone can help us capture Kafka, the Star Core Hunter hiding in the Immortal Ship."

The train crew members exchanged glances without speaking, and Jing Yuan, naturally aware of their doubts, offered an explanation.

"I know you all boarded the Immortal Ship because the Star Core Hunters informed you that a Star Core Crisis had broken out on the ship. They claim that the outbreak has nothing to do with them, but they are ultimately a dangerous group, and it's not good to keep them hiding on the ship forever. Moreover, as you have all seen, a large number of people have already been deployed to deal with the Star Core Crisis. Is it not somewhat insufficient to rely on the remaining manpower to hunt down the most dangerous criminal group in the entire universe? Therefore, I need a surprise force to complete this mission."

"We understand the general's meaning. But simply sending us to hunt down the Star Core Hunters hiding on the Immortal Ship is probably not appropriate, is it?"

"I understand Mr. Walter's concerns. In order to make it easier for everyone to capture the Star Core Hunters, the Immortal Ship will naturally provide full assistance to you in capturing them, except for the deployment of the Cloud Cavalry. The rest of the time is for you to discuss freely. I will wait here for your replies."

After speaking, Jing Yuan gestured to the people from the Tianbo Bureau present to set aside a space for the train crew to discuss privately.

"This Jing Yuan is indeed worthy of his reputation. I'm afraid that Yu Kong's aggressive demeanor earlier was intentional, just to coordinate with Jing Yuan playing the good cop later."

"Huh? There are so many scheming people here?" March 7th said incredulously.

Bronya said, "Anyone who can sit in a high position is a shrewd person. Don't be fooled by their gentle appearance; they probably have a million little schemes up their sleeves."

“But now we can only follow his arrangements, right?” Xing asked.

"That's probably true. If we want to move freely on the Immortal Ship, we can only accept their request. In other words, we didn't have a choice from the beginning," Kiana said.

Bronya raised an eyebrow and looked at Kiana with a slightly amused expression.

"Who would have thought that our paramecia could be intelligent one day?"

"Bronya! Didn't we agree not to use this nickname in front of others?!"

"Kiana, you don't want others to know this nickname, do you?" Xing said.

"Please calm down, student."

Seeing this, Walter quickly steered the conversation back on track: "If there are no other questions, let's leave it at that."

Seeing that no one objected, Walter went back to report to Jingyuan, and then Walter brought Tingyun back to the group.

"Next, Miss Tingyun will assist us in capturing Kafka."

"Honestly, I should have left immediately. Now, because I'm quite familiar with you all, I've been forced to come and assist you. I feel like my tail is going to get even dirtier and messier!"

Seeing Tingyun complaining, March 7th couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Miss Tingyun."

"Alright, alright, I was just venting a little. To be honest, I'd be happy to take this job! It's much easier than working at the Tianbo Bureau."

As they spoke, the group arrived outside the Tianbo Bureau.

"I'll take you to the inn now, my benefactors. I can go and find an item that will help us find our trail more easily."

"Oh? Again? I have a phobia of this. Miss Tingyun, you wouldn't order an arrest warrant for us right after we check in, would you?"

"How could that be? Since our benefactors have the general's backing, we naturally wouldn't do anything out of line."

"That's good!"

"I have to say, March, aren't you a little too trusting of others?" Xing complained.

"Ah... to be honest, I've been curious from the beginning, Miss Tingyun, are your ears and tail real?"

After listening, Tingyun explained, "Of course it's true! The Immortal Boat Alliance is mainly composed of three races: the Immortal Boat People, the Wisdom Clan, and the Fox People. The rest are other races that have come here because of its reputation. These people are collectively called 'Outer People' by the Immortal Boat People. I belong to the Fox People Clan, and the Lord Yukong whom our benefactors just met is also a member of the Fox People Clan."

"Miss Tingyun, could you tell us about the origins of these three races?"

"Of course! However, I am not very clear about the specific origins of the other two tribes either. I will just tell you the general outline here, as a little story along the way."

"First and foremost, of course, are the original inhabitants of the Immortal Ship, the Immortal Ship People. Legend has it that they came from a planet that had already been completely unified. One day, the emperor of that planet suddenly wondered how long this unified empire could last without collapsing after his death. Later, after winning an invasion by the Abundant People, the emperor decided to build several giant ships to search for the miracles of Abundance. These giant ships later became the Immortal Ship Alliance. After a long period of time, they finally met the Abundant Star God—the Medicine Master. The Medicine Master granted the Immortal Ship People's wish and bestowed upon them immortality, and they are the Immortal Ship People we know today. However, this immortality seems to be imperfect. When a person's lifespan reaches a certain point, they will fall into a state called Demonic Yin Body. The enemy that my benefactors faced when they rescued the young woman was a fellow Cloud Cavalry soldier who had fallen into the Demonic Yin Body."

"Huh? Does that mean the Cloud Cavalry will just keep killing each other?"

"Hehe, Miss March, there's no need to worry. Before the people of the Immortal Ship fall into the Demonic Yin Body, an organization called the Ten Kings Division will appear and take them away. I don't know the specifics, but the Demonic Yin Body is a taboo in the Immortal Ship. It's best if you all refrain from discussing it casually!"

"Getting back to the main topic, the next one is the Vidyad clan. They are said to be descendants of the Immortal Star God. According to historical records, the reason they joined the Immortal Ship Alliance seems to be that their homeland was no longer suitable for habitation after a series of disasters. The Immortal Ship Alliance, which was passing by, invited the Vidyad clan to relocate to the Immortal Ship. Of course, the Vidyad clan was divided into different clans and went to different Immortal Ships. The leader of each clan was uniformly called the Dragon Lord. Each Dragon Lord had his own title, and the title of our Luofu Dragon Lord was Lord Drinking Moon."

"Finally, there's our Fox Clan. There's not much to say about it. We Fox Clan once received abundant blessings, but these blessings also brought disaster. In the years that followed, our homeland was invaded by the Abundant People, and we Fox Clan were forced to become experimental subjects. If it weren't for the Immortal Boat Alliance saving us, we might have been wiped out long ago."

March 7th's tone couldn't help but soften with sympathy: "So that's how it is..."

“Miss March doesn’t need any sympathy. After all, this happened a long time ago. Now our fox people are living in peace and prosperity on the Immortal Ship, which means we’ve finally overcome our hardships.”

"But speaking of the Demonic Body, is it unique to the Immortal Ship people, Miss Tingyun?" Kiana asked.

"I suppose so," Tingyun explained. "The Immortal Ship people are generally between 700 and 1000 years old when they acquire the Demonic Body. The Chiming Clan seems to use an ability called Rebirth to avoid the Demonic Body, while our Fox Clan, whose lifespan is at most 300 years, passes away before reaching the age of the Demonic Body and thus have no worries about it. Alright, my benefactors, we've arrived. You can go upstairs and pack your luggage first, then meet at the entrance later. Of course, I've already taken care of your accommodation procedures, so you can check in directly. I'll go get the things we need now."

After saying that, Tingyun left without looking back. The others didn't say anything and went into the inn to pack their luggage.

Soon after, everyone packed their luggage and waited for Tingyun to return at the entrance of the inn. Tingyun returned as she had said, with a small machine that looked like a lion following at her feet.