"Although Azhuo could change forms in the illusion, Star easily dealt with it."

"Things having come to this, it had no choice but to accept reality and temporarily separate from Bai Lu. Even the longest playtime eventually comes to an end."

"It transformed into a wisp of ghostly fire and drilled into the Moon-Gazing Gourd. As the Suijin disappeared, Bai Lu's half-closed eyes gradually regained clarity. She felt her Remembrance was a bit fuzzy, like she had a strange dream."

"Bai Lu felt guilty that everyone had rushed around looking for her, showing a maturity that was heartbreaking. Just as she was about to apologize, Guinaifen spoke first: 'Being controlled, being restrained, makes one want to escape, isn't that human nature? It's those adults who always want to correct behavior, those who think they know what you should do, who are the problem.'"

"Guinaifen's own childhood trajectory was similar to Bai Lu's; she was also told what to do by her family, so she resisted and ran away, settling down on the Immortal Boat. She also believed that Bai Lu would have the strength to leave her current life and move on to the next."

"After a dose of inspirational talk, Bai Lu broke into a smile and left the illusion with everyone."

"Soon after, Guinaifen saw another post, saying that everyone at the Divination Commission was acting strange, scaring away the Landlord's desire to play cards. Seeing the message, Star quickly notified Qing Que, telling her to act as the 'head' of the Divination Commission for now and not let anyone in the department out. At the same time, the ghost-catching team set off for Suizhou Garden to beat up Fu Yan first and ask for information later."

"Fu Yan in Suizhou Garden was still very arrogant, but unfortunately, its strength wasn't even half as tough as its mouth, and it was successfully subdued by Star again. Willing to bet and lose, this time, combining Huohuo's information, it speculated that the Suijin occupying the Divination Commission was Xiye."

"Xiye, like Fu Xuan, has the ability to see the past and know the future, and predict fate. Possessing Fu Xuan can be considered a professional match."

---

Marvel Universe.

New York's night sky 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 looked down at the ice cubes in the glass, reflecting countless tiny halos under the light, his gaze somewhat lost."

"Dr. Singed, since that Suijin can predict fate just like Fu Xuan, it must have predicted Liaoyuan's failure. In other words, Liaoyuan knew it was fighting a battle with a 0% win rate."

"Is there a possibility that Xiye can predict a method to 100% defeat the General?...Of course, the probability might be very low, but it certainly isn't 0. As long as it calculates enough times, it can definitely find a way to defeat the General."

Strange, behind him, gently shook his head. The wrinkles around his eyes hid countless experiences Tony couldn't decipher: "Time cannot be simply summarized by numbers, Tony. It's more like an... infinitely extending web, with each node connected to countless possibilities."

"Oh please, Dr. Singed, don't bring out your time theory again." Tony rolled his eyes and took a sip of whiskey. "I'm asking about practical application. Since you can foresee the future, why not just find the guaranteed winning method?"

"Because there is no absolute guaranteed winning method at all." Strange looked up at the night sky. Against the backdrop of the light screen, the stars in the sky appeared dim and small. "Any choice comes with a price. The greatest irony of foreseeing the future is - the more you know, the more you realize you cannot force a perfect outcome."

"Even if a method to defeat the General is found... you beat General Tengxiao, then what? The future is over? Facing the next General Jing Yuan, what should Liaoyuan do?"

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

"You know what, Dr. Singed? Sometimes I think you wizards are more rational than us." He handed over the glass. "But this brings up another question - if the future Xiye foresees is absolutely going to happen, then what about free will? Isn't that a joke?"

Strange took the glass but didn't drink immediately. The golden liquid swirled in the glass, reflecting their distorted shadows."

"The Eye of Agamotto allows me to see the future, but it doesn't decide the future," he said softly. "Believe in fate, but there's no need to accept it... Tony."

---

"Everyone arrived at the Divination Commission. Qing Que, in charge of being the 'head', immediately ran over and asked about the situation at the Divination Commission."

"Su Shang felt there was nothing to hide, so she told the truth. Qing Que, instead of panicking after hearing it, even volunteered to lead the way for them."

"Upon arriving at the Matrix of Prescience, they saw seven or eight diviners gathered around the Grand Astrologer, muttering things like 'there is only ever one path', 'divination is meaningless', 'the art of divination no longer exists'."

"The Grand Astrologer was also muttering to herself, but it didn't sound like she was divining a navigation route. Seeing that the Grand Astrologer was in a strange state, Huohuo took out her bell and gently shook it, trying to break into the Grand Astrologer and Suijin's illusion."

"But unexpectedly, the Grand Astrologer turned around directly and angrily rebuked:'Silence! No noise is allowed in the Divination Commission!'"

"Fu Xuan walked towards the group aggressively, not caring that Huohuo had revealed its identity as Xiye in public. With one hand on its hip, it sneered at their arrival: 'It doesn't matter what you call me. Whether Fu Xuan or Xiye, I am the sole master of this Divination Commission.'"

"'Currently, the divination work is at a critical juncture and cannot be disturbed by others. Not even a Judge from the Ten-Lords Commission, or guests of the Star Rail, are allowed to be presumptuous here!'"

"After speaking, Fu Xuan's gaze sharpened, staring fiercely at the bewildered Qing Que."

"'Hmph, Qing Que! It's you again. Did you bring these outsiders into the department? Did you take the rules I usually set as if they were wind blowing past your ears?'"

"The more Fu Xuan spoke, the angrier it got. It lightly bit its silver teeth, and finally announced on the spot:"

"'Qing Que, you are fired!'"

"The Grand Astrologer's forceful and impassioned speech caused everyone to cast sympathetic glances towards Qing Que."

"Qing Que also took a long time to recover from the shock: 'Me...? Th-this, this is also...'"

"'Damn it! We lost one person just like that!' Su Shang was still indignant for Qing Que, but the next second, she saw Qing Que's face turn red with excitement, her head tilted back, her upward-curving lips harder to suppress than an AK."

"'...This is too great!!'"

---

Teyvat, Liyue.

"Wait... why is she making that expression?" Keqing was stunned. In her impression, working at the Divination Commission was an iron rice bowl, the kind that once you got it, you'd never have to worry about anything for the rest of your life."

This job was equivalent to the Liyue Qixing. Every year, countless people squeezed their heads trying to get in. Although the income was average, there were various subsidies during festivals, and it was stable. Compared to commercial activities that came with various risks, this path was considered the first choice by many.

"Perhaps there's a compensation package for leaving? I remember the Qixing also had something like that when someone left..." Yanfei still remembered handling a few similar lawsuits before, all about labor contract termination. Both Liyue and Fontaine had considerable compensation packages.

"Is getting that compensation package worth being this happy? But the job is gone?"

Keqing still couldn't understand. She had personally seen those Qixing employees who were ordered to resign due to slacking off and being incorrigible; their faces were like they had heard a death knell. If it weren't for the handrails on the stairs outside the Qixing building, they probably would have had trouble even going downstairs.

"Compensation is often linked to years of service. The longer you work, the more compensation you get."

Yanfei rested her index finger on her chin, lost in thought: "I don't know if there are similar labor contracts on the Immortal Boat, but if there are, considering their Xianzhou People's work duration is often measured in centuries... Miss Qing Que, after receiving this compensation, might not be financially free, but she probably won't have to worry about food and drink."