Chapter Text
Qingque should’ve known something was wrong the second that she had been invited to the Yuque. It just seemed like a great opportunity at the time. A trip to another Flagship of the Hexafleet and a way to avoid the potential work and stress Fu Xuan could toss her way at the Divination Commission.
For a time, things were awesome. Free room, trip, board, and plenty of Celestial Jade and other games to play. All she had to do was show up to school again and put in the bare minimum.
60s. An auspicious number as usual.
Well, not so auspicious as she had once thought considering she had been called to the office of the head of the Omniscience Sapientia Academe.
Qingque sat on a chair slightly too tall for her, as most chairs were for her and Fu Xuan in general, as she waited nervously for the man across from her to speak. A man who most definitely wasn’t the head of the Omniscience Sapientia Academe, but instead the Flaming Heart and Master of the Zhuming.
“You’ve made quite a name for yourself, young Qingque,” Huaiyan finally spoke.
Qingque sat up straight at the sound of his voice and looked at him with suspicion. He might look like a kindly old man but Qingque could see the conniving mastermind behind that façade.
Ugh… This is why she didn’t like dealing with most higher-ups. Always being so two-faced or always trying to hide things from her. Granted she could always dig deeper and figure it out, but that took effort. It was why she preferred working under Fu Xuan.
Yes she was a bit of a task manager if she got her hands on you, but she wore her heart on her sleeve. You always knew how she was feeling about you, you always knew what she wanted from you, and that straightforwardness is why so many were willing to work under her. Including Qingque.
This man on the other hand was nothing like that. In fact he was the sorta person that she liked working with the least and would actively avoid if she could.
“Oh I didn’t do much, just barely keeping up with my studies,” Qingque deflected. Play humble, downplay her abilities, and deflect. That was her survival tactic every since her parents had forced her into school.
“You have plenty of time playing a Celestial Jade. A once lost game that you rediscovered,” Huaiyan replied as he began to rub at his beard. “A novel and complex game. One that requires adaptability and luck just as much as it needs strategy. It’s good for the mind and I’ve been trying to get my granddaughter to play, but she always seems to refuse.”
“Is that why you asked for me?” Qingque asked. “Because I can always show your granddaughter the joys of Celestial Jade.”
The old man chuckled. “Perhaps another time. Now though… I imagine you’d have heard the recent news.”
Qingque gulped. It was when she had heard said news that she had some idea about what was going to happen. “Seer Strategist Yao Guang… fell competing in the Phantasmoon Games. Though her status is currently unknown it is likely that she will be indisposed for an indefinite period.”
Huaiyan nodded. “Indeed, which comes to the crux of the matter.”
“You invited a bunch of Diviners from all over the place. One of them will be the Successor while the rest helps to pick up the slack for the new Boss.” Qingque sighed. “And since I just barely passed my studies here, I’m capable enough that I have to stay and help out.”
Which was going to be a chaotic transitional period that she had no desire to get involved with. She could already imagine the amount of time she could spend playing Celestial Jade would be cut.
The old man raised an eye. “Partially correct. You will need to be a bit more accurate with your predictions if you’re going to adjust to your new role.”
“Partially?”
Huaiyan took out a folder from under the desk and plopped it on the surface for her to see. It had her name on it. “A record of all your assignments during your time here.”
“Yea… I mean. I didn’t fail right?”
He nodded. “You didn’t. Barely passing on every single test and assignment. Bottom of the students still present, never exceeding them, but never low enough to be sent away like several others before you.”
Qingque scratched the back of her head. “Yea. Well I’m just lucky I guess.”
“That is on the assumption that you were given the same assignments as the rest of the students.”
Qingque froze, her hand still touching the back of her head. “What do you mean different assignments?”
“It was a note that Madam Yao Guang left to us before she departed.” Huaiyan took out a small letter, coughed into his hand a little, and then began reading it. “For Qingque, give her this set of assignments I specifically picked out for her. Do not let her know about this until the moment you have her sitting in my old office."
“How were my assignments different?” Qingque asked as slow cold dread crept its way throughout her body. She was no Fool. When the more obvious options were quickly whittled, all that would be left would be the unlikely ones. Even if they once sounded completely outlandish. “I mean they couldn’t have been that much harder right? Some of those other guys in the classroom sounded really smart.”
“You were tasked to decipher predictions and formulas that Madam Yao Guang had solved in the post, with the same amount of knowledge that she had at the time. Beyond the capabilities of all the other Diviners we had invited here,” the old man explained. “I admit I was skeptical about giving these problems to one so young, especially once I had seen you in person.” He chuckled again. “In the end though, much like your old Predecessor, you’ve completely and consistently surpassed any expectations we placed on you. A true unpredictable variable much like her.”
“Predecessor?” Qingque's voice squeaked as she began trembling in her seat.
“Congratulations Qingque. You are now one of the Seven Arbiter-Generals. The Seer Strategist and leader of the Xianzhou Yuque.” Huaiyan said as he bowed his head to her respectfully. “Do not worry. As one of our colleagues you will receive the support and resources needed to help you transition to your new role. You will also find that our schedules will be open to assist should you need of our experience.”
Qingque had nothing to say to that. All she could do was have her eyes roll to the back of her head before she fell off the chair and onto the ground. As everything began fading away she could hear the old man muttering again.
“And please catch her when she inevitably faints- couldn’t you have started with that?” Huaiyan muttered as he rustled through another slip of paper buried in the envelope. “Treating your successor for a concussion not an auspicious start to her new role.”
And that was all Qingque heard before everything went black.