"Good morning, Uncle Yang, Dan Heng."
Fu Zhu and March 7th arrived at the dining hall together. Spotting Welt and Dan Heng sitting by the window, they immediately walked over to greet them.
Welt and Dan Heng looked up and saw Fu Zhu and March 7th, and couldn't help but smile and nod at the two of them.
"Sit down and have some breakfast first. Eating on time is good for you."
Although this advice didn't really apply to Fu Zhu, it was a gesture of care from an elder, so Fu Zhu happily sat down on the other side with March 7th to enjoy breakfast together.
While Fu Zhu was eating, Welt and Dan Heng didn't forget to ask about his experiences last night and this morning. Only after hearing that nothing unexpected had happened did the two feel at ease.
After breakfast, Welt began to ask about the group's plans for the day.
"What are you all planning to do next? I already spoke with Himeko yesterday. The Express will stay for a few more days, so if there's anywhere you want to go, anything you want to do, or anything you want to buy, just go ahead. Don't worry about the funds; our Express is quite well-off."
Dan Heng was the first to state his plans.
"Mm... I plan to expand the Express's databank with entries on the Luofu. Although I'm from the Luofu, I'm... not actually that familiar with it, due to some reasons."
There was one more thing Dan Heng didn't say: if it wasn't necessary, he didn't particularly want to return to the Luofu.
Welt nodded, then turned to look at Fu Zhu and March 7th.
"And you two?"
March 7th tapped her index finger on her lips and thought for a moment. "We want to go eat every delicacy on the Luofu!"
Fu Zhu, meanwhile, crossed his arms and casually replied, "I'm planning to go buy some fireworks later."
He had already obtained the Elytra from Herta's side, so naturally, he needed to prepare some fireworks to let the Elytra perform at its best.
Although the Elytra could be used without fireworks, its mobility was far inferior to when it had them. Thus, purchasing a batch of fireworks was essential, especially since he hadn't established a mob farm or an automatic sugarcane farm and lacked the materials to craft them himself.
"Fireworks?" Welt was a little surprised. "I didn't expect you to enjoy playing with fireworks, Fu Zhu. Just be careful with fire."
"Don't worry, Uncle Yang. My fireworks are just for flying. I definitely won't light anything on fire with them."
Hearing that Fu Zhu was actually going to use fireworks for flying, Welt's eyebrows couldn't help but twitch.
The concept of using fireworks for human flight had been recorded long ago. When fireworks were first invented, people had already attempted it.
A man-carrying rocket was just another "type" of firework. But hearing Fu Zhu say he wanted to buy fireworks, Welt couldn't help but associate it with the ancient tales of people trying to fly with primitive fireworks, and he couldn't stop himself from nagging again.
"Fu Zhu, flying with fireworks is a very unsafe activity. If you really want to experience the feeling of flying, I can get you a fighter jet or even a man-carrying rocket. There's no need to use a dangerous tool like fireworks."
Seeing how serious Welt was, Fu Zhu scratched his head in frustration. It was difficult to explain the matter of flying with fireworks and Elytra in just a few words, so he decided to change his approach.
"Relax, Uncle Yang. When I buy the fireworks, I'll fly for you to see. You'll know if it's safe or not then, right?"
Since Fu Zhu had put it that way, Welt naturally didn't press the issue further.
"Alright, then let's all go about our own business. I need to go find General Jing Yuan. If there's anything urgent, you can find me at the Seat of Divine Foresight."
"Okay." ×3
With their own matters to attend to, Welt and Dan Heng left after the conversation, leaving only Fu Zhu and March 7th sitting side-by-side.
Fu Zhu turned his head to see March 7th messaging Xing on her phone, but since the other party didn't reply, she just called her directly.
The moment the call connected, before March 7th could even speak, Xing's snoring came through from the other end.
March 7th's face instantly darkened, and she couldn't help but mutter, "That Xing, does she fall asleep the second she answers the phone? She must have been up all night gaming again!"
Fu Zhu couldn't help but laugh from the side. Hearing his laugh, March 7th turned her head and shot him an annoyed glare.
"You're still laughing! Aren't you going to do something about her?"
Fu Zhu spread his hands helplessly. "There's nothing I can do. Her biological clock and mine are from two completely different worlds. I wake up punctually at six in the morning, while she probably only goes to sleep at six in the morning. How much time do you think I get to see her in a day?"
Hearing this, March 7th sighed helplessly.
"Does that mean I have to go eat all the delicious food by myself?"
Just as March 7th finished speaking, a hand reached out from the side.
"Then do you want to come with me?"
March 7th turned her head in surprise to look at Fu Zhu. She hadn't expected him to actually invite her.
From their time together, she could sense that Fu Zhu was a very methodical person, always setting various goals for himself and then throwing himself into them wholeheartedly. He rarely went on leisurely strolls with her or Xing, let alone proactively inviting her.
Seeing March 7th just staring at him blankly, Fu Zhu mistook it for reluctance and reluctantly withdrew his hand.
"If you don't want to, then never mind. Xing should be waking up soon, so you can wait for..."
Before he could finish, March 7th frantically reached out and grabbed his hand, which was only halfway retracted.
"I didn't say anything! This young lady is not rejecting you!"
After saying that, March 7th realized that her actions and words seemed a bit... delicate.
Fu Zhu actively invited her, just the two of them, and coupled with what she had just blurted out... Isn't this... isn't this a date!
But for some reason, March 7th found that she felt no aversion or reluctance in her heart. On the contrary... there was a faint sense of anticipation for the upcoming date?
No, no, no, why would this, why would this young lady be looking forward to it!
A blush crept onto March 7th's face as she started to overthink things, but Fu Zhu didn't give her a chance. With a slight tug of his right hand, he pulled her up from her seat.
"Then let's go. Didn't you want to eat your way through the Luofu's delicacies? If we go now, we can still catch the Luofu's breakfast specials!"
"Hey, hey, hey... I, I haven't ordered the breakfast service for Xing yet!"
"It's fine. A hungry child will find her own food."
After leaving the guesthouse, the two walked hand-in-hand along the pavement.
March 7th kept her head down, staring at their joined hands, while Fu Zhu looked around for the Luofu's specialty breakfast stalls for her.
After staring at their hands for a good while, March 7th couldn't help but lift her head and ask Fu Zhu, "Fu Zhu, why did you suddenly think of asking me to come along today? Aren't you going to buy fireworks?"
Fu Zhu replied with a slightly confused tone, "Is there a conflict between asking you out and buying fireworks?"
"No conflict." March 7th shook her head, but still said with some hesitation, "But... the usual you would have been in a hurry to achieve your goal, not like this... h-holding my hand and walking so slowly."
This was something March 7th wouldn't have even dared to imagine before today.
Hearing her words, Fu Zhu finally understood and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Hearing him laugh, March 7th couldn't help but raise her other hand and pat him resentfully.
"You wouldn't be laughing at me for being too slow on the uptake to figure that out, would you!"
"How could I? March, do you remember what I said before?"
"Which part are you referring to?"
"The part about how I spent the first half of my life lying in a hospital bed. I yearn for the outside world, and I've always wanted to travel properly and see this beautiful world."
Listening to him, March 7th couldn't help but mumble, "But your actions before didn't really seem like that's what you wanted."
"That's because someone didn't want me to slow down."
Fu Zhu squinted, images of his experiences on Jarilo-VI and the Luofu flashing before his eyes. Cocolia, the Stellaron, Phantylia, the Disciples of the Medicine King—all of them had prevented him from traveling at a leisurely pace.
With one misstep, he and the companions he cherished could fall into a point of no return. That was why he was constantly, desperately improving his own strength.
"Without enough power, you can't have a leisurely life, Little March."
Things were different now. The Demon Blade "Hiruko," the unlocked Survival Mode, and the various MC items in his inventory gave him ample confidence. He was certain that even if he faced an Emanator-level powerhouse again, he wouldn't have to rely on sealing them in the Nether.
Although he might not be able to directly defeat an Emanator even with the Demon Blade "Hiruko," it was enough to give him the means to directly threaten an Emanator's life.
So, he finally had the time to leisurely browse the Luofu with March 7th.
March 7th quietly listened to Fu Zhu's words. After he finished, she couldn't help but gently squeeze the hand he was holding.
"And now?"
Fu Zhu turned his head and gave March 7th a brilliant smile.
"Now, I have enough power to protect you all."
"You promised! Then from now on, this young lady will be hiding behind you!"
"Mm."
In a private room of a teahouse on the Luofu, a white-haired woman with her eyes wrapped in silk was leaning against a window, sipping tea. On the empty seat opposite her was a set of unused teacups, as if she were waiting for someone.
After a while, footsteps were heard outside the room. The door was knocked on three times, and the woman set down her teacup, speaking softly towards the door.
"Come in."
A golden-haired man walked in, glanced back outside the door to confirm no one had followed, then casually shut the door. He walked to the seat opposite the woman and sat down, helping himself to a cup of tea and downing it in one gulp.
After finishing the cup, he seemed not to have had his fill and poured himself another.
It was only after the third cup that the golden-haired man glanced at the woman opposite him, who was leisurely sipping her tea, and couldn't help but sigh in complaint.
"So leisurely. I'm out there working my fingers to the bone for information, and you, Jingliu, are just sitting here drinking tea."
Jingliu raised her teacup and replied coolly, "My appearance is too conspicuous. You, Luocha, are different."
Luocha, however, stared at Jingliu and said pointedly, "Isn't our goal to attract attention?"
Jingliu shook her head. "This level of 'attention' won't get us an audience with the Marshal of the Xianzhou Alliance. So, I hope you've brought back some good news this time."
"Well... I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
"The bad news."
"I just got word from the Department of Balance. Both Phantylia and the Disciples of the Medicine King have been dealt with. Phantylia was sealed by a Nameless, and the Disciples of the Medicine King were also annihilated by him. As for the Stellaron that Phantylia brought, there's no news of it. It's unknown if it was contained by the Luofu."
Hearing this, Jingliu couldn't help but put down her teacup, a hint of doubt coloring her usually cold tone.
"A Nameless?"
"Mm." Although the person before him had her eyes covered, Luocha still nodded subconsciously. He knew Jingliu wasn't truly blind; the silk over her eyes was merely to prevent herself from seeing things that would remind her of people from the past.
"He seems to be called Fu Zhu? His array of miraculous methods is endless. It's said he single-handedly destroyed the Ambrosial Arbor, summoned a thunderstorm to attack Phantylia, and finally sealed her away in another dimension—of course, some also say it was another world."
Hearing this, Jingliu's willow-like eyebrows knitted together.
She hadn't expected her plan to be disrupted by a Nameless. This could seriously affect their subsequent plans. Now, she could only pin her hopes on Luocha's other piece of good news.
"Then what's the good news?"
Speaking of the good news, a slight smile appeared on Luocha's face.
"I know of another Stellaron on the Luofu, one not yet under the control of the Luofu's authorities. Does that count as good news?"
Hearing that there was another Stellaron on the Luofu not yet controlled by the authorities, Jingliu's lovely eyebrows furrowed even tighter. She asked tersely:
"Where?"
"This brings us back to that Nameless named Fu Zhu. According to my inquiries, he managed to gain the trust of the Disciples of the Medicine King by presenting a Stellaron, before finally destroying them."
"Alright, the bad news and good news have been told. Jingliu, what's the plan now? We don't have much time; we need to meet the Marshal of the Xianzhou Alliance soon."
Luocha crossed his arms, looked at the woman opposite him, and waited for her to lay out their next course of action.
Jingliu unhurriedly refilled her own cup, drank it all in one go, and then slammed the cup down hard on the table.
"Even though the one holding the Stellaron is a Nameless who helped the Luofu, a Stellaron not under the Luofu's control is far too dangerous. In that case, let us find this Nameless named Fu Zhu... and 'borrow' the Stellaron he holds."
Hearing this plan, Luocha didn't find it surprising. When he learned that Fu Zhu possessed a Stellaron, he had also considered borrowing it.
"An excellent idea, but I am not skilled in combat. This kind of task can only be handled by you personally."
"Naturally."