[Meanwhile, the Xianzhou Luofu]
The memorial event had come to a successful end.
Jing Yuan was a little late. By the time he finished arranging the final tasks and dealing with Fu Xuan, the Diviner, his Chief Strategist had already brought the dishes to the table.
"Very nice." Jing Yuan sat down beside Yanqing. "You really don't treat this place like an outsider at all."
His Chief Strategist Qingzu and Jingliu sat opposite him.
Hearing his teasing, his subordinate deliberately handed him his chopsticks with both hands.
"Please eat. If you don't pick up your chopsticks, how could we dare to eat?"
Jingliu glanced at Jing Yuan, casually picked up a boiled egg, and began peeling it.
Jing Yuan picked up his chopsticks and hurriedly took a few bites of food.
When he looked up again, Jingliu wore a surprised expression as she stared at the boiled egg in her hand.
Jing Yuan followed her gaze and said in surprise, "Good luck. It's a double-yolk egg."
"Yeah." Jingliu nodded, then asked Qingzu, "Do we have a takeaway container?"
Qingzu nodded and got up to fetch one.
Jing Yuan immediately had a guess.
He could not help asking, "You're… planning to bring the double-yolk egg to Zero?"
Jingliu said nothing, only looking at him.
Her gaze seemed to be asking, "Is there a problem?"
The corner of Jing Yuan's mouth twitched. He lowered his head and continued eating.
"No problem."
"Honestly… you really keep Zero in mind every moment."
From the mara at the beginning, to a peach blossom on the battlefield, and now an ordinary boiled egg.
The way Jingliu and Zero got along had never changed.
Whenever they encountered something unusual, they would bring it to the other person.
Jing Yuan looked at the large table full of delicious-looking dishes, then at Jingliu packing up the double-yolk egg, and suddenly lost his appetite.
For some reason, he felt incredibly full.
This was probably what people called being force-fed dog food.
Jing Yuan held his chopsticks and forced himself to eat.
Sitting beside him, Yanqing told the other three about what had happened today.
Jingliu listened quietly, her expression calm.
Yanqing spoke with great animation, like a child sharing everything they had seen that day with their parents after coming home from school.
Jing Yuan smiled, occasionally nodding in response.
Jingliu was dazed for a moment.
How similar her experience was to Yanqing's.
When she was young, the General of Cangcheng had placed great hopes in her. She then traveled to the Luofu with her family and joined the Cloud Knights.
She had also made a name for herself at a young age and shone brightly on the battlefield.
Now, Jingliu and her four friends had long since become legendary figures in the Xianzhou textbooks.
The names and achievements of the five had been passed down among the people from generation to generation. Even now, they were still figures people often talked about.
Jingliu gazed at Yanqing.
The young Cloud Knight's face was still immature, his brows and eyes full of confidence and abandon.
Jingliu realized that the Five High-Cloud Quintet had already become a thing of the past.
Yanqing would defeat more enemies from outside.
Perhaps he would even earn the title of "Sword Champion"?
Perhaps one day, he would break the records set by Jingliu, the Sword Champion of the Luofu?
At that thought, Jingliu's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.
That really was… wonderful.
She looked forward to that day.
Jingliu took out her Jade Abacus, opened the office software, and submitted her resignation to her direct superior.
Very soon, the Jade Abacus beside Jing Yuan began to vibrate.
He glanced at it, and his expression froze.
Jingliu raised an eyebrow.
"We should always give the younger generation some opportunities."
Give the younger generation a chance to break her records.
"Now, I'm simply a retired Cloud Knight who knows a little about swordsmanship."
Yanqing's eyes widened in disbelief, and he hurriedly asked, "Why?"
"Grandmaster, why are you leaving the Cloud Knights?"
Jingliu sighed helplessly.
"I'm only leaving the Cloud Knights. I'm not leaving the Luofu."
Yanqing understood the meaning behind her words.
Grandmaster was still on the Luofu.
At worst, he could just make a few more trips.
Yanqing smiled.
"That's good."
"Grandmaster, Uncle Zero, don't complain that I'm annoying when the time comes."
"How could we?" Jingliu picked up the communal chopsticks and put some meat into Yanqing's bowl. "All right, eat up."
The four finished lunch and returned to their respective posts.
With Qingzu's assistance, Jing Yuan quickly finished handling the day's official duties.
Whenever the Xianzhou held a gathering in the past, the Divine Craftsman Zandar would receive an invitation from the Divine Foresight.
That scholar had never attended before, but this time he made an exception and even put forward all sorts of requirements for the banquet.
For example, the venue had to be somewhere near the sea.
There also had to be flowers, a dessert table, a cake, and a champagne tower.
Jing Yuan thought Mr. Zandar wanted to celebrate Zero's birthday.
But the scholar then made another strange request.
He wanted to sit at a separate table with Matthias, and their seats had to be on another floor where they could see the main table.
Considering all of Mr. Zandar's requests, Jing Yuan set out for the venue ahead of time.
He chose the place where Zero had held his wedding.
This was a residence Daiyang had paid for herself to build for Zero.
Jing Yuan thought that even the word "palace" was insufficient to describe this place.
Daiyang was the longest-serving General of the Luofu. From the day she took office, she had been planning this.
Zero did not like his subordinates being too extravagant, so Daiyang had casually used entertaining foreign guests as an excuse and built the place little by little over more than a thousand years.
Today, it finally welcomed its first group of foreign guests.
As the host, the Luofu naturally had to properly entertain the "Reignbow Arbiter" and the Nameless.
Among all the people attending the gathering, Jing Yuan had the least seniority.
So he deliberately arrived at the venue early, found the seating chart, and carefully considered the arrangements before finally relaxing.
After waiting for a while, the first to arrive were Zero and Akivili.
Jingliu arrived next.
When Zero and Jingliu met, they simultaneously raised the bags in their hands and said to each other,
"This is..."
"This is..."
Both of them froze.
Jingliu smiled.
"You go first."
"This is a fragrant, crispy, crunchy Pom-Pom Pie." Zero took the takeaway container out of the bag, then asked, "And where's the surprise from the Sword Champion?"
Jingliu pressed her lips together and took out her own takeaway container.
"Don't laugh at me."
Zero smiled as he took it.
"Why would I?"
He took the container and froze for a moment.
"A double-yolk egg?"
"Really lucky."
Jingliu split the double-yolk egg in half and handed one half to Zero.
"I'll share half with you."
Along with the good luck, she was sharing half of it with him.
Akivili leaned over beside Jing Yuan. Together, they watched the two share the same boiled egg and Pom-Pom Pie.
The Aeon watched for a long while before saying, "I don't know why, but I feel so full."
Jing Yuan sighed.
"Yeah. I don't feel like I can eat anymore either."
"'Reignbow Arbiter,' when will you announce your identity to the Nameless?"
Akivili looked ahead.
There were flowers, a dessert table, a cake more than ten stories tall, and a champagne tower just as high.
Today was their close friend's birthday.
They absolutely could not steal his spotlight.
Then whose name should they use? Bacchus?
No.
If the Nameless mentioned that name in front of Pom-Pom, Pom-Pom would definitely be furious.
Akivili's eyes shifted, and they whispered, "From now on, I'm Eric."
They just did not want to make Pom-Pom angry. They absolutely did not want to watch the fun!
Jing Yuan, "…"
As expected of Zero's friend.
He nodded with a smile.
The guests gradually arrived at the venue.
Jing Yuan looked up. Mr. Zandar and Matthias were already seated in the places arranged beforehand.
The scholar noticed his gaze and raised his glass toward him.
Jing Yuan counted the people in his mind.
Yingxing and Zenjin were, as usual, discussing the latest forging techniques from the Xianzhou Zhuming.
Daiyang and Baiheng blended naturally among the Nameless.
Zero and Jingliu were still sitting together and chatting, seemingly sharing what they had seen that day.
After confirming that all the guests had arrived, Jing Yuan officially began the gathering.
First, as Dan Heng's family member, he expressed his thanks to the three Nameless before him, then asked about the train's next destination.
Welt had the most experience and took the initiative to handle the polite exchange with Jing Yuan.
He said that their next stop would be Penacony, where they would attend the Charmony Festival.
Dan Heng added, "I'll get to see my friend while I'm there."
Zero propped his chin up with one hand and looked sideways at Dan Heng.
"Friend? Is it the person who sent me a gift?"
Dan Heng nodded.
"Yes."
After learning that he had obtained the clan crest necklace, his friend had complained that Dan Heng had not told him before returning to the Xianzhou.
He had missed the chance to meet Zero and was quite upset about it.
Considering that his friend had only recently finished his internship at the company and had just begun his vacation, Dan Heng advised him to get some proper rest. After discussing it, the two decided to meet in Penacony.
Zero took a sip of wine.
"Your journey should go smoothly."
March could not help asking, "Huh? Why do you say that?"
Zero half-jokingly said, "Dan Heng's friend has a rather special identity."
"If he loses even a single hair, his family will destroy an entire galaxy."
Dan Heng was speechless and hurriedly reassured his stiff-faced companion.
"He's joking. Don't take it seriously."
He looked at Jing Yuan and asked what had happened today.
After getting his answer, Dan Heng instantly connected all sorts of details from the past.
Why had the "Father of the Xianzhou" ignored the rumors that he was a kept man?
There was clearly another purpose behind it.
Seeing that he was interested, Jing Yuan added a few more details about the identity of the external enemy.
Dan Heng understood and casually said, "A 'Lord Ravager.'"
"What? A 'Lord Ravager'?" March was startled and complained, "It's over just like that?"
"What else?" Dan Heng did not care. "They're only an Emanator, not the 'Destruction of the Apocalypse.' There's no need for the Xianzhou to make a big fuss."
Jing Yuan turned the topic toward the "Reignbow Arbiter."
The Aeon smiled.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Eric, a Nameless."
Zero, "???"
He quickly understood Akivili's intention.
The Aeon was in the mood for some fun and wanted to hide their identity for now, then reveal their true identity at a critical moment.
After the greetings, the attendants began serving the dishes.
After three rounds of drinks and when everyone was about half full, Akivili picked up a wineglass, stood up, and came to Zero.
The Aeon smiled at him, then grabbed him by the back of his collar with lightning speed and pulled him straight up from his chair.
Zero, "…"
'Again?'
The people at the banquet had all sorts of expressions.
Under everyone's gaze, Zero instinctively emptied his mind, his expression gradually becoming blank.
Akivili took in the surprised or delighted expressions of their close friend's subordinates.
This time, they saw it.
"Today is not only the birthday of the 'Father of the Xianzhou,' Marshal Zero."
Akivili released Zero's collar and, while suppressing a laugh, spoke with meaning, "It is also the birthday of my best friend, Victor..."
Jingliu reached out and held Zero's fingertips.
Zero instinctively held hers back.
He lowered his eyes, quickly adjusted his expression, and smiled at Akivili.
Akivili noticed their interaction.
"To be honest, I never imagined that you would marry someone."
In Akivili's eyes, Zero had many strengths.
But they had to admit that he had one extremely fatal flaw...he did not know how to love someone.
What was love?
People had different understandings of love.
Akivili did not want to define such a precious thing.
But they knew that love was not unconditional indulgence.
It was not taking care of every problem for someone.
It was loving a person, an independent individual, an independent existence with their own will.
They were not a flower in a greenhouse, nor a pet for someone to toy with.
Zero did not know how to love someone.
Given his personality, he would probably treat his lover the same way he treated the Xianzhou and its people, clearing away every obstacle in their path.
Even if they broke up or divorced halfway through, Zero would leave enough assets behind so that the other person would never have to worry about money.
But was that loving someone? Was that loving an independent individual?
No.
That way of doing things… completely failed to consider the other half's feelings.
Fortunately, Zero had now learned how to love someone.
He did not need to remain perfect, nor did he need to remain rational.
Sometimes he would argue with his lover and throw a tantrum.
The way the two interacted was no different from ordinary people.
The all-powerful "god" of the Xianzhou could finally step down from the altar.
Finally… he could love someone.
Akivili raised the corners of their lips.
"We're best friends."
"If you held a wedding, you would definitely invite me to be your best man and have me give a speech at the wedding."
Only they were suitable.
Who else could Zero find besides them?
Aha? The God of Elation only wanted to have fun.
Zero laughed and nodded.
Akivili pretended to sigh regretfully.
"It's a pity I missed your wedding."
They looked at Jingliu.
"I missed an important moment in your lives."
"I missed the chance to personally give you my blessings."
"Fortunately…"
Akivili produced a document as if by magic and handed it to the two.
"I can still give you a wedding gift."
"It's a pair of binary stars."
"They're named after the two of you."
"I know you don't lack things like this, but…" Akivili said softly, "this is the most meaningful gift I could think of."
Zero's eyes flickered, his expression moved.
He leaned forward slightly and picked up two glasses of wine, handing one to Jingliu.
The Aeon gazed at them and smiled as they offered their blessing.
"You have to be happy."
The two clinked glasses with Akivili and softly replied, "We will."
Akivili downed their wine in one go. Just as they were about to return to their seat, they slapped their forehead.
"Almost forgot."
They picked up the wine bottle, refilled their own glass and Zero's, then raised their glass again.
"Happy birthday, Zero."
"I wish that you will always be yourself."
On the terrace ten meters away, Zandar stared at the Nameless below.
Who was the savior Eric had mentioned?
Zandar first ruled out Dan Heng, then turned his gaze toward the middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses.
In popular works of fiction, only middle and high school students saved the universe.
As for adults? They had already entered society and could hardly wait for the universe to be destroyed the next second.
Zandar looked at the two remaining young women.
This was… the savior?
The scholar's expression was complicated.
Forget it.
It was a matter concerning another world anyway.
The Nameless were the savior of another Zandar, not his savior. What did it have to do with him?
Zandar looked away and repeatedly scanned the banquet below.
Eric had shown Zandar several birthday recordings before.
When the student was still young, his parents would crouch down in front of the camera and kiss him on both cheeks together.
As the student gradually grew older, when he was ten, his parents would put their arms around his shoulders.
Zandar's notes did not describe the recordings in detail. They only mentioned a photograph taken on the student's twelfth birthday.
The three stood in front of a backdrop bearing Eric's name and birthday wishes, surrounded by golden confetti scattered when the shutter was pressed.
Their cheeks and the tips of their noses were smeared with cream.
The cream was only about the size of a fingertip and did not obscure their faces.
The three smiled at the camera, their eyes curved.
From the few words in the notes, Zandar could roughly picture the scene at the time.
Eric was loved.
Then how would his parents celebrate his coming-of-age ceremony?
There would certainly be flowers, a dessert table, a cake, and a champagne tower.
Adult Eric could finally drink.
Surrounded by his family and friends, he would open his first bottle of champagne, clink glasses with everyone amid their blessings, and drink his first glass of wine.
Zandar thought that he had left too early.
His student should have been happier.
Eric should not have grown up in such a way, as though his bones and muscles had been torn apart… abruptly and cruelly.
He should not have changed from a "human" into a "god."
Zandar put down his knife and fork, took the napkin from his lap, and casually placed it to the left of his utensils.
Matthias was quite confused. "Hm? Are we leaving now?"
Zandar shook his head and asked, "What kind of cake do you want?"
After hearing Matthias's answer, Zandar went downstairs and came to the dessert table.
He searched for the cake when an extremely familiar voice came from behind him.
"Zandar, did you see that savior?"
Zandar held a plate in one hand and a piece of cake in the other and said indifferently, "It has nothing to do with me. I'm not making any comments."
Zero came to Zandar's side and put a piece of Basque cheesecake onto his plate.
Zandar stared at him and asked, "Did you have fun this time?"
Zero answered without hesitation, "Of course."
When he looked up again, his cheek suddenly felt cold.
Zandar smiled as he slowly withdrew his hand.
Now, Eric had more love.
He had learned how to love someone. He had learned how to cry.
He had changed from a "god" into a "human."
And with that, he had been given a new life.
Zandar pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket, wiped the cream from his fingertip, and said to Zero, who stood frozen in place, "Happy birthday."
Before the student could recover, Zandar picked up his plate and quickly walked toward the stairs.
He returned to his seat and handed the dessert to Matthias.
Below, things gradually descended into chaos.
Someone noticed the cream on Zero's cheek first and, following Zandar's example, smeared cream onto the face of the person beside them.
Gradually, the situation became impossible to stop.
"Grandmaster, what are you hiding from?"
"Yeah, my friend, how can you hide behind Jingliu?"
"…Go tell Jingliu that."
"Dan Heng, hurry up and use your Cloudhymn Art..."
"Is that how you're supposed to use Cloudhymn Art?!"
"Sigh, Dan Heng is the Dragon King. How could we order around the Dragon King?"
After everyone finished laughing and fooling around, Dan Heng kept a straight face and used Cloudhymn Art to clean the cream off them.
Amid his companions' praise, the High Elder once again deigned to lower himself and clean the cream off the dining table and floor for the attendants.
Jing Yuan glanced at his Jade Abacus.
The timing was perfect.
He smiled and led everyone toward the observation deck.
BOOM!
A loud noise from the distance drew everyone's attention.
Countless points of light slowly rose from below.
The next second, fireworks of every color exploded across the night sky.
Jing Yuan faintly heard the distant cries of surprise from the people.
To commemorate the achievements of the Xianzhou's predecessors and the birthday of the "Father of the Xianzhou," the Xianzhou Alliance and many affiliated planets would set off fireworks during Huai'en Festival.
He looked at Zero.
The "Father of the Xianzhou," remembered by everyone, was holding his master's hand and quietly saying something to her.
Jing Yuan walked a few steps closer and asked to confirm his guess, "What did you give them?"
Zero looked surprised, as if he had never expected Jing Yuan to ask such a question.
Jingliu said nothing, her attention fixed on Zero's profile.
Jing Yuan crossed his arms.
"Do you think I don't know you?"
"That's just the kind of person you are."
At first, the two had not been traveling the same path.
Zero had worried that Jing Yuan would get caught up in trouble and be bullied, so he deliberately traveled with him.
After learning that Jing Yuan had quarreled with his parents and gone on a hunger strike, he climbed over the wall to find him.
After filling Jing Yuan's stomach, Zero then told him that everything he had eaten had been prepared by his parents, leaving Jing Yuan so angry that for a moment he did not know what to say.
Putting Zero's mischievous streak aside…
He was undoubtedly a gentle person.
Zero took the initiative to reassure Jing Yuan, "Are you worried about another Luofu?"
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen."
Jing Yuan said irritably, "No. I'm worried about your habit of being kind to everyone."
Zero laughed helplessly.
"You're overthinking it. I only gave them a little Mother-Child River Water."
"And some Credits and stones."
Jing Yuan understood.
"Got it. You gave them at least a few hundred billion Credits, and a lot of Amber Lord creations too."
Zero did not care.
"A debt of favors is the hardest debt to repay."
"In exchange, the Nameless will lend the Xianzhou a hand when it needs one."
"I only used some insignificant things to wipe away this debt for the Luofu. It was a good deal, wasn't it?"
Jing Yuan thought to himself, And you still say you aren't too kind for your own good?
He said nothing more.
Dan Heng from a different world clearly had a similar path in life.
The highly regarded successor, Jing Yuan, had not disappointed the expectations of the current Marshal.
He could not help thinking of the Luofu and the Xianzhou.
If fate could not be changed…
Then what about the Luofu's fate? What about the Xianzhou's fate?
Once the fireworks filled the entire night sky and people instinctively cried out in amazement, Zero heard a word from Jing Yuan that Aha had mentioned before...fate.
"Fate?"
Zero smiled softly.
"Then we'll rewrite fate with our own hands."
[The End.]