Baiheng looked at Jing Yuan and Yingxing.
"What do we do? I want to beat him up."
Jing Yuan rolled up his sleeves.
"Sister Baiheng, Brother Yingxing, let's get him!"
After the five of them laughed and messed around for a while, they sat back down and continued drinking.
After several rounds of drinks, Baiheng was the first to collapse.
Dan Feng showed no awareness of his duties as host. He tapped his jade abacus a few times and said, "I've sent the map to the group. Pick whichever building you want to stay in."
The other three, "..."
'Damn rich people.'
Dan Feng waved a hand and called over an attendant to escort Baiheng away.
Jingliu didn't look at the map. She followed the attendant to one of the buildings.
Baiheng was staying on the second floor. Jingliu chose one of the bedrooms on the third floor.
After washing up, she lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Jingliu reached for the jade abacus on the bedside table.
There was only one message on the screen, sent by the Commission of Balance.
After getting married, every Xianzhou resident would receive related educational materials.
Jingliu tightened her grip on the jade abacus. After a moment, she swiped the screen and skipped the message.
Although the Xianzhou's classification system had always been strict, they never treated gender-related education carelessly.
After she and her parents arrived on the Luofu, when she was around fourteen or fifteen, the academy teachers separated boys and girls for educational lessons.
Besides, at her age, if she still knew nothing...
That would be far too unrealistic.
Jingliu hugged a pillow and opened her chat window with Zero.
[Jingliu: Still busy?]
When Zero didn't reply for a long time, Jingliu logged into the Star Net and searched for wedding customs from other star systems.
Zandar had said that according to Xianzhou customs, she and Zero couldn't meet before the official wedding.
But that custom had already been changed thousands of years ago.
They only needed to stay apart temporarily on the night before the wedding.
Out of respect for him as an elder, Jingliu hadn't corrected him.
She and Zero had registered their marriage today...
Although he hadn't been present at the time, tonight could barely count as their wedding night.
Jingliu tapped the screen, and the forum pulled up several related hot topics.
[My spouse abandoned me on our wedding night to drink with friends]
Jingliu, "..."
She paused and opened the post.
The original poster said that not only had the friend gone drinking, one of the friends had even advised the couple to get divorced.
Jingliu, "..."
Looking at the comments, the netizens were furious and all telling the poster to get divorced.
Jingliu exited the forum and switched back to her chat with Zero, quietly waiting.
Meanwhile, at the Ten-Lords Commission.
Looking at the data before him, Zandar quickly reached a conclusion.
Since outsiders were present, he spoke vaguely, "Shuhu is close to immortality. Right now, it cannot die."
The implication was that Zero's blood had made up for the shortcomings of a lower-dimensional lifeform.
Applied to the Xianzhou people, this meant completely suppressing mara.
After hearing this, Zero visibly relaxed.
He couldn't be freed.
But Jingliu and Yingxing wouldn't become like him. They wouldn't become immortal beings.
Zero's brows relaxed, and the hostility in his eyes instantly disappeared.
Daiyang took the item from his hand, along with the gloves he had removed.
Chanzhen handed him a towel and asked after he wiped his face,
"When will you and Her Majesty have time to try on your wedding clothes?"
Zero paused while wiping his hands and turned to look at Zandar.
Zandar was speechless.
He thought, 'Why are you looking at me?'
'You've already been tricked into marriage. Is there any room left to turn things around?'
Meeting his student's gaze, Zandar could only say, "Nothing important is happening these next few days."
Zero withdrew his gaze.
"I'll ask Jingliu first."
Daiyang asked, "Should we escort you back?"
Zero shook his head and declined.
He and Zandar left the Ten-Lords Commission and returned to the hotel by starskiff.
After entering the suite and asking the butler, they learned that Matthias had already gone to sleep.
The two of them went to the reception room farthest from Matthias's bedroom.
The butler had already prepared fruit and drinks for them.
Zandar casually picked up a hot drink.
He knew very well that if he wanted information from his student, he had to proceed step by step.
If he was too direct, the other party would become cautious instead.
Zandar deliberately put on a worried look.
"Eric, you know your constitution is special."
"You can't withstand injury. If your ascension succeeds, you'll lose your current traits and become like before..."
He suddenly stopped speaking.
Zero raised a hand and picked up a glass of alcohol.
Taking a sip, he said softly, "It's okay, Zandar."
After coming here, Zero had gained immortality.
He could freely do things that he couldn't do before.
Compared to that forgotten past he had only barely pieced together, Zero was already satisfied.
His parents had always feared that one day he would leave them, so they had never placed any demands on him.
After returning home, Zero would become fragile again.
Even a tiny injury might send him to the hospital.
Perhaps the moment he ascended dimensions, Aha would kill him.
Thinking this, Zero picked up a cigarette from the table.
Zandar took one as well.
The two lit their cigarettes, and Zandar asked, "What about Jingliu? What are you planning to do?"
In a light tone, Zero replied,
"If possible, I'd like to take her... to meet my parents."
Zandar wanted to speak but stopped himself.
How long would "Creation of the Universe" take?
Zero stared at the flickering ember between his fingers.
"Alright, Zandar. I'm not some lovestruck fool."
"I respect her wishes. I won't force her to do anything."
If Jingliu couldn't wait until that day... He would free his beloved.
Zandar let out a long breath. Through the white smoke, he asked, "Not planning to start over?"
Zero shook his head.
Zandar had followed fate and repeatedly created stellar computers.
Created the very thing responsible for killing his student.
Surely Zandar was already tired of all this.
Zero felt the same way.
Even without his memories, he was tired of this endless cycle.
The cigarette was more than half burned. Zandar crushed it out.
"Why did you tell Jingliu?"
Zero opened his mouth and only said, "...Zandar, you don't understand her. She's not that kind of person."
Zandar couldn't help sighing.
His student's family had given him a great deal of love. In the same way, he would unhesitatingly treat his people and those close to him with the same love his parents had shown him.
Before the two of them met, Eric's life had been smooth sailing. He had never met bad people and knew nothing of humanity's darker side, which caused him to appear naive and ignorant at times.
After reaching a high position, there were even fewer people willing to defy his orders.
He had always been separated from this world by a layer. Even now, with a much closer partner, he still retained his selfish and self-centered nature.
So what if he told Jingliu?
Taking ten thousand steps back, even if Jingliu asked Eric for flesh and blood for someone else's sake...
His student would still hand it over without hesitation.
Even if Eric were betrayed, he had the ability to suppress the consequences.
Now, Zandar intended to completely cut off that line of thinking.
His tone gave away neither anger nor happiness.
"There's another new sample. Bring him here tomorrow."
Zero's expression remained unchanged.
"Where did this new sample come from? There's only Shuhu."
Zandar countered, "Didn't you help the Vidyadhara too?"
Zero pretended not to understand.
"What does that have to do with the Vidyadhara?"
The two stared at each other for a long while. Zandar narrowed his eyes.
"Eric, what are you talking about?"
"I'm discussing another experiment with you."
"The results of the Shuhu experiment are already out. You can only make up for their shortcomings."
Zero's heart stopped for a moment.
Zandar only mentioned helping them. He never mentioned flesh and blood.
He was fishing for information.
And Zero had taken the bait.
Zandar frowned deeply.
His face darkened, and he said coldly, "Eric, what are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the experiment involving that High Elder."
"Your existence increased the success rate."
"I want to know whether the being created through your involvement possesses traits similar to yours."
Zero froze, a vague guess forming in his mind.
Zandar let out a deep sigh and continued, "You're special. You allowed two Xianzhou ships that should have been destroyed, and the people who should have died, to survive until today."
"The Universal Laws you pushed for, and the weapons you left behind for the Xianzhou, changed the entire universe..."
Zero was deeply shaken. His heartbeat sped up uncontrollably.
He hurriedly interrupted, "If I participate in the Aether Phase Engine experiment, would that increase the success rate?"
Zandar stared at him and asked, "Willing to pursue a doctorate now?"
Zero stared blankly into space for a long time without speaking.
The key to ascension... Could it be himself?
That's right. Eric was a scholar.
A scholar who had participated in projects like the Colossus and many other research programs.
This time, before dying, he had inferred that in some previous cycle, ascension should have succeeded...
But he gave it up for Zandar.
So the cycle that came closest to success was the one where Eric participated in the research.
He really did have to get a doctorate.
Grinding his teeth, Zero said, "I don't know."
Zandar didn't press the topic further.
"Alright. No need to rush to a conclusion."
"Hui Feng told me. First, deal with your..."
He paused, sounding uncertain.
"Using game terminology, is it your cheat? Or your administrator account?"
Joy appeared in Zandar's eyes.
"Alright, stop thinking about the Aether Phase Engine."
"I told you before. Right now, the Genius Society's research project is 'Creation of the Universe.'"
"I don't know what stage you need to reach before your traits can come into play and improve the experiment's success rate... Anyway, get a few doctorates first."
Zero, "..."
"I'll find the system first."
Zandar nodded in agreement.
"Maybe you'll even find research data from previous cycles? Like how to solve mara?"
Zero wasn't very hopeful about that.
He had been on the same side as Nanook...
Why would he waste resources having researchers study fields unrelated to Destruction?
With a wave of his hand, Zandar pulled up the reading list he had given Zero back when he was serving as Marshal.
"Alright. Review these first. In a few days, Matthias can start teaching you."
He casually pointed in a direction.
"The bedroom is over there."
Before they parted ways, Zandar warned Zero in a serious tone, "I won't ask about the Vidyadhara matter anymore."
"But understand this, there won't be a next time."
"If you get hurt one more time, you'll end up with ten more children."
"Let's see how you'll explain that to your parents in the future."
Zero, "..."
Holding the unfinished glass of alcohol, he entered the bedroom and took out his jade abacus, seeing Jingliu's message.
[Jingliu: Finished with work?]
[Zero: Finished]
[Zero: Are you free these next few days?]
Zero had assumed Jingliu was already asleep. After sending the message, he put down the jade abacus.
Unexpectedly, she replied immediately.
[Jingliu: I took marriage leave. I'm free.]
[Jingliu: Didn't Mr. Zandar forbid us from meeting?]
[Zero: Don't worry about that. Let's try on the wedding clothes together tomorrow.]
[Jingliu: Okay]
[Jingliu: Cat rolling around.gif]
Looking at the cat on the screen rolling over and exposing its belly, Zero couldn't help laughing.
He put down his wine glass, and the two started exchanging memes.
Very quickly, Zero exhausted Jingliu's already limited collection.
[Zero: Alright, go to sleep. See you tomorrow.]
The other side showed "typing" for a long time.
After waiting for quite a while, Jingliu only replied with three words.
[Jingliu: See you tomorrow]
Looking at the overly brief message, Zero thought for a moment and began typing.
[Zero: Sorry. Tonight should have been our wedding night.]
[Zero: I know this was rushed. Normally, I should have sent invitations and discussed the marriage with everyone a month in advance.]
[Zero: You're very important to me. From now on, I won't skip any steps.]
[Zero: Happy wedding]
Zero took a deep breath and slowly typed two more words.
His finger hovered over the send button. He stared at the screen for a long while before finally sending it as if giving up.
[Zero: Darling.]
Zero turned off the screen and stopped waiting for Jingliu's reply, turning toward the bathroom to wash up.
On the other side of the jade abacus, Jingliu slowly raised the pillow in her arms to cover her face.
Her cheeks burned hot.
She couldn't help thinking...
Why didn't he call her that in person?
Jingliu carefully recalled the earlier messages, and her expression froze.
Zero said he wouldn't skip any steps...
What did that mean?
Was Zero really going to wait until they finished holding wedding ceremonies on all eight Xianzhou ships before doing anything more intimate?
Jingliu's emotions became complicated.
In the end, she could only close her eyes and force herself to fall asleep.
After waking up, she hurriedly said goodbye to her friends, went home to retrieve something, and only then headed to the address Zero had sent her.
It was a property Zero had previously given her.
Daiyang and Chanzhen, whom Jingliu had met several times before, brought her all kinds of wedding dresses and headpieces.
A small portion of them were treasures Jingliu had seen in museums.
Jingliu withdrew her gaze and looked at the two people before her.
"Is he trying on clothes?"
Chanzhen nodded repeatedly.
Jingliu replied, "Pick his first."
As soon as she finished speaking, someone walked out of the dressing room.
Jingliu stared at him.
The person before her was wearing a white military dress uniform.
Cloud Knights wore dress uniforms at certain major events.
Jingliu had long been used to seeing them.
But seeing Zero wearing this outfit...
Her gaze unconsciously followed his movements.
His figure gradually overlapped with the person in her memories.
Tall and straight, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
Zero lowered his head and adjusted the golden aiguillette on his chest.
He looked up and met Jingliu's eyes.
Smiling, he casually asked, "How is it?"
After speaking, he lowered his head again and adjusted his wrist guards and half-gloves.
When he looked up once more, Daiyang and Chanzhen had disappeared.
Jingliu's eyes darkened as she slowly walked toward him.
The next moment, the sound of metal colliding rang out.
A chill spread across Zero's wrist.