To be fair, he wasn't some Marshal fanboy. Why would he care about that mole?
He subconsciously raised a hand.
Was she running a fever? She should see a healer from the Alchemy Commission...
Wait, they were long-life species...
Guanliang slowly lowered his half-raised hand.
If she could say something like "financial ruin," what use would a healer be?
'This isn't a problem the Alchemy Commission could solve!'
Guanliang was speechless for a long while.
He should have realized it earlier.
That was Zero, after all.
Whether human or god, as long as someone got involved with Zero, they would have nothing to do with being normal for the rest of their life.
Hua had already tried very hard.
Was this really Hua's fault?
Thinking this, Guanliang instantly calmed down.
Drawing on thousands of years of work experience, he quickly came up with a solution.
After discussing it, the two decided to modify the related information on the StarNet.
Don't ask. If anyone asked, the answer was that it was a face blessed with wealth and prosperity.
Never poor from birth to burial. Born with a rich and noble fate, suitable for government service and an official career.
After that, they each found outside help.
Guanliang sent Matthias a photo of Zero from when he served as a general and easily got himself a tireless worker who pushed himself harder than anyone else and required absolutely no payment.
Zero didn't care how he appeared in textbooks. His only requirement was that his normal life not be disturbed.
But just because Zero didn't care didn't mean the Marshal fanboys didn't care.
They had finally waited for the Xianzhou to reveal the truth to the public. Why did they still have to change his name and appearance?
No matter how unwilling they were, they could only respect Zero's wishes.
The photos of Zero included in history books had to preserve his original appearance as much as possible while also making sure no one could recognize his real identity and trouble him after seeing them.
Guanliang believed that no one understood Marshal fanboys better than Marshal fanboys.
He trusted that Matthias could satisfy all their demands.
After receiving the photo of Zero during his time as General of the Yaoqing...
[Matthias: The Marshal looks so young.]
[Matthias: Had he even come of age back then...?]
[Matthias: Why was the Xianzhou hiring minors?]
Guanliang, "..."
How was he supposed to know?
Anyone who encountered a boss who neither ate, drank, nor slept and spent all day killing monsters...
Wouldn't pay attention to his appearance, much less his actual age.
And child labor... if you had the guts, ask Zero yourself.
Zero had no right to discuss that topic.
Guanliang didn't answer. Instead, he sent another photo of Zero.
Matthias finally quieted down.
After waiting a while, another message came.
[I need automatons.]
[A lot of them. Probably several hundred.]
Guanliang instantly understood.
It seemed the researchers had all become mechanical lifeforms.
Before long, the mechanical race would be able to join the Interstellar Community.
Guanliang set down his jade abacus and informed the superior beside him.
After thinking for a moment, Hua said, "Let Yingxing stay on the Luofu."
Guanliang vaguely guessed something.
He cautiously asked, "What about Marti? Transfer him back to Cangcheng?"
Hua's expression revealed neither joy nor anger.
"His father is on the Luofu. Of course he'll stay with his father."
Guanliang's expression became subtle.
Hua had high hopes for the current Master Artisan.
As a short-life species, he had defeated countless long-life species and won the title of "Master Artisan."
Now he had become a Vidyadhara and gained much more time.
Presumably, he would create even more astonishing divine weapons in the future.
To protect this genius, Hua had previously wanted to transfer him to Xuling.
The plan had been to let him return to the Luofu after resolving the Vidyadhara issue.
Now Hua had changed her mind and wanted Yingxing and Matthias to stay together.
Guanliang couldn't find any fault with that.
From the current Marshal's perspective, if two geniuses got along, they could produce unexpected results.
From Yingxing's perspective, he wouldn't have to part with his friend and would naturally feel closer to the current Marshal.
Setting aside Yingxing's abilities, was Hua...
Jealous of Matthias?
Was she getting back at him?
That guy Zero always liked spending money on geniuses.
And now there was another Yingxing worth investing in.
To the Marshal fanboys, this was no different from a bolt from the blue.
Guanliang was momentarily speechless.
Zero really hadn't been wrong.
Hua, you're truly a promising practitioner of the Hunt.
Hua tapped the screen and sent a birth date and time to the Yuque Diviner.
She muttered, "If we're using this date, then he's weak Earth type and benefits from Earth and Fire..."
"Fire strengthens Earth. The characters should preferably all belong to Fire."
She listed her requirements and sent them to her subordinate.
While waiting for a response, Zandar took the initiative to invite them.
Before the meeting, Guanliang recalled all the details of his interactions with Zandar and said to Hua, "In front of him, it's best not to mention the Erudition Aeon."
Soon, the three met at the hotel where the scholar was staying.
Zandar looked toward the gray-haired girl behind him.
The girl placed a large stack of documents on the table.
With a smile, Hua politely asked for permission. Only after receiving Zandar's approval did she start flipping through them.
The scholar across from her spoke calmly, "He is the Eighth Seat."
As Hua turned the pages, she thought back.
The Twenty-Fourth Seat, Emperor Rupert, had started a war.
When Father had served as General of the Yaoqing and fought the Aurumatons, it had been around Star Calendar year 1400.
The timeline didn't match.
If Father were the Eighth Seat...
Even blaming it on the Fictionologists wouldn't make the story hold together.
That was what Hua thought, but she couldn't say it out loud.
She quickly skimmed through the papers and then handed them to Guanliang.
Guanliang knew that Zero wouldn't be able to fleece anyone this time.
Zero's wedding gift...
Was more than a dozen academic papers.
Zandar had come prepared. He would never allow any genius to share technology with the Xianzhou.
The papers covered philosophy, economics, literature, history, medicine, and many other fields.
The only thing they had in common was the first author.
Eric.
Hua closed the papers and smiled.
"Do you believe in Aeons?"
Zandar said nothing and examined her coldly.
Hua remained calm.
"I don't."
"But people always take pride in receiving an Aeon's gaze."
She frowned slightly and sighed as if regretful.
"Seeking recognition from outside sources is, in essence, handing over the power to define your success and failure and control your emotions to irrelevant beings."
"So what's the point of seeking an Aeon's approval?"
One was a member of the Genius Society.
The other was an outstanding leader whose achievements spanned multiple fields, who ended a war, yet never received recognition from the Erudition Aeon.
How would Zandar, who seemed to dislike his own creations, choose?
The answer was obvious.
Just as Hua expected, warmth gradually appeared in Zandar's gaze.
"As you wish."
He said meaningfully, "The Xianzhou people will only believe in one Aeon."
Three days later, Zero received more than a dozen photos and many names.
The people in the photos looked like him, yet they weren't him.
People wouldn't connect them to him. They would only think the faces looked familiar.
Unable to choose at first, Zero turned to selecting a name instead.
After picking one, he handed the jade abacus to Jingliu and let his lover make the final decision.
As Jingliu looked through the photos, concerns remained in her heart.
Zero pressed his face against hers and softly said, "It's fine. I have a very ordinary face."
Jingliu thought, 'What part of that face is ordinary?'
Lowering her head, she studied the photos in the chat and couldn't help asking the same question again.
"How old were you when you became a general?"
Zero looked at the screen and lied without changing expression.
"...I really was an adult at the time."
He had been... fifteen, probably.
To keep himself alive, Eric had deliberately set an unchangeable rule when creating the system.
After restarting the game, all data would be erased and the account would return to its initial state.
That initial state was naturally the state Zero had been in when he first descended into the lower-dimensional world.
But if all the previous cycles were counted...
In the entire universe, probably only the Aeons were older than him.
Jingliu raised a hand and gently stroked Zero's cheek.
She sighed inwardly.
They had met too late.
Jingliu really wanted to see what her lover had been like as a child.
She wanted to make up for the years she had missed.
"What about your old photos? Do you still have any?"
Zero thought for a moment.
"No. I rarely take photos."
Jingliu said nothing.
She could only place her hopes on her lover's subordinates.
They must have preserved plenty of photos.
Jingliu lowered her head and looked for quite a while before finally selecting the image most similar to Zero in his youth.
After Xianzhou people reached adulthood, their appearance no longer changed.
That greatly reduced the chances of Zero being recognized.
On the other side of the jade abacus, both of them looked down at the name Zero had chosen for the former Marshal.
Hua thought for a moment.
"It sounds like 'prophet' as well. It suits him."
"It's just this face..."
The two looked down at the image Zero had selected.
Zero already had a gentle, harmless face with no sense of threat. After Matthias's edits, it looked even younger.
Hua only glanced at it before looking away.
Anyone who saw it would think the Xianzhou was exploiting child labor!
She spoke with difficulty, "The height needs to be changed."
Guanliang was well-traveled and adapted quickly.
Looking at the harmless baby face on the screen, he said, "Then make him one meter eighty."
Hua hesitated.
"Wouldn't that be too strange?"
Guanliang twitched at the corner of his mouth.
"...We can't reduce it any further."
'That face...'
'It absolutely needed a height that created a strong contrast.'
'Otherwise, Zero would really look like a child laborer!'
After settling the former Marshal, next came the former generals.
Hua specifically allowed them to choose their own names and appearances.
Especially Daiyang.
If she didn't change hers...
It would definitely affect her normal life and ruin her plans.
Afterward, Hua and Zero faced off again.
This time they were separated by jade abaci, which gave both sides enough buffer time.
Guanliang happened to notice one of the messages.
So Hua had only wanted to build statues and temples for Zero and have everyone worship and pray to him like a God of Wealth...
Guanliang quickly reached a conclusion.
Hua was definitely aiming for the roof.
After all, she was dealing with Zero.
If she gave an inch, he would take a mile and instantly turn the situation around.
As expected, the tactic worked.
The Zero who had previously suggested building statues and temples now appeared extremely resistant.
[Father: ?]
[Father Shared Contact Card: Dan Heng]
[Father: Don't hide your illness from the doctor.]
Hua slowly lowered her jade abacus.
Guanliang had no intention of digging into Hua's true thoughts, but she suddenly let out a faint sigh and spoke on her own.
"What a pity."
"I thought I could make the descendants of his enemies kneel before him."
Guanliang's eyelid twitched.
"Hua, did you leave the Feather of Truth in Xuling?"
Were you about to succumb to Mara or something?
Hua frowned as if troubled.
"Father likes seeing his enemies immersed in fear. He likes seeing them tossing and turning, unable to sleep through the night..."
"So why can't I make their descendants kneel?"
Guanliang, "..."
He couldn't even argue.
Hua chuckled.
"I'm joking. The Xianzhou respects everyone's traditions and customs. We won't force anyone to kneel."
"I was aiming for the roof. If Father got a temple, I'd end up being worshipped too."
For some reason, Guanliang felt strangely reassured.
Whether she meant it or not, he didn't care.
How should he put it?
It was like being so used to the absurd behavior of Marshal fanboys that his mental tolerance had been raised without limit.
Even if she wasn't aiming for the roof... So what?
Hua had spent nearly a thousand years being a normal person. Was she not allowed to make mistakes?
In the negotiations that followed, the two often argued and each made concessions from time to time. The exchange was evenly matched.
After discussion, they reached an agreement on the surface.
Xianzhou people would not be required to worship longevity tablets of the current Marshal.
In exchange, the former Marshal would only appear in Xianzhou books and museums.
Hua turned to Guanliang and sneered.
"Impossible."
Guanliang, "...Then what are you planning to do?"
Hua didn't care.
"Naturally, act first and report later."
Personally, Hua believed Father deserved it.
His achievements should have been praised for generations.
She only wanted the Xianzhou people to make up for the praise that was nearly a thousand years overdue.
Was that excessive? Not at all.
From a public standpoint, the Xianzhou needed a positive faith that could lead the people forward.
Take the Aeon the people currently worshipped, the Reignbow Arbiter.
Among all the Aeons, only that one responded to believers.
Only that one freely shared divine power with the Xianzhou.
Meanwhile, the Interastral Peace Corporation continuously offered treasures to the Aeon they worshipped yet never received any response.
The entire universe knew that the Xianzhou was favored by an Aeon.
That favor inspired envy and frightened away evildoers.
Of course, the Xianzhou people had not let the Aeon down.
They took pride in the Reignbow Arbiter and regarded that Aeon as their sole faith.
Some joined the Cloud Knights and swore to eliminate abominations, while others became Galaxy Rangers and followed in the Aeon's footsteps.
The more existences like the Reignbow Arbiter that could guide the Xianzhou people, the better.
Unfortunately, looking back through Xianzhou history, only one person was qualified to be mentioned alongside an Aeon.
That person was Father.
He had never suffered defeat. His achievements were extraordinary. He ended wars, abolished slavery, protected human rights, established the Interstellar Council, and improved the legal system. After that, there were no more Swarm Disasters or rogue machines throughout the universe.
Father had no flaws. He was the ideal candidate.
He wasn't only an outstanding leader but also an exceptional researcher.
His academic achievements across multiple fields were astonishing.
And yet... A person like that never received recognition from the Erudition Aeon.
The conclusion was obvious.
Just as Zandar had said, the Xianzhou would only believe in one Aeon.
The Reignbow Arbiter.
Hua didn't care how other factions reacted.
The Xianzhou didn't need other Aeons.
It only needed Father and the Reignbow Arbiter.
Before Father had fully recovered his memories, he once told Baizhu, "I have no interest in her position, and I won't take any of her authority."
So rational that it was almost emotionless.
Likewise, Hua could separate emotion from everything she viewed.
If she looked at the matter from the coldest possible perspective...
The former Marshal had long since passed away.
Nearly a thousand years had gone by.
Therefore, no matter how exaggerated Hua's actions became or how many credits she spent, her position would not be shaken, nor would she suffer any negative consequences.
In the future, the former Marshal would surpass even the Aeons and once again become the spiritual leader of the Xianzhou people.
Besides that, she could also enjoy watching Father's reactions.
It truly was killing multiple birds with one stone.
The corner of Hua's lips curled upward as she spoke in a pleasant tone, "The Academy textbooks will gain over a hundred new passages..."
"Oh, and the preface I wrote before..."
Guanliang paused and couldn't help hesitating.
"Shouldn't you write it differently? Maybe model it after The Ballad of the Reignbow Arbiter's Deeds?"
Hua shook her head.
"Walking With You is different. This book isn't written for the Xianzhou people."
It was written for the entire universe.
If it were written in the style of The Ballad of the Reignbow Arbiter's Deeds...
How could anyone else understand it?
Hua continued, "Every Xianzhou tourist site must have his statue. The Cloud Knights and the Six Commissions will hang his portraits..."
Guanliang interrupted her.
"Hua, if you do this... he's going to beat you up."