The two humans and one Aeon left port and arrived at a shopping street.
It was still working hours, so there weren't many pedestrians.
Vendors were calling out to customers. Most people hurried along, with only a few stopping.
At first glance, it looked no different from any other shopping street.
It would have been even better if no one had spared them a glance.
Jingliu knew that this group of Cloud Knights had already done an excellent job.
They had deliberately adjusted the rhythm of their breathing, made their footsteps heavier or lighter, and done everything they could to conceal their identities.
Unfortunately, their gazes were like muddy footprints on pristine white snow.
In an instant, they gave themselves away.
Zero said quietly, "Bacchus, go find Him first."
"Alright." Bacchus nodded, then asked as if casually, "By the way, my friend, do you like this place?"
Through the light veil, Zero glanced at Him.
"Does that matter? Don't do anything unnecessary."
Aha shrugged.
"Alright then. Do any of these energy sources catch your eye?"
Zero smiled.
"...Do you think I'm the 'Destruction Calamity Ancestor'?"
He had come to find Akivili, not destroy another lower-dimensional world.
As soon as Tenseiga finished its cooldown, Zero immediately opened the system map, but Akivili was nowhere to be found on the Imaginary Tree.
He asked Aha to make a trip, and in the end, Akivili was found among the many MODs in the main system.
The moment MODs were mentioned, Zero couldn't help sighing inwardly.
Just as Eric had said, every tasker bound to a low-end version of the system was under his control.
If he wanted to, he could become the "Lord of Myriad Worlds" Eric had spoken of at any time.
But both he and Eric had underestimated the efficiency of nanomachines.
The moment Zero saw the number of MODs, he was speechless.
Fortunately, Eric had planned ahead.
Every MOD automatically displayed its corresponding information. The low-end systems would obtain rare treasures from the lower-dimensional worlds where their taskers were located, while the main system would distribute those items as rewards to other taskers after they completed their missions, according to what they needed.
If a world was on the brink of destruction, it would automatically be moved to the top of the list.
Zero only needed to deal with the worlds at the front.
He couldn't just stand by and watch.
So after finishing his heavy coursework, he squeezed out time to read through the MOD information, then acted as the system itself, guiding the taskers to save those lower-dimensional worlds.
'"Lord of Myriad Worlds," huh...'
'He was obviously just customer service for a game!'
'Wait.'
'Ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine.'
'Just under a hundred thousand.'
'Didn't that still count as "Lord of Myriad Worlds"?'
Now, this was his first time visiting another lower-dimensional world.
The moment he arrived, Zero picked one lucky executive from the company.
The interest earned from the balance in that single account alone amounted to tens of billions every day.
At the same time, Zero had already decided on their identities.
They came from the most powerful and mysterious family in the universe.
People like them rarely appeared in public, and very few knew their true identities.
Besides, they would only be staying briefly, so there was even less chance of anyone exposing them.
Zero transferred away only a nine-digit sum and casually forged their identities and immigration records.
This was a world without "higher-dimensional invaders."
This wasn't his Xianzhou.
And that person wasn't his lover.
So he didn't care about anyone else's circumstances.
Zero had come here for Akivili.
They were merely passing guests.
If they ended up crossing paths with the people here...
That would be far too troublesome.
Without hesitation, Zero invited Jingliu first.
After hearing him out, Jingliu showed little interest.
She wasn't interested in the Luofu Zero had mentioned.
The only thing that truly piqued her curiosity was another version of herself.
How was her swordsmanship?
Who was stronger?
Besides, her lover disliked socializing, so Jingliu gave up the thought.
She didn't know what point in time this other world was in, nor did she know the circumstances of her other self.
Had she even been born?
If she were a child under two hundred years old, sparring with her would hardly be a fair fight.
If she had already become one of the Cloud Knights' higher-ups, then Jingliu probably wouldn't have the chance to cross swords with her.
An unknown person with exactly the same face as a Cloud Knight commander...
Wouldn't that look like some enemy plot?
And if she had died on the battlefield, fallen to mara, and been killed by Jing Yuan...
That would be even more troublesome.
Had she come back to life?
Or was it the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus?
Jingliu didn't want to become a burden to her lover.
The words of refusal reached her lips, yet she couldn't say them.
If the other her wasn't doing well, and Zero saw his friend in trouble...
What would he do? Cut off his own flesh and bleed himself again?
Thinking of that, Jingliu agreed.
She wanted to keep an eye on Zero.
The two of them put on veiled hats and came here.
Unfortunately, they happened to run into another Sword Champion of the Luofu, who noticed their group from nothing more than the sound of their breathing.
Jingliu felt annoyed.
Zero tightened his grip on her hand.
"Big Sister, don't worry. It'll be fine."
Looking straight ahead without turning to him, Jingliu said, "I'm worried about you."
Zero understood what she really meant.
He paused for a moment before saying softly, "I've never met them."
"They're strangers to me."
Then he suddenly asked, "Do you want to spar with her?"
Before Jingliu could answer, Zero fell into thought.
"Let me think..."
Jingliu had long grown used to her lover's constantly wandering train of thought.
They understood each other too well.
Even without looking at one another, they knew what the other was thinking.
Jingliu gently swung their clasped hands.
"No."
"She'll come looking for me herself."
"Hm?" Zero drew out the sound. "As expected of the undefeated Sword Champion."
Jingliu's tone carried a trace of amusement.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure we... pay a little less in patrol fines."
Zero looked around and asked with a smile, "Will one city block be enough?"
Jingliu smiled too.
"I don't know. Maybe an entire realm. That depends on her."
"An entire realm..." Zero took out his jade abacus and transferred away every remaining odd digit from the lucky executive's account. "By the way, if anyone asks about our relationship..."
Jingliu raised an eyebrow.
This was one of the games they had already agreed to stop playing.
Whenever they had free time, they traveled to other planets together.
During those journeys, they met strangers from many different worlds.
At one point, in some unknown star system, a child traveling with them asked why the two of them had ended up together.
Zero didn't like discussing private matters with outsiders.
But since it was only a child, he made up a story.
Jingliu was stunned from beginning to end.
The child listened with tears in their eyes and, before leaving, innocently wished the two of them happiness.
Meeting the child's gaze, Jingliu's cheeks burned.
Zero had said that when traveling, your identity was whatever you made it.
When it came to strangers you'd only spend a few minutes with, you could say whatever you wanted.
After Jingliu had long forgotten about it, during another trip while they were waiting for snacks, Zero stood before a street vendor with a serious expression and made up their love story all over again.
Jingliu blushed once more.
After those first two experiences, she deliberately read the Xianzhou's bestselling romance novels, modified the male and female leads' settings, and began fighting back.
The third time, Zero failed to respond to her story.
Rare confusion and shock appeared in his eyes.
The two of them silently reached an understanding and stopped playing that game.
'This time...'
'What kind of roles would they be?'
Jingliu recalled what Jing Yuan had once said, along with something Baiheng had told her long ago.
After polishing the idea in her mind, she smiled.
"Naturally, it was love at first sight."
"I chased after you relentlessly for hundreds upon hundreds of years."
"But you refused to agree..."
Jingliu knew Zero would never accept that version of events.
In front of Yanqing, he would rather belittle himself than let anyone think badly of her.
Hidden behind the veil, Jingliu bit her lower lip lightly to stop herself from laughing.
She gave a small cough before continuing to tease him.
"So we tied you up."
"Only then did you agree to give me a chance."
Zero fell silent.
'What's this?'
'Forcing someone into love?'
'Or was this a group crime?'
He spoke hesitantly, "That doesn't seem appropriate... Wouldn't it cause trouble for her?"
Jingliu chuckled, "We're only passing through."
"She won't care."
No matter which Jingliu it was, she wouldn't care about rumors.
And even if she did...
Once they found the Aeon and left this place, Jingliu wouldn't be around to hear any gossip anyway.
Just then, she heard a familiar, nearly inaudible breathing.
And...
Jingliu's expression turned cold.
She released Zero's hand.
Zero blinked and looked around, his gaze landing on a teahouse by the roadside.
Following his line of sight, Jingliu looked over as well.
She removed her veiled hat, took off the peony Zero had tucked into her hair before they left, and handed it to him.
The newcomer reacted quickly.
Jingliu was just as fast.
A flash of sword light carrying biting cold slashed toward her.
The woman with the exact same face showed no mercy, as though she intended to cut down everything standing in her way.
Jingliu drew her greatsword with a backhand motion.
The two weapons collided, producing a grating screech.
The other woman's eyes were crimson.
Seeing Jingliu's sword, she sneered.
"...A mundane weapon of ordinary iron."
Jingliu's expression shifted slightly as she retreated half a step in the direction opposite the teahouse.
Seeing her seemingly unable to withstand the assault, the other woman's attacks became fiercer, her tone even colder.
"Hesitating."
"Pathetic."
Jingliu didn't counterattack.
She retreated again and again.
The other woman gave a soft snort.
"If you didn't happen to have the same face as me..."
At that moment, Zero arrived at the teahouse.
A man with the same face as Dan Heng came over to his side.
Jingliu took in the scene.
Now they could pay a little less in patrol fines.
The corners of Jingliu's lips lifted.
She sheathed her greatsword and casually performed a flourish with her sword.
The other woman fell silent for a moment, her expression turning rather strange.
After a while, she seemed to realize something and asked, "How old are you?"
Jingliu: "..."
She didn't answer.
Taking a deep breath, she said, "Let's change locations."
The other woman's expression eased slightly.
She agreed without hesitation.
"Fine."
At the roadside teahouse, Zero sat down at a table and removed his veiled hat.
He called over a waiter played by a Cloud Knight, bought the flower vase in the shop, placed the peony inside, then took the short dagger from his robes and set it on the table.
Without the slightest hesitation, Zero greeted the man at the neighboring table.
Aside from his rather shabby clothes, he looked exactly like Dan Heng.
Zero immediately decided to keep using his fake identity and sighed to the other Dan Heng, "So this is the Xianzhou?"
"This is really... not even as good as staying on Pier Point..."
He pretended to have misspoken, stopping halfway before smiling at the man beside him.
"Will you compensate us for all our losses?"
Dan Heng quietly observed the man before him.
The former Sword Champion had deliberately mentioned the three of them, yet refused to answer Yanqing's questions.
After hesitating for a moment, Dan Heng didn't mention the newly arrived Nameless.
He merely said the name sounded familiar.
Yanqing had no choice but to inform the other Cloud Knights and have them keep an eye on the three.
The former Sword Champion completed the long-overdue farewell for her friend and walked away without looking back.
Unable to stop her, Yanqing could only follow.
Dan Heng had no intention of fighting and instead approached the man who shared the Nameless's name.
The man smiled warmly, making people instinctively feel close to him.
It was a face with no trace of hostility, one that naturally lowered others' guard.
Compared to a senior executive from the IPC, he looked more like a pampered young master from a wealthy family.
People like that were very good at dealing with others.
More accurately, they were very good at keeping up appearances.
They could laugh and joke with you.
They could put on no airs at all.
They could make you think you were incredibly close friends.
But the moment you angered them, they wouldn't show any mercy.
Dan Heng said calmly, "...I don't know. You'd probably have to ask the Commission of Balance."
"Ah, sorry. I thought..." Zero paused before smiling again. "As an apology, let me treat you to some tea."
He smiled and extended a hand.
"I'm Eric."
Dan Heng shook his hand and replied without changing expression, "What a coincidence. One of my companions has the same name."
The man widened his eyes, though the smile on his face remained.
"What a coincidence."
Zero answered openly, "I deliberately picked it as my fake name. Your companion and I really are fated..."
He changed the subject.
"By the way, do you know much about Xianzhou doctors? How good are they?"
Dan Heng chose his words carefully.
"There's one named Bailu..."
Before he could finish, Eric waved his hand.
"Forget it. We won't accept an examination from Xianzhou doctors."
"This is the Xianzhou's problem. They owe us compensation for emotional distress."
He took out his long-range communicator and tapped on the screen.
"Besides the doctors... have my legal team make a trip as well."
Dan Heng: "..."
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zero bought this world's classic history books and bestselling novels.
Dan Heng noticed that Eric was extremely self-centered and gave him no chance to probe for information.
The man only talked about things that interested him.
Like flying with his parents to an island to chase dolphins when he was eight.
Or traveling to another star system for live-fire training before he turned nine.
Then, before long, he started complaining about the Xianzhou again.
Dan Heng was led along by the conversation the entire time.
Eventually, he couldn't help saying, "I thought money wouldn't matter to you."
Eric shrugged.
"I'm rich."
"I'm not stupid."
"If I'm entitled to compensation, why shouldn't I take it?"
Then he frowned.
"They're going to dock my allowance again..."
"What about you?"
"How much allowance do you get?"
Dan Heng was silent for a moment before replying,
"...None."
The man opened his mouth, seemingly afraid of touching on a painful subject.
His tone became very hesitant.
"Do you at least get a hundred a month?"
Dan Heng replied, "...Yes. I have plenty of credits."
The other man was silent for a long while before saying with difficulty, "I meant a hundred ten-thousand."
Dan Heng: "..."
'So when you said a hundred...'
'You meant one million credits.'
Seeing him remain silent, Eric said in disbelief, "What? You don't even have a million?"
Dan Heng: "...."
This conversation was impossible.