---o---
The moment Fu Zhu heard the name 'Lygus,' his spirits lifted.
He had previously let the guy sneak back to Amphoreus through his own space channel. The original plan was to settle Cifera and Tixi first, then go looking for trouble with him. He never expected to hear his name here.
"Your Excellency Cerces, could you tell me his location? I have a tiny, tiny little personal score to settle with him."
Cerces noticed the change in Fu Zhu's expression and nodded with the air of someone looking forward to a good show.
"There's no harm in telling you. He is currently within the Grove of Epiphany."
Fu Zhu raised an eyebrow, immediately opening his minimap and zooming in to the maximum extent. After a few seconds of scanning, he spotted Lygus's marker, located right inside an academy.
"Are you planning to go looking for him right now?"
Cerces seemed to lean in, full of anticipation for Fu Zhu's next move.
Fu Zhu was about to nod, but then he glanced at Cifera and the Tixi fragments beside him. He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
"No rush. As long as I know he's in the Grove of Epiphany, that's enough."
He needed to get Cifera and the others settled first.
"That's true. The ones by your side… would indeed be a burden to you."
Cerces glanced at Cifera and Tixi, then turned and walked back toward the great tree that was her true body. Before leaving, she didn't forget to leave Fu Zhu with one last sentence.
"If you have anything to say to me, come find me tonight."
After Cerces's figure vanished, a middle-aged man in a white robe, accompanied by two apprentices, approached. The trio spotted Fu Zhu's group and walked over quickly.
"Are you the outsiders who wish to have an audience with Lady Cerces?"
The white-robed scholar's gaze swept past Cifera and Tixi, lingering on Tixi for a moment before finally landing on Fu Zhu, who stood at the front and looked to be the one in charge.
Fu Zhu took a step forward and nodded.
"How should I address you?"
"Empedocles. Let's sit down and talk."
Empedocles led the group to a vacant meeting room. The moment they were seated, he looked straight at Fu Zhu, getting right to the point.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, I have heard of you for some time. I am also aware of the purpose of these saintesses accompanying you. Your arrival at the Grove of Epiphany this time—may I interpret it as you all being here for the so-called 'Journey of Chasing Fire,' with the intent to seize Lady Cerces's Coreflame?"
Fu Zhu didn't answer immediately, instead turning to look at Tixi.
Tixi shook her head. Only then did Fu Zhu shift his gaze back to Empedocles and say, "No, that's not it. I've come to the Grove of Epiphany this time for my own personal reasons, and also to help her enroll in the academy."
Fu Zhu patted the head of the little Cifera beside him.
"The Grove of Epiphany wouldn't turn away someone seeking knowledge, would it?"
"If it is merely for the sake of study, the Grove of Epiphany has never been stingy with its knowledge."
"Then that's great. How much is the tuition? I'll pay it."
Empedocles squinted, staring at Fu Zhu for a good while. Seeing that he had nothing else to say, he casually quoted a number and then stood up.
"I hope, Mr. Fu Zhu, that you are just as you say—simply arranging for a child to attend school. The Grove of Epiphany is merely an academy and does not wish to get involved in any power struggles. In a moment, someone who specializes in this matter will come to assist you all. I still have some classes to attend, so I won't be keeping you company."
"Have a safe trip."
Not long after, just as Empedocles had said, two other white-robed scholars entered the meeting room to handle Cifera's enrollment procedures. Although Cifera seemed a little reluctant, at Fu Zhu's repeated insistence, she could only sit down obediently.
Fu Zhu wasn't very familiar with this kind of thing, so he left some gold with Tixi for her to help out. He, on the other hand, walked out of the meeting room and opened his minimap outside to search for Lygus's trail.
Following the marker on the minimap, Fu Zhu headed toward Lygus's location.
Strangely, Lygus's marker on the map remained completely still, giving no indication of what he was doing.
It wasn't until Fu Zhu got close that he discovered Lygus was standing outside a classroom, observing the students inside through the glass.
"You really enjoy spying on people in secret, don't you?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Lygus turned his head. The moment Fu Zhu's smiling face entered his field of vision, Lygus subconsciously turned to flee.
"Stop."
At Fu Zhu's command, Lygus's entire body instantly froze in place, stuck in the motion of lifting his leg to take a step. The only system on his entire body that could still function normally was his vocalizer.
"What did you do to me?"
"Just put a simple shackle on you, to prevent you from running away."
A trail of redstone circuitry spread from Fu Zhu's feet to Lygus's body. Having witnessed Lygus's cunning before, he naturally wouldn't approach him rashly without taking any precautions.
Clack, clack, clack.
Fu Zhu walked up to Lygus, took out the Yamato, and gestured with it back and forth over his body in a show of bravado.
"Now, about what happened before… how do you think I should settle this with you?"
Lygus stared at the smirking Fu Zhu and suddenly let out a laugh.
"Haha, Mr. Fu Zhu, perhaps there was some misunderstanding between us before. We don't have to be on opposing sides, do we?"
Fu Zhu simply stared back at him with that same smirk, not saying a word. Lygus had no choice but to continue.
Since he had lost control of his body for reasons unknown, he could only try to appeal to reason and diplomacy.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, could you first release my restraints? I would like to express my sincerity."
"Sure."
Fu Zhu snapped his fingers, and Lygus immediately regained his mobility. After moving around a bit, he raised a hand and projected a virtual screen between the two of them.
On the screen was an image of Stelle and Dan Heng walking through a cluster of ruined buildings.
Stelle! Dan Heng!
Fu Zhu's eyes narrowed instantly as he looked at Lygus.
Seeing that Fu Zhu's expression had finally changed, Lygus breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, it seems you've been trapped on a different timeline from your companions due to some unknown reason. You must be very anxious, right?"
Fu Zhu stared at him expressionlessly, his silent pressure urging Lygus to continue.
"I can help you reunite with your companions. I can even help you find another one… let me think, her name seems to be March 7th, correct?"
"Fine. Whatever your conditions are, I accept. Now tell me their current time coordinates, and where March 7th is."
Fu Zhu's swift agreement took Lygus by surprise.
"You've already agreed?"
"What else?" Fu Zhu stared at Lygus with a speechless expression. "You've already investigated me. Don't you know how important they are to me?"
Lygus felt a faint sense of unease, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.
Seeing Lygus's hesitation, Fu Zhu walked forward and draped an arm over his shoulder like an old friend, speaking with a cheerful grin.
"If you don't trust me, how about you give me half of the 'down payment' first? I'll give you the other half after I've fulfilled your conditions."
Lygus hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright, you tell me where March 7th is first."
Since he agreed, Lygus didn't waste any more words and directly shared the information he knew with Fu Zhu.
"Regarding Miss March 7th, the last time I detected her, she was near the Titan of [Years]. However, someone is helping her evade my tracking. You'll have to handle the rest yourself, Mr. Fu Zhu. I imagine she wouldn't hide from a friend like you, right?"
"Mm." Fu Zhu silently committed this to memory.
"I have now paid my deposit." Lygus turned his head to look at Fu Zhu beside him. "Next, let me tell you about the matter I hope you will agree to, Mr. Fu Zhu…"
Just as Lygus was about to speak, Fu Zhu suddenly raised a hand, interrupting him.
"Wait a second."
As he spoke, Fu Zhu raised his hand and made a finger-snapping gesture.
This action sent an inexplicable jolt through Lygus's heart.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, what is the meaning of this gesture?"
"Nothing. Just letting me load a save."
[Observer Mode activated! Time Rewind!]
In the blink of an eye, Fu Zhu rewound time by several seconds. He once again draped his arm over Lygus's shoulder with a grin.
"If you don't trust me, how about you give me half of the 'down payment' first? I'll give you the other half after I've fulfilled your conditions."