After chatting with Zero for a few sentences, the colleague was drawn away by someone else, immediately ending the conversation and going off to talk to others.
Zero stared at the acknowledgments section of the paper on the screen.
He guessed that the two of them were very likely collaborators.
If Zandar could create a Aeon, then having no reverence for Aeons wasn't that strange, was it?
Then if Zero proposed making use of a Aeon, it was only natural that the other party would agree.
He and Zandar created the system together.
This plan to erase Aeons absolutely could not be known by them.
So how could they hide it from the Aeons and make the plan proceed more smoothly and more securely?
The gaze of the "Remembrance" Aeon would not fall upon two ordinary people.
But even eggs shouldn't all be put in one basket, let alone a plot to kill gods.
With that in mind, they had no choice but to be cautious.
Acting separately seemed like a better option.
Their division of labor was clear. Since Zero could kill Aeons, he would naturally be responsible for drawing their hatred, making it easier for Zandar to hide behind the scenes.
Before they killed the Aeons and successfully ascended dimensions, their relationship absolutely could not be exposed to the Aeons.
But then, how could they let the next-cycle version of himself know about their relationship?
Zero used academic trash to give himself a hint.
Even if a Aeon showed up, they would only think Zero was deliberately messing with Zandar's head, and wouldn't suspect the two of them were accomplices.
And this piece of academic garbage, with an unknown person as first author and Zandar as second author, wasn't a joke by the "Masked Fool", it was Zandar himself who published it.
Zero's emotions were incredibly complicated.
Zandar really went all out just to make him trust him, didn't he?
How was this an acknowledgment? This was basically Zandar framing himself.
Zero felt there was no longer any need to keep digging into the content of the parable.
He had already found an accomplice with the same goal.
Zero knew himself well. He was especially good at divergent thinking, when chatting, his thoughts ran wild, and most people simply couldn't keep up.
With his level of language skills, what good thing could he possibly write?
An article with a disjointed introduction and conclusion and no logic at all was actually normal, and in fact proved that the parable really was his own work.
Oh, and on top of that, he had a nasty habit of deceiving himself, which made the content of the parable even less trustworthy.
Of course, there was still a small portion of useful, reliable information.
For example, the last sentence in the acknowledgments, [Looks like I still come out on top.]
The entire thing was narrated in Zandar's voice; only that last sentence was Zero speaking himself.
Seen this way, was it meant to be used after a successful dimensional ascent, to ruin Zandar's reputation and mock him?
And when you connect that to how, in the acknowledgments, he spoke in Zandar's voice and called Eric Zandar's teacher…
It suddenly became very easy to understand.
The answer was simple, just interpret it in reverse.
Zero withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and stared at the parable book on the table.
He reached a conclusion that made him uncomfortable.
Zandar was his teacher.
Zero didn't know how to describe how he felt.
Zandar could hand-build a Aeon, far more useful than Lan.
Rounding up, the Xianzhou had gained an existence far beyond UR-tier, so why couldn't he feel happy about it?
It felt a bit like a carry god who was used to solo-carrying the whole team, suddenly finding another carry god just as strong standing behind him.
The other party wasn't here to cause trouble, but to fight alongside him and fill in the gaps.
After thinking about it, Zero could only attribute the issue to their relationship.
He'd been a student before, graduated from the academy, and now ran into a teacher again, how could he possibly be happy about that?
Zero pulled his thoughts back and began thinking about how he should react.
If he wanted to deceive the Aeons, he naturally had to deceive himself too. If it were him… he would definitely ruin Zandar's reputation to force him to come to the Xianzhou.
Zero moved quickly, pulling out his jade communicator and sending Hua a message.
[Zero: I have a great idea to poach that Zandar who made a Aeon]
[Hua: …You mean slapping academic trash with his name on it? That move is kind of outdated]
Zero thought about it. If he gave up at this point, it really wouldn't fit his style.
Was he the kind of person who could be persuaded by just one sentence? Obviously not.
Thinking that, Zero kept typing.
[Zero: Can the "Masked Fool" really compare to the Xianzhou? Send someone to make contact, if it really doesn't work, let him get famous across the star sea one more time]
[Hua: …Zandar doesn't deserve that]
Just as Zero expected, Hua didn't agree.
Then the other side sent another message.
[Hua: Oh right, he borrowed something from the Xianzhou Museum before]
Zero paused, then tapped on the jade communicator.
[Zero: When? He hasn't returned it?]
[Hua: Back then, you specifically made time to meet him in person and lent him the "Purification Core." It hasn't been returned to this day]
Zero lowered his eyes.
The Purification Core was a drop from when he led the Xianzhou in battle against machine intelligences.
It was the main core of a mechanical planet, capable of massively increasing efficiency in building robots and massive structures.
As for why the Xianzhou never demanded it back from Zandar…
Maybe because he personally lent it out? So the Xianzhou never went to Zandar and just let him keep it?
Zero followed this topic and chatted with Hua a bit more, then turned his attention to Suhu.
He sighed inwardly.
If only Lan could draw aggro on his own, would he need to go to such lengths and plan everything for him?
The more Zero thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
He'd spent so much effort erasing his achievements, all just to draw hatred for Lan.
In his previous life, he'd spent a long time with Suhu. This emanator followed him and was still alive now, seemed like he had quite the vitality.
Zero originally planned to capture Suhu and use him as a sacrifice to summon Lan, but now it seemed better to finish things quickly.
What if Suhu said something he shouldn't out there and scared off the mobs that were supposed to generate hatred?
[Zero: Forget it. This time, no need to hold back.]
[Hua: Okay]
Then Hua asked about his current situation.
[Hua: How have things been lately?]
Zero followed Hua's lead and chatted a bit more. Then Hua began very subtly talking about living in the present and enjoying life.
He understood the unspoken meaning.
Now, Zero had a lover, friends, and subordinates. There was no need to keep chasing memories of the past.
Especially memories that would bring him pain.
But compared to living his whole life ignorant and muddle-headed, what did pain even matter?
Zero replied.
[Zero: How could that be? How could I miss your black history?]
Hua first replied with an ellipsis, then sent Zandar's contact account.
[Hua: As the saying goes, if you take the ruler's pay, you serve the ruler's work. Since you're on the Xianzhou payroll, stop slacking off in the archives all day. Go poach Zandar, if that fails, just get the core back]
Zero, "..."
As expected of the successor he chose.
She really understood him.
If Zero didn't already know Zandar, he might really have fallen for Hua's provocation.
Was this what they meant by getting a pillow just when you're sleepy?
Zero glanced at the time and realized there was still an hour before noon break. He immediately sped up, sent a friend request to Zandar's account, and then ordered takeout.
Unexpectedly, besides the takeout he ordered himself, he also received a fruit platter.
The delivery person couldn't enter the Six Divisions and could only leave the food at the door of the Divination Commission.
Zero didn't see anyone, so he carried the takeout and fruit back to his workstation.
Soon, Jingliu sent a message asking if he'd received the delivery.
He was completely confused and asked back.
[Zero: Why did you order takeout for me?]
[Jingliu: You forgot?]
[Jingliu: Dan Feng said you need to eat more fruit]
[Jingliu: Every workday from now on.]
Zero stared at the messages and fell silent.
This was probably the price of lying.
Should he refuse Jingliu's kindness? But he'd given her a ring before, and she'd quickly given him a gift in return.
Not long ago, he'd given Jingliu a house. If he refused the fruit now, she'd probably rack her brain to give him another gift.
After thinking it over, Zero replied.
[Zero: Then I'll shamelessly live off you]
As usual, he shared photos of today's takeout with Jingliu and chatted with his lover.
During that time, Zandar sent messages, which Zero ignored.
Joking aside, Hua wasn't giving him a raise. Why should he give up his break time to reply?
Only in the afternoon did Zero finally open Zandar's messages.
[Zandar: This time, you believe me]
[Zandar: Don't worry, the Aeons won't know about our conversation]
[Zandar: I wrote my own name in the acknowledgments of that garbage, you should know how important you are to me]
Zero really couldn't stand this kind of sappy talk.
Just as he was about to change the subject, Zandar added another line.
[Zandar: You're truly special. Everyone else's papers are stitched together, only yours was written by me]
Zero stared at the message, speechless for a long time.
'Zandar, you really are worthy of being the genius who created a Aeon!'
'Even your insults are on such a high level!'
'You might as well just say every word I write is trash!'
Zero had no memory of doing research. He thought for a long time and still couldn't come up with anything that would actually hurt a scholar like Zandar, so he simply copied from the acknowledgments.
[Zero: I decide your standing in the academic world. I decide whether your reputation is destroyed or you become famous across the star sea]
[Zandar: It's fine. At least I still have a name.]
Zero, who had erased all achievements and was completely unknown, "..."
He took a deep breath.
As expected of Zandar.
He really did understand him extremely well.
Zero couldn't stand overly sentimental talk. Zandar only needed a few sentences to close the distance between them and instantly dissolve that bit of awkwardness in his heart.
Thinking of what Hua had said, Zero started poaching.
[Zero: The Xianzhou is missing a computer]
[Zandar: You mean that stellar computing machine? It became a god, so you'll need to modify the program yourself. Strictly speaking, Aeons count as intelligent life, so enslaving one violates the latest interstellar law]
As soon as Zero read the message, he felt there were way too many things to complain about.
He just wanted to poach a person. Just wanted to get back a computer Zandar himself made for the Xianzhou. How did the topic veer off to the "Erudition" Aeon?
Zero couldn't help complaining.
[Zero: You're helping kill gods, and you still care about interstellar law?]
[Zandar: When you served as overseer of the Star Sea Council, did you ever pass a Aeon Protection Act? Is there any law that says you can't kill gods?]
Zero, "..."
There really wasn't.
He was completely speechless.
After all, besides him and Zandar, who would even think about killing gods?
Why would Aeons need a protection law?
Zero decisively skipped this topic.
[Zero: When are you returning the Purification Core?]
Zandar dodged the question and started getting sentimental, talking about a past Zero didn't remember.
[Zandar: Back then, you were very young. You couldn't even solve something as simple as derivatives. Who would've thought you'd later become the general director of a planet-destroyer-level weapons project?]
Zero automatically ignored the sentimentality and went to search forums instead.
After reading netizens' interactions with their advisors, Zero had a sudden realization.
So the real damage to scholars… was students.
Whether papers or assignments, as long as students and advisors were involved, it dealt true damage.
Zero immediately submitted an application to join the dimensional ascension project.
As expected, Zandar fell silent.
He stayed silent for a long time before finally replying.
[Zandar: Then write a paper for me to take a look. Actually, let's do it section by section, don't send the whole thing at once. I'm afraid I'll die of anger]
Right after that, he sent a reading list.
Zero tried to put himself in Zandar's shoes and proactively comforted him.
[Zero: I think it's better to send the whole thing at once. You might not know this, but in ancient times there was a punishment called The Lingering Death]
[Zandar: ...]
[Zero: Don't worry. Teacher and student for a lifetime, I'll take care of you in your old age and see you to your end]
This time, Zandar didn't dodge.
[Zandar: I'll return the core once I'm done using it]
Zero didn't press further and ended the conversation.
He'd at least need to learn how to mess with a scholar's mindset before facing off with Zandar again.
Zero specifically searched for lots of advisor-student conversations on the StarNet, determined to mess with Zandar's head next time.
As quitting time approached, Zero left early. After getting home, he suddenly remembered his engagement banquet with Jingliu.
He almost forgot, he still needed to choose a venue for the engagement banquet.
Then for the next half month, he'd just order takeout for Jingliu. A different restaurant every day, letting her sample dishes and pick the menu.
At the same time, Jingliu invited the other four friends to dinner.
With a cold expression, she swept her gaze across the four of them.
All four knew her personality, whenever she had strong emotions, she couldn't help but put on a cold face.
They looked at Jingliu, hesitating for a long time, before finally saying a date.
The four were confused. Then they heard Jingliu say, "This is the day Zero and I are getting engaged."
Dan Feng, "..."
Yingxing, "..."
Yingxing slowly turned his head to look at Dan Feng.