Yingxing, a short-lived species who had made considerable contributions to the Xianzhou.
Even Zero, a slacker who paid no attention to anything outside his own little world, had heard of many of Yingxing's achievements.
Someone like Yingxing fully deserved the Xianzhou making an exception for him.
If this were earlier, Zero definitely wouldn't have let such a rare genius slip by.
But after personally experiencing, again and again, the pain brought about by immortality, he had changed his mind.
Dying a natural death was actually quite nice.
Besides that, he also preferred kinds of death that didn't cause too much suffering.
Of course, Hua's proposal wasn't just for Yingxing alone. It was more for people from other planets who came to the Xianzhou because of its reputation.
These people all had different goals, but the vast majority came for the Xianzhou's welfare benefits. For that, they left their homes, squeezed their way through every obstacle, and tried every possible means just to settle in the Xianzhou.
Among them were quite a few who had contributed to the Xianzhou. Making exceptions for such people was only reasonable.
Zero had no objections to this.
After receiving his affirmative response, Hua followed the previous topic and chatted with Zero about Yingxing.
By rights, the Furnace Master should have become the next head of the Artisanship Commission, responsible for managing it. Yet for some unknown reason, Yingxing had only been given the title of "Furnace Master."
Hua was extremely busy with official duties. Aside from handling the affairs of the eight great ships, she also had to deal with matters involving many star systems.
Anything that landed on her desk was naturally not some trivial matter. Most of it concerned major issues that could affect multiple planets or the development of an entire star system.
So, after Hua came into contact with Yingxing, she noticed a problem through their conversations.
Yingxing had not become a reserve candidate for the position of commission head.
Was it because short-lived species were being ostracized?
Or was Yingxing unsuited to be the commission head, so he was only given a title, with no real authority?
What the truth was no longer mattered.
Hua had neither the energy nor the time to dig deeper. What she wanted to know was whether the Xianzhou had a problem of excluding outsiders.
If so, this hidden danger, one that could seriously affect internal stability, needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.
Hua and Zero had very similar ways of thinking. They wouldn't dwell too much on things that had already happened. Instead, they focused their energy on potential risks and acted in advance to resolve them.
Hua didn't need to say it out loud, Zero already understood her thoughts. He didn't say much, left it to her to handle, and then continued along the topic, talking about Yingxing.
[Zero: Yingxing isn't suited to be the commission head. He's only suited to burying himself in forging.]
Zero felt that Yingxing was a bit like Marty, neither of them were the type who were socially adept or good at networking.
The head of the Artisanship Commission needed to attend meetings and events for the Luofu and the Xianzhou Alliance, and sometimes even had to leave the Xianzhou to attend conferences in other star systems.
Letting Yingxing deal with people who all had eight hundred schemes in their heads…
With one's own people, it was manageable. Everyone knew each other inside out, and at most there would be some disputes over funding.
But if you asked Yingxing himself, he probably wouldn't be willing to waste his precious time on anything unrelated to forging.
Yingxing was already a short-lived species, with a lifespan far shorter than that of Xianzhou natives. Forcing him, against his will, to run around attending meetings and events…
How was that any different from forcing a cow to drink water?
Compared to dealing with outsiders, Yingxing was clearly more willing, and more suitable, to keep his head down and do his own work.
After finishing the discussion about Yingxing, Zero proactively brought up the engagement ceremony half a year later.
[Zero: If you have time, come to the Luofu.]
The engagement date seemed to be very close to Gratitude Day…
Daiyang had said that Hua had never celebrated her birthday.
Zero sent another message.
[Zero: It's close to Gratitude Day anyway, so we can celebrate your birthday while we're at it.]
[Hua: …Alright, but this time, don't prepare a birthday gift for me.]
[Hua: Especially not the kind of unforgettable surprise.]
Zero slowly typed out a question mark.
He had given her a birthday gift before.
[Zero: That money tree you raised to death was your birthday gift.]
Before Hua could reply, he added another line.
[Zero: Oh, and when Zandar comes to the Luofu, remember to detain him.]
Zero didn't call him "teacher" for nothing.
Since Zandar was his teacher, helping out a student was only right, wasn't it?
They were teacher and student. Surely Zandar, as the teacher, wouldn't charge his own student money, right?
Leaving aside their personal relationship, the Xianzhou had finally encountered a rare scientific genius…
If Zero let Zandar go, then forget about the Aeons he'd clashed with countless times, even Hua herself would probably sense that something was wrong.
No matter what, he had to keep Zandar around and make him work for the Xianzhou.
After instructing Hua, Zero sent one more message.
[Zero: You're the Xianzhou Marshal. You don't need to report many things to me anymore. Oh, and this time, let me know a few days in advance before the Luofu Cloud Knights return.]
Zero would eventually have to face that memory from the past.
After thinking it over again and again, he chose this point in time.
Zero needed space to be alone. Only when alone could he adjust his emotions at the fastest pace.
Taking his mental state into account, he deliberately chose the moment when the Luofu Cloud Knights returned in victory.
Even if thoughts of death sprang up again in his heart… he would probably be able to hold on a bit longer.
Hua seemed to have thought of this as well and didn't refuse.
After the two ended their conversation, Zandar, who had dragged Zero through an all-nighter and nearly burned his CPU out, sent him a message.
[Zandar: Pick a name. I'll help you publish in a journal.]
Zero, "..."
At this moment, he finally had a more tangible sense of their teacher–student relationship.
So it really was Zandar who had taught him, step by step, all along…
With mixed feelings, Zero picked another name for himself.
[Victor Frye]
Zandar glanced at the message on the screen and shook his head with a light laugh.
So convenient.
Victor, victor.
Frye...
How was this name any different from Eric?
Zandar had spent the entire night chatting with his student, using it to calm his own emotions.
Forget himself, even the Aeons probably never expected Eric to fall in love, right?
Zandar had originally thought his student didn't like humans.
He had prepared himself long ago, imagining that one day the other party would show up in front of him with an intelligent machine, or perhaps some kind of software starfish…
In short, Zandar never thought his student could fall in love with any sentient being.
He had witnessed countless times the burning of the star sea and the dissolution of the universe, collected experimental data again and again, and throughout all of it, his student had always been alone.
Zandar had once wanted to witness what his student would look like stepping into a new stage of life. But as time passed, he had long since given up, assuming the other party would never love any organic or inorganic being.
Yet he never could have imagined it…
This time, he actually figured it out, he fell in love with a human.
Zandar thought about it and felt that it made sense.
Eric always made exceptions for the Xianzhou. Falling in love with a Xianzhou woman… was only natural, right?
As for why his student had never dated before…
Eric, as the Xianzhou Marshal, had far too many things to consider.
When he served as the leader of other factions, he would be even less likely to focus his attention on any one person.
Only after shedding the identity of a ruler would Eric have any chance of falling in love with someone.
As for why he fell in love with that "Hunt" Emanator… that was even easier to understand.
She must have been the one who actively pursued Eric.
Eric simply didn't have that kind of awareness. Unless others took the initiative, hinting or stating it outright again and again, he would never think that someone liked him.
Even if Eric had no memories, he would still feel goodwill toward groups that had contributed to the Xianzhou.
A Cloud Knight renowned throughout the Xianzhou, with outstanding military achievements, oh, and very likely a striking beauty as well.
Such a beauty, complete with a professional halo, actively pursuing an unknown diviner in the Divination Commission.
This person approached him not for his status as a ruler, but simply because she liked him as a person.
Genuine sincerity would make Eric take notice, but it still wouldn't be enough to move his heart.
That beauty must have put in no small amount of effort while pursuing Eric.
So much so that even the slow, rational-thinking Eric had to make concessions and accept her pursuit.
If even one condition were missing, the two of them would never have been together.
Zandar thought that his student would only ever love this one person.
As for why they hadn't gotten together before…
Either the universe hadn't lived to see this moment, or Eric hadn't lived to see it.
Zandar's feelings were incredibly complicated.
He had raised this student with his own hands, teaching him bit by bit, turning him from an idiot who couldn't solve derivative problems or understand paper formatting into someone accomplished.
Aside from ascension, no other research project had ever taken more of his time than Eric.
His student wasn't suited for scientific research. He lacked talent. The only thing worth praising… was his diligence.
But in the "Genius Society," where countless prodigies gathered, diligence was the least noteworthy thing.
His student was purely forged by time.
Only through endless, repeated practice did Eric become someone who could shoulder great responsibilities back then.
Zandar felt immense regret.
If only he had talked with his student a bit more back then. At least offered some guidance as an elder.
Despite Eric's rich life experience, he was completely clueless when it came to love.
Such a person would only have unrealistic, overly naive fantasies about romance.
Coupled with Eric's attitude toward the Xianzhou…
He might even give his entire heart away and still not realize whether he truly loved his partner.
Oh, and he was also hiding his past from his lover.
Any normal woman would be furious enough to break up over that.
Eric wouldn't try to stop her. He would calmly accept it all.
Of course, if that woman regretted it later and wanted to get back together, Eric wouldn't agree either.
Thinking this far, Zandar quickly selected several topics in his mind.
Just in case, if Eric ended up breaking up, they could at least help divert his attention.
Zandar understood his student.
Romantic feelings wouldn't make Eric make the wrong decisions.
The only thing Zandar truly worried about was the matter he had concealed from Eric.
If Eric weren't on the Xianzhou, if he were on the territory of any other Aeon, there would be no need to worry.
Only the Xianzhou…
For this, Zandar had deliberately spent an entire night.
He racked his brain, chatting about papers, telling stories, sandwiching the questions he truly wanted to ask among countless other questions.
Eric was too perceptive. Zandar could only keep shifting topics, one after another, to interfere with his judgment.
He didn't want his student to discover the truth too early and affect the trust they had finally built.
Regarding his student's death, he had once had suspicions.
He suspected it was inseparable from the "Elation" Aeon and the "Trailblaze" Aeon.
Considering that Akivili had perished together with his student, he didn't continue investigating and instead shifted his focus to the "Elation" Aeon, Aha.
After Aha blew up the Astral Express, Eric seemed to discover the truth from the Aeon and went to confront him.
At that time, his student didn't trust him. After cutting off communication, Eric and Akivili suddenly changed direction and headed for the Imaginary Tree.
Then came death.
The problem was most likely with Aha.
Hopefully, after his student recovered that memory, he wouldn't hate him.
Oh, given Eric's personality… he probably wouldn't hate anyone, only himself.
Next, what Zandar needed to think about were the Aeons.
The "Remembrance" Aeon, Fuli, hadn't paid attention to Eric at first. Only after the star sea burned repeatedly did the Aeon lower its head and look at his student.
After Eric regained his complete memories, Fuli wouldn't appear before others.
The Aeon that would arrive at the Luofu… could only be one of Aha's avatars.
To stop Eric, Aha might try every possible way to gain his trust.
Eric naturally wouldn't trust the Aeon that had gravely injured him. He would only demand enough sincerity from Aha.
Would Aha proactively exchange secrets? Or would he descend upon the Luofu with his true body?
If it were the former, Eric wouldn't believe him. If it were the latter… Eric might just take the opportunity to deal with Aha while he was at it.
Zandar guessed that Eric would only recover his memories after the engagement.
Their engagement was half a year away. For long-lived species, half a year was nothing.
Presumably, during this time, the current Xianzhou Marshal wouldn't let the Luofu Cloud Knights go to war.
Eric could only adjust his emotions properly when alone. He wouldn't recover his memories while his lover was staying on the Luofu.
Zandar thought, looks like he needed to prepare in advance.
For now, he'd just pack the luggage for a few ships.
He knew very well that once he went to the Luofu, he probably wouldn't be coming back.
That was his student. If Eric could let him, a free laborer, go… would he still be Eric?
But this was fine too. Whether Eric broke up or learned the truth, there would be enough time for him to regulate his emotions.
Zandar's gaze fell on the injection nearby that could put someone into deep sleep, a state of suspended animation. He let out a deep sigh.
Honestly, he didn't want to hear news of his student's death ever again.
He didn't want to become the one who pushed his student toward death once more.
Clearly, he could live more easily. Why did he have to form attachments to others?
Why did he have to pursue memories of the past?
But that was his student.
He knew him better than anyone.
How could Eric tolerate knowing nothing at all?
Deleting memories? Useless.
Eric was very smart. You could hide it for a while, but not forever.
His student was very good at spotting clues in the smallest details.
'If this time, just like before, no one could stop you…'
'Then at least… choose a lighter way, one that doesn't hurt so much.'
'As for what comes after… try "Universe Creation."'
'At worst, fail one more time.'
'Treat it as recording experimental data.'
'It's not like one more failure makes any difference.'
Zandar closed the box containing the injection and thought to himself.