Yingxing frowned tightly and said nothing.
He wasn't a Xianzhou native, but he hated the Abundance abominations just the same.
Yingxing didn't feel much connection to the struggles between the Xianzhou Alliance and the Swarm or the mechanical intelligences recorded in the archives, much less the former Marshal only mentioned by his friends.
Aside from feeling shocked and internally thinking Zero was badass as hell, he had no other thoughts.
If Zero hadn't interrupted Yingxing's train of thought midway, he probably would have kept standing there like a gold automaton that had been forcibly shut down.
That interruption made all of Yingxing's emotions feel like a bottle of soda left overnight, most of the fizz already gone.
Usually, Zero always wore a kind smile and looked easy to talk to.
But this time, after learning his true identity and seeing this completely different cold expression, Yingxing couldn't help but hesitate.
Zero had no intention of continuing to get tangled up with Yingxing. Patiently, he said softly, "Yingxing, don't be misled by what's written in the archives."
"With the relationship between you and me, we can be considered friends, right?"
"In your eyes, am I the kind of person… who uses harsh methods?"
"I won't break up with her."
"I will respect all of her choices."
After hearing this, Dan Feng immediately understood.
You say you respect all of Jingliu's choices…
Which means you won't be the one to suggest breaking up, but if Jingliu wants to break up with you, you won't refuse.
Yingxing had never seen Zero's wordplay before and didn't catch the hidden meaning, so he nodded.
Zero turned his gaze toward Dan Feng.
"Alright, let's not talk about this for now. There are more important things to do."
"Dan Feng, answer my question."
Aha quickly sorted things out.
Right now, his best friend had two choices.
One was to die at the Imaginary Tree.
This was something Aha couldn't change and could only try to delay as much as possible.
The second option… was to use the recoil of the engine to turn back time.
Why did his best friend want to fail one more time?
It must be for the Xianzhou people.
He wanted to use another method to let his subjects gain long life.
If one wanted to make his best friend give up, in some ways it was actually quite simple.
Aha understood Zero. As long as the cost and reward weren't proportional, or if it couldn't bring enough benefit, he would reconsider or just give up.
Right now, his best friend's emotions were nearly out of control. Before making a final decision, he would be even more cautious.
The Aeon quickly came up with an idea.
Without any hesitation, Aha joined their conversation.
"Best friend, the timeline doesn't match."
"When the Aeon of Permanence fell, the Xianzhou's homeworld… probably hadn't even developed civilization yet, right?"
Dan Feng kept his expression unchanged, but inside, a storm surged.
'What… is this supposed to do?'
'It sounds like time could be reversed.'
Zero closed his eyes briefly.
"…You're right."
Emotions could make him lose his rationality and interfere with his judgment.
He really had lost his head.
Zero took several deep breaths to calm his emotions.
If he couldn't have the Aeon of Permanence grant blessings to humans, then what about the Vidyadhara?
Aside from the High Elders who needed to receive their inheritance in dreams, the Vidyadhara would not fall into mara.
They were close to eternal life, an almost perfect race.
Through the High Elder's power, would it be possible to turn humans into Vidyadhara?
This thought flashed through Zero's mind.
He had no intention of using Dan Feng to test his guess.
If he started over again, he would use his own flesh and blood to solve the mara problem.
And what about Dan Feng?
He had clearly said that he understood Dan Feng.
He had repeatedly emphasized that Dan Feng shouldn't lie to him.
And the result? Dan Feng didn't trust him and was afraid of dragging Yingxing and the Vidyadhara into it.
Right now, Zero didn't have the mental energy to think about the Vidyadhara. He only wanted to solve the problems he had left behind.
On top of that, he had an agreement with Zandar. There was something he needed to confirm with him.
Zero didn't know when the Cloud Knights would return to the Luofu. If something unexpected happened midway…
At that point, no one and no Aeon would allow him to leave.
Zero looked at Dan Feng again.
He could only let the High Elder make the decision himself.
Clarify both sides' demands, set a shared goal, and finally inform him of the consequences of going against his wishes.
This way… no matter what Dan Feng chose, it could become one of his backup plans.
"Second question, Imbibitor Lunae. If someone could solve the Vidyadhara's problem, what would you be willing to offer in return?"
Dan Feng's eyes widened in disbelief.
He repeatedly turned the sentence over in his mind, afraid he had misunderstood.
'Besides being "omniscient"… you can even help solve the problem that has troubled the Vidyadhara for thousands of years?!'
Zero's expression remained indifferent.
"I said before, I will do everything I can to help all of you High Elders. I will slowly deal with the Plagues Author's remains and won't make you guard one place forever."
"What I promised you, I will definitely accomplish."
Dan Feng's gaze shifted slightly.
He had never expected that Zero still remembered the agreement with the High Elders to this day.
Facing Dan Feng's increasingly fervent gaze, Zero continued,
"Zandar One Kuwabara. I don't know if you've heard of him…"
"He's the number one member of the Genius Society. The stellar computer he created was later elevated into the Aeon of Erudition."
"He's a genius who created an Aeon. Before this, I had discussed this matter with him."
At this moment, the sounds around Dan Feng seemed distant. All he could hear was his own heartbeat.
He was the High Elder who best understood the power of the High Elders.
And Zandar was a genius who had created an Aeon.
Aside from himself and Zandar, there was no one else in the star sea capable of helping the Vidyadhara.
Zero knew that asking Zandar to study the "River of Children water" was honestly a waste of his talent.
He paused, then continued, "He accepted my invitation back then, but something unexpected happened along the way. It kept getting delayed, and before I knew it, it had dragged on until today."
"In a few dozen minutes, I'll meet with him to discuss this matter, but I'm not sure whether he'll agree this time…"
Dan Feng found himself in a difficult position and cautiously asked, "Patrol tokens? A planet? Or… antiques?"
Zero sighed.
"The things you mentioned… to a genius like him, they're probably just worldly objects."
"Of course, even if Zandar refuses the Xianzhou, it doesn't matter. Hua will find a more suitable candidate for you. The Xianzhou will solve your entire race's problem. It's just that…"
Dan Feng gave a slight nod and replied, "I am willing to share your burden."
It was like persuading someone standing on a rooftop. Once you brought up their family and friends, they might jump instead.
At a critical moment like this, every word he said was crucial.
Dan Feng could only… choose his words as carefully as possible.
Zero's tone sounded troubled as he talked about everything from the Divination Commission where Xianzhou citizens were registered after birth, to the Ten-Lords Commission that dealt with those who fell into mara, and finally sighed, "In the end, this is my problem. Now I'm leaving Hua with another mess to clean up."
Dan Feng understood.
For thousands of years, the Xianzhou had never interfered with the Vidyadhara's internal decisions. But what about after they solved the population problem? Without restrictions, their population would inevitably reach an astonishing number.
Such a large group not under Xianzhou control… would those in power really feel at ease? Would there be no other ideas within the Vidyadhara themselves?
Next, the Xianzhou would certainly impose various restrictions on the Vidyadhara, and their system of dragon elders and High Elders would gradually be abolished.
Dan Feng had long expected this.
With the former Marshal's level of control… could the successor he trained really be someone simple?
He had originally thought that successor would one day interfere in their internal affairs, but he hadn't expected… to actually live to see the day the former Marshal fulfilled his promise.
As he was thinking, Zero took out his jade communicator from his pocket, checked the time, and said, "As the host, I can't keep the guest waiting. Let's go."
Yingxing looked at Dan Feng's communicator, then at the group preparing to leave.
He probably… didn't need to find Dan Feng's subordinates anymore, right?
Dan Feng and Aha both let out a sigh of relief internally.
These kinds of banquets took the most time. Before long, Jingliu / sister-in-law would be back.
Dan Feng still walked behind and to the left of Zero. Without drawing attention, he made a small gesture, signaling Yingxing to walk beside him.
On Zero's right stood the person named Bacchus, whose strength was above that of an Emanator.
That person asked, "Best friend, what exactly was the first option?"
Zero slightly raised his chin, gesturing toward the direction of the Ambrosial Arbor, and said meaningfully,
"Trees always need fertilizer."
The person fell silent for a long time before saying with difficulty, "Best friend, actually you really don't need to go that far. You don't have to do this for this false..."
Mid-sentence, he suddenly fell silent.
Zero turned his head and started chatting with Dan Feng.
In a reflective tone, he said, "Dan Feng, we're very similar. You are the Vidyadhara High Elder, you are Imbibitor Lunae, but you alone are not yourself."
"I'm glad you didn't make the kind of decision… that would make you regret it, like I did."
"Sometimes I wonder if I spoiled them too much."
"To the point that… they defied me and left me."
Dan Feng stared steadily at Zero's profile and asked a question unrelated to their discussion.
"If it were you, what would you do?"
Zero stared into empty space, lost in thought for a moment, then said to Dan Feng, "Save them."
Dan Feng's voice drifted.
"You're right."
He slowly turned his head and looked at the confused Yingxing.
That's right. He was the Vidyadhara High Elder. He was Imbibitor Lunae. But he alone was not Dan Feng.
Dan Feng looked dazed as he walked with Zero and the others for a while. When they reached a certain spot, he suddenly stopped.
He took a deep breath and said softly, "Marshal, I think… we don't need to trouble Zandar after all."