"So you're the new Archon? Hello, I'm A'Ping—you can call me Ping'er. What's your name?"
A'Ping greeted Chen Meng warmly.
Chen Meng looked at the lively girl before him and thought of how she would one day become Granny Ping because of Gui Zhong's death. He couldn't begin to imagine how devastating that loss must have been for her.
"Hello, I'm the Archon of Dreams, Chen Meng."
Chen Meng extended his right hand. A'Ping was visibly taken aback by the name, but she still reached out and shook his hand.
After they let go, A'Ping turned to look at Morax, her face full of confusion. She was clearly hoping he would explain. Gui Zhong might not recognize the Archon of Dreams, but how could Morax not know?
Morax set down his chopsticks and silently looked at A'Ping and the immortals and yakshas behind her.
A green yaksha was staring intently at Chen Meng, breathing heavily, his whole body trembling.
That presence... it can't be mistaken. It's her aura. But why doesn't she look like her?
When Chen Meng introduced himself, the four other yakshas had already moved to stand protectively by his side.
"Xiao, are you alright?" asked the blue yaksha with concern, though her eyes remained locked on Chen Meng.
"I'm fine, Sister Fan Nan," Xiao replied, though his body was still trembling.
He remembered the past.
When he was young and naïve, he had been captured by her—his weakness exploited—and was enslaved as her demon general. He had committed countless atrocities, shattered countless dreams, forced to consume the beautiful dreams of the fallen. The agony had been unbearable, and he had been powerless to resist.
Until the Lord rescued him and gave him the name "Xiao." Though she had died before his very eyes, here she was again, standing before him. The form was different, but the aura was unmistakable.
Seeing Morax beside Chen Meng, Xiao's trembling stopped. His breathing returned to normal.
I should trust the Lord. It was the Lord who brought 'her' back. He must have his reasons.
"Everyone, come eat. We can talk after the meal."
With that, Morax stood up and walked toward the stone table in the pavilion.
Chen Meng noticed the way the yakshas were watching him and knew they'd misunderstood him. After all, even if the Archon of Dreams hadn't been thoroughly explained in the game, this was the real world—they clearly knew more.
"I'm full. You all go ahead."
With that, Chen Meng stood and walked over to join Morax, sitting down on the stone bench beside him. Morax picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of tea.
Chen Meng lifted the cup and drank with Morax.
System, fuse culinary and weapon mastery.
"Understood. Host, please prepare yourself. Fusion commencing."
Wait, what?
Before Chen Meng could finish, his vision went white.
A kitchen appeared before him. Inside, a white figure was cooking—swift and steady with the knife in hand. In no time, a dish was ready.
But the figure didn't stop. One dish after another flowed from its hands. In a short while, a full imperial banquet was laid out.
The scene shifted. Now a wooden stake stood before him, with racks of weapons on either side. A black figure stood with its back to him.
The shadow walked to the rack, picked up a spear, and approached the stake.
The spear—king among weapons, first of the nine longs. Its deadliest part was within six inches of the tip. Ideal for long-range, unsuitable for close quarters. Like a dragon in flight—silent until it strikes, and when it does, it must be lethal.
The shadow demonstrated the basics: block, grab, thrust. Then the moves became more complex until the spear was withdrawn.
The spear morphed into a one-handed sword.
The sword—ancestor of short weapons, sovereign of all arms, made for close combat. Double-edged, straight body, sharp point. Attacks through slicing, slashing, and stabbing. Lateral or vertical, it wounds all the same. A thrust can pierce armor—highly dangerous.
Then the weapon shifted to a two-handed sword. Sword techniques followed.
After that, it turned into a dao.
The dao came in two forms: great dao and single-edged dao. The great dao commanded the battlefield, the single dao was its daring spirit. But all daos were short-range. The shorter the blade, the greater the risk. When matched against long weapons, movement was key, and momentum could lead to defeat. Thus, ideal for close-range, not long-range...
After another flash of white, a cup of tea appeared before Chen Meng.
He took a breath and looked around. Morax was calmly sipping his tea. Gui Zhong, who had somehow arrived unnoticed, was absorbed in studying a new mechanism at the table.
Chen Meng felt his mind flooded with new knowledge—cooking techniques, spearwork, swordplay, and blade mastery.
System, did the fusion succeed?
"Yes, Host."
But why wasn't there anything about catalyst weapons?
"Host, may I ask—do you even know how to use your own power right now?"
...I suppose not.
"Exactly. If you can't even wield your own power, how could you possibly handle a catalyst weapon?"
Chen Meng could only sip his tea to cover the awkwardness.
By now, A'Ping and the others had finished eating and were cleaning up the table.
"Let's go over. We should explain things properly."
As Morax set down his teacup and walked toward the table, Gui Zhong stowed away her invention and followed him.
Chen Meng took another sip of tea and followed.
The table had been cleared. A'Ping, Marchosius, and the five yakshas sat waiting for Morax.
Morax, Gui Zhong, and Chen Meng joined them, taking their seats. Morax looked at Xiao.
"Xiao, Chen Meng isn't her. He's a newly born Archon."
Xiao listened to Morax and looked at Chen Meng.
Chen Meng met Xiao's gaze, firm and resolute. He wasn't her. He was Chen Meng.
A'Ping, Marchosius, and the other four yakshas also looked at Chen Meng.
"I can vouch for him. Chen Meng is a newly born Archon."
Gui Zhong raised her hand as she spoke.
"I've checked his Authority. It's her power, but incomplete. I've heard of Archons resurrecting, but never of the same Authority appearing twice."
Morax looked at Chen Meng, then turned back to Xiao.
"But Chen Meng isn't her. So don't be overly cautious, Xiao."
Xiao looked at Chen Meng, then stood up and walked over to him. Chen Meng turned to face him.
Xiao took a deep breath and said,
"Hello..."