Hua chatted a bit more with the Guardian, then found an excuse to hang up the phone.
She let out a deep sigh.
The former Marshal had once told Hua that he had no expectations for his successor.
Likewise, Hua would never force her own thoughts onto the Guardian after his reincarnation.
Of course, unless there were special circumstances.
Those subordinates of his could no longer bear the pain of losing that person a second time.
Only after his death did Hua obtain the Feathered Dust capable of erasing memories and easing demonic corruption.
But times were different now, if the past repeated itself, she and "Reignbow Arbiter" would use every possible means to stop it, no longer caring about that person's thoughts or will.
As long as he stayed alive, that was enough.
And if he could completely give up the idea of using the Void Tomb's ultimate weapon, that would be even better.
Hua didn't have high hopes for him, so when she heard him asking how to give gifts to the opposite sex, she didn't think about any age difference, she was just surprised.
In their previous life, he rejected who-knows-how-many girls by giving them homework to do.
Those girls who admired him could only grit their teeth in silence, and once they left the estate, pour their hearts out, "Is there a chance, just maybe, I already graduated?! I really, truly like you!"
Hua had once asked the Guardian why, over thousands of years, he had never sought a partner.
He began listing the factions backing each suitor, then broke down, piece by piece, the potential effects a marriage alliance involving him might have on the Xianzhou Alliance.
After that, Hua never asked again.
In his eyes, the Xianzhou Alliance mattered far more than his own feelings.
Even after reincarnation, even without his past memories, that person would never easily draw close to others, as if restraining and suppressing his emotions had long become instinct.
Considering this, Hua wasn't overly concerned.
Maybe after becoming an ordinary person, he simply didn't know how to interact with the opposite sex?
Of course, if he could find someone he genuinely cared about, that would be even better.
That way, there would be one more person who could hold him back.
But given how the Guardian seemed to encounter every misfortune possible, coupled with his overly rational nature… he probably wouldn't fall in love.
'Wait, he really was pretty unlucky.'
Right after becoming a general, he encountered the Mara-struck people rebellion. After becoming Marshal, he fought the Abundance people. Then he forced other factions into the war to clean up the cosmic swarm and sentient machines…
Nearly five thousand years of nonstop, no sleep, no rest, no food…
He truly was unfortunate to the extreme… Thankfully, his luck eventually turned, and he met someone he loved.
Hua had originally worried he might make some regrettable decision.
Yet the moment he started dating, he began contemplating breaking up… and he even planned an escape route for Jingliu.
Hua never imagined that even without being Marshal and growing up as an ordinary person, he would still be that same level of rational, so rational it bordered on inhuman.
This was both good news and bad news.
The good news was that Hua no longer needed to worry about the Guardian's mental state, his rationality still held the upper hand.
With his clearance, he would only see the Azure City Lab's reports.
Hua had been able to deduce the existence of that neutron gun from an empty display box, and infer a whole chain of information from that, how much more could the Guardian, who understood Marty's personality far better than she did?
She had to seal off that part of the information and prevent him from guessing the truth behind the researchers' deaths.
That way, even if one day his identity was exposed and he ended up breaking up with Jingliu, he wouldn't do anything extreme.
As for the culprit who caused his identity to be exposed… they wouldn't die. Their fate would simply be worse than death.
The bad news was that the Guardian understood nothing about love. When treating a lover, he would treat them the same way he treated his subordinates and the Xianzhou people, ignoring his own feelings and indulging the other person unconditionally.
He would offer his whole heart, accepting everything about his lover without limits.
After reaching this conclusion, Hua felt numb all over.
At this point, what could Hua even say? She could only hope Jingliu wouldn't betray the Guardian's feelings.
As for the age difference between them… probably only the Guardian himself would care.
If he wanted someone around his actual age… well, the only ones of comparable age would be the Aeons, right? Too bad the Guardian only wanted to kill Aeons, not date them.
While silently complaining in her mind, Hua organized the current intel, thinking about how to end things quickly.
Before long, noisy sounds came from outside the tent. Listening closely, she could faintly hear someone shouting "Reignbow Arbiter" in an excited voice.
Hua, "…"
Looks like the Cloud Knights would be heading home soon.
Hua left her desk, exited the command tent, and looked up, searching the sky. She didn't see her Aeon, nor did she see that dazzling arrow that guided the Xianzhou's path.
She thought for a moment and guessed that her Aeon must have come to the front lines to invite Jingliu to become the new Hunt Messenger.
As for the specifics, she could wait for her subordinates to report.
Hua returned to the tent. After a while, her subordinates arrived with Jingliu in tow.
One stepped forward and informed her that after descending, "Reignbow Arbiter" had destroyed a planet corrupted by the power of "Abundance."
Hua didn't hear Shuhu's name mentioned, which puzzled her.
'Only one planet…? Looks like the Arbiter deliberately held back.'
Hua thought for a moment and concluded the Aeon did it for the Guardian.
This time, the Guardian must have wanted prisoners left alive. So the Arbiter didn't strike at the fleeing Shuhu, only met Jingliu briefly, destroyed one planet, and left.
The subordinates praised the Arbiter's revealed miracles with wild enthusiasm, and then mentioned the Aeon's choice for the new Messenger.
Just as Hua expected, "Reignbow Arbiter" had indeed chosen Jingliu.
Setting aside the fact that she was the Guardian's lover, she was also an outstanding Cloud Knight.
She was a fearless warrior who had slain countless abominations. She wouldn't abandon her sword for someone, nor betray the oath she made when joining the Cloud Knights.
In Hua's view, any kind of preferential treatment toward such a proud swordmaster would be an insult to her ability.
Indeed, Jingliu had contributed greatly to the Xianzhou, but those merits alone were not enough to draw the Aeon's direct attention.
If one day Jingliu learned she became the Emanator of the god she reveres not because of her abilities, but because of her lover… how would she feel? Would she be repulsed?
Hua stood up, stepped away from the desk, and walked forward, stopping at a measured distance from Jingliu.
She began praising Jingliu's swordsmanship and acknowledging everything she had done for the Xianzhou as a Cloud Knight.
Hua spoke to her exactly like she would to any other subordinate, praising her, encouraging her.
Finally, Hua let out a soft laugh, "To be honest, I'm not very good at saying things like this."
"So I'll end with the oath I once spoke."
Hua smiled and looked at Jingliu, whose gaze was firm.
She subconsciously thought of the Guardian, the spirited, confident version of him she had never seen but had heard Chanzhen describe.
He had once spoken a similar vow, promising all who followed him.
He declared, ("As long as this body endures, the vow shall live on...")
Unfortunately, he wasn't a true god; he could not ensure his body endured, nor that his vow lived on forever.
But up until the moment he died, he kept his promise.
Hua knew she could not remain rational the way he had.
Thus, at the Star Sea Community assembly, she altered the final line of that vow, pledging, "From this day forward, until death..."
Now, Hua slightly revised her own oath, using it to encourage this subordinate of… excessively unique status.
She told Jingliu, "I believe in you."
"I believe you will devote your life to preserving the Xianzhou's peace, to defending the rights of its people, and to eradicating the abominations scattered across the star sea."
'May you be the anchor that makes him willing to stay in this world, not the hand that pushes him toward destruction.'
At the same time, the Cloud Knights, invigorated by the Arbiter's descent, lifted their heads in unison, gazing long and reverently at the distant divine sign.
It was the planet that had been utterly destroyed by divine power.
Those fortunate enough to witness the Arbiter's might firsthand exclaimed and praised their god from the heart.
The Cloud Knights inside the tent, hearing the commotion outside, asked around until they learned the Arbiter had appeared, then could only look up and sigh bitterly.
How did they miss it?
Someone else who shared that sentiment was Jing Yuan.
Running to Dan Feng's tent and encountering Yingxing, Jing Yuan let out a sigh of regret, "How did I miss it?"
The not-yet-twenty-year-old lieutenant glanced at Dan Feng and Yingxing, seeking comfort.
One dragon and one man comforted him half-heartedly.
They had just finished drinking nutrient fluid.
Conditions on the battlefield were harsh, even someone like Dan Feng, who hated the taste of nutrient fluid, had to force it down.
Fortunately, where there's a will, there's a way. After much deliberation, the Dragon Lord had brought his favorite tea leaves to save his taste buds from the torture of nutrient fluid.
At this moment, Dan Feng held his wide sleeve with one hand and poured tea into a tasting cup with the other.
The Dragon Lord and Yingxing were chatting about the Xianzhou's long-standing tea ceremony.
Dan Feng glanced at his own extremely simple tea set and sighed, "What a shame, given the circumstances, this is the best I can do… This tea should really be brewed with a finer set."
Jing Yuan looked at the antique gaiwan passed down through who-knows-how-many generations of Lord Imbibitor Lunae, and the two exquisitely crafted tasting cups that could easily sell for auction prices.
He was struck by his friend's extravagance, but then again, he reminded himself, this was the Dragon Lord.
Why would Lord Imbibitor Lunae ever need to brew tea himself in Luofu? All he had to do was sit quietly, listen to the performers, and watch the tea masters work.
But on the battlefield, the Lord could only bring one gaiwan and two cups… honestly, it was a bit pitiful.
Jing Yuan sighed inwardly for a moment, then continued, "But that was the 'Reignbow Arbiter'!"
Alas, neither the dragon nor the man reacted with the fanatical enthusiasm typical of Xianzhou folk.
One had personally witnessed the Arbiter slaughtering abominations; the other was a short-lived species with no Xianzhou education.
Neither could give Jing Yuan the reaction he wanted.
Dan Feng relaxed, filled the second tasting cup to the brim with tea, and pushed it toward Yingxing.
"There's a saying on the Xianzhou, a full cup means sending a guest away. But with our relationship, we won't worry about such formalities."
Just pour more tea to save his short-lived friend's taste buds.
Yingxing stared solemnly at the priceless cup Dan Feng casually slid over, then cautiously lifted his empty nutrient-fluid pouch and said, "Maybe… pour it into this instead?"
Dan Feng looked utterly shocked and immediately scolded him, "What a waste! Don't ruin my tea, just drink it!"
Was this something a normal person would suggest?
'Does he have any idea how many credit points that tea cost?!'
'Using a pouch that USED TO HOLD nutrient fluid to store tea… Yingxing, you're truly a genius of disaster!'
Looking embarrassed, Yingxing carefully picked up the cup and took a small sip.
Dan Feng folded his arms, speaking in a calm but faintly proud tone, "How does it taste?"
Yingxing frowned, hesitating.
Seeing his expression, Jing Yuan instantly knew he hadn't tasted anything meaningful, so he switched topics, "Speaking of which, Master's been in a terrible mood lately…"
Yingxing immediately perked up. He set down the teacup and shook his head, "I can tell. It's only been a few days, and she's already broken dozens of swords… Now I finally understand why she didn't use the 'Shattered' sword I forged…"
Shattered weighed three thousand pounds; maintaining it required the rarest materials.
On the battlefield, where would they get any?
Dan Feng took another sip of tea and said unhurriedly, "I heard that a few days ago, Jingliu personally detained a major criminal…"
Jing Yuan nodded and sighed, "Yes. He's cooperative… except every time someone mentions Master in front of him, he loses control emotionally…"
Dan Feng and Yingxing exchanged looks, instantly reaching the same conclusion.
A woman in love was truly terrifying.
Jingliu never showed mercy to abominations before, and it wasn't uncommon for her enemies to walk away traumatized… but breaking dozens of swords? That definitely sounded like personal emotions at play.
Yingxing tried to empathize, "Understandable. It's her first time in love, after all, "
Dan Feng agreed, "And with a twenty-year-old kid… It's legal, since that's marriage age…"
But it still felt wrong somehow...
But this was his friend Jingliu, though in age-conversion terms, compared to a short-lived species, one of them had a foot in the grave while the other was only seven or eight… but still, she was his friend!
Even if it were illegal, Lord Imbibitor Lunae Dan Feng would still fully support Jingliu.
Jing Yuan's expression slowly froze.
Coming to the battlefield had helped him temporarily forget that cruel fact.
Yingxing, Dan Feng, you two really know how to say the worst possible thing at the worst possible time, qwq.
Dan Feng glanced at Jing Yuan and tried to console him, "Think about the storybooks you've read..."
The Dragon Lord paused, remembering how widely read Jing Yuan was, and asked uncertainly, "You read 'chasing-the-wife-through-the-flames-of-hell' types, right?"
Jing Yuan, "…Who would read that kind of story?!"
Dan Feng ignored him and continued, "Your master is like the male lead who finally catches the woman he loves, only for the author to separate them right away… How could she not be angry?"
Jing Yuan, Dan Feng, that was a great explanation, please don't ever say it again.
Just imagining that blasphemous Zero as the female lead made his scalp tingle.
Suddenly, Dan Feng had an idea, "Why don't we pick some storybooks for Jingliu? Give them to her as reference?"
None of the four of them had ever dated anyone. Aside from the forums, literature was their only hope.
Jing Yuan hesitated, "Huh? Isn't that… inappropriate?"
Their group of five was close, but still… giving someone romance storybooks felt like crossing a line.
Dan Feng blinked, then shook his head, "Do you misunderstand the Xianzhou's censorship laws?"
"The scene where the male and female lead drink alcohol together is restricted. All storybooks rated 200-years-and-up only go as far as holding hands."
Jing Yuan couldn't help protesting, "…You can get married at twenty, but storybooks you can read at two hundred only have hand-holding… doesn't that seem like a problem?!"
Dan Feng thought, 'You'll have to ask the former Marshal who made those rules.'
His gaze shifted and landed on Yingxing, and suddenly he remembered that Yingxing had left something in his tent earlier.
Dan Feng asked, "What exactly did you put in my tent? I need to tell someone to keep an eye on it."
The moment Yingxing heard this, he immediately held up the ten-billion-credit wooden box in front of Dan Feng.
The Dragon Lord froze, about to ask him about it, when suddenly they heard Cloud Knights outside shouting excitedly.
The three of them focused, listening carefully.
Someone exclaimed, "As expected of the Swordmaster! She actually earned the recognition of 'Reignbow Arbiter'!"
Dan Feng, "…"
The Dragon Lord instinctively turned his head toward the wooden box in Yingxing's arms once again.