Zandar looked at the food set before him and instantly lost his appetite.
He would never deliberately pry into a student's privacy.
But from Marty and the Xianzhou people's reactions, he could already judge the student's situation.
If something happened, the Luofu would definitely enter lockdown.
Zandar stared at Jingliu's name.
'Isn't this way too disrespectful to Eric?!'
'Back then, those words of his... using the Xianzhou expression, they were just a delaying tactic! A desperate last resort! Treating a dead horse like a living one!'
'So how did they actually end up sleeping together?!'
Zandar understood his student.
The other party had been raised strictly. Compared to the physical desires some people pursued, he placed more importance on spiritual connection.
Even if he crossed that line before marriage, he would still choose an auspicious day and an appropriate setting.
Besides pursuing so-called ritual and atmosphere, he was also an extremely responsible person.
And what happened in the end?
Without even figuring out his own constitution, Eric got muddle-headed and ended up getting slept with by that woman...
Zandar's emotions were all tangled together. Then another thought hit him.
When Eric met him, he had still been very young. On top of that, his upbringing had been strict...
Did the student's parents... ever teach him about that sort of thing?
Zandar, "..."
Had he taught him back then?
The scholar began recalling the contents of his notes.
Zandar, "..."
Even if he had taught him, there was no way he would've written that into his notes. And there was no way the student would remember it either!
Reason and emotion tore at each other. Zandar took a deep breath and struggled to think clearly.
Although Xianzhou adult-oriented works didn't contain anything minors shouldn't see...
Even if Eric hadn't known at fifteen, he had at least served as the Xianzhou Marshal. Even if he'd never touched a woman, he still would've had to pay attention to the Xianzhou people's educational issues.
What he should know, he definitely knew.
If he asked Eric that question himself... the other party would probably show a very interesting expression, wouldn't he?
Zandar forcibly pulled back his thoughts and began thinking about the real issue.
To a lower-dimensional world, what exactly did the flesh and blood of a "Higher-Dimensional Descender" represent?
This was a question he had never deeply investigated before, nor wanted to.
Zandar only knew that the series of weapons developed with the involvement of a "Higher-Dimensional Descender," along with the supporting technologies behind them, could not be erased by the Aeon of "Remembrance," Fuli.
As long as the student wished it, the universe would move according to his will.
Then what about flesh and blood?
What about the people who had... come into contact with the student?
Zandar believed that flesh and blood would only compensate for the shortcomings of lower-dimensional beings.
For example, Shuhu, the Emanator of "Abundance."
Shuhu had originally been an "immortal" existence, but when faced with weapons like the colossus, it would have died without question.
Yet by a strange coincidence, it came into contact with Eric's blood and survived neutron radiation.
Eric's lover was a Xianzhou native.
Her shortcoming was mara-struck degeneration.
She would not gain the traits of a "Higher-Dimensional Descender."
Otherwise, Eric would have died at the hands of the Aeons long ago.
They would have stripped him to the bone already.
Yet the student knew nothing about any of this.
Right now, his student must be confused and miserable.
Earlier, Zandar had deliberately selected part of the research projects.
The purpose was to divert the student's attention after a breakup.
Now he had to choose all over again.
How could divorce and a breakup possibly be the same thing?
Zandar set down his coffee cup, held the long-range sensory device with both hands, and immediately opened his student's chat window.
Hui Feng froze for a moment. Marty also put down his knife and fork.
Seeing this, the waiter slowly approached the table and softly asked whether they required any additional service.
Hui Feng shook her head.
After the waiter left, both Hui Feng and Marty looked toward Zandar.
The scholar's expression was grave as he stared at the screen.
Marty could only turn to Hui Feng for help.
"Mr. Zandar... what's wrong?"
Hui Feng thought to herself, 'Other than Eric, who else could make Zandar act as if facing a great enemy?'
'Even in previous cycles, when that person repeatedly killed Aeons and activated the engine, Zandar had still always treated him as the fifteen-year-old child from when they first met.'
'Right now, his emotions must be incredibly complicated.'
The shock in his heart was no less than seeing a child who barely reached his knees yesterday suddenly get married and have children today.
Facing Marty, who cared about Eric just as much, Hui Feng shook her head again.
"No idea."
Zandar typed for a long time, only to delete everything in the end.
No matter how many comforting words were said through a screen, they all seemed unbearably weak.
Eric would not believe them.
The only thing he trusted was experimental data placed right before his eyes.
This time, there was only one test subject.
Zandar lowered his head and sent his location to the student.
[Zandar Shared Location]
He put down the long-range sensory device, took a sip of coffee, then switched to Guanliang's chat window.
[Zandar: I assume the Xianzhou has quite the headache dealing with that Emanator of Abundance]
[Guanliang' Mr. Zandar, if you have something to say, please say it directly]
[Zandar: The next experiment will require it]
Zandar once again sent his location.
[Zandar: Also, what he gave you people should be returned now]
The flesh and blood that had been cut away should be returned now.
The scholar paused briefly.
If Guanliang were the one asking him for blood samples instead... he would only think of ways to dispose of this person.
After considering for a moment, Zandar gave a reason neither Guanliang nor the current Marshal could refuse.
[Zandar: The Xianzhou needs a new successor, doesn't it?]
———
Guanliang's expression darkened as he handed the jade abacus to Hua beside him.
Hua flipped through the chat history between the two and smiled.
"Since Father could bring me to meet the 'Reignbow Arbiter' and the 'Cloudkeeper Arbiter'..."
Guanliang understood the unspoken implication.
Even the Aeons were like this.
So wasn't it perfectly normal for the genius who created Aeons to run around for him while risking becoming enemies with the Xianzhou and dying at any moment?
But where exactly did this guy even come from?
Guanliang still wasn't reassured.
"This person cannot be trusted."
Hua fell silent for a moment before asking in return, "Does it matter whether we trust him or not?"
Guanliang fell silent.
Right. That person trusted Zandar.
Did their trust matter?
Hua continued, "He's just a death row inmate. Giving him away is fine."
"As for the Xianzhou's successor..."
Was it because she was greedy for power? Was it because she didn't want to look for one?
Sometimes Hua really wanted to imitate her father and just snatch a successor off the street.
Unfortunately, she simply couldn't find one.
Hua sighed.
Given Father's mental state, he probably couldn't spare the attention to raise a child.
She took the initiative to skip past the topic.
"Zandar is right. What Father gave us... should indeed be returned."
Guanliang nodded.
Before setting out for the Luofu, he had specifically brought along the blood sample preserved for nearly a thousand years.
"Fine. I'll leave now."
Hua thought for a moment, then smiled.
"There's no need to clear the area this time."
"If we clear the place out... wouldn't that make the Xianzhou seem terribly rude? Anyone who didn't know better would think we were trying to silence witnesses."
Before leaving, Guanliang suddenly said something out of nowhere.
"Usually when this kind of thing happens, superiors talk things through with their subordinates."
"I heard the Luofu's Diviner is very responsible."
Hua's expression shifted slightly.
'Father would not care about controversy surrounding himself, but if it involved other people, he would definitely step forward immediately to deal with it.'
Guanliang asked, "Aren't you going to take a look?"
The moment he finished speaking, he could no longer hold back his laughter.
"As Marshal, you should at least visit the Six Commissions, right?"
In front of others, that person would absolutely never reveal his true identity.
If Guanliang himself weren't meeting with Zandar... there was no way he'd miss the chance to go to the Divination Commission and watch Zero's drama unfold.
Hua quietly asked, "Has he fought the 'Reignbow Arbiter' before?"
Guanliang thought for a while and shook his head.
"Doesn't seem like it."
Hua hesitated for a long time before saying, "...Forget it."
She picked up a fountain pen and signed her name in the section Teng Xiao had deliberately left blank for "Opinion of the Department Head."
As Hua put the paper documents back into the file bag, she sighed.
"The last time I came to the Luofu, I already visited the Divination Commission."
Guanliang did not persuade her further. Carrying the password case containing the blood sample, he boarded a starskiff with his guards.
———
An hour later, they arrived at Zandar's location.
The guards beside Guanliang scattered and blended into the crowd to protect him in secret.
Carrying the password case, he brushed past pedestrians.
Among them, a purple-haired Foxian and a white-haired, golden-eyed youth were discussing something.
It looked like a struggling student asking an elder how to pass the academy exams.
Fair enough. With exams approaching, only by making trade-offs and specializing in certain subjects could one pass more tests.
Guanliang thought the Xianzhou's children were blessed.
Starting next semester, the Xianzhou would be adding more than a dozen compulsory courses.
He headed to the top floor, and the first person he saw was Zero.
Guanliang's heart sank.
The other party sat by the window with Zandar, and behind the two stood a gray-haired girl.
Guanliang carried the password case over and sat down.
He stopped thinking about the relationship between Zero and Zandar and carefully looked him over.
There were no external injuries on any exposed skin.
Guanliang's gaze lingered briefly on the gloves he wore. A flicker passed through his eyes before he put on a fake, concerned tone.
"Isn't it just getting slept with? That's perfectly norm..."
Zero, "..."
Zandar glared at Guanliang and immediately defended his student.
"He didn't even get slept with, okay?"
Hui Feng, standing behind them, twitched at the corner of her mouth.
'Zandar, you did that on purpose, didn't you?! And that Chief Strategist too... why is everyone such a menace?!'
Zero's eyes lost focus.
Seeing this, Zandar wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"Isn't it just that you wanted to break up with her, but got tricked into marriage instead? It's not even a big dea..."
Zero, "..."