Zero was about to die from anger.
His own UR, finally, had grown up to the age where he could legally work.
Originally, he'd been thinking, just hand over things to him, let UR take care of Yaoqing's affairs, then he himself could personally watch over the colossus, finish it earlier, and also get to go out and play some casual games earlier.
But who could have thought? Aha came again.
He wasn't a Messenger, and he didn't even have any "fun" around him…
So why did this kind of lunatic NPC have to lock onto him?
Zero and the Chief Strategist were reading through documents, chatting, when they suddenly got hit by Aha.
Aha brought in a fruit platter.
At first, Zero didn't pay attention, thought it was some subordinate delivering fruit.
He usually didn't eat anything anyway, since his HP bar was never bottoming out, why waste time?
With that time, he'd rather approve a few more documents.
But Yaoqing people were like that, naturally having favorability toward him. Every time he went out, they'd often feed him fruits or snacks or whatever.
Especially the people at the General's Mansion, their feeding was endless.
Zero couldn't resist anymore, so he had no choice but to eat a little fruit, often sharing with his subordinates too.
So when he saw the golden fruit shining on the platter, he thought someone had found a new variety, and very naturally split the fruit in half, giving the other half to the Chief Strategist.
But after just one bite, his HP bar, which had never changed except in battle, instantly emptied out.
He felt as if something gushed up from his throat, and he couldn't hold back coughing.
Zero lowered his head and saw, a mouthful of blood mixed with flesh.
Zero, "…"
He took a deep breath, calmly looked at the Chief Strategist collapsed on the ground with blood coming from his seven orifices, and opened his panel.
Great. His HP bar was dropping at visible speed, just like being clawed by a bleeding dog.
Then he opened the map. Standing nearby, the culprit was Aha.
Zero stood up, turned his back to Aha, blocking the Chief Strategist, then opened the system backpack and frantically searched for healing items.
Even though the game was liver-grinding, at least it still had a little conscience.
It directly copied everything from his game backpack over unchanged. Too bad, usable things were very few.
For example, Mora, the Teyvat currency, couldn't be used in Yaoqing.
But weapons and artifacts could be equipped.
Thankfully, he had spent enough money before, and had camped in artifact dungeons long enough…
As for how he'd found out…
Of course it was after countless times of nearly dying, after repelling several bosses for Yaoqing, while lying on a sickbed.
In that moment, Zero really wanted to go insane on the spot and just clear this game.
But helplessly, he hadn't even researched the Star-Destroying level weapons, let alone meeting the clear conditions, leading his faction to ascend using the Aether Phase Engine.
Who could refuse the Aether Phase Engine?
Come on, that was the artifact that, just with recoil alone, could instantly explode all the stars and planets in the universe, leading his faction to ascend.
Of course, Zero wasn't some devil. He was a kind person. He wouldn't activate it lightly.
He would first turn the whole universe into Yaoqing's, make some structural adjustments during that time, then activate the Aether Phase Engine, taking the consciousness of all organisms along to ascend to a higher plane.
After deep thought, Zero had chosen this as the universe's ending.
The main reason was just to clear the game.
The other reason… let's call it OCD?
Zero liked to finish what he started. For the sake of giving the whole universe a happy ending, he had racked his brains.
Many substances that make up the human body don't come from ordinary planets at all.
For example, iron in blood, without supernova explosions, it might not even appear.
As for zinc in blood, its origins were similar to iron's, created after two neutron stars collided, producing dust.
Tracing it back, rounding it up, wasn't life basically born out of explosions?
Explosion is art.
The elements that form life come from explosions, so let the universe that gave birth to life also end with an explosion.
How is that not a beginning and an end?
In a sense, isn't it romantic?
But this romantic ending absolutely couldn't be cut off halfway.
His Chief Strategist had to come along with him.
Zero kept rummaging, ignoring the random junk in the backpack.
After finishing missions in Yaoqing, the dropped rewards were often weird.
Ashblown Dust? Sounds familiar, probably useless.
Primordial Jade? To get refinement five, he had eaten full pity five times…
Skyward Blade, can revive, but each person only once. The Chief Strategist wasn't dead yet… better save it for Yaoqing's soldiers later.
Gnoses? Still seven of them? His main quest had only reached Fontaine, right?
He quickly swept through the backpack and finally, on the fifth page, saw Matsutake Meat Rolls.
Zero's hand shook as he stuffed a meat roll into the Chief Strategist's mouth, but his HP bar didn't budge, so he kept stuffing.
He stuffed seven in a row. Just as he was about to stuff in the eighth, finally, the Chief Strategist stirred.
At the same time, there was noise outside the door.
Zero looked up and nearly cursed in Xianzhou slang.
Wasn't that his UR and subordinate? They absolutely couldn't meet Aha.
He could only use his eyes to signal them not to come close.
Just then, Aha spoke, his tone puzzled, "Why aren't you dead?"
Only then did Zero spare attention to glance at his own HP bar, almost empty, just one drop left.
What was Aha even saying, how could a player possibly die?
Zero ignored him. After the Chief Strategist regained consciousness, he opened his panel, and suddenly there was a debuff named "Undying."
Zero was baffled.
Why was "not dying" a debuff? Shouldn't it be a buff?
He opened his own panel too, and saw the same "Undying" debuff.
This time, learning from the lesson of the mental illness buff, he carefully read the notes, looked left, looked right, and still saw no negative effect other than "not dying."
He turned his head to the two golden fruits on the table, each bitten once, and stored them in the system backpack.
[This is a gift from the Aeon of Abundance]
[After eating it, high chance of exploding to death]
[Those who can withstand its power... will become a Messenger of Abundance]
Zero, "…"
'Aha, you really play dirty. The Chief Strategist almost got killed by you!'
As for Aha trying to kill him, Zero didn't really care, but hurting the Chief Strategist… it felt like cats and dogs fighting, with fur flying everywhere.
The other party was at least an Aeon. If he didn't cause trouble, that'd be losing face.
Even in Teyvat, if you passed by Hilichurls, they'd come running without fear of death and shoot arrows at you.
Too bad, right now, he hadn't even cleared the beginner's village, couldn't even beat Hilichurls, had to slowly grow stronger.
Aha leaned over, grinning, and asked, "Eh? How did you make it disappear?"
"This one isn't necessary."
Zero rubbed his chin, staring at the system quest list.
[He always blocks you from getting what you desire]
So it was Aha tripping him up?
Zero didn't get it, so he asked, "Have you been messing with Yaoqing these past three hundred years?"
Aha flatly denied it.
Zero, half believing half doubting, asked again, "Do you want to go find some new fun with me?"
Aha was utterly shaken.
He had given his mask, let this man and his subordinate live long, and now he'd just brought fruits fresh from "Abundance." But instead of dying, this man had even made the fruits vanish into thin air.
And now he was asking the Aeon of Joy if he wanted to find some fun?
'So are you Joy, or am I Joy?'
Inside, he was wildly delighted. In a cheerful tone, he said, "What fun?"
Then he looked at this human who had brought him so many surprises, and with those eyes that seemed to look at a dead thing, he stared back.
That man, as if it were the most natural thing, said, "For example, how about killing an Aeon for fun?"
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