The subordinates said, "With the Marshal here, what do we have to fear?"
The citizens said, "The Marshal is always right. All we need to do is obey his orders."
Zero had heard many such words, seen countless faces filled with trust.
After hearing it too many times, seeing it too often, there were moments when he couldn't help but feel a little weary.
He looked at the heir he had chosen, the SSR whose eyes were no different from those of other subordinates, and fell silent.
He didn't really have many requirements for the successor of the Xianzhou.
At first, Zero hadn't planned to stay here long, nor had he ever thought about the matter of an heir.
He'd only planned to max out his intimidation level, leave behind the Xianzhou's galaxy-destroying superweapon, the Heaven-Burning Divine Armament, and the Aether Resonance Engine that could raise the entire crew's dimensional level, then go look for the Tree.
Once the "game" was cleared, he'd be able to leave smoothly.
Zero subconsciously ignored the possibility of failure, but after thinking it over again and again, he still couldn't feel at ease about the Xianzhou and his subordinates.
Even though they were all decisive killers, destroyers of countless stars, in front of him, they still acted like they couldn't live without him.
He had to find a successor, someone to slowly take over before he left, to ensure a smooth transition.
Zero knew that true talent was something you encountered by luck, not something you could seek, so he hadn't been expecting much from the start.
Even if the next Marshal was just an SSR who couldn't measure up to Lan, Zero didn't mind.
After all, the URs had already ascended to godhood, if another one came along, he'd probably fall into the demonic abyss on the spot.
A successor who could just maintain what was already built would be enough.
Not to mention the hundreds of planets that had already pledged allegiance to the Xianzhou Alliance, just the eight Xianzhou ships and the hundred-plus conquered planets were more than enough for the heir to live comfortably.
If the successor wanted to make some achievements… well, the Xianzhou had enough resources to let him experiment however he liked.
Zero looked at the SSR in front of him, whose smile radiated an almost naïve stupidity, and he wavered.
He took a deep breath, then smiled and said, "I'm human, not a god. You're exaggerating too much."
SSR frantically shook his head and began showering Zero with compliments.
The man was new here, not familiar with the Xianzhou's idioms or sayings, but he still grinned and spouted all kinds of nonsense. Strange expressions flew out of his mouth, he even praised Zero for being still alive and well.
A very unwillingly "still alive and well" Zero, "…"
He wanted to say something but hesitated. Considering the SSR's outstanding stats, he decided not to call him out directly and instead asked about his past work experience.
SSR didn't notice at all that his boss was the one steering the conversation. Seeing Zero ask, he answered without reservation.
He answered every question in full detail.
Marty said everything, flaws, mistakes, all of it, without hiding a thing. It left Zero completely baffled.
Marty also said that when he was busy, his colleagues would help entertain clients he had been talking to for a long time.
Although the colleagues ended up signing the contracts themselves, he was still very grateful to them.
SSR sighed emotionally, "Good thing the clients didn't have to wait too long…"
Zero could tell he wasn't lying, he was truly feeling grateful that the clients weren't kept waiting.
Zero didn't understand. He was, in fact, deeply shaken.
'Wasn't this guy way too easygoing?! That coworker literally stole your deal!'
In sales, what mattered wasn't how long you chatted with clients, but how many contracts you closed.
You worked hard through several rounds of meetings, only for your colleague to swoop in and steal your client. The contract wasn't yours, so the commission wasn't yours either, so why were you thanking them?
Then Marty changed the topic, saying the client had been so satisfied that they came back the next day, and signed a dozen contracts with him at once.
After hearing that, Zero was fully convinced.
He had roughly figured out SSR's personality, and understood his position within the company.
At first, Zero had wondered how someone so oblivious to people's moods could've passed multiple rounds of interviews.
After hearing Marty's story, he suddenly understood.
This was the classic "fools have their own luck."
Anyone who tried to steal his clients or make trouble for him would inevitably face retribution.
Even those with connections inside the company who deliberately made things hard for him would soon see their families collapse.
Zero, "…"
'Wait, that wasn't just "fools have their luck" anymore, that was straight-up mysticism.'
As for SSR's situation in the company, it clearly wasn't good, otherwise, he wouldn't have been transferred to Yaohqing.
After all, right now, both Zero and the Xianzhou had polarized reputations. No one dared criticize them openly, but behind their backs, there was surely talk.
To some, the Xianzhou Alliance was the most dangerous place in the entire universe.
Zero himself had basically become "you-know-who," but he didn't care at all.
He knew that the way he and his subordinates dealt with machines and the swarm was simply too efficient.
Why risk the lives of his Cloud Knights when he could just use a Colossus to wipe the field clean?
As the saying goes, "Mercy has no place in command."
If Zero had been a softhearted ruler, the Xianzhou wouldn't be what it was today.
Without him, when facing those runaway Aurumaton or the Abundance-spawned horrors, countless would have died.
It was the classic "trolley problem", someone had to make the choice.
And even if the Xianzhou didn't intervene, no one else would help those doomed planets anyway.
If his subordinates hadn't stepped in and destroyed them in time, the surrounding planets would've been dragged down too.
That's why the planets saved by the Xianzhou were so obedient, joining their ranks without hesitation.
Zero could fully imagine how those who'd never been to war would stand on their moral high ground, judging their actions.
And precisely because of that bad reputation, SSR had ended up in Yaohqing.
His coworkers all ganged up to ostracize him, sending him to what outsiders thought was the most dangerous place.
The company lost a tone-deaf employee, the Xianzhou gained a top-tier researcher, and SSR got a much better job, everyone won big.
Watching the SSR rack his brains to flatter him, Zero couldn't help but sigh, "All right, all right. Here on the Xianzhou, you just need to do what you're good at and what you enjoy…"
'And please, for the love of stars, study a bit more! Who compliments someone by saying they're "still alive and well"?'
'This guy's conversational skill is even worse than Lan's!'
If Zero didn't have such a good temper, he would've flipped the table on him.
Zero got straight to the point, "What do you want to do?"
Marty had been preparing another flattering speech, but the moment Zero asked, he forgot everything.
He said honestly, "I want to create a weapon as powerful as the Colossus."
Who wouldn't be tempted by the Xianzhou's planet-destroying weapons?
Though the Xianzhou's reputation in the company was terrifying, their generous treatment of researchers was irresistibly attractive.
Marty knew he wasn't a Xianzhou native. Being able to work under the Marshal at all was already a huge honor.
As for the Xianzhou's advanced technology and its restricted archives, he didn't even dare to dream about them.
Much less the top-secret weapons.
Marty understood this perfectly, so when his superior asked, he simply spoke his true thoughts.
To his astonishment, the "godlike" boss studied him for a moment and then nodded. "I believe you can do it."
Then the boss added, "All right, I'll make an exception for you. You may enter the library that's usually open only to Xianzhou citizens and study the relevant materials there."
Marty, "..."
His brain froze. When he finally processed what had just been said, his face flushed bright red with excitement.
"You really are still alive and well!"
Zero couldn't take it anymore. Smiling through his frustration, he said, "My personal suggestion, when you go to the library, maybe take the chance to learn some of our basic common sense too."
Marty nodded hard.
Zero sighed, "Don't use phrases like 'final radiance' or 'still alive and well' carelessly. Pay attention next time."
Marty nodded again and went right back to work, diligent as ever, not slacking for a single minute.
———
That night, after looking up the meanings of those idioms, he couldn't sleep at all.
Marty lay in bed, tossing and turning, jolting upright every so often to pace around the room.
He was unforgivable. How could he have cursed the Marshal to die?
The Marshal had such a good temper, if someone had said that to him, he'd have kicked them square in the butt with his boot.
Unfortunately, since Marty had the next day off, he couldn't immediately go and apologize.
When he finally got back to work, he ran straight to Zero and apologized.
Seeing SSR's guilty face, Zero didn't say much, he just comforted him briefly and told him to focus on studying.
After watching Marty leave, Zero sighed softly and turned his gaze to the Chief Strategist.
"How about you take over my position one day?"
The Chief Strategist froze like he'd been struck by lightning. When he came back to his senses, he instinctively retorted, "I've done nothing to offend you, why would you harm me like this?!"
'Was the Marshal's position something humanly possible to handle? The man never stopped working, didn't sleep, drove everyone insane!'
Seeing how resistant he was, Zero had no choice but to abandon the idea.
He couldn't leave the Xianzhou in chaos, after all.
Maybe he needed to set stricter standards for his successor, someone who could at least question his decisions.
Otherwise, the successor would just live under his shadow, repeating everything he'd done.
And, of course, the entire universe would have its eyes on whoever took his place.
Before leaving, he'd need to seal away all information about himself, that'd be kinder to the heir.
Oh, and there was Lan too.
As long as Zero was alive, no Aeon dared make an enemy of him or of Lan. That meant hiding his existence was even more crucial.
Wait a few hundred years, and eventually, some clueless little monster would stumble along.
Then the Xianzhou could put on a little performance, perfect excuse to "train the troops" while strengthening Lan.
The monster would get a taste of Xianzhou's tech, die with no regrets.
The Xianzhou would gain valuable practice.
Lan would add another name to his kill list.
Everyone won again.
Hmm… these notes should go in his will.
As he thought that, Zero kept signing documents while mentally drafting what he wanted to write to his subordinates.
Before he could even finish the first public version of his will, SSR surprised him with a massive achievement.
Marty truly was a natural-born researcher. In just a few years, using the data from the Xianzhou library, he filled all his knowledge gaps.
Together with some fellow scholars he met while studying, he developed a mobile communication device capable of monitoring the human body's condition in real time.
Such technology wasn't rare in the universe, but this version was unique to the Xianzhou, it could instantly detect whether someone was falling into the demonic abyss.
Beaming with excitement, Marty went to report his success to Zero, who was reading a book.
Glancing at the cover, he couldn't help but comment, "Why are you still reading about fallen monarchs?"
Zero closed the book. "You can always learn something new. It keeps me alert."
"You don't need to read that kind of thing!" Marty said quickly, then set the book aside and eagerly began explaining his research results.
The same SSR who once used idioms like "final radiance" and "still alive and well" completely transformed when talking about his field. His confidence shone like never before.
Zero thought about the company that would soon be joining forces to wipe out machines, and the shareholders who'd be visiting Yaohqing the next day.
After a moment's thought, he asked SSR, "Have you ever read storybooks?"
Marty, "Huh?"
Hearing the word "storybooks" come out of the Marshal's mouth was as shocking as seeing "Reignbow Arbiter" refuse to fight Abundance monsters.
Zero continued, "You know, those books that say things like 'thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river'? The company's people will be in Yaohqing tomorrow. Want to come?"
Marty, "!!!"
He instantly understood.
'What a perfect chance to rub his former employer's face in it!'
'Yesterday, you ignored me. Today, you can't even reach me!'
Zero sent him off to get some new clothes, and by the next day, he was back looking quite sharp.
Just as they were about to leave to meet the company's shareholders, a call came in, a video message from his mermaid-like subordinate.
In the projection, she was sitting in the pilot's seat of a battleship.
She was always quick and efficient, finishing her work in Luofu, then using her free time to fly a star-destroyer around for fun.
Whenever she had vacation time, she and the other subordinates would come to Yaohqing together.
This time was no different, she was out joyriding again.
Her face was bright with excitement, her voice full of cheer, "Marshal, do you like dragons?"
Hearing that, Zero raised his eyebrows.
Who doesn't like dragons? Even after countless bouts of amnesia, that preference was practically encoded in his DNA.
Who could refuse a dragon? Certainly not Zero.
He nodded without hesitation.
Getting that confirmation, the mermaid subordinate's grin widened. She rolled up her sleeves, ready for action.
"Just wait, Marshal! I'll get you a few dragon specimens to display in your mansion!"
Then, eyes darting mischievously, she let out a fake gasp.
"Oh right, I almost forgot! Your current residence won't fit them all. How about you move into a bigger cave mansion?"
Zero, "???"
His pupils shrank in shock.
'Wait a second, that's definitely not okay!'
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