After losing his precious little monsters and having nowhere to vent his emotions, the player took out his frustrations on Lan with a whole round of sarcastic yin-yang remarks. When he turned around again, the five Dragon Lords had gone completely silent.
Zero belatedly realized that he had neglected his business partners.
He was just about to say something when Lord Huyuan stepped forward first, smiling as she declared that they were willing to form an alliance with the Xianzhou.
The other four Dragon Lords followed in agreement.
Zero was confused.
'Wasn't the normal process supposed to involve repeated back-and-forth negotiations, discussing benefits and terms?'
Not to mention, the Vidyadhara had countless internal rules and all sorts of complicated customs.
Even the number of attendants and Dragonkeepers assigned to a Dragon Lord was a matter of particular formality.
After listening to the Dragon Lords talk for a while, Zero quickly gave up his idea of wrapping this up fast.
He had thought his own mindset was conservative enough, but it turned out the Vidyadhara were even more old-fashioned, just like a feudal aristocratic clan.
They probably had to check for an "auspicious date" before doing anything at all, right?
The Xianzhou, and Zero himself, were all about efficiency. But when it came to the Vidyadhara… he was willing to make some concessions.
Out of respect for his partners, Zero asked voluntarily, "How about we pick a more auspicious date?"
Huyuan Jun shook her head. First, she made her position clear, they didn't wish to trouble the busy Marshal any further.
Then, she mentioned that the Vidyadhara didn't really care for "lucky dates."
Finally, she praised the "Reignbow Arbiter" and the Xianzhou with sincere words, earnestly expressing her desire for alliance.
Hearing that, Zero immediately nodded.
He would never drag out a matter that could be settled today.
"Those who break their word shall suffer the punishment of eating rock."
Zero took the "Heart of God" from his system backpack and looked at the five Dragon Lords.
"The Vidyadhara must not betray the Xianzhou Alliance. In exchange, I will do everything in my power to assist you all."
Once the Dragon Lords agreed, Zero put away the "Heart of God." The system text changed from two previous contracts into one unified one.
He was quite satisfied with this contract, it was perfect in his eyes.
Once the Vidyadhara set foot on Xianzhou territory, their allegiance would automatically change. This contract alone was enough to kill off any idea of rebellion.
As for how they fought among themselves… Zero didn't care, nor did he want to.
He had only made a promise to the five Dragon Lords present, what did the rest of the Vidyadhara have to do with him?
And in the final wording, he had only said "I", not "the Xianzhou" or "the Xianzhou Marshal."
That way, the Vidyadhara were bound, but no pitfalls were left for his successor.
The one who signed the contract was him, Zero, what did that have to do with whoever came next?
If, in the future, the Vidyadhara tried to exploit loopholes, his successor could just send their whole race into reincarnation.
'Hmm… that would be a good opportunity to reclaim their assets, too.'
Thinking this, Zero smiled as he bid the Dragon Lords farewell. At last, he turned to Lan and said, "'Reignbow Arbiter,' please."
Lan, still wearing his usual emotionless expression, followed him away.
Man and god walked together down a quiet side street.
Zero glanced around. Seeing no one nearby, he immediately understood, Daiyang must have cleared the area in advance.
He untied his wrist guards, removed them, and rolled up his sleeves to inspect his arm.
Sure enough, several leaves had sprouted.
Zero sighed, pulled a short knife from his system inventory, and started trimming the leaves while complaining to Lan, "You could've hit a little lighter, you know! At least leave me a piece to reuse next time… You think Envoys of Abundance are easy to find?!"
Lan, "…"
"Oh, and another thing, when you blow up planets, could you maybe go a bit easier? Leave something behind! At least enough debris so people can tell what it used to be! You've got to leave your believers something to look at!"
'At the very least, leave a planet-shaped tourist attraction!'
'The "Plague Mother" could craft a Ambrosial Arbor by hand and leave it standing there for all to see.'
'But you? You just blasted everything into dust, how is anyone supposed to know what was even there?!'
'Even colossal titans' "Planetary Explosions" could still yield mining resources afterward!'
'You could at least leave something behind to show off your divine power, how else are we supposed to attract followers?!'
Zero was fuming with frustration.
The angrier he got, the less control he had, his knife slipped, cutting a shallow gash into his own arm.
Frowning at the wound as it slowly healed, Zero snapped irritably, "Just… hold back next time, will you? If the Xianzhou ever asks for your help again, don't go destroying one of my pocket dimensions."
Lan, "..."
Since becoming a god, he rarely experienced emotional fluctuations.
Only when facing Zero did he feel a genuine sense of helplessness.
Zero nagged him endlessly.
He wasn't a talkative man by nature, but since Lan was even less talkative, someone had to carry the conversation, so he had no choice but to chatter on.
He didn't expect Lan to say anything meaningful anyway. Once his anger faded, he just started shooing the god away.
After the blue-haired, black-eyed youth finally left, Zero put the short knife back in his backpack, tidied his sleeves, and strapped on his wrist guards again.
When he looked up, he saw Daiyang and Chaoyan approaching.
Neither of them asked about the alliance with the Vidyadhara.
Their omniscient, omnipotent Marshal had handled it personally, what problem could there possibly be?
Daiyang asked, "Marshal, would you like to see the snow?"
The Xianzhou had never experienced seasonal changes or weather before, but for the comfort of its people, their Marshal had personally ordered researchers to create artificial weather.
Daiyang, being a general, didn't understand the science, but she knew that the researchers' strange new devices could give each pocket world its own climate.
So yes, sometimes it snowed on the Xianzhou.
Of course, considering the citizens' health, the generals would always inform the public in advance, telling them when and where it would rain or snow and reminding them to bring umbrellas or warm clothes.
Faced with his subordinate's invitation, Zero didn't hesitate.
"Sure. Why not have hotpot while watching the snow?"
Not eating hotpot in snowy weather was like not drinking soda in summer, it was just wrong.
Seeing their usually indifferent boss volunteer to eat, both generals were thrilled. Daiyang immediately pulled out her jade communicator, ready to clear out the entire hotpot restaurant.
Ever since Zero had been targeted by repeated assassination attempts, he'd reduced his public appearances.
He himself couldn't die, but others could.
Rather than risk innocent casualties during another attempt, it was better to simply stay home.
Over time, many citizens gradually forgot what their Marshal even looked like.
His subordinates, increasingly anxious about his safety, retrieved and sealed every photo or record of his face, classified at the highest level within the Xianzhou.
Whenever he went out, they cleared the area in advance.
After much persuasion, Zero finally stopped Daiyang from trying to rent out the whole restaurant.
"No need to go to such trouble, just a simple meal will do."
As they spoke, snow began to fall.
The Luofu's snowflakes were perfectly even in size, completely different from the irregular snow in his memories.
Soon, snow gathered on his hair, shoulders, and sleeves. Zero raised a hand to brush it off and followed his subordinates to the hotpot restaurant's entrance.
Naturally, if he could think of eating hotpot, so could others. The place was packed, not a seat left.
For now, Zero could only wait at the door with his two generals.
Both sighed in unison.
Daiyang declared that she would buy every hotpot restaurant in the Luofu for the Marshal.
Chaoyan refused to be outdone, saying she'd buy all the ones in Yaoqing instead.
Zero, "...No need."
Then Daiyang's expression softened into a pitiful look.
"If only you'd visit the Luofu more often, sir…"
Zero comforted her.
"I'll come when I get the chance."
They didn't have to wait long before a table opened up. After a quick meal, they boarded a ship back to Yaoqing.
Before departure, Chaoyan carried aboard more than a dozen suitcases. Zero assumed she'd bought souvenirs in the Luofu, but once they arrived in Yaoqing, she had them delivered straight to his residence.
Chaoyan sighed. "These are clothes and accessories we prepared for you. You care so much about the living conditions of the Xianzhou people… but what about yourself?"
Their superior wasn't just their commander, he was the ruler of the Xianzhou. And whether toward his subordinates or his citizens, he was always considerate.
As a boss, he wasn't overbearing; he kept public and private matters separate. Unless it was truly urgent, he would never contact them outside work hours.
When problems arose, his first instinct was always to protect his subordinates.
As a ruler, he punished corruption severely, treated citizens kindly, and cared deeply about their quality of life.
The Marshal cared about everyone else's wellbeing, but never about his own.
Food, clothing, housing, travel, he didn't care about any of it. His subordinates worried constantly.
Even Chaoyan, the General of Yaoqing, couldn't persuade him otherwise, despite having home turf advantage.
In their private group chat, his colleagues constantly scolded him.
"Can you please take better care of the Marshal?!"
"At least one of the four things, food, clothing, housing, travel, shouldn't be a disaster!"
Knowing they couldn't change his habits, they decided to focus on clothes and accessories instead.
The Marshal seemed stern, but as long as something was given sincerely, he wouldn't refuse.
Sure enough, he didn't this time either. He simply waved them off and sent Chaoyan away.
Once she was gone, Zero looked at the pile of suitcases in his house and sighed helplessly.
He'd just hand it all to his ever-resourceful strategist.
Without hesitation, he pushed thoughts of clothes aside and went back to reading reports.
He thought he wouldn't leave Yaoqing again for decades, maybe even centuries.
Until one day, a call from a company shareholder nearly made him flee overnight.
At first, the longtime corporate partner asked whether the Xianzhou accepted marriage alliances.
Zero instinctively thought of Daiyang.
Had his flirtatious subordinate gotten involved with some corporate executive again?
If Daiyang was serious, fine, let the man marry into the Xianzhou.
After talking for half an hour, Zero realized they were completely talking past each other.
He was talking about Daiyang. The shareholder was talking about him.
When they finally figured it out, both fell silent.
The shareholder spoke first, tactfully saying that his daughter was already of marriageable age.
Zero, "…"
'Your daughter, don't tell me it's that five- or six-year-old kid I once held?'
'The one who did all her homework thanks to my funding?'
Zero felt like his "evil god mode" was about to awaken.
He knew the shareholder well, an absolute daughter-con, the last person who'd ever use marriage for profit.
And yet… he still couldn't help cursing in his head.
'What the hell is wrong with you?!'
'You'd risk angering me just to fight for your daughter's happiness?!'
'Can't you just… not?!'
Zero silently swore a dozen Xianzhou-style curses.
Then the shareholder gave a bitter laugh.
"Sorry, she's been spoiled by me and my wife. She's already piloting a star-destroyer and on her way to Yaoqing. Don't worry, she won't bother you. We're chasing her right now…"
Zero, "..."
What could he do?
Of course he had to grab his documents and flee to the Luofu overnight.
He needed to ask his flirtatious subordinate for advice on how to handle this.
By the time he reached the Luofu, it was already late at night.
He checked the time on his jade communicator.
It was after work hours, Daiyang was probably out on a date.
Zero sighed softly, looking around and realizing he had no one to talk to.
If it were any other subordinate, they'd probably be thrilled, pushing and teasing him to start a romance.
Even if he played a morally questionable character in the game…
He still had boundaries. Who in their right mind would date a child? That's illegal.
Scrolling through his jade device, Zero suddenly remembered the Dragon Lord with the open chest.
With such bold fashion sense, that one was definitely a playboy like Daiyang.
Sure, the Vidyadhara couldn't have children, but they could still fall in love.
And since he didn't know that one very well, Zero could vent freely and then threaten, no, persuade him to keep the secret.
Wasting no time, Zero sent a message.
[Yubie, Are you asleep?]
The Dragon Lord known as "Imbibitor Lunae" slowly replied with a single question mark.
Soon, the man and dragon were chatting and agreed to meet at Yubie's residence.
As soon as they met, Zero unloaded all his troubles.
The Dragon Lord with the open chest listened in silence, his cold face shifting through several expressions before settling on confusion.
He spoke cautiously, "Why does the Marshal think I would know how to handle something like this?"
Zero looked even more confused. "You don't?"
'Wait, you walk around with a hole in your chest, and you've never been in love?!'
Man and dragon stared blankly at each other.
Having never experienced romance, Yubie was the first to give up. After racking his brain, he finally asked, "You're an immortal species. Why do you care about age?"
Zero didn't know how to explain, he only muttered, "…It's different."
Yubie tilted his head.
"What's different? For immortals, what difference is there between ten years or a hundred?"
Zero skipped the question. "Anyway, I'm going to reject her."
Yubie studied his face.
"I've only seen love in storybooks. When two people fall for each other, it's usually because of personality, appearance, or power…"
He didn't know the girl's personality, but when it came to looks and power, the Xianzhou Marshal surpassed most beings.
Zero fell silent, thinking.
Personality? He barely knew the kid.
Power? Of course, that was probably a major factor.
With a headache, he pressed his forehead and completely failed to notice the Dragon Lord's gaze.
Yubie looked at the infamous Marshal before him.
He thought to himself, rather than the deified "god" of the Xianzhou that everyone praised, this man seemed more like someone who truly experienced joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.
Their talk led nowhere. With a sigh, Zero decided to find another place to go through his paperwork and wait until tomorrow's work hours to ask Daiyang for advice.
Yubie stopped him and said with a sigh, "It's already late. Rest in the adjacent residence."
Zero didn't hesitate and agreed.
After all, anywhere with a desk to read and sign documents was fine for him.
As dawn approached, while Zero was reading, he heard an old man in the next courtyard scolding someone loudly.
Holding his book, Zero followed the voice into Yubie's courtyard.
"Are you insane?"
The old man was shouting at Yubie.
"You think this will earn the trust of the Xianzhou?"
Then he turned and saw Zero, his tone changed instantly as he barked, "Who are you? Why are you in the sacred domain of the Vidyadhara?"