The Chief Strategist said nothing.
Zero picked up the small booklet placed next to the fruit platter.
The first few pages listed the daily schedule arranged by the butler, every detail from breakfast to midnight snacks was clearly planned out.
Then came introductions to the cruise ship's entertainment facilities, along with a list of the competitions currently being held.
The last few pages described the three islands the cruise would stop at along its route.
Casually, Zero said, "Want to go exchange some chips and have a little fun? Oh, there's even a boxing competition, want to try it? I bet you'd rank pretty high…"
The Chief Strategist often got so mad at him he ended up punching the air, he must've trained up by now.
The corners of the Chief Strategist's mouth twitched.
"Do you even hear yourself? Besides you and Daiyang, who else on this whole ship is in the mood to 'have fun'?"
'Seriously, what kind of normal person would choose a cruise ship as a negotiation venue?'
'No matter how luxurious or well-equipped this ship was… it's pointless.'
Over fifteen hundred attendants were circling around just a few dozen guests, and all those guests were probably too terrified to eat, much less join a competition.
Zero put the booklet down, kept eating fruit, and waved him off.
"Then that makes you the guaranteed first-place winner. Go on, hurry up."
The Chief Strategist, "..."
He didn't even want to deal with his unhinged superior anymore, and before leaving, urged him to go back to his suite.
The Marshal's face was one of the top-class secrets of the entire Xianzhou, of the whole universe, even.
If a kind-hearted person happened to see him, they'd have to be paid hundreds of millions of credits as hush money; if it was someone malicious, they'd be dealt with on the spot.
Zero thought of that too. He didn't want to lose money, and he definitely didn't want to commit murder.
He took the keycard the Chief Strategist handed over, stood up, picked up the fruit platter, and returned to the suite to fuss with his luggage.
Before leaving for this resort planet, Zero had specifically packed an entire suitcase full of books.
He pulled out a pen and stationery, then brought his Jade Signet to the balcony.
Sitting down, he checked for new messages.
It was from Akivili.
The other had transferred over all the hush money Daiyang had offered him. Akivili didn't mention the huge sum at all, instead, he cheerfully praised Xianzhou's cuisine and said he looked forward to their next meeting.
Zero transferred the credits back, saying he'd leave them temporarily in Akivili's hands, to use together when they set out to explore again someday.
Akivili didn't refuse, just replied with a gray bunny emoji.
After learning that the "Trailblaze" Aeon could travel across star systems, Zero made up his mind, he wanted to become Akivili's closest friend.
For one simple reason, finding that tree would take a lot of Xianzhou's resources.
And, well, freeloading was cheaper.
After all, his savings were meant to protect his heirs and the Xianzhou Alliance.
No matter how you looked at it, mooching off the Trailblaze Aeon had a much better cost-performance ratio.
Since he couldn't travel with Akivili right now, all he could do was throw money at helping that poor god who kept losing his credits.
In short, money solves everything.
After all, this was Akivili. The god who could lead him to the tree, the most human-like Aeon of them all. That had to be better than that wastrel god Lan, right?
And when Akivili and the Nameless visited his fully five-star-rated Xianzhou, surely nothing would go wrong.
Zero put down the Jade Signet and looked out at the sea.
The still water rippled under a light breeze, some waves fanned out like a hand, others branched like growing twigs.
He felt an unprecedented calm.
Even his unstable mental state had settled quite a bit.
He stood at the balcony's edge, looking down at the endless waves battering the ship's hull.
To others, the ocean was a deadly place that could take lives at any moment.
But not to Zero.
When he saw those waves sweeping toward the deep sea, his thoughts, which had never once stopped running, began to slow, then still.
It felt like the peace he longed for was finally within reach.
But before that, there were still many things he needed to do.
Better write something down while his mind was still reasonably clear.
He returned to his seat and picked up the pen.
After many edits and rewrites, by the time Daiyang and the Chief Strategist returned to the suite, the first draft was finally done.
When Daiyang saw the paper full of handwriting on the desk, she instinctively averted her eyes.
After the Marshal tucked the paper away, she stepped forward, sat beside him, and began discussing dinner plans with the Chief Strategist.
Once the Chief Strategist left, Daiyang brightened, like a student seeing her parents after school, and started chatting with the Marshal about her day.
Ever since she accidentally let her superior see some "romantic scandal" messages during a video call, she'd been much more restrained, no longer letting her coworkers' antics reach the Marshal's ears.
But her true nature was already exposed, no amount of covering up would help.
The Marshal wasn't just a good boss, he was, more precisely, the perfect listener.
Whenever she met those calm, rippleless eyes of his, she couldn't help pouring her heart out.
She started talking about the water park filled with handsome men and beautiful women, then about all the bars and pools scattered around the ship.
Finally, she sighed about the open-sea casino, "Lost all my chips. Totally not fun at all…"
Resting his chin on his hand, Zero asked, "Meet any men you like?"
Daiyang thought for a moment. "A few, but not enough to be serious about any of them."
Zero was relieved.
As long as she didn't get married, she couldn't get conned.
He sighed. "Not getting married is fine too, no kids to hold you back."
Daiyang, "..."
The playboy subordinate fell into deep thought.
So her boss really was that kind of conservative type, the "never cross a line until marriage" kind.
In his worldview, "premarital pregnancy" just didn't exist, did it?
Judging by the lifespan differences between long-lived and short-lived species, was he the kind to stay "ambiguous" for decades, date for a century before kissing, and only get married after several hundred years to move to the next step?
At that rate, when would they ever see their Empress?
And then they'd have to wait a few more centuries for the Crown Prince and Princess to appear… oh wait, the Crown Prince would be the "Divine Bow Commander", the Marshal's own child, which would make him the little prince…
Would she even live to see the Marshal start a family?
The more she thought, the more hopeless it sounded. Suddenly inspired, she asked, "Would you ever consider raising a child?"
Since her boss clearly wouldn't date on his own, maybe she could take a detour, adopt a kid first, and maybe that would inspire him to want a family later.
Zero refused instantly.
What, were books not entertaining enough? Were puzzle games not fun? Why on earth would he want to raise a child?
When Daiyang didn't get the answer she wanted, she started imagining instead.
"Your kid would be so lucky," she said dreamily. "You'd definitely spoil them to bits!"
He was so attentive to subordinates, surely he'd treat his own child even better.
But Zero thought for a while, then said something unexpected.
"Spoil them? I don't think so. I'd probably be the strict, controlling type of parent."
After all, he was just an ordinary person.
In Zero's eyes, ordinary people could spend half a lifetime without achieving what society called "success."
So they rarely had anything they could truly control, except their children.
As for love? Of course they loved their kids. Some parents were just too embarrassed to say it. "Fatherly love is like a mountain," as they say, which usually means it's invisible.
And besides that, he was the Marshal of the Xianzhou, someone used to giving orders.
Now, he was trying to respect his subordinates' opinions, but respecting a child's wishes? That would be harder.
He probably wouldn't make a good parent. Better not to have kids at all than to make them suffer.
But Daiyang refused to believe it.
"No way! You'd be the type to give your kid tons of pocket money every month!"
She thought for a moment, comparing it to her own salary and the income from the assets her boss had gifted her, then conservatively took off a zero.
"...at least a few billion credits a month, right?"
Zero, "..."
He suddenly pictured his future heir.
Looks like he'd have to limit their spending.
At this rate, they'd just raise a spoiled brat.
How could someone who spends billions a month manage the Xianzhou properly? Better set their allowance to match the average citizen's income.
His heir needed to understand the people's needs, to know how the Xianzhou's citizens lived, what they worried about, what hardships they faced, only then could they be a worthy ruler.
Otherwise, they'd end up saying things like "Why don't they just eat minced meat?"
They chatted for a while longer before the Chief Strategist pushed in a dining cart.
To avoid anyone else seeing the Marshal's face, he and Daiyang took turns serving Zero.
The three ate and chatted; after dinner, the Sea King Daiyang left first.
When the Chief Strategist finished cleaning up and was about to leave, Zero called him back and handed him a sheet of paper filled with handwriting.
Even the Chief Strategist, who usually had a bone to pick with his superior, couldn't help but sigh after reading it.
"Remarkable. Especially that last line, brilliant. Which book did you copy it from?"
Zero took back the paper, chuckling softly.
"I wrote it myself. You couldn't tell?"
He looked up, saw the Chief Strategist frozen in place, and laughed.
"What's wrong? Moved by my words?"
The Chief Strategist looked incredulous. "Why would you write something like this?"
Zero shrugged. "Isn't that normal? Lots of Cloud Knights write things like this before going into battle. You'll handle it when the time comes."
If he gave it to anyone else, they'd cry. The Chief Strategist was the best candidate.
The Chief Strategist, "...What did I ever do to you? You trying to curse me?"
There's that saying, 'the wicked live long.' Handing the responsibility to him… wasn't that just a curse that he'd outlive the Marshal?
In high spirits, Zero cheerfully shooed his pale-faced strategist away. The next day, he received good news.
After Zero's heartfelt persuasion, all the partners involved eagerly declared that they were willing to contribute to universal peace.
He was delighted.
For the next few days, he stayed in his suite, eating, sleeping, and eating again, never once stepping outside.
Daiyang, who alternated meal delivery duties with the Chief Strategist, was thrilled. She immediately went to the group chat she shared with her colleagues to share the news, their overworking boss was finally eating again.
They absolutely had to bring those dozen chefs back to Yaoqing.
If Zero hadn't stopped her in time, Daiyang really would've poached over a hundred cruise staff members.
After some back-and-forth, they compromised, Daiyang gave up recruiting, and Zero agreed to return to Luofu with her for half a day.
Once they arrived in Luofu, Zero received a message from Akivili.
[Dearest friend, we've encountered followers of "Abundance" here on Luofu. Don't worry! I've already infiltrated their ranks! Everything's under control, leave it to me!]
Zero, "..."
'Akivili, seriously, wherever you go, chaos follows.'
Considering Akivili was undercover, Zero didn't reply, just silently handed the Jade Signet to Daiyang, who was all smiles at first but quickly froze as she read.
Her face darkened; she sneered, teeth clenched.
"I'll personally deal with that 'Plague of Abundance' dog."
So Zero went to find the only person in Luofu he could, the Vidyadhara High Elder, Yubie.
Before leaving, he could still faintly hear Daiyang barking orders behind him.
"Got their identities? Once you do, grab their families. Get some death row inmates, chop off a few fingers, send them to those bastards as a warning..."
As she spoke, she watched the Marshal's retreating figure.
She thought, for some reason, that he seemed more relaxed when he was with the Dragon Lord.
The Dragon Lord was holding his newly gifted Jade Signet, looking deep in thought. Seeing Zero show up uninvited didn't surprise him at all.
He handed the Signet over, it displayed an online shopping cart.
The cart was maxed out, totaling over five billion credits.
With Yubie's permission, Zero scrolled through it, every single item was alcohol.
Yubie sighed. "I've thought about it a lot, but I still don't know what kind of wine you like…"
Zero, "..."
'So the plan was to buy all of them?!'
The Xianzhou's payment hadn't even gone through yet… guess his ancestors really were rich. As expected of a god's descendant, living on the Xianzhou must've been such a downgrade.
"How about we make our own?" Zero suggested, something Yubie had clearly never considered.
The Dragon Lord's eyes lit up. He immediately called for attendants. "Fetch Luofu's best winemaker, now."
Zero, "..."
With money as the solution to all things, Luofu's most famous brewer shut down his shop on the spot and came to teach them.
Zero looked at the carefully prepped ingredients, then at Yubie, who obediently followed the brewer's every instruction, and couldn't help blurting out, "Does this even count as winemaking? You're just mixing pre-cut fruit, weighed sugar, and alcohol together! What's the difference between this and making instant noodles or chocolate?"
Yubie said firmly, "This is wine I made with my own hands."
Zero, "..."
'Fine, whatever makes you happy.'
Following his own rule not to waste credits, Zero kept brewing until they'd filled seven or eight large jars, only stopping once every container the brewer brought was used up.
Man and dragon decided to bury all the jars under a tree in Yubie's courtyard.
Yubie stared at the soil for a long time, conflicted, but when he saw Zero already rolling up his sleeves to start digging, he sighed and ordered attendants to help him change clothes.
As Zero dug, he suddenly froze and turned to ask, "...Why exactly are we burying them under a tree?"
Freshly changed, Yubie answered seriously, "That's how it's written in the storybooks."
Zero, "...You need to throw those storybooks away."
He sighed inwardly. Looked like he'd need to put age restrictions on Yubie's reading list, some stories should really wait until he was over two hundred years old, before they rotted his brain.
Yubie noticed Zero's dirt-covered hands and frowned, using cloud-chanting magic to clean them.
Zero glanced at his now-clean palms and asked, "So… how long do we leave the wine buried?"
Yubie paused, then replied confidently, "Why not ask the winemaker?"
Zero could only sigh. He really was patient with the few people who didn't treat him like a Marshal.
"All right, fine, whatever, the longer it ferments, the better it'll taste."
Yubie smiled.
"Just not too long. At least let me drink a cup before I reincarnate."
Zero checked the time on his Jade Signet.
It was time to return to Yaoqing.
Standing up, he said casually, "Then when I come back to Luofu next time, we'll drink together."
He returned to Yaoqing, and half a month later, the partners finally gathered their fleets, officially joining forces with the Xianzhou.