After hanging up the call, Zero's expression turned cold despite himself.
He didn't understand.
Zero felt he had already shown plenty of sincerity.
When he did things, he rarely explained his reasons to others.
This time, only because the other party was a successor did he say a few extra words.
He had deliberately broken down the pros and cons, torn them apart and explained them clearly to that brat.
And what happened?
She turned around and ran.
Granted, Yaoguang was the safest place in the universe.
But what if? What if the assassins didn't come for him, but went after that child instead?
While Zero was thinking about this, Guanliang spoke up to console him, "It's fine as long as she's been found. Relax, nothing will happen."
Guanliang knew very well what his boss was thinking.
Nothing more than worrying about the successor's safety.
In the past, when newborns across the entire Xianzhou Alliance were named, they had to avoid characters that were the same as or sounded like the boss's name.
The purpose was to prevent hostile forces, who only knew the boss's name but not his appearance, from tracking down others through the name.
As for why even homophones had to be avoided?
What if an assassin was walking down the street, heard someone with the same name as the boss, and mistakenly hurt an innocent person…
That was a scene no one wanted to see.
Because of this, among the Six Commissions, the department with the broadest and most wide-ranging authority, the Earth Commission, had no choice but to step up and take the blame.
They were responsible for population statistics, and naturally also for entering newborns' identity information.
Whenever staff encountered a newborn with the same name or pronunciation as the boss, they could only make a "typo."
Of course, the typo wasn't random, they would choose characters with good meanings for the newborn.
They couldn't explain the real reason to the Xianzhou people, nor could they stop them from naming their children, so this was the only way to block it.
In addition to that, the Earth Commission deliberately added many complicated procedures for naming and name changes.
When people saw that the registered name differed from what they had planned, their first reaction was to go to the Earth Commission to change it.
Once they arrived and saw the renaming process, most people were discouraged by how cumbersome it was.
Some were too lazy to go through the trouble and simply accepted it, calling their children by the name given by the Earth Commission.
Others were dissatisfied and directly filed complaints, accusing the staff of negligence.
Of course, no matter how much they kicked up a fuss, the Earth Commission would never give in.
Compared to other departments with extremely high efficiency, the Earth Commission always seemed out of place.
Every so often, the Xianzhou people would collectively scold the Earth Commission.
They didn't really care.
Complain all you want, better that than people dying later, right?
By now, the forces that had attempted to assassinate the boss had mostly been dealt with.
Now, the Xianzhou people no longer needed to avoid the boss's name, they could choose whatever names they liked.
But names were one thing. The people around the boss were another.
For example, Chief Strategist Guanliang's own residence was less than a hundred meters away from the Marshal's residence.
Living close wasn't just convenient for commuting, it also made it easier for guards to protect them.
This time, the boss was afraid someone would set their sights on that child.
The two fell silent for a moment. Zero spoke first, unable to help asking Guanliang, "Why did she run? Was there something wrong with what I said?"
The corner of Guanliang's mouth twitched.
'The boss really… has no self-awareness at all!'
'Who threatens and lures a child like that?!'
'Even if she was the successor he has chosen, she is still just a ten-year-old child!'
'She is only ten, how could she possibly take in what an adult is saying?'
'Especially when that adult is even more of a handful than a brat!'
'That child… actually has a pretty good temper.'
Guanliang felt a deep sense of pity.
'Such a good kid, too bad her luck is terrible, ending up with the Marshal.'
If he were that child, running into a lunatic who didn't bring patrol beacons and forcibly dragged him to eat barbecue…
Forget reporting it to the Cloud Knights, he'd be doing well not to grab scissors and stab someone on the spot.
Guanliang carefully recalled what his boss had said.
Oh right, the kid had gone to the Alchemy Commission after eating barbecue. Luckily, the boss was responsible enough to stay with her the entire time, keeping watch all night.
At first, the kid might have found the boss strange, but after waking up and seeing that he'd stayed by her side, she might have let down her guard.
Unfortunately… the boss's way of thinking was abnormal. Who threatens a ten-year-old girl like that?
Facing his boss, Guanliang forcefully suppressed the urge to curse and said earnestly, "She's still a child. You can't treat her the same way you treat adults."
Zero glanced at him and said, "That's different. She's my successor."
Guanliang frowned and patiently tried to persuade him, "Yes, she's the successor you chose, but don't you think it's already too much that you're making decisions for her on your own?"
"No matter how talented she is, she's still just a ten-year-old child. You can take the time and patience to choose colleagues for Marty, why can't you spare a little of that for her?"
Zero thought to himself, 'How could a successor be compared to Marty?'
Using an ancient analogy, one was the crown princess inheriting the throne, who would one day take over the Xianzhou Alliance.
The other was a carefree prince who only needed to enjoy life and do what he liked.
How could Zero possibly hold them to the same standards?
As for what Guanliang said about Hua just being a child…
Zero let out a cold laugh.
"A ten-year-old child? She's got a strong sense of revenge. If you really treat her like a child, that would be..."
His words stopped abruptly, cut off halfway.
After hearing that, Guanliang was puzzled. "A strong sense of revenge?"
Very quickly, he realized.
Given the boss's personality… he hadn't caused more trouble again, had he?
The corner of Guanliang's mouth twitched. "What did you do this time?"
Zero fell silent for a moment.
He didn't want others to know the embarrassing incident of being vomited on and having his hair pulled by a brat.
So he started changing the subject, righteously questioning Guanliang instead, "What do you mean, 'this time'? Am I some unreasonable person?"
Guanliang couldn't help it, he answered that question by rolling his eyes.
Soon, guards arrived at the Chief Strategist's residence, carrying the child in their arms.
Hearing the footsteps, Zero immediately turned his head.
With a cold expression, he looked Hua up and down. After confirming she wasn't hurt, he finally relaxed.
Zero didn't show it on his face. After the guards put Hua down and left the room, he still maintained a cold expression.
He frowned and questioned impatiently, "Why did you run?"
Guanliang was lying on the bed and couldn't see the child's expression.
The moment he heard his boss's tone, his heart sank.
As a subordinate, he had never heard his boss speak in such an impatient tone.
Even when the boss had fallen into mara-struck madness, he had never vented personal emotions on others.
The reason was simple, if a leader was too emotional, the people around them would suffer along with them.
Something was very wrong with the boss's emotions.
Besides, what was the point of scolding a child?
Some children might become fearful because of an adult's authority and obediently comply.
But more children were rebellious and disobedient.
A child chosen by the boss, could she be an ordinary one? Would she listen to an adult?
Guanliang took a deep breath and struggled to raise his hand, tugging at his boss's sleeve.
Zero was about to continue speaking, but sensing something, he turned coldly to look at Guanliang.
Guanliang sighed. "Your emotions… aren't quite right."
Zero froze for a moment.
He closed his eyes, controlled his tone, and said, "I understand."
Guanliang said, "Let me talk to her alone."
He tugged at Zero's sleeve again, signaling for his boss to help him sit up.
Zero responded with an "oh," completely failing to notice his subordinate's intent. He turned around and walked out, leaving Guanliang lying on the bed with a stunned expression.
Guanliang, "..."
'Damn it! I should never have counted on that dumbass boss!'
'I'm someone whose life is about to end, if I could sit up by myself, that would be a medical miracle, okay?!'
While cursing his boss internally, Guanliang tried to sit up.
Before long, he met the gaze of a child.
The child came over, carefully helping him steady himself.
She even thoughtfully brought him a pillow.
Guanliang, "..."
Feeling the soft pillow behind him, he was filled with emotion.
'Even a ten-year-old is more reliable than that dumbass boss!'
Guanliang pulled his thoughts back and began salvaging his boss's image in the child's mind.
No matter what, he couldn't let the child think they were a gang of human traffickers working together.
His tone was extremely gentle, "You were scared, weren't you? He's just too worried about you."
"He told you that Yaoguang is very safe, but the area around him has never really been safe."
"He's afraid you'll get dragged into trouble because of him, afraid something will happen to you. His emotions got the better of him, so he spoke to you in that tone."
The child didn't speak. She just stared at him, as if judging whether he was trustworthy. After a while, she asked, "Is he really the Marshal of the Xianzhou?"
Guanliang immediately understood.
The boss never went around advertising his identity.
So it must have been the guards who told the child.
Guanliang didn't even need to think to know that those people had probably said some cringe-worthy things again.
Given the impression the boss had already left on this child… she probably just thought they were fanatical followers.
First impressions were hard to change.
At this point, if he wanted to gain the child's trust… he had to give an answer different from everyone else's.
At the same time, he had to clean up the mess the boss left behind.
If he couldn't keep this child, he would die.
If the child quit, he'd be promoted to Marshal.
What could he do? Of course, sacrifice his conscience and help his boss kidnap a child.
Guanliang was breaking down inside, but smiling on the outside.
He quickly adjusted his emotions and spoke in an extremely helpless tone, "Yes, it's hard to believe, right? I can't stand my boss's personality either, he always makes decisions for others on his own."
"But the facts prove that no one does it better than him."
The child subconsciously showed a surprised expression. Quickly, she tightened her face again, unwilling to let the adult see her true emotions.
Guanliang pretended not to notice.
That expression… was normal.
After all, she was just a ten-year-old child.
At first, she had only thought she'd found someone who shared her views and was trustworthy, she hadn't expected him to praise the boss.
Guanliang looked at the child and apologized.
"Sorry. I scared you, didn't I?"
He let out a deep sigh.
"Ultimately, it's because of me. I think you can tell, my body… won't hold out much longer."
"That guy… is the Marshal of the Xianzhou, but without that title, he's just an ordinary person. When faced with something like this, he'll always try to find a way to save his subordinate."
His face showed guilt.
"If it weren't for me..."
Guanliang abruptly stopped, saying no more.
The child heard the implication and uncontrollably showed a shocked expression.
She said, "You mean… I can save you? But he didn't tell me to save anyone."
The moment Guanliang heard that, he relaxed.
This was clearly a child with normal values.
If she knew she could save someone, she'd definitely do it without hesitation.
Guanliang once again cursed his boss internally.
If only he'd talked to this child properly.
Guanliang pretended to be confused and asked, "Then what did he say to you?"
The child replied, "He only said for me to delete people's memories."
Guanliang showed an expression that was both amused and exasperated. Shaking his head, he said helplessly, "That guy… can't he just talk properly? He made it sound like he was some unforgivable villain…"
Then, he patiently explained the mara-struck condition of the Xianzhou people to the child.
The child, no longer as quiet as she'd been in front of the boss, asked several questions about the mara-struck condition. After thinking for a moment, she finally said without hesitation, "Okay. I agree."
Guanliang's expression shifted. He opened his mouth, showing a complex look, shock mixed with joy, joy mixed with emotion.
He looked at the child, fell silent for a moment, then smiled.
"As the saying goes, a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring. Your life-saving grace… I really don't know what to say."
The child shook her head and simply said, "If I can save you, why wouldn't I?"
Guanliang instinctively thought of a similar line.
('If you can do it, why not do it?')
He thought, 'So alike...'
'That temperament… so much like the Marshal's.'
Guanliang was silent for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.
"In that case, let me treat you to something good to eat, alright? You're not allowed to refuse."
He tentatively raised his hand. Seeing that the child didn't resist, he gently patted the top of her head.
Not long after, Zero returned.
Guanliang said to him, "She agreed, but she needs to decide for herself whether to use that item."
Zero lowered his head and glanced at Hua's expression. Seeing the surprise in her eyes, he looked away.
It seemed the Chief Strategist had made the request himself.
Zero simply nodded and said nothing more.
He wasn't surprised.
If there had been something that could solve mara-struck, he would have taken it out long ago.
Why would he have waited until this child appeared?
Guanliang had long guessed the reason, guessed the child's special nature.
The Chief Strategist knew him well, knew that he would make concessions for certain people, so he tried to secure more leeway for the child.
Zero didn't care about those small maneuvers.
He treated it as letting his subordinate get close to the new boss in advance.
Soon, the death-row prisoners Zero had instructed his subordinates to prepare finally came in handy.
After Hua used "Feather Crossing Dust" to consecutively erase the memories of more than a dozen death-row inmates, Zero called a stop.
Next, it was the Chief Strategist's turn.
Guanliang prepared in advance, writing a letter to himself after his memory loss.
Under his dumbass boss's curious gaze, he handed the letter to Hua and asked her to keep it for him.
After the memory deletion, Zero suppressed a laugh, leaned in, and said to Guanliang, "You're awake? The surgery was very successful..."
Guanliang, "..."