March 7th and Stelle looked at each other.
What? Who? The Vidyadhara High Elder?
'Dan Heng is the Imbibitor Lunae?!'
'Oh, right... He's a Xianzhou native...'
'Wait, he really is the Dragon King?!'
March 7th nearly cried out.
She instinctively tightened her grip on Stelle's arm. Catching sight of more than a hundred attendants with serious expressions from the corner of her eye, she quickly raised her other hand to cover her mouth.
The pain in Stelle's arm grew stronger, making her frown slightly. She gently patted the back of March 7th's hand.
March 7th hurriedly withdrew her hand and lowered her head to carefully inspect her companion's arm. After confirming there were no marks, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Taking the special circumstances of the Xianzhou into consideration, they did not speak. They only exchanged a glance, then their eyes darted around, using their gazes to express the thousands of words in their hearts.
More than ten meters away, Dan Heng stood frozen in place.
The substantial gazes of more than a hundred people were like the scorching sun of summer, as if they were going to burn a hole through him.
No wonder Jing Yuan had the Astral Express take the special route...
If other people saw this...
Heat rose in Dan Heng's cheeks, and his head grew increasingly dizzy.
The leader who had been the first to point out his identity stepped forward and called out loudly, pulling him back to his senses, "Lord High Elder..."
Dan Heng subconsciously looked toward him.
Seeing this, the others followed his example and called out one after another, "Lord Dan Heng..."
"Imbibitor Lunae..."
"Lord High Elder!"
The voices of more than a hundred people overlapped, as if they were standing in a dense forest on a summer night, with countless cicadas chirping beside their ears.
Dan Heng did his best to ignore the gazes of his companions and the hundreds of people, as well as the noise constantly echoing in his ears like auditory hallucinations. Keeping his face stiff, he hurried forward.
As the distance gradually closed, he saw a familiar yet unfamiliar person standing beside the first Starskiff.
It was the longest-serving general of the Luofu, Daiyang.
Dan Heng looked toward the Starskiff beside Daiyang.
'That Zero guy must be inside!'
Daiyang stepped forward, blocking Dan Heng's view.
She glanced at Dan Heng with an ambiguous smile, then brought her fingers together and pointed toward the Starskiff, saying softly, "Lord High Elder, please."
"Wait."
Dan Heng pressed his lips together. He turned around and quietly said a few words to Welt.
The two then hurried over to March and Stelle.
Dan Heng urged his companions.
"Let's go."
March stared at him.
"Dan Heng, you really are..."
Before she could finish, Dan Heng interrupted her.
"Enough. We'll talk about it later."
Daiyang arrived beside them a little later and smiled as she showed the three of them the way.
Once his companions and Daiyang boarded the same Starskiff, Dan Heng let out a long breath.
His expression turned cold as he jogged to the first Starskiff and bent down to look inside.
Dan Heng froze for a moment.
The other person had changed out of his Xianzhou clothes this time. He was wearing a black formal suit, a yellow diamond brooch pinned to his chest, and a pair of glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.
Dan Heng boarded the Starskiff and gritted his teeth.
"You really... went to a lot of trouble."
Zero smiled.
"It's fine. It wasn't that much trouble."
Dan Heng frowned deeply and could not help asking, "Why?"
Zero slightly embellished the gathering where the friends and relatives of both sides had met, then said to Dan Heng, "Dan Feng found thirty-two attendants for me at my engagement banquet with Jingliu."
Dan Heng, "..."
'Dan Feng, what were you doing?!'
Considering Zero's personality...
The fact that he hadn't added two zeros to that number was already pretty good.
The anger in Dan Heng's heart immediately disappeared by more than half.
He was silent for a moment before forcing out four words.
"I'm not him."
Zero shrugged.
"I know, but this trick doesn't work on Dan Feng."
"Jing Yuan tried it before. He didn't feel embarrassed at all."
Dan Heng was incredulous.
Wasn't the whole Dragon King returning to his position thing embarrassing enough?
Zero patiently explained.
"For the High Elder's daily outings, the most streamlined arrangement is sixteen attendants."
"For slightly more formal activities within the Vidyadhara... there are at least a hundred people. At most, it could be..."
Zero paused and gave a relatively conservative range.
"Several thousand to tens of thousands?"
Dan Heng, "..."
'Dan Feng, what kind of princes and nobles are you Vidyadhara High Elders?!'
'The kind who are countless times more honored than the 'Father of the Xianzhou'?!'
'Slavery had already been abolished by Zero thousands of years ago!'
'How are the Vidyadhara on the Xianzhou still acting like this?!'
Zero placed a hand on Dan Heng's shoulder.
"Alright, this is all the goodwill of the Vidyadhara."
"Besides, you finally brought your friends home. We have to give you a grand welcoming ceremony."
Dan Heng slapped Zero's hand away and said irritably, "Do I need to thank you too?"
Zero was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled as he withdrew his hand.
"You're welcome. It's only right."
Dan Heng was rendered speechless, then said, "The Vidyadhara don't need a High Elder or Dragon Elders anymore."
Zero raised an eyebrow.
"But they're still counting on you, the High Elder, to take charge, and they still need you to attend the Vidyadhara's internal activities."
Dan Heng said nothing.
Dan Feng had blocked these things for him for several hundred years.
The rest... he should handle it himself.
Just as he was thinking this, Zero said, "Are you used to living on the train? Have you taken pictures of your room?"
Dan Heng frowned slightly.
He remembered that Zero had once been a Nameless and had lived in one of the rooms on the train.
Dan Heng was puzzled, but he still took out his jade signal, found the photos, and handed it to Zero.
Zero took a brief look and returned the jade signal to Dan Heng.
"Hmm... It's a little small. As long as you're used to it."
"Even the 'Father of the Xianzhou' is used to it..." Dan Heng took back the jade signal and teased, "As the High Elder with no real authority, I'm naturally used to it too."
Zero was used to hearing this kind of remark and did not say anything. He only asked, "Do you have enough Patrol Tokens?"
Dan Heng wondered what was going on.
He knew he could not read anything from Zero's face, but he still looked back at him.
"I'm not short on Patrol Tokens. I have enough."
"As long as you have enough."
Zero sounded as if he had only asked casually. He took out his jade signal and forwarded three documents to Dan Heng.
"These are the itineraries Luofu prepared for the Nameless. Pick one."
Dan Heng acted quickly. He opened his chat with Jing Yuan and asked him.
[What's wrong with Zero? First he asks about my living conditions, then he asks whether I have enough Patrol Tokens.]
Jing Yuan stole a moment from his busy schedule to reply.
[Probably because... the you from a parallel world can't get any pocket money.]
Dan Heng could not help complaining inwardly.
Had Jing Yuan worked himself dizzy? How had this suddenly become related to a parallel world?
Dan Heng switched back to the documents and forwarded the three documents to the train's group chat. Then he opened them and his expression gradually froze.
"These tourist attractions' addresses..."
'Why did one look more familiar than the next?'
"Some of the tourist attractions used to be the High Elder's private property. Now they belong to Yingxing," Zero helpfully added. "The restaurants belong to Baiheng's friends."
Dan Heng looked farther down and caught sight of the museum's address. The corner of his mouth twitched.
Wasn't this one of Zero's properties?
Every tourist who came to the Xianzhou would put the Xianzhou Museum into their travel plans.
Under normal circumstances, they could find an excuse to close the museum early and clear it out.
As luck would have it, the Astral Express happened to arrive during Thanksgiving.
If the museum cleared the visitors out and refunded their tickets, the news would spread throughout the entire universe right afterward.
Rather than going to the museum to look at the exhibits, they might as well go to Zero's home to look around.
After discussing it with his companions, Dan Heng chose the second plan.
It had both the popular Luofu attractions that March wanted to take pictures at, as well as beautiful private properties that were only open to them.
After finalizing their travel plan, the Starskiff began changing direction.
Dan Heng thought for a moment, then took the initiative to mention the gift he and his friends had chosen for Zero.
"I really like it."
Zero nodded first, then asked, "What's your definition of a friend?"
"Like-minded? Sharing the same values?"
The topic Zero brought up was too abrupt. Dan Heng was stunned for a moment. Before he could answer, the other person continued, "People like them... Even if you were to pilot an antimatter warship, blow up some planet, or destroy some galaxy, they would still clean up after you and make sure you got away safely."
"Do you think... people like that are your friends?"
Dan Heng considered his wording in his heart. After a moment, he said, "He is my friend."
Dan Heng would not destroy a planet or galaxy, and his friends certainly would not clean up after him.
"That kind of thing... wouldn't happen between us."
Zero nodded. He took out a necklace from somewhere and handed it to Dan Heng.
An extremely complicated pattern was engraved on the round metal pendant. The chain was clean and gleaming, as if it had never been worn before.
Dan Heng had a vague guess in his heart.
He carefully examined it. The pattern on the pendant was precisely the crest of his friend's family.
"Is there no box?"
Zero was stumped for a moment.
The necklace had always been kept in his system inventory. Where was he supposed to find a box?
He and Dan Heng searched the Starskiff for quite a while. In the end, he searched all over himself and found a handkerchief in his breast pocket.
Dan Heng carefully wrapped the necklace.
At the same time, the Starskiff arrived at their first destination, the Xianzhou Museum.
Dan Heng looked around. Half the Starskiffs were gone, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
When he turned around, Zero was a little slower. He brushed aside the hair over his right temple, revealing the dragon-shaped ear cuff on his ear.
His gaze shifted to the right, and his expression became thoughtful, as if he were listening to a conversation on the other side.
Dan Heng asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Zero smiled at him.
"Nothing."
Dan Heng refused to let it go and continued asking,
"What exactly happened?"
Zero raised his eyes and looked at the three Nameless behind Daiyang. He replied in a low voice, "It won't disturb our trip."
Dan Heng could not help complaining inwardly.
'Is this about the trip?!'
Zero took a few steps forward and smiled at everyone.
"Hello, I'm Victor."
Dan Heng said nothing, his lips pressed tightly together.
March and Stelle rubbed their fists and prepared to make Dan Heng confess everything. But they happened to encounter a stranger head-on and could only abandon their plans, greeting the other person together with Welt.
"Welcome to the Xianzhou Luofu."
Daiyang looked at Zero and gently introduced him.
"This is Mr. Victor. If you have any questions or requests during your journey, please feel free to come to me..."
While they were waiting in line, Welt noticed that something was wrong with Dan Heng and cast him an inquiring look.
He gently shook his head.
Welt understood.
Dan Heng had not traveled on the same Starskiff as them.
He had thought Dan Heng was discussing important matters with his people, but now it seemed... Dan Heng was not very close to the Vidyadhara. Instead, he had a better relationship with Victor.
Under Daiyang's guidance, they quickly passed the security check and entered the museum.
Daiyang walked at the very front, explaining the exhibits in the museum to the Nameless.
Dan Heng followed behind Zero, looking as though he would not let the matter go.
Zero said in a low voice, "Don't worry. It's in another cave heaven."
Dan Heng was about to ask more when Zero's expression became somewhat strange.
"Why has He come...?"
Dan Heng did not understand.
"Who?"
Zero slightly raised his chin, indicating that Dan Heng should look up.
Dan Heng's heart tightened.
The Xianzhou would hang portraits of the 'Reignbow Arbiter' on its landmark buildings.
'Could it be... the 'Reignbow Arbiter'?!'
'What exactly had happened in that other cave heaven? It had actually alarmed a Aeon?!'
Dan Heng's thoughts were in chaos. Zero pushed him forward.
"Alright, hurry up."
The two struggled through the crowd and left the venue. When they passed a teahouse, they encountered Daiyang and the Nameless waiting for their drinks.
They looked at each other through the window. March and Stelle hurriedly stood up and waved at Dan Heng.
The two entered the teahouse. As soon as Dan Heng sat down, March and Stelle planted their hands on their hips and surrounded him.
After the three of them laughed and joked around for a while, Dan Heng turned his head and saw Zero looking at him with great interest.
The academy Dan Feng had chosen for Dan Heng had always followed an elite education system. The students' etiquette seemed rooted in their very bones, and Dan Heng rarely made any improper gestures either.
This was the first time Zero had seen such a lively side of Dan Heng.
Dan Heng subconsciously avoided his gaze. From the corner of his eye, he saw the attendants bring over tea and snacks, so he stood up and arranged them together with the attendants.
Welt said softly, "Mr. Victor's name sounds very familiar."
Zero casually accepted a teacup.
"People often say that."
"Perhaps it's because of Victor Frey, the eighth member of the Genius Society?"
Welt slowly shook his head.
"No, it's not just the name."
Hearing this, Daiyang looked at Welt.
March and Stelle looked at Zero, staring at his face.
After a while, they nodded together in agreement.
"Yeah."
"He does look really familiar..."
"That's normal. I have an ordinary face."
Zero picked up his tasting cup, took a sip of tea, then urged everyone, "This tea is pretty good. Try it."
Daiyang smoothly changed the subject and began recommending the tea and snacks on the table.
For her, socializing was as simple as breathing.
She would not leave anyone out, and in just a few minutes, she could get everyone involved in the conversation.
Daiyang naturally went from tea and snacks to food, guiding the others to discuss the food they had tasted along the way.
She looked attentively at the Nameless who was speaking. Prolonged eye contact would make people uncomfortable, so her gaze kept moving between their brows.
Encouraged by her, the Nameless became full of motivation and continued talking, eventually bringing up the food made by the conductor.
One of the desserts required a lot of kitchen equipment.
Zero took the opportunity to ask about the kitchen facilities.
Daiyang blinked.
'You're a Nameless, after all.'
'You've seen all that equipment on the train.'
'Could it be that you want to know about the High Elder's living conditions?'
'Impossible.'
Daiyang pressed her lips into a smile and very naturally asked about the facilities on the train.
After finding out the size of the train's reception room, audiovisual room, and bedrooms, they had also finished the tea and snacks.
Daiyang picked up her jade signal and deliberately showed a troubled expression before casually making something up.
"Lord High Elder, your people are looking for you. Why don't you..."
Hearing Daiyang use an honorific with him, Dan Heng's scalp went numb.
He endured the humiliation and said, "Let's go."
Halfway through their journey, someone stopped in front of them. His eyes were sharp as he stared closely at the mole at the corner of Zero's eye and sighed, "Young man, you have the look of someone who's about to lose money..."
Daiyang's eyes darkened.
Dan Heng's eyelid twitched.