North Africa, Sahara Desert. [ Surface Temperature: -5°C ]
Inside the Stellaron Train's Observation Car, Ling Ke, who was using the Trailblazer Model, slowly opened his eyes.
On the surface, he had merely taken a nap. In reality, he had pulled a stunt similar to Wei Zheng's dream-slaying of the Jinghe Dragon King, slipping away to wander elsewhere without anyone noticing. He turned his head to glance at an electronic thermometer nearby...
[ Indoor Temperature: 23°C ]
Mmm, very comfortable.
Compared to the bone-chilling wind outside, this place was practically paradise.
By now, Sakura and the other "Substitute for VIPs" who were involved in the previous mission had already disembarked.
The only reason Ling Ke remained was that Sakura had passed along a message before leaving. She hoped he would stay in North Africa for a while, as she might have other important missions that required his power.
Of course, for simply agreeing to stay, the higher-ups of the Newborn World Serpent had generously paid a three million euro deposit, stating:
"Even if Mr. Qiong refuses the next mission, you don't need to return this deposit."
"Also, considering Mr. Qiong was attacked during the last mission by something outside the contract, we will add another twenty million euros as compensation."
These were the exact words Sakura had relayed from someone else.
Given this attitude, Ling Ke had no intention of being difficult.
Ultimately, the money wasn't the main point. He didn't really care about the figures they threw around, which seemed more like a gesture than a serious offer.
But the fact that he was still being treated with respect, even without revealing his true identity... that meant he could be a bit more patient.
It made him feel good.
By the way, he had already used the power of Omniscience to confirm whether they had figured out his origins before he "returned" just now.
They hadn't.
So...
"The cliché of a big-shot client bullying a small-time contractor hasn't happened yet," Ling Ke thought as he sat on the circular sofa with his legs crossed. Maybe it's just waiting to happen?
"They're playing nice and asking me to stay only because their headquarters was just attacked and their key personnel haven't returned yet?"
"Maybe once Kevin brings back the Herrscher of Death Core, they'll feel confident enough to throw a real tantrum at me?"
"Like, they'll point the Judgement of Shamash right at my face and say something super cool like: 'Submit, or die'?"
With nothing better to do, Ling Ke let his imagination run wild.
Of course, he wasn't afraid of any of these scenarios.
Within the domain of the Imaginary Tree, he was its "closest partner," which basically made him a "Fourth Calamity" who could open the console with a single keystroke.
Yeah, you could call him the "Admin's Pet."
To put it simply, while the Imaginary Tree, a transcendent entity, would never explicitly voice its opinions on certain matters, it generally didn't mind granting him the highest level of access and repeatedly opening new instances for him, as long as he didn't completely crash the entire Tree.
He could tweak the data, rewrite the rules... he could do whatever he wanted.
In this state, even without using any power from the "Ready Player One System," Ling Ke was a true "god" thanks to his unique status and supreme authority.
To put it in the terms of a "Grand Player of Doomsday," his position was something like this:
"If the Imaginary Tree is a gaming company that only cares about money and has no conscience, then I'm the ultimate whale who not only provides 99% of its revenue but also funded a top-tier backup server room just to prevent the main servers from exploding."
In short: he was the one they had to worship.
Of course, Ling Ke knew perfectly well that all these convenient privileges only applied within the Imaginary Tree's domain.
The multiverse it formed, with its countless worldlines and timelines, was his personal backyard, his set of building blocks.
But outside this range...
For example, if he went to the Sea of Quanta or other worlds outside the Tree-Sea System...
Like the Marvel Multiverse, the DC Multiverse, the Warhammer Universe, the Stellaris Universe, the Ultraman Multiverse... and so on.
In those places, Ling Ke would still have to rely on the power of the "Ready Player One System."
He admitted that without the system, he was nothing.
But he did have the system, and the unique status it recognized...
"Then of course I'm going to play this game to the fullest," Ling Ke thought.
Still, he'd learned his lesson. Now, he would only cause trouble within the "absolutely safe" range.
So, if he ever found a way to travel to other, completely different multiverses... even if such a "golden opportunity" presented itself tomorrow...
He would suppress his curiosity and continue to level up ruthlessly within the Imaginary Tree's domain. He'd play the role of the "Shilipo Sword God," waiting until he pulled even more powerful game character templates before even considering stepping out of his safe zone.
Of course, given the absolute nature of the Theater of Domination, which was blessed by the system and even the Imaginary Tree itself had to cozy up to, and his own "Summoner Style" abilities...
"Sending out some pawns as Puppets of Dominance to scout ahead is an option," Ling Ke thought.
With that in mind...
"Seeing Sakura just board my Astral Express with Jizo Mitama in tow, while those Newborn World Serpent types throw this self-righteous trust test at me, I was planning to teach you all a lesson."
In the Observation Car, a faint smile touched Ling Ke's lips. "You should really thank Seele for this, the Herrscher little girl you just killed."
"If I weren't in a decent mood right now..."
Clearly, Ling Ke's "lesson" would have been anything but a minor incident. But because he was feeling good, just as Fu Hua had used the Eminence to slash down the Herrscher of Thunder's persona that he detested most...
"An excellent actress deserves the very best reward after her final performance."
With that thought, Ling Ke once again wielded his highest administrative privileges within the Imaginary Tree's domain.
He proceeded to graft a completely new "branch" onto the hyper-conceptual Imaginary Tree.
This was a brand-new world, a completely separate universe created specifically for the deceased Seele.
There, she would face no trials from the Honkai, only an ordinary, peaceful life. As a thoughtful touch, Ling Ke also carefully synchronized the time between the current universe and the new one.
This meant that the true family Seele cherished so much in this lifetime would be reborn on Earth in the new universe after their lives here came to an end. There, they would reunite on the other side, just as they had all hoped.
Once again, they would be a family.
Most importantly, Ling Ke gave Seele the choice of whether to retain her memories and powers. This was the "privilege" he granted to those he deemed genuine.
As for the other person who had fallen today, Bronya Zaychik...
"In the end, you are still all alone," Ling Ke remarked.
That was his only comment. After that, he stopped paying her any mind. He couldn't even bring himself to recall her life story or the things she had endured recently.
Ling Ke had once said that his hatred had been left behind in the Old Days, the era of the Previous Civilization, along with the completion of Project Broken Branch.
He meant every word. He wasn't just pretending or trying to act cool.
While his hatred had vanished, that didn't mean he had suddenly developed any fondness for his old enemies. Far from it. He still took pleasure in seeing them suffer and fall into despair.
He simply had new goals now, so he didn't spend much time thinking about them. But if someone did run into serious trouble, he would still be malicious enough to gloat over their misfortune.
He treated it all as a form of entertainment.
Today, Ling Ke had not only witnessed the existence of the "Genuineness" but had also enjoyed a front-row seat to this kind of entertainment. Naturally, he was in a great mood.
Just then...
Knock, knock.
Ling Ke sensed someone knocking on the door of the Observation Car.
He turned his head lazily and snapped his fingers. A replica of the train conductor, Pom-Pom, waddled over on her short legs to open the door to the isolation area.
A moment later, a group of guests arrived.
At their head was the man who had just returned victorious today, Kevin Kaslana.