"Phew."
The figure in the white coat let out a long breath.
He closed the book in his hands and neatly placed it on the bookshelf.
He smiled. "There are no laws in this world, so I had to create a fearsome figure to make people wary. It's a clumsy method, but it can maintain balance."
He slowly turned around.
He revealed the face of a man around forty, wearing nearsighted glasses. He looked kind and gentle, exactly like an intellectual from the 1990s.
Liu Di's brow twitched.
Liu Zhengqing.
Liu Zhengqing, dressed in a white coat, wore a trace of weariness on his face. Who knew how long he had been buried in this mountain and sea of books?
He reached out, pulled over an old wooden chair from beside him, and lightly patted its back. "Liu Di, come, sit."
Liu Di hesitated slightly, but still slowly stepped forward and sat facing Liu Zhengqing.
"You..."
Liu Di suddenly did not know where to begin.
But Liu Zhengqing smiled faintly. "No need to dwell on how to address me. Just call me Liu Zhengqing. All these years, I haven't fulfilled the duties I should have."
Liu Di wanted to speak, but stopped himself.
Liu Zhengqing continued, "But ever since you entered the Brain Realm, I've never left your side."
As he spoke.
A row of pitch-black silhouettes appeared behind Liu Zhengqing.
The first lit up, revealing a plump, slick-haired man in a suit.
Liu Zhengqing said, "Boss Zhao of T1 Zone—I gave him a profit-driven nature. I think you understand that he represents a large portion of people in reality."
"And A Fu, the steward of T2 Zone, was given loyalty."
"The ugly guide in T3 represents currying favor with the powerful."
"The Scorpion King of T4 represents love for