Zong Shen merely waved his hand.
"No need to be so polite."
As he spoke, he reached out and hooked an arm around Chen Rui's shoulders.
"We're fellow Chinese, and we share the same goal."
"When one prospers, we all prosper; when one suffers, we all suffer."
His actions lessened the sense of unfamiliarity, as well as the class divide brought about by the environment after their arrival.
Those words sounded somewhat worldly, but they also helped Chen Rui relax considerably.
"Right. As long as our companions are strong enough, the Third Act doesn't seem so frightening anymore..."
He spoke slowly, and just as his words fell—
A wisp of red light emerged in the distant east before them.
The outline of the sun appeared in the distance, its bright arc illuminating this world.
With unspoken mutual understanding, neither of them said anything more. They simply watched the sunrise in silence.
The solar crown grew brighter and brighter, rays of light spreading across the sky.
One beam in particular shone directly upon the two of them.
Facing the light, the future stretched out smooth and clear before them.
Chen Rui left.
Not long after dawn, he departed from Zong Shen's territory.
There had indeed been an element of gambling in his visit. He had been willing to slow the development of his territory just to meet Zong Shen.
Both sides were quite satisfied with this meeting.
Well, perhaps "satisfied" was not quite right. It could only be said that each had, to a certain extent, achieved what they wanted.
Zong Shen learned some more thorough truths and gained a reincarnator ally who had come to him of his own accord and was reasonably reliable.
Chen Rui, meanwhile, had taken a reassuring pill, greatly dispelling the inner demons left behind