Xianyu had been planning to think of another solution, but Yaoqing's wealthiest residents began "running into" him frequently.
With so many wealthy people enthusiastically inviting him out, he had no choice but to become a master of time management, arranging his schedule just right.
After all, he had taken their money. He had to give them something in return!
The wealthy residents treated him as a kindred spirit. Whenever they met him, they exclaimed that it was "fate," then invited him for either tea or a meal.
But how could they let word of their close ties with Yaoqing's general reach anyone else? With a grand wave of their hands, they booked out the most luxurious restaurant on Yaoqing.
The Chief Strategist was numb.
What kind of general went around mooching meals off rich people?
After it happened too many times, the Chief Strategist couldn't take it anymore. At the end of his patience, he said, "Remember to get takeout."
Xianyu: "..."
Fine. Since his subordinate worked day and night reviewing documents for him, he would bring him some food.
This time, someone "ran into" him again. The wealthy man booked out that familiar restaurant once more and practically dragged him there.
After visiting the same restaurant with one kindred spirit after another, he felt that even the servers were starting to look at him strangely.
The wealthy man was oblivious:
"To defeat the Golems in just one short month-truly incredible! I hear the fighting on the other Xianzhou ships is still fierce. It hasn't even ended yet!"
The more the wealthy man chatted with Xianyu, the more excited he became. Slapping his thigh, he sighed in admiration:
"A brilliant talent as valiant as you, General, comes along once in a century-no, once in a millennium! Yaoqing is so fortunate!"
Thinking of how much money the swift end to the fighting had saved him, then imagining himself becoming Yaoqing's leading tycoon, the wealthy man couldn't stop smiling. He went on to introduce the unfamiliar face at the table to Xianyu.
It was a senior executive from the Interastral Peace Corporation.
The executive was equally skilled at handling people, and hosts and guest alike thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
As usual, Xianyu ordered a few extra dishes and asked a server to pack them up. Then, carrying the takeout containers, he said goodbye to the wealthy man and the executive.
Unexpectedly, the corporate executive adopted an exaggerated expression, suddenly leaned closer, and pressed a check into Xianyu's hand, his voice brimming with emotion:
"Having met someone of such noble character as you, General, I could die without regrets! General, you simply must be my friend!"
Xianyu glanced at the check, with more zeroes than he could count, and handed it back without so much as a flicker in his expression.
"If you want to be friends, take this back."
The executive gave Xianyu a long look, then offered him the check again, speaking in a tone as theatrical as an opera singer's:
"Oh, my dear General, you simply must accept it! Everything you have done deserves to be immortalized through Remembrance's own divine power! Even Elation must bow before your cunning! Such a treasure cannot be bought with any number of Credits. I fear I may have offended you-"
The executive's smile deepened, and his voice suddenly dropped to something like a whisper.
"The Masked Fools send you their sincerest greetings."
Xianyu gave the check in his hand a shake. When he looked up again, the corporate executive who had called himself a "Masked Fool" was already gone.
Elation bowed before his cunning?
Had the one he sent off to work really been the Aeon Aha?
Then what was this "Remembrance" the Masked Fool had mentioned?
He returned to the General's Residence with the takeout containers, delivered food to the Chief Strategist, who was burning the midnight oil reviewing documents, and handed him the check as well.
Ravenous with hunger, the Chief Strategist counted the digits on the check. His initially dismissive expression grew increasingly distorted before he let out a shrill screech and asked in disbelief:
"General, how many more people have you scammed this time?"
Xianyu: "..."
How was that scamming? They had given it to him willingly.
He placed a hand on the takeout containers and announced coldly, "No dinner for you."
"You finally couldn't resist confiscating the wealthy residents' assets? You can't just do that-"
Xianyu casually opened the system map, only to discover an extra person in the General's Residence.
His gaze sharpened, and he looked toward the corner where the stranger was.
An indescribable, warped creature writhed in the shadows of the corner.
By the dim yellow light beside the desk, he could just make out a brightly colored mask covering the monster.
A Masked Fool?
Without blinking, Xianyu stared fixedly at the monster and discreetly gestured to the Chief Strategist.
"Your shift's over. Go home."
The Chief Strategist followed the general's gaze and widened his eyes. He hurriedly scooped up the takeout containers and made himself scarce.
Xianyu watched for a while. The monster seemed to have no intention of suddenly attacking anyone; it merely rolled and crawled around on the floor by itself.
He turned away and sat at the desk to read the documents.
Xianyu had originally assumed that an Aeon couldn't possibly be this deranged, but... the Masked Fool's words had left him utterly stunned.
And combined with how much the Aeon of Elation seemed to be enjoying this...
Talk about doing whatever you wanted! Were all Aeons like this?
They had no so-called dignity and didn't care about saving face. They mingled with humans, watched the chaos without caring how bad it got, and rushed straight to the front lines of troublemaking, unwilling to miss a single bit of amusement. And if they became the joke themselves... hilarious. That was even more entertaining.
For a moment, Xianyu genuinely had no idea what to do.
What emotion could he show that would make the other party find him boring?
Outrage? Fear? Bluster?
That would probably just give them what they wanted, letting those fanatical followers of Elation treat him as entertainment.
As for dropping all pretense and farming the other party like a boss?
He wasn't afraid of fighting. He was afraid of the expense.
Anywhere else, and he would already have thrown a punch.
If he wrecked the General's Residence, he would have to pay for the repairs.
Most importantly, he feared that he would play right into their wishes and give them a thoroughly enjoyable beating.
An Aeon had come to stir up trouble on Yaoqing. How could the followers not come along? A whole mob wanted to turn his turf upside down and have fun while they were at it?
Absolutely not.
After thinking it over, he decided he might as well ignore them.
Once they couldn't find any amusement around him, they would naturally leave.
Xianyu ignored the warped, crawling thing inching closer and focused entirely on his work.
With practiced ease, he flipped to the final page of each document to read the key points, then cross-checked them against the system map.
After he had approved more than a dozen documents in a row, the unidentified creature still refused to leave. Instead, it grew even bolder, wriggling up onto the desk and attempting to wave its feelers to attract Xianyu's attention.
Xianyu: "..."
Xianyu rubbed his temple and let out a long sigh.
"Can I help you?"
The unidentified creature suddenly emitted a burst of piercing, grating noise.
Only after listening carefully did he realize it was laughing.
Its laughter was bizarre, sounding more like metal objects scraping against one another.
The unidentified creature, as viscous as black sludge, gathered itself together at an extremely slow pace, gradually taking on a humanoid shape.
The brightly colored mask moved upward along with it, finally settling on the monster's head.
Xianyu instantly pictured the blacked-out suspect from Detective C○nan.
The creature before him looked like that shadowy figure wearing a mask.
The other party chuckled in a strange, eerie voice.
Seeing that the unidentified creature had no intention of speaking first, Xianyu took the initiative. "May I ask who you are?"
At that, the unidentified creature immediately leaned closer in excitement:
"You gave me to the Swarm not long ago! Don't you recognize me?"
He had encountered the worst possible outcome-the Aeon of Elation, Aha.
Xianyu deliberately put on an expression of dawning realization and said with a smile:
"As general, it's only right that I help every resident of Yaoqing fulfill their dreams. No need to thank me."
Then he looked Aha's body of viscous black sludge up and down. With a troubled expression, he managed to ask:
"Could it be that you're looking for someone to help boost your performance numbers?"
Aha, who had been chuckling without restraint, instantly went silent like a chicken seized by the neck.
He fell silent.
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