A short while earlier
"Sir, the Interastral Peace Corporation came all this way to help you, and you're turning us away at the door? Is this how Yuanqiao treats its guests?"
The Interastral Peace Corporation's envoy looked furious. He had thrown his weight around the universe for so long, yet he had never been turned away like this.
But he had failed to notice that the soldiers before him weren't wearing the Xianzhou's standard blue-and-white armor. Their armor was golden yellow, adorned with emerald-green Dao patterns.
Clearly, these weren't Yuanqiao soldiers, but soldiers of Daiyu's Manifest Existence Army.
"Say something! Call out your Xianzhou Helmsman! Your Helmsman and I go way back. Watch out, or he'll make you pay when he gets here!"
The envoy pointed arrogantly at the Manifest Existence Army soldiers before him, looking every bit as if he were threatening them with the consequences of not stepping aside.
But instead of stepping aside, the soldiers looked at him with the kind of concern one might show a fool, making him burst with anger.
Just then, the sound of boots striking the ground rang out. The envoy looked behind the two soldiers and saw a valiant-looking woman walking toward them, accompanied by four soldiers dressed like the ones before him.
Only then did the envoy realize that the soldiers in front of him didn't seem to be the ones he had seen on his previous visits to trade.
"What happened here?"
Qingzhu had just left Helmsman Lin when her Manifest Existence Army subordinates reported that someone was causing trouble.
So Qingzhu brought four Manifest Existence Army soldiers with her. As an Emanator, she didn't believe anyone other than an Aeon could hurt her now. Four soldiers were enough.
"Hello, I'm Qingzhu, Helmsman of the Xianzhou Daiyu."
"H-hello. I was sent by the Interastral Peace Corporation to discuss trade cooperation with Yuanqiao."
The envoy was stunned. The person who had come wasn't the Helmsman of the Xianzhou Yuanqiao, but the Helmsman of the Xianzhou Daiyu, which had already crashed!
"Are you talking about the Xianzhou that crashed a thousand years ago? The Xianzhou Daiyu?"
"Though I don't much care for how you put it, that is indeed the case. I am Qingzhu, Helmsman of the Xianzhou Daiyu, which crashed a thousand years ago and returned from death.
"Fortunately, the Arbiter of True Existence favored us, sparing the Xianzhou Daiyu the pain of annihilation. Now, Daiyu walks the path of Existence, and though I possess little talent, the Arbiter of Life saw fit to grant me the status of an Emanator."
The more the envoy heard, the more shocked he became. The Arbiter of True Existence, a return from death, a Xianzhou walking the path of Existence, and, most importantly of all, an Emanator of Existence!
The Garden of Existence claimed to be the orthodox faction of Existence, yet after all these years, it still didn't have a single Emanator. And now a Xianzhou that had appeared out of nowhere had snatched away its claim to orthodoxy.
Wouldn't that old fellow from the Garden of Existence fly into a rage if he found out?
This was huge news! Wasn't this information worth more than trading with Yuanqiao?
After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, he finally made a decision: he would return to the Interastral Peace Corporation and give the news to the news department. The value of this information would definitely be far greater than the profits from trading with Yuanqiao.
Watching the direction in which the Interastral Peace Corporation fleet had departed, Qingzhu sighed. The next thing she would likely have to face was the Garden of Existence.
The thought of this Existence faction, which had nearly seventy percent of all the gardeners in the universe under its command, gave her a headache. She had told the Corporation she was an Emanator simply because she wanted to use that status to entice some people to come to Daiyu and join her side.
After all, whoever had an Emanator was the orthodox faction. If both sides had one, it came down to who had one first and which side the Aeon favored. Clearly, Daiyu had the advantage in this regard.
Not long afterward, news of the Xianzhou Daiyu's reappearance in the universe and the presence of an Emanator of Existence aboard it spread throughout the cosmos.
The Ayinai System
This system had been named by the Garden of Existence after Ayinai, and it was also where the Garden of Existence had its headquarters.
On a nameless planet at the edge of the system, there were also towering buildings. But because it was a developing planet and had yet to be fully developed, it hadn't been given a name.
"Amo, what are you doing?"
In a small two-story house, a silver-haired youth sat by a window, gazing at the sky outside. Though it wasn't particularly blue, it still lifted his spirits. A player beside him was broadcasting recent events from across the universe.
Just as he was engrossed in the view, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Amo turned around, and a cute girl with pink hair appeared before him.
Seeing the girl, Amo smiled dotingly and said, "Xiaohe, weren't you working at the convenience store today? What brought you into my room?"
Xiaohe pursed her lips. "Hmph! What, am I not welcome? I'm angry now!"
The girl before him had grown up with him; they were childhood sweethearts. Since both of them were orphans with no family or friends in this world, they had only each other to rely on.
The little house was the result of their efforts together. Amo had never been stingy about doting on Xiaohe, and as long as it was within his means, he would do his best to grant her wishes.
"Of course not. You can come into my room whenever you want. We don't need so many rules between us."
"Hehe."
The girl giggled, then jumped up, wrapping her legs around Amo's waist and her arms around his neck.
Amo held her thighs with both hands to keep her from slipping, a helpless yet doting look on his face.
"Xiaohe, you've gotten heavier."
"...I have not! Amo, you jerk!"
With that, Xiaohe bit Amo on the neck, so gently that her mouth seemed to rest lightly against it.
A moment later, Xiaohe let go and giggled at the hickey she had left on Amo's neck.
"There, that's better. I want those women out there to know you're taken!"
As she spoke, she proudly raised her head, though the tips of her ears were bright red, showing that she was far from calm inside.
"All right, all right. Let everyone else know, so Xiaohe won't have to worry."
That was right. They weren't just childhood sweethearts, but lovers as well. He had never expected a relationship he had only read about in novels to happen to him.
But he didn't mind. On the contrary, he was grateful that the girl he had cherished since childhood loved him.
"Amo, have you heard? Besides the Garden, there's actually another major faction called the Xianzhou, and they even have an Emanator of Existence among them! I'm so jealous~"
Xiaohe climbed down from Amo, her face full of admiration. An Emanator of Existence-for people like them who believed in Existence, such a being was something they could only dream of.
Though their Garden of Existence claimed to be the foremost faction of Existence and its orthodox faction, it had often been mocked behind its back because, unlike other major factions, it had no Emanator among its ranks.
Now an Emanator of Existence had appeared, but not in the Garden of Existence. She was aboard the Xianzhou Daiyu, which had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. How could they not be envious?