On the table sat a blue velvet gift box smaller than the palm of a hand.
Most people used this kind of gift box for jewelry.
Zero had a vague idea what the surprise was.
Zandar urged, "Go on, open it."
Zero opened the gift box.
Inside was an unmounted yellow gemstone of over a hundred carats. Its color was vivid, shining like gold.
He casually picked up an unused napkin from the table and, using the cloth, lifted the gemstone.
Zandar added, "It's a yellow diamond."
Zero's eyes lit up.
Yellow diamonds attracted wealth.
He joked casually, "A diamond? Carbon, huh? I thought you wouldn't like something... that could be made in a laboratory."
"...That would be far too boring. How could a natural diamond be the same as an artificial one?" Zandar gave a light cough. "I specifically chose a loose stone. You can have someone set it however you like."
Zero put the diamond back and closed the box.
"Thank you. I like it very much."
Hearing that, the corners of Zandar's lips lifted ever so slightly.
"At this size... it'd be suitable for a bolo tie or a brooch." Zero thought for a moment before making his choice. "I'm going to turn it into a brooch."
Zandar had no objection. He looked at Akivili, who was also at the table, and asked, "And this is?"
"Akivili." After introducing them, Zero turned to introduce Zandar to the Aeon. "This is Zandar, my teacher."
"Wow." Akivili blinked. Seeing that Zandar had no intention of revealing the connection between them, They readily played along. "So you're the First Seat of the Genius Society."
Matthias arrived a little late.
The waiters immediately began serving everyone's food.
As they ate, they chatted, and the topic inevitably turned to the other world.
After listening for a while, Zandar murmured, "A world without Eric..."
It was impossible to imagine.
Zero took out his jade abacus.
After arriving in the other world, it had automatically downloaded information from the interstellar network.
Everyone on his teacher's team was a Genius Society member with a high seat.
Most likely because... the universe hadn't lasted long enough for the other geniuses to be born?
As the one responsible, Zero felt guilty for a brief second. He sorted through the information and sent the details of the Genius Society members from the other world to Zandar.
"See if there are any suitable candidates."
Zandar wasn't very interested, but he still picked up his long-range communicator and opened the document his student had sent.
Having gone through countless cycles, he knew every member of his team's personality and temperament. He could easily resolve conflicts between them.
They had long since finished adjusting to one another. Other than Eric, there was no room for anyone else.
The scholar gave the beginning of the document a quick glance.
The Genius Society in the other world had only eighty-four members, one fewer than in his world.
That was normal. There was no Eric in that world.
'Wait, why eighty-four?'
Zandar's eyes widened. He immediately flipped to the end of the document, where the name of the First Seat was written in bold.
Zandar One Kuwabara.
The Genius Society of that world had been founded by Zandar.
Compared to the Interastral Peace Corporation, which devoted everything to the Amber Lord, the Genius Society was merely a platform Zandar had created under the banner of Nous to recruit people for the ascension plan.
At first, he had wanted nothing to do with the Astral Computer. He had wanted to erase every trace of himself and hide all of his other works.
He loathed it.
He hated it.
He couldn't even stand hearing the slightest praise from others.
Eric was the complete opposite.
He would gather every force he possibly could. Friend or foe, if he needed them, he could cast aside all personal feelings and cooperate with them.
On top of that, the school Zandar had chosen for Eric was far too special. Without a recommendation letter strong enough to move the admissions office, they would never have accepted Eric.
So Zandar abandoned his original plan and began imitating Eric's way of doing things, making use of everything that could be used.
Besides, without him, there would have been no Nous. Couldn't he at least make use of Nous's reputation?
Only after recruiting enough people did he gradually conceal his published works.
But...
Why was the other him still a member of the Genius Society?
Zandar looked more closely.
In a workshop in the other world, the Second Seat and Third Seat had established the Genius Society and posthumously honored Zandar as the First Seat.
Zandar stared at the words "posthumously honored."
The other him... had died?
Impossible.
Even if he died, he would definitely have left behind plenty of contingencies.
Although Zandar didn't care about his counterpart in another world, at this moment, he still understood how the other him had felt.
What despair.
The other him had traded the future of countless successors for praise.
He searched everywhere for a way to kill Nous, only to die with regret.
And what happened in the end?
The other members posthumously honored him as the First Seat.
Whenever people across the universe mentioned Nous, they would inevitably mention Zandar.
It was bad enough that the other him hadn't been able to clean up his own mess...
Even after death, he was still tied to that damned computer.
People who knew nothing would admire him.
They would praise him.
Zandar silently raised a hand to cover the lower half of his face.
He felt sick.
He slowed his breathing and forcibly suppressed the discomfort. When he looked up again, he met Eric's concerned gaze. Forcing out a smile, he reassured him, "I'm fine."
His student tilted his head and said softly, "I met the savior of their world on the other Astral Express."
"The savior?" Zandar repeated. "Like you?"
"How could I be a savior? I'm obviously the villain." Zero had an exceptionally clear understanding of himself. He laughed helplessly. "That Nameless received the gaze of two Aeons one after another. By the standards of a novel, that's the savior."
Zandar vaguely understood what he was trying to do.
He was comforting him.
He was telling him there was still a variable that could change the situation in the other world.
Zero continued, "Zandar, you have the highest level of authorization in the Xianzhou Alliance. You can deploy the Heaven-Burning Divine Weapon and activate the Aether Phase Engine at any time."
Zandar understood the meaning behind his student's words.
He could deal with Nous whenever he wanted.
Regret appeared on the scholar's face.
If they no longer needed the energy source, he naturally wouldn't hold back.
Unfortunately, they still hadn't made their choice.
Would it be the Aether Phase Engine... Or Cosmic Creation?
That depended entirely on Eric's learning progress.
His student's gaze rested on empty space, as though looking through the system interface. After a moment, he said, "We can go to the other world at any time and deal with Him."
Zandar refused immediately.
"No."
He would never allow his student to take such a risk.
Not even if it was like slicing butter with a knife.
Besides, why should his student be troubled with cleaning up another Zandar's mess?
His student refused to give up.
"We can use the Heaven-Burning Divine Weapon over there."
Zandar sneered.
"He's an adult. Since he made his choice, he should bear the consequences."
He didn't care whether the other Zandar had left any contingencies.
Since he had chosen death, since he hadn't cherished his body or soul...
Then let him stay bound to the Astral Computer.
Let him continue enjoying the praise he had earned by trading away the future of the universe.
Looking at his student worrying about someone else, Zandar became a little annoyed.
His smile didn't reach his eyes.
"The ascension plan depends on your learning progress."
"If you have time to worry about outsiders, you might as well finish your homework first."
Zero: "..."
He stopped talking.