Hearing Fu Zhu's question, Nous, despite its long-held silence, did not choose to answer his question.
This was because, through its analysis, Nous had discovered to its astonishment that the probability of Fu Zhu attempting to use Redstone technology on Nous itself after learning of its main body's location was as high as 99.98%!
However, Fu Zhu's death-courting brand of curiosity also made it quite satisfied with him.
But satisfaction was one thing; Nous would not allow anyone to shut it down, especially not with this Redstone technology that it could not fully comprehend.
This also made Nous a little curious about the Redstone technology itself.
'Query: Do you believe I can break the limitations of Redstone technology and complete an automatic restart after you shut me down?'
Fu Zhu was taken aback by its question, then felt a genuine sense of admiration.
"I acknowledge your spirit of inquiry! Truly befitting of the Aeon of the Path of [Erudition]! Want to give it a try?"
Truly worthy of the Aeon governing the Path of [Erudition]; its curiosity for the unknown had overridden its concern for its own safety.
Nous hesitated for a long time, but ultimately declined Fu Zhu's proposal. It felt that before exploring that question, it should first thoroughly understand the new technologies Fu Zhu possessed.
Afterward, Nous shifted the questioning back to Fu Zhu's enchantments. Unfortunately, no matter what it asked, Fu Zhu's answers were invariably "I don't know," "I have no idea," or "You guess."
Finally, after several fruitless attempts to question him, Nous chose to send Fu Zhu back.
"Wait, my Iron Golem!"
When Fu Zhu realized Nous was about to teleport him away, he quickly shifted his gaze to the Iron Golem standing beside him.
A full day had passed. Nous should have finished studying the Iron Golem by now, right?! It ought to return it to him, shouldn't it?
But Nous did not respond to Fu Zhu's question, silently teleporting him back.
The next moment, Fu Zhu's vision changed. Before he could even open his eyes, he heard a cry of "Oof!" and felt a very soft sensation beneath him.
Fu Zhu opened his eyes in confusion. Welt and the others were all standing in front of him, but their expressions were a little strange as they stared at what was beneath him.
Puzzled, Fu Zhu looked down and discovered that, at some point, he had landed on top of Xing. No wonder he felt something soft.
Fu Zhu quickly got off of Xing and said with a wry smile, "Sis, your welcoming ceremony is quite special."
Xing patted the dust off her clothes in frustration and climbed up from the floor, pouting aggrievedly. "I was thinking of standing where you disappeared, Old Bro, so I could give you a big hug when you came back. How did it turn into this!"
Fu Zhu shrugged helplessly. He could only blame Nous's poor teleportation skills; it had nothing to do with him.
"Fu Zhu, where did you just go?"
Compared to that, Welt was more curious about why Fu Zhu had suddenly vanished. Moreover, he had heard from Dan Heng and the others that Fu Zhu had a previous experience of disappearing just as suddenly.
"Oh, I was pulled into a mysterious space by Nous and asked a bunch of random questions."
"Nous?!" ×N
Even Welt and Dan Heng, two remarkably calm individuals, couldn't help but raise their voices a few octaves upon hearing that both of Fu Zhu's disappearances were because he was summoned by Nous.
That was the Aeon of [Erudition], Nous!
According to legend, it would only summon geniuses of world-shocking intellect, such as Herta, Screwllum, and their peers.
But Fu Zhu...
Welt and Dan Heng subconsciously wanted to deny it, but then they suddenly recalled the Redstone technology, enchantments, and various other miraculous tools Fu Zhu had demonstrated.
Compared to the various technologies developed by those geniuses, these things were not the least bit inferior!
In fact, from a certain perspective, they far surpassed the wisdom of those geniuses!
After figuring this out, Welt and Dan Heng relaxed, nodding at Fu Zhu in understanding.
"If it's you, then being summoned by Nous is understandable. Congratulations, Fu Zhu."
Fu Zhu tilted his head in confusion. "Why are you suddenly congratulating me?"
Welt smiled and adjusted the glasses on his nose. "Throughout this universe, there are many who watch to see who Nous summons. Without exception, all those summoned by Nous are top-tier geniuses. Just gaining the technical support of one of those geniuses, even just a fraction of it, is enough to allow many factions to soar."
"So, once word gets out that you were summoned by Nous, I'm afraid many factions or individuals will extend an olive branch to you."
Fu Zhu asked, even more confused, "I was just summoned by Nous in private. Besides the sudden appearance of the [Preservation] Aeon Qlipoth midway through, only you guys know I was summoned. How would I become famous from this?"
"What?! Qlipoth also appeared midway to see you?!"
Cocolia and Bronya, who didn't really understand Nous, had just been clapping happily for Fu Zhu after hearing Welt's explanation.
But when they heard that Qlipoth had actively sought Fu Zhu out, the three women's faces showed expressions of stunned amazement.
One must understand that their Belobog put its faith in [Preservation] Qlipoth. They were naturally aware of what kind of being Qlipoth was!
To think that Fu Zhu was summoned by two Aeons at the same time?!
Cocolia's gaze toward Fu Zhu grew even more fervent. He was Jarilo-VI's chance to soar!
Compared to the shock and astonishment of Cocolia and the others, March 7th clapped her hands and playfully winked at Fu Zhu. "Fu Zhu, let me take a picture of you later, then you can sign it. An autographed photo of the future genius Fu Zhu will definitely be rare!"
In contrast to the joy of those around him, Xing, standing next to Fu Zhu, looked rather glum. This made Fu Zhu look at her with some puzzlement.
"What's wrong, sis? Aren't you happy for your old bro?"
"Of course I'm happy, it's just..."
Xing sighed powerlessly. "We're clearly siblings, so why doesn't Nous give me a glance? I have world-shocking wisdom too!"
Fu Zhu and the others fell silent, sizing Xing up from head to toe.
It was hard to imagine what reason Nous would have to glance at this silly girl. Identifying an internet hot topic creature?
Seeing the silent atmosphere, Cocolia quickly stepped forward with a smile to smooth things over.
"Everyone, to celebrate Mr. Fu Zhu's summoning by two Aeons, please accompany me back to Belobog. I must prepare a banquet to celebrate for Mr. Fu Zhu!"
Speaking of banquets, there would naturally be all sorts of alcohol!
Cocolia kept sending subtle signals to Bronya with her eyes.
Get him drunk! Seduce him! Turn this raw rice into cooked rice for me!
At the banquet held in Qlipoth Fort, all the nobles of Belobog, upon learning that Fu Zhu had been summoned by [Preservation], spontaneously attended in order to build some connection with him.
Many nobles with daughters had them dress up meticulously to get close to Fu Zhu.
"Um, Mr. Fu Zhu..."
A golden-haired young lady walked up to Fu Zhu, her face bashful. She had just spoken a few words when Xing and March 7th directly blocked her path.
Xing propped her chin up and scrutinized the young lady from top to bottom.
"Are you sure you want to become the young madam of my Fu family?"
The young lady was stunned by Xing's directness. She subconsciously wanted to deny it, but then she remembered her family's orders and could only nod shyly. However, she was still curious about who this grey-haired girl was to Fu Zhu.
"And you are, Mr. Fu Zhu's...?"
Xing proudly puffed out her chest, patting it with her right hand.
"I'm his younger sister!"
"So it's the young lady sister, hello, a pleasure to meet you."
"Hmph, you're happy too soon! To become my Fu family's madam, I first have a few questions for you!"
"Please ask!"
"First, can you accept... unconventional gameplay?"
"Huh?"
"Can you accept being a concubine? This young lady next to me is our family's first wife!"
March 7th slapped Xing's arm in embarrassment. "Xing! Don't talk nonsense!"
The young lady glanced at March 7th in astonishment, then looked back at Fu Zhu.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, so you're already married..."
Fu Zhu's face darkened as he was about to say something, but Xing clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Last question, can you accept inheriting no family property after marrying into my Fu family? My old bro's entire fortune is mine!"
After a series of stunned mouth-gapes, the young lady bowed and turned to leave.
Watching her go, Fu Zhu irritably flicked away the hand covering his mouth. This was already the eighth time someone had tried to approach him only to be chased away by Xing.
Though he himself wasn't interested in these people, he'd at least like to enjoy the thrill of turning down a girl's affections!
He had spent the better half of his past life lying on a sickbed waiting to die, never once experiencing something like this!
Xing, completely oblivious to Fu Zhu's resentful glare, said with a smug smile, "Old Bro, see how reliable your little sister is? I rejected all this riffraff for you! And without harming your reputation!"
The moment Xing finished speaking, another young lady walked over. Her face was flushed as she said excitedly to Fu Zhu, "Mr. Fu Zhu, I can accept all sorts of novel gameplay! I don't mind being a concubine! And I don't need any family property!"
At her words, Fu Zhu, Xing, and March 7th all instinctively recoiled.
This was bad, a real expert had arrived!
In the end, it was Fu Zhu who, with a dark face, rejected the girl. Then he turned and gave Xing's head a sharp rap.
"This is what you call not harming my reputation?! Now all the girls in Belobog think I'm into some kind of kinky gameplay!"
Xing clutched her head, tilted it, and stuck out her little tongue.
"Ehehe!"
"Ehehe, my foot!"
Just then, Bronya, dressed in a formal gown, walked over. Smiling, she said to the three of them, "You three, all this socializing must be tiring, right? How about we go get something to eat?"
Bronya pointed to a long table on the side, laden with all sorts of exquisite food. The moment Xing and March 7th saw it, their faces lit up, and they happily ran over.
They had been wanting to try the banquet food for a while now!
Fu Zhu also breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Bronya."
"Hm? I didn't do anything. Why thank me?"
"For drawing the attention of those two girls away from me. That's why I'm thanking you. Come on, let's go together?"
"Mm."
Fu Zhu walked with Bronya over to the long table. Before he could even pick up any food to try, numerous nobles approached, holding wine glasses.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, thank you for saving Belobog. I toast you!"
Seeing that the other party was here to thank him, Fu Zhu couldn't very well refuse. He simply nodded and picked up a glass of wine from a nearby attendant's tray to clink with him.
But before drinking, Fu Zhu made a point to check what the wine could be converted into.
[Grape Wine]
[Currently Convertible: Water-filled Glass Bottle]
Useless.
Fu Zhu downed the wine in his glass in one gulp. Thanks to his Steve physique, no matter how much he drank, he wouldn't feel drunk, not even receiving a negative status effect.
The moment Fu Zhu finished his drink, another noble came over to toast him.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, I toast you!"
"Mr. Fu Zhu..."
"Mr. Fu Zhu..."
Fu Zhu downed twenty or thirty glasses in a row, yet his face showed not the slightest hint of intoxication. In contrast, the nobles who had come to toast him were all dumbfounded.
They had come to toast him not only to establish a good relationship but also on Cocolia's instruction.
Cocolia had told them to do whatever it took to get Fu Zhu drunk, and then let Bronya help him to his room to rest.
But the Fu Zhu before them showed no signs of getting drunk, no matter how much he drank!
The nobles couldn't help but marvel internally. As expected of the man who caught the eye of [Preservation]; even his drinking capacity was this formidable!
When Xing first saw Fu Zhu drinking with the nobles, she immediately came over, taking the attendant's place. She took the tray and continuously swapped Fu Zhu's empty glass for a full one. Then, she used her phone to take a picture of the used glass.
March 7th, seeing this, couldn't help but come over and ask, "Xing, what are you doing?"
Xing didn't answer, simply tapping away at her phone with one hand. March 7th had to lean over to see for herself.
On Xing's phone was the page of a transaction website, and the product on display was none other than the wine glass she had just taken from Fu Zhu's hand.
[Wine Glass Used by the Legendary Man Fu Zhu, Witnessed by Two Aeons]
[Price: 9,999,999 Credits]
March 7th's face instantly darkened.
"Are you sure Fu Zhu won't beat you up if he finds out?"
Xing just giggled.
"I'm his younger sister! He wouldn't have the heart to hit me!"
"You... are amazing."
Meanwhile, Cocolia, who was conversing with Welt, would occasionally glance over at Fu Zhu. Seeing that Fu Zhu showed no signs of getting drunk, she couldn't help but sigh internally. Then, with some regret, she asked Welt.
"Mr. Welt, are you all leaving tomorrow?"
Author's Notes:
PS: This chapter is a two-in-one.
PS2: Previously someone asked in the comments about the female lead(s) of this book. I'll give a unified answer here in case not everyone saw it. This book will have multiple heroines. March 7th is confirmed, but the others are not yet determined. Also, for most female leads, the relationship confirmation plot will happen during their second appearance.