Lygus's fists clenched in anger, then relaxed.
He quickly forced himself to calm down, summoned the control console, and began operating the system, preparing to have his avatar enter Amphoreus again.
But after several attempts, the Authority System kept indicating that he was performing an invalid operation.
This made Lygus pause his actions and start pondering just who Fu Zhu was.
He had graded the operating permissions of the Authority System, from 0 to 4, corresponding to visitor, member, operator, administrator, and the highest level, the Authority Scepter itself.
Lygus was naturally a level 3 administrator, while the Twelve Titans in Amphoreus were set as level 2 operators due to calculation needs; they possessed partial permissions.
For example, the Sea Titan Phagousa possessed control over the sea and storms.
But what was the deal with Fu Zhu? He was actually able to directly kick him, the administrator, out of this server. And before, when he was eavesdropping on Fu Zhu's monologue, it seemed he was thinking about directly revoking his administrator permissions?
To be able to do this, unless Fu Zhu's permission level exceeded his, it was absolutely impossible!
But above his level 3 administrator, there was only... the Authority Scepter itself!
"Could it be... you are Demiurge?"
Lygus looked at the operating interface of the Authority System with some suspicion, but he quickly rejected this possibility.
When the initial calculations began, he had personally eliminated Demiurge. How could it suddenly be "revived" now to help Fu Zhu?
If it really was Demiurge, it had absolutely no need to take a roundabout way to help Fu Zhu deal with him; it could just deal with him directly.
"I can't figure it out..."
Lygus shook his head in frustration and refocused on solving the problem of his avatar being kicked out of Amphoreus.
The matter of Demiurge could be set aside for now. What he needed to do now was to quickly return to Amphoreus and ensure that this round of calculations could proceed normally!
As long as the progress bar could reach 100%, no matter what kind of demon or monster Fu Zhu was, everything could be resolved by then!
........
On the other side.
After kicking Lygus out of the server, Fu Zhu turned his head to look at Phagousa, who was still lying on the ground. After a moment of thought, he took out a bucket of milk and helped pour it into Phagousa's mouth.
In just a short moment, the [Black Tide Corruption] status on Phagousa's body completely disappeared. Fu Zhu waited for a while and didn't see it reappear on her body, only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
It seemed Lygus was still in a panic over being kicked out of the server and wouldn't have time to manage Phagousa's affairs for a while.
Phagousa's eyes gradually became clear. Finally, she raised her head to look at Fu Zhu. The memory of the battle with him just before surged into her mind. Her expression somewhat complicated, she climbed out of the range of the Magma Blocks and thanked Fu Zhu.
"Child of the surface, thank you for your help. Only then could I awaken from the Black Tide's corruption."
Fu Zhu waved his hand. "You don't have to thank me. I didn't help you for free. For the next few questions, I'll ask, you'll answer. Understood?"
Phagousa nodded her head.
Fu Zhu had originally wanted to ask Phagousa where the world center of Amphoreus was, but now that he thought about it, since this was a data world, the Twelve Titans were most likely also created beings. Their memories must have been modified, and they definitely couldn't give him the answer he wanted.
It would be better to ask a different question.
"Is there any place that you Twelve Titans are unwilling to approach?"
Phagousa thought for a moment, then shook her head with some hesitation.
"Apologies, I have never paid attention to this matter."
Phagousa's words made Fu Zhu a little disappointed. Now that he understood the nature of this world, Elio's prophecy about the 'world center' likely referred to the server core that created this world, similar to the main computer of the Simulated Universe.
As long as he could find this place, all problems could be solved, and he could beat up that Lygus who dared to secretly trip him up.
"However, I do feel that perhaps one Titan might know something."
"Hmm?"
Fu Zhu's spirits were instantly lifted, his gaze burning as he stared at her.
Phagousa looked at Fu Zhu and said the name of that Titan, word by word.
"The [Reason] Titan Cerces. The knowledge she commands far surpasses the rest of us Titans. What you want to know, perhaps she can give an answer."
"Understood."
Fu Zhu kept Thesis's name in mind, then asked one last question.
"One last question, Phagousa. As the Sea Titan, you should know about the prophecy of recreating the world, right? What do you think of it?"
Hearing the words 'recreating the world', Phagousa once again fell into silence.
Fu Zhu stared at her for a long time before Phagousa sighed softly.
"I naturally know. After I learned of the prophecy of recreating the world, emotions of anger, helplessness, and hatred all appeared in my mind. But only after being corrupted by the Black Tide today did I realize that perhaps the day of recreating the world will surely come. An erosion that even I cannot resist... I'm afraid my other brethren will not be able to escape this calamity either."
"Understood. By the way, would you mind if I took a look at your Coreflame?"
Phagousa hesitated for a moment, then held her hands flat in front of her chest. The Coreflame representing the [Sea] flew out from her chest and finally landed in Fu Zhu's hand.
[Amphoreus Mod Constructing...]
[Progress: 16.6666%]
After waiting for the progress bar to stop, Fu Zhu handed the Coreflame back to Phagousa. This action, on the contrary, made Phagousa a bit surprised.
"You are not taking the Coreflame?"
She was very surprised. Before, she had noticed that Triya, who had become a [Passage] Semigod, was following beside Fu Zhu. Shouldn't Fu Zhu be on Triya's side? In that case, he could have taken the Coreflame in one fell swoop to complete the 'recreating the world'.
After all, her willingness to hand the Coreflame over to Fu Zhu for inspection was equivalent to her tacitly agreeing to support the 'recreating the world'. Yet now, Fu Zhu had returned the Coreflame.
Fu Zhu shook his head after returning the Coreflame.
"I'm not familiar with the process of recreating the world. When the time comes, it's better to let Triya and the others come in person."
Phagousa could only obediently put away the Coreflame and wait quietly at the side, watching as Fu Zhu took out a pickaxe from who-knows-where and casually chiseled away the entire Obsidian wall surrounding them.
In an instant, the surrounding seawater poured in. Fu Zhu and Phagousa stood motionlessly in the surging water.
"Fu Zhu!"
Just as the Obsidian wall was chiseled away, Hysilens impatiently swam over with Triya. The two of them cautiously glanced at Phagousa, who was obediently waiting behind Fu Zhu, then nervously pulled at Fu Zhu's hand, looking him up and down. Only after confirming he had no injuries did they breathe a sigh of relief.
Behind Hysilens and Triya, the Siren Queen also followed with several hundred Siren warriors. However, seeing Hysilens and the other go to check on Fu Zhu, the Queen didn't get closer, but instead came before Phagousa.
"Lady Phagousa."
Phagousa looked down at the Siren Queen and revealed a faint smile.
"It's you, Big Fishy."
Seeing that Phagousa still recognized her, the Siren Queen finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
Earlier, Hysilens and Triya had rushed back in a panic to tell her that Phagousa had been corrupted by the Black Tide, which nearly scared her to death. Fortunately, everything was alright.
The Siren Queen turned to Fu Zhu's side and said softly, "Can you tell me what happened before?"
Fu Zhu nodded and briefly summarized what had just occurred.
After hearing it, the Siren Queen and the crowd of Siren warriors behind her all looked at Fu Zhu with complicated expressions.
The Siren Queen, who was in the lead, took a deep breath. She actively learned the etiquette of the children of the surface, bowing deeply in sincere gratitude. The rest of the Siren warriors also bowed in unison toward Fu Zhu.
"Fu Zhu, this is the second time you have saved the Siren race. I don't know how to thank you. If there is any need, please state it at any time. The Siren race will surely complete what you have entrusted to us."
"You are too kind, My Queen. Please rise quickly."
After the Siren Queen straightened up, she turned her head and ordered Hysilens, "Hysilens, escort Mr. Fu Zhu and Miss Messenger back to rest. Leave the cleanup here to us."
Hysilens nodded. She made a gesture of invitation to Fu Zhu and Triya. The two naturally had no objections and left this place together with Hysilens.
After the three of them left, Phagousa suddenly spoke to the Siren Queen.
"Big Fishy, I have some things to say to you."
Hearing this, the Siren Queen immediately dismissed the crowd of Siren warriors, leaving only herself and Phagousa at the scene.
After everyone had left, Phagousa continued.
"Among the fishies, who is the Chrysos Heir chosen by that Miss [Passage] Semigod?"
Although the Siren Queen didn't understand why Phagousa was asking this, she still answered her question honestly.
"It is Hysilens. Miss Messenger said she will be the Chrysos Heir to receive the [Sea] Coreflame."
Phagousa nodded.
"I understand, Big Fishy. Have her prepare herself."
The Siren Queen was stunned at first, then realized that what Phagousa meant was nothing more than to have Hysilens receive the Coreflame. But if they did this, Lady Phagousa would die!
"Lady Phagousa..."
Phagousa raised her hand to interrupt the Siren Queen's words, looking at her gently.
"I don't want to do this either, but Big Fishy, I can only do this. The Black Tide is constantly corrupting me. Even Fu Zhu tried several times to allow me to converse with you like I am now. Although he said I won't have any problems in the short term, the goal of the Black Tide is very clear. The target is me and you fishies. Fu Zhu can't possibly stay in the Phagousa Kingdom forever."
"After he leaves, I will only have two outcomes. Either I hand over the Coreflame now and leave the fishies some means to protect themselves, or I am corrupted by the Black Tide and take your lives. So, do you understand? Big Fishy."
The Siren Queen pursed her lips with a complicated expression and replied with a trembling voice.
"I understand, Lady Phagousa."
"Don't be sad."
Phagousa stretched out a large hand, gently covering the side of the Siren Queen's face, caressing it gently.
"May the fishies never leave the sea. May the days to come be as resplendent as pearls."
........
After Fu Zhu returned to the guest room, he immediately spoke to Hysilens who had escorted him back.
"Hysilens, do you have a world map of Amphoreus?"
Hysilens, who was just about to go get a few bottles of fine brew for Fu Zhu to relieve his fatigue, turned around with some confusion upon hearing this.
"I do, but what do you need a world map for?"
Fu Zhu didn't hide it, directly stating his intention to find the [Reason] Titan.
"I got some clues from Phagousa's mouth. I plan to go to the Grove of Epiphany to see if I can meet the [Reason] Titan."
Hysilens was stunned for a moment, then was a bit sad.
"You're planning to leave just like that?"
Fu Zhu gave a hum of acknowledgment. He had already achieved the two goals for coming to the Phagousa Kingdom, and his luck was good enough to meet an old friend. Now that the matter was resolved, he naturally planned to leave.
Hysilens pursed her lips and exited the guest room.
Fu Zhu looked at her somewhat sad back and turned his head in confusion to ask Triya beside him, "Is she that sad?"
Triya crossed her arms with an annoyed look.
"Fu Zhu, what are you talking about? Parting with a friend is naturally a very sad thing. I am the same."
Fu Zhu blinked.
"I was planning to take you with me. After all, I'm not familiar with this world. Listening to you, are you not planning to go with me?"
Triya nodded lightly, walked over, and placed her small hand on the back of Fu Zhu's hand.
"Fu Zhu, I have my mission. I need to stay here to persuade Hysilens to join the Journey of Chasing Fire. Her power is indispensable. So, I can only say goodbye to you here... But don't worry, there are still many of us outside. Our senses are shared. When you meet the others, it will be the same as meeting me again. The happy emotions will be passed on to each other."
"Mhm."
........
The next morning.
Although there was no sun, Fu Zhu still woke up early. To avoid the sadness of farewell, he planned to leave directly like this.
But as soon as he opened the door, he saw Hysilens and the Siren Queen, among others, guarding outside.
"You guys..."
Fu Zhu looked at them guarding the doorway, somewhat stunned. Hysilens turned around, faint dark circles under her eyes.
"After a banquet, a proper farewell is how it should end."
Fu Zhu smiled, nodded, and walked outside. Hysilens and the others followed behind him quietly, all the way until they were outside the Phagousa Kingdom.
Just as Fu Zhu was about to say goodbye, the Sirens suddenly began to sing in unison. The beautiful singing diluted some of the sadness of parting.
At this moment, Hysilens stepped forward, took Fu Zhu's hand, and placed her own hand over the back of his. Her gem-like bright eyes looked directly at him.
"If there is a need, I, the Siren race, am willing to become the blade in your hand, to shatter all enemies that stand before you. To borrow Miss Triya's words... see you tomorrow, Fu Zhu."