The wooden box Yingxing was holding, if an outsider saw it, they would only think it no different from any other wooden box.
Unfortunately for him, it happened to be sitting right in front of Dan Feng, who possessed countless rare treasures.
With a single glance, he could tell that the material used to make the box was an extremely rare kind of wood from the star sea, an invaluable treasure.
Even the wealthiest elites of the star sea could never buy it, no matter how many credit points they offered.
The Dragon Lord had only ever seen it in hands of the royal nobles of a certain planet.
Back when the Vidyadhara had not yet formed their alliance with the Xianzhou, the Dragon Lord wandered the star sea with their people. When they arrived on one particular planet, he saw wood used exclusively for emperors.
At the time, the Dragon Lord didn't think much of it. They had countless rare treasures of their own, and after giving merely a brief glance at a bracelet a noble was wearing, he promptly forgot about it.
Soon after, they set off once more into the star sea, until they eventually met a general of the Luofu, thus gaining a chance to form an alliance with the Xianzhou.
Back then, the Xianzhou were renowned across the star sea, with countless people eager to approach them, hoping to gain favor with the alliance.
Compared to those other forces who could bring tangible benefits to the Xianzhou, the Vidyadhara clan was still far from qualified.
For reasons unknown, the former Marshal agreed to form a contract with them, granting them over a dozen commercial streets of the Xianzhou. When the initial contract was signed, Lord Imbibitor Lunae, Yubie, stood firm against all opposition, persuading the Dragon Elders to use the Vidyadhara's molting-reincarnation Ocean of Bowa to seal the "Abundance Plague."
For the entire Vidyadhara clan, the deal was extremely worthwhile, no more being forced into wandering and displacement.
For the Vidyadhara Dragon Lord, it was even more worthwhile. Though they possessed countless treasures before coming to the Xianzhou, who would ever complain about having too much money?
Besides, these were the Xianzhou's commercial streets. Their income only increased over time, rising from an initial annual ten-billion astras, increasing year after year, until by Dan Feng's generation it had grown to an astonishing and outrageous amount.
When the former Marshal was still alive, the number of planets on good terms with the Xianzhou was uncountable.
Just how many? Wherever a Galaxy Ranger went, they would be welcomed as honored guests.
These people voluntarily offered their most precious treasures to the Xianzhou, some were royal heirlooms, others were antiques thousands of years old.
The gifts sent to the Xianzhou were enough to fill thousand-square-meter museums across every ship.
In fact, the former Marshal really did exactly that.
He didn't care about possessing precious treasures. Whatever he received, he left for his subordinates to handle, and then had specialists send return gifts, sometimes Xianzhou crafts, sometimes infrastructure assistance like building roads or schools on those planets.
Among these gifts, one planet sent the special wood the Dragon Lord had seen long ago.
But unlike the bracelet he'd seen earlier, what the Xianzhou Alliance received this time were nine massive ancient trees, each one requiring over a dozen people to encircle with their arms.
The former Marshal, rarely showing interest in gifts, asked about this one. Upon learning the trees were several thousand years old, he immediately ordered experts to study them.
After confirming they posed no environmental harm to the Xianzhou, he kept a single tree in his own courtyard and had the others planted in the Locufox Forests of each Xianzhou ship.
After other planets heard about this, they began searching frantically across the star sea, but to no avail. Even now, this wood remained a priceless treasure that could never be purchased.
When Dan Feng saw this wooden box, only one person came to mind, the current Marshal.
Who else would risk being chased down and beaten by the Cloud Knights to sneak into Locufox Forest and chop that ancient tree, all just to make a wooden box?
Only the current Marshal, who had a close relationship with the former one, could get access to that material.
Upon seeing the box, Dan Feng quickly formed a guess. Just as he was about to question Yingxing further, he heard the news that Jingliu had become the Emanator of "Reignbow Arbiter."
Yingxing and Jing Yuan, neither of whom could recognize the material, both widened their eyes and exclaimed in admiration for Jingliu.
Dan Feng absent-mindedly echoed their praise a few times, but his gaze remained glued to the wooden box in Yingxing's arms, and he recalled that face, so very much like the former Marshal's.
Could that person be the former Marshal?
The Dragon Lord casually asked Yingxing, "So? Did you get your hands on some extraordinary forging material again?"
Yingxing subconsciously revealed a troubled expression.
He never put up defenses around his friends. Whatever he had to say, he said. If it involved internal secrets of the Artisanship Commission, he would simply state clearly that he couldn't talk about it.
But this time, Yingxing wavered. He neither said what the material was nor called it a confidential matter.
'Makes sense, if it were an internal secret of the Artisanship Commission, why would it be kept inside the Vidyadhara Dragon Lord's tent?'
Dan Feng pretended not to notice Yingxing's expression and said casually, "Yingxing, just don't forget to take it when you leave."
Yingxing instinctively replied, "No way I'd forget! Even if I left myself behind on the battlefield, I would never leave this thing!"
Hearing that, Dan Feng understood.
'So, the Marshal must have offered Yingxing a very generous reward.'
But the Dragon Lord had never heard a single hint of this. The Marshal had deliberately avoided all others, bypassed the Amber Workshop's artisans, and sought out Yingxing in private?
'What exactly was so important that the Marshal would ignore those closest to him and come find Yingxing instead?' Dan Feng lowered his eyes slightly, pretending calm as he thought about it.
Jing Yuan looked at the box his friend treasured like a priceless gem, then looked at Yingxing, utterly confused.
Yingxing, after a delayed moment of realization, was just about to say something when Dan Feng spoke first.
The Dragon Lord naturally steered the topic away, "With the Marshal, the General, and now Jingliu, all three Messengers present, how many days do you think before we can return to Luofu?"
Jing Yuan and Yingxing immediately abandoned their earlier thoughts and began discussing Dan Feng's question, each giving their answer.
Jing Yuan, "I bet half a month."
Yingxing, "No way it's that fast. I bet one month."
Neither would back down, and they immediately decided to turn it into a wager.
Hands on his hips, Jing Yuan grew indignant. Bringing up old accounts, he said to Yingxing, "The wager is that weapon you promised me earlier! You already finished the blueprint, why is it still not done? If I win, you're not allowed to delay anymore."
Yingxing instinctively lowered his gaze to the wooden box in his hands, then snorted coldly, "Hmph. If I win, then you'll… ugh, I can't think of anything for now. I'll decide later."
As the witness to their bet, Dan Feng gave a soft chuckle and turned to offer Yingxing a suggestion, "If Jing Yuan loses, just make him call Zero his grandmaster from now on."
Jing Yuan, "…"
'Dan Feng... WHAT ARE YOU DOING, DAN FENG?!'
Jing Yuan's expression slowly froze.
Yingxing and Dan Feng exchanged glances, both pointedly ignoring Jing Yuan's increasingly unstable expression.
Yingxing burst out laughing, "Dan Feng's idea is perfect. We'll go with that."
Jing Yuan, "…What does Zero have to do with a bet between me and Yingxing?! Pick another one!"
Jing Yuan refused to accept those terms, and even when the three prepared to part ways, he was still pestering Yingxing to change the wager.
Dan Feng watched the two leave. Then he stepped into the room where Yingxing had placed the wooden box earlier.
He examined the wooden box closely. The patterns carved on it were exquisite and beautiful, so much so that it hardly seemed like wood at all, but rather like golden silk.
The Dragon Lord raised his hand, resting it on the box. The touch was warm and smooth, an exceedingly rare treasure in the world.
Dan Feng knew well that the answer to his suspicions lay inside the box, he only needed to open it.
But Yingxing was his friend, and the current Marshal was his superior. He should respect their privacy. It would be wrong to open the box without permission.
The Dragon Lord fell into deep thought.
'The current Marshal always acted low-key, and disliked anything luxurious or expensive.'
'So what sort of thing would make him break his own principles and use the rarest, most precious material to craft a box just to store it?'
'And why avoid other artisans and come personally to find Yingxing?'
There was only one answer, the item concerned the former Marshal.
Whatever was inside the box was highly unusual, so unusual that the current Marshal needed to avoid all suspicion and instead seek out someone like Yingxing, a short-lived species.
Dan Feng stopped thinking further. He withdrew his hand from the wooden box.
'So, could Zero be that man's reincarnation?'
He already had an answer the moment he saw that person calling Jingliu "older sister."
This time, the Dragon Lord hesitated.
'If he really was the former Marshal… just how terrifying would that be?!'
His emotional instincts urged him to return to the Ocean of Bowa, but his rational mind forced him to continue analyzing.
If Zero truly was the former Marshal's reincarnation, then everything made sense.
Because of his special connection with Jingliu, he bestowed divine power exclusively upon the "Reignbow Arbiter" Emanators, the Marshal and the Generals, and willingly broke precedent to select Jingliu as a Emanator.
Wait a moment, he, Jing Yuan, and Yingxing… hadn't they all helped Jingliu come up with tips for a man-chasing-woman romance plan? And the key thing was, it worked? As expected of him...
Meanwhile, Dan Feng couldn't help feeling respect for Jingliu.
As expected of his friend. As expected of Jingliu. She really managed to win that person over.
The Dragon Lord's thoughts grew increasingly chaotic. After struggling internally for quite a while, he forced himself to return to the real issue.
The first question, if Zero was the former Marshal, then, did he retain his past memories?
Dan Feng would need to test that himself.
Then came the second question, if he retained all his past memories… would he go down the same path and head toward death once again?
Searching through the inherited memories of Imbibitor Lunae, recalling the scene of the former Marshal's funeral, Dan Feng believed, he would not repeat that mistake.
Neither the current Marshal nor that group of devoted subordinates would ever allow him to die again. They would stop at nothing to preserve his life.
Now, the Dragon Lord needed the answer to the first question.
Dan Feng opened his jade communicator and sent a message to his attendant in Luofu.
[Bring me all documents and belongings left behind by Lord Imbibitor Lunae, Yubie.]
[Retrieve the Divination Commission's records on Zero in the Alchemy Commission, also notify the Dragon Elder.]
Dan Feng hesitated for a moment, then added the name of the Dragon Elder he got along with the least.
[Have that Dragon Elder conduct another investigation three days from now.]
That particular Dragon Elder was extremely strict and always disapproved of Dan Feng associating with short-lived species and foxians.
If Dan Feng investigated, the Dragon Elder would definitely conduct his own investigation as well.
Neither the Dragon Lord nor the Dragon Elder could be obstructed by outside forces.
What they would see was a perfectly ordinary set of records, nothing out of place.
On the surface, Zero was just a normal diviner. And if anyone investigating found his data sealed, wouldn't that only draw suspicion? Wouldn't that be the same as openly admitting he was special?
Dan Feng wasn't looking for clues in the records. He was waiting.
Waiting for the former Marshal's subordinates to make a move.
As expected, both investigations turned up nothing.
Zero's records were detailed and seemed no different from any other Xianzhou citizen.
The only unusual thing was that on the day he was born, the "Reignbow Arbiter" descended upon Luofu.
Dan Feng understood.
So, did he have memories of his previous life?
The Dragon Lord searched his own recollections and could only recall the former Marshal's formulaic smile.
Dan Feng, for the moment, couldn't think of any memory exclusive to Imbibitor Lunae and the former Marshal. So he simply ordered tight security around his tent.
He continued fighting abominations on the battlefield while waiting for news from his attendants in Luofu.
———
Thanks to the presence of three Emanators, the Cloud Knights crushed the enemy forces in just one month.
Now, they only needed to mop up the scattered remnants to leave.
This time, the enemies had fled to a planet that had enjoyed friendly relations with the Xianzhou for thousands of years.
The Cloud Knights reacted swiftly, eliminating the enemies on behalf of the planet's native inhabitants.
Among them, Jingliu, the one leading the team, received a gift from the natives.
It was a flower wreath woven from olive branches and blossoms.
Perhaps because the planet had long interacted with the Xianzhou, everyone there could speak a bit of Xianzhou language.
The natives were very enthusiastic, saying that giving a wreath to the Xianzhou people was their custom.
They spoke of their past connection with the Xianzhou, "A long time ago, our planet was struck by calamity, and it was your people who saved us."
Jingliu looked at the wreath in her hands.
She had once given a single flower before, and Zero had liked it very much.
'Then… what about a flower wreath? Would he like this too?'
Jingliu raised her head and asked softly, "If one wanted to weave this wreath, how long would it take?"
Seeing the hero who had once again saved them take interest, the natives immediately replied, "It won't take long at all! Just one minute!"
Hearing this, Jingliu nodded slightly.
The natives immediately fetched olive branches and fresh flowers, determined to help this benefactor make the most beautiful wreath possible.
Unfortunately, by the time Dan Feng leisurely wandered over to her side, the Swordmaster still hadn't managed to weave a wreath she was satisfied with.
Jingliu was focused entirely on the olive branches in her hands, unable to spare even a shred of attention for Dan Feng.
Beside her, the bamboo basket was filled with olive branches and flowers she had accidentally snapped.
Dan Feng was speechless.
'Jingliu, you're a Swordmaster with a grip strength of three thousand pounds! Do you have no self-awareness at all?'
'A woman in love is truly terrifying!'
As the Dragon Lord was thinking this, he suddenly remembered who Jingliu's romantic interest was, and he felt his dragon scales practically bristle.
He took several deep breaths to calm his emotions, opened his jade communicator, and justo received a message from his attendant.
[Lord Dragon, the Dragon Elder investigating the Divination Commission's diviner slipped and fell this morning and has now already entered the molting-rebirth cycle.]
Dan Feng, "…"
This was absolutely the work of that man's subordinates.
[This is the letter Yubie left for the former Marshal. For some reason, it was never delivered.]
Dan Feng made a snap decision and replied, [Open it. Photograph it and send it to me.]
Beside him, Jingliu continued breaking who-knew-how-many flower stems, but she gradually got the hang of it, consciously lightening her grip. The two of them held their breath together, and only after the final flower was woven into the wreath did they both exhale in relief.
Jingliu carefully put the wreath away. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Dan Feng standing frozen in place, jade communicator in hand, his expression distant.
Jingliu raised a brow, "Dan Feng, what's wrong?"
Dan Feng glanced at her, shook his head, then opened Zero's chat window and sent him a picture.
It was a photograph of an antique he had treasured in his private collection for a long time.
[A thousand gold isn't enough for an apology]
[This item is worth ten thousand, what do you think?]