Chapter 1219 - 929: Old Matters Revisited (Part 2)

"Of course not, Huai Shi." Luo Su enjoyed the overly enthusiastic service with a clear conscience, stepping lightly: "We’re not destructive maniacs, why would we want to pop such a beautiful soap bubble?" He gazed at the distant city and whistled: "The fact that the bubble can persist is already a miracle. Forcing reality upon it wouldn’t be beautiful. Better to let it maintain its original state. After all, it has nothing to do with us, right?" Outside the airport, the luxurious car that had been waiting for a long time had its doors open wide for them, with champagne and whiskey chilled in ice buckets, and an unlimited supply of cigars from the storage cabinet. And after setting off, there was no shaking or turbulence, as if sitting on a soft sofa, waiting for a servant to serve the delicacies. Now, with the partition raised, only two people remained in the car. Not bothering about whether any eavesdropping devices were listening, Huai Shi spoke directly: "They’re afraid of you." "Afraid?" Holding his wine glass, Luo Su shook his head indifferently: "They’re not afraid of me, Huai Shi. What is there to be afraid of for an old man who has long passed his own prime? They’re just afraid of embarrassment, afraid I’ll make some unreasonable demands, afraid of unpleasantness, which would hinder their business and get in the way of making money." Luo Su sighed lightly, puzzled: "But they’re not afraid of me, isn’t that strange?" Huai Shi instinctively felt a chill. "Hey, you’re not really planning to stir things up, are you?" Huai Shi asked uneasily: "This is Current Circumstances, if a Fifth Stage makes a move, the consequences could be severe!" Not to mention that he’s an Astronomical Society Special Military Officer! Even though he’s the weakest Special Military Officer in history, he’s still a special officer! What if the Jurisdiction Bureau sends a telegram telling him to chop off Luo Su’s head? Should he make a move or wait a bit before doing it? Isn’t this quite a dilemma! "Relax, no one’s going to stir things up, Huai Shi. There won’t be any war happening here today." Luo Su’s fingertips lifted the glass filled with ice cubes, mocking: "The other side won’t give us any excuse to start a war. No matter how rude we might be, they won’t get angry. Even if we slapped their left cheek, they’d offer their right cheek. Though, I’m not going to do that." "Then what are you going to do?" Huai Shi asked bluntly: "Even if you’re planning on fighting or killing, at least give me a heads-up, right? So I can follow your lead." "Let me think..." Luo Su pondered for a moment and said seriously: "Probably collecting debt?" "Collecting debt?" "Yes, collecting debt, reclaiming assets, probably something like that." Luo Su glanced at the bustling city outside the window and sighed softly: "Seventy years ago, when Utopia fell into chaos and the Heavenly Kingdom collapsed, various departments disintegrated, ultimately even erasing their own existence from the Astronomical Society... Looking back now, that time was so chaotic and tumultuous, I don’t even know how I managed to get through it. Every day was about figuring out how to make it through to the next, how to deal with difficult circumstances. When I came to my senses, it was all over. Looking back, besides a few old friends around, all that was left was devastation." "Back then, this desert was still a place where not even birds would defecate, there wasn’t even this place." He said leisurely: "After Utopia collapsed, in the chaos, everyone was too preoccupied... so some people decided to take advantage and embezzle." "Embezzle... themselves?" Huai Shi was stunned. "That’s right, years ago there was a strategic reserve of Utopia here. Though it couldn’t compare to our submerged old campus, it was actually an important material reserve point. Then, some of the guards, upon hearing of Utopia’s collapse, decided... to’more effectively’ utilize this wealth." Luo Su smirked mockingly: "And so, after a few procedures, Utopia’s strategic reserve brazenly appeared on the black market. After acquiring substantial wealth, they didn’t stop but began investing and building on a grand scale... Eventually, it led to this City of Desire before you, Huai Shi. Now, among the sixteen people back then, six are already dead, four have lost everything, while the remaining six have become the ultimate victors. Over the years, they’ve bid farewell to their disgraceful past, created incredible achievements, become a miracle, even controlling an entire independent city, joining the American City-States Coalition and becoming a proud part of it." He turned back and asked softly: "If it were you, when people from Utopia appeared before you again, how could you be in a good mood?" "But all these years, no one did anything about it?" Huai Shi asked, "Did you do anything at all?" "A school far at the border, how could it possibly interfere with the Current Circumstances, Huai Shi?" Luo Su shook his head: "Don’t be too harsh on your teacher, okay? Learn to be a bit more forgiving." To preserve the Ivory Tower amidst the turmoil, to safeguard a school from the sweeping tide across the territory, for Luo Su at the time, it was already a sacrificial miracle achieved after giving up everything. Perhaps he had the strength to do more, but facing the harsh reality, he was already disillusioned, unwilling to care further. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed. If anything had happened, he would probably have kept this way until he died of old age. "If I were to say, rather it’s you who showed me the chance to rebuild the Heavenly Kingdom Genealogy." Luo Su turned back, glancing at the student beside him, making Huai Shi a bit embarrassed, "Only bringing back the Book of Fate, and unable to remove it, is nothing impressive, right?" "It’s always been about the Book of Fate, Huai Shi." Luo Su smiled, saying nothing more. He couldn’t help but recall. When Huai Shi stood before him, when the traces of the Book of Fate appeared again before him, how could he describe that moment’s feelings? Joy, apprehension, envy, murderous intent... or, shame? Indescribable. As this young man bore the burden that wasn’t his own, relentlessly pursuing the last glimmers of Utopia towards him, Luo Su felt fear he had never felt before. Not defeated by cruel fate, nor extinguished by a cold world, however scarred, he smiled with love and joy for everything, like a mirror. Reflecting his distorted self! The self that drowned amidst reckless self-indulgence... At that moment, he realized: perhaps this is why the Book of Fate didn’t choose him. The moment he gave up resisting fate, he was forsaken by it. But it didn’t matter, he no longer cared. About this, he felt no resentment, only an indescribable gratitude. Ironically, he spent his life wanting the approval of the Book of Fate, yet only upon abandoning that dream did he truly recognize himself. "You will surely become someone far greater than I, Huai Shi." On this point, he was utterly convinced, solemnly assuring the student beside him: "Rest assured, this is my duty as a teacher." Watched with such expectant eyes, Huai Shi fell into bewilderment, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy. He sensed the taste of an arrangement. "Why suddenly say this?" he asked warily. "It’s nothing, don’t be scared." Luo Su smiled crookedly, raised his finger, illustrating a negligible distance: "Just wanted to give you a little extra challenge..." The Yangtze River waves pushed forward. Perhaps, the student surpassing the teacher is an unchanging principle. But nobody said that the rear wave is only allowed to catch up while the front wave must remain stationary, right? Imagining the future student climbing exhaustedly on an endless cliff, watching the helpless state where an end is unseen, he got increasingly more delighted. "Let’s go, we’ve arrived." When the moving vehicle gradually halted, Luo Su stood up, giving his shoulder a final pat, telling him meaningfully: "Get ready." He said, "You’ll be taking the stage soon."