Chapter 108: The Marshal and An-shen: He Respected the Boundary, Yet Secretly Longed to Cross It

Creating a look for such a beautiful Lord, the stylist's eyes sparkled from beginning to end.

When he finally left, he looked back every few steps.

He desperately wanted to ask if he could take a photo, but professional ethics and the confidentiality agreement forced him to swallow the words.

Instead, he decided he'd wait in the livestream later, ready to take screenshots and record everything.

The room fell quiet.

An Ruo sat before the desk, looking at himself in the light screen.

He raised a hand and touched the exquisite mask covering his face.

The mask concealed the upper half of his face.

Below it, his eyelashes were silver-white like frost and snow.

His eyes shone a golden-orange color like the sun.

Colored contacts.

A mask.

The complete outfit...

After the full transformation, even An Ruo himself could barely recognize himself, much less the Zerg public, who had never truly known his appearance.

It should be fine now.

Then An Ruo began worrying about something else.

Since he would be attending as the author, Uriel definitely couldn't accompany him.

The other military Female Zerg from the prison couldn't either.

Did that mean...

He had to go alone?

The thought immediately made him want to back out.

An Ruo searched through every Zerg he knew.

Xi'an and Claire?

Interrupting a couple's date would earn him divine punishment.

Besides, it would be terribly awkward.

Enzo?

Even worse.

He was incubating an egg.

Besides...

An Ruo wasn't actually that close to them in reality.

In fact...

He was even more familiar with Ulysses.

The thought made him pause.

Then he immediately ruled that option out as well.

The Marshal had to be extremely busy.

There was no way he could accompany him.

Nor was An Ruo in any position to ask.

Then...

Big Brother Hatchling?

Isidore?

Going together with a child actually sounded like a good idea.

It would make everything much more relaxing.

Of course, he'd need the parents' permission.

Remembering that he hadn't played games with little Isidore in quite a while, An Ruo logged into the game's social interface through his terminal and asked whether he'd be attending the Military Legion Festival.

The reply came almost immediately.

Little Isidore excitedly asked whether An Ruo would also be attending.

He declared that he'd come find him—

Except his Papa and Dad wouldn't let him, so he'd first have to shake them off.

An Ruo:?!

Absolutely not!

He had no desire to be mistaken for some suspicious child kidnapper.

An Ruo hurriedly told him to stay with his Papa and Dad and absolutely not wander off.

Little Isidore was obviously unhappy with the arrangement.

Still, he obediently agreed.

Just as An Ruo was about to remind him of a few more things...

A new message appeared.

It was from the Marshal.

[Ulysses]: May I have the honor of accompanying you?

[Ulysses]: You once said that if it were under another identity, then we could be close in public.

...Had he really said that?

An Ruo stared at the words be close.

Still...

Having someone familiar accompany him really would be nice.

[An Ruo]: Wouldn't I be bothering you? You must have a lot of important work...

As An Ruo hesitated...

Space beside him suddenly rippled.

Dressed in full military ceremonial uniform, Ulysses stepped directly through the spatial passage and extended a hand toward him.

The Marshal's magnificent appearance in full dress uniform struck An Ruo so powerfully that he froze for several seconds before finally remembering to be surprised.

That was fast.

His efficiency was unbelievable.

Ulysses was equally stunned.

He had known long ago that the Lord intended to separate his two identities and would therefore change his appearance.

Yet actually seeing this figure—

A deity matching the ancient Zerg legends—

Still shook him to his core.

It made him want to worship.

The hand he'd originally extended shifted direction.

Taking the deity's hand into his own, Ulysses lowered his head and gently kissed the back of it, offering an even older form of greeting.

"My God..."

"Please allow me to guide your path."

"..."

An Ruo had never realized the Marshal was such a good actor.

He got into character far too quickly.

An Ruo stood.

Led by Ulysses, he entered the spatial passage.

The brief sensation of weightlessness vanished almost instantly.

By the time An Ruo reacted...

His hand was already pressed against Ulysses' chest.

An Ruo's mind went blank for an instant.

Only after the spatial fluctuations completely faded did he slowly withdraw his hand.

The soft sensation lingering against his palm refused to disappear.

"I'm sorry."

An Ruo apologized quietly, warmth rising to his face.

He still didn't truly think of Female Zerg as the opposite sex.

Nor did he strongly identify with himself as a Male Zerg.

He simply felt that he'd bumped into someone and ought to apologize.

"It's nothing."

Ulysses' voice sounded somewhat lower than usual.

His gaze swept across An Ruo's face.

But the mask concealed too much.

He couldn't make out anything.

In the end, his eyes settled on the hand hanging quietly at An Ruo's side.

He recalled the feeling of his own heartbeat beneath that hand.

An Ruo took two steps back and looked around.

He discovered they were inside a room filled with books.

He could also sense an abundance of psychic fluctuations coming from downstairs and outside.

There were many Zerg below.

"This is..."

An Ruo already had a vague guess.

"Your bookstore."

Ulysses answered, suppressing his wandering thoughts.

The bookstore.

Second floor.

Curiously, An Ruo walked over and picked up one of the exquisitely bound books.

Opening it—

It was Instructor.

The quality of the book was exceptional.

Beautiful illustrations accompanied the text.

It looked more like an artwork than a book.

The Zerg network was so advanced that printed books had long become pure collector's items.

Very few people actually read them.

Every physical book was produced as lavishly as possible.

Every available craft technique was employed.

They were practically showing off.

But...

The finished products really were beautiful.

An Ruo loved them.

Looking around at every book in the room, he couldn't hide his delight.

"Are all of these..."

"Yes."

"They're all yours."

Ulysses walked to his side, quietly watching the joy on his face.

An Ruo gently brushed his fingertips over the books.

Each volume featured different craftsmanship and different illustrations.

He had only written three novels.

Yet they had turned them into an entire mountain of books.

"May I take some home?"

"I'll pay for them."

"I have lots of Iso Coins."

An Ruo thought...

He wanted an entire complete collection.

Every single version.

"No payment is necessary."

"The entire bookstore belongs to you."

Ulysses said.

"The proceeds here..."

"Every Iso Coin earned by the bookstore during the Military Legion Festival..."

"Also belongs entirely to you."

"Huh?"

An Ruo's eyes lit up.

He looked both delighted and surprised.

"Can it really work like that? I didn't do anything."

"You created these works."

Ulysses slowly looked across the bookshelves overflowing with books.

When he lowered his gaze to An Ruo again, his eyes had become even gentler.

"This..."

"...is merely a small token of gratitude for accepting our invitation to attend the Military Legion Festival."

"Please accept it."

The moment he heard it described as payment...

An Ruo immediately relaxed.

So...

It was basically his appearance fee.

Thinking about the Iso Coins he'd earned yesterday...

Then adding the bookstore's income...

He couldn't help smiling.

"It looks like..."

"I'm going to have more Iso Coins than I can count."

Seeing the smile at the Lord's lips...

Then remembering that every one of those coins bore Iso's name...

Ulysses felt strangely uncomfortable.

A currency carrying Iso's name alone...

Could receive such affection from a god.

Even if each coin was worth only a single Star Coin.

Iso...

Such a cheap Female Zerg.

For some inexplicable reason, An Ruo suddenly felt a strange sense of crisis.

He glanced around.

Then quietly asked Ulysses,

"Do you want these Iso Coins?"

"Hm?"

Ulysses looked puzzled.

"All my money belongs to you!"

An Ruo answered seriously.

The tips from his novels.

The copyright income.

He had already handed them all over to Ulysses.

Since Iso Coins could be exchanged for Star Coins...

Perhaps they counted as money too.

Of course Ulysses had no interest in a currency named after Iso.

Yet...

The affection shining in the deity's eyes made him want to seize them.

So he answered,

"I do."

"?!"

An Ruo's eyes widened.

He hadn't expected the Marshal to actually want them.

He had assumed the Marshal would look down on such things.

But if Ulysses wanted them...

Then of course he would give them to him.

"Can I keep..."

"...just a tiny little bit?"

An Ruo negotiated, cautiously raising one finger.

"One hundred coins."

Seeing the reluctance in the male's eyes, Ulysses almost laughed.

They were merely tokens without any intrinsic value.

Still, he indulged him.

"You may keep a few more."

An Ruo immediately brightened.

"Then I want two hundred!"

One hundred to keep as a collection.

The other hundred to arrange into a coin display shaped like a star map, either as a desk ornament or mounted on the wall.

He had already planned everything.

"Very well."

Ulysses agreed.

The currency itself wasn't important.

Nor was the amount.

What mattered...

Was the affection it represented from the deity.

The deity was willing to give those coins to him.

Which also meant...

The deity was giving that affection to him.

Which meant...

He could take that affection for himself.

That had originally belonged to Iso.

Major General Iso was now worth only two hundred coins.

He hoped...

He would become even cheaper.

Suppressing those thoughts, Ulysses walked toward the balcony.

Turning back, he asked,

"Would you like to meet your readers?"

The moment they pushed open the doors...

The enormous crowd gathered below would come into view.

...

StarNet Livestream.

[I heard An-shen is appearing today!]

[I still haven't recovered from Lord Annor's appearance on the first day. The aftereffects are way too strong.]

[Good thing there was a day's break in between. Otherwise I'd still be dizzy.]

[Didn't Lord Annor win the arena that day? All the customers went for Psychic Soothing, so the bookstore's traffic collapsed.]

[Compared to one-Iso-Coin Psychic Soothing, winning or losing doesn't even matter anymore.]

[I'm so curious what An-shen actually looks like.]

[No need to guess. Definitely a military Female Zerg! Always in the First Military Region.]

[More likely an intersex military doctor. Or some other senior technical specialist.]

[He's a Male Zerg! Lord Xi'an personally confirmed he's an unbelievably beautiful Male Zerg!]

[Forget that. With Lord Annor setting the standard, who else deserves to be called breathtakingly beautiful?]

[Stop talking about appearances. Looks don't matter for an author! I just want An-shen to keep writing forever—and maybe casually spoil what the next novel is about!]

The livestream camera slowly rose above the crowd gathered before the bookstore.

It came to rest on the second-floor balcony.

The viewers immediately realized what was happening.

The barrage of comments slowed.

Silence gradually filled the livestream.

The balcony doors slowly opened.

A figure stepped into view.

[I told you it was a Female Zerg... Huh? The Marshal?]

Ulysses walked to the balcony.

The massive crowd below instantly fell silent.

Every Zerg looked upward solemnly.

It resembled the beginning of a military assembly.

Marshal Ulysses glanced over them.

But instead of giving a speech...

He quietly stepped aside.

Revealing the figure behind him.

The livestream comments froze completely.

The crowd below stared upward in astonishment.

It was as though a figure had stepped directly out of ancient mythology.

As though...

A god had descended.

Sunlight fell across the platinum hair of the "deity,"

Wrapping his entire body in a faint golden radiance.

Half his face remained hidden behind an elaborate mask.

Only a flawless jawline and crimson lips were visible.

Beneath the magnificent mask...

Golden eyes, sacred and noble like the sun itself, gazed calmly downward.

[A... A-An-shen?!]

The "deity" raised a hand.

Toward the crowd below.

Toward the livestream.

He offered a small greeting.

Then—

Another figure stepped forward, blocking him from view.

Ulysses spread open the cape of his ceremonial military uniform, shielding the deity completely before leading him back inside.

[???!]

[Marshal, what are you doing?!]

[Nooooo—let us see him one more time!!!]

[He's so beautiful... so sacred... After Lord Annor, I thought I'd never fall in love again. Yet in only three days I've fallen twice! I'm the faithless Zerg after all, sob...]

[I know it's a costume prepared for the masquerade ball, but why does it feel so overwhelmingly sacred? It's like a real god stepped out of mythology. It makes you want to worship him... to kneel... to kiss the hem of his robes.]

[I'm kissing first.]

[You Female Zerg... (Heavenly Garuda aboard a starship looks at the screen)]

[What? Don't you want to kneel?]

[No masochistic tendencies. (rolls eyes)]

The Heavenly Garuda had no desire to kneel.

That male was beautiful.

But when faced with a male both beautiful and powerful...

Their first instinct was vigilance.

Then possession.

Even though they too had once lived through an age dominated by males...

After countless millennia, the belief in female supremacy had become ingrained in their very bones.

Even if history repeated itself...

They would still make the same choice as their ancestors—

To desecrate a god.

To resist with everything they had.

Even if ninety percent of their race perished.

They would still drag the lofty ruler down from the altar.

It was precisely that choice...

That had led them down a path completely different from that of the Zerg.

[Reported the fake Heavenly Garuda account. Keeping StarNet clean is every Zerg's responsibility.]

[So was that really An-shen? Why was the Marshal standing beside An-shen?]

[Appearing at exactly this moment, with such an obvious shot—it has to be An-shen! An-shen is actually a Male Zerg!]

[An-shen waved at me... sob...]

[The Marshal is too much! He only let us see An-shen for less than a minute before taking him away!]

[That's not exactly taking him away. I enlarged the video. The Marshal only spread his cape—he never actually put a hand on An-shen's shoulder.]

[Isn't that even more revealing? When has the Marshal ever done something like that for anyone else? And that final glance... he was clearly declaring his claim!]

[Wait... the Marshal and An-shen... Could the Marshal's new Male Zerg actually be An-shen?! The mysterious Male Zerg who performed Psychic Soothing for the Marshal was An-shen?!]

[Case solved! Yesterday he kept such a proper distance from that Lord. Today he's practically carrying An-shen away and won't even let anyone else look. Ex-wife and current partner—he keeps them perfectly separate!]

[I was thinking before that it was such a pity the Marshal had missed out on that Lord after he advanced—so beautiful, so powerful, such incredible Psychic Soothing. Only today did I realize... the Marshal's life after divorce is unbelievably good!]

[Let me see An-shen again!]

[We didn't even get to hear An-shen speak! I wanted to hear his voice... hear him talk about his novels... Marshal, don't take An-shen away! Sob...]

[The possessiveness of Female Zerg is terrifying. Even the Marshal isn't immune.]

StarNet was thrown into turmoil by an appearance lasting less than a minute.

Meanwhile...

On the second floor of the bookstore.

Inside the room.

Away from the feverish gazes of countless Zerg, An Ruo let out a long breath of relief.

He looked gratefully toward Ulysses, who had stayed beside him the entire time and escorted him safely back.

"Thank you."

"I'm so glad you were here."

Ulysses was just folding his cape away.

Hearing those words, he looked over in surprise.

Meeting the Lord's utterly sincere gaze of gratitude, he paused.

Then quietly replied,

"It's nothing."

"It's what I should do."

Just as he had expected...

When facing unfamiliar Zerg outside the circle of his protagonists, this Lord always maintained a certain distance.

He would bestow compassion.

He would offer help.

But...

He had no wish to become any closer.

Just as he would never sleep with those who received his Psychic Soothing.

He didn't even accept unnecessary physical contact.

Ulysses knew perfectly well...

Where his place was.

That was the boundary the deity had drawn for every Zerg.

He stood slightly closer than the others.

Yet still...

He could not touch it.

He faithfully respected that boundary.

Yet for one fleeting moment...

He longed to cross it.