Chapter 628

What does a legendary love story require?

Growth, challenges, sacrifice, romance, a memorable ending?

No, not these superficial surface things.

【Miss Kelaien suddenly woke up, snatching his hand back as if shocked. For half a minute while caressing Nyaiko's hair, he had blurred the boundary between himself and Nyaiko—they were Outer God and sacrifice, and the true Nyaiko was never a fragile little girl.】

——That's how the Crow Mentor's script wrote it.

But circumstances changed faster than plans, so Su Lin skipped this part and made a few small adjustments.

What a love story needs is the brick-by-brick construction woven into every daily setting, every detail appearing unintentionally.

In short, a love story needs a touch of everyday life.

Like the major life events both Su Lin and Lu Mingfei had experienced—besides the parties involved digging their toes through the floor, everyone else was extremely satisfied with—

——the family dinner.

Before a white French-style villa, a sign on the lawn read Chateau Joel Robuchon; waiters in black uniforms and white gloves respectfully guided tonight's main guests to their seats.

Since everyone here benefited greatly from this restaurant, how could you, this dog, be left out? Sorry, it's about avoiding a lifelong regret.

With this mindset, and with Lu Mingfei's enthusiastic cooperation, they took over the table reserved for Mr. Zhou.

Su Lin picked up his napkin and wiped sauce from his lips, smiling:

"Young Lady, why are you apologizing to me on our first meeting?"

Because I pried open your skull and shoved a blasphemous chaotic universe bomb inside—anyone could see it was exposed.

Nyaiko originally intended to say that, but two seconds after a golden-haired little girl brushed past her—

she placed her hands politely before her and said: "I'm sorry, but this seems to be our reserved table."

"Oh~" Su Lin nodded in sudden understanding.

At that moment, the nearby waiter hurried over with the manager, who began verifying by flipping through the phone book, asking who among those present was Mr. Mingrui Zhou Azathoth?

Nyaiko's eyeballs twitched almost imperceptibly toward the side, but she forcibly restrained herself, her face still wearing a cold, unwelcoming expression—as if dissatisfied with this seat-stealing stranger.

"Mr. Azathoth, who is Mr. Azathoth?" the manager continued.

Clearly, this name was not something Zhou Mingrui had set as his own note—someone had deliberately mocked him.

He had merely been assigned by the veterans, sent here on a mission to dine and drink at the restaurant's expense.

Azathoth—that's the Blind Idiot God from Cthulhu mythology. Why add an evil god's name to your own?

You're a veteran—you decide.

Zhou Mingrui was about to answer when he saw the team leader raise his hand before he could speak.

"Family, we are family."

Su Lin smiled warmly and pulled out a chair: "Mingrui, long time no see—you've grown up."

Your mama's

Zhou Mingrui opened his mouth but fell silent—he saw this man was taking advantage of him, but reason told him to prioritize the bigger picture.

Though he didn't know why this veteran had suddenly appeared here—was he about to act against the Reincarnator beside him?

He glanced sideways without expression.

"Zhou, is this your family?" Nyaiko feigned surprise.

"Godfather," Su Lin raised his glass, smiling. "I'm his guardian."

Fuck

Zhou Mingrui's mouth instinctively twitched as if ready to play piano, but after a single breath, reason returned and he controlled his expression.

Zhou Mingrui smiled: "Long time no see."

Su Lin glanced at him in surprise, then suppressed his smile and signaled a waiter to bring the menu for additional dishes.

Zhou Mingrui sat down naturally beside Nyaiko.

"Young Lady, are you his girlfriend?" Su Lin asked with curiosity.

"Working toward it!" Nyaiko rolled up her sleeves, looking determined:

"Even though Zhou hasn't accepted me yet—"

Nyaiko elbowed Zhou Mingrui's abdomen, still smiling, her face showing annoyance: "Hypocrite!"

"If he truly chooses to be with you, we will offer our blessings," Su Lin said seriously.

"But… but…"

He deliberately paused; Nyaiko waited, maintaining her attentive posture.

"Mingrui, you've grown up."

A voice filled with nostalgia and joy spoke to Zhou Mingrui.

A gentle hand pressed firmly against his head, ruffling his hair until the carefully styled coiffure became a messy nest, then released him as he stared, bewildered.

The girl in black dress, black hair, golden eyes, with pale skin, grinned like a mischievous child who'd pulled off a prank.

"Holy shit! You've grown this big in just a few years?!"

Who are you?

Zhou Mingrui suddenly felt this girl looked familiar.

"This is your cousin," Su Lin said gravely, fist pressed to his nose. "You two promised to marry when you grew up."

Zhou Mingrui: "?"

He looked at the girl whose eyes sparkled with clarity—and suddenly a flood of memories exploded in his mind: this girl was—

the new-generation idol sensation, the Disaster Witch, launched by Nidhogg Group!

A one-time appearance on the annual gala that saved the company's entertainment division, rumored to have been shelved for refusing the Crown Prince's advances—a hot topic in the entertainment circle!

Is she also a Reincarnator?!

There's still her poster stuck up at my place!

Zhou Mingrui's pupils shrank slightly; at that moment, someone gently patted him on the back.

So he turned around.

It was that girl—who he'd always thought was a brother—who could cook, play the violin, and had no bad habits except smoking!

Huai Shi—no, Huai Zhi Suzi—shook slightly at the shoulder.

"Zhou Ge, what a coincidence."

Can't you ever change your line when you show up?

"Suzi Young Lady, what are you doing here too?" Zhou Mingrui asked.

"This is your fiancée."

Tong Ji leaned out from behind Huai Shi and said: "When are you going to fulfill your engagement with our Suzi?"

This kind of setup

I don't know why.

Zhou Mingrui felt as if his entire body had been shoved into the deep sea, enduring a long, icy suffocation.

He suddenly felt this dream was truly depressing.

Could I really be someone who spends all day fantasizing about harem plays?

He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Nya Zi swiftly pushed back her chair and stood up.

"Sorry, I need to use the restroom." Her hair tuft drooped as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve, sniffled once, then dashed away.

In the restaurant, all diners and servers turned their gazes sharply toward this spot.

Their eyes held admiration, contempt, anger.

"Did you give him the Faceless Man's Elixir?" Lu Mingfei asked Su Lin: "How is he holding it together?!"

Su Lin stared at the corner where Nya Zi's figure had vanished and said: "I'd rather dip him in a witch's elixir."

He lightly tapped the table with his fingers, his eyes filled with confusion as he met Zhou Mingrui's now composed expression.

Gradually, a chaotic sea of all-encompassing colors rose around them; the sun rose, shattering the sky and earth, while a colossal black dragon's phantom devoured the World Tree.

It was within this environment.

A profound darkness abyss writhed, and everything around it continuously shattered, fragments tumbling into it.

"Where is this?" Zhou Mingrui asked urgently: "Aren't we supposed to strike at that Reincarnator?!"

Su Lin propped his cheek with his hand and asked curiously: "I'm curious—how did you manage that?"

Zhou Mingrui froze, for he saw a phantom figure behind Su Lin pointing at him.

Instantly, the urgency on his face faded; a gentle smile appeared on his lips, and he swiftly regained his composure.

"Is there anything else you need me to do?" Zhou Mingrui's smile remained unchanged.

Su Lin blinked, and a sphere of light surged from his palms, spinning; after several seconds, he presented a miniature primordial universe containing multiple creation laws.

"Go in." Su Lin said.

Zhou Mingrui's expression stiffened.

A while later, when external time synchronized to nightfall, Zhou Mingrui slowly straightened his back and sat upright before the writhing, dissolving darkness.

"Captain, are you going to kill me?" Zhou Mingrui asked calmly: "I'm Zhou Mingrui."

"Of course I know you're Zhou Mingrui," Su Lin's curiosity deepened: "You became Zhou Mingrui. You became Zhou Mingrui's..."

"Divinity?"

In an instant, thunderous roars seemed to echo all around.

"Fusheng Xuanhuang Immortal Sovereign, Fusheng Xuanhuang Heavenly Lord, Fusheng Xuanhuang Supreme Emperor, Fusheng Xuanhuang Heavenly Sovereign."

Prayers called out; crimson light flared before Zhou Mingrui's eyes, as if boundless gray-white mist and a dark abyss flowed endlessly.

He sank into confusion; his gaze held a faint doubt and self-questioning.

In a daze.

【You like Zhou Mingrui—that is, me, right?】

【Yes.】

Through this connection, he clearly perceived at this moment.

"I am Zhou Mingrui." Zhou Mingrui curled his lips and smiled softly:

"I am Zhou Mingrui."

He repeated it again, affirming it more clearly—but it seemed he had forgotten something else?

"That's great, Lao Zhou." Su Lin nodded slightly, grabbed Zhou Mingrui's collar, and, amid the other's confusion and shock,

Threw him directly into the miniature world in his hand.

"I've been wanting to give you trouble for a long time."

About ten or so minutes later.

Nya Zi returned to her seat with red-rimmed eyes, only to find Su Lin gone, and on the obsidian luxury stone table lay an array of dishes.

A nearby waiter, as if waiting patiently, poured rich wine into a stemmed glass and placed it on Nya Zi's original seat.

"Everyone's left?" She furrowed her delicate brows.

Suddenly, as if sensing something.

Nya Zi turned her head and saw Zhou Mingrui walking over, expression blank, eyes vacant.

Then

He hugged her.

"Zhou?"

Nyaa-ko's lips twitched, her hair spike quivered twice as if in reflex, then she smiled sweetly, bashfully.

After a long while.

Zhou Mingrui's nostrils flared slightly, as if catching a fragrant scent; he lifted his head, as if waking from a dream.

"How the hell did I—"

He looked at Nyaa-ko, tightly clutched in his arms, and immediately let go, blurting out: "Don't call the cops! Don't write a long post! Let me explain!"

"Zhou, you really do like me," Nyaa-ko said, blushing.

"If not for Abigail's reminder, I might never have distinguished the Fallen God from the First Heaven—summoning her was indeed the right choice."

"But what on earth is wrong with the First Heaven and the Reincarnation Court? Do they intend to swallow each other instead?"

"Greed never leads to a good end."

She glanced at Huai-Zhi Suzi and another girl with golden eyes stepping out behind her.

"Did they discover my identity, or are they ensuring the Fool's ritual in the dream isn't interrupted?"

"It doesn't matter."

"As long as the Day of Finality arrives sooner, and all history sinks into cyclical repetition, whether the First Heaven succeeds is irrelevant."

"You really are something, Yuanshi Tianzun," Su Lin remarked with deep feeling.

After the Primordial Creator's exposure, it was confirmed that Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun abandoned self-awareness, choosing to exist as the divinity of Zhou Mingrui as an individual.

Not merely the divinity of Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun, but Zhou Mingrui himself, existing as such, the divinity that should naturally arise after his ascension to godhood.

After Zhou Mingrui becomes a god, a divinity named "Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun" will be born.

This involves operations such as "deception," "distortion," "tampering," and bypassing the Path to directly attain the result.

It is equivalent to first abandoning most of the self, then choosing another form of fusion.

"Did he also leverage Nyaa's ontological status, making her acknowledge herself as Zhou Mingrui?"

Su Lin rubbed his fingers, extinguishing the glow, and said: "Don't underestimate him—he's ruthless even toward himself."

Leaving aside how he accomplished this entire chain of actions in such a short time, no one expected him to be so decisive, willing to abandon even his own self.

"So why is Tianzun willing to pay such a heavy price, rushing to become Zhou Mingrui's divinity?" Meng Qi asked.

Given the current situation, he should be unable to erode Zhou Mingrui or Miss Kelaien's existence, yet he had no need to pay such a price.

After all, no matter what Miss Kelaien does, he cannot overwrite the primordial pillar consciousness that has existed since the birth of the universe.

This approach is like severing one's tail to survive—even more extreme than that.

"I don't know," Su Lin shook his head.

I might permanently lose one of my summoning slots.

I was even planning to find time to pull up the Fallen Mother Goddess and let us all achieve a happy, grand reunion ending in this mysterious tale.

How did she just run off?

"It won't harm him for now, and cannot be separated."

Su Lin shifted his attention to the prototype sandbox of the multiverse before him, where numerous dark mists had appeared across the modeled locations of New York City:

"The timeline governed by the First Heaven will, through Origin—a force beyond cause and effect—infiltrate different parallel universes, corrupting various individuals."

"Through these corrupted individuals in the parallel universes, the Holy Grail War event, upon which the Chronicles of Light rely, has also been invaded."

"Loki hasn't moved yet—could he have fled?"

Through the visions reflected by the Holy Grail, many worlds had already become desolate wastelands, with hordes of undead wandering among the ruins.

Su Lin thought for a moment, walked up to Meng Qi, took his Universal Knowledge Sphere, and manipulated backend permissions to issue a mission, then opened portals to different parallel universes through the Light of Heaven.

【Side Quest: "Destroy the impending corrupted timeline under the witness of the Holy Grail."】