LRAB 0007 Do I look like a god or a man to you?
0007 Do I look like a god or a man to you?
That was a man nearly two meters tall, with a hooked nose and small eyes.
He wore ruby-shine leather shoes and a silk robe embroidered with pale gold patterns. He leaned against the marble pillars of the academy, his eyes darting left and right, as if searching for something, trying to confirm something.
His eyes, squeezed into their narrow sockets, saw Zhou Yun.
Then his expression froze, stiff with surprise, as if he hadn't expected Zhou Yun to appear here.
But that stiffness and surprise vanished in the next instant, replaced by a joyful smile, as if he were happy to have seen Zhou Yun.
His expression changed so quickly that no one except Zhou Yun noticed his momentary stiffness.
"My dear brother," the man bowed to Zhou Yun with exaggerated gestures, "you were very drunk last night, which worried me greatly. Seeing that you are alright makes me truly happy."
Cicero… Zhou Yun recognized the man; he was Cicero, the scholar who had always taken his predecessor to the casino.
They met during Marcus Guilliman's recruitment process, and after losing the exam to Zhou Yun, she became excessively enthusiastic towards him.
He explained that he was impressed by Zhou Yun's knowledge and could not bear to see such a wise soul as Zhou Yun confined in a rigid, inflexible, and conservative atmosphere.
"Now that you are well, my friend, let's go to the Baths of Agat tonight. The priest Lipo of the Church of Simeneta will be hosting a grand feast that will surely make you feel—"
"He won't go." Tita stood in front of Cicero and Zhou Yun, her voice soft but firm.
Cicero seemed amused by Dita's gesture.
"Little girl, if you're worried about your uncle, you can come with us."
Cicero's tone was quite sincere; he was displaying his oratory skills, and his voice became convincing.
"I am sincere. Have you read my book 'On the Soul'? The soul should not be bound. The soul comes into this world to experience."
"If you have the value to be enlightened, you should understand that you shouldn't stop your uncle from enjoying himself; you should enjoy himself with him."
As he spoke, Cicero walked step by step toward Tita and Zhou Yun.
Tita spread her arms, standing even more firmly in defense of Zhou Yun.
Dita is not short.
But compared to Cicero's height of only two meters, they appeared so small and fragile.
The sunlight was almost entirely blocked by Cicero's slender body; his shadow, like a venomous snake, stretched towards Tita.
Tita's body trembled involuntarily. In order to drag Zhou Yun to the casino, Cicero had once instigated Zhou Yun to use violence against Tita.
Tita could only hope that Cicero wouldn't dare to make a move in public.
However, Cicero paid no heed to the stares of those around him. He smiled and reached out his hand towards Tita, who was standing in front of Zhou Yun...
Tita clenched her teeth, her facial muscles tensed, but her body did not move.
For some reason, Zhou Yun suddenly felt that the scene before him looked somewhat familiar...
A mortal protects the emperor...
A sudden pain shot through his temple.
Some memories, neither belonging to the scholar nor to him, surfaced.
The gloomy royal court of the Vengeful Spirit, the screaming and laughing Ancient Four, and him...
Memory and reality intertwined. From Zhou Yun's perspective, Cicero's body became abnormally large, covered entirely in black armor, and his crimson eyes emitted a blood-red light from his breastplate.
The blood, the shadows, transformed into thick, sticky blood mixed with feathers, spreading to Zhou Yun's feet.
A mortal figure, seemingly insignificant compared to the dark silhouette, stood before Zhou Yun, rifle in hand, resolutely firing at the almost godlike figure in darkness...
The dark figure raised the warhammer known as the Worldbreaker.
Do not......
By the time Zhou Yun snapped out of his reverie, his fist had already slammed into Cicero's face, and at the same time, his leg shot up, kicking Cicero in the stomach.
Cicero writhed like a long snake thrown into the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
Silence fell over the surroundings, and the students and teachers not far away watched in astonishment.
Tita's eyes widened and her mouth gaped open. Just now, Zhou Yun had taken a step out from behind Tita with almost imperceptible speed and punched Cicero in the face.
As Cicero's shadow dissipated and sunlight bathed Zhou Yun, Tita almost thought that Zhou Yun was radiating golden light, and that his form had become enormous and reliable, like...like...something divine.
Cicero clutched his hooked nose, blood seeping from between his fingers.
"What are you doing?" He was completely taken aback when Zhou Yun suddenly punched him.
Zhou Yun looked at his fist, at the blood of Cicero on it.
He was still immersed in the memory of what had just happened, and almost instinctively spoke up.
Why did you punch me in the face?
"Ah...ah...you..."
"Haha... It's okay, it's okay."
Cicero paused for a moment, then chuckled, as if Zhou Yun's punch was a gift to him:
"This is... a novel experience."
"I'll just consider this my face and your fist, it just so happened to collide."
He stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and hunched over due to the pain in his abdomen, his face contorting a few times.
Cicero couldn't help but stomp his red shoes on the ground a few times.
Then, smiling, he asked Zhou Yun, "Is this a way of refusing?"
"Of course it means refusing! What are you still doing here?" Tita once again stood between Cicero and Zhou Yun.
"And what about your debts? My good brother, if you don't win them back, how will you settle your debts?" Cicero smiled and asked with a sincere expression.
"Going there will only make you owe more and more," Tita retorted.
"But at least there's a chance to pay it off, right? And maybe even more money."
Cicero seemed amused by Dita:
"And so what if we owe even more?"
"When you drink alcohol, aren't your nerves stimulated by it?"
"When you gamble, doesn't your heart pound with excitement?"
"When you kiss, don't your glands release hormones due to the movement of your tongue?"
"Just enjoy it, and you've already won."
As he spoke, Cicero looked at Zhou Yun.
"My friend, you have a wise mind, listen to what I have to say."
"Who is happier, an infant who dies within a month but miraculously experiences everything in the world, or an elderly person who lives to be a hundred but repeats the same day every day? Would you rather be that infant or that elderly person?"
"Which is more important: experiencing more things or living longer?"
"I choose to live for the moment and experience more, after all... we might all die tomorrow."
With that, Cicero bypassed Tita, patted Zhou Yun on the shoulder, and left the Faculty of Arts with a smile.
Zhou Yun watched Cicero's departing figure, gently clenching his fist; Cicero's blood still stained it.
The memory just now... seems to be the Emperor's own memory.
This was the first time Zhou Yun had seen the emperor's memories since he transmigrated.
Based on Zhou Yun's past experience, as he sees the body's original memories, he should gradually learn the body's inherent skills, but...
The weasel didn't seem to provide him with any skills...
There were no psionic techniques, the physique didn't become immortal, and the Emperor's biological knowledge didn't appear... It couldn't possibly be the Emperor's mygo techniques, could it?
"Uncle," Tita called softly to Zhou Yun, looking at his blood-stained fist with a hint of surprise on her face.
"Tita, do I look like a god or a human?" Zhou Yun turned to Tita and asked seriously.
Dita's expression froze.
What kind of question is this...?
"God...man..." Tita's expression turned strange as she looked at Zhou Yun. She was starting to wonder if something was wrong with her uncle's head.
Seeing Tita's expression, Zhou Yun understood that the Emperor had indeed not provided him with any skills.
He was far from being the emperor, a god walking among men; in Tita's eyes, he was at most a divine being.
Zhou Yun sighed.
"I'll help you settle the debt for the first installment next month."
Tita sighed as well, seemingly assuming Zhou Yun was worried about his debts.
"The pension my father left behind is enough to cover the first installment of the debt."
"...That's your dowry, isn't it?" Zhou Yun raised an eyebrow.
Macuraq has unique marriage customs.
Women who marry without a dowry have a lower status in the family. The wife is considered the husband's property and has no independent personal rights. Only the husband has the right to divorce her.
Women who marry with a full dowry have a much higher status, independent personal rights, a more equal marital relationship, and joint management of family affairs and property.
Therefore, most women from relatively wealthy families still choose to bring a substantial dowry...
"I'm just lending it to you!" Tita emphasized. "You have to promise me that you won't fool around with Cicero anymore, and you must do your best to prepare for Lord Marcus's interview and try your best to get the job as his governess."
"Otherwise, you won't be able to pay off my dowry, and you'll be a debt slave."
Zhou Yun stared at Tita, momentarily stunned. He felt an urge to go to the Golden Throne, find the scholar's soul, and slap them hard across the face.
"I promise you," Zhou Yun said, looking at Tita. "But can you do me a small favor?"
Tita was stunned for a moment: "What?"