Chapter Sixty: Division of Spoils

"There's nothing quite like the comfort of home!" Feng Xue lay motionless on the expansive waterbed, sighing with contentment. Xiao He sat at the bedside, maintaining a flawless smile as she delivered morsels of food to Feng Xue's lips.

For two weeks now, Feng Xue had been lounging on the bed like an invalid—not because he was truly gravely injured. In fact, by the third day after returning home, his wounds had fully healed. Now, he simply refused to move, basking in idleness.

Even now, when Feng Xue recalled the scene before his return, a chill crept through him. A towering, corpulent figure, easily over ten meters tall, wielded a club and drove dozens of meatballs, each two or three meters in diameter, crashing toward him. Only those who experienced it firsthand could fathom the terror!

"Meat Bomb Formation..." Feng Xue murmured the name of the technique shouted by the enormous fatty, then shifted his position, continuing to enjoy Xiao He's feeding.

"How did the evaluation go for what I turned in?" Feng Xue swallowed his food and suddenly looked to Xiao He.

"The items master brought back this time are of immense value. The Academy enlisted several Saint-levels preparing for world fusion to appraise them. According to the reports, it seems master will at least be granted a lifetime share!" At this, stars sparkled in Xiao He's eyes as she gazed at Feng Xue.

A lifetime share was no trivial matter. To be granted such by the Central Academy of Travelers meant the birth of a top-tier family. Any Saint-level who used the Moon's Eye to complete world fusion would yield a portion as a 'patent fee.' Though insignificant to the Saints, who dwell in the realm of myths, even the scraps are enough to sate a Legend-level being, let alone Feng Xue, who was still only Extraordinary-level!

"A lifetime share..." Feng Xue rubbed his head. He had neither the intent nor the qualification to establish a family yet. Aside from a vast number of credits, the other benefits were essentially useless to him. After all, resources from Saint-levels, if used by someone at Extraordinary-level, would be like a toddler brandishing gold in a bustling marketplace—he couldn't hope to keep it, nor did he have many ways to spend it. As for personal use? He knew well the fate of a mouse swallowing an elephant. Myth-level items, no matter how finely divided, remained elephants in the face of reality-level.

"And what about the schedule for the magic circuit transplant?" Feng Xue shifted again, continuing his questioning, with no intention of rising.

"The Machiri family's magical engravings you requested are among the rarest of the rare—controlling insects and such..." Xiao He's expression soured; she could not understand her master's fascination with those disgusting bugs, but, true to her maidly restraint, she continued, "Fortunately, many Fantasy-level seniors will be crossing over during the holidays. The Academy has issued a special reward task, and I believe it won't be long before they bring it back."

"Hopefully it will be settled before the new term begins..." Feng Xue paid no mind to Xiao He's odd expression, mumbling to himself. This was the benefit of a lifetime share, which amounted to holding a stake in the Central Academy of Travelers. Though limited to Infinite Tsukuyomi and only granting around one percent of the profits, it allowed him to issue reward tasks within the Academy. The cost of such tasks wasn’t merely credits; for travelers above Fantasy-level, credits weren't so precious. A bit of rare treasure or divine artifact from a high-level plane could earn hundreds of credits. To truly move high-level travelers, the price had to be resources gained from Saints—useless to Feng Xue, but treasures to Fantasy-level travelers, worth sacrificing decades of life for.

The sound of an ancient bell rang out, and Feng Xue instantly leapt from the bed he'd inhabited for over ten days. In this era dominated by custom ringtones, only the Academy's official department still used such classical bells!

"Student Feng Xue, your profit share has been credited. Please proceed to the Administrative Office for collection." Feng Xue opened his student ID, and a string of information appeared before him.

"So quick? Wait, I already scheduled my transplant surgery—shouldn't I be going to the school hospital? Why the Administrative Office?" Feng Xue, full of questions, headed toward the office...

...

"Reporting! I am Feng Xue, Reality-level." Feng Xue knocked on the door of the Administrative Office. As it opened, he saw a young man dressed in white priestly robes, cape and all, standing and chatting with an assistant. Upon seeing Feng Xue, the priest's calm expression transformed into a smile, and he strode over.

"You must be Mr. Feng Xue? Thank you so much for your thesis and its contribution to soul-type travelers..." The man smiled warmly, shaking Feng Xue's hand with vigor. Although Feng Xue had no idea of the man's rank, seeing even the assistant—who must be at least Legend-level—grinning obsequiously, he suspected this was no ordinary figure. Yet the man accorded him such high courtesy, leaving Feng Xue somewhat bewildered.

"Wait, thesis?" Feng Xue paused, "Not Infinite Tsukuyomi?"

At this moment, the assistant stepped forward to explain, "This is Mr. Zhang Xian, here for your thesis..."

After a thorough explanation, Feng Xue finally understood the visitor's purpose.

He remembered the thesis he used years ago to qualify as a special admittee—the one selected for the "Huaxia Digest," with its infamously long and awkward title: "On the Potential Connections Between Death Gods, Hollows, Humans, and Quincy, and Prospects for Quincy Abilities." He had thought any manuscript fee would be minor, but that was just the beginning!

Apparently, the batch of travelers sent for practical testing had returned. (After acquiring new intelligence, travelers proceeded in three steps: first, verification—a team of high-level travelers tested the information's feasibility; if successful, strategies were drafted and passed to the second batch. Second, practice—using the intelligence and strategies to seek benefits; if the gains exceeded the costs, it moved to the third step. Third, dissemination—the information was marked as usable, added to textbooks, and spread throughout humanity.) According to the Traveler Codex—their equivalent of a constitution—he was entitled to certain rewards. Because the information was published as a thesis, the reward was one-time only, unlike Infinite Tsukuyomi's permanent share. However, the reward corresponded to the thesis's plane, was guaranteed usable, and its value was higher than each installment of a permanent share.

(It’s not hard to understand: in the real world, the discovery of the periodic table is momentous, but yields little direct economic value—perhaps an award or some recognition. But if someone invents a method to extract a rare element, that patent could feed them for life, though its scientific significance is less than the periodic table.)

It was only now that Feng Xue recognized the priestly robes worn by the man—weren't they the standard attire of the Quincy?