313: Chapter 313 The Messenger

"Teacher, did you call for me?"

The moment Zhang Huaiyuan stepped through the entrance to the top floor of the Virtual Tower, his vision blurred, and it felt as if he had arrived in another dimension.

However, he was long accustomed to his teacher's abilities, so he steadied himself and stepped forward to salute.

"Hmm..."

A peculiar being slowly turned around, and one could vaguely see countless tentacle-like limbs behind him embedded deep into the unknown void.

"Zhang Huaiyuan, you have done very well."

The radiance in Kraft's eyes receded as he stepped forward, his figure slowly shrinking from a colossal size to several dozen meters.

His voice was gentle, and his eyes held a hint of satisfaction.

He had seen everything this disciple had done since returning from the academic competition.

He had not become complacent after winning the championship; instead, he had been diligently studying.

Combining the borrowing records in the system with feedback from some Scholars in the Association, he estimated that this disciple's true academic level had reached that of a near-Intermediate Scholar.

"Thank you for the praise, Teacher."

Zhang Huaiyuan lowered his head and replied obediently.

Seeing this, Kraft's smile widened, and he said:

"Hmm... I called you here this time because there is a matter that needs to be entrusted to you."

"Please, Teacher, give your instructions."

"Have you heard of the Ascension Battlefield?"

"The Ascension Battlefield?"

Zhang Huaiyuan thought for a moment and recalled:

"This disciple has heard some things from fellow students; it seems to be related to civilization advancement."

"That is correct."

Kraft smiled faintly:

"To be precise, it provides a path for advancement for those nascent and ambitious civilizations, while eliminating those backward and decadent ones."

Zhang Huaiyuan nodded.

From the perspective of resource utilization, this was very reasonable.

He had read in the classics that after many civilizations occupied vast resources and territories, they either began to indulge in pleasure and stagnated, or oppressed and hindered the development of other civilizations.

This was not conducive to the prosperity of All Heavens and Myriad Realms.

"So, Teacher, what do you mean?"

Zhang Huaiyuan asked.

"This session of the Ascension Battlefield is about to end. By tradition, the Association, the Origin Star Sea, and Holy Spirit City will each send an envoy to preside over the ceremony and conduct the new allocation of resources and civilization rankings."

Kraft chuckled and looked at his youngest disciple:

"After discussion among the Association's higher-ups, you will represent the Association to preside over this session."

"Me? Teacher, this... is that appropriate?"

Zhang Huaiyuan was stunned for a moment, then quickly said.

Although he did not know much about the Ascension Battlefield, he knew that in the past, such grand events were at least only eligible for someone like his Second Senior Brother to attend.

After all, among those high-level civilizations, there were many Tier 6 powerhouses; could he, a mere Junior Scholar, really hold the fort?

Besides... the matter of the previous assassination attempt did not seem to have concluded yet, and his teacher had specifically warned him not to leave the Sea of Time area. Why change his mind now... Could the mastermind have already been dealt with?

"Do not worry."

As if reading Zhang Huaiyuan's thoughts, Kraft smiled faintly:

"Since the Association has arranged for you to go, you represent the entire Time Traveler Association. Never mind some uncivilized natives; even existences in the Space-Time Realm or the String Vibration Realm must treat you with utmost respect."

"Furthermore, at the Association's station at the Ascension Battlefield, the staff there will also cooperate and assist you."

"That is good; this disciple will obey."

Zhang Huaiyuan breathed a sigh of relief; since there would be people to assist him, it would be fine.

"Hmm... this is the bracelet representing the Association; you must keep it with you at all times. When the people there see it, they will naturally recognize you."

Kraft nodded and took out a diamond-white bracelet, inlaid with neatly arranged translucent polyhedral crystals, like an exquisite piece of art.

"This disciple understands."

Zhang Huaiyuan took the bracelet and put it on.

"Alright, you may withdraw... Your Third Senior Brother is waiting outside. If there is anything else you do not understand, you can ask him."

Watching Zhang Huaiyuan put on the bracelet, Kraft seemed to recall something else and instructed:

"In the future, if you have any questions, you can ask me directly via email or come here. You are my direct disciple; there is no need to be shy."

"Thank you, Teacher."

Hearing this, a trace of joy appeared on Zhang Huaiyuan's face, and he hurriedly bowed to thank him.

"Then this disciple will take his leave."

"Go."

As the voice fell, Zhang Huaiyuan felt another moment of dizziness, and when he opened his eyes again, he had returned to the entrance of the top floor.

"Junior Martial Brother."

A mechanical lifeform with a body shimmering in silver luster approached him.

"Third Senior Brother."

Zhang Huaiyuan steadied himself and saw that it was indeed the Third Senior Brother he had met once before, who had given him an annual pass for free borrowing from the first 120,000 layers of knowledge.

"Teacher has instructed me to brief you on some details of the Ascension Battlefield."

The silver mechanical lifeform nodded with a smile.

"Thank you for your trouble, Third Senior Brother."

"You are welcome. I have recorded some routine precautions in this information brick; you can take a look when you have free time."

The silver mechanical lifeform took out an information brick and handed it over, saying:

"Most of it does not need your concern. The only thing worth noting is the allocation of benefits."

"The allocation of benefits?"

"That is correct."

Third Senior Brother explained calmly:

"Generally speaking, the top twenty percent of the group scale can advance, the top fifty percent can maintain their status, while the bottom fifty percent will be demoted. This also represents the redistribution of territories and resources."

"But within this redistribution, there is also a huge disparity."

"For example, according to the rules, a newly advanced Level 6 civilization can carve out one-third of the territory from those that have been demoted. And within this one-third, the gap between wealthy and barren territories is immense."

"Or, for instance, a newly advanced civilization can obtain resources worth a certain amount of time coins. They can choose ordinary mineral veins, or they can choose those rare resource stars. The two may seem equivalent in market price, but the latter is often priceless; its actual value is ten or a hundred times that of the former."

"And the power to decide this allocation..."

Third Senior Brother raised a faint smile on his face:

"Lies in the hands of the Association, or to be precise, the decision-making power for this session lies in your hands as the representative, Junior Martial Brother."

"This means that in All Heavens and Myriad Realms, those factions that are advancing or demoting will try every possible way to curry favor with you, in order to maximize their benefits or minimize their losses as much as possible."

"I understand."

Zhang Huaiyuan's expression turned serious:

"Third Senior Brother, I will definitely not tarnish the Association's reputation; I will absolutely not accept..."

"Accept? Why not accept?"

The silver mechanical lifeform chuckled and interrupted:

"Knowing how to invest and make trade-offs is also a form of knowledge. In a sense, it can also be considered a part of the assessment."

"Moreover... resources in the hands of those mediocre people are often just wasted. Only in the hands of a true Scholar can they be transformed into keys that benefit more lives and pursue the truth."

"I understand."

Zhang Huaiyuan's eyes lit up, and he nodded solemnly:

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."