Piper walked over to the golden greatsword and noticed the ancient patterns carved into it. It looked like one of those magical weapons wielded by immortals in old mythological movies.
She turned to Sam Li and asked, "Are you... are you one of those immortals from the old movies? The kind that lives in the Heavenly Palace and is worshipped by mortals?"
Sam Li shook his head. "I'm not that kind of immortal," he said.
Right now, he was portraying Morax—technically a god if you had to call him something—but definitely not the kind who lived in the Heavenly Palace like in the movies.
Seeing Sam Li deny it, Piper turned back to the golden sword, only to realize it had vanished. All that remained was a massive sword mark on the ground and the train's front car, now fused with a Notoriety Ethereal.
The golden sword had appeared suddenly—and disappeared just as suddenly.
Piper wanted to ask Sam Li how he did it, but she remembered Caesar's warning and quickly dismissed the thought.
Caesar had said: never try to probe into other people's secrets.
Still, Piper couldn't help but wonder.
She had heard Caesar mention that behind the New Eridu government stood several terrifying old monsters—beings strong enough to destroy Hollow rulers in the sky, brave enough to venture deep into Zero Hollow, and powerful enough to slay Notoriety Ethereals with ease...
Piper wondered: could Sam Li be one of those old monsters backing New Eridu?
He looked only a few years older than her, maybe in his early twenties, completely unlike the image of an ancient monster.
Clearing her throat, Piper said, "Um... you're really an amazing magician. You must be super famous in New Eridu."
Sam Li: "..."
Seeing that Sam Li didn't deny it, Piper mustered up her courage, looked at him expectantly, and said, "Ahem, Mr. Sam Li, could you conjure a new truck for me? I'd be so grateful!"
Right now, Sam Li could freely manipulate Geo, so condensing it into the shape of a truck wasn't a problem.
However.
It would only have the appearance of a truck—no mechanical structure inside.
In other words, a conjured truck would be useless.
When Sam Li shook his head, Piper quickly added, "If a truck's not possible, how about an axe? This one needs repairs, but Caesar won't get me a new one. Could you make me an axe instead?"
It was a simple matter.
Sam Li raised his hand, and a large amount of Geo gathered around him.
Soon, the elements condensed into the shape of an axe.
At first glance, it looked identical to the one Piper was holding.
The only difference was the patterns on the surface—the conjured axe was covered in golden markings, giving it a timeless and mysterious feel.
Piper's eyes lit up with excitement. She hurried over and grabbed the axe.
A soft golden light reflected onto her hands, warm and comforting, filling her heart with a sense of stability and determination.
Piper tried to lift the stone axe, but failed on her first attempt.
It was incredibly heavy—she could barely even lift it.
Nearby, Cass staggered over to the spot where the sword had struck, staring at the scars left by the battle.
The severed Notoriety Ethereal - Train Head had crumbled into fragments and disappeared, and the golden greatsword had inexplicably vanished as well...
All that remained was a deep ravine, along with the fused remains of the train head.
Had he not seen it with his own eyes, Cass wouldn't have believed that such a massive ravine could have been carved out by a single sword strike.
Finally, the Notoriety Ethereal - Train Head was dead. His revenge was complete.
Cass sat down on the edge of the ravine, blankly staring at the place where the enemy had fallen. Suddenly, he found himself at a loss—unsure of what to do next.
He had originally intended to die here.
If Sam Li and Piper hadn't arrived in time, he would have become just another lost soul under the wheels of the Notoriety Ethereal.
A thought crept into Cass's mind.
Maybe... if he died, he could meet his beloved again, in another world.
Whether it was heaven or hell...
...
After slaying the Notoriety Ethereal - Train Head...
Before long, a system notification echoed in Sam Li's mind:
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Successfully killed Notoriety Ethereal - Train Head ×1. Gained 40,000 system points.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Role-playing progress increased by +3%.]
As soon as the system voice faded, a streak of golden light materialized out of nowhere, shining down upon Sam Li.
Bathed in the Geo-formed golden light, Sam Li felt an overwhelming sense of warmth and peace.
With his role-playing progress further enhanced, his control over the Geo element would grow even stronger.
If he acted now, he could gather even more Geo in a shorter time and conjure even fiercer rock beasts.
Before Sam Li could check his character details panel, the system voice rang out again:
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Role-playing progress has reached 30%.]
[Reward obtained: Enhanced Jade Shield. The Host can now cast the Jade Shield not only on themselves but also on others within a 20-meter range (this range will increase with further progress).]
Seeing the new enhancement to the Jade Shield, a small smile appeared on Sam Li's lips.
Before, whenever a battle reached a critical point, he always had to shield Nicole and the others personally with the Jade Shield.
Now, there would be no need for such hassle.
He could simply cast a Jade Shield on his allies from afar.
Immediately after, Sam Li shifted his focus to the character details panel in his mind, noting the updated stats:
[Host]: Sam Li
[System]: Strongest Role-Playing System
[System Points]: 193,700
[Current World]: Zenless Zone Zero
[Current Character]: Geo Archon - Morax (Zhongli)
[Current Role-Playing Progress]: 31%
[Abilities]: Spearmanship - Rock Rain, Jade Shield (Enhanced), Rock Ridge
[Weapons]: Vortex Vanquisher
[Items]: Teavet's Omelette ×1
[Shop]: Seven Heavenly Gods Statue, Qunyu Pavilion, Azhdaha, Dragon King (Bangboo), Dust Song Pot...
...
Adding the 30,000 points he had just earned, Sam Li now had over 190,000 points.
He quickly scanned the shop.
He realized he now had enough points to exchange for Azhdaha, Dragon King (Bangboo).
Sam Li was tempted to redeem Azhdaha right away to see what it would be like, but he hesitated, uncertain about the possible impact on the current world.
Moreover...
He wasn't sure whether the Azhdaha that appeared would be fully conscious—or a mindless beast, broken down by time.
If it was conscious, it would become a powerful ally.
But if he spent all his points only to summon an insane enemy bent on destruction from the moment it appeared...
That would be a huge problem.
Thinking about it, Sam Li decided to hold off for now.
...