Superstars of Tomorrow

Great-Grandfather Fang brought those two walnuts along for a stroll. His pace was rather leisurely, but his pleased expression simply couldn’t be suppressed as he hummed a tune while walking around.

Someone asked Great-Grandfather Fang, "Why are you playing with walnuts?"

Great-Grandfather Fang’s face stiffened.

Are these walnuts?

No!

These are sentiments! A creative concept! Art! If you don’t believe me, take a look for yourself. They even have some of the Old Era’s charm!

On that day, a number of retired veterans asked around in private about where to purchase these sorts of walnuts. They couldn’t bear to see Great-Grandfather Fang showing off. Although they didn’t show it on the surface, they rather covetously eyed those walnuts twirling within his palm. When they returned to do some research, indeed, the Old Era had had such a method of playing with them, and it was rather pretentious.

There were also some that asked Great-Grandfather Fang, but the old man immediately replied, "My family’s Xiao Zhao sent them," then jabbered on and on about "his family’s Xiao Zhao," which made the askers gnash their teeth.

As for those that looked for Great-Grandfather Fang in hopes of borrowing or purchasing these walnuts, they were met with firm rejection from the old man! No discussion!

These were given by my great-grandson. I can’t even bear to use them—how could I distribute them to you guys? In your dreams! If you have the ability, get your own great-grandsons to buy them for you!

Great-Grandfather Fang wasn’t willing to loan out these walnuts. He did have a small box full of them, but it was only a small box. He knew very well that if these things were easy to obtain, Fang Zhao would surely have sent a large box. The fact was that there were too few of these things!

In the days that followed, Great-Grandfather Fang liked to twirl these rather pleasing-to-look-at walnuts in his palms wherever he went. Regardless of whether he was strolling leisurely, chatting, or playing chess, his hands never stopped. He even intentionally headed for places with more people to flaunt the two glorious walnuts in his hands.

How pleasurable!

This is just my individuality!

I am completely different from those old fogeys that only know how to drink tea and play chess!

Great-Grandfather Fang even went so far as to christen these two walnuts the "Diting Walnuts." Having the name of a mythical beast made them even more high end and auspicious!

When it came to mythical creatures and the like, Great-Grandfather Fang’s had the deepest impression of the "Diting," because one of Fang Zhao’s epithets online was "Diting." Thus, when mythical creatures were brought up, the first one that Great-Grandfather Fang thought about was always the "Diting."

The rarer something was, the greater its value. With its links to the Old Era on top of Great-Grandfather Fang’s ability to brag, this leisure topic among the old veterans gradually circulated, and as it spread, it became even more incredible. There were people saying that the veined patterns on the walnut’s surface weren’t ordinary and were similar to the mythical creatures of legends. There were also people who said that the reason these were called "Diting walnuts" was because Fang Zhao had created them. Fang Zhao’s nickname was "Diting," after all. Of course, there were also people who wondered whether Fang Zhao was promoting it behind the scenes? Would the next step be roasted walnuts?

Thus, unknowingly, Fang Zhao was blamed for something once again.

Ultimately, Great-Grandfather Fang wasn’t able to completely preserve his small box of walnuts. In the end, Great-Grandfather Fang reluctantly gave away some walnuts to a few of his closer older friends. Afterward, some people tried to use their social connections to purchase Muzhou’s Agricultural Science Institution’s limited surplus of walnuts. Even if the price were several times higher, it wouldn’t be enough to match the demand.

The more something couldn’t be bought, the more people would want to purchase it, and there were many more people making inquiries. Later on, when the personnel from Muzhou’s Academy of Agricultural Sciences noticed, they wondered why this plaything had become so popular. The walnuts they cultivated weren’t that great to eat, so they weren’t mass-produced. In general, when growing new breeds, items without much commercial value were shelved. This variety of walnuts didn’t have a high consumption value, so the personnel from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences had never expected that it would become so popular all of a sudden! Now that the circumstances had changed, people started to have ideas.

Grow!

Since the demand was so high, then they would grow it again!

Retirement facilities in the New Era also knew how to keep up with the times. Playing with walnuts was indeed uncommon, and those that weren’t able to obtain some would use other alternatives. However, they would feel that it couldn’t compare with the authenticity of the real ones, so those that could use connections made orders with the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Fang Zhao had no idea that all this was happening.

After he settled his matters with Great-Grandfather Fang, he prepared to follow Prof. Carter to Mazhou.

Nanfeng and the other two tagged along as well.

Nowadays, Nanfeng walked a little taller. Many people who had known Nanfeng in the past searched him out in hopes of a collaboration. However, Nanfeng didn’t bother with them.

It really verified that phrase: ignore me thou shalt, lick my ass you cannot! Nanfeng felt extremely pleased with himself.

Nanfeng was putting on airs and chatting when he received news from Fang Zhao about heading to Mazhou. As Fang Zhao’s assistant and given his boss’s influence, Nanfeng still needed to put on airs at the right time; otherwise, others would assume he was easy to bully. But whatever the case, what was important were his boss’s interests. Nanfeng needed to firmly guard this job of his. He knew very well what he should say and do when meeting others, as well as what sort of attitude to show.

Having received notice that his boss would be heading to Mazhou for a music project, Nanfeng felt a little regret at leaving the entertainment circle so soon. However, he understood that Fang Zhao’s main focus was on his own composing. As a capable assistant, Nanfeng would only give thumbs up to the decisions Fang Zhao came to.

Zuo Yu also felt a little apprehension when he received the news. "Will Boss bring us along for his trip to Mazhou?"

Nanfeng rubbed his hands in glee and confidently said, "He will definitely bring me. I have to take charge of boss’s traveling and daily matters. Participating in a project is really tiring, and it is taxing on both the mind and body. Boss’s appetite is also so big; I can’t let boss go hungry, right?"

Zuo Yu wasn’t willing to lag behind and added in, "Besides keeping Boss safe, I can still drive cars and pilot flying transports. He will need a driver when traveling in Muzhou."

Yan Biao chimed in, "I can still help Boss fend off entertainment reporters, and I teach the paparazzi a lesson. Nowadays, many entertainment reporters are keeping an eye on Boss. As a bodyguard, I have a heavy responsibility."

Although all three of them proclaimed their importance, inwardly, they felt weak. Fang Zhao could really do without them. During the period of the film festivals, he had even let the three of them have free time. This time around, he would be heading to Mazhou together with Prof. Carter’s team, so it was uncertain whether he would bring the three of them along.

After waiting nervously for an hour, they finally received formal notification from Fang Zhao regarding their travel plans. The duties for the three were also issued, so they immediately felt peace of mind.

While excitedly packing his luggage, Nanfeng thought of something and asked the other two. "If the three of us leave, what will happen to Boss’s pets?"

Yan Biao had just ended a call with Fang Zhao. He replied, "The ’rabbit’ has a self-feeding machine, and Curly Hair will be looked after by the neighbor."

"Still loaned to the neighbor?" Nanfeng inwardly wondered why that neighbor was so strongly attached to Curly Hair, but he soon shoved those thoughts aside. He needed to concern himself with his boss’s matters first.

Nanfeng and the other two would head to Ma’ersizhou beforehand, while Fang Zhao would follow Prof. Carter and his team.

Ma’ersizhou, named after Great General Ma’ersi, was one of the four special continents out of the 12 continents in the New Era. Ma’ersizhou was also known as Mazhou for short.

Ma’ersi was also the family name of the aristocratic Ma’ersi family clan, which dominated Mazhou. It was said that people with the Ma’ersi family’s blood might not necessarily have this family name, but anyone that had this family name was someone that was recognized by the Ma’ersi family. Therefore, people coming to Mazhou knew that they could offend first-rate clubs, but they absolutely could not offend anyone that possessed the Ma’ersi family name.

In Carter’s opinion, he was more willing to interact with people who had the Ma’ersi family name; at least those from the Ma’ersi family clan wouldn’t cause trouble for no reason. On the contrary, there were quite a few personnel from second and third-rate clubs that loved causing trouble.

Therefore, before arriving in Mazhou, Prof. Carter emphasized to his team not to face it directly should they encounter any trouble. As people that dabbled in art, what advantage could they have when facing those athletes and competitors? They should avoid trouble whenever possible and look for the police if the situation couldn’t be avoided. Although the competitive atmosphere there was thick, the law and order in the capital city of Sivana was still pretty good, and law enforcement was just and upright.

Mazhou was known by everyone as the competition continent. Everywhere in Mazhou was filled with competitive elements. One could see competitive sporting clubs and guild halls everywhere on the streets, and many basketball stars, football stars, shooting celebrities, wrestling stars, and famed personalities from all sorts of sporting events frequently appeared on the suspended screens on buildings.

Sivana, the capital city of Ma’ersizhou, was also the region where the competitive atmosphere was heaviest. Many large-scale sporting competitions were organized in Sivana, and the Spartacus Cup Games were held here.

After checking into the hotel and taking some time to rest, Carter held a small meeting for the group. The main point of the meeting was to explain the following arrangements as well as to introduce Fang Zhao to these other disciples.

Carter’s gaze swept across the room. "Everyone, this is Fang Zhao, your junior disciple. This is his first time following the project team. Do take care of him."

All Carter saw were smiles on the faces of the others, but inwardly, these people were very envious of Fang Zhao. They all knew that on the surface, Fang Zhao was said to be a disciple of Carter, but in actual fact, he was learning from Great Master Mo Long. However, regardless of who Fang Zhao was studying under, they all still greeted Fang Zhao as a "little junior disciple."

Carter had brought along more than 10 disciples to this project team. They were all older, and aside from Fang Zhao, the youngest one among them was in his 50s.

Carter was someone who didn’t like beating around the bush. After saying all that needed to be said, he took a look at the time and said, "Go and experience things a little, search for inspiration," before turning around and leaving. He still had to attend a meeting with personnel from the Spartacus Cup Games organizing committee to discuss some matters with the opening ceremony.

After Carter left, the atmosphere in the conference room lightened. The others all gathered around Fang Zhao to chat with this extraordinary little junior disciple and exchange contact details. In the future, they would have a camaraderie from being one big family and would help each other out, so contact details were a must.

An averaged sized man with flowing white hair walked over and said with a smile, "Little junior brother, you can call me big senior brother."

This man was Yin An, Carter’s first disciple. He was doing very well now. He had made quite a reputation for himself and had a niche within the circles. Yin An was already in his 80s, but this was considered old in the New Era. His white hair had been specially dyed and was kept at shoulder length with some floating curls. It let him give off quite the "artistic" vibe.

"Big senior brother," Fang Zhao called out sincerely.

"Ai, that’s right!" Yin An clapped his hands and his smile widened. "Since you called me big senior brother, I will definitely bring you to..."

Yin An was about to say "bring you to soar" when the conference door opened and Prof. Carter came in hastily to take a file that was on the table.

"Definitely bring you to properly investigate academic questions and teach you how to search for composing inspiration during the Spartacus Cup Games period. As your big senior brother, you can ask me if you have any questions. Whether you meet with a bottleneck when composing, an obstacle in your thesis, or so on, you can look for me," Yin An said with a straight face.

Prof. Carter himself knew his own disciple’s personality and conduct, so he shot Yin An a warning gaze. Yin An immediately promised Carter, "Teacher, don’t you worry, I will definitely lead little junior disciple along well!"

Carter groaned and left hastily with the file.

The smile returned to Yin An’s face when Carter left. Slightly impatient, he said to all the others, "It’s rare for all of us from different continents to gather for a project. Today shall be my treat. I will bring everyone to have a taste of Mazhou!"

Carter’s disciples all know what that this big senior brother Yin An was very talented but that he had a bad habit: drinking. At the start, Carter had advised him many times, but afterward, when Yin An had produced works of sufficient quality, Carter had stopped warning him to give up the habit.

Thus, everyone besides Fang Zhao knew what Yin An meant by "a taste of Mazhou."

"Big senior brother" would be treating, so they had to give face and could not decline.

As the little junior disciple, Fang Zhao was dragged along with everyone.

Scarlet Ocean Flower Street was a consumer entertainment district in Mazhou’s capital city of Shivana. It was a strip that bordered along the Scarlet Ocean. Originally, this street had been called Victory Street, but back during the Founding Era celebrations, the entire street had been littered with fresh flowers. Afterward, people had brought flowers over to this street during every year’s Memorial Day, so people had started to call it Flower Street.

The place Yin An brought everyone was a rather stylish ball on Scarlet Ocean Flower Street. The place had an artsy design, but most importantly, the liquor here was good. With great liquor, nice ambiance and decent food, the place was naturally packed.

Clearly, Yin An had been here more than once. He was familiar with the place and the group of more than 10 people found a place to sit. As they merrily enjoyed their food and drinks, Fang Zhao sat quietly, listening to these senior brothers and sisters boasting while also listening to the performance at the bar.

The rather melancholy electronic blues tune didn’t dampen Yin An’s high spirits. Although Yin An didn’t look too reliable, he did have the ability. His analysis of the performance in the bar was also incisive, and he was able to precisely point out the notes and instruments in the tune.

After a few rounds of drinks, even those people that normally seemed rather composed had loosened up. They chatted about their respective composing paths as well as their successes and failures.

These people that were viewed highly by Carter definitely had sufficient ability, and they had many experiences that Fang Zhao could learn from. After filtering out some of the stuff they said, Fang Zhao decided to take notes and tidy up his thoughts when he returned.

Two hours later, Fang Zhao was supporting Yin An to the washroom.

"Hey, there is no need to help me. Big senior brother can still recognize the road to the washroom." Yin An refused Fang Zhao and pointed to his own head. "I might look like I have had a lot to drink, but my mind is still very clear."

Fang Zhao wasn’t comfortable letting Yin An go in this state, so he followed a few steps behind.

Indeed, although Yin An’s steps were slightly feeble, his direction was correct and he could differentiate the signboards.

As Yin An entered the washroom, someone from inside bumped into him. Luckily, Yin An managed to evade quickly. Otherwise, he might have been thrown to the ground.

However, the person who knocked into him had also had quite a bit to drink. His body reeked of alcohol, and he had an air of arrogance along with his robust body and rugged muscles. When he looked up, his bloodshot eyes made him seem like some sort of fierce animal as he glared at Yin An.

"Don’t you have eyes?!" the other party bellowed.

Yin An’s anger sobered him up. Clearly, this person had drunk too much and knocked into him. Now the thief was crying thief?

However, Yin An was rather experienced in this sort of situation.

When encountering such a conflict, Yin An would consider what sort of person the other party was. If the other party was a pushover, naturally he would smoothen things out. But if it was some drunk fool or a lunatic that couldn’t be reasoned with, Yin An wouldn’t bother, leaving a few parting words before running.

In the current situation, trying to reason with this person might result in the other party speaking with his fists. If Yin An stayed and didn’t run, wouldn’t he be asking for a beating?

Thus, Yin An didn’t even go to the bathroom but instead decided to leave immediately. However, he’d had too much to drink. Even though his mind had sobered up, his legs still felt weak. If not for Fang Zhao coming over to support him, he would probably have fallen to the ground.

Yin An glanced at Fang Zhao gratefully before shifting his eyes toward that drunk man, then toward the door, indicating they should hurry up and run rather than waste time talking to this fool.

Fang Zhao concurred with Yin An’s choice and supported Yin An as they made to leave.

But them trying to keep away infuriated the other party even more. The drunkard had a dark expression as he gurgled with tightly clenched fists. "What sort of look was that? Looking down on me? You people are f*cking asking for a beating!!"

Fang Zhao: "Hmm?"

...

The police administration for this region received a report: the silver medalist of today’s Spartacus Cup Game’s heavyweight boxing event, which had just concluded today, had been knocked out by someone in a certain bar’s washroom.