Wanderer of the Zerg

Chapter 80: Tie the knot

When they left for the Zerg Star, it was a grand affair, but their return was silent and uneventful.

People on the Zerg Star were focused on the presidential election, and no one cared about a minor figure who had stirred up a little scandal four months ago.

The housekeeping service was thorough; every room and every corner was clean and tidy. The dust covers had been pulled down, preserving the setting from four months ago as good as new.

Yet, Xi Tian felt oddly unfamiliar with it all.

Life outside had been temporary and haphazard, and now, coming back to a long-absent home felt a bit disconcerting.

Ellis also seemed a bit out of place. The house was too clean, lacking any signs of life. His obsession with cleanliness remained, though it had softened significantly over the months living with male lord, adjusting his standards from “model home” to a more comfortable and livable environment.

Before leaving, many small items had been packed into cabinets or boxes. They were busy arranging the home to be as it was before they left.

Among these, some items had become unnecessary due to changes in living habits over the past four months. They had sorted these into piles, either to be discarded or kept.

Xi Tian was exhausted and lay sprawled on the sofa to rest, while Ellis moved between rooms, compiling a list of household supplies to buy.

Xi Tian felt like he had forgotten something but couldn’t recall what it was.

“Ellis, I think we forgot something,” Xi Tian said, lying on the sofa and speaking to Ellis in the study.

“What’s that? Taking out the trash?”

In Kenna, Ellis had gotten used to using pen and paper. Now, he was busy with a long list of things to buy and was somewhat dismissive of Xi Tian’s concerns.

“I’m asking you because I can’t remember, but you’re just turning it back on me,” Xi Tian complained. “Finish the list and go to the supermarket. I’ll think about that thing while we’re on the way.”

The supermarket was bustling, as it was Friday, the day for weekly shopping. It was a habit for the Siming people to buy all the supplies they needed for the week.

On the way, Xi Tian’s eyes darted around, taking in the changes that had occurred in Siming while he was away.

Some areas had been demolished, and restaurants with poor business had changed to selling clothing. Street vendors were nowhere to be seen, and the streets were clean and orderly. A new pink-colored recycling bin had appeared. The trees by the roadside still had bare branches but had started to sprout pale pink flowers, and the rye grass was lush and green.

The weather in Siming was a bit colder than at his father’s home, where the flowers bloomed more profusely.

The sky was high and the clouds sparse, with a slight chill in the wind.

Xi Tian glanced at his coat, which was as thick as the ones he wore in previous years, even thicker than most people’s.

He had always been sensitive to temperature changes. After leaving the Zerg Star, he suddenly lost his ability to sense temperature, feeling neither hot nor cold. When he first arrived in Kenna Star during spring, he couldn’t feel the cold at night and ended up getting frostbite. It was Ellis who noticed and then took charge of ensuring he stayed warm.

Now, without needing Ellis’s supervision, he could once again sense the temperature and adjust his clothing accordingly.

He placed his hand in his coat pocket and felt a round object.

Taking it out, he found it was a round button— a small device from his mentor for storing identity information.

Xi Tian had always been curious about how his mentor managed to resolve the issues with his genetic identification and identity information.

Habitually, he searched his mentor’s name online, and the results showed news about his mentor from two months ago.

In recent years, a rare genetic anomaly had been observed in the young male zerg population on the Zerg Star, causing DNA sequences to temporarily resemble those of biochemically infected zergs. This anomaly led to misclassification in racial identity tests, incorrectly identifying individuals as belonging to the Tartar Star. However, this change would revert to normal once the anomaly phase ended.

Several real cases were listed, with Xi Tian himself among them.

Thus, the genetic database corrected the error, and his Zerg Star identity was restored.

His mentor was truly impressive.

Xi Tian marveled at this.

In response to the issues with his identity, his mentor had proposed new research.

When they finally returned home with the groceries, Xi Tian suddenly slapped his forehead and sighed, “Didn’t we agree to go register for marriage as soon as we got back?!”

Ellis was exasperated and continued tidying the house, “Let’s go tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is the weekend, and if we wait, we’ll have to wait two more days to register,” Xi Tian glanced at the time on his terminal. “They’re still open for another hour. Let’s go quickly!”

They quickly tidied up, grabbed their documents, and hurried to the marriage registration office. Their appearance was a far cry from the meticulous preparation of their previous wedding.

As closing time approached, there was still a line, and Ellis felt a bit discouraged. Xi Tian was determined to register first, “Look, there aren’t many people. We might get called soon.”

Seeing Ellis’s anxiety, Xi Tian made a joke, “Maybe this time we’ll set off the alarm just like last time.”

However, this did not ease Ellis’s anxiety and instead attracted curious glances from those in line.

Getting married twice to the same person—was this like playing house?

Xi Tian, with his excellent hearing, caught the remark from the front of the line. It was clear they thought they had divorced and were remarrying.

Ignoring the murmurs around them, Xi Tian continued talking about other things to distract Ellis.

One had to admire his knack for misfortune; as soon as they entered, the scanner for their information went off again, setting off the alarm.

They exchanged glances, both resigned.

They were the last couple to register, and the female staff at the registration office was very patient. He told them that since their identity information had not been verified yet, they could wait a bit longer.

They were taken to a familiar area, facing a familiar registrar.

The registrar acted swiftly, scanning the personal information button, and Xi Tian’s information was quickly verified.

Returning to the registration office, they didn’t even need a medical report; they just had their photos taken, signed, stamped, and walked away with their marriage certificates.

With the office staff rushing to finish their shift, it took a moment for the two of them to process what had just happened.

“Is that it?” Xi Tian looked at the marriage certificate in his hand.

“That’s it,” Ellis looked at the certificate in his hand.

“It was too quick,” Xi Tian glanced at Ellis.

“It was too quick,” Ellis looked at Xi Tian.

They exchanged smiles for less than ten seconds before turning their heads to compose themselves.

“No special preparations, and the photo doesn’t look that bad,” Ellis remarked.

“That’s only natural, given our looks,” Xi Tian replied proudly.

As the setting sun cast its last rays over Ellis’s face, it felt just like when they first met.

At first sight, a heart-fluttering moment.

Xi Tian pulled Ellis close, embraced him, and kissed his lips.

“Darling, thank you for being with me all the way.”

**Author’s Note:**

Xi Tian’s sensitivity to the cold was mentioned in Chapter 28, and his loss of temperature perception was in Chapter 34. The coldness stems from his feeling abandoned by his home planet. He refuses to accept this, which manifests physically as a diminished sense of temperature.

There was no outline when I started writing, and I wasn’t sure if it would be completed. I’m grateful for your company all the way to now.