chsdbacks Page 43
Page 43
"Life is your reward."
He once again showed a touch of indifference towards this shameless, forgetful, and arrogant fellow.
"You wouldn't want all your daughters to die, would you?"
……
Chapter 61 Departure and the Endless Argument Between Mei and Kiana [7k8]
“You…” Cocolia’s voice went hoarse for a moment.
“I wouldn’t mind letting Chiba’s massacre happen again.” His cherry-colored eyes seemed to flash crimson. “You should know that I am absolutely capable of doing such a thing. I can easily torture and kill innocent people I’ve never even met, let alone people like you who have hurt me.”
“I can even assure you that if you can’t pretend you don’t know me or have never seen me after today, I will not hesitate to kill your entire family, cut off your limbs, cut out your tongue, gouge out your eyes, and throw you into the toilet… But for the sake of Bronya’s obedience, I will give the others a quick death.”
He didn't care how Bronya would react when she heard this—this girl was the one who was threatened first.
Bronya's obedient and well-behaved behavior was due to a combination of carrot and stick tactics.
She gave Seele hope for saving her, while also letting her witness her own cruelty. In daily life, she offered both warmth and admonition. She was her best and would also be her only assistant in the future. Even before she had given her permission, Bronya had already communicated with Cocolia several times, planting seeds in advance that made her someone who could not rival her.
Therefore, it was impossible for Cocolia to refuse this threat.
She knew Jiangcheng's cruelty better than anyone else.
That person could brutally murder hundreds or thousands of ordinary people in the most gruesome way, even cutting them into pieces, splitting them vertically, severing their limbs, and leaving them to bleed to death on the ground...
"--I see."
……
……
……
This time, Cocolia did not do anything underhanded, nor did she dare to do anything underhanded. No matter how much she gritted her teeth, she could only obediently hand over the items. The virtual screen in front of her was changed once, and the gray snake, who had been summoned here, stared in surprise at the Jizo Mitama and the Stigmata.
"Ah..."
What a wonderful surprise!
"Possessing both Stigmata and the Divine Key... Such a luxurious configuration is rare even in the entire history of humankind. If you wish to join World Serpent, I would be honored."
There was no doubt about the Twelfth Divine Key.
This thing is an undeniable product.
Simply by displaying the physical object and demonstrating that it has not yet revealed any authority in this era, the Grey Serpent, as a product of the previous civilization, will naturally know the power of the Herrscher that once nailed the coffin nails to humanity of the previous era.
This thing is difficult to conceal, or rather, it cannot be concealed at all. That is why it dropped everything to come and check when it received Cocolia's notification.
The result was naturally extremely satisfactory—even more so than for the Herrscher of Thunder, who was actually still unsure whether there had been any results.
Compared to the unknown, the individuals with supreme potential in reality are obviously more important.
With just a little training, one can fight against a Herrscher on the battlefield. If one is fortunate enough to develop the power hidden in the essence of the Stigmata, then even a Herrscher as strong as her would be nothing more than an enemy worthy of a second glance.
Even Cocolia had to speak politely to the person on the virtual screen, and she had to act as a nominal trading partner—in reality, whether they could meet in person or exchange information remotely depended entirely on the other party's mood—so the Grey Serpent had to be treated with utmost seriousness.
At this moment, right now.
The notorious mastermind behind the scenes is bowing slightly.
Towards Jiangcheng.
That boy who originally had nothing.
He bent over, one hand pressed against his chest, but the part that should be called his head remained raised—beneath the snake-like black mask, a monitor with an eerie green light, more like an integrated lamp than an eye, stared intently at the blade raised in the boy's hand.
It was an exquisitely crafted weapon/ceremonial object, with a striking relief design, woven from crimson and black from the blade to the scabbard.
That is a remnant of the previous civilization.
The twelfth key of the gods.
——Jizo Mitama!
"Of course I want to join the World Serpent." Jiang Cheng brandished his weapon without any attempt to hide it. "If I didn't join the World Serpent, there would be no need for me to come looking for you, the serpent hidden beneath the world, when I have nothing of my own."
“You have excellent taste.” Gray Snake’s voice was dry yet elegant.
"The World Serpent awaits your arrival."
"Once you pass the test of trust in you... no, the basic test about you, you will be a cadre at my level."
Gray snakes, jackals, ravens, feathered rabbits, night owls... are of the same rank as these cadres and possess the highest power among the world snakes, except for the Lord who will appear at least three years from now.
He was once just an incompetent and ordinary mortal in his own world, but he could possess unimaginable and incomprehensible supreme power and wealth with just a nod.
This is more than just a meteoric rise.
Anyone would go crazy for this.
Even the so-called elites and wealthy elites of high society can only kneel before this power. With just one order, countless people are willing to give their lives to complete it perfectly.
No ordinary person can resist such a temptation of profit. No truly ordinary person can withstand such an allure. Just as most ordinary people would kowtow to someone in public for a thousand dollars a time, something that would rub their dignity into the ground and deliberately shatter their own face, they would go so far as to kowtow until they die.
The boy remained indifferent in the eyes of the gray snake, just as it had when it first received Cocolia's message and rushed over, opening the communication system and seeing him through the virtual screen.
"Okay, but don't come in. Just wait on the outskirts of the city. I'll come find you."
"I have my own ideas about the development of my Holy Marks, and the so-called Heavenly Origin Realm is not just a fantasy."
"Even if you are wary of my strength, I hope you will treat me with respect in all matters..."
"--Respect."
The two heavy words were uttered in a cold and detached manner.
Her cherry-colored eyes were as cold as a fish that had been killed for ten years.
It's no longer the falling cherry blossoms, no longer a petal blown away by the wind from a flower in full bloom in spring. At this moment, in that color that is considered equal to gentleness at any time, anyone who looks at it can only see the ultimate tranquility.
This was something they were forced to learn through the torment of Honkai energy erosion—the inevitable result of not doing so would be so painful that they would be rolling on the ground, unable to even save themselves.
The boy never wanted to experience that pain again, and he never thought it was a good thing, but at least for this moment he did have a special ability.
It was enough to meet the gaze of the machine opposite without being inferior, and it could send its own pupils up to make their eyes equal.
Faced with that absolute coldness belonging to something inhuman, a coldness even more oppressive than the fierce lightning flashing across the sky.
It allows an ordinary person to calmly wait for the next words from the machine called Gray Serpent in less than a month.
"of course."
"Both the Stigmata and the Divine Key are worthy of the Serpent's respect."
—The Grey Serpent would never push the Stigmata holder outside, let alone the Divine Key.
The reason I temporarily swallowed the word "trust" before was essentially because even if I couldn't be trusted, I would never let go of it as long as I held it in my hands.
The World Serpent, which theoretically needs Stigmata Warriors the most, is actually the one with the fewest Stigmata in the world, with only a handful, and they are not even the holders.
At this very moment, the Gray Serpents, who believed that once their Lord appeared, he would possess the power to rewrite the world and make the entire planet revolve around them, could only sadly face the desolate situation of having no successors and none of their god-like Lords willing to support the overall situation.
This is the only reason why Jiang Cheng, who knows all this—and how ridiculous the World Serpent is right now—dares to communicate directly.
Because among the three major forces today, even Anti-Entropy's paper combat power is higher than World Serpent's, and it is even less capable of challenging Destiny.
Amidst the dire situation where everyone else is facing a decline in numbers and a lack of successors, the World Serpent is the most tragic of all.
It has no other abilities, only excellent stealth.
Isn't this the perfect place for him?
A place where you can hide until the end of the story and achieve a happy ending.
The final exchange went smoothly, since it was only a verbal agreement at the moment. At most, the gray snake, being a non-human entity and lacking understanding of human nature, inquired a few more times about Jiang Cheng's daily life, only to be shut down with the remark, "Instead of wasting time, you should prepare to welcome him. We can discuss anything else once we get to the base."
It's not that I'm arrogant. I just gained some confidence and made some deals with others, and I've lost sight of who I am. It's simply that I don't have that much free time to communicate right now.
The communication ended quickly, and the utterly destroyed Heavy Bunny was retrieved once again. The eyes that met again were those silver, snowy eyes that were no longer obstructed by the screen.
"It's over. What a huge farce."
"From nothing to nothing."
Jiang Cheng was too lazy to care about the girl's thoughts at this moment. He sheathed the knife again and gently gazed at the weapon, which had lost a hand and was not something he had obtained himself.
Perhaps it could be considered a gift from Raiden Mei, the first gift she received after coming to this world.
"But this is the stability you need, Master."
"A smooth path that can absolutely lead to the best possible outcome."
Bronya's thoughts—this was something that was neither concealed nor difficult to understand.
Soft strands of hair swayed naturally in the shadows, and amidst the falling silver fragments, her snow-white eyes gave her everything without reservation.
Yes.
This is something that can only be accomplished by leaving.
Only by leaving this place can we monitor the situation in real time from a third-person perspective, and in the most satisfactory way, allow the trio to reach the most beautiful ending along the original storyline.
If you are involved in the plot every moment, then you are the biggest variable. How can things possibly develop the same way when the number of people changes from three to four?
……
Unless one is willing to participate in the plot and become someone Otto will scheme against later—which is absolutely impossible.
If it really comes to that, Jiang Cheng would rather use the Jizo Soul to directly attack the floating island than sit idly by and wait to be plotted against.
Because as long as he leaves Changkong City and enters St. Freya Academy by joining the main characters, he will definitely be seen by Otto and passively become a pawn.
When will it be used?
When will it be used?
Nobody knew this, not even when Otto would deal with him or interfere with him.
The ultimate information gap is the complete lack of knowledge about how Otto views and thinks about himself, what kind of emotions and interests he might have towards himself.
Taking the initiative is always the most important thing, even with the unknown and untrusted, let alone blatant malice directed at you.
Since arriving in this world, Jiangcheng, a city where information asymmetry has been a constant source of inspiration, has been able to thrive. It is the city that best understands the importance of information asymmetry.
Whether you succeed or fail in the end, it's still an outcome, much better than being at someone's mercy. The worst thing for an intelligent character to do is to wait for others to slowly study them and find a way to kill them. Giving others time to find your weaknesses is just courting death.
As for the possibility of chaos without Otto's mandate?
Who cares?
Such things are completely irrelevant. After all, the difference in combat power is so great that one person could destroy all the rest of humanity. The boy doesn't care whether those strangers will die because of it.
Therefore, the best and most perfect way is to leave, to never participate in this part of the story again, to choose to believe Bronya, and to trust Kiana and Mei—the feelings that are not generated because of the suspension bridge reaction, but rather the top-level compatibility that will make them best friends as soon as they meet.
They know each other inside and out, and they also have the same qualities and will to become protagonists, rather than just ordinary people who are introduced by some plot they know on the street and happen to be rescued by a hero at a certain point.
Even if feelings are truly developed through the latter method, it will inevitably end sooner or later because the two parties cannot achieve true information equality, and it is only one-sided knowledge. This is a huge difference compared to treating a lover, which is more like treating a pet.
Coupled with differing wills and ideas, they inevitably parted ways—an outcome so predictable that there was no need to guess or calculate.
Sometimes, not seeing the outcome, the end, or the future of something is actually a sign that you've already seen the future.
Since that's the case, there's nothing to hesitate about now; any hesitation at this moment is pointless.
"Don't call me master anymore. If nothing unexpected happens, the next time I see you, it will be to congratulate the Salvation Team on their successful return."
……
……
……
Her expression remained unchanged after receiving forgiveness—the girl's face showed no change whatsoever.
"There is no connection between them."
"Bronya cannot see everything that her master sees."
"All Bronya could see was that she had been forgiven and helped."
"Even if the master's original intention was to maintain the best outcome, for Bronya herself, the master had done the greatest favor, giving her the hope of saving Seele that even Cocolia's mother could not do."
The silver eyes closed gently again, as if reviewing everything that had happened during this time along with the rhythm of its breath. When it opened its eyes again, what it saw, imprinted in the snow-white space, was the boy with his mouth slightly open, seemingly unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
If you deny your previous statements at this point, then you can gain the freedom that was just left hanging in mid-air.