After sending the Froststone tribe members out of the soul space, only Todd and Rachel remained in the vast temple.

Rachel looked up at the empty space and said softly, "You only kept me..."

Todd stood up from his chair, walked over to Rachel, and said seriously, "What exactly did you mean by what you just said?! We need to talk!"

“Your expression, combined with those lines, is like a play playing out in those boxes,” Rachel said with a smile.

Todd was taken aback at first, then rubbed his temples with a headache: "We're not acting in a TV drama! What we're about to discuss is something very serious!"

Rachel's smile faded, replaced by a look of melancholy and confusion: "What are you thinking about?"

Todd's voice echoed through the temple: "You should know what I'm thinking! Last time, you rejected me in the soul space, and this time you've used Deirdre to silence me. I want to know the reason behind all of this!"

That doesn't count as a rejection...

"If this isn't a rejection, then what is it?!"

Rachel lowered her head slightly: "You can take my words and actions as... well-intentioned advice."

Todd's eyes widened: "Explanation?! Rachel, do you know what you're doing?! You're making me more and more confused!"

Looking at the face before her, which had long since shed its childishness, Rachel closed her eyes: "Todd, I know what you want to say to me... but I am not a suitable candidate for queen."

Todd's expression grew increasingly grim: "Has anyone warned or threatened you?"

“No, that’s not the case.” Rachel spread her hands, forcing a smile, and said, “Todd, things are not what they used to be. You are now the master of the kingdom, while the mark of nightmares is still etched on my body.”

Todd sat back on his throne and sighed heavily. "Ratchet, if all you care about is status, then I can only say that you don't know me well enough. My mentors and friends often describe me with the word 'stubborn.' In my heart, there is a scale that measures everything, and the weights on it will not become heavier because of interests, nor lighter because of human relationships."

When Rachel first heard Todd talk about the past, she leaned forward, listening intently to every word he said.

“I use my own principles to look at and deal with this world. Perhaps some people will laugh at my methods and my thinking, saying that they are outdated. But I still can’t twist my soul to adapt to the pull of the outside world.” Todd’s body leaned back weakly, looking completely exhausted.

His eyes stared blankly into the distance as he murmured, "Whether it's the world of the past or the world of this present, countless people have repeatedly emphasized to me that everything in this world is dark, and that struggle and killing are the main themes of human relationships. If you truly treat everything with kindness, sooner or later you will crash headfirst into the stone wall called 'reality' and bleed profusely... But I still believe that things always have two sides. There is desire and evil, and naturally there is also fairness and justice. Even if the latter is only like a tiny candle flame in the night, I am willing to do my best to protect it from being extinguished."

Todd slowly raised his head, looking at the beautiful and intelligent woman with an unprecedented loneliness and solitude on his face: "The world always calls you aliens, thinking you are different from other humans. Little do they know, aliens whose bodies are different from ordinary people can recover with medicine, but what about aliens like me whose souls are different from ordinary people? Where should I go?"

In that instant, Rachel suddenly ascended the throne and pulled Todd tightly into her arms.

The woman buried Todd's face in her chest, remaining silent and trembling.

"Rui...Qi...Er?" Todd was somewhat at a loss when faced with the woman's sudden action.

Rachel, her voice distorted, said to Todd, "This world is dark and hopeless. To survive, you can only protect yourself with intrigue and tyranny... That's what I always thought before I met you..."

Rachel cradled Todd's head in her hands and looked at him with slightly reddened eyes, saying, "But after meeting you, I realized that there is a different kind of soul in this world, unlike any other."

“Just as you just said, everything has two sides, and human nature is no exception. Where there is darkness, there is light; where there is depravity, there is also righteousness.” Rachel knelt before the throne and leaned into Todd’s arms. “Even the most heinous and vicious thugs, deep down, secretly yearn for the arrival of light.”

"If you don't believe me, look at those gathered under your command. Emerson, Cumberland, Terence, Hudgens, Alfonso... Do you think they submit to your power? Or worship your wisdom?" Todd's face was reflected in Rachel's pupils: "Neither. The reason they came here willingly is because, like me, they see hope for humanity and a future of equality in you!"

“This world is not lacking in politicians who manipulate power, nor in scholars who are too clever for their own good, nor in kings who only know how to conquer and kill. No matter how famous these people are, they are like waves in the ocean, which, after creating waves and making a sound, are completely swallowed up by the annals of history.” Rachel wrapped her arms around the other’s waist: “But, Todd, you are different. You are an invaluable existence to this world.”

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