Sitting in the institute's garden, Todd lit a cigarette, took a puff, then frowned and stubbed it out. [Read the latest chapters on Baidu] [Search] [Books Website]

Rachel took a sip of a can of beer and said, "I've never seen you touch this stuff before."

“I used to really like this, but then… I gave it up.” Todd exhaled a breath of stale air: “The more beautiful something is, the more helpless it can sometimes be.”

Todd watched the last embers of his cigarette slowly die out and said to Rachel, "It's been a long time since we last met."

"Well, you haven't contacted me in the soul space for all these months since you were injured. I thought you had already forgotten me..."

Todd looked ahead, his eyes unfocused: "You should know that the meeting I'm referring to isn't in the soul space."

Rachel held the beer can between her hands, paused for a few seconds, looked at Todd's profile, and suddenly asked calmly, "Are you going to marry the Queen?"

Todd raised an eyebrow in surprise, then shook his head without thinking.

"Why not find a wife? The royal palace in Muxi City can't just be empty with only you there."

Todd said in a low voice, "The city of Twilight has been freed from the shackles of royal power, and I have returned freedom to my people."

Rachel smiled slightly and said, "A long time ago, I heard about your theories on civic rationality, and at the time I always thought you were joking. But now, I think you're too harsh, always choosing to doubt yourself."

Looking at the beautiful smiling face so close to him, Todd unconsciously smiled and said, "It's not that I don't believe in myself, it's that I don't believe in the future monarch of Twilight City."

Rachel placed the beer can beside her and asked Todd, "Before the ancient Tyro Empire was established, there was a naval battle between two kingdoms called the Battle of Aquinosa. Have you heard of it?"

Todd shook his head.

"One of these kingdoms was a complete democracy, and the other was a military dictatorship. In the end, after paying a heavy price, the democratic country won the final naval battle. When the victorious generals returned home, guess what happened?"

Seeing Rachel's malicious smile, Todd's eyes twitched, and he shook his head.

"The ten generals who participated in the war were ordered arrested by the Citizens' Council. After a referendum, all the citizens of the kingdom unanimously found the generals guilty. As a result, six of the ten generals were sentenced to death and executed immediately." Rachel put her hands on the bench, leaned forward and stretched. "National heroes just days ago, now death row inmates. Isn't history so ironic?"

Todd rubbed his forehead and held out a hand to stop Rachel from speaking: "Wait a minute, what crimes did those six generals commit?"

Rachel blinked: "Some soldiers accidentally fell into the water during the naval battle, and the generals did not provide timely assistance, resulting in the drowning of these soldiers. That's it."

"For this reason?!" Todd's eyes widened. "During naval battles, due to the inertia of the ship and the wind and waves, it is impossible for the ship to stop in time to rescue people who have fallen into the water. This accusation is completely fabricated!"

"The referendum verdict recorded in history states that many scholars speculate that the citizens were misled by someone with ulterior motives, believing that these generals deliberately refused to help those in need." Rachel turned to Todd: "After all, most of the citizens who participated in the referendum were not professional military personnel; they didn't understand war at all. In addition, as long as someone gives some emotional speeches before the referendum and pulls the families of the deceased to perform a few times, the people will quickly forget the greatness of the heroes and instead unleash their anger."

"This is destroying the entire kingdom," Todd said bitterly.

Rachel spread her hands: "The cycle of cause and effect was soon realized. Three years after the Battle of Aquinosa, the two kingdoms clashed again at sea. The naval fleet of the democratic country, fearing casualties, chose a conservative tactic and hesitated to engage in battle. As a result, the enemy seized the opportunity to infiltrate and encircle them, ultimately resulting in a great defeat."

"After that, this kingdom, which killed its hero through a referendum, completely lost control of the sea and gradually declined." Rachel gently stroked the armrest of the bench and said with a light laugh, "I'm fine. When these citizens who believe in democracy see the corpses of the army washing away on the shore, will they regret their decision, or will they continue to believe in the greatness of freedom?"

Todd frowned. "Didn't they consider things more carefully before making that decision?"

Looking into Todd's eyes, Rachel said sadly, "When faced with rumors and emotional speeches from the outside world, the so-called people tend to choose what they prefer to believe. When heroes perform great deeds, people are more likely to believe there are shady deals behind them; when the decisions of those in power are made, people are more likely to believe the so-called 'government' conspiracy theories; the people keep saying that everything is for the great kingdom, but when their own interests are involved, they become the most despicable villains."

"Todd, politics is always a game for the few."

Rachel rose from the bench, knelt before Todd, and lifted the man's face with her hands, saying emotionally, "I don't believe in so-called citizens, that they can lead the kingdom to a better future. To put it more bluntly, I don't believe in humanity at all; the only one I believe in is you..."

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