Chapter 131 Hope Rekindled, Lifted Up by Many Hands...
“I’m glad you think that way, Leosley.”
Navelette felt a sense of relief, but other worries soon arose.
Humans cannot feel the surging emotions in the black water, nor can they comprehend the horror of that hatred.
But by sight, by tongue, by touch, Navelette had already experienced all that she felt.
"Hmm..."
The urge to vomit returned, and Violet struggled to cover her mouth as she analyzed the situation.
'The emotional intensity...is strangely high. Are lynxes really that annoying? No, that's not right. Before those two scientists disappeared, Mainkuhn's reputation among the people was exceptionally good.'
'So who exactly hates him right now... and what's the point of accumulating so much emotion for him? Is being a wanted criminal more important to him than Leosley?'
Violet couldn't figure it out, she just couldn't understand it. She had a feeling there was something going on, but she just couldn't make sense of it.
"No matter what, we need to catch him as soon as possible."
"rest assured."
Leosley responded:
"Higgwen and I are personally assisting the detectives in searching for the hostages and will make sure they get back to their posts safely."
"It's not just because of that."
A faint worry filled Shuilong's heart, making him hesitate to speak.
"Duke, you know that strong human emotions are often born with desires, right? For example, when you hate someone, you might wish for their early death; when you love someone, you might wish for their eternal health and strength..."
"Hmm? I really haven't thought about that."
Leosley tilted his head in thought.
"But if a person has neither love nor hate in their heart, then they probably won't have any desires either. So, Vilette, why are you saying all this?"
"You didn't know? Oh... it's nothing."
Navelette sometimes really forgets that Leosley is just a young mortal.
Humans, who have lived on this earth for less than a hundred years and spend most of their time at the bottom of the sea, where can they learn the secrets of the world?
Navelette could only swallow the words that were about to come out and digest her worries alone.
Human desires are a very special kind of existence, even the heavens fear them, and the gods have dyed them seven colors.
"And when the shared desires of millions converge, they can transcend time and space, alter the will of the gods, render the blade of Wuxiang insignificant, and be unstoppable. The desires must be fulfilled before the blade can dissipate."
"So, Mr. Mainkun, when countless wishes for your death are born mixed with hatred, what are the chances that you will remain healthy?"
"...Or perhaps, that subtle erosion has already seeped into your body?"
*
Mainkuhn was urgently sent to a nearby village to be with God and men.
Here, he unexpectedly saw his daughter, who had been searching for her father for many days.
"Kusera! You bastard!"
Knowing everything, Dixia cursed loudly with red eyes, her heart filled with lingering fear.
"Why didn't you tell me anything! I really thought you were an incorrigible bastard, and I almost wanted to break up with you, I almost... Waaah."
The thought of how she had almost unknowingly abandoned the past, leaving her father alone in the shadows, made Dixia tremble uncontrollably.
"Why are you crying? Oh, oh, I'm fine!"
Clumsily wiping the child's tears, Kusela tried to soothe him haphazardly.
"You're still a child. How can I, as your father, complain to you? Quick, quickly wipe your face..."
"Commander! You're still alive! Waaaaah—"
Before he could even calm his daughter down, the other members of the group surrounded her again, and all the mercenaries of Ahmar's Beard were wailing and howling.
"When you said something like 'After I burn down headquarters, you can all go to the Order Academy to take the civil service exam,' we all thought you were talking nonsense. Who knew you would actually do it, waaaaah!"
Kucera smiled smugly and hugged each of them, as if he had become a hero:
"How can I enjoy this success all by myself? I've finally got a chance to make something of myself, I can't forget my brothers!"
Children unrelated by blood, brothers unrelated by blood, they gathered together, grieving for each other's sorrows and rejoicing for each other's joys. Mainku watched, and couldn't help but fall silent.
"Is the law such a heartless thing? He killed the thugs to protect himself and his companions."
Nasida stood beside him, hands on her hips, scolding him, her eyes filled with barely perceptible pity.
"The desert is chaotic and lacks order, with everyone carrying guns just to survive. Has the Instructional Council ever fulfilled its responsibility of protecting and guiding? If that's the case, why rush to blindfold the seedlings after they've struggled to break through the barren land? How is that any different from being a thug?"
"..."
Mainkuhn didn't reply, and no one knew whether his mind, repeatedly swayed by the drug and his obsession, had grasped the meaning of the gods.
He just stared at the smile on Kucera's face, his pupils unfocused, as if he were looking at something that shouldn't exist.
"king!"
The girl's impassioned shouts interrupted Mainkuhn's shouts.
It was Dixia; her eyes were bright, a smile played on her lips, and her expression was radiant with a lion's grace.
“You brought my father back from the clutches of villains and allowed him to return to us safely. This kindness is greater than the heavens, and we must repay it!”
The Mondstadt knights bowed in salute, the Liyue Thousand Rocks wielded their spears in greeting, but there was no similar ceremony in Sumeru. So, Disia pressed her hand firmly against her left chest, upon her burning, throbbing heart, and uttered a resounding vow:
"Therefore! Please allow me to protect you! To keep poison and fire, smoke and guns, fangs and conspiracies from near your noble body!"
The assassination attempts against the tyrant that took several hours to complete during the examination were ultimately etched into Dixia's memory.
It seems no one wants the new king to live? No, now someone does!
I not only want him to live, but I want him to live a glorious life!
"..."
Mainkuhn had no interest in the burning, sincere desire to repay kindness; he merely glanced at her indifferently before turning to the nervous and uneasy Kucera.
"Dee, Deecia, why don't you think about it again..."
"Kuseira".
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Hearing Mainkun call him Kucera made him shudder, fearing that he would ask some unspeakable, painful question again.
Wang listlessly tapped the cute mask with her fingernails for a while, then asked a strange question in a daze.
Are you happy now?
"Of course!"
Koussela was puzzled, but still answered honestly:
"My children don't despise me, my brothers live by my side, and I have hope for the future. If I'm still not satisfied, I deserve to be struck by lightning!"
"...That does sound really good."
Mainkuhn remained silent for a while, then suddenly turned around, his gaze shifting between the two scholars before finally settling on the gray-green hair.
“Elhesen, rational and emotionless humans, I have always trusted your judgment.”
"Now, please tell me, do you think it's appropriate for him to have happiness?"
Elhesen lifted his gaze from the pages of the book, his eyes as calm as a still lake, unlike the turbulent sea.
"You have fallen into a logical trap, or rather, you have pre-set a non-existent moral cage for yourself. Happiness is an inherent human right that no one has the right to take away."
Without pity or judgment, the scholar's calm voice reassured Mainkuhn.
"If you want to ask me whether or not to put him in prison, then my opinion is the same as that of the Grass God. The Church has not exercised its responsibility of management, so it has no right to impose legal punishment."
"...Oh, is that so?"
"king?"
Kucera looked at Mainkuen nervously, fearing that if he spoke, she would be finished.
Instead of facing severe accountability, he received a slightly relieved smile.
"Minister Kusela."
"Remember to submit a leave slip when you get back."
"!!! Good, good, good, good!"
The guilty man rejoiced, for the days of fear and trembling were gone, and from then on there would be no more separation or pain.
"Your Majesty! Won't you accept me as a guard? You must have a few trusted confidants!"
Perhaps the only thing that worries him is that his daughter is seeking dangerous work.
[That's great...]
Will I ever have a day like that...?
"don't want."
Mainkuhn rejected Dixia, then shook his ears and turned to scratch Elhesen's clothes with his fingernails.
"Hungry."
"You're finally hungry!"
Kavi couldn't help but shout out and lean in to ask:
"What would you like to eat? I suggest you eat something easily digestible right now..."
"Raw rabbit meat, drizzled with egg white."
"Oh, live rabbit... live what? No? What do you want to eat?"
"OK."
Elhesen calmly agreed and handed the task and money to the mercenary to run the errand.
Kavi tried to stop him, but it was too late. "Wait, Elhesen! Is this what a patient should eat?! Hot porridge! Give me hot porridge!"
"He clearly and explicitly expressed his needs, and that's sufficient."
"Satisfy my foot! He'll definitely feel terrible after eating it! ...Huh?"
A moment later, he watched in shock as Mainkun took the plate, turned his back, and then emptied it and handed it back with incredible speed.
A soft chewing sound came from beneath the mask, and the eyes were a bright, hopeful gold. This guy who abused his stomach—he actually got better visibly after eating??
"How are you feeling?"
Kavi looked at him anxiously while searching for an empty bucket to catch the vomit.
"The taste is acceptable, but it would be better if it were fresher."
"That's not what I'm asking!!"
"Would you like some more goat milk? You haven't had any water in a long time."
"Thank you, Nasita... Don't worry, I'm fine now."
"What? Nothing happened? You were assassinated again? So why don't you hire me as your bodyguard..."
"Sigh! Couldn't you have chosen a safer job?!"
“Dixia, Lord Kusela is right.”
[I've also been absent from work for a long time; I need to try my best to make up for it.]
[After replenishing my emotions in the desert...]
Let's go to Fontainebleau.
Amidst the commotion, the cat-eared boy unearthed all the evidence collected from the God King's Relics and, together with the two humans and the god, divided it into two piles.
"king…"
When Kousera saw that his file was in the smaller stack, he became uneasy.
"Don't be afraid, Kucera."
Mainkuhn put the stack of papers in the fire and burned them.
"God has forgiven your sins."
"As for the others."
The Sumeru Desert is full of extraordinary people and events, even more so than Fontainebleau. After watching for a while, Mainkuen felt dizzy and lightheaded.
But it's okay, at least I don't feel bad about collecting my emotions.
"I am already the king of Mount Sumeru, how can I tolerate half of this country being out of my control?"
Mainkuhn made up a random excuse.
"Pass this down: all the tribes, states, and mercenary groups of the desert peoples should send representatives to pay homage to me, in the same manner as the rainforest peoples."
Bang!
The black nails were incredibly sharp, easily piercing through evidence as thick as a sand-proof wall.
"If they don't come, don't blame me for punishing them."
...
The air fell silent for a few seconds, and both gods and humans looked at him with unspeakable expressions.
"What's wrong."
Mainkuhn sensed it and found that there wasn't much of an atmosphere of fear in the air.
Am I not scary enough?
I was threatening to conquer the entire desert.
"Wait, wait a minute."
Nasita spoke first, raising her little hand as if to pause.
"You mean, to unify the desert and the rainforest?"
What's wrong with the word "unification"?
Mainkuhn had no concept of the historical weight and political significance behind this word, and casually asked:
"It sounds like a lot of people are unwilling."
"It's not just that I'm unwilling! I'd even want to kill you!"
Kavi excitedly slapped his thigh, trying to dissuade Mainkuen from his crazy idea:
"On one side are those who believe in the Red King, and on the other side are... those who once believed in the Tree King! Their faiths are rooted in different things, their resentment has lasted for thousands of years, and their customs are worlds apart! Forcibly bringing them together? If there's even the slightest mishap, what if they run into those radical tribes..."
"oh!"
Mainkuen was overjoyed and immediately nodded to Nasita.
"Yes, I want to achieve unification. I love unification the most."
“.
Naxi Da understood, and a speechless look appeared on her face.
"Unification? If it can truly grant rainforests and deserts equal status and opportunities, then that would be an unprecedented act of righteousness!"
Dixia perked up again and volunteered:
"I know quite a few people in the desert. If you need to communicate or..."
[Oh, is it that complicated? Actually, I just wanted an excuse to beat up all the bad guys...]
Mainkuhn was feeling a bit annoyed by this unexpectedly complicated turn of events when a piece of paper was conveniently slipped into his hand.
"What is this?"
Mainkuhn examined it closely.
"Tanit?"
"If you want to establish your authority, you can first 'visit' these tribes."
With a blank expression, Elhesen's pen moved rapidly across his notebook, quickly listing out clear, concise, and highly operational commands.
"The separation between desert and rainforest is indeed a persistent problem and hidden danger in Sumeru. Solving it sooner will bring peace sooner."
But we absolutely cannot rely on violence alone, nor can we hand over decision-making power to this idiot.
"well."
With a long sigh, Elhesen couldn't quite tell whether this peaceful life was getting closer or further away from him.
Although it's said to be recent, the things I've been doing lately are all major events that could easily turn Mount Sumeru upside down.
That's too far...
"If you don't want to regret it, follow my plan."
Mainkuhn: "Okay."
...It's so obedient and easy to use. Besides thinking, I don't have to waste my energy on useless things.
It must be more comfortable than being a scribe for a great sage.
Sigh, if only he were mentally sound, he would be perfect.
-----------------------
Author's Note: This can be considered a combination of extreme intelligence and extreme force.
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