Chapter 37: It's a taste of divine craftsmanship
"A primate that walks upright on all fours. This answer includes subhuman species," Cheng Xiaoyu said. "Or maybe you could go to the bookstore and buy a biology encyclopedia and anthropology books. If that doesn't work, use the ever-popular online search engines."
Geto: "I'm not talking about that definition... Did you do it on purpose or was it an accident? Can you be a little more serious?"
Cheng Xiaoyu was furious. "I'm answering your question seriously from an academic perspective. Do you know how many magic apprentices fail their final exams every year because of this question? The academic debate on this issue within the magic department is so heated that it's enough to make people's brains explode!"
"Ha! Speaking of this, it reminds me of when I was young and attending classes at the Magic Academy, and I had a debate with that anthroposophical professor about this very issue. It was hilarious! That old stubborn guy was so angry that he threw himself into a rage three times and had to cast a sobriety spell on himself before continuing the debate. The debate about my research report lasted from morning to afternoon, and professors from other factions rushed over to join in the argument as soon as class was over. It ended up being a hundred schools of thought and a hundred arguments... Wouldn't it have been fine if my research report had been approved earlier? But it got so big that a bunch of old guys ended up fighting after get off work and called in sick the next day. It's unbelievable! And in the end, I still got an award!"
Geto: "...Don't take it so seriously. I just wanted to have a discussion about life as a teenager during their period of confusion."
He realized that his views on ordinary humans were no longer accepted by mainstream thinking. That was why he thought that the Ghost Queen, who was a "devil", might be able to understand his "treasonous" ideas.
The good news is, she does understand some of it.
The bad news is that what she understood was too academic and too profound, beyond what Xia Yujie wanted to discuss.
"Oh." Cheng Xiaoyu sat down on the bench with an indifferent expression. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? What was your request? You asked me what I think of ordinary people without magical powers, right? My answer is the same as before: I just look at them that way."
"Don't you think those people are ugly?" said Geto. "They're so weak, so protected, yet they shamelessly develop such disgusting traits... Foolish and greedy... Do such creatures really deserve protection?"
Cheng Xiaoyu: "Are you sure you're not introducing me to the top brass in your magic world?"
Geto Suguru subconsciously argued, trying to draw a clear line between himself and ordinary people: "That's different. Spellcasters are not weak. On the contrary, spellcasters have to protect ordinary people."
Cheng Xiaoyu: "I'll give you a minute to think about why I came here, then think about how your senior management treated me in the beginning, and finally think about the difference in strength between me and you. Are you sure you want to say this is different?"
Geto Suguru fell silent.
He finally realized that in the eyes of someone like Cheng Xiaoyu, the only difference between a sorcerer and an ordinary person is whether or not they possess spell power. There is no essential difference between them.
How he views ordinary humans is exactly how Cheng Xiaoyu views them, the sorcerers.
Xia Youjie put himself in Cheng Xiaoyu's shoes and suddenly realized that she had been facing the same pain and disgust that he felt. He felt incredible: "? Since in your eyes we are no different from those ordinary people, why can you still speak to us so calmly after seeing such an ugly thing?
"Your definition is strange." Cheng Xiaoyu gave him a strange look. "Whether it's defining a group by an individual or an individual by a group, it's inherently foolish. That's why every time I criticize someone, I'm always slamming those high-ranking officials who would sigh even if they opened their heads, not all sorcerers. Why don't you just admit that you've always discriminated against talent, that you're a meritocracy, and that you look down on ordinary people. So, ordinary people who don't meet your expectations don't deserve to live, and that's all. Why don't you just come up with these weird excuses?"
If this statement was made by an ordinary human or a sorcerer, Geto Suguru would definitely argue and explain that he did not do so. But now that it was said by a non-human who was absolutely incapable of favoring either human, he suddenly lost all strength to defend himself.
"...Is that so?" Xia Youjie murmured, "I have such thoughts because deep down in my heart I have always... "
Cheng Xiaoyu ignored his mumbling and brainstorming, unscrewed a bottle of strange drink and began to try it bravely.
...How should I put it, this taste is truly amazing.
"Is it because I've always thought this way that I want all ordinary people to disappear from this world?"
As soon as these words came out, Geto Xiayou suddenly realized what horrible words he had said in front of outsiders, and hurriedly covered his mouth to make amends.
"I was just saying it casually..."
But perhaps because he was a demon, the "person" beside him didn't scold him. Instead, their tone was as if they were discussing the beautiful weather. "I guess so. Otherwise, it's hard to explain why, despite the inherent human nature, you demand that ordinary people be pure and innocent, and that those who don't meet your expectations have no value in life, while you're incredibly tolerant of those high-ranking idiots who are sorcerers. Because in your eyes, ordinary humans aren't equal individuals, but pets to be kept. When a 'pet' doesn't meet your standards, its value in existence is gone."
"Yes, that's what I thought."
Noticing that the other party didn't seem to intend to criticize his thoughts as anti-human, Geto Suguru breathed a sigh of relief and completely relaxed.
It seemed like he had made the right choice to discuss this topic with a non-human from another world. He only had a human-like appearance, but he wasn't human at all, so he wouldn't mind his little thoughts, which were considered outrageous and unacceptable to "humans."
"Since those powerless monkeys can't recognize that they can only survive by relying on sorcerers, why don't they just die?"
Cheng Xiaoyu: "Have you ever seen ants carrying food? I mean the kind defined by biology. They should exist in this world, right?"
Geto Suguru: "Have you seen...?"
"Hey, here's some interesting information. Do you know how ants eat?" Cheng Xiaoyu threw the empty eel-flavored energy drink into the trash can, and then she slammed it. "Oh my god, the eel flavor really doesn't belong in a drink."
Geto Summer Oil: "With your mouth?"
Cheng Xiaoyu opened the bottle of curry-flavored soda. "Congratulations, you got it right! Now for the next question—why do ants carry food back to their nests instead of eating it right there?"
Geto Xiayou: "Because of stupidity, because of nobility, their primary purpose is to bring food back to feed the other ants in the nest, and to store food. In their eyes, the queen's orders are supreme, so they can only work themselves to death."
Cheng Xiaoyu: "You're as wrong as eels are about energy drinks, so I say you really need to buy a biology encyclopedia."
"You've completely misunderstood the cause and effect. Worker ants aren't just feeding the larvae; they're also feeding themselves. See here."
Cheng Xiaoyu stretched out her index finger, and black and purple smoke curled out from it, drawing the image of an ant in the air. Her index finger and thumb formed a ring to circle the ant's slender waist.
"Adult ants' overly slender waists prevent them from swallowing and digesting solid food, but their fragile larvae can. So, they carry food to the larvae, which then secrete nutritious substances that the adult ants feed on. You praise the ants for their selflessness and nobility, and feel sorry for the ants who have to carry food back to the nest, but the ants just find you baffling."
"Without worker ants carrying food to feed the larvae, the larvae cannot survive. If the larvae cannot survive, the worker ants will starve to death, and the ant society will collapse."
"Besides the regular worker ants, there's also about 5% of a special group of ants in the ant colony—soldier ants. A very small percentage of the worker ants become soldier ants, tasked with protecting the colony... Hey, man, does this sound familiar?"
Cheng Xiaoyu took a sip of curry soda, and sighed in her heart that the taste was so exquisite that it was the work of nature. The smell made her eyes red. She put her arm around the black-haired boy's stiff shoulders, leaned forward with a smile, and said in his ear.
"And here's where it gets even more interesting. Because soldier ants focus their energy on combat, their ability to care for themselves naturally declines. Therefore, they need other worker ants to feed them in order to survive. Their survival is essential to the normal functioning of the ant society."
"One day, you encounter a soldier ant who complains to you about the weakness of the worker ants. He says that this ant society should be made up entirely of soldier ants. It would be wonderful if the hardworking worker ants and the queen disappeared. That would be a wonderful ant society. Oh, dear, what would you think of this cute little ant?"
Geto Xia Yu suddenly felt cold all over. The whisper in his ear made his hair stand on end more than the hot and humid breath and the pair of eyes flashing with a vicious red light.
"Perhaps someone would want to stop this adorable little ant and tell him how wrong his ideas are, but oh my god—how boring would that be? In my opinion, they should be encouraged and praised, let him think he's right, let him make an irreparable mistake, and be expelled from the ant colony... Of course, the most important thing is to add a camera to our star ant! Let everyone appreciate the sad life of this little ant, let us watch this little star turn to ashes under the refraction of a concave mirror, and become a uniquely absurd drama... Haha, there will definitely be many people willing to pay for this."
Even without tilting his head, Geto Suguru knew the evil devil was grinning happily. From his bright red mouth spewed words more chilling than venom: "Geto Suguru...will you pay for this interesting play and support its release?"
“…”
"Bang!"
"Oops! I missed. What bad luck!"
The empty tin can hit the wall. Cheng Xiaoyu stood up from the bench, picked up the can and threw it into the trash can. She walked sideways and showed an exaggerated expression of disgust to Xia Yujie, whose pupils were trembling slightly.
"Here's a piece of advice for you - stay away from eel-flavored sports drinks and curry soda, or you'll end up in misfortune."
“…”
It was not until Cheng Xiaoyu's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor that Xia Youjie realized that his back was covered in cold sweat. He closed his eyes, exhaled, leaned against the wall, and supported the goose bumps on his arms that were slowly fading away.
Gojo Satoru came from the other end of the hallway. "Hey, Jay, have you seen my phone? I can't find it since I finished my workout."
Xia Youjie moved his tongue, and the tone was a little floating, but he didn't have the energy to pay attention to it now: "I saw you throw it into the desk."
Gojo Satoru used his thumb to push the sunglasses off his nose. "What's wrong with you? You don't sound well. Are you tired? How about I help you with that mission this afternoon?"
Geto Xia Yu said weakly: "I'm not sick... I don't need it, I'll be fine after a rest."
Gojo Satoru: "You call this healthy? You're as pale as if you've seen a ghost."
Geto Xia Yu made a vague sound: "Well - yes, I've been a little busy recently..."
Seeing the devil... probably counts as seeing a ghost.
Gojo Satoru reached out and touched the forehead of the classmate who had read the random replies. The temperature was normal, but Geto Suguru's face was far from healthy. He announced directly, "I'm going to buy dessert tomorrow. I'll swap tasks with you this afternoon. We'll leave after I buy some drinks. What would you like to drink?"
"...No eel-flavored sports drinks or curry-flavored soda, please."
"Huh? What's that weird flavor? ... Decision, I'm going to get a bottle of each to see what they taste like."
"I sincerely advise you not to drink it, really."
"It's no use trying to persuade me. I'll decide for myself whether it tastes good or not! Let's try this curry-flavored soda first..."
“…”
"How does it feel?"
“It’s so hard to drink.”
"I told you..."
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