Chapter 5: A Romantic Life |
It took a good while for the two to separate.
Zi Di calmly analyzed, “My Lord, you were right.”
“It would’ve been dangerous to let the Flame Dragon King go, we can’t have our lives partial to the whims of others.”
“Although the Flame Dragon King is dead, it is unlikely this secret will be exposed, after all, the explosion combined with the banishment spell happened right after.”
“If the empire does discover it, we can still use the divine artifacts to shed our sins, can we not?”
Zi Di first affirmed, then endorsed the young man’s actions to console him.
The youngster replied, “I’m still hesitant on whether I should tell the others about this.”
Zi Di shook her head, “I suggest that you don’t.”
“Although your Lordship killed the Flame Dragon King for the sake of everyone’s lives, we are no longer on Mystifying Monster Island.”
Zi Di had long accustomed herself to the deceit and treachery of the business world, and when she had lived alone, she had an insightful gaze into human nature and its relationship to benefits, her words hit the nail on the head.
This time, that time.
On Mystifying Monster Island, everyone had to cooperate closely together in order to confront the dangers around them as well as their unpredictable enemies while seeking every chance to keep surviving.
After escaping, the pressure around them had abruptly reduced, the only thing left was their goal of freeing themselves of their sins against the empire.
The forced unity between the people was finished, now they would begin to reflect on what benefited them.
Using the divine artifacts to redeem themselves was almost certainly going to work, because even if everyone joined hands to kill Jia Sha, the latter was only a priest.
But if they were to compute the Flame Dragon King in too, then the price of redemption would be considerably different.
Everyone knew how Jia Sha died, but only the young man knew what happened to the Flame Dragon King.
Priest Jia Sha had abandoned his comrades for his own personal benefit. What about the rest?
It was normal for others to think like Jia Sha.
It was only human nature!
Zi Di continued, “In our group, we have a half beastman, a goblin, a necromancer, a small giant, and a ghost.”
“As our environment grows, the vast discrepancies between our members will inevitably lead to suspicions and cracks.
Racial discrimination, bloodline disparities, strong versus the weak, these were the factors that formed the social classes of society.
It would be difficult to turn the survivors into an inseparably close group.
“Only your Lordship are capable of being our leader.” Zi Di carried on speaking, “No one else is more suited, thus you enjoy the support of all.”
“The Bloodcor3e is our greatest secret, it overturns all conventions about bloodlines, the foundation of the nobility!”
“If we declare the Flame Dragon King’s death, it will implicate the Bloodcore. The Bloodcore is in your Lordship’s heart, it cannot be separated from you.”
“We must be even more cautious in the future!”
Zi Di’s tone had a trace of enticement in it.
If their redemption was successful, this group would likely break up. No one needed to tell them that Zong Ge was one unwilling to be subordinate to anyone else. Meanwhile, Cang Xu was a necromancer, it was extremely risky even knowing him.
Zi Di was an expert in fighting for her own benefits, and now she was already beginning to scheme.
“The Bloodcore must be preserved! It is our most valuable treasure, for it can change our destiny beyond our imagination.”
“There must be information pertaining to the Bloodcore within War Merchant’s database.”
“We cannot let Cang Xu see it.”
“But they already know about the Bloodcore. Although Cang Xu and Zong Ge seem indifferent, they understand how your Lordship acts, and will mull over why your Lordship kept the Bloodcore for yourself.”
Zi Di couldn’t help but purse her brows as she spoke.
The young captain shook his head.
“Zi Di, I don’t think our companions are plotting against us.”
“Even though I know I am not Zhen Jin or a templar knight.”
The young man bitterly laughed, “But I am still a knight. If I do this, I will go against righteousness! I will violate the spirit of chivalry!”
“I intend to share with everyone.”
“The Bloodcore was created by Mar Merchant, and we have seen two of them. Therefore, it is theoretically possible that we can make more of them. The Bloodcore can absorb the essences of living beings, allowing its host to transform into the corresponding bloodline, obtaining greater skills and aptitudes, the future of this is immense!”
“They deserve to use a Bloodcore.”
“We all obtained it together.”
“We crossed through these trials and tribulations together.”
“We helped each other until we finally escaped. Without Cang Xu’s knowledge, we couldn’t have crossed the desert. Without his necromancy, we wouldn’t have turned the tables. Next, Zong Ge fought by my side in the final battle, and he had his left arm cut off. Without the big guy, we couldn’t have built the ship and sailed to the heart of Mystifying Monster Island. In addition, without your medicine, we would’ve have survived the poison, and would’ve died in our sleep in that place.”
“Not only that, but they also all have a noble character.”
“Some are optimistic, some are strong, some are bold, some are calm, all of them have their points of excellence.
“They are merely limited by their aptitude, if that was circumvented, then they could accomplish even greater feats. When we can rely on our friendship, they will be natural and powerful allies.”
The young captain cordially gazed at Zi Di, “In my opinion, the wealth of Mystifying Monster Island was not only War Merchant’s database or those divine artifacts, it is our common experience and our strong relationship with each other.”
“Furthermore, I have a premonition that the Bloodcore will be exposed one day.”
“Since War Merchant is dead, has there been any news spread about him yet?”
“Did the empire dispatch the Blood Light Punishment Institution because of the Bloodcore?”
“Was the Bloodcore created solely by War Merchant, or did he have others researching it with him?”
“He is dead, but his influence on our future is still unknown.”
Zi Di approved, “My Lord, you are right. Based on what I know, War Merchant had a pupil called Jian Zuan, he is a gold level goblin magician. I never found his corpse, and although Mystifying Monster Island has disappeared, we don’t know how many people War Merchant associated with or knew about the island.”
“Therefore.” The young man continued, “Rather than only us two benefiting from the Bloodcore, earning the suspicion and jealously of everyone and breaking our group apart, leaving only us to face the grand Sheng Ming Empire, we should try and share with them, molding them into common allies.”
Zi Di did not speak for a long time.
During that time, she was contemplating her thoughts.
She then looked at the young man with admiration, “You truly deserved to be called our Lord.”
“This is exactly why we acknowledged you as our leader.”
“You have convinced me.”
“However, doing it overtly won’t do. We should plan every detail and implement it slowly. There are too many benefits involved, we shouldn’t use it to test the nature of everyone.”
“For not everyone can withstand that test.”
“Cang Xu has exposed himself as a necromancer, but it was because he had no choice. Zong Ge once challenged you for leadership, the big guy was so dumb that he risked his life protecting the ship we built for the sake of the old boatwright. There is also Lan Zao, who had killed his younger brother to survive in the desert.”
Zi Di had always been biased against Lan Zao.
The youngster found her words hard to refute, and considered them quite reasonable.
He nodded, “I understand.”
“I will keep this a secret for now, then when the time comes, I shall inform the others.”
“Before then, we will need to deepen our understanding of them, study their character, and confirm that they are reliable allies.”
“Yes, that will do.” Zi Di smiled.
No one needed to state how intimate the relationship between her and the young captain was.
Although they had hid secrets from each other on Mystifying Monster Island, they had been courageous for each other, treated each other sincerely, and had given the other their utmost trust.
It had been risky, it had been a gamble.
But because of that, romance had bloomed in this life filled with helplessness and suffering.