Ash was currently cruising around with his new Corolla together with Nian and Eunectes. They were shooting a commercial so he could launch his new brand of hybrid cars.
"Uhh, why are you exactly doing this shoot with us Ash?" Nian was confused, she knew that he was hella busy. But he insisted that he should be an actor in the commercial.
He took off his shades and cancelled his powers that were manipulating the light to look like the sun was shining down on them. Terra doesn't get good sunlight after all, except on beaches. Which he thinks is magic or something.
"Are you seriously asking me that Nian?" Ash raised a brow and Nian suddenly got sheepish, because she does not know.
"Hah, fine. I am using my incredibly good looks and popularity so everyone would buy my product." Ash shrugged, he was hustling since day one. It is now in his blood to be a good entrepreneur.
"Huh? You're so shameless..." Nian was outraged for a second, but now that she looked at him closely. His scary piercing eyes gave her the shivers. And not to mention that Ash was ripped like hell.
When she thought about it, nobody else was more perfect than him as a model for commercials.
"Do people really buy stuff due to someone handsome advertising it?" Eunectes was confused. Because she's practical, the woman lived in the forests of Acahualla after all.
"Well, they would certainly be more interested. But you forgot one more thing. I'm super popular, in fact. I am the most popular man in Terra." Ash shrugged and he took out his phone.
Surfing the internet for a bit, he showed them the articles of him and his biographies. That of course was made by Paradiso.
And it was sent all over the place to bring more people with oripathy to them. Not that they would need to win over their trust anyway. He did that years ago.
"Woah... I never thought you had such a good PR. You're like a saint to these ignorant people." Nian chuckled and he glared at her.
"Hmm? What did you say? You want more work? I didn't know that you are such a hardworking individual Nian. I will gladly give you more." Ash gave her a sickeningly sweet smile.
"I'm sorry, please forgive me! I was wrong! This lowly one has offended you young master! I have eyes, but I failed to see Mt. Tai!" Nian rubbed her hands together while bowing her head.
"You're a grade A bootlicker huh? At least you know your place." He huffed at her and Nian sighed in relief.
Eunectes that was busy reading looked at them weirdly. "Mister Tai? Who is that? And why did you fail to see him Nian?"
Nian and Ash looked at each other and they were talking with their eyes due to their insane specs that could make it work.
'You explain it to her, you're the one who came from Yan!' Ash would cough up blood if he had to explain his act to her.
'No! You were the one who was bullying me! You acted just like a black hearted young master from Yan! Why not keep up your act huh?' Nian vehemently denied his order.
"Ahem, you see. Nian is a mysterious expert from Yan Eunectes. You've already seen her make materials from thin air. So she'll explain it to you properly." Ash threw her under the bus ruthlessly.
Nian almost coughed up blood from his shamelessness. "Uh... You are just a frog in the well that recently escaped it Eunectes. You will soon understand the massive gap between heaven and earth." Nian nodded sagely.
"Hmm? Is that so? Ahh, is it because I just got out of Sargon? I see, Ash is right, Nian is a mysterious expert." Eunectes nodded and the dragon cursed Ash for giving her such an embarrassing role.
"Yes, only one who pursues their dao would get divine enlightenment." Nian followed on her wise words.
"As expected, such a wise expert that has lived for thousands of years." Ash snickered at her.
"What!? Thousands of years?" Eunectes blinked and Nian glared at him.
"Eunectes, remember that it is rude to ask a woman's age." Nian gave her a wry smile and she glared at Ash for calling her old.
"Why not? With age, comes wisdom right?" Ash looked at her innocently and Eunectes agreed with him. The elders of Acahualla know a lot after all.
"Gah! T-that is true... But calling other people old will offend them okay?" Nian couldn't make a point, so she explained it vaguely.
"Hmm, fine. If you say so, you are the mysterious expert here." Eunectes accepted it for now and Nian saw Ash had a face splitting grin on his face.
He was enjoying every bit of her embarrassment and awkward answers.
"Y-you..." Nian gnashed her teeth and Ash just gave her a sweet smile.
They finished up the commercial, but something did come up. "Nian, do you guys use concrete for all your roads?" Ash noticed that every road was made out of concrete.
"Yeah, that's what everybody uses." Nian raised a brow and he went deep into thought.
"I see, well. I have a plan." Ash smirked and would definitely gain more tax money for basically free.
"You've got that crazy look on your face." Nian was suspicious and was slowly backing away.
"Oh, please. It won't affect anyone at all. Actually, my little change would give everyone a better time. I will be introducing Asphalt to the world." Ash laughed.
"Why is he laughing like that?" Eunectes got creeped out by his evil laugh.
"Don't worry about it, he gets like that sometimes." Nian just shrugged and Eunectes begrudgingly accepted that reason.
"Asphalt you see, can be made with the byproduct of our little operation out there in Sargon and Ursus." Ash smirked and Nian blinked.
"Really? From that oil? I thought that it produces gasoline?" Nian tilted her head and Ash nodded.
"Yes, but it also makes something else that has no further use. A byproduct you can say. But it will be able to make roads so smooth that your wheels would feel like they're gliding." Ash explained and they thought that their ride earlier was pretty smooth already.
"That's right, the best part too. Is it will need replacement every year or two. So the governments will be relying on us to do so. Because they have neither the means and oil to make asphalt." Ash chuckled and Nian shook her head at him.
"You're insane. You do know that you're going through this world domination thing all wrong?" Nian thought that he should just make the countries submit or something.
"Hmm, that is the wrong mindset Nian. I do not want world domination. I want to be its most dominant figure." Ash shook his finger on her while clicking his tongue.
"Isn't that the same thing? And are you really going to dominate the world? Can I introduce the benefits of machines with you?" Eunectes got excited.
Nian gave her a weird look, but she agreed with him. "Stop with the sophistry, what's the difference?" She huffed and he sighed.
"Hah, you are lacking Nian. As a mysterious expert, you should understand these things like frying beans with lightning." Ash shook his head in disappointment.
"What does that mean?" Eunectes whispered to her and Nian almost coughed up blood. He gave Nian another embarrassing reminder that she used to be a young master.
"But I will indulge you, if I dominate the world. I will be forced to micromanage everything." Ash gave her a deadpan look and she paled.
"I never thought about that... If you make every country submit, they'll do everything to try and screw with you." Nian sighed.
"Now you're getting it. So we will dominate through economic means first. Get in their governments, give them good things that we could only produce. Until they can't give it up." Ash cackled and Eunectes stepped back a bit.
"You really are a black hearted man... I love it, come on. Let's implement it everywhere." Nian smirked and he gave her a high five for understanding his genius.
"You guys are weird, but I'm in. The world needs more machines, automation is what would save it." Eunectes had grand ambitions.
After they sent off Eunectes to study about engineering more. Nian remembered one important thing. To her that is.
"Ahh, Ash. Can I ask for a favor? Big sis Ling and Dusk don't really care about Chongyue, but can you give him a chance to get out of prison and see what we're doing here?" Nian asked sheepishly.
"Hmm? Why though? We don't really need his help." Ash raised a brow and Nian nodded. "Well, he took good care of us when we just woke our consciousness... So I want to repay it a bit, you can say that I am a filial sister." She smiled wryly.
Ash thought about it for a second. "Well, I'm down to learn more of what happened to you guys in your early days, explain." Ash gestured for her to do so.
"You see, Chongyue actually got into the military in order to protect us, his siblings. He got into a contract with Yan that he will protect it in exchange for us to be able to move more freely." Nian smiled softly when she remembered the past.
"I didn't expect that you'd be that nice to your siblings Nian. You barely interact with Ling and Dusk. You actually have a bad relationship with the latter." Ash chuckled and Nian scratched her head.
"Well, yeah. Of course we won't really care that much about our daily lives. But you saw it right? Ling and Dusk came when you started attacking Yan." Nian gave an example and he nodded.
"I guess I can give him a chance. But I won't be letting him go if he doesn't promise to be a good boy." Ash shrugged and Nian nodded in satisfaction.
That was already good enough, Chongyue is a risk and it is much better to put him in prison until Ash is sure that Terra is safe. So Nian was good with that.
They went to the maximum security prison where Kjera actually chains them down with her eternal ice.
Nian had a small frown on her face when she saw Chongyue's limbs were pierced through by chains of ice and was tied to a boulder. Even his tail was chained down by dozens of ice constructs that looked like torii gates.
His neck had a collar and was tied down to the boulder that was saturated with Ash, Alastor, and Astaroth's demonic energy from their swords. Basically sealing him there using his own energy as a battery.
"He would be stuck there for eternity if you don't get him out huh?" Nian smiled wryly and Ash nodded with a shrug.
"I don't know if he's an ultra nationalist. I've got some bad memories with those kinds." Ash remembered mainland china and their propaganda.
But now, he was more amiable at the thought of freeing Chongyue due to Nian's story about how he came to be in the military.
Ash cancelled his bindings and Chongyue dropped down on the floor like a sack of potatoes. He suddenly noticed the two of them and Chongyue gave Nian a frown.
"Are you here to finish me off? Nian, you'll regret this you know?" His tone more concerned than threatening.
"Eh, I'm already in too deep in this Chongyue. But we aren't really here to kill you." Nian shrugged and Ash chuckled.
"She convinced me to try and set you free. I guess Nian is one my hardest workers, so I should give her a little gift." Ash explained and Chongyue was dumbfounded.
"I won't work for you... You're clearly aiming to dominate the world. No, worse. You're already close to it. Kazimierz and Leithanien are on your palms." Chongyue squinted his eyes.
"Ahhh, some things changed. He's gathering the warriors of Sargon. And we also have Laterano down in the bag. Peacefully of course." Nian laughed and Chongyue had a grave expression.
"Listen man, I don't really care if you work for me. But Terra is in grave danger far more than you can imagine." Ash raised his hand and put his memories of the seaborne through his brain forcibly.
Chongyue clutched his head in pain and went into a daze. He suddenly paled and he gave Nian a look, as if asking if what he just learned about is true.
"B-but I still can't accept you attacking Ursus and Yan like that. You are too fine with people going to war." Chongyue was being stubborn with his principles.
Which was natural, everybody has different beliefs after all. Something that Ash could understand.
"You know buddy, I don't really care what you think. People die horrible deaths in this world every single day. Thousands of them really. But you seem to be having a misunderstanding here.
I don't have a hero complex, I'm doing everything for my own purpose, my own will. Actually, we can just fuck off here right this instant and just leave this planet to rot." Ash sneered.
Chongyue and even Nian actually got surprised by that. And they had the same thought in their head, then why didn't he?
"It's because I made a promise. That this place would be better. That's my purpose, my will. To make this world a good place to live on. Innocents will die to make this a reality. I'm not delusional enough to think that all my enemies are evil, buddy.
But that doesn't mean I'll feel bad if I kill them. They know what they signed up for when they entered the military or whatever kind of group that tries to get in my way.
I will bulldoze through them like nothing. Many people will perish, that's sad. But frankly, I don't give a shit. I'm not like Rhodes island's leader; Amiya. I'll kill people or ruin them if they're in my way." Ash released the tight hold on his power.
Nian and Chongyue suffocated from his immense pressure. His body glowing with energy. Like violet, transparent flames bursted from his form.
"I'm not an idiot that thinks I can save everybody. A pacifist that lets themselves get rolled over by everyone. You might want to save a lot of people with your morals, but you don't want things to change.
Aren't you a cruel one? You're a god, a deity. But you let the world suffer for thousands of years. How many wars did you watch without doing anything? How many countries have been destroyed in your long life?" Ash went up to him and his piercing eyes made Chongyue feel like he was looking at his very soul.
"That's right, you did nothing. You probably just said, oh well. Humans are like that. Who's worse than the two of us? Oh powerful deity? I inspire change, I already saved millions of lives. In just a fraction of your life.
Life's not fair, is it my dear dragon? Others were born with power. With godly strength, just like you. While others are forced into the shadows, begging for scraps in order to barely scrape by." Ash shook his head wistfully and even Nian frowned at his words.
"So my question is, how dare you? What change did you bring? You try to paint me as a bloodthirsty villain. But I just brought weapons and supplies to your country. And they practically went to a civil war to try and bring down the country's rulers.
The rulers that you are all chummy with. Ursus kills infected for fun. Even one of my friends almost died due to them wanting some entertainment. And Buldrokkas'tee, had to fight his own son because he inspired change. Yet here you are, trying to paint me as the bad guy." Ash crouched in front of him.
"So what will it be? You have millions of lives that has died already due to your inaction." Ash gave him a choice.
"I... I never thought of it that way." He scrunched up his face and Ash chuckled.
"Yes, yes, the old ignorance excuse. Admit it, you just didn't give a damn. I won't judge you, after all. I don't too, this planet could burn for all I care." He shrugged and the two gasped.
"But things have changed. My family, this is their home. They are the real heroes, they want this garbage dump to be beautiful, to be at peace. And it's my job to do everything necessary to achieve that." Ash sighed.
He didn't know when, but they all just crept up to him. And he'd be damned if he doesn't do a great job.
"Ash..." Nian didn't know that he was treating all of this very seriously. She thought that it is just a little game for him.
"I... I understand now. It seems that I have been just a frog in a well." Chongyue saw his determination to change the system of this world.
Ash then facepalmed and Nian chuckled nervously. "Great, the mood changed due to that. Is everyone in your place like this?" He gave Nian a look.
"Uhh, sorry about that. Old habits die hard it seems." Nian scratched her cheek sheepishly and smiled nervously.
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