"It sounds like hell."
"It depends on one's perspective. For Nidhogg, and the Dragon Clan who stands aloof from the human world, the view of this world seems like hell. But to the masses living in this society dominated by the few, it is the natural state of the world. Anyone who deviates from their ideology is seen as a horrible, malicious outsider, and the Dragon Clan is one of them."
"I must say—prejudice is truly disgusting."
"Let's make an inference. If a few minutes ago, you didn't return here directly but acted according to your values defined as 'justice'. By now, you would probably be a wanted man with your portrait and a huge bounty plastered in every village bulletin board and church door. The Church Knights and knights within the Count's Territory would have formed an expedition team to blockade roads, rivers, and air routes. With a carpet-style search going house to house, even if they can't find you as the instigator, the runaway serfs would still be caught and executed. They would initiate a terrifyingly bloody process as a deterrent. Would you like to see that kind of decadent, barbaric feast of death, Nidhogg?"
With a twitching smirk, the Black Dragon's face looked as though he were about to vomit. Under Li Lin's teasing gaze, he could only suppress the churn in his stomach.
"At last, to clear up this constantly amplified trouble stirred by you, I would have to resort to extreme measures and make all living things in the vicinity keep your secret. All the living things within several villages would not survive—this would be the consequence of your impulsiveness. Nothing gained, nothing changed. Just pointlessly more innocent lives lost, it is a typical futile effort, and the worst outcome."
"If it were you, I am sure there would be a foolproof plan."
Pushing through the chilling conclusion that drained the warmth from the air, the Black Dragon mustered the courage to pose this counter-question to his superior. Rather than engaging in pointless arguments with this lord and his hopeless views, Nidhogg wished to understand the strategies inside this lord's mind, as well as the magnanimity that Li Lin, his master, possessed.
What was this lord's true intention and what was his real focus?
Nidhogg wanted to confirm these things.
"Ignoring your disrespectful probing, you indeed raised a good point. At least it shows that a life as monotonous as a livestock's can't satisfy you—this could signal a significant step toward maturity. As for what I want to do, and to what extent I want to do it…"
Expressing a smile that was quite the opposite of dazzling, more like contentment; Li Lin uttered a phrase that carries an inexplicably heavy pressure:
"The world, the community, the survival circles are constantly advancing, growing like living organisms. Hence, at certain points, they will also decay and corrupt. At this juncture, there will undoubtedly be a fork in the road—survival or destruction. And I will become a guiding light of history, directing the enormous current of all things."
In front of Nidhogg who was brimming with excited expectations, and Alberish who was concealing panic, they revealed an unwavering and aggressive direction that won't allow any questioning or opposition. The future of glory and ruin, writhing in the palms of the young boy, was for the first time unveiled in the small cabin.
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