Above Destiny

Chapter 779 Where Do Water and Fire Come From? (Bonus chapter for the Silver Alliance of the legendary Orange Cat)

With just one glance, he had already seen through the other party's true nature.

The remaining remnants of the household gods...

No, for the Chopra family, perhaps this is the essence.

Countless ancestors of Chopra, their souls, their hunger, greed, and the evil deeds they created, when the flames of decay spread throughout the seven cities, naturally began the distortion and objectification.

No, it should be said that from the day the fire was lit in the house, the outcome was destined...

Household gods were created to consolidate power.

In order to gain status, they actively embraced the curse of their bloodline, thus laying the foundation for this cycle in which each generation struggles and each generation cannot avoid it.

Born into the family, returning to the family.

Created by the family, devoured by the family.

In an endless cycle, lured by power and status, one clansman after another rushed to throw themselves into the mouth of the household god, turning themselves into sacrifices.

As long as Chopra lives, this sacrifice will never end.

They have spun their own cocoon and are now trapped by their own actions; they reap what they sow.

Isn't this the kind of disastrous outcome that ultimately brews?

At this moment, the evil consequences sprouted from the mire, and the completely alienated household god broke free from the shackles of the Paradise System, completing its final incubation from the stagnant flames of decay.

Driven by instinctive hunger, instinctively chasing after the descendant of the family, the current patriarch... the centipede monster, as large as a building, roared and pounced forward, completely oblivious to everything else!

Then, the giant descended from the sky.

boom! ! ! !

It was as if iron mountains suddenly descended, stirring up a storm, with meteors ravaging the land, causing the entire Xiangzhou to tremble violently, as if in mourning.

Without mercy, trample!

The Iron Giant Dragon Mountain trampled the raging monster under its feet, cleaving it in two at the waist. But then, its giant hand reached out and brutally reassembled the two halves, crushing and squeezing the empty, ferocious faces together into a writhing ball of flesh and blood.

Then, right after that, one punch, one punch, and another punch!
The chilling cracking sounds continued to ring out. The monster, which had been so arrogant just moments before, was now wailing in vain, struggling, and had no strength left to resist.

After most of the souls and powers were taken by Ji Jue and integrated into the Paradise System, how could the remnants accumulated by the family gods over hundreds of years possibly cause any trouble?

What appears ferocious and violent now is nothing more than a premature baby whose development was insufficient.

It poses absolutely no threat.

At best, they're just a punching bag for Longshan.

Amidst the oncoming gale, Minkler heard Ji Jue's order: "Next, the Paradise System will forcibly take over Xiangzhou. Go and arrange for people to fully cooperate."

"understand!"

He nodded without hesitation, completely unconcerned about whether he would be sidelined or whether his so-called power would be taken away. After witnessing firsthand the consequences of his subordinates' double-dealing, not to mention Ji Jue, he wanted to personally exterminate these vermin and good-for-nothings.

Now that Ji Jue has stepped forward to take charge and clean up the mess, how could he possibly disagree?

"But... some civilians have shown unusual behavior..." He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't act on his own. He mustered his courage and asked, "How should we deal with it?"

Ji Jue paused for a moment before speaking, "Hand them over to the exoskeleton company and the riot cats. If they pose no threat, keep them under surveillance for now."

Minkler nodded resolutely, wiping away cold sweat, and turned back with lingering fear, looking at the wailing remains of the household god and the chaotic city.

Above the sky, emerald green flames continuously fell.

The whole world seemed to have become something he didn't recognize, but strangely, he didn't feel any surprise at all, as if it was just how it was supposed to be.

This contradictory feeling made him dizzy, his face twitching and he gasping for breath, "What... is going on..."

Ji Jue didn't speak, and took one last look at everything in front of him.

He turned and walked toward the direction where the flames were rising.

boom! ! !
In the spreading flames, the magnificent palace collapsed with a crash, and distorted, broken silhouettes screamed and hissed, dancing and reveling in the flames.

The Seven Cities Parliament was reduced to ashes amidst hysterical, shrill singing.

Everything in sight, all the countless efforts that had been put in, the only result of a lifetime of mending and patching, was thus, unrecognizable, falling into the flames.

Never again.

"Help...help me...Mr. Fernand...help me..."

The eerie burning remains wriggled, raised their hands, and grabbed the bewildered old man, wailing in vain. But then, the pain and despair seemed to vanish.

Laughter and singing rang out from the flames, so sharp and piercing.

Fernand staggered backward, fell, got up again, wandered the street, looked around blankly, opened his mouth, and let out a hoarse roar and shout.

But no one responded.

In the end, he had no strength left. He collapsed to the ground, his spine, which had been straight all his life, bent inch by inch, unable to support anything before him.

"Suffering is the flame, and the human heart is the furnace—"

"Natural disasters can lead to man-made calamities. As the world changes, they subtly and imperceptibly influence everything. Water and fire are invisible and difficult to detect, yet they are everywhere. In the end, naturally, all things will transform themselves!"

"I never imagined that such profound and mysterious techniques could be so grand and majestic!"

At the end of the flames, a voice of praise rang out.

Amidst the ashes falling like snowflakes, the figure of the craftsman emerged from the deepest part of the flames, walking step by step to offer applause to the true creator of all this.

From the bottom of my heart, I express my deepest respect!
"This is truly eye-opening!" "..."

On the steps, the hunched old man raised his head and stared blankly at him, looking lost and exhausted, as if he couldn't understand.

"What exactly are you saying..."

"Why bother with this pretense, Mr. Fernand, no, Master Fernand?"

Ji Jue stood before him, bowed, and, following the association's etiquette, offered his respect and reverence to the former master: "Isn't all of this something you created all by yourself?"
Including myself, everyone has been completely fooled by you. Now that your great undertaking is accomplished, why bother with the pretense anymore?

"I...I don't understand what you're saying at all!"

Fernand's expression twitched repeatedly, as if he were sensing Ji Jue's accusations, gradually turning red and then ashen, as he could no longer contain his anger.

"This isn't me at all! This is never what I wanted! I...I..."

His lips moved, his burnt beard trembled, and he choked back tears, saying, "You came here to humiliate me, didn't you? It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter at all... I've poured my whole life into this, I've given it all my time, and it's all ruined, completely ruined!"
Seven Cities could have been better, everything could have been better!

On the contrary, it's you, an outsider who doesn't care about anything at all!

His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Ji Jue, shouting angrily, "What do you know?! I did it all for... for Seven Cities..."

"is it?"

Ji Jue laughed and waved his hand dismissively, "Let's just say that's how it is. But, Mr. Fernand, have you really made any contributions to Seven Cities?"

Fernand's expression froze.

He opened his mouth, wanting to rebuke or defend himself, but then he heard Ji Jue's voice.

"The enactment of legislation to guarantee the legality and freedom of prostitutes has resulted in a large number of people struggling to make a living constantly selling their bodies in order to survive. After being legally exploited and used, they are discarded like worn-out shoes."

Even now, the right to sell an eight-year-old child is protected.

Legislation guaranteeing the regulated use of banned drugs has ironically led to their proliferation. Funding the construction of orphanages has fueled the largest child trafficking network in the southwest of the Endless Sea. The nursing homes of the Seven Cities Alliance are overflowing with organs and souls ready to be harvested at any moment.

In addition to these, there's the unusable health insurance, the impossible-to-implement minimum wage... and just a few days ago, you were stabilizing the prices of food, medicine, and fuel.

Ji Jue sighed and said softly, "Sometimes, it's really hard to tell the difference between you and those insects. No, perhaps that's why they tolerate such a righteous person existing among them?"
They love you even more and can't live without you even more than they imagine.

Throughout the entire Seven Cities, only you provide them with a constant stream of new excuses for exploitation, gradually helping them push the boundaries and create a better tomorrow.

"Shut up!"

Fernand was furious. He staggered forward, grabbed the man's collar, and struggled to pull, shake, and clench his fist, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets: "I... I've done everything I can! Besides me, is there anyone else in the entire Seven Cities...?"

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
Crisp applause sounded.

Filled with admiration.

“Yes, that’s right, Mr. Fernand, this is the one I admire most about you.”

Ji Jue patted him on the shoulder, praising him sincerely: "My teacher told me that a true craftsman must be able to make things well, and also be able to make things naturally bad. I used to think I understood, but compared to you, I'm nothing at all!"
After all, you don't have to do anything. Just be a useless person with good intentions and squander your good intentions, and you will naturally make things worse and worse!
Even in the end, even now, even in future history books, no one will blame you!

After all, everyone knows you did it for everyone, and you've already done your best!

Even Ji Jue, as an enemy, could not suppress his admiration for Fernand.

Water dripping wears away stone, a rope saws through wood... Compared to this decades-long dedication, what's more important is perseverance and patience.

He abandoned holiness and wisdom, completely overcame the arrogance of the embers, severed the nature of the craftsman, and truly transformed himself into a useless and pedantic person.

It's like a rational, sound person forcing themselves to cover their entire body in hair every day to blend into the monkey troop at the zoo.

Day after day, I played games with the monkeys.

For any craftsman, this would be a torment more terrifying than death, yet he has managed to persevere to this day and has never given up.

He even became a saint whom everyone was grateful to and revered in the end!

Those who rotted and despaired because of this probably never even considered that... their respected Mr. Fernand never thought of saving anyone!
So many laws and policies are just to paint them a pie they can never eat, a dream they can never realize.

Time and time again, they were made to get up, and time and time again, they were pushed back down.

Throughout countless changes, nothing has changed from beginning to end.

Throughout each reform, there was no real change from beginning to end.

It's just a futile cycle, endlessly repeating the past until the last flame is completely extinguished.

The entire Seven Cities was his crucible.

Everything at this moment is his work.

This is a call to power that has lasted for decades and spanned more than three generations!

But who could have imagined that what truly created this hellish situation was not suffering, nor despair, but rather the habit of taking things for granted...

After repeated blows and despair, utter numbness sets in. After the ashes are rekindled time and again, there is no warmth left; the will to change and transform has been completely extinguished.

From this day forward, everything will sink into the mire.

In that instant, the stagnant, decaying furnace core answered the call.

No, long before that, all of this had already fallen into a state of stagnation and decay!

However, they never noticed...

It turns out I was living in hell.

(End of this chapter)