Odd Containment Specialist.

Chapter 1176 Questions and Answers about the Future of Humanity
Upon hearing Shangguan Yan's latest arrangement, Li Ming paused for a few seconds, then smiled, jumped up, pumped his fist, and cheered, "Yay!"

Only then did the others realize that this kid was indeed just a child.

Seeing Li Ming cheering and jumping for joy, Jiang Wengao's eyebrows drooped, looking as if he had lost his parents and couldn't believe it.

This strange experience of others' happiness built upon one's own suffering made Jiang Wengao feel as if he were having a very absurd and comical nightmare, a feeling of being amused by pain.

Especially when he heard Shangguan Yan say that she wasn't a devil, Jiang Wengao felt like he'd been hit where it hurt, even though the joke was delivered with a very sharp knife.

This complex emotion led him to create a peculiar expression that was a mixture of bitterness and joy. His eyebrows and eyes spoke of pain, but his lips were forcing a smile, as if he was forced to be happy for his friend, but also somewhat unwilling.

Shangguan Yan waved his hand again, driving everyone away.

Xia Shou also asked Su Weiyu to wait downstairs at the teahouse, explaining that the minister's private conversation with her might involve some meme information that would have an impact if people knew about it, so it was better to have a private conversation to be on the safe side.

That's a valid concern, but Xia Shou was also worried that the minister might suddenly bring up something very sensitive that Wei Yu shouldn't hear.

Although he felt that the other party definitely wouldn't remember the things in the book, the other party was, after all, a minister, so who could say for sure?

Once only the two of them were left in the room, Shangguan Yan gently closed the door, glanced at Xia Shou at the tea table, and said with his usual faint smile, "You should have noticed it by now, right?"

"Hmm." Xia Shou nodded somewhat nervously.

Although Xia Shou knew that the other party had a very deep understanding of his situation, for example, she knew that he had the Death Note and that he had the ability to absorb other people's superpowers.

But so far, they haven't really talked openly and honestly, and have mostly been "pressuring" him through high-pressure hints.

It's impossible not to be nervous, but it's also true that I'm not worried.

In the past, he might have been afraid, but ever since he came out of the book, the mysterious and unpredictable, extremely strong control and oppressive feeling emanating from the other party has been mixed with a subtle and peculiar feeling.

Although he is still in a position to be controlled by the minister, he no longer feels the same insecurity and fear that comes with everything depending on the other party's decision. Instead, he feels a sense of unease that is hard to describe... well, Xia Shou also feels that this description is inappropriate, but he does find this relationship more interesting.

Actually, his first adjective was "interesting," but considering rational and objective factors, and taking into account that the minister did not have Yan Jie's memories, he described it as "fun."

Shangguan Yan sat down opposite Xia Shou and got straight to the point: "I've already contacted Edward and Jin Fenglong, so I'll skip the unnecessary steps and get to the point."

To put it simply, my current guess is...

The Kingdom of Wushu is very likely the previous owner of Merlin's House, and also highly likely the previous owner of the Death Note and the pocket watch.

Xia Shou gasped, suppressing his explosive emotions.

They really skipped all the intermediate steps and dropped this bombshell right from the start!

However, he was indeed mentally prepared for this. Just now, when he heard that the Wushu Kingdom might have the ability to manipulate space and had also fabricated the illusion of the dissipation of curse power, Xia Shou thought of Merlin's House.

The anomalous entities that are devoured by Merlin's House will be sealed away instead of dying, and naturally, their cursed power will not dissipate. Therefore, using the cursed power of other dead anomalous entities as a disguise is a fairly reasonable explanation.

However, apart from this point which can be used to justify the existence of Merlin's House, Xia Shou did not find any other clues related to Merlin's House in Wushu Kingdom, so he could not be sure.

But Shangguan Yan voiced his conjecture, which gave Xia Shou a bit more confidence. "You can ask about the notes regarding the Wushu Kingdom; there might be some progress. If this conjecture is correct, then the Council of the Scepter's investigation will be inextricably linked to you, since you can be considered his complete successor," Shangguan Yan reminded him.

Xia Shou nodded, opened his mouth, but hesitated to say something.

"Hmm? Speak your mind," Shangguan Yan said.

"Minister, um... has Jin Fenglong ever talked to you about topics related to the future of humanity?"

"Oh, he did mention it. How come he talked to you about it too?"

How did he talk to you?

"That guy asked me if I would make the perfect life I could imagine while I'm alive, in exchange for the complete extinction of humanity ten thousand years after my death." As Shangguan Yan answered, he looked at Xia Shou with a hint of suspicion. "He asked you the same thing too?"

"Uh...more or less." Xia Shou scratched his head.

Judging from the minister's reaction, it's highly likely that Edward hasn't mentioned the source documents for "The Fall of the Stars" to her either.

Jin Fenglong did not tell Shangguan Yan about his role as a god-killer.

From this perspective, Jin Fenglong was also unsure which side Shangguan Yan would lean towards, and as for Edward's side... even Xia Shou was unsure.

However, judging from what Edward has done so far, it is highly likely that he is in the same camp as Jin Fenglong.

That guy, for what he believed to be right, was willing to decisively abandon his official status in the Control Bureau and use the Genocide Thunder Spear to kill tens of thousands of innocent people.

It's impossible for such a person to sacrifice the future of humanity just for immediate pleasure.

So... did Edward and Kim Feng-ryong keep this a secret from the minister because they thought the minister would be biased towards self-interest in that kind of choice?

Xia Shoucang, with a purpose in mind, asked in a casual tone of simple curiosity, "Then what was your answer, Minister?"

"I would probably choose to exchange, after all, if I want to live the life I want, then it would be the wish of all mankind. Xia, do you like the world in the book without supernatural powers?" Shangguan Yan asked with a light laugh, as if this kind of question and answer was particularly interesting.

But Xia Shou replied very seriously, "I think... if I liked that kind of world, I wouldn't have come out of the book."

Shangguan Yan was taken aback for a moment, then quickly regained his composure: "That makes sense."

She paused for a few seconds, then casually asked, "But you left that world mostly because of external interference, right? What if there were no interference at all? Would you want that kind of life?"

This time, it was Xia Shou's turn to fall silent.

He tilted his head, looked at the teapot on the table and pondered for a long time before finally giving his answer: "It's hard to say. If this premise is absolutely true, I might be willing, but if it's freedom promised by someone else, it might be taken back by them, right?"

That would mean losing the freedom to resist, while refusing such a deal might mean losing other freedoms, but at least gaining the freedom to resist.

(End of this chapter)