On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

But Baer couldn't do that to Lord Ash. He couldn't fight Liao Ji as an enemy every time. Or perhaps, his original goal was to be defeated by Lord Ash himself. That would be the best ending for him, right?

After all, at least during that battle, Lord Ash belonged to him alone. All of Lord Ash's attention was focused on him. Lord Ash was watching him closely, even though he was disfigured and ugly.

This time

It should be said that he won "favor" from the Dragon Girl, right?

Thinking of this, Ba'er, with his last bit of strength, asked Liao Ji, "So...Lord Ash, you brought Jiu You to...the Southern Territory for...me?"

After all, in Ba'er's view, even if Lord Ash really returned, the simplest and most effective way for him to change the status quo of the Dragon Kingdom would be to directly use the Dragon Girl's "Empress" status to replace all the corrupt high-ranking officials of the Dragon Kingdom and introduce various new policies.

Instead of using the power of the "Empress" as she does now, she has the Dragon Girl disguised as an ordinary guard and come to the southern territory of the demi-humans, seemingly to start from the bottom of the revolutionary army.

The only reason Ba'er could think of for Lord Ash to do this seemed to be that Lord Ash wanted to bring Jiu You to see him, and that Lord Ash wanted to come and persuade him.

Unfortunately, Liao Ji's subsequent answer left Ba'er somewhat stunned.

Because he received the most unbelievable answer.

The young man sighed, shrugged with a hint of helplessness, and after the elf's lap pillow, Liao Ji, having released his stress, wasn't so burdened by his "idol image" anymore. Therefore, he spoke frankly:

"No, actually it's because I lack the political ability and have no experience in governing a country. Even if you really let me drastically reform the Dragon Kingdom, it would probably only become more chaotic."

Ba'er's eyes widened as he tried to discern a joke from Liao Ji's face, but unfortunately, Liao Ji was very serious. When he realized that Lord Ash wasn't teasing him, Ba'er was initially shocked, because in his mind, Lord Ash was omnipotent and nothing could stump him.

But soon, that shocked expression turned into a smile, not a mockery—how could he have the right to mock? It was more like a sense of relief.

Barr stared at the sky.

So even Lord Ash isn't perfect; there are things he can't do.

Indeed it is.

That's probably why Lord Ash needs them, right?

Thinking of this, when Ba'er turned his gaze to the Crimson Lotus Wings behind Liao Ji, there was no longer any jealousy, only a pure longing.

Looking at those powerful wings, carrying the pressure and domineering aura brought by the dragon bloodline, and finally the raging flames of heat, everything was so perfect and flawless. These must be the Crimson Lotus Wings that so many people dream of.

really

Even after being "objectified," she is still so beautiful.

As his life force rapidly faded, a curiosity suddenly arose in Ba'er's heart. This curiosity grew stronger and stronger, and soon it turned into a desire. It even made his spirit, which was on its last breath, no longer weak, but somewhat invigorated.

because

Before leaving, Ba'er wanted to know what about himself.

What will he be "objectified" into in Lord Ash's hands?

Although Bar could already guess the outcome.

A person as sinful and lost as him will likely end up as something ugly and repulsive.

Keba'er still harbored a sliver of hope.

What if?

It was this "what if" that transformed into a strong emotion, causing Ba'er to reach out and grab Liao Ji's sleeve, casting a longing look at Liao Ji. If he could become one of Ash Lord's tools before he died, and stay by Ash Lord's side, then such an ending would be his final atonement, right?

Having understood the meaning in Ba'er's eyes, Liao Ji did not refuse.

He placed his hand on Ba'er's chest, and the power of the Touch of Turbidity was activated again. Just like before, the Touch of Turbidity linked him with Ba'er, allowing him to enter the deepest part of Ba'er's heart.

But unlike the previous times,

Liao Ji looked at the pitch-black void inside his heart; nothing remained except filth and black mud.

This means that Ba'er actually died a long time ago. The reason he is still alive is because his whole body has been transformed into a turbid monster. Under his human-shaped appearance, his body is actually full of black mud. He has no organs left, and it is all black mud that sustains his life.

The premise of the "materialization" of the Touch of Turbidity is that the other party must be a Turbidity Being, a being that can coexist with Turbidity, rather than being completely reduced to a Turbidity Monster wearing the skin of a living being but actually just a walking corpse, as it is now.

To put it more simply

Bar didn't even qualify to be "objectified" by the Touch of Turbidity.

No matter how hard Liao Ji tried to activate it, the Touch of Turbidity remained unresponsive. As if sensing something, Ba'er's expression changed from initial excitement when Liao Ji placed his hand on it, to anticipation, to bewildered confusion after several seconds of silence.

why?

Why is it so slow?

He had seen Liao Ji release the Turbid Touch on the Dragon Girl before. In just a few seconds, the Dragon Girl transformed into the incomparably beautiful red lotus wings behind Lord Ash.

But why is there still no movement when it comes to him?

Could it be that Lord Ash is unwilling to remove himself because he finds his "objectified" form too ugly?

No, it's impossible.

Lord Ash is definitely not that kind of person.

So, is the problem with him?

Could it be that he...

Just before Ba'er thought of the despairing and unacceptable truth, Liao Ji's previously dim palm suddenly shone brightly, obscuring Ba'er's entire vision. By the time Ba'er regained his senses...

A small flower appeared in Liao Ji's hand, as if it had just been taken out of his "body".

The little flower was nothing special; it was just like any other wildflower you could see by the roadside.

"What is this?!"

"It seems you're quite special, Bar."

"So this is me... my true self?"

"Yes."

"Is it... is it beautiful?"

"It's beautiful."

"I see."

In fact, Ba'er's sanity had already almost completely vanished, otherwise he would have been able to discover the simplest loophole: if this flower was truly his "objectification," then his body should have disappeared long ago.

But it was precisely because he didn't realize the lie that Ba'er would still use the last bit of strength in his life to keep his eyes fixed on the flower in Liao Ji's hand, even as his body began to collapse, the filthy black mud turned into black mist and evaporated into the air, and Ba'er's vision became more and more blurred, but his gaze never left the flower, the flower that even Lord Ash could praise.

This undoubtedly proves that even if he may be ugly in appearance and has been misled and led astray, at least in the end, his inner essence is still beautiful.

Just like this flower.

"thank you"

"Lord Ashes"

After leaving behind these last words, Ba'er closed his eyes. His decaying body, which had clung to life for hundreds of years by clinging to the turbid black mud, finally found complete peace at this moment, turning into dust carried by the wind.

has it ended?

ended.

Chapter 136 Methods for Building a Better Nation (Part 1)

After Ba'er died, Liao Ji had no reason to fight. He quickly deactivated Jiu You's "materialization" state, and the flames on the Crimson Lotus Wings on his back quickly went out until the entire wings turned into nothingness. In their place, the figure of the Dragon Girl reappeared beside Liao Ji.

Although Jiuyou was always behind Liao Ji in the form of "Red Lotus Wings", she was not deprived of her consciousness and silently saw everything, not only the entire battle, but also the conversation between Liao Ji and Ba'er afterward, as well as the final lie of Lord Ash.

That is why Jiuyou now looks down at the place where Ba'er died. This comrade who fought alongside her five hundred years ago, and who was once at the same "height" as her guard, can not even leave behind a complete skeleton. Only black mud and filth that have turned into mist and smoke are evaporating.

Perhaps the only thing that can prove that Bal once existed is the flower stem that was broken by Lord Ash next to Bal's corpse?

Suddenly, Jiu You frowned.

She noticed something unusual. As the black mud decreased, it revealed something hidden deep within Ba'er's corpse that hadn't disappeared along with it.

Upon closer inspection, it was...

Another flower?

Its appearance resembles a blooming lotus flower, yet its petals are as black as ink.

It seemed to have been born from the mud of Ba'er's corpse, but unfortunately it failed to remain spotless in the filth like a true lotus.

Despite being dyed black, it doesn't give off an eerie or evil feeling. Clearly, it retains its last bit of pride, because someone once told it that it is special and still beautiful.

Liao Ji soon discovered the black lotus as well. However, unlike Long Niang's complete confusion, when he focused his gaze on the black lotus, a prompt about the black lotus appeared.

[Bal's Soul Fragments]

Quality: ★★★★★ (Disaster Level)

Rarity: Unique

[Effect: This contains some information about Ba'er during his lifetime. If you can successfully read and use it, you can obtain certain memory fragments.]

Fragments of the soul?

Liao Ji didn't remember having such an item in the game. After he picked it up from the black mud, the black lotus emitted a deep, eerie light in Liao Ji's hand. The petals of the lotus seemed to reflect the shadow of a high priest, who was none other than the former Ba'er.

Because of the panel instructions, Liao Ji roughly understood its function, but the problem was...

How do I use it?

There was no instruction on "how to use" on it, and when Liao Ji looked at the dragon girl beside him for a question, unsurprisingly, he received a shake of his head from Jiu You. Things like "soul fragments" were too profound and complicated for a guard like her, and the dragon girl simply didn't understand them.

Fine.

Whenever this happens, Liao Ji would involuntarily conjure up the image of a pink-haired succubus in his mind. When it comes to tinkering with these things, Lena, as a "superpowered" person, should be the best at it, right?

I wonder if it's telepathy.

Liao Ji had just thought of Lena when, a second later, he suddenly felt a sensation. Soon, an item that he had previously "confiscated" from the Dragon Girl in his item space jumped out on its own and floated in front of him.

That is

a book.

To be precise, it's a "training" manual.

That's right.

It was the training manual that almost made him "crawl" out of the dragon girl's tent.