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

Giving the dragon girl this manual was also to acknowledge her as the author of this "training manual".

It's Lena!

Before Liao Ji and Jiu You could react, the goal of this manual seemed to be very clear.

The appearance of the Baer soul fragment seemed to trigger some hidden spell in the manual, causing the manual to fly directly in front of the black lotus. Then, the manual opened on its own, and a suction force came, actually "eating" the Baer soul fragment into the manual!

No.

Judging from its subsequent performance, this seems more like a "reading" ability.

After "eating" the black lotus, the manual began to glow with pink light. After a few breaths, when the manual was opened again, its contents had been miraculously rewritten. It was no longer the previous "training" instructions, but had become lines of new text.

That is

Text about "curse rituals".

Liao Ji and Long Niang didn't need to actually read it word by word. The manual quickly flipped through the pages in front of them automatically, transforming these complex and profound obscure words into a series of memory images in their minds. The owner in the images was none other than Ba ​​Er in his previous life.

The above detailed how Ba'er researched and developed the curse ritual for the demi-human races, which was the origin of the skull altar deep in the forbidden area of ​​the Ancient Wolf Clan that Liao Ji had visited before, and how Ba'er, with the help of "Mother," used the massive Turbid Calamity to complete the curse on all demi-human races.

It was this vicious bloodline curse that led to the decline of the demi-human races, causing them to lose their power and no longer produce "Relic Masters." The gap between them and the northern humans widened, which eventually led to the implementation of the slave system.

The memory didn't last long; the light from the manual gradually faded, indicating that the fragments of Ba'er's soul ended there.

Meanwhile, in Liao Ji and Jiu You's minds, an additional memory had appeared, detailing how to perform this "curse ritual."

The purpose of Ba'er leaving himself this fragment of soul is very clear: to help him eliminate the curse on the demi-human races, which is also the root cause of the Dragon Kingdom's current division and decline.

As long as the bloodline curse remains, the power of the demi-human race and humans will never be equal. Even if they abolish slavery in the Dragon Kingdom later, it will only be a temporary solution.

Ultimately, no amount of political slogans will help two races to truly coexist; genuine respect comes from equal power on both sides.

Liao Ji ended the curse by destroying the ritual altar, so the newborn demi-humans will no longer be cursed. But the problem now is, what should be done with the millions of demi-humans left in the Dragon Kingdom who have already been cursed?

While constantly replacing the old generation with new blood can indeed eventually eliminate the curse, it's far too slow.

Previously, Liao Ji used "Holy Light" to prove that Estheria's power could indeed remove the curse, but it's impossible to have the nun remove it for every single demi-human. Holy Light is indeed very effective for a single individual, but for a large group, it's just a drop in the ocean.

However, the fragment of soul that Ba'er left them has clearly given Liao Ji another way and method.

Perform a reverse curse.

That is

Bloodline blessing ceremony.

The ritual was performed once again to "neutralize" the curse currently afflicting the demi-humans. This was Ba'er's answer to Liao Ji, or rather, to the dragon girl beside Liao Ji.

After all, whether it's a curse or a blessing, there's one thing you can't escape: it requires a massive amount of turbidity and misfortune.

The original Bal relied on the "Mother" of the old alliance to supply this part of the turbidity.

For them right now...

Only Jiu You, being a "Calamity-level" being, sacrificed this portion of her power to complete the ritual.

This would allow the demi-human races to truly rise and restore the broken Dragon Kingdom to its former glory, but the price would be that Jiu You herself would likely suffer a severe blow.

Even serious

Downgraded.

Chapter 137 Methods for Building a Better Nation (Part 2)

Jiu You was also aware of what Liao Ji had thought of, after all, they had absorbed Ba Er's soul fragments together.

So

The choice was placed before the Dragon Girl.

Liao Ji remained silent and did not interfere, leaving the choice entirely to Jiu You.

Jiuyou admitted that she did hesitate for a moment, and even backed down.

It's hard to imagine that the word "retreat" would appear in the Dragon Girl's dictionary. As a top-tier Guardian, she has always adhered to the qualities of a warrior. She is fearless in the face of even the most powerful enemies, and no matter how desperate the predicament, she will not lose her fighting spirit.

Otherwise, she would have given up long ago when Lord Ash threw her into the monster-filled lair, but she didn't run away.

But now

Jiu You clenched her fists.

What made her hesitate was not that she was reluctant to give up these powers, but that if she lost these powers, she would lose the right to stay by Lord Ash's side.

I can no longer fight for Lord Ash.

After becoming "useless," she was abandoned by Lord Ash.

This is the reason why the Dragon Girl is backing down now.

If she were still the Empress on the Dragon Palace, Jiu You believed she would have ignored the fragments of Ba'er's soul without hesitation. After all, for her at that time, nothing was more important than staying by Lord Ash's side.

The so-called Dragon Kingdom and the so-called Empress are nothing more than tools for Lord Ash.

So what Sthiuthia said to her about "resentment and dislike" was actually quite accurate.

she was

He is a very selfish person.

However, it was precisely because of this that Lord Ash took her to the Southern Territory, concealing her identity, that she saw the true appearance of the demi-humans and witnessed the people living a difficult life under the Dragon Kingdom.

Furthermore and

It allowed her to see her former companions and their descendants.

Jiu You's mindset had already subtly changed.

Putting Lord Ash first remains her unwavering belief, but after the journey to the Southern Territory, Jiu You already has an answer in her heart that she is unwilling to face but must admit.

She doesn't deserve it.

How can someone who has turned a country into this be worthy of respect? How can someone who doesn't even care about the descendants of their former comrades be worthy of respect? Just as Ba'er sharply questioned her at the end, what does she have left besides power and a pretty face?

and so.

After taking a deep breath, Jiu You had already made up her mind.

She could no longer selfishly use her power and appearance to occupy the position next to Lord Ash.

She can no longer afford to stagnate.

I need to improve myself.

Now is her chance to take that next step and try to do what a true "Empress" should do.

Only when I am worthy of the title of "Empress" can I be worthy of staying by Ash's side.

"I'm sorry, Lord Ash."

After a moment of silence, Long Niang spoke, and Liao Ji smiled at Jiu You's choice.

"Apologize for what?"

“I know that now is the time when you need strength the most, and when you need me the most, but I still want to use this ritual of Ba’er.”

Jiuyou quickly added, "If you allow me to."

"There's no question of permission or prohibition. I'll face whatever decision you make with you. Of course, I'm even happier that you've chosen to take this step."

Liao Ji was telling the truth, not only to the dragon girl in front of him, but also to the remaining four "them". Liao Ji did not want them to always have only themselves in their sight. Everyone should have other goals, pursuits and careers. This is what Liao Ji wanted to see.

It's like having your own personal guard versus an empress respected by countless people. Obviously, having the latter as a wife would be more exciting, right?

cough.

"Lord Ash, will you still remember Jiuyou after this?" the Dragon Girl suddenly asked.

"What?"

"Will you forget my name like you did with Ba'er? If Jiu You is no longer the strongest, loses her talent in the ritual, and becomes an ordinary dragon-human demi-human, will you strip Jiu You of her power and give it to a new guard? Is that human named Irene the one you intend to use to replace Jiu You? You..."

Seeing Long Niang's little mouth agape, with an unprecedentedly pitiful expression, her little hands clutching the hem of her clothes, and her other hand counting on her fingers as if recounting her "tragic" fate to come, Liao Ji hurriedly interrupted.

"Jiuyou! What are you thinking! Do you really think I'm such a calculating person!?"

Recalling what Lord Ash did five hundred years ago.

Long Niang nodded to Liao Ji.

But seeing Lord Ash's exasperated appearance, Jiu You quickly shook her head again in order not to anger him.

"You! You!"

Liao Ji was furious that the Dragon Girl had such thoughts as if she were "handling the aftermath," but what angered him even more was that, after thinking about his previous behavior in the game, he didn't really have anything to refute.

"Anyway, Jiuyou, don't worry. No matter what you do, I will never abandon you! Also, don't be so pessimistic. Didn't I say that whatever you choose, I will face it with you!"

"Together...we'll face it?"

"Of course, how could I let you sacrifice your strength while I just stand by and watch!" Liao Ji said without hesitation.

"But..."

"No buts. Even if you don't believe me, you have to believe Lena."

Liao Ji's words puzzled Long Niang even more.

What does this have to do with Lena?

Liao Ji snorted coldly at this.

Looking back at every point since I came to the Dragon Kingdom from the Holy Kingdom, I can see the shadow of that pink-haired succubus. From the tricks she played with "Tears of the Hearthstone" at the beginning, to the simultaneous arrival of Jiuyou and Sciutia in the Sealed City, and finally, as if she had laid the groundwork for this moment, jumping out to help "read" the training manual of the Baer Soul Fragment.

If it were just a coincidence once or twice, it could be considered a coincidence, but this is the third time. Liao Ji doesn't believe that the pink-haired succubus hasn't been watching them all along.

It's quite possible that even the current fragments of Ba'er's soul, and the crucial "blessing ritual" for resolving the Dragon Kingdom, were all within Lena's expectations.

Given this, based on my understanding of Lena, she would never actually let Jiuyou take such a risk. There must be some safer and more secure measures in place, such as modifying the Baer ritual to make it more advanced and reducing the amount of power required.

After all, Bar was just a "mutated" guard who became a "psychic" priest.

But the pink-haired succubus is a true pinnacle of "psychic abilities." For Lena, improving Ba'er's ritual is not a difficult task at all. There is no magic in this world that can stump Lena, a genius.

What confirmed Liao Ji's suspicions even more was the memory of how to perform the ritual that now existed in his mind.