The Warrior of Love

The little girl took off the hood of her cloak, revealing her long pink hair, a lively and lovely face, and a pair of cute and lively ears on her head.

Perhaps because he was relaxed, the hem of his cloak was slowly lifted up, and the tail that had been tucked in when he was running away became fluffy again, swaying back and forth as if to get some fresh air outside...

"Big brother, you are so awesome, are you a ranger? My name is Xiaoyu, and I am a shrine maiden!"

Jiang Liu: “…”

"Huh? Big brother, why don't you say anything? You look like someone hit you in the face."

"No, nothing... I just feel that things in the world are unpredictable or something."

After calming down, Jiang Liu looked at the witch Xiaoyu, who seemed to be only twelve or thirteen years old, and would later become the Algae Girl, and smiled gently.

"Big Brother has an acquaintance who looks very much like you. She is also a shrine maiden, and she has ears."

Chapter 227: Changes in the World

After leaving One Piece, the power gained from Growth Manifestation was not much, only the level of the three-color domineering had increased, and it seemed that they had all reached the ultimate state. But other than that, there was no extra gain.

It seems that because he ate the Dark-Dark Fruit and awakened the Dark Mecha God, his growth rate has been quite large.

But now he didn't have time to count his gains, so he chatted happily with Xiaoyu.

"Where are you from, big brother? Your accent is so strange, and sometimes there are some languages ​​that Xiaoyu has never heard before mixed in... But it's so strange, I have never been exposed to such a language, but I can understand what it means?

Hehe, after meeting big brother, Xiaoyu feels like there are a lot more things in her head. "

"Well, I come from a very, very far place, farther away than the end of the world."

"Is it farther than the land of Baiyue?"

"Ah."

"Farther than the land where the sun rises?"

"Ah."

"Farther than the Arabs?"

"Ah."

"Awesome...that's really far away."

The pink-haired little girl with fox ears was wearing a robe in the style of the era, with a dust-proof cloak on the outside. She seemed very excited along the way and asked Jiang Liu a lot of questions.

"Xiaoyu has only been to the eastern Qi State. It is said that there are overseas fairy islands and Fusang Country beyond the sea east of Qi State. His Majesty the First Emperor even sent his men to look for them and built a very large ship... But the guards were very strict, so I couldn't get on it."

Jiang Liu looked at her ears and asked, "Xiaoyu, you are not an ordinary person, right?"

The girl was startled and subconsciously tightened her cloak to cover her ears.

"Is it really too eye-catching?"

"Yeah, I can't help but want to see it...but it's cute."

"Eh? Cute? You mean Xiaoyu?"

"Yeah...did I say anything weird?" Jiang Liu scratched his head, "I was just telling the truth."

"Cute or something, no one has ever said that..."

Xiaoyu's expression was a little lonely: "Since I became conscious, I don't know how long I have been wandering in this land. I have neither a hometown nor relatives. The only thing I know is that I am different from ordinary people.

The people I met either treated me as a goblin or a goddess or witch. No one wanted to get close to me unless it was necessary.

But I also know that there is nothing I can do about it. After all, I look different from others, and humans are creatures that are wary of those who are different from themselves."

"It looks like you've suffered a lot."

Jiang Liu stretched out his hand and wanted to touch her head, but his hand stopped halfway, and he withdrew it after hesitating for a moment.

"Ok?"

"Ah, nothing... Anyway, how did Xiaoyu get targeted by this evil dragon?"

Jiang Liu raised his thumb and pointed backwards. Immediately, a dark area opened up behind him, from which came the roars of the monsters struggling, unwilling, and humiliated.

"Hey, you're still quite energetic. Looks like we need to step up our efforts."

With a light snap of his fingers, the dark area closed, and a second before that, an even stranger sound came from inside.

Training... should be called "erosion". As one of the abilities of the Dark-Dark Fruit, Jiang Liu can control the dark aura to materialize and invade the body and mind of the captives, bringing them under his control.

Although it looks like a villain skill, fortunately Jiang Liu has no bad taste and has never used it on humans. He also has no plans to use it on humans in the future, because that always makes Jiang Liu feel like he has become a villain.

However, there is no psychological barrier to using it for demon beasts, monsters, ghosts, etc. Moreover, this evil dragon seems to be a pest that does not even let go of little Lolita, and it does not deserve sympathy at all...

Strictly speaking, it is the first experimental product, and Jiang Liu himself is also studying how to better utilize this ability.

Well, is the tentacle form better, or is the immersive experience like slime more trendy - just kidding.

Jiang Liu's sexual preferences were relatively normal, and even if this kind of thing was done to him by non-human creatures, he would not feel excited at all.

"It wasn't me who provoked it."

Xiaoyu said with a bitter face: "I used to be a priestess of Taiyi, the Donghuang (the sun god of Chu), in the State of Chu. I lived a pretty good life. After Wang Jian destroyed Chu, I drifted to the Central Plains and lived a homeless life.

I just found a small place to settle down not long ago, and was worshipped as a witch doctor and goddess. Although I am so young, I usually take on my responsibilities and pray to the gods for them... But isn't this a change in the world? Many things have changed. "

"Sudden changes in heaven and earth?" Jiang Liu frowned, feeling as if he had grasped some key information.

But Xiaoyu didn't seem to notice and continued talking to herself, as if she wanted to pour out all the depression she had experienced over the years in one breath.

"Since the strange changes in heaven and earth, the weather has become strange and unpredictable. Sometimes it snows in May and June, sometimes there are floods in winter, and sometimes thunder strikes for no apparent reason...

The residents in the county town were better off because they had the protection of the alchemists affiliated with the empire, but for most of the rural areas, the empire was simply unable to provide shelter and it was difficult for them to survive under such a natural disaster.

At this time, a goddess like me has to take on the responsibility of communicating with the heavens, or even praying for rain... Well, it's okay, after all, I think I've done a good job.

But later, all kinds of inexplicable harmful animals also ran out, as if returning to ancient times. The harm caused by these things is more serious than natural disasters. No, if you must say it, they can also be regarded as a kind of natural disaster. "

Hearing this, Jiang Liu almost understood: "Is the evil dragon also a part of it?"

"It's relatively easy to deal with - but I'm still no match for him."

Xiaoyu scratched her head in embarrassment. "This evil dragon burned the fields of the nearby villages and ate a lot of livestock. I was commissioned to exterminate it, but both the villagers and myself seemed to have underestimated the difficulty of this task."

Although the priestess is a kind of clergyman in a sense, not all religious people are as good at fighting as a certain happy priest. Some of them prefer clerical professions.

There is no doubt that Xiaoyu is not good at fighting. Her original intention was to persuade the evil dragon through communication. In fact, there are quite a few harmful beasts that can communicate with her, and there are indeed examples of mutual understanding.

Being as determined to kill her as a dragon is...quite rare.

But it must be because of his “background”.

Xiaoyu herself seems to have no "original" memories, but she is actually the incarnation of a god, born from the water and soil that symbolize the earth's veins, and a god that responds to the sun.

Although it is only one-ninth of the origin of that "divine spirit", the essence is undoubtedly the same.

In Feng Shui, the earth veins have a very complex relationship with the dragon species.

Xiaoyu may have fox ears, but if you really want to say it, she might be closer to a dragon or an elf in nature.

The evil dragon probably intended to devour Xiaoyu and evolve to a higher level, but his plan was destroyed by Jiang Liu before he could realize it.

"Speaking of which, what exactly is the change in heaven and earth?"

"Hmm? Oh, come to think of it, you came from a very far place, so you don't know what's going on here."

Xiaoyu thought about it and seemed to have just sorted it out into simple, easy-to-understand language.

"If I had to put it in a word, it was the wrong order... The wheels that were supposed to run straight went off the track and flipped the car over with them. That's how it felt."

Jiang Liu couldn't help but complain: "Although you may think it is easy to understand, it is difficult for me to understand such an abstract answer."

Xiaoyu had a mischievous smile on her face, and she seemed to enjoy showing off her knowledge in front of Jiang Liu.

"Then let's start from the beginning, from the sudden death of the First Emperor, and then the rise of the White Huns..."

Chapter 228: Three Colors

——The First Emperor Ying Zheng.

There is no human being in this land who does not know this name.

Ever since the "Son of Heaven" lost his authority, the princes have been in chaos, starting a chaotic era that lasted for hundreds of years. In the chaotic era, seven overlords gradually grew up: Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei, and Qin.

Although there are differences between the strong and the weak, there is no real weak person. They attack, check and balance each other, and form alliances. The result is that each of them is in the limelight for a while, and no one has truly dominated the world.

Every country has its times of prosperity, but also has moments of decline and near extinction, but in the end they all survive miraculously.

Perhaps, during these hundreds of years of chaos, the people living on this land have developed unimaginable resilience and have the courage to rise up and resist no matter what adversity they face.

No matter which country, when faced with a crisis, there are always some outstanding people who emerge to save everything.

Then, naturally, under this fierce competition, the forms of countries and wars were constantly changing. From the Spring and Autumn Period, which still adhered to benevolence and righteousness, to the Warring States Period, which completely collapsed and became a world of great contention, countless ups and downs occurred in between, like a microcosm of human history.

Judging from the number of "heroes" and legendary stories, the level of "prosperity" during this period is probably among the highest in the entire human history.

As a result, unimaginable monsters were raised at the end of the era...

What is referred to here is not a certain country or a certain king, but the product of the combination of a specific country and a specific king.

Before this, no one had ever thought that the Age of Strife would end in this way.

In this era and in the more distant past, there have been wise and powerful monarchs, powerful countries abound, and even powerful armies that swept across the world were not uncommon.

However, they were unable to maintain their hegemony, nor did they have the power to end this chaotic world.

No one would deny the abilities of talents like Guan Zhong, Yue Yi, Sun Wu, and Wu Qi, nor would anyone question the courage of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. Perhaps there were many limitations that hindered them, but what could not be done could not be done.

Although the underlying reasons cannot be explained in a few words, the consensus of this era is this: as it was before, it will be like this in the future; there may be rise and fall, but the era of great contention will not change.

Until that person appears.

Before this, perhaps the most courageous monarchs only aimed to become the "common ruler of the world" and make other countries submit to them. In essence, they were just advanced versions of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period.

This is definitely not a sign of lack of ambition, it can only be said to be common sense of this era.

However, "he" destroyed this common sense without any interest and began his own brutal and terrifying conquest.

Within a dozen years, he ended the chaos that had lasted for hundreds of years and became the true supreme being in the world, the only "Son of Heaven".

Abandoning the title of king in favor of the emperor, abolishing feudal fiefdoms and setting up counties, standardizing the writing system and the wheel gauge, conquering the Baiyue and defeating the Xiongnu - each of these events is enough to leave an indelible mark in history, and in fact it is so.

Most of the kings in later generations would find it difficult to accomplish anything as great as any of these in their entire lives, and there are very few who can compare with them in terms of achievements.

Especially in this era, in the hearts of the people who can personally experience his power, his image transcends human limitations and reaches the level of God... or vice versa.

His power is so unshakable that he can push through radical changes with impunity, and his opponents are not even allowed to look at him.

In this case, it is natural that people would hate you.

Of course, he was a monarch with great talent and vision, but he was also an out-and-out tyrant - these two points are not contradictory.

People in later generations will probably discover his greatness and praise him, but in this era, fear and resentment towards him have long been buried in the hearts of the people.

This is a perfectly normal thing. Objectively speaking, it is even "just" to feel resentment towards them.

From the perspective of the Qin Dynasty, this was a great conquest. From the perspective of later generations, this was the foundation of "great unification".

But in the eyes of the people of the six countries that were destroyed at that time, this was simply being invaded, plundered, and dominated.

Kings were beheaded, imprisoned, and exiled, royal families were treated as slaves, the dignity and lives of the people were ruthlessly trampled upon, and even their own writing could not be preserved.

Are our descendants going to serve the enemies who killed our loved ones, use their writing and language, and completely forget their ancestors? There must be many people who would think this way.

From this perspective, they are the ones who hold the righteous position.

They just feared the emperor's authority, so they dared not resist.

If the emperor could really live forever, he could use time to make people forget their hatred, but he died like an ordinary person.

It turns out that the "Emperor" is not a real god - I wonder how many people will breathe a sigh of relief?

Naturally, the unresolved hatred began to erupt, and the extremely powerful empire immediately fell into collapse.

This is not simply a mess caused by the incompetence of his successor - perhaps that is part of the reason, but not all.

The reason is simple. It is just the lingering cry from the last era... the chaotic times that were ended by the First Emperor himself.

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. If you are robbed, you must take it back. If your relatives are killed, you must retaliate double. Anger dominates everyone in this era.

Qin was angry, the remnants of the six kingdoms were angry, and the people who had been living in peace but were dragged into this were also angry. Although their reasons were different, in the end it would turn into a battlefield of killing each other.