The villain's way to tame the protagonist

Under the increasingly suffocating pressure, a cold and indifferent voice that was extremely familiar to everyone suddenly rang out.

Ming Fuluo, who was sitting at the end of the conference table, pushed her glasses expressionlessly and said, "If you have the time, why don't you try to advance the research of new etheric firearms and floating guns? This is more useful than making half-finished products."

She had been staying in the alchemy workshop and had no way of knowing the progress of other people's work and alchemy items. At that time, she thought Anser was right. For warlocks of this level, discussion would not produce any effective results. It was the best choice to study their own weapons separately. But now it seems...

Because of the tremendous pressure from Ivora, everyone was forced into the trap of pursuing perfection, and coupled with the lack of sufficient time, in the end no one was able to produce weapons that could be used in this war.

The woman slowly closed her eyes and calmed the anger surging in her heart.

This is also... Hydra's trap.

It was not a delusion of persecution or an over-imagination. The entire thread that formed in Ming Furo's mind pointed to this point.

Because the poisonous snake knew very well that in this world, he was the only one who could follow his thinking, and only he... could see his unique transcendence.

All other alchemists and scholars were still trapped in the times. Even though they had seen the power of guns and floating guns, once they considered the true "power", they would immediately fall into that old and absurd vicious circle.

Swords, bows, armor, hammers, staffs... It seems that there are only these kinds of weapons in the world, as if the ether circuits and elements attached can only be used on these things.

It seems that only by creating a "unique" weapon can one be considered to have created a truly powerful weapon.

But there was one sentence that Anser had casually said to her when they were chatting, and Ming Furo remembered it very clearly.

"The most valuable and powerful attribute of all manufacturable products is 'mass production'."

Ming Furo did not agree with this statement at first, but as she got to know Ansel better and saw the world more clearly in his eyes, she gained a real and profound understanding of this statement.

The ether gun is indeed an ether weapon that breaks through the limitations of traditional weapons, but its initial appearance did not plunge the entire empire into an irresistible wave. You can even characterize it as a special spellcasting medium, an alternative staff.

But when Ming Furo announced that the ether firearms could be mass-produced, the meaning of this "alternative staff" became completely different.

"...ether guns and floating guns."

Hendrick was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "Ming Fuluo, that kind of thing..."

Before he could finish his words, the door of the conference room suddenly opened.

Anser, who had been staying inside the Tower of Babel for the past few days, walked into the depressing room with Xitana. Facing the surprised or delighted looks, he said in a gentle voice: "I hope I didn't disturb you. I didn't intend to participate in your meeting, but after thinking about it, I think it's better to listen to your understanding of the current situation and subsequent plans."

"Don't mind me." He walked to the end of the conference table, opposite Ming Fuluo, pulled out a chair and sat down, smiling and said, "Go on, oh, I may raise some questions or comments along the way, I hope I can help you."

"...That really couldn't be better."

Anser's appearance made Hendrick breathe a sigh of relief, and the expressions of the senior executives of the Tower of Babel present also improved significantly - except Ming Furo.

She stared at Anser who was sitting opposite her. Seeing his calm expression, she suddenly had a bad feeling in her heart.

The woman's mind frantically flashed through thoughts of him and everything he had done recently, and then all the images froze at the moment before he walked in, the moment Hendrick wanted to speak.

"Where were we just talking about... Oh, Ming Fuluo said to upgrade the guns and floating guns."

Hendrick sighed and said, "Although the idea is good and we should be able to do it, but... Ming Fuluo, this war is not so much a war as it is a fight between the extraordinary people of two territories. All we can do is to provide the best weapons to their strongest extraordinary people, and the upper limit of guns and floating guns... is far from meeting our needs."

Ming Fuluo didn't say anything, but the sense of danger and even trembling reached its peak at this moment.

"Oh?"

At this moment when Ming Fuluo was so silent, Ansher suddenly spoke.

He tapped the tabletop rhythmically with his five fingers and asked with interest:

"So Mr. Londel thinks that the extraordinary are the ones who decide everything?"

"..." Hendrick was stunned for a moment, then nodded subconsciously, "That's true. After all, it is for the use of extraordinary people, and extraordinary people are themselves..."

As he was talking, he suddenly felt that something was wrong, but in the current context and situation, he couldn't find out where the sense of incongruity came from.

It is naturally correct that only the extraordinary people can decide everything in this war.

The extraordinary people dominate the world, and war and fighting are just a small part of this domination.

There is certainly nothing wrong with this idea or this thought.

It was these extremely correct words that made Ming Furo stand up suddenly.

"The extraordinary person... is himself?"

She stared at Hendrick and said word by word, "Hendrick, do you think that the extraordinary people are the foundation?"

"...Ming Fuluo, what we should discuss now is weapons, not--"

Hendrick obviously noticed Ming Furo's mood change. He didn't want Ming Furo to be so rude in front of Ansir, so he wanted to skip this topic as soon as possible, which he himself found a little strange.

But obviously... when he said that, the direction of the entire conversation was already in Anther's hands.

"Is there any problem with the extraordinary being the foundation?"

The young Hydra leaned back slightly, leaning against the back of the chair, and spoke words that were completely different from the conversation three years ago: "The extraordinary people dominate everything, of course, everything is dominated by the extraordinary people, Miss Ming Fuluo...what are you wondering about?"

Anser smiled as he said this, and turned to look at Hendrick:

"Isn't that right, Mr. Rondel?"

Hendrick seemed to have sensed something was wrong. He was silent for a while, then nodded with some difficulty, "I think you are right, Lord Anser."

"..."

Ming Fuluo suddenly fell silent.

She simply stopped talking and sat back in her seat without trying to argue.

This was Hydra's plan, she warned herself.

This was obvious, a malicious move designed to make her feel alienated, isolated, and like she had no one else like her in the world.

But so what? Babel is a seeker of truth, not like the Ether Court, which monopolizes knowledge and resources, is chained by greed and power, and becomes a slave of the extraordinary.

Even without you, I still have hope of seeing my companion in the new world, Hydra.

...Besides, what if there is no one to accompany you?

I can do it alone, even if I am alone, even if I leave everything behind... I can still go on, I will definitely go on.

What's more, Hydra, do you think that when I have no choice, I will definitely choose to rely on you?

The woman subconsciously clenched her fists and whispered in her heart.

You have never regretted your lies, which means... you never really wanted to walk with me. Everything is just your lies.

Just lies.

only……

Ming Fuluo lowered her head and remained silent, looking at the chest of the puppet body. There was no heart there, only a cavity full of ether circuits.

Ansir Hydra, the devil deceived himself so viciously that he used ideals to weave a dreamlike scene in an attempt to tame himself.

All he wanted was his absolute, unrepentant loyalty. He didn't care about anything else, including the false and brilliant illusion he described.

Lie... Ming Fuluo knew it was a lie.

But why, when she heard that person say these words in a nonchalant tone, she still felt waves of uncontrollable pain in her empty chest?

Why was this pain... so real, as if it was cutting into her soul?

Is it because when Ansir Hydra said these words, he seemed to have carelessly, yet thoroughly killed the young and energetic boy of the past?

If that's the case...

Why did he want to kill himself?

Chapter 1.1: The Devil's Companion① (W)

This meeting was a disaster.

Although Hendrick convened this meeting more to confirm the current situation of the entire Tower of Babel, he also had the intention of boosting morale. As a result... let alone morale, it is already unknown whether all the weapons on hand can be completed before the war comes.

It seemed that the only thing they could rely on was the miniature alchemical weapon named "Nidhoggr" made by Anser and Ming Furo.

It can even be said that if it weren't for the blessing of this thing, the scholars of the Tower of Babel would probably have already started thinking about their future.

Based on the basic model provided by Ming Fuluo, Hendrick and the other three best alchemists of Babel Tower successfully created a product with amazing effects. At present, Nidhogg can already chew most alchemical products. Under normal circumstances, this would undoubtedly be another great invention that would shock the empire, but in front of the 60-meter-tall Iron Knight, it seemed so humble and powerless.

Most of the high-ranking officials of the Tower of Babel were not optimistic about Nidhogg, because according to the strength data captured by Hendrick and others when the Black Knight descended on the Tower of Babel Square, this terrifying weapon could be said to be invincible.

The principle of material mechanical equipment is very simple and crude. Apart from the necessary design and structure, the only key left is to stack materials.

And there is no doubt that with the support of the emperor's unlimited resources, the scholars of the Ether Academy have undoubtedly created a suffocating monster.

The fifth-level crown was the conclusion finally deduced by the scholars of the Tower of Babel, which made everyone despair.

The material-armed Black Knight is equivalent to a fifth-order transcendent.

There is no shortage of powerful "artifacts" in this world, such as the treasures left behind after the destruction of the Zhengtian Dynasty, the unknown objects in the Zero Point Maze, or the weapons personally made by someone like Flamel, who stands at the top of the alchemists.

However, these weapons always have strict conditions, restrictions, and even costs for use. Those who are not strong enough will only be devoured by more powerful ones.

However, the mechanical equipment does not have the same requirements as other powerful objects. Even the third-level Conrad can drive it at will. This is the most terrifying thing about it.

Anser's level and status meant that the extraordinary people who could come into direct contact with him were mostly at the top of the fourth and fifth levels. The fact that there were many high-level extraordinary people he met did not mean that their total number was large.

With the third stage as the dividing line, the promotion to each stage is an extremely exaggerated leap forward, and the number is also decreasing sharply. In the entire continent, including the land on the other side of the Tiantu Mountains, the number of fifth-stage extraordinary people will not exceed three digits.

A weapon with fifth-order combat power was deployed in the war between two territories... This was undoubtedly a one-sided massacre.

"...Sir Anser."

In Hydra's manor, Hendrick looked extremely tired. He held his forehead and sighed deeply, "I'm sorry, even with your help, we probably still..."

"Are you so unconfident about the work of Ming Fuluo and me?" Ansher smiled and handed him a glass of wine.

"No, this is not..."

The man opened his mouth and said bitterly, "You and Ming Fuluo have done your best, but the Ether Court with the help of His Majesty... is simply invincible."

"This has nothing to do with your ability or Ming Fuluo's ability. It's purely..."

It's simply that there is no solution to the problem of that willful and tyrannical emperor.

This game had never been about fairness from the beginning. Efesandre just wanted to beat or even crush his ambitious and rebellious girl and tell her who was the real master of this empire... Fairness? Who in this world could talk to her about fairness?

The material weapon called the Black Knight is extremely powerful, but at the same time... the cost of building this thing must be outrageously high. God knows how many resources the Ether Institute has consumed. If the emperor had not intervened, it would have been unknown when the Ether Institute would have been able to build this steel monster.

From the very beginning, Babel Tower had no chance of winning, but since they didn't understand the mechanical equipment, they still had some illusions in the beginning.

Ansel leaned back on the sofa and crossed his legs. He stared at Hendrick, interlaced his fingers and tapped them slowly.

"It seems," he suddenly said, "Mr. Londel is mentally prepared?"

"……Yes."

No one knows how much pain, despair, and... unwillingness are hidden in this simple word.

Hendrick lowered his head slightly, and the liquid in the wine glass in his hand continued to ripple slightly. His voice was sour and hoarse: "I am ready for the Tower of Babel to collapse."

"It's a sad thing." Anser sighed.

"…It's not your fault. You've been good enough to us."

He raised his head and forced a smile. "Whether you are trying to mediate for us or helping us secretly... the members of the Tower of Babel are grateful that a great being like you is willing to show us such mercy."

The young and kind Hydra looked at the poor man, holding up one cheek with one hand to cover the slightly upturned corner of his mouth.

In fact, in the original world line, Hendrick would have achieved something ten or a hundred times greater than what he has now.

The Tower of Babel collapsed and disbanded because it could not withstand the pressure from the Ether House, but the Ether House was not cruel enough to kill all the members of the Tower of Babel. In other words, the future Tower of Babel, without Anther's secret support, did not have the value to justify such a cruel act by the Ether House.

So even though Hendrick and most of the Babel scholars lost their resources and the land to cultivate their ideals, they at least saved their lives. Although it was difficult... they were able to do what they wanted to do in the end.

Many of them later joined the Revolutionary Army, Hendrick was one of them, and like Ming Furo, he shined in the later period and became one of the mainstays of that new era.

But now... in order to maintain the Tower of Babel, he had to kowtow under the terror of the Grand Princess and had to participate in various factional struggles that he was not used to, let alone like. He needed to make friends with many powerful nobles or extraordinary forces and provide them with weapons or some inexplicable alchemical tools to ensure that the Tower of Babel could still protect itself from the threat of the Ether Court when Ivora was too lazy to take care of them.

So... pathetic.

"Since Mr. Londel thinks so, I'll just say it straight."

Anser changed his posture, leaned forward slightly, and said in a serious tone: "About the purpose of my inviting you to the manor this time."

His serious look made Hendrick a little nervous. The poor leader of Babel sat up straight and said, "Go ahead."

"For all the people at Babel."

The evil venomous snake looked at Hendrick with extremely sincere eyes and said solemnly and firmly:

"Mr. Londel, please give up and admit defeat."