The villain's way to tame the protagonist

"Yes, Marina, you have to understand one thing. All the policies of the empire are formulated for the people. The 'people' here do not refer to the majority of the civilians in the empire, but to His Majesty the Emperor, who is the main body of the empire."

Anser whispered...the cruelest reality of this extraordinary world.

"Every emperor who wears the crown will become a sixth-stage god on earth. The power they hold can burn the ocean and destroy the earth. The reason why the empire exists is not that countless people established such a huge community in search of a place to live—"

"In order to demonstrate his own greatness, the emperor provided shelter and order to countless people."

Theoretically, any emperor of the empire, without any external interference, could burn the empire to ashes within three days.

At this time, the so-called "majority" has no meaning at all.

"Do you understand, Marina?" Anser sighed softly as he looked at the girl who was gradually trembling. "The common people have never been the main body. The common people have always just been... dependent on the emperor."

"But why——"

The smarter a person is, the more he cannot accept this kind of deep and pure despair: "If we exist only for the emperor, why... why do we have the civilization and order we have now? If the empire is just the emperor's plaything, then, how could the world be like this now? It shouldn't be... I..."

She was incoherent, and as she thought more and more deeply, she even showed signs of a mental breakdown.

Everyone knows that the emperor is great and supreme. Marina has always believed this and thought so, but Ansel's words suddenly made her realize that the emperor is not as simple as being great or supreme. Everyone knows the gap between the emperor and themselves, but everyone agrees that it is the gap between people.

But in fact, the gap between the emperor and everyone else is not the gap between people at all. Everyone... is just a mayfly attached to the emperor.

"Calm down, calm down, Marina."

Anser patted the girl's back comfortingly: "I know it's hard for you to accept this for a while, but since you have made up your mind to seek my advice, you will have to face it one day."

"Just keep walking."

He said gently: "If you really can't bear it--"

The handsome blond boy held out his hand to the trembling girl, "Will this make you feel better?"

Before Marina could react, Anser had already held her hand and continued to explain as he walked forward:

"Just listening to what I said, you will naturally feel extremely scared, but this world and the empire are not that simple."

"First, I want to tell you an interesting theory."

Anser briefly outlined the theory called "Marlos' Hierarchy of Needs" and asked Marina: "Marina, at what level do you think the Emperor is now?"

“Ah…ah?” Marina came back to her senses and responded nervously, “It should be on the top floor.”

"Of course, as a 'human' who possesses wisdom and grows up in this society, as long as the education he receives is normal, he needs to satisfy his endless psychological needs. This is also one of the important reasons why the empire exists."

"A great, prosperous, vast empire where the people live in peace and contentment can demonstrate the greatness of the emperor, and the praise and awe of the people can satisfy the emperor's heart... Therefore, every policy that benefits the masses is not for the betterment of the empire, but is essentially just for the emperor to please himself."

Ansel felt the soft little hand in his palm exert a little more force, which made him happy, because Marina keenly sensed the problem and did not continue to be entangled by the fear just now.

"But this is... unrealistic." Marina's voice was still trembling. "Putting everything on the emperor's personal ideas... is too unrealistic. What if one day he wants to..."

"Yes, people always change." Anser gently held Marina's hand to calm her down. "What if the emperor gets tired of people's praise? What if he suddenly wants to see war and wailing everywhere? You are worried about this, right? Marina."

"……Yes."

Marina held Ansel's hands with both of her own and said excitedly, "Please tell me! Tell me... my existence, my family... everything about me is not something so humble. At least..."

The girl, who already understood her own fragility, stumbled a few steps weakly and almost fell to the ground: "At least, everything doesn't exist just because of one person."

"Don't worry, Marina."

Ansher held Marina's waist, and his gentle voice penetrated into her mind. A dark, sticky and strange thing silently entangled this girl who felt devastated and desperate about herself.

"The empire is not that fragile. The founding emperor was a truly great man. He anticipated this situation, so he took a lot of precautions... Otherwise, how could the empire have lasted for a thousand years with ups and downs without any signs of destruction?"

"I can't explain this to you in detail, but you can understand that... the emperor is not the only extraordinary person in this world, right?"

extraordinary……

Marina, although smart, delicate, kind and gentle, but in the final analysis, she is still an ordinary girl, an ordinary girl without any extraordinary talent, and can only live an ordinary life... She murmured those two words in her heart.

Extraordinary... Extraordinary...

Why can't I, why can't I see such a scene, why... my value only exists in pleasing others?

The smarter a person is, the easier it is for them to fall into obsession, and the smarter a person is... the harder it is for them to escape.

No matter how hard life was, Marina never complained about the unfairness of fate.

——This is the first time I have such pure hatred for the world.

ps:

There is still about one chapter left, I am so tired...]q裙依溜⑧二①7⑦一溜

Chapter 54: The Art of Hydra

This time, Xitana did make perfect preparations.

Preliminary reconnaissance, intrusion routes, escape routes, guard posts...she had mastered all the necessary prerequisites for infiltration almost without any instruction.

Then she realized - what the hell, it's nothing, it made me so nervous.

In the final analysis, this meeting was not a secret at all. Or rather, Earl Stone, who convened the meeting, knew very well that if Lord Hydra wanted to spy on him, it would be useless no matter how secretive he tried, so he did not do anything to keep it secret.

Under this "frankness", Earl of Stone is making a gamble that will determine the rest of his life.

Those who can sit in this spacious parliament hall are all famous nobles in the Red Frost Territory.

The decoration of the council hall is completely different from the style of the Red Frost Manor. The luxurious elements are just touched upon, and there is more of a restrained tranquility. The wine cabinet placed in the council hall looks unique.

There was no chaos in the council hall like during the banquet hosted by Earl Chishuang. There was only one glass of wine in front of each noble table, and four waiters stood in the corner, waiting for orders. That was all.

As the second hand of his pocket watch ticked, Earl of Stone raised his head, looked around at all the nobles present, and said calmly:

"I think you all should understand that this meeting is of great significance to us."

He intertwined his fingers, placed them flat on the table, and said straight to the point:

"I do not intend to carry out the decree of Lord Hydra."

There was silence in the council chamber.

After a long while, a nobleman who seemed to be of high status from his seat spoke up:

"Your Excellency, we all trust your prestige and ability in the Scarlet Frost Territory, but this matter... is too risky."

Where there are opponents, there are naturally supporters: "But that lord's policy is indeed a bit... excessive. Although I don't like that little bit of agricultural tax, the untouchables should be treated like untouchables. Why should we let them live an easy life? What's more, even if they are relieved, they won't thank us."

Someone started the discussion, and the council hall started to clamor. Count Stone did not stop them. If there was no discussion, why would he hold a meeting? He did not have the power of Hydra to make everyone bow in awe.

The argument lasted for about ten minutes. When the noise died down, Earl of Stone slowly spoke: "It seems that you all understand that arguing like this will lead to no results. If some of us obey, some oppose, and some pretend to obey but secretly disobey... I don't think this is a good thing."

"If we spread out... we will be more likely to be crushed to death by Lord Hydra, right?"

This sentence touched the pain point of the nobles. They liked to unite and stick together, but were always afraid of being left alone.

Under the respectful gaze of everyone, Earl Jianshi slowly said: "So, let me give you reasons that can convince you."

"first."

He stood up and looked at each noble: "I think everyone should be very clear about one thing - Lord Anser is a special Hydra. No one should have any objection to this."

Hiding in the roof compartment - in the last assassination, Anther killed an assassin hiding here with a hand cannon, allowing Hitana to find this perfect hiding spot.

In short, Hitana curled her lips in disdain. Everyone around her described Hydra as some super monster. If she hadn't been close to that guy yesterday, she might have believed it.

Just...just the chest and abdominal muscles, a little bit strong.

The nobles who listened to the words of Earl of Stone nodded one after another. Anser was certainly special, a little too special.

"He is not like his ancestors, who would kill as long as they found a reason. He prefers to talk to us, negotiate with us, and practice the ancient art that each of us has mastered, and get what he wants through the battle of words and the game of chess."

Earl Hardstone pointed to his head and said, "He hates killing because he thinks it is a waste to take a person's life. Only those who are absolutely worthless or who really anger him will be punished by him. I hope you will remember this."

After leaving the nobles present with the impression that "Hydra will not kill people casually", he continued: "Based on this, you should figure out what Mr. Hydra wants."

"Money? Extraordinary materials? Or to interfere with the game between the two Grand Dukes? No... none of them. Although it is a bit absurd and difficult to understand, from the current appearance, that Excellency only cares about one thing."

Earl Jianshi raised his index finger: "His reputation in the Red Frost Territory."

"Perhaps the mysterious Miss Lancemalos can be counted as half of it, but generally speaking, his attention and all his actions are aimed at improving his reputation in the Red Frost Territory."

Many nobles are well aware of this, and their staff are not just there to do the work. After all, Anser's policy of bleeding himself has brought him nothing but fame.

"Then things will be simple."

Count Hardstone smiled calmly, "Since Lord Hydra wants fame, we will give it to him. As long as he gets what he wants, how can this Hydra who doesn't like killing easily wield the butcher knife against us?"

"Count Jianshi, aren't we back to square one?" one noble complained. "How can we improve his reputation if we don't implement his decrees?"

The leader of the council chuckled, a happy, confident laugh.

"Everyone, do you remember the night when Mr. Hydra discussed the decree with us?"

The nobles looked miserable, and it seemed that no one could forget that terrible night.

"Although His Excellency Hydra has put great pressure on us and ordered us to do this, everyone... please think carefully--"

Earl Jianshi knocked his head and said, "Did he ask you to announce to your retainers and subjects that night that the Red Frost Territory would usher in a new government order?"

"After that day, did he publicize that he would issue new decrees that would benefit the common people, just like he did in his speech to the common people before killing Earl Red Frost?"

"no!"

His voice suddenly rose: "He could have done this. After Earl Red Frost died, he immediately announced that he would improve the treatment of civilians. This would undoubtedly greatly enhance his reputation in the Red Frost Territory, but he didn't do it. So far... His Excellency Hydra has only made the most basic improvements. Although the results are remarkable, aren't the news about his radical new decrees just rumors?"

At this moment, some nobles understood what Count Hardstone meant. He stood up excitedly and said, "You mean, since Lord Hydra has never officially announced what he is going to do—"

"Then for him, there is no such thing as 'breaking a promise'."

Earl Jianshi nodded with satisfaction. "So even if we didn't follow his orders, as long as we didn't make the parliament that day and the orders arranged by Lord Hydra public, even if Lord Hydra didn't make things difficult for us and didn't care about us at all, his reputation wouldn't suffer any damage. After all, this situation has been going on in the Red Frost Territory for hundreds of years, right?"

He smiled calmly: "And His Excellency Hydra is working hard to make improvements. How could he be accused of being hypocritical and breaking his promise?"

In the compartment, Shitana, holding the Shadow Crystal, was stunned.

"So... So that's how it is!" She murmured to herself, and then her eyes became extremely ferocious, "Hydra... That guy really didn't intend to do anything seriously from the beginning! It turns out that he had already planned it out!"

The nobles were excited, and they cheered for finding a way to protect their own interests. However, a few of them who seemed more rational stood up eagerly and asked, "But Your Excellency, I think this is not enough. Your idea is just to make Lord Hydra 'have no losses', but he originally wanted to gain more fame from this."

"Baron Black Peak, this is because you are too nervous."

Count Hardstone smiled and shook his head. "Since Lord Hydra has not said anything, he has naturally tacitly handed over the right to spread the news to us. He wants fame? That's too easy. We can refer to the decree of that Lord, but change the amounts in it. Just these changes are enough to make those civilians grateful. Then, what should we say?"

"We shouldn't mention anything about the decree. The message we need to spread is that His Excellency Hydra wants civilians to live a better life, so he puts strong pressure on us. He forced us to change our policy - not that he has issued a decree and watched us indifferently without implementing it."

The man spoke eloquently and confidently, "If you combine this with the previous assassination attempt on His Excellency Hydra, the civilians will make their own connections. We have only lost a small amount of profit, a very insignificant amount of profit."

"Look... Isn't this the fame that Master Hydra wanted?"

The parliament hall fell into a long silence.

Then, after the first person stood up and applauded, thunderous applause broke out throughout the parliament hall.

"You are truly a genius, Lord Earl!" the nobles exclaimed, "It's perfect! Such a perfect solution, that fool Earl Chishuang would never have thought of it!"

"No no no..."

Count Jianshi shook his head modestly: "We should thank Lord Hydra. Do you think this is just a coincidence, a loophole I discovered?"

He was extremely impressed and said in a very sincere tone:

"That is the mercy he bestows on us, everyone. He is not tyrannical, nor is he completely unnegotiable. He bestows his mercy on those who can seize the opportunity. As I said...negotiation and game-playing, in that Excellency's words and deeds, have become an incomparably perfect and convincing art."

The nobles were silent, but what each of them thought in their hearts was the same as Earl of Stone.

"He is a noble among nobles." Someone said with great admiration, "I have seen his performance at the eldest princess' 20th birthday party. To be disrespectful, his brilliance is comparable to that of the eldest princess."

"Yes, I heard that His Excellency Hydra is also the Honorary Master of the Banqueters' Association. He passed the most difficult test when he was thirteen years old."

"He is also a top-notch pianist and violinist! His music can shake the soul! If you have the chance, you must go to the Imperial Capital to listen to His Excellency Hydra's concert!"

Shitana watched all this blankly, and watched blankly as they began to praise Hydra.

Praise what? Praise everything that has nothing to do with her life, with the lives of ordinary people, praise his wonderful skills in deceiving people, praise his ability to play tricks, and call it art? !

When did the world become so absurd? That lies are beautiful, even great? That deception is a wonderful, ancient art that is unrivaled?

In the eyes of these people, all the civilians who are struggling to make ends meet and fighting the cold wind for life are just insects and ants that are not worthy of a good life?

The anger that had been dormant in Hitana's heart for a long time suddenly surged up, almost condensing into a substantial fire in her dark red eyes. The raging flames burned the wolf cub's sanity, making her selectively forget that Earl Solidstone had mentioned that "Hydra is improving the Scarlet Frost Territory", and also made her not see... the cold and stern look in Earl Solidstone's eyes when he looked at other nobles, which showed his disdain to associate with them.