The villain's way to tame the protagonist

Fighting against fate and passively responding to each move is always the worst option - for a long time, Anser had no choice but to make this choice.

But for Ansel now, it is already remarkable that Marina can achieve this, and it is completely enough for him.

Fate can use disturbances to make the goal He wants to achieve infinitely close to the absolute, but Anther can always lead the situation to a situation that is "completely unacceptable" and "advantageous but also potentially disadvantageous" to Him, leaving Fate with no choice but to choose the latter "uncertainty", thus forcing Him to deviate from that absolute and be forced to gamble with Anther on possibilities.

The same is true for Marina, who is completely in sync with Ansel - it's not that she cannot be controlled by fate, but that she cannot be absolutely "uncertain" by fate.

In this uncertainty, Marina never let Ansher down.

"Domer Grey Tower... an idealist who is gradually going crazy?"

Ansher suddenly looked at the Saint Lady who was sitting obediently beside him and never said a word.

"Miss Xin, what do you think of the ideals of the Grand Duke of Gray Tower?"

"My... opinion?"

Xin tilted his head: "What did you do to that old man, Mr. Gray Tower?"

"That's right. It means abandoning mortals and forming a society of pure transcendents to lead to transcendence. Ah, in words you can understand, it is... the kingdom promised by God."

The devil looked at her with a very innocent curiosity: "Do you think he is right or wrong?"

Is Mr. Gray Tower right or wrong?

Xin recalled what she saw on the tenth floor, recalled Anser's words, Marina's disgust, and Xitana's anger. To be honest... she didn't really feel anything.

If I have to say what I think, it is that the Grand Duke of the Grey Tower is trying to find a way to ensure the birth of a transcendent being. This is disrespectful and presumptuous to God. How can a person seize God's gift without permission?

However, Xin's understanding of God and the majesty that God gave to Xin had gradually collapsed and dissipated, so she did not feel angry, but just a little... confused.

As if he saw the confusion in Xin's eyes, Anser smiled and changed the question: "If you find it difficult to answer, you can think of another thing, such as... do you think there is anyone in that tower who needs your salvation?"

Xin was silent, but not because he thought of some terrible fact, but because...

"I haven't seen them, Mr. Devil." Miss Saint answered honestly.

Anser looked slightly surprised: "You didn't look at them, so what were you doing——"

He suddenly realized why Xin had not paid attention to the people living in that tower.

"I've been watching you, Mr. Devil."

Xin stared at Anser's profile, his tone very calm.

"Just like this."

After a brief silence, Anser raised his eyebrows slightly: "This is really... unexpected. Miss Xin, saving others should be a duty equivalent to your life, right? How can you ignore them so easily?"

Xin answered without hesitation: "Because Mr. Devil is more important."

This is not the mentality Xin should have. Even though Ansel is extremely important to her now, she should not abandon her mission.

Are you...escaping from reality?

Ansher turned his head and looked at Xin. His holy blue eyes were clear and bright, with a holy glow.

You are more perceptive than I thought, Miss Saint.

Everything that the Grey Tower Grand Duke showed was extremely violent and forcibly destroying Xin's understanding of this world. Whether it was the dismantling of divine arts or the study of the method of the birth of extraordinary people, it was an invasion of the realm of God again and again.

She feared the collapse of God and the disintegration of the Council, so she instinctively refused to face and think about the facts revealed by the Grand Duke of the Grey Tower, and thus she used Mr. Devil as an excuse to escape.

But I won't let you escape, Miss Saint. If you run away now, you won't be able to face the reality that will follow.

Anser was certain that Xin would meet with the two bishops for some reason, and at that time, even if they did not tell Xin everything, they would definitely put Xin on the brink of complete collapse... Although Anser could not understand why they did this, what the Grand Duke of the Gray Tower had done had already shown that this would definitely happen, and fate would make it happen.

Before that, Anser wanted Xin to be mentally prepared.

"Well, it doesn't matter if you haven't seen them and wonder whether they need redemption or not. Think about it carefully. If the environment they live in is really as the Grand Duke of the Grey Tower said, without any external constraints or internal pressures, and completely free from worldly constraints, then... will they bear sins?"

"Mr. Devil, do you want me to redeem them?"

However, Xin once again gave Anser an answer that he had not expected.

He had clearly prepared various excuses, ready to use a gentler approach so that Xin could realize the lies woven by the church as steadily as possible, and was also prepared for Xin to rely on him even more, but why did Xin act as if... he didn't care much?

"The standard for redemption should be decided by you, Miss Xin." Anser asked Xin in a subtle way, "You don't even intend to consider whether they have committed sins, and you want me to decide?"

Xin thought for a few seconds, seemed to understand what Anser meant, and shook his head slightly:

"No, Mr. Devil. I just want to tell you that I will listen to you."

"..."

"You don't have to spend so much time and effort trying to make me think and guess. If you want to tell me something, or want me to understand something, just tell me directly."

After a brief silence, Anser narrowed his eyes slightly: "I remember that you obviously liked being taught by me like this before, didn't you?"

In Donggang, Xin enjoyed the tug of war and competition with Anser. She took pleasure in it and was very interested in redeeming Mr. Devil.

But why is she now——

"But you don't like me like that, Mr. Devil."

Xin stared into those deep ocean blue eyes, as if taking everything at the end of that calm ocean into his soul.

"You don't like that, I redeemed you only for fulfilling my duty."

"So? Do you think I will like you as you are now?"

Xin was not nervous at all, but rather too calm, and even began to preach to him, causing Anser's mood to fluctuate, and the black tide swallowed up the clear blue bit by bit.

But Xin's eyes did not change, no, they even became more tolerant, more... gentle.

"If Mr. Devil doesn't like me now," she whispered, "then why did you make me like this?"

The surging dark emotions and irresistible erosion made Hydra a little angry.

"You are not enough now."

He seemed to have shed all his disguises and responded to Xin's tenderness with coldness and indifference.

"What I want is not the you as you are now."

"So, what kind of me does Mr. Devil need? What kind of Xin should I become to save Mr. Devil?"

The lamb was so docile and well-behaved. She gazed at the shepherd who was guiding her with moist eyes, as if she would not complain even if he led her to the slaughterhouse.

But she...how could this happen?

She should have been more shocked by the shock brought by the Grand Duke of the Grey Tower. Wasn't she shocked that the divine arts had been analyzed? Wasn't she concerned about the strangeness of those who were kept in captivity by the Grand Duke of the Grey Tower? Wasn't she afraid of gradually realizing... that everything in the church, everything about God, was actually built on the mundane world?

Anser wanted to gently make Xin realize this and let religion return to its roots - there were no real gods that needed to be worshipped, it was just for the purpose of achieving better rule, nothing more.

The Tianshuang people have separated themselves from the secular society, so everything in the church is meaningless to them. Realizing this, Xin will further touch the essence of the church: the so-called gods and the so-called assistants are actually just tools to serve the secular world.

But she didn't. She actually put all her focus on Ansher. Did she really want to escape reality to this extent?

Anser hated this feeling. The suffocation and oppression of fate followed him like a shadow. He scored a goal with Xitana, but some huge changes had happened to Xin that he had no idea of.

What on earth was it…what on earth did she realize that she was only paying attention to me?

This kind of mania should not appear in Ansir Hydra, but the abyss will not sympathize with him just because it loves him. The erosion that no God species has been able to overcome in tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years has left him helpless.

"Mr. Anser."

At this moment, a gentle voice helped Anser break free from the boundless negative emotions.

Marina held Anther's hand, and the witch stared at Anther with her completely dark eyes: "You need... to have a good rest."

"..."

Anser didn't say anything, just looked at his own reflection in the window. The black that had reached its peak was gradually fading away, revealing the original enchanting sea blue.

This is... the pain that has tormented my father for so many years.

Anser's first reaction was to remember that his father had experienced pain that was many times more intense than what he was experiencing now.

He didn't feel his own pain first, but felt that Flamel was in much more pain than him.

Although I can maintain normal thinking most of the time, I sometimes lose control of my emotions.

But now is not the time to rest, he has no time to rest.

When Ansel came to his senses, calmed down his emotions, and prepared to calmly test what had happened to Xin, he found that Marina and Xin were gone.

Anser knew that Marina just wanted him to rest for a few minutes and that she and Xin would be back soon.

"If you really care about me, don't think of me as so fragile."

Hydra sighed softly, but closed his eyes, leaning back in his seat with his head against the window.

No... Marina didn't think I was that fragile. After all, she didn't stay with me.

That's good, don't do anything extra.

*

Xin and Marina looked at the boy leaning against the window from a distance.

"Mr. Devil...he always thinks that what he says doesn't reveal any emotion."

Xin raised his hand and seemed to be stroking Anser's head from a distance.

“It’s been like this ever since then.”

"At that time?"

"When you ask me for help."

Xin lowered his eyes slightly: "Mr. Devil thinks he is just playing Hercules, and what he said is just in line with the setting of this role. It seems that he never thought that he actually wanted to use Hercules to say something that he has never said to others."

Marina asked softly, "But why would Mr. Anser tell you this? You know that Ms. Xitana and Ms. Ming Fuluo are more important to Mr. Anser, not to mention that he has me, right?"

"Because Miss Wolf and Miss Doll are not what Mr. Devil wants."

Xin looked at Marina, the shadow and greed surrounding the witch were so vivid in her eyes.

"Their sins come from themselves, but you are different, Miss Crow. Your sins... come from Mr. Devil."

Mingfuluo's arrogance comes from her arrogance to change the world, Xitana's anger comes from her intolerance of the injustice of the world, but Marina... she does not covet anything but Ansel's love.

If Anser was gone, then this world would have no meaning to her, let alone the so-called sin.

"So, Mr. Devil wants Miss Doll to change, and wants Miss Wild Wolf to change, but he doesn't want you to change."

A happy smile gradually appeared on Marina's face, but she still asked Xin, hoping to get the answer she wanted from her.

"So what exactly do you want to say, Miss Xin?"

"Ms. Crow, you asked me to think clearly about what exists between me and Mr. Devil... Actually, you were telling me to think clearly about what Mr. Devil needs, right?"

What does her Mr. Devil, the most evil creature from the abyss, want?

What Anser said, what Anser did with all his effort...it was actually very clear what he needed.

"Mr. Devil actually hopes that Miss Wild Wolf and Miss Doll can care about him more, care about him more, or even care about him only like you, Miss Crow."

The Saint ignored Marina and came to the outside of the tavern. She stroked the devil's defenseless face through the glass and whispered softly:

"Mr. Devil is afraid of losing. He wants... to be loved forever."

Chapter 5: A Bigger Conspiracy (K)

The magnificent hall was filled with the sound of heavy footsteps and the cold sound of metal colliding.

"Your Highness."

Raylan Ironblade, who was wearing heavy armor, knelt on one knee and bowed his head to the woman sitting on the throne: "Domer's behavior is very abnormal. He is very likely to have colluded with the church."

Ivora, who had collected countless gold, silver and jewels on a whim and built a luxurious palace in this bitter cold land, half-closed his eyes, looking at the empty hall below, feeling a little bored.

In less than a month, she was already tired of this game. How did her mother and her ancestors play it for decades before getting bored?

It turns out to be because... it's too small.

The lights lit on the jade pillars in the hall suddenly burst into flames. The brutality and cruelty that arose without any warning made Grand Duke Iron Blade believe that he was right.

So he continued to plead with his head down: "The church was able to take such deep roots here, which is inseparable from the fact that he first started a rebellion and then... betrayed me. It was because he created such a huge chaos in the North that the church had a huge soil and nutrients to reasonably take root here."

"That old man has a bigger plan. He might not just be committing a simple act of rebellion, but might even be planning to overthrow the entire empire!"

How can I be...happy when I am imprisoned in this tiny land with nothing, facing the untouchables who can do nothing but pray for blessings all day long, and the so-called ministers who think they are very good at scheming but are actually stupid?

"Perhaps, you could—"