The villain's way to tame the protagonist

"It's been a long time since we last met, Bishop Ji... Or should I call you Dormer? After all, you've been using this name for most of your life."

"The name... is just a code name, Your Highness the Regent." Ji bowed his head and saluted, "And if I were to choose a code name, I would choose the one that truly represents everything about me."

"Everything..."

Hydra sighed softly: "That makes sense. I should be thankful that Hydra is not everything to me."

Ansir Hydra, who regards Hydra as everything, is destined to step into a future filled with despair, because only when he loses everything will he regard the identity of Hydra as everything.

"So, you come here as a victor to announce the end of this drama?"

Ji didn't look panicked, but rather seemed relieved.

"Finish?"

Ansel's half-smile made Ji unable to continue thinking in secret, and it was difficult for him to maintain that calm and relief.

"Sir Dormer...Why do you think I let you talk to Xi'er alone?"

Ji was silent for a moment, then replied calmly: "Perhaps it is just as you said, Your Highness the Regent... You believe in the choice she made."

The words sound nice, but in fact they are just for sharpening the knife, but there is no need for Ji to say it directly.

"No, this is only part of it." Anser shook his head and smiled with narrowed eyes, "I am also waiting for you, waiting for all of you."

"..."

Even Xitana could see that something was wrong with Ji's expression. She pulled Anser's sleeve curiously and said, "Anser, what are you waiting for them for?"

"Wait until they tell the part of the truth that was deliberately omitted."

"...Ah?" Shitana looked confused.

"Xi'er, you think the reason they acted behind my back is because they don't trust me, right?"

Anser strolled leisurely in this wide space: "Then, the purpose of the church starting the war is obvious."

"To be precise, from the moment the North became independent, Lord Dormer had already begun to formulate the church's plan."

It is not difficult to understand why the Skyfrost Tower joined forces with Grand Duke Ironblade to launch a rebellion in the North, but his betrayal is inexplicable no matter how you look at it.

And now looking back, it all makes so much sense – because this is what Thomas was, and this is what the church needed…chaos.

"From that moment on, you have been creating chaos. Whether it was the rebellion in the North, the internal struggle between you and Grand Duke Iron Blade, or the three-way civil war in the North when you manipulated the revolutionary army, they were just the beginning of the chaos. You used this chaos to prevent people from delving into some things, such as the increasingly terrifying cold disaster, such as... the increasingly violent Aether."

Everything is back to the starting point.

At this time, Xitana also reacted. What Ji had just said, and what he had shown in the past, could not currently explain the real abnormality that was shrouding the North.

If they wanted to use war and chaos to cover up their true purpose, since Ji said that all the research has been completed, then what exactly are they doing that needs to be covered up?

"Oh, by the way, can you let me see the memory you showed Xi'er? I'm not very clear about the story of eight hundred years ago."

Ansher did not lie. He had lost a lot of memories about the church. He knew the church's true philosophy, but he did not understand the whole process very well. He also did not understand some secrets about the saint.

After taking the pendant handed to him by Ji, Ansel quickly read through the memories inside it, and then handed it back to Ji with emotion.

"Indeed... he is a very remarkable person. Bishop Ji, there will always be people like this who will appear, lead, and even change the entire world and the entire era."

"You are also worthy of admiration for following such ideals."

Anser could feel the "sense of fate" surrounding the Pioneers, Zerui and others more than Hitana, but he was not as angry as Hitana. It was not because he was very calm inside, but because victory... was just around the corner.

"This way, I can be 100% sure." After reading that memory, whatever Anser said at this moment was reasonable. Ji knew it, but still cooperated with Anser.

Because such obedience can obviously buy more time.

"What have you confirmed? Your Highness, the Regent."

There was no time to be afraid, Ji could only try his best to prolong his conversation with Anser.

"Time." Anser held Xitana's hand, caressing her soft and delicate skin. Under the girl's slightly angry gaze, he sighed, "Time can bring so many changes."

"After all, your pioneers have only determined the direction. How many subdivisions are there under this general direction? The problems between extraordinary people may be easy to solve... but how can we create the so-called 'space for mortals to gain complete independence'?"

Under Xitana's thoughtful gaze, Anser raised his index finger and condensed the dark and sticky ether into a ball:

"Even if we can create a space where ether does not exist and will not be created, how can we ensure that the space will not be interfered with by the extraordinary? Will the extraordinary allow a piece of land that belongs exclusively to mortals to appear? If we have to use magic to maintain the isolation of ether, how can we make it run forever without human control and ensure that there will be no mistakes? If we don't use this method, then where can we go... to find a paradise that belongs to mortals without ether?"

"There may really be such a world in the boundless maze, but asking mortals to cross the boundaries of the world and go to another world is even more absurd, isn't it?"

Ji felt a chill running down his spine. All the questions raised by the church during the eight hundred years of continuous experimentation and improvement were raised one by one by this monster who had just seen that memory not long ago.

"Oh, right. Extraordinary people may be born randomly among mortals. Although they are born in an environment without ether, their talents may never be discovered in their lifetime. But what if? What if such a mistake occurs? What if the first extraordinary person appears in a society built by pure mortals? Then, what will the paradise you built for mortals become?"

"So to sum up... you cannot allow a certain extraordinary person to control this ideal paradise like a mortal, but you cannot leave it alone either. Therefore... there must be an ultimate means to monitor the entire environment of the paradise."

"It possesses extraordinary abilities, and can ensure that the ether-isolated environment exists for a long time. It can see through the soul of every newborn, and discern whether it has extraordinary qualities, and can even deprive it of them. Even the slightest threat can be strangled. Since it is already so powerful... why not add a few more functions for the stability and peace of this paradise: such as an absolutely correct and fair distinction between good and evil, or even forcibly shaping a good personality and self, and most importantly..."

Under Xitana's extremely shocked gaze and Ji's gradually trembling eyes, Anser stared at the empty back of Ji, and his smile became more and more cheerful.

"It must not be close to the church, nor have any sense of belonging to the church, so as not to be exploited; it must not be close to mortals, nor have any sympathy with mortals, so as not to be affected by unnecessary emotions... in judgment."

“It must be extremely resolute in fulfilling its mission, without wavering in the slightest; it must look down on everything from above, without being tainted in the slightest.”

"Should I call her a saint, or should I call it..."

"god?"

Chapter 1.2: Wolf Heart (W)

Why did Xin, as a saint, know little about the history of the church, why did she have almost no sense of belonging to the church itself, and why did she have almost no feelings towards the bishops... Anser had already deduced the reasons based on the existing information, but the man named Zerri and the nature of divine magic finally proved his idea.

Because in the church's plan, mortals who are separated from the supernatural need a real God.

More than 800 years of advancement and research were enough for the church to consider all possibilities that might destroy that paradise. They knew very well that it was impossible for mortals alone to cut off the extraordinary - Polynia's predicament had already made this clear.

No matter how much we want to consider mortals, we still need a supernatural being to maintain such an environment. What is the difference between this and keeping mortals in captivity on a ranch?

Therefore, the being that controls the supernatural cannot be a "human". It must be a god that can see through the thoughts of all living beings but has no concern for them, maintains order with the most indifferent and equal attitude, and does not need to demand any emotions from mortals.

The most important thing is the ability it possesses - the ability to see through souls and shatter qualifications. It makes it so that the world that cannot touch the extraordinary must continue in the ordinary world.

This is the meaning of the existence of saints, and this is why the church has had as many as 127 saints in more than 800 years.

They were iterating, creating a true god that could be the core of this plan.

In fact, they almost succeeded - if they hadn't encountered that devil.

"There is no one else who can suppress Xier except Miss Xin. Why, she is still unwilling to come out and talk to me now?"

Faced with Anser's invitation, Ji could only remain silent.

Because he didn't know where the saint was now. After Hydra appeared and gave a hint, the indifferent voice was never heard again.

Once the saint's ascension is completed, the bishop will no longer have any ability to interfere with her decisions. All choices are based on her own judgment of the situation.

It judged... shouldn't it face Hydra now?

But it doesn’t matter. At this point, it makes no difference whether the saint is here or not. I’ll just do what I should do.

If it was just Hitana, even in a furious state, Ji could continue to deal with her.

Because as Anser said, he hid part of the truth, and he could just throw this part of the truth out and force Hitana to calm down again.

Her anger was raging, and her weakness was fragile - no matter how furious she was, as long as the truth about the northern cold disaster was involved, Xitana had to stop.

Since the beginning of the plan, countless dead souls have been wandering on this land. Whether it is the black blood flowing from the pathetic revolutionary army that was exploited, or the mortals who were oppressed and destroyed in the war, it has proved that the church is willing to do anything... The despicable act of using Shitana's kindness to achieve its goals is really not worth mentioning.

But this method also failed. The arrival of Hydra shattered all of Ji's fantasies. He couldn't even delay time, because this damn monster just took apart the core issues into pieces after reading the pioneer's memory.

It was as if he already knew the answer, and those memories...just made him sure that his answer was correct.

"So Xin became... a god?"

Xitana gradually recovered from her incredible shock. She recalled Xin's initial ignorance and innocence, her later indifference and ruthlessness, and other behaviors... and suddenly realized that everything was so reasonable.

"That's why she doesn't need feelings, emotions, or anything else that a human should have, because she was born to be that kind of... that kind of monster."

Xitana suddenly didn't want to continue the topic of Xin. It made her feel disgusted, even more disgusted than angry.

And she knew that Ansel, who seemed calm and even smiling, actually didn't want to continue talking about Xin.

Xin's "life" was destined from the moment she was born - just like the 126 saints before her.

This is her destiny, this is her... fate.

The girl could only forcefully change the subject: "Then, what does this have to do with the cold disaster and the aether riot in the North? Anser, what on earth did they do in the North?"

"Oh, yes, there is another thing I need to explain."

Anser seemed to realize it late, and smiled helplessly: "I was so busy caring about the Saint Lady that I forgot to explain this matter. Bishop Ji, how about you explain it?"

"..."

Ji had no idea what Ansel wanted to do. Now that he knew the truth, he probably guessed why he was wasting time here. Even after all this... was he still willing to delay time?

He could only obey Ansel's will, and this obedience made him feel uneasy, even though he was just doing what he should do.

"Just as... His Royal Highness the Regent said. If we limit ourselves to this continent, it is impossible for this world to create an environment where mortals can live independently without being disturbed by extraordinary beings."

"So our choice is... to leave."

Ji paused, and looked up at the dome inside the tower, which was impossible to reach, just like the sky, whose limit was unreachable:

"Let the mortals leave this world."

Looking at his movements and the special structure of the tower, even if Shitana was slow-witted, she understood what he meant.

"Leave..." The wolf's eyes gradually widened, "Let the mortals leave? You mean, put the mortals into this tower and leave this world?!"

What an absurd fantasy this is. How could a mortal have the ability to cross the world of confusion? Even if we don't leave this world, can this tower alone really provide a mortal with a living environment?

"The environment inside the tower can be transformed through ether. After the transformation is completed and a completely independent ecosystem is formed, the original function of the tower can be activated to forcibly drain all the ether. On this basis, the ether isolation domain can be expanded on the outer layer of the tower to ensure that the world inside the tower is a complete, independent, habitable environment without ether."

Changing the environment is not difficult at all for extraordinary people. They don't do it because they haven't thought about it. The Tower of Babel can develop a perfect planting potion in a few years, and the church has been developing for this goal for hundreds of years. How could it not have a complete design?

"The most important thing... is the act of crossing the maze itself. In fact, for powerful extraordinary beings, crossing the maze is not difficult. The real difficulty is how to return to this world safely and not get lost in the vast maze. But since we have already planned to let mortals leave completely, there is no need to consider this issue. What we need to consider... is actually only one thing."

"energy."

Ansher gently stroked Xitana's soft hair and slowly gave Ji the answer.

"...Yes, energy." Ji replied in a low voice.

"I have always believed that the fall of the emperor led to the weakening of the Flame of Feasting, which means that I... it was the North that suffered this great disaster."

Looking at Xitana who suddenly grabbed his hand and shook her head vigorously, Ansher smiled and his eyes softened a lot, but when he looked at Ji, that softness... turned into a teasing that the old man could understand.

"But I am a little confused. Although the raging flame that resisted the cold current from the north came from the emperor, based on my understanding of emperors, they would not allow themselves to be constantly drained of their strength. Even if the drain was minimal, they hated the feeling of being constantly drained. So... that flame should have burned independently of the emperor most of the time, and only needed to be replenished by the emperor after it weakened."

"If that's the case, even if Efesandr falls, this fire can't fade so quickly, unless——"

"Unless someone... exploits it and consumes it."

Hitana, who connected all the strange visions in the north, murmured.

Ming Fuluo said that there was no way to make use of the solidified ether that had been frozen under the permafrost for countless tens of thousands of years by the cold current, and no extraordinary person could penetrate the world itself.

However, extraordinary beings are extraordinary beings, and the God-kind are the God-kind.

How could a transcendent who only masters a few elements out of the endless elements be compared with the Old Gods who represent almost a part of the world?

The extraordinary ones cannot do it, but the Feasting Flame, even if it is a remnant, ownerless, and increasingly weak Feasting Flame, can definitely do it.

"That's why the cold disaster in the north and the violent aether are getting worse little by little. That's why you keep launching wars and diverting attention..."

Perhaps because Anser was by her side, Xitana did not go berserk. She just stated the church's crimes expressionlessly:

"Because you are using the Flame of Feasting little by little to melt the solidified ether and obtain the energy you need, right?"

Even if it is the ownerless fire, it is definitely not something that the church can easily control.

When the war in the north first started, there was no sign of any cold disaster. However, as the situation of the three-way war became more severe, the cold disaster became more and more serious.

This was not a natural disaster, but a man-made one. The church was unable to control the flames of the Feasting Flame, and was stealing the raging flames that resisted the cold current bit by bit, using them to melt the ether under the frozen soil and extract them.

When Ivora came to the north, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse. Dark clouds completely covered the sky and blizzards buried everything, burying all the living things on this land. Only the endless ether became more violent and raging, raging along with the wind and snow.

Because the church convinced Ivora that with the help of that woman, controlling the fire would no longer be a problem. Similarly... the North had also lost its last hope.

"Yes... this is the truth of the North, Lord Lance." Ji lowered his eyes and whispered, "But this is not all. Since His Royal Highness the Regent has ordered me to be completely honest, I will not hide anything anymore."

"Using the Tower of Eternal Raging Flame as a ship for mortals, we can leave this world and cross the endless maze. This is the final plan decided by the church one hundred and fifty-six years ago... But this ship will not drift in the maze forever. We believe that in the endless maze, there must be a world without any ether."

"In fact, the amount of ether needed to cross the maze and maintain the ether isolation field is not an exaggerated number. This tower can withstand the burning of the Feast Flame for hundreds of years and still remain intact. There is no need to worry about its strength. Most of the energy will be stored and used where it is really needed."