Simultaneous travel: I am a talented person in all the worlds

Chapter 280 A Prisoner? An Old Friend?

Cold, shivering.

I opened my eyes groggily to an unfamiliar ceiling and unfamiliar clothes draped over my body.

A series of throbbing pains came from below.

It felt as if his internal organs were groaning in pain, and his whole body felt like it was being torn apart.

But it was precisely this deep-seated pain that made Esdeath clearly realize that she was still alive!

"Hey, are you awake?"

A familiar voice reached my ears, carrying a hint of mockery and languor.

Esdeath turned her head and, sure enough, saw Mo Yu, shirtless, sitting leisurely by the campfire, grilling several sizzling skewers of meat.

There didn't seem to be any obvious injuries.

But that's the problem!
The ice meteorite, tens of meters high, fell from the sky, and even a super dangerous species could not withstand its power head-on!
Moreover, he had already completely lost consciousness at that time...

She could understand why Mo Yu, with his abnormal physical body and strange regenerative ability, was able to survive such a natural disaster at a certain cost, and even avoid the core attack range at the last moment.

But... in such a desperate situation, trying to save an incapacitated burden... the difficulty was so high that Esdeath felt her scalp tingle just thinking about it.

If that ice meteorite had been replaced with a stony meteorite, even if she activated the 'Mahapadma' technique, she would have had a hard time freezing it.

However, judging from the fact that almost all of her injuries were caused by Mo Yu's previous attacks, he... truly did succeed.

The campfire crackled and popped, filling the air with the rich aroma of meat.

Seeing that the ribs were almost done grilling, Mo Yu casually sprinkled some fine, pale yellow powder with a strange aroma and some bright red granules evenly over the golden-brown grilled meat.

"Fuck-"

After being seasoned with a generous amount of spices, the aroma of the grilled meat becomes even more enticing!
The smell intensely stimulated Esdeath's body, which desperately needed to replenish its energy due to its severe injuries. Saliva poured from her mouth, and her stomach made embarrassing, rumbling noises.

Then, she just watched.

That bitch Mo Yu completely ignored her embarrassment, and brought the skewer of deadly-tempting grilled meat to her mouth, blew on it to cool it down, and happily devoured it in a few bites, leaving not even a bone fragment!

"..."

This scene made Esdeath realize once again that the man before her was no longer the little painter who would shyly present her with a meticulously drawn portrait, trying to win a smile from her.

Instead, he was an absolute powerhouse whose strength far surpassed his own!
Although I am not shackled now, my life is in the other person's hands, so I can't expect them to take care of me meticulously.

She struggled to sit up, casually draped the Taoist robe over herself, and walked unsteadily to the campfire. She picked up a half-cooked skewer of meat and put it in her mouth.

Mo Yu glanced at her but said nothing.

With a casual wave of his hand, he used his demonic manipulation ability to tear off several pieces of tender bear meat from the huge bear carcass outside the cave. He then used wood-based magic to create several tough wooden skewers to skewer them and leisurely placed them by the fire to continue roasting.

Esdeath watched his fluid and graceful movements, her beautiful, icy blue eyes narrowing slightly.

She suddenly realized that Mo Yu had definitely not used his full strength when he fought her before.

Moreover, the fact that he was able to survive unscathed in such a cataclysmic scene suggests that his other extraordinary abilities, which he had not used for some reason, were probably powerful enough to overwhelm him.

Although she was filled with curiosity and doubt, she did not ask.

She couldn't even defeat the opponent in his pure physical form without using any supernatural power. As the loser, she had no right to explore the opponent's deeper power.

Mo Yu clearly had no intention of explaining, continuing to grill and eat the meat on his own, his gaze barely lingering on her, as if he were ignoring her existence.

After eating several pieces of grilled meat, Esdeath immediately felt much better, and the intense hunger in his stomach was no longer so urgent.

She gazed at Mo Yu and tentatively made a request to test his reaction:
"Could I borrow those seasonings you have...?"

Mo Yu casually tossed the condiment bottle to her, his tone slightly teasing:
"I thought you preferred this raw, unrefined style."

His tone remained casual and relaxed, without any condescension, as if he were having a casual chat with a friend he wasn't very close to.

But... that's not right.

She, Esdeath, is now his prisoner! His captive! A defeated woman whom he can dispose of in any way he desires at any time! And should not be his friend.

Mo Yu's ambiguous, even somewhat 'gentle' attitude made her feel a little lost.

Or rather, it makes it difficult for her to clearly define her current position.

As a general of the empire, and as a prisoner of war.

As long as she has a breath left, what she should be thinking about is how to escape, how to find an opportunity to assassinate Mo Yu, or how to cause greater losses to the opposing camp, the 'Church of the God of War'!
Although she had never been in a relationship, she was still quite aware of the fatal allure of her body and social status to men.

She herself thoroughly enjoyed the thrill of trampling powerful enemies underfoot and using all sorts of methods to interrogate and torture them.

Watching those once invincible powerhouses writhe and struggle in extreme pain, listening to their desperate and shrill cries, and finally... their spirits and bodies completely collapse, turning into a pile of mud.

The extreme pleasure derived from that process was her favorite form of entertainment besides fighting.

Now that she has become a prisoner of others, Esdeath had long anticipated the situation she was about to face.

No matter how cruel the punishment, how perverse the torture, or even the execution she was to be subjected to, it was all a justifiable outcome for her.

She wouldn't feel any injustice or wrongdoing.

In this dog-eat-dog game, everyone is simply playing different roles from their own perspectives.

The victor is king, the loser... is a bandit, or even worse than a bandit, reduced to a plaything.

However, if she were to act as Mo Yu's 'old friend'... she shouldn't have harmed this 'friend' who saved her life.

Esdeath's mind was in turmoil, but she didn't show it. Calmly, she sprinkled some cumin on the roasted meat in her hands. She didn't like spicy food, so she didn't use chili peppers. The oil dripped into the campfire, sizzling and releasing a rich, mouthwatering aroma.

The strange aroma of meat aroused Esdeath's strong appetite once again, even though she was no longer hungry.

Moreover, she suddenly felt that the aroma of this meat was somewhat familiar, as if she had tasted it somewhere before, but she couldn't match it with any creature in the North.

So, she turned to look at Mo Yu:

"What...what kind of thing's flesh is this?"

"It's a type of polar bear, quite large, probably seven or eight meters tall. Its meat is top-notch, even among the most dangerous species," Mo Yu explained casually.

His words left Esdeath momentarily bewildered.

The polar bears that roam near Changyuan in the northern border region, in terms of both size and meat quality, do not match Mo Yu's description or the taste of the roasted meat in her hands at all.

Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she abruptly turned her head to look at the swirling snow outside the cave and finally understood what was wrong.

She is not currently in the North! She is in the far north, north of the North!

The flames Mo Yu used to roast the meat were not ordinary fire, but fire-based magic. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to roast the tough chunks of meat from the special-grade dangerous species to a crispy, juicy perfection in such a short time.

The warm temperature inside the cave led her to make a mistaken judgment.

Once she realized what was happening, she immediately sensed the terrifying cold outside the cave, a temperature of nearly minus eighty degrees Celsius that could freeze one's soul! This was on a completely different level from the current temperature of around minus forty degrees Celsius in the North!
However, after realizing this problem, Esdeath's confusion deepened even further:

"Currently, the 'Church of the God of War' is at war with the Empire. As the High Priest of the Church, the Supreme Commander on the battlefield, and the strongest force, shouldn't you be stationed in the central command, overseeing the overall situation? What are you doing here in the far north?"

She shouldn't have said those words.

After all, this is tantamount to indirectly reminding this formidable enemy to do what he should be doing, which is undoubtedly an immeasurable disaster for the Imperial camp.

However, under Mo Yu's deliberate guidance, Esdeath's self-perception became somewhat blurred. Although she regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Heh, you seem to have...gotten one thing backwards."

Mo Yu turned to look at her, his eyes calm and expressionless.

"The Church of the God of War exists to serve me, not for me to serve it in return!"

"?"

The limitations of her era prevented Esdeath from immediately understanding the meaning of those words.

Mo Yu casually pulled out a brand new jar of seasoning.

Some time ago, he had an "in-depth exchange" with Feng Shayan at home. With nothing else to do, he had also researched spatial magic and integrated it with the art world.

However, the stability of this merged space is not very high at present. If it encounters a high-intensity battle that requires him to use his full strength, it is very likely to collapse on the spot due to the excessive energy impact.

He sprinkled the new seasoning evenly over the skewers, then slowly flipped the meat over and continued:

"As the supreme leader of a power, it is actually a very troublesome thing to develop and expand this power."

The larger the power, the more complex matters need to be handled.

Given the current size of the 'Church of the God of War', if I wanted to, there would be a constant stream of troubles that I would need to handle personally.

The more effort and time I put into it, the faster the entire force will develop.

But this is tantamount to harming 'me' to enrich 'my' power!
"He who bears the nation's disgrace is called the master of the state; he who bears the nation's misfortune is called the king of the world."

This is what is conventionally considered the way of a 'wise ruler'!

"Being a 'wise ruler' is too tiring. The reason I established the 'Church of the God of War' is simply to achieve certain specific goals."

Although I will put some effort into managing it, I will never be bound by it, much less enslaved by it.

He was following the path of enriching himself through power, which is to say, he was a tyrannical ruler in the conventional sense!

Esdeath listened and nodded thoughtfully.

Upon closer reflection, the young emperor she served indeed never did anything worthwhile.

No wonder so many people throughout the empire secretly cursed him as a tyrant.

Although the young emperor's lack of ability was the main reason for the loss of power and the neglect of state affairs.

But in essence, their situation doesn't seem to be much different from Mo Yu's!

They all sit in that supreme position, yet they don't truly fulfill their corresponding responsibilities.

To be honest, among all the black jade in the heavens...

Although Qin Shi Mo Yu's moral standards have enormous room for improvement, he is the only one who can be called a "wise ruler".
A tireless, 24/7 powerhouse!
Mo Yu, a hero in the world of martial arts, is destined for immortality, but he is devoted to cultivating the Tao and pursuing longevity.

Although he occasionally felt a pang of pity for the suffering of the common people, he lived in seclusion in the mountains for many years, and as long as he couldn't see it, he wouldn't think about it.

As for the War Maniac Mo Yu, he is an even more heavyweight.

Serving under him would certainly bring numerous benefits, but it would also present the greatest risks and difficulties.

They'll set up tests all the time, and if you can't pass them, you'll most likely die on the spot!
The story of Fei Xie, the leader of the Hai Sha Gang branch who dared to rob him on the water, is a prime example of what not to do.

On the other hand, if one can successfully pass his test, like the old chieftain of the Rorou tribe, Urka, the benefits and rewards one can receive are indeed immeasurable.

As for Mo Yu from Demon Slayer, he hasn't fully developed yet, so let's leave him out for now.

"So, why did you bring me all the way to the far north?"

(End of this chapter)