Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 208 A Confession That Needs No Words
"Just let me die."

There was chaos before me; the simultaneous visits of too many people had made the small living room a mess.

Rean's small house was far too small; when a dozen knights rushed in, even the largest yard wouldn't be enough.

"Uh, we're here to find out about the second princess. The little princess."

As for the city lord, it's because of the message Rean sent yesterday.

In a sense, he was also one of the parties involved in the incident back then, and was very interested in more related information.

"Master Rean, your evaluation is complete. The results have been overwhelmingly positive, and several high-ranking mages are willing to accept you as their apprentice."

This was the news Rean had been waiting for, but he couldn't be happy about it now.

"Uh, I'm here on behalf of the family to discuss trade, the second shipment and the opening of that underground passage." Larry was still in shock, completely unable to understand his senior's strange hobby.

Does he like things that are hard and unyielding? Then, if I were to become a crystal spider, would he like it?
After Rean made his quirky public declaration, many curious or astonished eyes turned to him.

I've seen people who like people, horses, and animals, but I've never seen anyone who likes iron.

Rean was numb. Due to the unexpected event, the snake said it would let him go.

This may not be the culmination of the many pranks the snake has orchestrated, but it is certainly enough to become a dark chapter in his life.

Each of the unexpected visitors had a plausible reason, but Rean always felt that he had been tricked.

At this moment, the way they looked at the "woman" next to Rean was quite subtle.

"Link. Please link."

Ophelia continued to say things that were very easy to misunderstand, and even took the initiative to move closer to her.

Her crystalline pupils surprisingly showed a longing expression.

Rean noticed that she seemed even more "slow" than before.

"Oh, I see! Aphasia! Lord Rean intends to cure his Aphasia."

Victoria, who had been silently pondering, suddenly uttered an unfamiliar word.

Her gaze toward Rean grew increasingly complicated. After a moment's thought, she decided to speak.

"Lord Rean, this price is quite high."

"what happened!"

At this moment, Suliman stepped forward, and her demeanor was completely different from her usual timid self.

Her eyes flashed like lightning, her eyebrows stood on end, and even the snake's tail stood up straight in anger, making her demeanor and words appear even more domineering.

"I," Rean wanted to say something more, but I needed to find a reason.

“Shut up. Victoria, tell me, what is amnesia?” At this moment, Suliman acted like the lady of the house—well, she was indeed the original owner of the house.

She looked at Victoria. Unlike the others, she didn't believe that Rean would inexplicably take a liking to Ophelia. They hadn't even exchanged more than a few words, and Rean's eyes had never drifted to Ophelia.

If she lost to the Purple Rose, Suliman could understand, but losing to a bunch of junk?
She was furious, her eyes flashing, one gold and one red.

Both his magic and mental power began to go berserk, pale psionic lightning flashed constantly in his hair, and his feet even seemed to lift off the ground.

Another Suliman? She was stunned after seeing Rean confess his feelings to someone else!
This "Sallyman" didn't have time to worry about her useless other self; she sensed that something was wrong with her current state.

She had long been certain that Rean was a normal man, but what angered her even more was that this "certainty about his normal tendencies" came from her own aunt!
Unlike the other, clueless Suliman, she saw everything clearly! The other Suliman was actually so foolish as to be happy that Purple Rose and Rean had a good relationship, that her last remaining relative and her boyfriend had a good relationship?!

Sometimes, "Sallyman" really wanted to grab Sallyman by the neck and ask, "Are you a complete idiot? Or do you have some weird fetish?"

"Well, Ophelia's situation is quite bad. The Creators and the Machines have always been paired up."

After Kuku left, Victoria remained Ophelia's maintainer and researcher.

Aside from a certain snake, she is the person who understands Ophelia's current situation the most, but Ophelia's continuous decline is almost unsolvable.

The Creator Race is incredibly powerful; they created a complete intelligent race almost out of nothing. However, they are still not the Creator, and even gods cannot create a soul from nothing.

Where do souls come from? Where do they go? Are those manufactured souls truly complete?

The answer is actually quite subtle. The Creator and the Creator are far apart. The souls of the Machine Race are never complete; they are artificial souls, similar to tower spirits or puppets.

Under normal circumstances, they are no different from ordinary intelligent beings, except that their emotions seem a little thinner. However, if they act independently for a long time, they will gradually become mechanical and numb. It seems that something invisible is constantly being lost, which is the so-called "loss of soul".

To cope with this situation, they often have so-called "soul linkers," or masters or companions, who regularly provide them with emotions or even their souls.

The nurtured artificial soul will gradually grow, develop various emotions and a sense of self, and eventually become no different from an ordinary life form.

This kind of binding is basically lifelong and will cause significant losses to the creators.

After all, the soul and spiritual power will be constantly lost. Damage to these two will directly affect the foundation of an extraordinary person.

However, the Creator Clan has never been proud of combat prowess, and as researchers and alchemists, they don't care much about it.

Of course, this is also related to the strength of the newborn soul. Nurturing a newborn soul from a young age does not result in much loss.

Although the cost was considerable, it was equivalent to cultivating a "lifelong partner," which was not a loss for the Creator Clan, who were not good at fighting.

But Ophelia's entire collection and records were almost completely destroyed, and starting from scratch to build them again can be seen as a new life.

However, the strength of its "artificial soul" is quite high; it could drain an ordinary mage dry with just one casual connection.

"Actually, I originally planned to wait until I was sure Ophelia's condition was not good before I brought it up, but I didn't expect that Lord Rean had already seen through it and was even prepared to sacrifice himself." As soon as these words were spoken, most of the looks that were originally contemptuous or surprised changed to realization and admiration.

In fact, most people who know Rean felt it was too sudden and something was wrong.

However, Rean's words were so impactful that they were a little stunned.

Now, it seems that everything can be explained.

In the "truth" they had just learned, it was Rean who noticed something was wrong with Ophelia. He was willing to sacrifice part of his soul to save her, but he didn't want Ophelia to bear too much moral burden and be able to accept this kindness smoothly, which led to this almost binding "confession".

Since this "power supply" might be lifelong, sacrificing a little of his reputation would make the contract more acceptable and allow Ophelia to stay by his side as a matter of course.

"Uh, no, really not." Rean shook his head repeatedly. This was clearly a snake's prank, how did it turn out like this?

"Shut up!" Sallyman, in her hostess-like manner, actually floated up.

Psionic lightning flickered in the room, its power reminiscent of a great warlock, forcing many to reassess her strength.

Many people were surprised to learn for the first time that this seemingly unassuming "princess's confidante" was actually so powerful.

She subconsciously touched her chest, took a deep breath, and asked.

"Did you know about Ophelia's amnesia beforehand? Did you ever consider sacrificing your honor, or even risking the breakdown of our engagement, to save her?!"

Just as I, Rean, opened my mouth, I saw the other person's expression of sudden realization.

Uh, is my expression that easy to interpret? Rean was a little confused.

Rean knew perfectly well that the snake had made it very clear that if Ophelia continued in this state, she would soon become a real puppet, but he was not so noble as to sacrifice himself.

"Are you planning to secretly 'charge' her without my permission, your fiancée?" At this moment, "Sallyman" stopped acting and directly declared her ownership.

"Well, although I intend to power it up, I don't intend to sacrifice myself. I should be able to bear the cost."

The remaining words were meaningless, but Rean was not so noble as to sacrifice himself.

The most damaging to the soul comes from the Thousand-Faced Dragon, which can reincarnate infinitely upon death; the soul is immortal!

The snake specifically mentioned this matter and even told Rean, "You can recharge as much as you want, whether it's a large army or an entire empire, it's fine."

As soon as Rean uttered half a sentence, everyone else in the living room felt that they understood everything.

The more they looked at Rean, the more respectful they became; perhaps this was the mark of a true classical paladin.

He does good deeds without expecting anything in return or seeking fame.

They are even willing to sacrifice their honor and endure much criticism in order to gain acceptance of their goodwill.

"You, you, are you normal? Do you like women? Do you have feelings for me?" Sallyman's questions were a bit too much, but there seemed to be a sob in her forceful tone.

Rean was on the verge of tears. He sighed. Was there really a second answer? He still had some self-respect.

I don't want a bunch of monsters and men knocking on my door in the middle of the night.
"I'm normal. I only like cute girls." Rean covered his face, not knowing how he could say such shameful words.

"Phew." Sallyman breathed a sigh of relief, and at that moment she smiled easily, her smile as beautiful as a flower.

She was even overflowing with joy, perhaps excessively happy? Were her eyes shining? Did she sense something else?

Looking at Suliman like this, Rean's feelings were also complicated. Could he really ignore this feeling? But he already had Purple Rose.

Is it better to accept this relationship and become a scumbag and a beast, or worse than a beast?
"I knew Senior Brother Rean was normal!" And at this moment, the one who supported Rean the most was actually Larry.

“That’s right, he truly deserves to be called a classic knight. We knew he was normal all along.” Others also chimed in to express their support, as if the people who had been watching the spectacle just moments before were not the same as them.

Faced with another sudden change in the situation, Rean was a little confused; his reputation seemed to have risen rather than fallen.

Is this the safest option in the snake's mouth? It might actually be the only safe option. Originally thought to be the safest, if the mushroom confesses, it will face the result of "spiritual community assimilation," which, for a carbon-based life form, is almost death, yet seems to be called immortality.

"Snake?" He then noticed that the snake's sneer was no longer in his ears. Would he miss this excitement?
I looked around, but I couldn't see him. Didn't he come to watch the fun?!
He seems to have already left.

"Great, they're finally gone!!" For the first time, facing the departure of a heroic spirit, Rean felt no reluctance or regret, but rather a heart full of joy!
That's right, Snake should leave. He's the kind of person who hates saying goodbye and will leave without a sound.
"Who left?" But the snake suddenly reappeared, looking quite smug.

"Uh"

"If I leave, who will help you complete the charging ritual? Who will help you twist Ophelia's 'contract weapon' into the solar weapon you need?"

"Sorry, sorry," Rean quickly apologized, knowing he couldn't afford to offend the snake now.

The snake suddenly disappeared.

Then he reappeared, flashing like a television with a poor signal.

"Come on, let's continue the ritual quickly, I don't have much time left." Looking at the snake that had suddenly disappeared and then reappeared, Rean vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

"Your time is up, isn't it?"

"If you know that, hurry up! Don't waste time," the snake said irritably.

The next moment, he turned his head and spoke to Sallyman, who should not have been able to see him.

"Apprentice Number 3, come and help. The ceremony needs your strength."

Number Three? At this moment, Rean was completely numb.

(End of this chapter)