Why can't humans do it too?

“…No, it’s nothing,” Su Er shook his head subconsciously, then fell into thought again.

In this world filled with numerous gods and monsters, can these humans created by the gods truly achieve the same level of glory as in his first life?

Suer suddenly realized he had made a mistake. He had been cautiously exploring this world when he suddenly heard familiar names like Amaterasu and Susanoo, and he subconsciously projected his impressions from his first life onto it. In his mind, this world would evolve into the island nation called Japan after countless years. But would things really be like that?

At least he could be 100% certain that in his first life, both monsters and gods were merely characters in various stories, and no one had ever seen or confirmed their existence in the real world. However, in this world, they truly existed.

The people of both Yamato and Izumo have become accustomed to being ruled by gods or yokai, and the gods and yokai consider ruling over humans to be their due. This situation will not change even now that Yamato has been destroyed.

More accurately, in this era where life is as fragile as straw, humanity needs the help of gods and monsters who are either benevolent or exploitative towards them, otherwise they cannot survive.

Would those gods and monsters be happy to see humans break free from their control?

Even those few individuals who currently hold goodwill towards humanity, when they discover that humans can gradually become stronger and live better without them, and even far surpass some weak monsters, will they still be able to maintain this attitude?

Can you accept that humans, who used to cuddle at your feet like cats and dogs and depend on you for survival, have become equals to you, or even beings that you have to look up to?

Su Er suddenly remembered the Qing Empire, which already existed in history during the first lifetime. Its late emperor, Qianlong, was not actually unaware of what was happening in Western countries. He was also a close pen pal of Louis XVI and had a correct understanding of the effects of gunpowder and the so-called "ingenious and ingenious" things of the time. However, in order to consolidate the rule of the Manchus, he continued the policy of suppression, even though he knew that this would lead to China falling far behind the West.

If humans are like this, then what about monsters, a race born from desire and ambition? As far as Sur is concerned, the gods of this world do not possess any so-called divinity. They are more like humans than gods, and are quite similar to the Greek gods in his memory.

When humanity can forge its own path, how will they react? Will they be so excited that they cannot accept it and choose to destroy it, or will they joyfully reach out to help humanity take another step forward and build a harmonious society where humans, monsters, and gods coexist?

To be honest, Suer couldn't even imagine how the second scenario would occur without the presence of external forces. Just imagining it made his scalp tingle.

Given this reality, if he wanted to see a future where humans had dominated the world and skyscrapers stood tall, should he do something... like kill all the gods and monsters?

Such thoughts startled even Suer the moment they popped into his mind. He was shocked that he could have such a crude idea. How could there be a reason to solve the problem if the problem cannot be solved?

Suer has already noticed the change in his mentality that has occurred after he gained immense power. At least in the past, he would never have come up with a plan to balance everything by killing. With a sharp blade in hand, he should be even more cautious.

Putting aside the reflections that Suer had made in his mind, at least the problem he thought of was real. There was no such thing as the method in the previous world that could forcibly order the entire world to eliminate the war and reverse time, which was like having a cheat code... At least Suer had not yet discovered such a powerful method.

Gods, monsters, and humans form a seemingly unsolvable puzzle.

"I don't know what you're thinking about, but it must be related to those monkeys, right?" Seeing Su'er's conflicted expression, Xin Ke sighed and said, "It's about the humans in this world... Never mind, aren't we still going to Izumo? When are we leaving?"

"Huh?" Su'er didn't quite understand what Xin Ke meant. She had just arrived home and already wanted to go out to play.

"In the end, you don't really understand your 'kind' in this world, do you? All you've seen is the distorted system like the Yamato Kingdom and their appearance. No matter what you ultimately want to do, you should at least take a serious look at their lives, shouldn't you?" Xin Ke said calmly. "Perhaps they don't need your help at all."

“…That’s true,” Su Er sighed, scratching his hair hard. “It’s not right to just wallow in self-pity and put yourself in the position of a savior. Even a revolution needs fertile ground…Let’s go and take a look first.”

"What exactly does a so-called kingdom where gods and monsters coexist look like?"

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Izumo Province

Only when night falls can one truly understand why all the gods and monsters living in the land of reeds call the Milky Way that stretches across the sky above them the frozen Milky Way—because it is indeed frozen, never twinkling, never turning, and never changing in any season, with each star filled with clouds like smoke or semi-transparent gelatinous mist.

And that full moon.

If Amaterasu, representing the sun, has left her mark on the myths passed down by word of mouth among the yokai, then Tsukuyomi, who was born with her, seems to exist without a trace. Despite representing the moon, which is just as important as the sun, she has no desire to show herself and has no special characteristics other than being there forever above her head.

On the way to Izumo, whenever Sull looked up at the top of the Milky Way, which should be Takamagahara, he couldn’t help but shift his attention to the moon at the end—there must be something on it too.

The string of eight-foot-long magatama that Tamamo-no-Mae... or rather, the string of eight-foot-long magatama that Tamamo-no-Mae gave them before she became a complete demon was still in its original black color. Apart from that, there was nothing unusual about it, as if only its color had changed.

There was a strange feeling of exploring a misty forest, full of all sorts of treasures and interesting things. Suer didn't dislike this kind of entertainment that could be used to pass the time in this boring era.

He had never so clearly realized how fragile history was, right in his hands—after all, the islanders of later generations proudly called themselves descendants of the Yamato Kingdom, the Yamato people, but the Yamato Kingdom had now been destroyed, right before his eyes.

What will they call themselves in the future? The Izumo people?

Could Izumo Province have survived until that era?

While concocting these Japanese jokes, Suer and Shinko finally arrived in the territory of Izumo Province. It's no wonder that Izumo Province is an even older country than Yamato Province. For the first time in this world, Suer felt the breath of civilization.

This vitality far surpasses that of the terminally ill Yamato Kingdom. This is partly because the country was founded much earlier than Yamato, and partly because the rulers devoted almost all their efforts to perpetuating the rule of the Susanoo lineage under the oppression of Yamato and Takamagahara. Meanwhile, Yamato has been drained of its flesh and soul for hundreds of years, until even its marrow is dried up.

Compared to this city before us, the Yamato Kingdom is not even worthy of carrying our shoes.

No, this can no longer be called a city; it has completely broken through the limitations of this era and directly entered the era of fantasy or magic.

The islands took flight, and so did the seawater. The waterfalls flowed against the current, defying gravity as they plunged from the sea surface to the edges of the islands, resembling giant fountains. When the sunlight pierced through the sky, huge rainbows could even be seen, connecting the islands and the mainland like bridges—or perhaps they were bridges in the first place.

When Suer looked closely, he could clearly see people walking on the translucent rainbow, and there were more than one person walking on it.

After counting, there are a total of seven islands of different heights suspended above the waterfall, three large and four small. If you get a little closer, you can also see seven thick ropes pulling from the islands all the way to the city on the mainland, and seven huge wooden stakes firmly nailing the ends of the ropes to the land.

"That's more like it!" Suddenly, he punched his left palm. Sur wiped his eyes with inexplicable satisfaction. This spectacular sight was exactly what he imagined his fantasy of another world to be.

"The aura of another world you mentioned?" Xin Ke appeared next to Su Er, crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and said, "There's nothing special about it. Our oldest city, Merwall, has a much more magnificent sight. It's really pathetic of you to be so moved by such a desolate little place."

"No, no, no, this is completely different. Besides, in the last world where you could die at any moment, who would be in the mood to appreciate the scenery?" Su'er complained as he took Xin Ke's hand—well, now he has the standard elf from another world.

There's no need to hide your form. In this world teeming with all sorts of bizarre and wonderful monsters, even Xin Ke's translucent body seems quite ordinary. Along the way, Su Er has already seen quite a few monsters with very distinctive appearances that could be sent to an exhibition. Smoke-like bodies are just the most common special effects. For example, there are monsters with an inextinguishable flame burning from their body to their head, or whose entire head is a ball of flame, or liquid bodies, and so on...

Suer also saw a monster that looked like some kind of corpse transformed into. It not only emitted a deadly stench, but its rotting body also gave it a unique visual effect. It only appeared at the city gate for a few seconds before a monster, probably a guard, came to chase it away. It seemed that if it hadn't run away quickly, it would have been beaten to death on the spot.

While complaining to Xinke about the hierarchy of disdain among monsters, Suer covered his nose as he passed by this stinky monster—it really did stink.

It's not just a city for humans, but also a city for yokai. At least along the way, Suer has seen mostly humans and yokai, and hasn't seen a single one of the gods that Yakumo Yukari claimed to be.

Humans were setting up stalls, and so were yokai. Compared to the emaciated humans of Yamato, the humans of Izumo, even in their tattered clothes, seemed to be only tattered in Sour's eyes. Many of the yokai's human forms appeared to be dressed even worse than them, and their living supplies were so plentiful that they could sell their surplus items.

Some ingredients, some snacks, and quite a few strange, shiny minerals that humans had accidentally found. The monsters mainly sold meat, as well as various feathers and bones. Although there was a constant commotion around them, Su'er loved this vibrant atmosphere of life.

In this era, there were naturally no tall buildings that would obstruct the view. All you had to do was look up and you could see the seven ropes that seemed to grow even larger as you got closer. They were yellowish-brown and looked a bit like hemp ropes, but Suer wasn't quite sure because they were just too thick.

There were also figures walking on the seven ropes, but they were much more ragged than those walking on the rainbow bridge. Many of them carried various items on their backs and wiped the sweat from their foreheads from time to time.

Their yellow skin had been tanned to a dark bronze by the sun, but there were no overseers with whips around them as Suer had previously guessed, which was a good thing in a way.

Chapter Sixty: An Encounter

At least Suer no longer has to worry about whether or not to intervene if he actually sees such a situation.

The sight of seven giant ropes extending from this city on the mainland, tethering seven islands, inexplicably reminded Suer of when he was flying a kite, as if the islands would run away if they weren't tethered by ropes.

Of course, he wanted to visit all seven islands without missing a single one, but before that, Suer wanted to explore the market where monsters and humans lived.

"How about this?" Suer picked up a string of ornaments from a nearby stall, turned around, and held it up to Xinke's neck. "Doesn't it have a wild, Western vibe?"

The ornament, made entirely of sharp teeth of varying sizes, was quite impressive compared to similar items sold at other stalls around the area, where even the bits of flesh around the bones and teeth hadn't been properly shaved off. Not to mention, this meticulous monster had even smoothed out any sharp parts that might cause injury, making it look very smooth and pleasant to the touch when the sunlight shone on it.

“…”, Xin Ke didn’t speak, she just smiled.

"Not only that, look here, this guy even has gemstones inlaid here?!" Suer was completely amazed. He hadn't noticed before that the curved parts of these strung teeth were inlaid with a layer of translucent gemstones, blue, red, and green. It could be considered a true work of art.

Surprisingly, in this barbaric era, we can still find such an artist among monsters. Su Er patted the shoulder of the stall owner who was bowing and scraping next to him with satisfaction, "Well done!"

“…”, Xin Ke still didn’t speak, but she clenched her fists.

Before Suer's cerebral cortex started bleeding, a necklace was suddenly handed to the two of them.

"Why don't you try this?" a familiar voice said.

Compared to the ornament with its unique primitive wilderness beauty that Suer was holding, the newcomer was carrying a very delicate necklace. It had four finely carved gold flowers and four silver flowers, and among these metal flowers were flowers carved from pale purple gemstones, which sparkled and had a very artistic feel.

It was very beautiful, but what Suer cared more about than the necklace was who this suddenly interrupting youkai was—short green hair, red eyes, and unlike the tattered clothes she wore when they first met, she had changed into a clean white dress. The purple dress that Yukari Yakumo was forced to give her back then had probably long been thrown into some trash heap. The newcomer was none other than the warlike flower fairy, Yuuka Kazami.

"What are you doing here?" Perhaps because he was used to being followed by that annoying banshee Yakumo Yukari, Su Er thought of several possibilities in an instant and raised his eyebrows slightly with displeasure as he asked.

"How did I end up here?" Seemingly surprised that Suer would ask such a question, Kazami Yuuka chuckled and turned to the side, pointing to the low house next to them, saying, "I've always been here... This is my territory."

She appeared completely open and unafraid of being questioned. Following the direction pointed out by Yuuka Kazami, Suer saw a room completely filled with flowers, or rather, a storefront facing the street.

Red, purple, pink, orange... all sorts of flowers are blooming in the shop, even spreading from inside the shop to the road in front of the shop. Please forgive Su Er for using such a slightly strange word as "spreading," but the flowers in this shop are simply thriving to an unusual degree.

They hadn't become monsters yet, but their excessive vitality had given them animal-like spirituality. When Kazami Yuuka introduced them to Su Er and his companion, Su Er even saw some flowers swaying and beckoning to him—beckoning their petals.

No, this isn't the time to marvel at these flowers. Shouldn't we be more shocked that this battle-crazed woman, much like Jibril, actually opened such a refreshing flower shop?!

Even after being pierced through the chest and having her heart crushed by Suer, and then buried in the ground to be used as fertilizer for several months, she harbored no resentment. For this battle maniac, all that remained in her heart was the desire to become stronger and the burning fighting spirit... But now she is selling flowers.

Suer had assumed that the reason he hadn't seen Kazami Yuuka since returning from his trip to Yamato was because she had been traumatized and gone off somewhere to train hard. Turns out she was training her business skills!

This disorienting feeling truly overwhelmed Suer. It was as if he could see Jibril squatting by the roadside selling grilled gluten—a completely unimaginable scene that made him want to give a thumbs up—Jibril, you better learn from me!!

We're both battle maniacs, but others manage to balance battle and life, while you...

He couldn't help but sigh when he thought of Jibril Sul. After so long, he missed the crazy Winged Race. He could never get used to the feeling of not having that unrestrained laughter and whimsical ideas.

"You're actually spacing out here... Are you thinking about something unforgettable?" More perceptive than many hostile yokai could imagine, Kazami Yuuka didn't retract her outstretched hand but instead placed the necklace in Su'er's hand and said calmly.

Before the fight even begins, this female demon always maintains a calm and unhurried demeanor, which is only in line with the nature of a plant-type demon. And judging from her words, she also seems to understand.

"...What's the basis for that?" Suer held up the necklace in her hand and looked at it. The various gems shone brightly in the sunlight, flashing beautiful colors. Without refuting, Suer simply put the necklace around Xinke's neck and said.

"Ah, at least that's how I feel when I think of some unforgettable rivals. It's a pity, and I wish I could pull them out of the ground... Not bad, very beautiful, isn't it?" Kazami Yuuka recounted her personal experience, then nodded and praised Shinko.

This green-haired banshee is really good at talking.

"Thank you... So, how was it?" After politely responding to Yuuka Kazami's compliment, Shinko twirled in the air, struck an elegant pose, and then asked Suer—she knew she was definitely beautiful, but the same words sounded very different coming from someone else's mouth.

"...My heart skipped a beat!" Without hesitation, Su Er gave a thumbs-up in praise, then placed his hands on the necklace strap hanging around Xin Ke's neck.

Just like ink dripping into a glass of water, the entire necklace was being soaked and infected until it became a translucent color like Xin Ke's body, truly becoming an item belonging to Xin Ke.

Everyone was satisfied, except for the little demon who had been standing next to them since the beginning. The former owner of the necklace looked like he was about to cry.

Chapter Sixty-One Rumors