Sir! Don't close the net!

Ashley, who hadn't expected Annie to bring up such a heavy topic, opened her mouth but then hugged the pillow in her arms tighter, her eyes dimming. "I'm sorry... I don't know what to do."

Anne stared at Ashley for a long time before letting out a long sigh, then turned to look out the window. "Miss Ashley, have you ever thought about changing all of this?"

“Change? I…I don’t know…” Ashley stammered, her legs crossing nervously. “Like what Mr. Dante did?”

“Mr. Dante…? Perhaps, but Mr. Dante is ultimately just a man. No matter how much evil he defeats, he cannot establish a just order,” Anne tilted her head slightly. “But, Miss Ashley, you can.”

"Huh? What... does this mean?"

“To replace the royal family and nobility of the wasteland,” Anne squinted.

"Oh~ Hmm? Eh? Eh?!"

Ashley jumped to her feet, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Anne stared at Ashley for a moment, then shrugged. "Miss Ashley, don't you think the wasteland royal family bears a great deal of responsibility for the continued deterioration of the Triassic and Jurassic zones?"

"This……"

Ashley walked quickly to the door, opened it, peeked around, looked left and right, then turned and closed the door. Leaning against the door, she scratched her face somewhat awkwardly.

"The Cretaceous zone isn't... without responsibility either."

“Miss Ashley, do you know what it means to proceed step by step?” Anne’s lips curled up slightly.

"Uh... one step at a time?"

"That's right. There is no perfect social system in this world from the beginning. We have to keep trying and making mistakes, keep filtering, kicking out the wrong parts and nurturing the rest. What I hope for is change rather than starting over. So in the face of huge flaws, a few flaws are the perfect choice."

"Simply put, when faced with the cancer of the wasteland royal family and nobility, the merchants of the Cretaceous Circle are a more trustworthy option."

Ashley looked at Anne, who was sitting by the window, smiling naturally, with some nervousness.

"And you, Miss Ashley... are the perfect choice after the option of being a merchant in the Chalk Circle with some flaws, with no problems whatsoever."

Chapter 116 is unrelated to the main story; it's simply a fact.

Although there was no wind in the room, Ashley felt a sense of being blown away by the wind.

She came to see Anne in the middle of the night out of girlish curiosity, wanting to ask her about Anne and Dante, and then, in a very girlish way, they would sleep in the same bed and whisper some secrets.

Anne, however, wanted her to rebel.

Even if she has a story-driven mind and craves adventure and all sorts of incredible things, it doesn't mean she can accept all types of stories, especially war stories. And Anne's descriptions are so detailed and realistic that Anne finds them hard to accept, yet she has to admit they're all true, but...

She didn't know what to do.

Anne sat right in front of her and poured her heart out, telling her many heavy truths: she couldn't just leave like that.

But she couldn't possibly agree to that.

She was a young lady who couldn't even make desserts, was naive and inexperienced, and couldn't even imagine what life would be like after her family's decline.

"Miss Anne, even if you say that, I don't know what to do..."

Ashley covered her forehead and voiced her thoughts.

“All you need to do is… wait,” Anne said, lowering her head slightly before straightening her back. “Believe that you are right now, and then wait, wait for the day when it’s your turn.”

"Then...when will it be my turn to be eliminated?" Ashley twisted her hands together, looking somewhat uneasy.

"Huh? Ashley, what are you talking about? You are right. You are gentle and understanding. Faced with conflicts and misfortunes that you could not resolve, you did not choose to run away, but chose to listen. No one is more suitable than you, no, more suitable than you to be the spiritual symbol of a nation."

Anne spoke up in a soft, encouraging voice.

Although she had heard about it before, today was the first time she had come into contact with the young ladies from the Cretaceous Circle as a resident of the Triassic and Jurassic Circles. She was very satisfied with the results of the contact. Even though the young ladies knew her identity, they did not show any discrimination. Sometimes they even showed a guilty expression.

She longed for change more than starting over, but this was predicated on the fact that starting over was too risky. No one could guarantee that people who returned to that chair wouldn't be worse or more twisted. And the right answer was right in front of her.

If the Jurassic Circle and the Cretaceous Circle join forces to start a war, the Cretaceous Circle, which controls foreign trade, will surely occupy the royal and noble positions in the future. The merchants of Tipor will bear all the negative emotions of the wasteland during its worst period of internal strife, while the descendants of the merchants, who have cultivated excellent character through higher education, will take over the wasteland from which the merchants took away the negative emotions.

Absolutely perfect.

As for whether the Jurassic Circle would also want to join the ranks of royalty, Anne did have some concerns, but upon closer reflection, she wasn't so worried anymore. Royalty needed to negotiate with royalty from other countries, and the Cretaceous Circle merchants, who were in charge of wasteland trade, had dealt with royalty from other countries.

As for the Jurassic Circle, aside from the fact that it has never interacted with royalty or nobility from other countries, its reputation as a mob society independent of the wasteland is well-known. Moreover, because many tourists from other countries have encountered heartbreaking crimes in the Jurassic Circle, there is a persistent saying in other countries: never go to the Jurassic Circle.

From the social circles of royalty to public opinion, Jurassic Circle cannot claim the position of wasteland royalty.

"If Ashley, you are worried that you don't have the ability to run a country, you can rest assured. You are not alone, and you will not take over the country in the worst possible situation. Moreover, for a country, spiritual symbols are more important than anything else. The people are not sheep that need to be driven away. They have their own thoughts. As long as they can live well, a country will prosper."

Anne raised her hand and gestured, "And once everything develops, many talented people will be attracted by your personal charm and willingly become your helpers."

Anne was tempted by what she said, but Ashley's shoulders slumped little by little, and her smile turned bitter.

"Then, we will be eliminated."

"Huh? Ashley, what are you talking about? Why were you eliminated? No one in this wasteland is more suitable to be the spiritual symbol of this country than you," Annie said anxiously, not understanding why Ashley had suddenly become so dejected.

“That’s just how it appears now,” Ashley said softly, sitting on the bed, pulling her legs up, and resting her head on her knees. “Our lives are sustained by exploiting the blood of others. This has nothing to do with our own opinions; it’s a fact that everyone can see.”

“So what!” Annie retorted after a pause, unwilling to accept it. “No one can choose their own birth! Just because you were born into the wrong family, does that mean you don’t have the right to do the right thing?”

Ashley didn't speak, but calmly gazed at Anne. Anne took several breaths before holding her forehead and turning her face away. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have complained to you."

“It’s okay, I didn’t mean to refuse. If it’s all according to what you say, Annie, then it has nothing to do with my will, and it will naturally be my turn,” Ashley stood up, squatted down in front of Annie, reached out and held Annie’s hand, looked up and smiled into Annie’s eyes, “Even if I’m eliminated and abandoned, I think… it’s not a big deal. Actually, I just breathed a sigh of relief. I guess only in this way can I feel a little more at ease.”

“You won’t be… eliminated,” Annie bit her lip.

“Annie, this world… no, it’s nothing,” Ashley stood up and gently hugged Anne, patting Anne’s back lightly with her right hand. Her eyes were no longer as clear and vibrant as before, but rather filled with exhaustion.

“Miss Ashley, I’m not a child. Even if you do this, I won’t be happy.”

Anne tried to struggle out of Ashley's arms, but she had no legs and was emaciated from her life in the triple circle, making it impossible for her to break free from Ashley's embrace.

“Hey… I’ve always wanted to do this. I always felt like you needed a hug, Annie,” Ashley stuck out her tongue and not only didn’t let go, but even hugged you tighter with a yelp. “Didn’t Mr. Yellow Raincoat and Miss Rebecca hug you?”

"Even if I really wanted to be hugged by someone, I wouldn't choose Mr. Yellow Raincoat, much less Rebecca," Annie complained helplessly after struggling in vain.

"Mr. Yellow Raincoat... I can understand that, but why not Ms. Rebecca? I always felt she had a really great figure and such elastic skin; I'm so envious!"

Because she's a werewolf!

The study door creaked open slowly, and the soft light from the gas lamp was gradually stolen by the darkness. Tipol, who was writing a proposal, paused and looked up. Standing between the slowly opening door was an extremely thin figure, and a huge shadow pressed down on her. Behind her, there seemed to be a hunched figure.

Chapter 117 Parasite

"There really aren't many people here..."

Facing the quiet pasture, Li Yili put her hands on her hips and let out a long breath.

"Did they all go to a party? Hey—tolerate it, don't eat too much."

Under the starlight, the ferocious figure crouching and throbbing in front of the grass paused, slowly turned its head, and its slender mouth slowly opened, with bits of flesh and bone falling between its pale, sharp canine teeth with a crackling sound.

"Ugh—I feel like I've only eaten one and a half bites," Rebecca said, getting up and wiping her mouth forcefully.

Li Yili glanced to the side and saw a pile of blood-stained wool lying at Rebecca's feet. In just a short while, Rebecca had devoured four sheep, eating everything except the wool. She even slurped up the bones and tossed them into her mouth to gnaw them to pieces.

“Half full is the same as full,” Li Yili turned around and waved her hand. “We’ve seen enough, and we’ve seen everything we wanted to see.”

"Something we should see?"

Rebecca kicked the blood-stained wool on the ground into a large pit that had been dug earlier, looked around, and then put her hands on her hips.

"Speaking of which... is this all Cretaceous? I feel like it's not as developed as the Jurassic. The buildings are only denser near that glittering gate. If you walk a little further out, you'll find farmland, pastures, and orchards."

“Haven’t you heard? The ultimate destination for the rich is to find a ranch and live a pastoral life,” Li Yili turned around, raised her finger, and waved it from side to side as she spoke. “There are not only ranches here, but also orchards and farmland.”

“Eh… this is the first time I’ve ever heard of this. But even if you told me all those grand principles, I wouldn’t understand them,” Rebecca glanced at the flock of sheep huddled together and trembling in the distance, licked her lips, but still suppressed her desire and jumped over the fence to follow behind Li Yili.

Li Yili glanced at Rebecca.

“Then I’ll say something you can understand. After thinking about it carefully, I believe that no matter what the purpose of those behind the Jurassic Circle is, I support the Jurassic Circle going to war.”

"Oh, I do understand that."

Rebecca nodded subconsciously, and only after following Li Yili for several steps did she realize what was happening and open her mouth wide.

"Ah—what did you say! Didn't you promise Dante you'd stop the war?! To be honest… Dante wasn't even planning to get involved. It was only because of you that he kept nagging Dante that he decided to stop the war! You even… you even taught him the method!"

"Eh...it seems that's really the case," Li Yili rubbed her ear. "Ah~ it's just that...the situation can change, right~"

"Hey……"

Even Rebecca couldn't help but draw out her words.

"Although it sounds like an excuse, perhaps... after Dante actually takes one look at the Jurassic Circle, he would also feel that war should break out, maybe..."

"Huh? Why?" Rebecca muttered, her hands hanging down in front of her. "What good would it do Dante to start a war?"

"There are many benefits for the Jurassic Circle."

Li Yili shrugged.

"Haven't you noticed that there are no farmlands or orchards in the Jurassic Circle?"

"Eh?"

"It seems you've never noticed before."

"No! No! I was paying attention! It's just that I was a little caught off guard by your sudden question. Wait a minute—" Rebecca raised her paw and poked her temple, then laughed and turned her face away after a moment of thought. "It really does seem to be true! How strange! Why is that?"

“If there is no way to remove the tumor that has already formed in your body, the only way to avoid being taken away by this tumor is to limit the nutrients it receives, and ideally, to squeeze the nutrients out of the tumor,” Li Yili exhaled a long breath.

"For example, they only have the ability to produce goods, but they have no way to produce raw materials. The weapons they rely on for survival require various ores, but this is a wasteland. There are no mines in the Jurassic Circle. If they want to refine metals and gunpowder, they have to rely on imports."

"Once the Cretaceous and Millennium Capital are lost, the Jurassic Circle will be like a tumor without a host, slowly dying. Compromise is never one-sided, and the side that compromises first is not necessarily the weaker one."

Rebecca crossed her arms, glanced around at her surroundings, and then looked down at her tail.

The rhythm of the swinging became increasingly violent.

"What do you think will happen if this abnormal relationship continues?" Li Yili shrugged.

"Uh... vampires and... food?"

“No, they’re like parasites that want to kick each other out but can’t get rid of each other,” Li Yili said, her hands in her pockets, her expression utterly indifferent. “The wasteland right now is like several parasites biting each other together.”

"All the practical technologies are in the hands of the Jurassic Circle, and all the raw materials and channels for converting goods into cash are in the hands of the Cretaceous Circle, while the Wasteland Royal Family maintains their abnormal parasitic relationship while parasitizing both sides."

"As long as the wasteland royal family and nobility do not disappear from the wasteland, the parasitic relationship between the Jurassic Circle and the Cretaceous Circle will not end, and the development of the wasteland itself has reached its limit."

"So? You think it's a good thing for the Jurassic Circle to start a war?" Rebecca, who didn't understand but thought Li Yili's words made sense, scratched the back of her head. "Aren't you worried that the Jurassic Circle with weapons will directly devour the Cretaceous Circle? I feel... those gangsters don't seem like rational people."

"Besides...don't the gangsters possess some kind of ancient god's legacy that has unleashed true power? What does the Cretaceous Circle have that can rival them? Corn?"

“If he wasn’t confident in this regard, Tipor wouldn’t have made such a big bet. As for his confidence in not being swallowed by the Jurassic Circle…” Li Yili held her chin and narrowed her eyes slightly, “It could also be that the primary partner of this funding round is the Cretaceous Circle.”