Ark, they don't revolve around you

"But the hero of that book is just a high school student. Because his special abilities are out of control, the female devil tries every means to destroy the hero's will."

Zhuang Ning suddenly laughed. That smile was very strange, with cunning and a hint of curiosity. "But the hero is too strong. He remains unmoved even if the whole world betrays him. Let him die. It's impossible for me to admit defeat."

"Oh, you may think this is nothing, a clichéd story. Anyway, the protagonist will definitely defeat the villain in the end, right?" Zhuang Ning inexplicably became cold, "But that female devil was almost able to destroy the protagonist's will."

"Guess what method she used?"

Kashena was horrified and felt that she was not a snake, but the man in front of her was the real snake. It was he who tempted humans to eat the fruit of original sin, and since then no one in the world has been able to escape.

Now, the demon snake named Zhuang Ning murmured: "She created a beautiful world, a beautiful world where only the protagonist is not needed. In that world, all tragedies do not exist. It is like being in heaven or paradise. There are no wars, hunger, and exploitation. You are just not needed."

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not a demon. This is a fake world. It's a movie-like story I made up." He whispered softly, so gently, "But I have thought of how to make you surrender."

"The Ursus you desire can only be created by me."

Chapter 62: Indenture

Black Snake stared at the scene blankly. In his eyes, he saw a country full of vitality and flourishing Ursus. The people lining the streets of this country were more energetic than ever before.

She came to the park and saw an old man sitting on a bench. Spring had arrived, branches and leaves were sprouting, and the sky and earth were adding a touch of green.

The spring in Ursus is very short. In the mythology of Ursus, the god of spring is a boy who is loved by the goddess of winter. However, the god of spring rejected the courtship of the goddess of winter. The goddess of winter was also the god of revenge, so she killed the god of spring with a sickle.

Therefore, most of the time, Ursus is shrouded in the cold winter. The male god will revive in spring every year, and the goddess will express her love to him again, and then kill him. This is a cycle that can never be broken, just like the White God will always be killed by the Black God.

Only this year's spring is exceptionally long. The ice and snow on the branches have melted, and flowers are blooming, smelling faint and pleasant.

Black Snake's heart palpitated. This was an illusion. The man gave her a dream. Everything in this dream was false. But she still stood there in a daze, not moving for a long time.

"Little girl, little girl." The old man said, "The snow has just melted, aren't you wearing too cold clothes?"

Kasheina smiled and shook her head without responding. The old lady did not ask further questions, but just said: "It's great, the war is over, but we finally have peace and a new life."

"Peace? Don't you think it's a temporary and illusory thing?"

"That's what we're pursuing. If the war starts, we'll be corpses on the battlefield."

Kashena crossed the street and came to the factory area. The furnaces were running and it was incredibly hot even in winter.

"Where are the infected?" she asked curiously.

"Infection?" Others looked at him with a ridiculous look. "Ore disease has been conquered. Don't you know that, Miss Noble?"

Kashena apologized, but she was smiling. She didn't mind the woman's sharp sarcasm.

The more wars and hundreds of destructions one has experienced, the deeper the feelings in one's heart.

Even though she knew this was just an illusion prepared by an evil man, she couldn't help but shed tears.

This snake has a heart of stone, and regards human life as worthless. She believes in social Darwinism and sees war as inevitable. She doesn't mind winning or losing the war, as long as she can kill the burdensome people and bring them new life.

But at this moment, feeling the sunlight shining down, the black snake's last line of defense collapsed.

A man walked towards her, wearing a neat military uniform with his collar turned outward. It was impossible to tell his rank or race, he just looked like a junior officer.

But Black Snake stiffened for a moment. She recognized the other party. After a second, she smiled and said, "You win."

She gave in.

After going through so much suffering, she finally gave in to the man who overwhelmed her.

As she uttered this, her whole body relaxed and she fell to the ground, like an athlete who was exhausted and could no longer get up after hearing the end of a long-distance race.

The man used hundreds of nightmares to trample on her dignity and ideals, like thunder and like a king, but in the end, it was such a beautiful illusion that broke her down.

So she cried softly, like a child, attracting the attention of others.

The man dressed as a soldier was a little embarrassed, and hurriedly helped her up, but his words were still merciless: "How dare you, sir, perform such a great ceremony? Please stand up quickly!"

He smiled, but there was still no smile in his voice: "But I am glad of your surrender, Black Snake."

Zhuang Ning embraced her enemy and naturally had to comfort him because he had crushed her spirit. After all, he was a good man.

The two walked to the cafe, and Black Snake sipped his coffee in the corner, gazing up at the lush greenery.

The person opposite handed over a contract and smiled: "Sign it, this is your indenture. Although I am a devil, I am definitely a dedicated devil. As long as you sign the contract, I will do my best to make Ursus better. Although it may not reach the level of this beautiful dream, it is at least half of it, right?"

The woman took the paper silently and took a look. It was an excessive contract. The wording stated that the immortal black snake was the property of Dr. Zhuang Ning. During the contract period, the black snake was not allowed to resist in the slightest. It should call Zhuang Ning its master, obey Zhuang Ning's orders, and give everything for Zhuang Ning's great cause. From now on, everyone would prosper together and suffer together, and the contract would take effect only after Zhuang Ning's death.

It emphasized simplicity and crudeness, and then listed a long list of details. Even with Black Snake's thousand years of experience, he couldn't find any flaws. Black Snake smiled helplessly and slowly signed his name.

The contract takes effect.

At this moment, she exhaled, and although she seemed to still be burdened, she still uttered the word in a tiny voice: "Master."

"..."

Zhuang Ning remained silent, and his expression disappeared again. Black Snake almost had PTSD from this person's disappearing expression, and hurriedly said, "Is there something wrong? I am here according to the contract."

"No." The doctor still looked solemn. "Call me again. Didn't I hear you clearly just now?"

"..."

"The contract shows that black snakes are not allowed to resist their masters." Zhuang Ning repeated, tapping the table with his hand.

"Owner."

"very good."

"Master, master..."

"You can stop now. How did I become so perverted?" Zhuang Ning whispered and laughed again. Black Snake found it even more ridiculous. She could not see through this evil spirit. When they first met, she did not even think that this person was an obstacle, but her great cause was destroyed by this person.

And the strange contract just now. The moment it was signed, she was bound by a great power, which was the power to subvert her magic. If the immortal black snake called himself a god, then that existence was the rule and the fate. In the mythology, the gods could not resist the fate. Even the greatest gods would succumb to the iron hammer of fate and rush to the dusk battlefield where they were destined to die.

Zhuang Ning took a sip of coffee, added milk and sugar, and stirred it gently. He didn't look at what he was doing the whole time, and his attention was focused on a blooming flower.

He asked, "Do you know what flower that is?"

"sunflower."

"Yes, the sunflower, it always faces the sunny side. The Ursus people's desire for sunshine is just like that flower." Zhuang Ning smiled faintly like a philosopher. At this time, he returned from his crazy state to an ordinary person.

But he also had the arrogance of a commander and a leader. Over the past thousand years, Black Snake had seen all kinds of temperaments in too many people. The one who impressed her most was the former emperor of Ursus, who was an absolute monarch. Three Wendigos conquered a city, and two pairs of hands disturbed the land. A monarch represented the will of a country.

But it's just one country.

And this man seems to symbolize the entire earth. He stretches out his hand and catches the sunshine. He smiles quietly, as if the whole world will obey his orders.

Chapter 63: The Iron-Hearted Master

"I've been reading the history of Ursus recently." Zhuang Ning's voice was not loud, and it seemed as if he was talking to himself.

Black Snake was stunned for a moment: "Reading history books? Why not ask me?"

"You are a walking history book. You have experienced every great change in Ursus, but that doesn't stop me from reading the history of Ursus."

He picked up the book on the table and calmly opened it. The book was very old, and the paper was lightly yellowed. "Sometimes, reading history is different from experiencing it personally. Personal participation is just being swept up in the tide of the times, and it is impossible to face it fairly and objectively, but bits and pieces of history can show the thoughts of people of a certain era."

"So." Black Snake narrowed his eyes and asked curiously, "What do you think of the history of Ursus, Master?"

She called out "master" naturally, and it was so embarrassing the first time, but she soon got into the situation. This snake was not an animal that would surrender easily. When she lowered her noble head, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of person her master was.

"Ice-cold." Zhuang Ning cast his eyes to the outside world. "Ursus has been expanding since its birth. It has rarely stopped for thousands of years, to the south, to the west, and to the east. The hero you are advocating is the Wolf Duke in the song of the warrior. He is a powerful wizard who can change into various forms. He once turned into a wolf and bit off the throat of Emperor Sargon, hence his name. He also has many good friends, a giant with infinite strength, and a farmer who drags a plow to plow the fields. When the three of them are together, no demons or monsters can defeat them."

"That's not surprising."

"It's not strange, but the more I read, the more sad it feels. In fact, war is helpless, and there will always be bloodshed and sacrifice. Only when people are forced to do so will they turn their swords against each other. Ursus's writings and poems always have a kind of desolation like snow."

This sentimental man was completely different from the emperor just now. He sighed and said, "You are very lonely. You originated from ice and snow but always want to integrate into the core circle. Gaul was once the holy land of Ursus. The Ursus imitated the Gauls' clothing. The upper class people used the Gaulish language. The poets used the best words to praise the Gauls because Gaul was the overlord of the core circle at that time. But the Gauls looked down on you and regarded you as barbarians."

"Gaul has perished, and no noble will speak the Gaulish language."

"Yes, you personally participated in the war to divide the old Gaul land, but so what? Ursus's situation has not changed. A warlike country - this is the consensus of almost all countries. Yan Country calls you Rakshasa, which is a kind of ferocious and vicious evil ghost that eats human flesh. Did you know that?"

Of course she knew it, but expansion is a must for a country that pursues militarism, and not expanding would be chronic suicide.

Black Snake didn't want to talk about this topic: "What does this have to do with you? You are not from Ursus."

"It does matter, Black Snake, because this kind of environment gave birth to you. You are the embodiment of loneliness, warmongering, and longing for light." Zhuang Ning smiled slightly. The impetuousness in him had completely faded away. When he was violent, he was still the king who could easily bring destruction. However, when he showed kindness, he was like a saint in the Gospel.

Black Snake was stunned. This man gave her a candy after whipping her with a whip. Did he really think it would work?

Black Snake wanted to sneer, but he couldn't say anything, because when this man talked about loneliness, he seemed to empathize with him. Perhaps this word touched his nerves, so he was rarely willing to say more.

"I am the embodiment of Ursus' will." Black Snake's throat was a little dry.

"I don't care. I'm not the incarnation of anyone. In the past ten years, every time I go to a country, I will look at their architecture and learn their language by myself. I am very good at languages... No, this body is too fast at learning everything. Today, I can even grasp the dialect of the northernmost region of Ursus."

Zhuang Ning closed his eyes, but his smile was still there, but he was speaking from the heart in a rare way. "Syracuse represents submission and resistance, Victoria represents glory and expansion, and Colombia represents freedom and equality. Each country seems so ugly, but if you look into it, you will always see the light."

"Only Ursus is feared by everyone. It has nothing to do with sentimentality. It is simply determined by the geographical location and the nature of the country. You are indeed ferocious bears. When you are hungry, you will swallow even a dragon of Da Yan."

Zhuang Ning paused and said softly, "This is very similar to you, Kashena."

Black Snake was still pondering the meaning of these words. It took him a long time to realize that this was actually a simple chat and had nothing to do with the identities of master and slave. He did not have any further thoughts. He just happened to have read the history of Ursus and his heartstrings were touched.

If the black snake of the past would have sneered, only poets and authors whose existence had no meaning would pin their emotions on this. What else can maintain a huge empire except relying on force?

But looking at the man's face, she certainly couldn't say such words. She felt so lonely. In fact, what he said might be directed at her.

Zhuang Ning did not wait for Black Snake to speak. He held Black Snake's hand and stood up silently. His eyes were shining:

"Let's go."

"Where are you going, master?" the black snake said subconsciously.

"Go back, back to reality. I have done my best in this world, but this is not the end." The melancholy disappeared, and the iron-like expression covered the man again. "Kasheina, do you know which clause in the contract I value most?"

"I will never be free until you die."

"No." Zhuang Ning looked back, "I built Ursus for you, you help me get back home."

Many years later, Kashena would always think of this afternoon.

At that time, the man would fulfill his promise and return to his hometown through the star gate, so everyone gathered in the tundra. The star gate was filled with colorful light. Zhuang Ning faced one face after another, looking around with a gaze like an emperor.

"I have done what I should do. Now, there is no relationship between us."

The girls were crying but didn't dare to step forward. His loyal soldiers were crying but didn't dare to keep them.

The black snake hid in the corner. He should have been relieved, but his heart was empty. Boundless loneliness, the fear of losing him and the irreparable loss surged wildly. She was probably the only one who knew what Zhuang Ning meant.

The contract was that I would eliminate the evil for you, and you would help me get home - he had indeed completed what he was supposed to do, so he kept walking.