novelraw #170 - Section 170
#170 - Section 170
Especially for creations like angels, who are born for war, they lack a normal growth trajectory, and their life experiences are incomplete.
The projections sent to perform tasks carry even more incomplete memories, only the information she needs for this particular mission; she can obtain more information from the main body at any time.
This leads to Shana having many conclusions in her mind after disconnecting from the main body, but she doesn't know how these conclusions were reached, and she doesn't understand her past very well.
Of course, she is even more confused about the present.
Descending into a body to perform a task is a completely different experience from truly living as a human being.
The completely unexpected upheaval, the sudden freedom, really left Shana at a loss.
Negotiate? Indeed, she possesses a lot of intelligence that is important information to the Empire.
But what does she want to exchange for this intelligence?
Is it just as simple as not being killed?
Shana is actually very smart. The Eternal Night Empress spent a lot of effort creating her and giving her life. As long as she doesn't act too recklessly, the Empire will never kill her before it gets everything it wants to know.
So, what should she use the chips in her hand to get?
Money, power, things, people?
She realized that because she had no goals, even if she held priceless chips, she would end up not getting anything useful to herself.
Because angels have never had their own lives, they just carry out one task after another for the gods.
Freedom is something they never dared to hope for or expect.
They also never need to think about how to plan their future lives, as the gods have already arranged everything.
She doesn't know how to use this freedom, and even wants to return to her past life.
It's like someone who has spent decades in prison, from youth to old age, and is completely unable to adapt to the outside world after being released.
Extremists may even choose suicide after gaining freedom.
......
......
A very ordinary street in the commoner district of the City of Mysteries, with old neighborhoods on both sides that have been around for decades and lack repair and maintenance.
The chaotic, mottled, and unplanned high and low buildings are like scribbles randomly drawn by naughty children, completely devoid of any aesthetic sense.
The narrow alleys are filled with lingering strange smells, and children with insufficient clothing run around, happily like the wind because their parents are busy working during the day and there is no restraint.
Leaky windows, cheap food lacking oil and sugar, and decayed wooden stairs will make harsh creaking sounds when people step on them, but catching a strong cricket in the weeds can also bring them countless happy topics and expectations.
Roger originally planned to take Shana to visit the spectacular surface buildings of the City of Mysteries, and then enter and exit various prosperous and lively luxury places frequented by nobles.
But this angel didn't follow the routine. After visiting a few attractions, she proposed to see the densely populated civilian areas.
Roger didn't know the reason, but his task was to accompany Shana and let her find the joy of being a mortal, so he couldn't go against her choice.
The Dark Night Guard made a lot of hasty preparations in advance, sweeping away the too conspicuous and restless dregs first.
Only then did Roger bring Shana into the civilian area.
Shana's expression didn't change much along the way, she just looked around curiously, and returned smiles to the children who were stunned by her and Roger's clothes.
To be honest, the material and color of her and Roger's clothes were out of place in this area - in an era when the textile industry was still a handicraft, the more vibrant the fabric, the more expensive it was.
Moreover, civilians only have a few sets of clothes for work, and durability and stain resistance are the first choice, and they will not waste extra money on appearance.
She was also quite interested in the children's cricket fighting, watched for a while, and marveled: "Competition unrelated to life, death, and interests, just to pass the long time?"
These little brats, clearly so poor that their clothes don't even cover their butts, have huge grins on their faces, celebrating that their invincible general has won all the way to the end.
This is a life that is completely unimaginable for angels.
In her limited memory, every minute and every second was spent busy with the tasks of the gods, and in the rare moments of leisure, she had to constantly chant the praises of the gods.
Roger looked at her with some sympathy: "This is childhood."
"Childhood... is good." Shana murmured, remembering the word that brought her beautiful reveries.
Angels are complete from the moment they are created, so naturally they don't have childhood.
Roger suddenly found this scene interesting.
A powerhouse who was born standing at the pinnacle of this world, who could easily flatten this entire neighborhood, was envious of the children rolling in the dirt like mud monkeys.
Is this the walled city?
By modern standards, these children's clothes and food can be called refugees.
But in this world, their parents are still free people with dignity, and their living standards are about equal to self-sufficient farmers.
Even the old people on the street, bent over by hard work, can see hope in their eyes.
Their originally numb expressions suddenly tasted the possibility of a better life from the recent changes in the Empire, and the corners of their mouths would involuntarily hang with smiles.
In fact, compared to these people who Roger thinks are already very miserable, tenant farmers, serfs, and slaves are the real bottom of this world.
They engage in the most dangerous work on the edge of death, but have no income, and are squeezed dry of their last bit of vitality by the violence of the strong, and the road ahead is also the darkness that welcomes the dawn.
On Earth, slaves can still rebel, but the existence of magic in the Eternal Night world makes the difference in combat power between the proletariat and the propertied class unimaginably large.
If figures like the Eternal Night Empress and Roger had not appeared, the ruling structure of this world might have continued to be stable for tens of thousands of years.
Roger sighed softly: "In fact, their happy and carefree childhood is very short. When they are a year or two older, these children will have to help their families with work, work until they are adults, and then worry about starting a family and raising their own children."
Shana's long eyelashes fluttered, and a look of doubt flashed in her bright purple gem-like eyes: "Is the life of mortals just such a constant cycle?"
"Most people are like this."
"Then raising children, is that the meaning of their lives?"
Roger was stunned for a moment by this naive question that even the comments wouldn't have.
After all, comments still need to be typed, and those who know how to read have basically been taught by teachers what they live for, right?
Shana naturally knows how to read, and is proficient in the languages and scripts of hundreds of worlds, but she is asking such an idiotic question...
But Roger also understood that angels used to live only for the gods.
Shana is asking this, it sounds like she is curious about the lives of these civilians, but in fact she is looking for the meaning of her own life.
If the Eternal Night Empress were here, she would probably say that living is for defeating all the enemies in the world.
If Margaret were here, she would definitely take the opportunity to instill in Shana that people live for Sakura... cough, the Eternal Night Empress.
But Roger is not a traditional Imperial person. From a modern person's perspective, he rationally analyzes this question:
"For most people in this world, reproduction is the meaning of life, because they are still struggling on the edge of the survival line, and all their actions are just desperately trying to satisfy animality and the desires controlled by hormones.
Only when life exceeds the survival line, and one possesses enough knowledge and thought, does the meaning of life for intelligent races become the pursuit of spiritual fulfillment. For strong people at the top of the pyramid like you, it should be the same."
Shana listened as if she understood, and said with distress: "That is to say, I shouldn't live like an animal, and besides eating, drinking, and reproducing, I have to think about something else."
She thinks this should be because she is too full, right?
"People will always transcend animals and pursue abstract things."
"But I don't know what to pursue."
"Then go see, read books, see people, see all things in the world."
Roger looked at Shana, whose face was about to wrinkle into a bun, and resisted the urge to rub her face, comforting her, "Don't worry, everyone's answers are different, your life is still long, you can slowly discover it."
Shana sighed softly: "Sounds like a lot of trouble, I suddenly don't want to live."
The veins on Roger's forehead jumped, where is this so troublesome?
Do you know that those who desperately want to live, hearing a top powerhouse like you making such a melodramatic and sentimental statement, would want to beat you to death?
Oh, they can't beat you, and I can't beat you either, then never mind.
Roger settled for the next best thing: "It's also normal to have nothing to pursue. At this time, you can choose to protect."
"Protect family, nation, country, or even the world of survival?" Shana recalled the Eternal Night Empress's previous answer and smiled wryly, "Sorry, I don't have those things. You can't possibly let me continue to lead the Tianming Army and revive Veronica, right?"
"What you want to protect is yourself," Roger said seriously, "Whether you want to live or die is your freedom. But many people want to live but are too hungry to have the strength, want to die but are controlled by their bodies to continue working, want to be successful but find that the road ahead has been blocked, want to explore their wishes but are fettered in place... I know that you now despise the freedom that Your Majesty imposed on you. But if a god says that you are guilty of even breathing a breath of air in this world, and is going to judge you, you may regret the freedom you lost."
Anger rose in Shana's eyes, and her fists clenched involuntarily, biting her lip, obviously provoked.
But suddenly her body relaxed again, a strange smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she suddenly flashed in front of Roger, her big eyes almost touching his nose, looking at him with great interest.
"You..." Roger didn't feel any killing intent, and magic power flickered between his fingers, but he didn't activate it yet.
Shana smiled playfully: "The judgment of the gods may come at any time. It's too troublesome to find a pursuit beyond animality, so let's be a happy little animal first!"
She grabbed Roger's hand that was preparing to cast a spell, dispelled the magic power, grabbed Roger's collar with the other hand, and then kissed him hard.
Roger opened his eyes wide in shock: Have I violated the core values?
Chapter 149: Must Take the Initiative to Counter-Kill Her!
Half-plane, Secret Law Society, the second-level summons order that all consultant group members can hear is activated.
The standard for the second-level summons order is: to perform non-emergency tasks and research, you must go to the site in person;
If you cannot get away, you need to entrust your relevant permissions to a trusted consultant to perform on your behalf.
Of course, you can also directly entrust it to the highest leader of the Secret Law Society, the Eternal Night Empress.
This is also the usual choice of the proud consultants who do not obey anyone. Only the Eternal Night Empress, whose strength completely crushes them, has the right to vote on their behalf.
When the Eternal Night Empress came to the core of the Secret Law Society, the Magic Tower, her twelve magic consultants were already sitting at the round table waiting for her.
It is precisely because of this round table that the direction of too many key battles of the Empire has been decided, and the people of the Empire also collectively call these powerful magicians around the Empress the "Twelve Round Table Mages".
However, with the establishment of the Qing Teng Empire and the increasing strength of the Secret Law Society, there are fewer and fewer tasks that require the consultants to work together to complete. They have not gathered together like this for some time, but are busy with the fields they are interested in.
In particular, the chief consultant, Observer Nicola Galilee, and the fourth consultant, Sophie Amity, and several others, spend most of their time not in the Secret Law Society Magic Tower.
But today, coincidentally, everyone can be present.
The Eternal Night Empress arrived last, lazily sitting in the uppermost seat, a unique throne composed of pure magical energy.
Since the Star Throne was recast, her seat in the Secret Law Society has also become irregular, generally wider and larger, making it easier for her to lie in it.
However, compared to the serious administrative officials, the magicians do not care about worldly views, and the Eternal Night Empress is an existence beyond the gods in their hearts. It is fine for her to sit however she wants, as long as Her Majesty is well.
The Eternal Night Empress's smiling gaze swept over her subordinates, and she was quite pleased to find that everyone was in one piece and had all their limbs intact: "It seems that everyone's recent research has been quite smooth."
Of course, the physical integrity in the eyes of magicians does not mean that the body is all original.
For example, Frankenstein performed physical mechanical modification, and other magicians have more or less tried strange directions such as physical magic creatureization and special item fusion.
It's just that few people like Frankenstein openly support that machinery is better than the original.
"It is Her Majesty's brilliance that illuminates our progress." Everyone sincerely praised the Empress.
Brilliance may not necessarily exist, but the funding that Her Majesty is giving now is increasing, which is real.
The Eternal Night Empress's smile remained unchanged, and she nodded lightly: "The reason for summoning everyone back this time is also very simple, that is, according to the latest information, to re-determine the focus of development of the Secret Law Society."
The consultants immediately looked serious.
The Eternal Night Empress is investigating the affairs of the Seven Gods, which is an internal notification that has been carried out for a long time, and everyone is very concerned about the progress.
Now that there is finally a phased conclusion, it is also an obligation for the Secret Law Society to adjust accordingly.
The Eternal Night Empress did not waste any words, and explained to her magic consultants one by one the void planes discovered these days, until Naline confirmed that the Eternal Night World was indeed blocking the path of the gods' attack.
"Since the Seven Gods are at war with the entire multiverse, the Empire should unite those local countries in other planes that are also threatened, establish an alliance to jointly resist the Seven Gods, and drag their long battle line into the quagmire," the chief consultant, Observer Galilee, immediately suggested, "Fortunately, I have contacts with some powerful magicians in other worlds, and I can promote this matter."
His research field is the multiverse and the relationship between different planes, a bit like astronomers on Earth.
However, astronomers don't have the opportunity to travel to other planets, but the convenient cross-dimensional teleportation of the magical world allows Galilei to personally travel to different worlds, sit down and discuss Dao, and have many like-minded magician friends who yearn for the mysteries of the depths of the universe.
The Eternal Night Empress nodded in admiration and said, "This is of course the path we must take. Thank you for your hard work, Lord Galilei. We will also work hard internally to complete the foundation for building the alliance."
Although there is cross-dimensional teleportation, this method is limited to powerful legendary magicians and is not suitable for conventional warfare, let alone the Seven Gods directly using their divine kingdoms to pour angelic legions into other planes for a carpet-bombing massacre.
Perhaps the multiverse has worlds that have mastered such methods, such as the Abyss and Hell, but the Green Vine Empire has not yet reached that stage. They don't even have the opportunity to join the alliance.
Not to mention becoming the leader of this kind of cooperation, the Empire is not worthy.
Although Galilei's idea is good, it is built on castles in the air.
Of course, preliminary preparations must also be done. At least, exchanges between the strong are enough to complete. Everyone shares what they have, which may also accelerate technological advancement.
For example, building an forward fortress that brings together the elite forces of different planes on the inevitable path of the Seven Gods' advance may also be a good way to buy everyone time to develop.