Xu Yuan's position wasn't something that could be explained in just a few words.
Xu Yuan was also very clear that Blue Demon absolutely stood on the side of the creatures, he undoubtedly hated the players.
But Xu Yuan couldn't possibly wipe out all the players, because this world existed precisely because of them.
Thinking of this, Xu Yuan spoke again, "Checks and balances. Equilibrium."
"That is what I must do."
"And my stance is to consider the maintenance of the entire world, not any particular faction."
Xu Yuan's answer did come as a surprise to Blue Demon.
It had to be said, the words Xu Yuan spoke were perfectly in line with the impression he gave.
Hearing his words, Blue Demon understood one thing, Xu Yuan would not side with the players' faction, nor would he side with the monsters' and animals' faction.
His attitude was like that of an overseer who stood apart from it all.
Xu Yuan spoke calmly, but Blue Demon, listening to these words, could not remain calm.
He looked at Xu Yuan and challenged him, "You were once the 'White-Eyed Monster' in the players' mouths."
"Standing among the monsters' faction, I believe you've also experienced life and death, separation and loss."
"And all of that was undoubtedly caused by the players."
"Now, you've grown strong enough, strong enough to stand apart and casually speak of checks and balances, of equilibrium."
"But what if next time, it's someone close to you who gets hurt or dies?"
"Could you still remain so detached?!"
As Blue Demon spoke, the rise and fall of his chest grew more and more pronounced.
"Only because those around you are strong enough to avoid harm do you have the confidence to stand apart."
"You keep saying you want to protect this world."
"But have you truly seen the struggles of the lowest lives in this world?!"
Blue Demon had always been steady in temperament, as could be seen from his usual interactions with Pufferfish JIO and BBQ Sauce.
This might have been one of the rare moments in his life when his emotions ran high.
The reason for Blue Demon's agitation was the psychological gap he felt.
Previously, Blue Demon had planned to ally with HIM. The reason for this decision was that, in his eyes, HIM was also a monster. Though his strength was already immense, he had climbed up from the bottom.
He must have some understanding of the struggles of the lowest creatures, some ability to consider things from their perspective.
Blue Demon had always believed that even if HIM had zombie players under his command, his heart must lean somewhat toward his own kind.
But reality was far from Blue Demon's expectations.
Xu Yuan was indeed impartial. He did not take sides with any faction.
And this was the point Blue Demon couldn't accept.
Xu Yuan's attitude made Blue Demon feel that he was relying on his current strength, on the fact that those around him would no longer suffer harm, to detach himself from everything and handle matters from a so-called "impartial" perspective.
This instantly made Blue Demon feel that Xu Yuan had a mindset of "out of sight, out of mind."
In Blue Demon's eyes, Xu Yuan had grown so powerful that he had lost his sense of empathy.
———
Seeing Blue Demon's emotional outburst, the surrounding animals and monsters were all taken aback.
Blue Demon had always been composed, this was the first time they had seen him so agitated.
But after a moment, their eyes showed a flicker of emotion.
At this moment, they finally felt a sense of recognition toward Blue Demon as their leader.
Because he cared.
He cared about the lives of those at the very bottom.
Now, the animals and monsters around him unconsciously drew closer to Blue Demon.
They gathered behind him, their gazes fixed on Xu Yuan in unison.
Blue Demon's words were clearly a challenge and an indictment of Xu Yuan. Blue Demon didn't fully understand Xu Yuan's thoughts, his knowledge was limited.
So Xu Yuan didn't blame him. On the contrary, he was somewhat pleased.
Blue Demon's thinking was actually similar to BBQ Sauce's, but his perspective was broader.
If Xu Yuan could convince Blue Demon, his influence would far surpass BBQ Sauce's.
Thinking this, Xu Yuan looked at Blue Demon and nodded.
"So, you want me to stand on the side of the lowest animals and monsters."
"And slaughter all the players, is that it?"
(T/N: Talk no jutsu activated!!)
Xu Yuan's words momentarily stunned Blue Demon.
Blue Demon hated the players, but he was also clear-headed.
He knew the players could never be wiped out.
———
[Flashback]
During a past rescue mission, Pufferfish JIO had once said to the players, "One day, I'll make you disappear from this world."
Hearing this, the players weren't afraid. Instead, they mocked, "Make us disappear? Would this world even exist without us?"
At first, Blue Demon didn't understand the deeper meaning of those words.
But gradually, he realized something unusual about the players.
It seemed this world existed precisely for them.
———
[End of Flashback]
Realizing this, Blue Demon finally understood.
Making the players disappear was not the solution to the problem.
This understanding plunged Blue Demon into despair.
He didn't know what to do. The problem seemed unsolvable because this world served the players.
Those animals and monsters seemed destined to be slaughtered.
All he could do now was complain, complain about the unfairness of fate.
Complain that even with his immense power, HIM could ultimately change nothing.
Thinking this, Blue Demon sighed deeply, lowered his head, and shook it helplessly.
"I know it's impossible."
"I also know this is a problem with no solution…"
"But…"
It was clear that Blue Demon was truly helpless, or perhaps frustrated by his own powerlessness.
He understood how this world worked, but he refused to accept it. He wanted to resist but lacked the means.
Blue Demon's answer surprised Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan hadn't expected Blue Demon to understand the world so deeply.
And precisely because he understood it, understood the fate of the animals and monsters, he felt this way.
But for Xu Yuan, this was undoubtedly a good thing. Since Blue Demon already knew so much, Xu Yuan didn't need to explain much to him.
With this in mind, Xu Yuan looked at Blue Demon and smiled.
"Who said this is a problem with no solution?"
Seeing Xu Yuan's confident expression, a ripple of emotion flashed in Blue Demon's eyes.
But he quickly calmed down, thought for a moment, and asked,
"You have a way?"
Xu Yuan nodded. "Solving this issue is, in truth, simple."
"Three words."
"Set the rules."
Xu Yuan's words left everyone present with puzzled expressions. It seemed they didn't fully grasp his meaning.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan gave a brief explanation.
"Initially, players killed animals and monsters mostly to gather resources."
"Later, animals and monsters developed consciousness and began to resist, leading to hatred."
"But when you think about it, this hatred is largely one-sided."
At this point, Xu Yuan pointed at the animals and monsters behind Blue Demon.
"You despise the players deeply, and many of the recent conflicts were actually started by you."
"Because the players haven't lacked food or resources for a long time now."
"Even if they did lack resources, the mindless animals and monsters that spawn naturally in the overworld would be more than enough to meet their needs. In fact, they'd prefer to hunt those mindless creatures."
Though Xu Yuan hadn't paid much attention to the interactions between the animal-monster faction and the players,
his analysis of the current situation was spot-on.
The reality was exactly as Xu Yuan described.
By now, most players knew that many animals and monsters were sentient, so they tried to avoid conflict with them.
For one, sentient animals and monsters were harder to deal with. For another, players understood that these were living beings with thoughts and feelings.
Many players could empathize with fictional characters in games, let alone creatures of flesh and blood.
As Xu Yuan said, by this stage of the game, food and resources were no longer scarce.
Even if they were, the mindless creatures that spawned naturally would be more than enough to supply the players.
Most of the current conflicts were instigated by the animals and monsters.
Xu Yuan wasn't blaming them for this.
They had all experienced loss and separation in some way. Xu Yuan understood their hatred.
But he also knew that if they remained trapped in that hatred, this generation, the next, and all who came after would drown in it, never seeing the light of hope.
"I understand your hatred. But can hatred bring you hope?"
Hearing Xu Yuan's words, Blue Demon's eyes flickered with emotion.
He knew full well that hatred couldn't bring them hope.
But even knowing that, how easy was it to let go of hatred?
Moreover, the problem wasn't something that could be solved just by Blue Demon and his kind abandoning their hatred.
Even if they gave up their hatred and stopped attacking players, could they guarantee the players wouldn't attack them?
So blindly letting go of hatred would be tantamount to surrender for Blue Demon and his kind.
And if they surrendered for no reason, the players would only grow more aggressive.
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