"You don't want to?"
Kurma looked at the girl with surprise. For a Half-Celestial Spirit, completing one's Divinity and awakening as a full Celestial Spirit should be an innate mission, or at the very least, a driving impulse. Yet, she claimed she didn't want to? That was truly odd.
"Alright then! Can't be helped!" Kurma thought for a moment but didn't press the issue. Instead, she looked toward the distant Trayastrimsa Heaven. "Then let's go meet this hero who scared Shakyamuni so badly! I'm quite interested in him!"
Seeing her change the subject, Sun Wukong was a little surprised. "I thought you'd keep asking."
"Of course not!" Kurma waved a hand and puffed out her chest again. "Little Kurma is a kind and understanding adult, you know! Your expression just now looked like there was a complicated story behind it. With my generous and considerate personality, I would never do something so annoying as to pry into every little detail!"
Her childish, smug expression was just like a kid pretending to be a grown-up.
The golden-haired girl smiled warmly and cupped her hands in a flattering gesture. "Then I thank the mature and gentle World King for your consideration!"
"You're welcome, you're welcome!" Hearing Sun Wukong's praise, Kurma's eyes crinkled in a pleased expression, though she tried to feign indifference. "By the way, since we're traveling together, calling me World King is a bit too formal. Just call me little Kurma!"
Now that they were getting along, she made the request.
"Wouldn't that damage your dignity?" Sun Wukong didn't really care about such things, but she asked just in case. Calling a 2-digit being by a nickname was an unparalleled honor.
Hearing the other party acknowledge her dignity, Kurma grew even happier. The silver-haired loli cleared her throat, putting on an act. "Ahem! No need to be so formal. We'll have to temporarily seal our Divinity when we descend to the lower world anyway, so that name is more familiar."
"Besides, considering the intel Shakyamuni shared and the reason he allowed you to come along, we might end up fighting side-by-side. It's only right that we know each other's names."
"Since you put it that way, I'll graciously accept," Sun Wukong readily agreed to Kurma's suggestion. But when she heard the latter part of the sentence, she paused, then asked in surprise, "You... Little Kurma, did you just say we might fight together? Are you prepared for battle on this trip?"
Hearing the girl's question, Kurma gave her a strange look. "Isn't it standard social practice in any world to size each other up before negotiating? Even male and female beasts who've taken a liking to each other often need to fight to establish their status before mating. Given our objective, isn't it obvious we're going to fight?"
Unlike the gods, who were overly familiar with the niceties of society, Kurma saw the world in a much simpler, purer light. Perhaps because Pure-Blooded Dragons were a different type of observer, she saw civilized decorum as mere window dressing.
The essence of society was nothing more than competition and cooperation, and before that, the most important thing was to demonstrate one's value.
This was a fundamental law of nature.
So, rather than being surprised herself, she found it odd that the other girl was only just realizing this now. "If you didn't come to help fight, then what were you planning to do with that man?" she asked curiously.
"To persuade him, of course!" the golden-haired girl said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I personally witnessed His Excellency defeat Humanity's Last Embryo and make an enemy of the billions of gods. To be honest, I quite admire His Excellency Su Mo's heroic style. He's far more impressive than I ever was!"
"So, even though he's now made the wrong choice, endangering the future of Little Garden, I want to do my utmost to persuade him. I don't want to see such a hero walk down the wrong path."
Sun Wukong's voice was filled with regret, and her tone carried a strong sense of admiration for the man she had only ever seen from a distance.
As a former Demon Lord herself, Su Mo was the only being she felt she couldn't compare to.
That towering heroism, standing alone against billions of gods and forcing them to back down... Compared to that achievement, neither she, who had given up, nor Shiroyasha, who had fought and lost, could truly be called heroes.
Therefore, even though she had already decided to oppose Su Mo because of his choices, she first wanted to try and reason with this hero, to convince him to turn back from the brink.
"And what if he doesn't listen to you?" Kurma asked curiously.
"Then I, Old Sun, will have no choice but to do everything in my power to make him change his mind!" The golden-haired girl tightened her grip on the Golden-Hooped Rod, her brow radiating a heroic spirit that matched his.
"Ooh!" Kurma immediately began to clap, "pachi, pachi," to cheer her on. "Just as I thought, a martial artist! No wonder Shakyamuni let you come!"
After the praise, Kurma asked curiously, "But... at the end of the day, if you're going to fight anyway, why not just fight first and talk later?"
"Existences of this caliber usually have minds as hard as old fossils like Shakyamuni and the Twin Goddesses. You don't really think you can persuade that man named Su Mo with words, do you?"
Having observed nature for so long, she still believed that violence was the only language universally understood.
However…
"Who's to say it's absolutely impossible?" the golden-haired girl blinked and said with great seriousness. "From the attitude His Excellency Su Mo has shown, he is not only a powerhouse capable of intimidating billions of gods, but also a wise strategist skilled in planning, possessing an unprecedented kingly aura."
"A true king must crush the wise with strategy, the brave with presence, and the strong with force. I don't believe he would refuse to communicate with me."
"Huh?! Is that Su Mo really that amazing? Both you and Shakyamuni rate him so highly. You're making even little Kurma curious!" Hearing the golden-haired girl's effusive praise once more, Kurma blinked, her curiosity growing stronger. "Besides, persuasion is the act of using verbal sparring to make someone obey, right?"
"If that Su Mo is truly the incredible strategist you say he is, aren't you worried that you'll be persuaded by him before you even get a chance to persuade him?" Kurma pointed out the blind spot in her thinking.
"That's a definite possibility," the golden-haired girl nodded sincerely. "But if I can be persuaded, it would prove that His Excellency Su Mo's path is superior to the decision made by us billions of gods. It would mean my previous judgment was a misunderstanding. If that's the case, I should have willingly joined his banner from the start, which is all the more reason to talk with him!"
She seemed to have no psychological barrier to betraying the Buddhist Faction.
Sun Wukong's way of thinking was exceptionally straightforward among the gods and buddhas.
Her logic was simple: because she was right at this moment, Su Mo should listen to her counsel, abandon his dangerous ideas, and save the world using the mythological cosmologies.
If she were to be persuaded, it would mean she was wrong and Su Mo was right. In that case, she should naturally admit her mistake and follow Su Mo's lead.
Even as the Victorious Fighting Buddha, she would never be a lapdog for the gods.
"Of course, the probability of that is so small it's basically non-existent," the golden-haired girl added after her previous statement. "After all, His Excellency Su Mo's decision endangers the entirety of Little Garden. No matter what other objectives he might have, I could never agree to such a course of action!"
The girl's tone was firm and resonant, making even Kurma nod in agreement. "That makes sense!"
"Really, other things are fine. Whether it's infighting among the gods or fighting over benefits, it has nothing to do with me. But when it comes to the safety of Little Garden, little Kurma can't just turn a blind eye." At this, the silver-haired loli sighed. "Ah, I hope that guy isn't a blockhead like Shakyamuni and the others. It would be great if we could persuade him."
"Mhm," the golden-haired girl nodded in agreement, then added, "Actually, even if we can't persuade him, it might not be a waste of time. At the very least, we can get to know His Excellency Su Mo better. To be honest, I've always been very interested in him, but I've never had the chance to meet him."
It was clear from her earlier demeanor that she held Su Mo in extremely high regard. If it weren't for Su Mo's latest move, she would have been ready to abandon the Buddhist Faction and join his cause the moment he defeated Azi Dahaka.
In a sense, although she didn't agree with Su Mo's subsequent decision, she was definitely a fan of his.
That's why she had been so impatient during the meeting on Mount Meru, barging into the Buddha Hall and volunteering to go persuade him.
Half of it was for the safety of Little Garden and all its people. The other half was to reason with the idol she admired, hoping to prevent him from straying onto the wrong path.
"Good point." Seeing Sun Wukong's enthusiasm, Kurma nodded and clenched her fists in front of her chest as if she had remembered something. "Speaking of which, little Kurma is also very interested in this Su Mo!"
"According to the Twin Goddesses and Shakyamuni, the White Night King seems to be quite close to this guy. I never thought that simpleton with nothing but fighting in her head would one day become love-struck!" After this rather surprising statement, Kurma's eyes began to sparkle. "I'm so curious to see what kind of man could charm that idiot like this! If I get to see that guy, I can mock her relentlessly!"