198. We Plan to Conquer the World
Those who have successfully shown off know that the sheer swagger in front of others is undeniably captivating. But if the person being shown off is a close friend or family member, that sense of triumph takes on a different flavor.
"Sis! Sis!" Exusiai clung to Lemuen like a koala, shaking her excitedly.
"How did you do that? Do we Sankta have some kind of awakened hidden talents?"
"No." Lemuen chuckled, pressing down on her sister's restless head.
"Then how did you transform, sis?" Exusiai persisted.
"It's a secret." A sly smile appeared on Lemuen's lips.
"Mou, why are you like this!" "Exusiai puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction, drawing out her protest.
To Exusiai, no matter what her older sister became, she was still her older sister.
If she became better and more excellent, she would be happy for her.
If she became worse, she would be sad for her and willing to share the burden.
Exusiai's conversation with Lemuen lessened the shock of what they had just witnessed.
But less shock didn't mean less sensory impact. In their hearts, Lemuen was perhaps a god, like the god of Kjerag, only more powerful and more benevolent.
People could admire her, worship her, but right now, they had more important things to do.
Things far more important than discovering a god.
"Brother! Brother! How did you do that?" Warfarin almost pressed herself against Xiling, her crimson eyes flashing with an almost fanatical light.
"Yes, brother!" Gavial followed closely behind, squeezing to the other side of Xiling. "Perfumer said you just touched her, and Miranti's Oripathy was cured? Could it be some kind of astonishing Originium Arts?!"
The other elites from the medical department also swarmed around, their eyes burning with anticipation, like sharks smelling blood.
Curing Oripathy! For these healers, what could be more alluring?
The answer was obvious.
Xiling was like a dumpling filled with meat, enveloped in the surging crowd.
Faced with a barrage of questions, he patiently repeated the answer he had given the Doctor earlier.
Outside the noisy crowd, Kal'tsit stood silently, her sharp gaze piercing through the crowd, firmly locking onto the two people at the center.
Xiling's explanation, she had heard it. But what truly unsettled her was the state Lemuen displayed.
"That was… an angel…"
"An angel that only exists in mythological texts…"
Just as Kal'tsit was pondering this question, a hand gently touched her shoulder.
Kal'tsit instantly snapped out of her thoughts, her body instinctively tensing, and she glared sharply, a warning in her eyes. What met her eyes was the Doctor's innocent-smiling face, and his hands immediately raised in surrender.
"Calm down! Calm down! Kal'tsit! Don't hit me! I can't take a punch from you!"
After confirming that Kal'tsit hadn't made him undergo first aid procedures on the spot, the Doctor sheepishly lowered his hand, walked to her side, and turned his gaze to the center of the crowd.
"What are you thinking about? Your brows are furrowed so tightly they could crush an Originium Bug."
Kal'tsit didn't answer immediately. The air froze for a few seconds before she slowly spoke, her voice low and heavy:
"...Those two people...there's something off about them."
"Yes," the Doctor nodded, his tone surprisingly calm, "Yes, something's off about them."
"Then why did you..." Kal'tsit whirled around, her sharp gaze almost piercing the Doctor's hood, "So easily agreed to the alliance with them?!" Question and confusion practically burst forth from her.
The Doctor smiled, interrupting her directly:
"But I chose to believe them."
His gaze shifted to Xiling, then to Lemuen, who was still being entangled by Exusiai, before finally returning to Kal'tsit's face.
"Just like back then... I chose to believe in Amiya, to believe in everyone on Rhodes Island."
Kal'tsit's breath hitched slightly, falling into a deeper silence.
The Doctor raised a hand, patting Kal'tsit's tense shoulder reassuringly, trying to ease the tension:
"Alright, don't overthink it. You saw it," he pointed in Lemuen's direction, "the power that person displayed just now, even someone as weak as me could sense it—when they said they wanted to overthrow the order of Terra, they probably weren't joking."
The Doctor spread his hands: "The power levels are too different. What can we do? Of course, we choose to befriend the angels!" Kal'tsit remained silent.
Seeing Kal'tsit's reaction, the Doctor dropped another bombshell: "And Xiling seems to know me from the past. He told me before that he wouldn't ruin our plans, and it seemed he had plans involving others."
At that moment, Kal'tsit's pupils dilated sharply.
How could this be!
How could the other party know about that plan!
The Doctor observed Kal'tsit's shock.
The Doctor spoke softly: "So... you know something too, Kal'tsit?"
Kal'tsit looked at the man before her, a man who had lost his past yet subtly touched upon the core of her being. A thousand words stuck in her throat, ultimately turning into a longer, almost suffocating silence.
Only the distant noise from the deck served as background noise between them.
Finally, the Doctor broke the heavy silence. His smile returned, carrying a relaxed and easygoing air:
"Alright, alright, don't be so serious. I'm not forcing you to answer anything."
He even boldly reached out and gently ruffled Kal'tsit's dark green hair, as if soothing a ruffled cat.
"What I need to know, I'll know sooner or later. So..."
His voice softened, "Don't always carry these burdens alone. Keeping them bottled up inside for too long... one day, you'll be completely crushed by what you know."
The Doctor withdrew his hand, gazing at Kal'tsit with a warm and genuine smile:
"Whether it's for Amiya, or for... me, the source of all this trouble, cheer up, okay, Kal'tsit?" Looking at the smiling Doctor and the hand gently stroking her head,
Kal'tsit silently lowered her head, her thick eyelashes concealing all her turbulent emotions. It seemed she was silently acknowledging something, or perhaps struggling to process it.
However, in that instant of lowering her head, the corner of her eye keenly caught sight of a figure standing not far away, silently observing.
Almost simultaneously, all the subtle softening on Kal'tsit's face froze instantly, vanishing without a trace, returning to her eternally unchanging icy expression.
The Doctor was still secretly relieved that this rare close contact hadn't triggered a retaliation when, the next second—
"Ugh—!!!!" Accompanied by a piercing, almost shrill scream, the world spun around! Kal'tsit's movements were lightning fast; a textbook, perfect over-the-shoulder throw slammed the unsuspecting Doctor onto the cold, hard deck like a sack of potatoes!
"Cough!" The Doctor felt every bone in his body groan.
Kal'tsit expressionlessly straightened her slightly wrinkled uniform collar, not even glancing down at the Doctor curled up like a shrimp on the ground, and strode away with an unyielding, imposing gait, without looking back.
Only after the green figure disappeared behind the hatch did a small figure skip over and squat beside the groaning Doctor, a knowing smile on her face:
"Thank you for your hard work, Doctor."
The Doctor's vision blurred:
"No...no...it's...my life is so hard...Amiya...help...help me up...I feel like my back...it's split open..."
-------
The conference room door closed.
Xiling finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Although he had anticipated a strong reaction from everyone after curing Oripathy, the intensity of the reaction was truly beyond his expectations.
"Sorry, you must have seen this." Kal'tsit, already seated in the conference room, apologized to Xiling, her face still expressionless.
"I understand." Xiling waved his hand and sat down at the conference table with Lemuen.
At this moment, all the core members of Rhodes Island were present in the conference room.
Their purpose in gathering here was clear: to discuss the alliance with the Silver Church.
"So, Lady Lemuen," Kal'tsit gazed at Lemuen, her voice steady, "could you elaborate on the alliance? What price will Rhodes Island pay, and what kind of assistance will it receive?"
"Dr. Kal'tsit," Lemuen didn't answer directly, but calmly met Kal'tsit's gaze, "Before discussing these matters, I'd like to ask you a question."
"…Please speak." Kal'tsit nodded slightly.
"Unifying all the nations—do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?" The conference room fell silent instantly.
The Doctor couldn't help but scratch his head.
"Such a grand topic right off the bat?"
"After all, we've thought about this for a long time and found that some problems simply cannot be solved within the existing framework." Xiling spread his hands, his tone carrying an undeniable resolve, "Therefore, we've decided to reshape everything from the root."
"If we're going to solve it, we must solve it thoroughly."
"Therefore, we've decided to conquer the world."
"To overthrow the old order and establish our own rules." Xiling's voice was soft, but his seriousness was clearly conveyed to everyone present.
"You…you want to start a war?" Kal'tsit's voice deepened.
"No, you misunderstand." Lemuen shook her head.
"This isn't a war. This will be a one-sided crushing defeat. We won't harm the innocent, but we won't let any of the guilty go unpunished."
The Doctor raised his hand: "So, what role will Rhodes Island play in your plans?"
"Partners that are traveling with us." Lemuen's gaze swept over everyone present.
"This is a global reform."
"One or two people might be able to change the world."
"But managing the world…" Lemuen's expression showed a hint of distress, "is not something one or two people can handle."
So that's the reason? Kal'tsit took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on Xiling again. She had another crucial question.
"I'd like to ask," Kal'tsit's voice carried a barely perceptible tension, "can you also completely solve the Oripathy problem?"
This question instantly drew everyone's attention to the person being questioned. Under everyone's gaze, Xiling gave a confident and reassuring smile:
"Leave it to me."
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Night.
On the deck of Rhodes Island.
The Doctor sighed deeply.
"I feel especially tired today..." First, he forced himself to eat the nutritious meal meticulously prepared by Hibiscus, then he witnessed a good show, then saw the possibility of curing a terminal illness, and finally, the legendary being descended...
All sorts of unbelievable things piled up in one day, making him feel particularly irritable.
So after the meeting, he quietly slipped onto the deck, just wanting to be alone and get some fresh air.
As the Doctor closed his eyes to feel the cool evening breeze, a sudden, icy touch came from his cheek.
"Holy crap!" The Doctor jumped in fright, his whole body trembling.
Opening his eyes, he saw Xiling standing beside him with a mischievous grin, holding a bottle of cola in his hand; the coolness had clearly come from the can.
"Hey, you'll scare someone to death!" The Doctor grumbled, taking the cola Xiling offered and gulping it down.
"Phew—refreshing!" He let out a long sigh.
"Alone here, are you thinking about something?" Xiling, also holding a cola, leaned against the railing, smiling.
"It's all because the news you guys brought was so explosive, it's giving me a headache." The Doctor's voice still betrayed his exhaustion.
"A headache already? You're so sensitive." Xiling teased.
"Yeah, I'm just that weak, say what you will." The Doctor leaned weakly against the railing.
"By the way, what are you doing here?" The Doctor glanced at Xiling.
"The meeting just ended, and those medical staff dragged you away, didn't they?"
The reason was obvious.
"I crawled back from hell." Xiling gave a thumbs-up, his tone light.
"As for why I am here..."
"Because I saw someone here, looking dejected, like a deflated bagpipe."
"Well, I really have to thank you for your concern," the Doctor replied listlessly.
Looking at his appearance...
"Feeling lost?" Xiling asked softly.
"Not really," the Doctor closed his eyes. "Even Kal'tsit doesn't seem flustered, so what do I have to be lost about?"
Though he said that, he knew very well that everything that had happened today was probably far beyond Kal'tsit's expectations.
Xiling smiled.
"If you weren't lost, you wouldn't be standing here alone in the cold wind."
The Doctor didn't reply immediately, but silently took another sip of his drink. After a long while, he finally spoke:
"You know what, Xiling?"
"This land... It's awful."
"For example?" Xiling also took a sip of his cola.
"Oppression. Everywhere I look, there is oppression." The Doctor held up the can of cola to the dark night sky, its surface reflecting a faint glow in the moonlight.
"You know what? This matter has little to do with Oripathy."
"This land is sick, terminally ill."
"The upper echelons oppress the middle echelons, the middle echelons oppress the lower echelons."
"It's like a… inescapable cycle." The Doctor chuckled softly, taking another swig of cola.
"It's funny, just this morning, I was pondering a question."
"If I had enough power… wherever I look, there should be peace and prosperity."
"And today, you lot pop up." He turned to Xiling, a complex smile playing on his lips.
"Tell me, wouldn't you call this a kind of unconventional wish fulfillment?"
"Why not?" Xiling retorted, casually tossing the empty cola can into the air.
The empty can trace an arc in the air before dissipating into tiny specks of light, silently vanishing into the night wind.
"What you think, you become it. What you desire, it becomes reality."
"Then, Doctor," Xiling smiled at him, his eyes deep, "what is it that you truly desire?"
"…" The Doctor was silent for a moment, his gaze turning to the boundless darkness in the distance, "…who knows."
"It doesn't matter if you don't know." Xiling patted the Doctor's shoulder, then turned and left. His voice trailed off, his words carrying a faint echo of his own thoughts.
Just as Xiling was about to leave, the Doctor's voice came again.
"How do you plan to… solve Oripathy?"
"Probably…" Xiling turned and smiled.
"I'll handle it my way."
Watching the figure turn and leave, the Doctor said irritably, "We haven't even known each other for a day, how am I supposed to know what method you'll use?"
"Fine, I'm going back to sleep."