Book 5 Chapter 9.1 - Top Seat
The interaction with the apostle was tense but not particularly intense, no direct clash happening from start to finish. However, the dangers he experienced wasn't any less than any of the battles he experienced in the past. Even though it seemed like the apostle gave up on his pursuit, Su still didn't dare act carelessly, from time to time opening up the Cross-Sectional Detection integrated Panoramic View.
Towards the apostle's sudden retreat, Su was also a bit curious, and as a result carefully headed north. A day later, when he approached the frozen sea, not only him, but Madeline and even Cirvanas sensed a vague but terrifying aura. This was a type of warning for those powerful enough to sense it that this was Pridekla's domain. Entry was not allowed unless the owner permitted it. As for those weaker creatures, Pridekla wasn't interested in them, as they posed no threat to its existence, at most becoming light refreshments that weren't all that tasty.
Su's party of three clearly didn't belong to those Pridekla welcomed, so the aura they sensed was full of viciousness and warning. While standing on a snowy peak, Su's gaze penetrated the heavy fog, seeing an enormous ice shelf that stretched all the way into the sea. The depths of the frozen sea where even the ice shelf shattered should be Pridekla's habitat. Su didn't know what kind of creature this giant that resided in the north was, and he knew even less about his name and characteristics. However, while standing on the tall mountain and overlooking the frozen sea, a strange thought emerged in his chest; if he was the one ruling this frozen sea, what kind of feeling would that be?
This feeling of spaciousness, tremendousness, the feeling of being able to hold everything was completely different from the feeling of establishing a human government, ruling the region west of the great lakes. In a human government, there would still be more or less some type of olden era equality, democracy, and freedom ideas, even though in this new era where individual disparity in abilities were becoming more and more clear, this type of thinking already gradually lost its practicality. However, most people still believed that people were inherently equal, so this meant that in organizations, most people still maintained subordinate and companion relationships, and once one's support was lost, those below them could still be overthrown.
This way of thinking couldn't be called wrong, but the probability of it actually being implemented was dropping by the day. In the great lakes western region battle, Su already proved that a single high level ability user could completely ignore weaker individuals no matter their numbers, just like how a lion would never fear a group of sheep. However, the order Pridekla established in its country was completely different, not regarding its residents as something on the same biological ladder as itself at all. If one had to use an analogy, it would be like a shepherd and the sheep under its whip.
This, was a true regime.
While staring at the vast and deep frozen sea, Su unwittingly developed a deep feeling of approval towards Pridekla. This feeling didn't originate from his knowledge or intellect, but rather from his body's deepest instincts, like a lion that grew within a flock of sheep, finally discovering why he was different from those around him. However, his many years of experience and and understanding caused him to shudder; he was extremely opposed to this innermost instinct. From Su's perspective, he was still a human, one who still had the responsibility of protecting his companions. As for those weaklings that didn't have the ability to protect themselves, Su was also extremely willing to help them should it be within his means. From Su's perspective, every life had significance, had value. Unless necessary, he wasn't willing to destroy an intelligent life form.
Correct, intelligent life form. Su suddenly woke up to this question. Humans didn't treat pigs and cows as similar species, nor would they ensure their right to live. Meanwhile, the word in the depths of Su's mind was intelligent life forms. In the age of turmoil, the definition of intelligent life forms was not restricted only to humans, and this definition was continuously changing. In Pridekla and the apostle's eyes, they perhaps looked at humans the way humans looked at sheep. The problem was that Su could clearly sense the instincts within his body awakening. He was worried that the day might come when he himself would become someone like the apostle, his definition of the term 'intelligent life forms ' changing.
However, in this era, this was a contradiction that couldn't be solved.
Su turned around, looking towards Madeline. This was a pure young lady who still vaguely carried the beauty of the little girl from back then. Meanwhile, the current her, when calm, or while experiencing slight worry, would always inadvertently display disturbing beauty, sometimes even making one feel that this was a beauty that already didn't belong to that of a human. Whenever these thoughts emerged, even Su would sometimes question himself. Was she still human?
If one was purely looking at it from a biological standpoint, Madeline's terrifying combat instincts, powerful body, mysterious and unpredictable abilities, as well as the ability to completely merge with and urge on the nucleus all made her different from humans. Even if she was originally just an ordinary little girl, after three evolutions, she would still turn into another type of creature. If one were looking at it from a genetic standpoint, perhaps the distance between her and a pure-blooded human might be even further than that of a cold-blooded reptile.
Madeline sensed Su's attentive gaze. She turned around, meeting Su's eyes. She, who had the nucleus, similarly had access to Su's spiritual world, the slight sensation of weakness already allowed her to somewhat understand what Su was thinking. She suddenly revealed a faint smile, her gentle and quiet smile immediately brightening up the entire world. Vaguely, Su seemed to have seen that incredibly pretty little girl again, but there was also a feeling that was clearly different. This type of feeling would often stir up a type of heat within the depths of his heart, just like the last time.
"Su, on that day eight years ago, do you know the very first sentence the Spider Empress told me?"
"What did she say?" In reality, to this day, Su still knew almost nothing about Madeline's experiences in Dark Red Castle. Even though, they had already traveled together for a long time after the third complete transformation, Madeline felt that her experiences in Dark Red Castle and the Town of Trials were best kept hidden, and the considerate Su didn't pry too much. Only, from the small methods she used on Cirvanas, he could more or less see a bit of the Town of Trials' shadow.
Madeline laughed and said, "The empress said that from that day forth, you would no longer be human."
Su smiled, but his smile was a bit rigid. It seemed like the problem he realized only now was something the Spider Empress already developed a mature and ripe answer towards. This wasn't a small problem, but rather something touched upon the entire world's understandings of fundamental classification. When those who occupied top seats began to raise their own statuses in general knowledge, the changes it would bring to the world would be extremely great, because they were the authoritative core that dominated the world, and ordinary people were completely powerless to resist.
Su took a deep breath, and then he stored this problem into the depths of his consciousness. He didn't like this so-called new order. If he had a choice, he would much rather there be more ordinary people who could peacefully and joyously continue living, just like how they did in the olden era. However, he knew that as abilities became more widely spread, intelligent creatures would continuously emerge in the new era, so a new order was unavoidable. Before the era's great shift in mindset, individual strength was negligible, and if one tried to vainly defy or resist it, they would most likely just be cannon fodder crushed under the era's great waves. If the shift in mindset was too fierce, then they had a chance of becoming a martyr.
Each time an era historically changed, the new era would always be established on the corpses of cannon fodder and martyrs. Su definitely didn't want to be a martyr, nor did he want to be cannon fodder. He just wanted to continue living.