Chapter 1861: Chapter 1859: The Dream of Saving the World
After that, Fang Zheng and his group were arranged to stay in the reception room of the castle. It could be imagined that it would be a very difficult day for those dead people, but Fang Zheng didn’t care. On the contrary, upon arriving in the guest room, he just sat on the sofa, stroking a little kitten with one hand and reading a newspaper he casually picked up from the side.
Conversely, the other girls were discussing the matter fervently.
"What do you think they’ll choose?"
"I don’t know, but I always feel it’s hard to say......"
"They should agree to Mr. Fang Zheng’s demands, right? If they don’t agree, they will all be burned to death!"
"But for them, after all, we are outsiders, suddenly asking them to make such a decision......"
"Ah, it’s really worrying......"
The girls were having heated discussions, but watching Fang Zheng petting the cat and reading the newspaper by the side, Misaka Mikoto was also feeling quite upset.
"Mr. Fang Zheng, aren’t you a bit nervous at all?"
"What should I be nervous about?"
Fang Zheng flipped through the newspaper as he casually replied.
"The sword and the olive branch have already been extended; what happens next depends on the choices they make. Once they make their choice, they have to bear the consequences."
"But, but, maybe they just haven’t thought it through, or perhaps they’ll decide to gamble......"
"I said, Misaka."
Fang Zheng interrupted Misaka Mikoto’s argument, staring at her.
"Everyone has to bear the consequences of their choices, regardless of the cause, process, or motivation—those are unimportant. The same goes for you. Don’t forget that the choice you made also led to the current result."
".........!"
Hearing this, Misaka Mikoto’s face instantly turned iron blue, and she couldn’t help but take a deep breath. She certainly knew what Fang Zheng was referring to. Back then, she offered her DNA map to treat those children who couldn’t walk. However, ultimately, these DNA maps appeared before her again in the most nightmarish form.
The Sisters.
That was definitely not Misaka Mikoto’s original intention. She had never thought it would turn out like this, but at the moment she agreed, everything resulting from it was what she faced.
"By the way......"
Seeing the atmosphere was somewhat heavy, Saten Reiko promptly thought of a way to change the topic.
"Mr. Fang Zheng, you actually said you are a god, which really surprised me."
"Why, do you think I don’t look like one?"
"Because a deity should be lofty, overlooking the world; how could they be like you......"
"Gods are not idols. We don’t need to package ourselves according to the fans’ notions. How those believers think is their business, none of our concerns."
Saying this, Fang Zheng turned another page of the newspaper.
"Remember, unlike idols, idols will collapse without fans supporting them, so they must go to great lengths to please the fans. But gods are different. People have requests for gods and, therefore, have to accept the existence of gods. If you feel uncomfortable, you don’t have to ask. Just common mortals, do you think gods would care about their thoughts? Just because you think gods should be a certain way, doesn’t mean gods should be like that—dream on."
"Wow, when you put it that way, it kinda makes sense......"
Hearing this, Saten Reiko displayed a speechless expression, and Misaka Mikoto and Alisa also didn’t know how to respond for a moment. Although at first, it sounded quite domineering, upon careful thought it indeed makes sense. Gods have no requests for mortals, but mortals do have requests for gods. Who would ask for something and demand things their way?
"So, Mr. Fang Zheng, would you require sacrifices or Shrine Maidens? I heard many deities have festivals or something like that... Moreover, isn’t there a saying about Shrine Maidens serving the gods?"
"Not interested, waste of time, and...... well......"
Saying this, Fang Zheng gave Kuroko Shirai a meaningful gaze.
"Speaking of Shrine Maidens, Shirai would make a good one."
"Huh? Classmate Shirai? Mr. Fang Zheng, you should reconsider. Having Classmate Shirai as the Shrine Maiden might make people question your divinity!"
"Hmph!"
Detecting Fang Zheng’s gaze, Kuroko Shirai snorted lightly and turned her head, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks. She of course understood what Fang Zheng meant. After all, in any mythology, Shrine Maidens devote their body and mind to the deity they serve, and considering what she and Fang Zheng have done...... oooh, it’s best not to think about it.
"So, do you plan to apply to be my Shrine Maiden? Just write an application, and once I approve it, you’ll be a deity-certified Shrine Maiden? It doesn’t get better than this."
"Uh......... why does this feel completely different from what I imagined......"
"Because the world never works as people wish. If everything went the way you thought, then why would there be a need for gods?"
"Mr. Fang Zheng...... with the way you’re talking, I must say we can’t have a proper conversation......"
Saten Reiko utterly surrendered with a sigh of resignation.
However, at this moment, another person appeared.
"Mr. Fang Zheng, Miss Saten, it seems Scarface isn’t feeling too well."
Feli walked into the living room and spoke to those sitting there.
"Huh?"
When they reached the guest room, everyone looked surprised at Scarface lying on the bed. According to Feli, since a moment ago, Scarface had been in a daze continuously, giving her a sense that something was wrong. So she asked a few questions, and as a result, Scarface said she felt very unwell, prompting Feli to quickly call everyone over.
"Is she sick?"
Saten Reiko reached out her hand to feel Scarface’s forehead.
"No fever?"
"With your little skills, just leave it to me."
Fang Zheng patted Reiko’s head, then opened his personal terminal to scan Scarface.
"What do you feel?"
"My chest feels uncomfortable, headache, and...... I feel a bit like vomiting."
"Uh......"
Hearing this, Fang Zheng frowned slightly.
"You wouldn’t also feel like eating something sour, would you."
"Something sour...... seems like it......"
"Huh?"
Upon hearing this, Saten Reiko suddenly exclaimed.
"Could it be that Miss Scarface is pregnant?!"
"No way!"
At this moment, the others also gathered around, looking at Scarface in surprise, while Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders.
"Alright, the examination is over. Hmm... I’m sorry, you’re not pregnant, you just have symptoms of pregnancy."
"Mr. Fang Zheng, what do you mean by that?"
At this moment, Alisa asked curiously from the side.
"If not pregnant, why are there pregnancy symptoms?"
"This isn’t strange, it’s called pseudopregnancy. It can happen in humans and animals, and it generally belongs to a psychological condition. It’s because you desire a child so much that you unconsciously manifest this situation."
"But I’ve never had such thoughts?"
Scarface asked in confusion, and Fang Zheng shook his head.
"It could also be that you’ve unconsciously developed similar thoughts. In any case, the body is very honest. Even if you say you don’t... Hmm, if you say you don’t have such thoughts, then do you have any clue? There must be a trigger for this."
"A trigger..."
Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s question, Scarface was silent for a moment.
"I’ve heard a voice."
"A voice?"
"That’s right, a voice repeatedly calling out for help. Ever since I entered this city, I’ve been hearing it, and now it’s even clearer. The voice should be here..."
"Hmm... well then, that’s easy. After we finish tomorrow, we’ll go look for the voice you mentioned."
"Knock, knock, knock."
Just then, a sudden knock on the door sounded, and Saten Reiko curiously walked out of the bedroom to the living room, opening the door.
In front of her stood a girl with sunshine-like golden hair and emerald green eyes.
"Hello!"
Looking at Reiko, the girl energetically greeted her.
"I’m Ai, Ai Austin!"
"Ah, hello, I’m Saten Reiko."
Facing the girl in front of her, Reiko pondered for a moment before remembering that she was the girl who had spoken up in the hall earlier and had then been taken away.
"Hello, I’m Saten Reiko, is there something you need?"
"I want to speak with the Deity!"
The girl clenched her fists, looking confident, while Reiko paused for a moment to process.
"Ah, you mean Mr. Fang Zheng? Do you need something?"
"I have something very, very important!"
"Ah, then come in."
Forced by the girl’s astounding aura, Reiko stepped back a few steps, allowing her into the room. At this time, Fang Zheng had also finished his examination of Scarface and came out of the guest room. He raised an eyebrow at the girl in front of him.
"Who is this?"
"Ah, Mr. Fang Zheng, this is..."
Before Saten Reiko could finish, the girl stepped forward and bowed to Fang Zheng.
"Hello, Deity, I’m Ai Austin, a child born of the Grave Keeper and a human."
"Oh... hello, I’m Fang Zheng. What do you need?"
While stroking the kitten in his arms, Fang Zheng sat back on the sofa, curiously looking at the girl in front of him. Ai hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up.
"Previously, in the hall, I heard you, Deity, say you wanted to save the world, but why threaten to eliminate these dead ones?"
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng chuckled and shifted his posture, continuing to tickle the kitten’s belly, then glanced at Ai.
"Do you think there’s a problem?"
"Of course, because I also want to save the world. I hope everyone can be happy..."
"Ai."
However, upon hearing this, Fang Zheng interrupted the girl.
"Do you know what the world is?"
"...?"
Seeing the girl tilting her head in confusion, Fang Zheng sighed.
"The world is not just about humans. Mountains, rivers, blue skies, white clouds, grasslands, animals, and plants—all of these are parts of the world together. Do you understand? Saving the world and saving humanity are different, and the world-saving you envision only considers humans, not other species."
"This... but..."
"The idea of wanting everyone to be happy is itself flawed. Not everyone’s happiness is positive. For example, some people enjoy killing others, crave hearing their screams before death, extract their organs, and watch them die in agony. For such people, that’s happiness, but would you want to fulfill such a wish?"
"No, of course not..."
"Holding good intentions is nice, but you must view the world objectively and rationally. In fact, I don’t like such people either. If I see such a person, I’d turn them to dust right away. Although I’m a Deity, I’ve definitely killed quite a few people. Because, no matter which world, there are always troublemakers. Often, these individuals hold the ’dream of saving humanity’ yet destroy humanity..."
Fang Zheng stared at Ai while speaking.
"Young girl, don’t go down the wrong path."
"Is... is that so?"
Hearing Fang Zheng’s words, Ai uneasily clutched the shovel in her hands but still spoke up to ask.
"But why is saving humanity a bad thing?"
"Hmm... if that’s the case, let me explain."
Fang Zheng stroked his chin, noticing that not only Ai but Saten Reiko and Misaka Mikoto were also interested in the topic, so he nodded.
"After all, the night is long. A bit more education wouldn’t hurt you all."
