Chapter 657: Chapter 17: New Identity
As Marianne gently touched Han Zhan’s lips.
Han Zhan’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he opened his eyes.
By then, Marianne had quickly returned to her original sitting posture.
"You’re awake?" Marianne cleared her throat and said lightly.
"Yes." Han Zhan nodded.
He was certain that the dream he just experienced was related to the Thought Steel Seal that had been imprinted into his body.
But this didn’t seem like a method Marianne would know.
If it really was Marianne, then how would one explain the terrified and helpless Marianne in the dream?
He pondered over this, yet remained expressionless.
As Han Zhan was thinking, Marianne was also observing.
When she confirmed that the Han Zhan in front of her and the one in the dream couldn’t possibly be the same person, she unprecedentedly struck up a conversation with her slave:
"You were captured by Tukalu in the Uda Desert, so you should be what they call a ’Smuggler,’ right? Which planet were you born on?"
"Blue Star."
"Blue Star? Never heard of it." Marianne shook her head.
There are over a thousand planets in a Star Domain, and countless Star Domains in the Cosmos, so it wasn’t unusual for there to be many planets she hadn’t heard of.
She continued to ask curiously, "What is your purpose for coming to Yongsha Star? Are you also searching for the treasure of the Master of Yongsha?"
Because of the Thought Steel Seal, Marianne knew Han Zhan couldn’t lie.
Unless he could surpass the Thought Steel Seal and resist its mental erosion.
But that was an impossible fantasy.
"I indeed came for the treasure of the Master of Yongsha, but I’m different from those greedy ones."
Under the influence of being around Li Lingzhen, Han Zhan had learned a little something about storytelling.
He decided on the spot to craft a false identity for himself.
So he continued, "I am a scholar."
"The fall of the Master of Yongsha, along with their legends, deeply fascinates me, and I want to explore the truth of history."
See, that’s the art of speaking.
Same treasure hunt, but spoken by Han Zhan, it turned into an exploration of historical truth.
As expected, after hearing this answer, Marianne’s fondness for Han Zhan increased significantly.
"There is a library in my mansion, if you like, you can go there in your free time."
Faced with Marianne’s offer, Han Zhan did not show much emotional fluctuation. He slightly nodded to indicate his awareness.
Seeing him like this, Marianne wasn’t angry; instead, she found it suitable.
This was what a scholar should be like.
"Let’s continue to sleep." Marianne nodded, gesturing with her eyes to the empty spot beside her.
After speaking, she closed her eyes again.
Actually going to "really" sleep.
Han Zhan, seeing this, couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Then, what were her previous actions about?
Disguise? Or just simple disinterest?
Holding on to these doubts, Han Zhan lay on the bed, and the softness of it quickly engulfed him in drowsiness, leading him into deep sleep.
After they both fell asleep, the patterns of a dark Steel Seal silently appeared on Marianne’s forehead and Han Zhan’s chest once again.
...
"Run!"
In his sleep, Han Zhan was holding Marianne’s hand, running towards an endless void ahead.
Behind them were the familiar Black Fog Beasts.
They rolled, surged, and pursued relentlessly, sometimes coalescing into a beast form, baring their fangs, and other times dispersing into smoke, drifting but never gathering.
"Why are we running?" Gripped by Han Zhan’s hand, Marianne seemed a bit shy and asked in confusion.
In the previous dream, Han Zhan was like a War God, solving these Black Fog Beasts with just a few punches.
But in this dream, he didn’t do the same.
"Because violence doesn’t solve problems."
Han Zhan’s answer made Marianne mentally flash with three question marks.
Violence doesn’t solve problems? It seemed quite right. Truly worthy of a scholar.
In the dream, Marianne let down her guard, making their conversation simple and efficient.
"Why do you portray yourself as a high-society lady who enjoys handsome male slaves? After getting to know you, I don’t think that’s your true state."
As they ran, Han Zhan asked the question in his mind.
This time, Marianne did not stay silent, instead, she opened her mouth to reply, "Within the forces of the Alliance Army, a weak woman cannot survive. I need to integrate into the ’circle’ to maintain connections."
The circle Marianne mentioned should be the high-society lady circle within the Alliance Army.
"They like all sorts of novel and exciting things, which disgust me. But to integrate with them, I must display myself."
"Portraying a thirsty cougar obsessed with handsome humans is the biggest compromise I can make."
Marianne was fabricating a persona to secure her circle and connections.
This resolved Han Zhan’s confusion but also gave rise to new questions.
"If you’re from a different circle, why force integration?"
"You have the Marian Mansion, the largest castle in the entire city, along with a group of servants; it should be them currying your favor."
Hearing Han Zhan’s question, Marianne was silent for a while.
If it were the real world, she definitely wouldn’t reveal even a bit, keeping her lips sealed.
But here, in the dream, this handsome man before her was the only hero in her dream, so she finally chose to lower her guard and express her feelings.
"Power is a double-edged sword."
"One who sits in a high position must always be vigilant, in case someone behind covets it, preparing to push him off."
"And once pushed off, he is greeted by an abyss." Marianne said.
"This is what my father taught me from a young age; my father was a leader in one of the eighteen forces of the Alliance Army, but after ’Mass’ invited them to the main city, I never saw him again."
"Shortly after, the eighteen forces formed an alliance, transforming into the Alliance Army."
"Other forces, even with their leaders absent, had other lieutenants and heirs, but I’m different, my father had only me, an only daughter."
An only daughter was destined to be coveted and underestimated.
So Marianne became extreme and tough, indulging in desires and eccentricities, to expand her circle, establish connections, and defend against being pushed into the abyss.
Han Zhan was no stranger to such internal power struggles, volatility, and manipulative scenes within a group.
He could empathize with the pressure Marianne endured.
Han Zhan nodded, not probing further; even in a dream, being too curious would also damage the foundation of mutual trust.
"Zhan, I can’t run anymore." After a while, Marianne’s weak voice came.
She had reached her physical limit.
Without a word, Han Zhan picked her up horizontally and sprinted forward again.
Marianne’s weight was nothing to him.
And so they ran an undefined amount of time.
Before them, finally, there was no longer endless void.
A gigantic dark Steel Seal appeared not far ahead.
Han Zhan could clearly see, in the center of the dark Steel Seal, a vividly lifelike animal was etched.
It was—a hyena!
