Chino's tone loosened and directly put aside the code to talk about the conditions, which made everyone see hope.

At this time, however, the governors were dumbfounded, for they found . I can't get the chips myself.

What can they give Chino?

Monthly coins? Territory? Potions? Network?

In the past, the order of magnitude was enough, maybe it could still impress him.

But now, every grain of sand in Doguland is Chino's, the lord of all his subjects, the supreme shadow king.

What capital do you have to negotiate terms with him, the governor of the district?

Chino raised the wine glass to his lips and took a sip, stretched out his hand and patted Jashan's shoulder, and said calmly: "Child, in the final analysis, is just a piece of meat that can walk, just give birth to a new one with your wife, remember to teach them to obey the law." ”

As soon as Chino turned around and was about to leave, Jashan said in a suffrage: "People! ”

Jashan looked at Chino's back, his eyes were hot and urgent: "We can give you people!" ”

Chino was silent for a moment, then looked at him with interest: "Who for me?" ”

Jashan said word by word: "Pious man! ”

"We will formulate corresponding policies in the six major provinces to guide the people's conception of fertility, increase the fertility rate, expand the population more rapidly, and let the kingdom have more and more newborns."

"We will gather the best scholars to rewrite the textbooks and add more stories about your great deeds to the school books, so that children will be in awe of you from an early age."

"We will use all our means and energies to do more in all other aspects of society, from the croaking children to the old and dying elders, we will ensure that every citizen of Dogulander—"

"To you

God! ”

After Jashan and the others finished speaking, they didn't say anything more, just looked at Chino eagerly.

All the chips have already been laid out, the only one, the last.

Chino stood there silently, the light of the candle falling on his face, his amber eyes smiling like crescents, blooming from time to time.

"Bell-" With a crisp sound, Chino reached out and gently clinked glasses with the wine glass in front of Jashan, and drank it down.

In the middle of the night, the cold wind howls on the shore of the warm lake, and the sheltered mansion on the edge of the cliff looms under the illumination of the distant lights, like a giant hidden in the dark.

Chino walked through the courtyard with cakes and flowers, opening the door to the mansion.

It was pitch black, there were no windows, the curtains were all closed, and everything was submerged in darkness except for the light that came in through the doorway.

When the gates closed again, it was like a lifeless dead place.

Chino stood in the darkness, silent for a moment, and then let out a chuckle: "Did I tell you that you have the scent of laurel on your body, and it will reveal your location." ”

"So, if you're going to 'sneak up' on me, I'm afraid you're going to disappoint you."

Chino walked through the darkness without any stagnation, and when he arrived in the living room, he lit the candle on the cake, placed it on the table with the flowers, and left a soft kiss on the face of the person sitting next to him: "Happy birthday." ”

Solandale didn't kiss her back as usual, she sat there silently, her face in the candlelight looked haggard for some reason, and her voice was low and hoarse: "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

…

Chino sat down in the chair at the other end of the table, "Sorry, caught by some old foxes."

Anyway, I was drunk and dazed. Eat cake, right? I'll cut it for you. ”

Chino hooked his fingers, and the invisible telekinesis cut the cake and put it on a plate, put it in front of Solandelle, and also made a tass for himself.

Solandelle didn't move, just pursed her lips and looked at Chino faintly, "We need to talk."

Chino shrugged: "Well, what to talk about?" ”

Solandelle: "I want you to stop."

Chino: "What do you mean?" Drinking? Okay, I won't drink it in the future, I promise you. ”

Solandale closed her eyes, folded her arms and trembled slightly, as if she was suffering a lot, and muttered, "I hope you can stop the Division Act and let everything go back to 5 years ago."

Chino's movement to eat the cake was sluggish, and he sat there like a statue, and only looked at her suspiciously after a long time: "You mean, you want to abolish all the benefits I give to citizens, so that their lives can go back to 7 years ago, the land that should be farmed, the factory that should enter the factory, and the business that should be done go back to business?" ”

Solandale nodded slightly.

Chino was silent and didn't say anything, he got up and stepped forward, reaching out again to strangle Solandale's neck.

His movements were light, like those of precious art, and with a slight force he made his men lean back in the chair, and then pressed the side of his lips to her forehead, feeling the temperature above his most sensitive body parts.

After taking his temperature, Chino said in a joking tone, "I don't have a fever either." ”

Solandale took Chino's hand and shook her head, "I'm not being coquettish or joking, I'm talking to you seriously."

”

Chino's brows furrowed slightly, and he let go of her hand and sat back in place, rubbing his fingers on his temples: "You have completely confused me why?" Why did you suddenly have this thought? ”

Solandelle lowered her eyes, unable to hide her loneliness: "Now all this is not what I want to see."

Chino looked at her face, and his gaze deepened: "How do I remember, someone hugged me and cried when she was 12 years old, and what did she say at that time-"

"When I grow up, I want to change the world, no more people will be hungry and cold, no one will be displaced, so that there will be no more oppression and exploitation in this world, so that everyone can live with dignity Now, isn't it all as you wish?"

"Thank you for always remembering my wishes." Solandale tugged at the corners of her mouth, and smiled not reluctantly, but a little bleak, "People's lives are indeed happy and happy now, but."

"Do you think they live with dignity?"

"To give up the struggle, to give up the effort, to gain without giving, because everything is given by others, they no longer have any independent thinking, but only return with the most fanatical piety, praying that they will always enjoy what they have now."

Solandale's pupils twitched, and there was an inexplicable hint of timidity in her voice: "No, do you know who you remind me of now?" Reminds me of the Sun King."

"Once upon a time, the Sun King was revered by the world like you, because he was the only chief of the gods, and in the eyes of the world, whether it was thunder or rain, it was the favor of the gods."

…

"In material terms, that era

People live very happily, but the ideological imprisonment has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the world believes that everything is born because of him and given by him. ”

"In the end, he lost his disguise and became a monster, but the world still surrendered to him, and no one dared to resist the atrocities, because everyone had a lock in their hearts—the gods did the truth."

In the darkness, Chino's face was blurred by shadows, but in the candlelight of the birthday cake, he could vaguely see the amber eyes reflecting the flames: "But you know, I am not the Sun King." ”

Solandale curled up in her chair, as if deprived of all her strength, and the sound of disordered breathing continued to sound, and after a long time, four faint words came:

"I don't know."

She muttered, her voice so soft that it was almost indiscernible: "I have no other luxury, I just hope that all this can be stopped, and the people can struggle for themselves, to give, to reap, to get what they dream of with their hands, instead of being supported as they are now." ”

"Even if many of the problems that have already been solved will be recurred, it doesn't matter, it's just a matter of going back to square one and finding a new path – together."

There was no sound in the darkness, and I don't know how long it took, but Chino slowly got up and walked to the door, and the moment he opened the door, the cold wind poured in from outside the house, and the flames on the birthday cake candles flickered, and finally the wind completely blew them out.

Chino: "You've been so tired lately, find time to take yourself off and take Lorna on a trip." Good night, Her Majesty. ”

As soon as Chino walked out of the door, there seemed to be some kind of emotional breakdown in Solandelle's eyes, she looked at Chino's back, and her voice was hoarse and gloomy:

"No, I want people to be in charge of their own destiny and live in a world without gods—"

"But I hope that the world has you."

The door slowly closed, and the light through the crack in the door became fainter and fainter.

"Click." As the door closed completely, Solandelle was immersed in the thickest darkness.