Chapter 195-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
[Ye Zheng, will you try to save her?]
Sunlight filtered through heavy curtains onto the dark oak desk, illuminating the documents and books on it. Ye Zheng sat in a high-backed chair with a thoughtful expression. She had her back to the stained glass window. The gentle light outlined her hair and silhouette but couldn't kiss her cheeks.
"I won't intervene to save her."
Ye Zheng smiled and pulled out another secret report about Sierra, writing a comment on the document.
Click. She put down her pen and said, "I've decided. I won't save her—nor will I stop her."
Sierra was no longer the minor villain from the original plot. Her existence even made the Sei Curia wary.
She had always sent people to secretly monitor Sierra and Annabelle's movements, mainly to confirm the whereabouts of the demon dragon's spine. Lucy used to contact her from time to time, but she recently had a small dispute with Sierra and was imprisoned by Sierra in a small room.
The mole embedded in Sierra's team reported that Lucy was temporarily safe, tactfully telling her that Sierra had even bigger issues with her as Pope.
Ye Zheng read rich implications from the four words "even bigger issues." Sierra was probably very dissatisfied that she had become Pope and urgently hoped to overthrow the Sei Curia soon, leading her Disciples to replace it. Perhaps this was why Sierra had been so aggressive lately.
[You saved Sierra, gave her the possibility to start, let her grow all the way to today, yet her attitude toward you is still so terrible...]
The System's mechanical voice carried obvious indignation. Ye Zheng could even imagine it pointing fingers at Sierra.
"Unless she climbs higher than me someday in the future, her attitude toward me won't change."
Sierra's obsession and anger were the sun providing her nourishment. Until the day she grew taller than the fiercely burning sun, when her eyes no longer hurt from looking up at the sun, Sierra might finally extinguish the anger in her heart.
"I gave her Dragon Bone only to use her hands to conceal it and transfer the danger. That she could walk to today is because she has potential."
"As for reaching down to grab her hand at that time... probably my frivolous and cheap compassion acting up."
Just like ten years ago, little her would beg her mother to tip the performing little beggar. When she learned that Sierra had been companions with monsters in the Blood Flower Demonic Domain since age seven, spending ten desperate and lonely years, was her feeling at that moment the same as ten years ago?
So she extended her hand at Sierra's moment of falling, like dropping a silver coin into a beggar's bowl. For her, this wasn't something worth boasting about, nor did she feel the other party owed her anything.
[Sierra now possesses Dragon Bone. If she's determined to target you, she might bring you considerable trouble.]
Ye Zheng smiled at this, with a hint of mystery. "I'm far away in the upper district. For her to personally drag me down, she'd have to overcome many obstacles."
"Some obstacles are also what I want to clear away."
Extinguishing Sierra, this wildfire, wasn't difficult. Ye Zheng knew her base, her trump cards, even her temperament inside and out.
But thinking about it, the West District's Sei Curia management had just undergone a major purge due to the Zhou Yun incident. She currently had no suitable reason to replace them with her own people. Not just the West District—management layers everywhere were hard to move, and she temporarily didn't have enough talent reserves.
Why not just let Sierra burn freely? Burn all the way from the West District to the Papal Palace, burn away the rotten foundation, then let her, Ye Zheng, grant rebirth!
Although the wildfire she indulged might also backfire on her—Sierra couldn't possibly be completely under her control—this world needed more fury, didn't it?
*
Night, deep within an abandoned residence in the West District.
"As agreed, here's the deed and gold for you. Thank you so much for your generous help!"
The man in clergy white robes smiled with satisfaction. The attendant beside him handed the prepared gifts to the other party's people. His smile was hearty, but his deep-set eyes didn't relax their vigilance, constantly watching the other party.
The golden-haired girl before him had only brought a middle-aged woman to the appointment. She was smaller than he imagined, with disheveled dry golden hair that looked somewhat malnourished. The rumored Sierra was different from what he imagined, but it didn't matter. She had already fulfilled the agreement and helped him eliminate a formidable rival.
His superiors and subordinates all detested and feared this girl who acted recklessly, but only he saw her hidden value. Sierra was clearly a very handy weapon.
He heard she was from a poor background, so her style was also like a bandit without knowledge or foresight. Using a bit of profit should easily sway her.
Meeting formally today and seeing her appearance, the man was even more confident he could win her over. Sierra was just a girl lucky enough to possess powerful abilities. The rough-looking middle-aged woman beside her also looked like an ordinary farmer, with no value for vigilance.
The man secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had brought ten ability users to meet Sierra, and many more people were ambushed outside to guard against her. After all, she had a fierce reputation.
"Our transaction is complete. People are waiting for me outside. I'll leave first. We can stay in touch in the future."
The man waved his hand, his words clearly indicating that Sierra had his people outside. Although Sierra had the ability to nullify powers, abilities always had range limitations. He believed Sierra knew this too.
Having said that, he cheerfully lifted his foot to leave from Sierra's side.
Bang! Suddenly, his back shoulder was violently grabbed. The man stumbled and fell to the ground, then a box of gold coins came crashing down on him, leaving him dizzy.
The expressionless middle-aged woman held the box over his head, pouring all the gold coins onto him.
The man looked incredulously at the leisurely Sierra nearby, then at the ability users he'd brought. They had already surrounded him, helping him up and watching Sierra's movements with vigilance.
"What's wrong with you?"
"This box of gold coins is too light. You gave me fakes!"
Sierra tilted her head to the left, her widened right eye suspiciously staring at the man.
The man was stunned. How was that possible? Had someone discovered his transaction and tampered with his goods?
"I—"
"Ah, the things on you must all be real, right?"
Sierra yanked off his brooch and examined it carefully. The ruby embedded in the brooch glowed. Sierra thought the gem looked like the color of her eyes and immediately loved it.
Watching the girl immersed in admiring the ruby, the man's face completely darkened. The ability users beside him received his approval and launched an attack in the blink of an eye!
Sierra didn't even lift her head. The woman behind her didn't move either, just watched. Those men full of killing intent charged halfway, then suddenly stopped their bodies comically, falling to the ground like petrified statues.
Sierra finally looked up, attracted by the sound, and let out a merciless mocking laugh. Suddenly her expression stiffened, and her body nimbly dodged a gleaming dagger.
She looked at the suddenly appearing assassin, then at the gloomy-faced man in the distance. The man spoke through gritted teeth: "You can nullify abilities, and the person you brought has petrification powers. You do have confidence."
"But the people I brought today aren't just these useless ability users. There are also assassins with formidable physical skills. Even if you nullify their abilities, they can easily kill you!"
The man's gaze flickered a bit. Compared to fighting and making noise, his goal was for Sierra to back down.
"Really? They can kill my people with just physical skills?"
Sierra showed an excited expression beyond the man's expectations. Her red eyes danced with light. She swung her arms back, looking eager to try.
Last time in the Blood Flower Demonic Domain, she couldn't beat Ye Zheng with her fists. She'd been brooding over it and practicing secretly. That idiot Lucy had unexpectedly good physical skills and made a good sparring partner, but recently she'd locked her up and had no one to practice with again.
"You're really good at giving gifts. No wonder you're so useless yet climbed to this position."
In the tense atmosphere on the verge of eruption, the man watched helplessly as Sierra stretched her arms, limbering up, her red eyes casually surveying the surroundings.
He suddenly had a strong premonition—he must escape immediately!
Seeing the man turn and run, Sierra smiled contemptuously, her eyes even more interested.
She looked through the dilapidated window, admiring the full moon, and satisfactorily pinned the ruby brooch to her chest.
Tonight, she never planned to let them leave alive anyway.
...
Outside the window, the bright moon hung. In the dark room, a candle flame suddenly lit up.
The candlelight illuminated Lucy's face. Her warm-colored hair was even warmer and more dazzling in the light, her eyes determined.
Since she beat up Sierra last time, she'd been locked up here. This room was very simple—she could smash it open with one punch.
But her [Butterfly Waltz] wasn't a strong attack ability. She wasn't confident she could break through the tight guard, so she obediently stayed for a while.
But she believed there would be a chance to get out. Lady Annabelle must know she was locked up here, and Ye Zheng too. They wouldn't let Sierra be willful.
Sure enough, Lucy finally received a note today, telling her Sierra would leave the Disciples base tonight, along with the guard shift times, escape routes, and rendezvous points.
The note wasn't signed, but Lucy recognized Lady Annabelle's handwriting. She breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, a chance to get out.
A small butterfly quietly slipped out through the door crack. Lucy leaned against the door, ear pressed close, listening for movement.
The information on the note was correct. Indeed, no one was guarding here at this time.
Soon, the door gently opened. Lucy carefully slipped out and ran toward the agreed rendezvous position.
The moonlight pouring into the dim corridor faintly illuminated her shadow, along with three other cautious figures.
*
Whether it was the West District's turmoil or the fleeing protagonist group, for Ye Zheng, the most urgent matter was still her coming-of-age ceremony in just twelve days.
The unpredictable [Mother of All Things] and [Stream], which had some resistance to [Destruction], were her greatest assets. But relying solely on her own abilities couldn't ensure victory.
Why would Sykes go berserk at her coming-of-age ceremony? Was there another hand pushing from behind? What role would the Emperor play at the ceremony, having proactively extended an olive branch to host it... She was no longer the cute junior from the original plot.
There were many urgent matters to resolve. Time was tight. She needed to make more preparations to deal with all possible crises.
The next day.
Inside the Papal Palace, after Ye Zheng finished handling her affairs, she looked back at the beautiful weather outside the window. She decided to spare time to go out.
Preparing for the upcoming battle was certainly important, but Ye Zheng had never forgotten her promise in the West District—she would find a way to restore them to normal.
Those women turned into异类 by the Hope Project—[Mother of All Things] had indirectly led to their tragedy. But Ye Zheng believed the tragedy wasn't irreversible. [Mother of All Things] must also be the hope for their redemption.
Most of them were in the West District, sheltered and cared for by Annabelle. But because Wen Jian had conducted experiments privately, there were also several Dragon-Bodied Humans hidden in dark rooms in the upper district.
These days she had gradually adapted to [Mother of All Things], this new ability. She believed she could control it properly. It was time to see them.
Even if she couldn't cure them immediately, as long as they still retained part of their humanity, they would feel loneliness.
They were kindred. Even though strictly speaking, Ye Zheng and they weren't even the same species now, shared predicaments and deep resonance were the key to defining kindred.
She was going to lead them to become this world's villains together.
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