The Pengpeng in front of ...
He claims to be a "God", considering himself as the "God" of this small country's people.
But of course, he is just a human being.
Moreover, Chen Nuo can ascertain one thing: besides being arrogant and conceited, this guy is definitely not the kind of god who would willingly protect his people and save them from suffering!
He doesn't care at all whether ordinary people live or die!
Rather than being a god, he actually wants to be a secluded local emperor.
He just enjoys that feeling of being high above others.
He brutally murdered several ambitious leaders who tried to unify this country.
He wishes for this country to remain in a chaotic state of dukes standing warlords.
Though he resides in the refugee camp, he pays no attention to the life and death of these refugees — with his abilities, if he regarded himself as their god, he should have shown so interest in saving them from suffering.
If a Controller wanted to get so food and water for these thousands of refugees, it would be a simple matter.
Yet he sits here, enjoying the offerings of these refugees living in hunger and thirst.
Using the pure water that ordinary people can't even get a sip of to water stones and burn incense…
He is not a benevolent god for the masses.
Therefore, his staying in this country and not going out into the world is definitely not because he cherishes his holand, wants to protect everyone, and thus remains on this land — absolutely not!
Previously, he even clearly showed envy towards Chen Nuo's talk of the outside world!
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This country is war-torn and backward!
Here, even being a local emperor offers limited enjoynt.
Take the example of the dead mayor of this town where Chen Nuo resides.
He was already a local emperor, possessing lands, armies, and wealth.
The Mayor Mansion where he lived looks lavishly decorated...
But it's rely inlaid with so gold.
The food, the drink, the residence, the belongings…
In this backward small country, it counts as top luxury.
But if you place it outside…
Frankly speaking, besides power, his living enjoynt is not even as comfortable as a rich township entrepreneur's.
And this Pengpeng, in fact, does not exercise power — he has no desire to rule.
He just likes the feeling of being high above.
As long as everyone fears him, respects him, worships him, that's enough.
He has no interest in exercising power.
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Pengpeng's eyes montarily flickered, then he took a deep breath and coldly said: "This is my business, it has nothing to do with you! You just need to consider my proposal and leave here!"
"It's not a difficult problem for to leave." Chen Nuo smiled.
He suddenly realized, the only reason this guy nad Pengpeng is willing to sit down and talk with him is because, after one assault, he realized he's powerless against him!
Otherwise, with this arrogant and conceited fellow, where would he bother negotiating with him? He would've attacked long ago.
Pengpeng frowned at Chen Nuo: "Do you have conditions? What do you want? Gold? Wealth? Or the minerals here?"
After a pause, Pengpeng said flatly: "I can promise you, as long as you are willing to leave, I can transfer several mines here to your forces — people like you, from the outside, probably have forces of your own. Several mineral resources in exchange for you leaving here and never returning. This price is generous enough."
Chen Nuo seed to ponder seriously: "I will consider your suggestion… But negotiation is always a slow chat. Since we're not planning to fight, let's sit down, chat, talk, maybe even beco friends or sothing."
"Friends?"
Once again, Pengpeng's expression changed, a sort of…
How to say, disdain.
"I have no friends! I am God! No one deserves to be friends with God."
Alright, Chen Nuo sighed inwardly, once again reminding himself: this is a fool.
A frog in the bottom of a well, staying in a small place for too long, relying on his abilities, acts tyrannically, increasingly unaware of his own identity.
Chen Nuo patiently said: "You have to admit one thing, I have no ans to deal with you, but you also have no ans to deal with — this at least allows us to talk on equal terms, right."
Pengpeng was silent for a mont, finally nodding.
"Actually, I'm quite curious about you." Chen Nuo's tone seed calm: "You are the strongest existence here, but what you enjoy here is… Forgive , compared to what we enjoy outside, it's simply pathetic.
The highest level of enjoynt you get is rely the offerings from those revering you among the assorted tribes.
How much benefit can be squeezed out of these natives?
Have you ever drunk wine costing hundreds of thousands per bottle?
Have you ever flown in a private jet costing billions?
A yacht bigger than a house, filled with beauties from all over the world, indulging in orgies and lavish feasts; have you ever enjoyed such a life?"
Pengpeng's tone was sowhat indignant: "I said, this is my business!"
"No no no, I'm not persuading you to go into the outside world.
What I an is, why do you let this place remain in chaos? If this country could unify and develop… a solid foundation ans you, as a god, could receive better offerings.
The people offering to you are a bunch of poor folks who can't even afford clothes.
How much offerings can you get as a god?
Why did you kill the previous leaders who wanted to unify the country? You could have subdued them, let them offer to you, collaborated with you."
After Chen Nuo finished speaking, Pengpeng looked at him with complicated eyes.
Then, this black man slowly shook his head: "You think I'm an idiot, that I'm a yokel ignorant of the outside world, right?"
Chen Nuo looked at Pengpeng without saying a word.
Pengpeng sneered: "I've been alive for many years too, I, a wild kid from a tribe, grew to beco the god of this land! Do you really think I know nothing, understand nothing?"
Chen Nuo frowned.
Pengpeng turned around, rummaged in a corner of the tent for a bottle of wine — Chen Nuo glanced at it and couldn't help raising his eyebrow.
It was a bottle of beer, and within a few dozen kiloters, only the town and the gathering area of the mine had it for sale.
This guy had once sneaked into town?
Pengpeng fetched a bottle, tossed it casually to Chen Nuo, then pulled out another bottle, flicked his finger, and the cap flew off.
He took a big swig of beer, looked at Chen Nuo, and disdainfully shook his finger: "You think I'm a fool. You think I haven't read books, right."
Saying this, Pengpeng chuckled softly: "You think I'm Gregory VII, do you?"
Chen Nuo was stunned.
What the heck?
During Chen Nuo's bewildernt, Pengpeng shook his head and sneered: "Apparently, you think I'm an ignorant fool, but at the sa ti, you are more ignorant than I am."
Then, Pengpeng said slowly: "The son of a humble cobbler, growing to beco a great Pope! He promulgated the papal decrees, holding divine authority above all! The pope never faces judgnt! Only the pope has the right to make laws! All monarchs must kiss the pope's feet! The pope has the right to depose kings…
Ha, great divine authority.
In the event of [The Road to Canossa], he made the proud Henry IV, the noble Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, stand barefoot in the snow awaiting his audience, begging for his forgiveness. He made the noble Emperor Henry IV wait for three days! Finally kneeling before him, kissing his feet, asking for his pardon…
Ha, great divine authority indeed!
And the result?
A few years later, Henry IV amassed enough power, launched a war, finally defeating Gregory VII, who ended up being driven out and died in exile in a foreign land!"
Alright, although Chen Nuo didn't learn much about European history, he generally understood Pengpeng's words.
Pengpeng said coldly: "I've read books! I've even read the Europeans' history, their struggle between divine power and royal power... the entire process, I've read those books.
I'm very clear that a strong secular governnt will never tolerate a divine authority high above their heads.
Never will!
Once secular power becos strong, it will inevitably suppress divine power, forcing it to retreat into the background, obediently becoming a mascot.
If divine power wants to maintain its superior status and make secular power bow down obediently, it must keep secular power in a weak state!"
Chen Nuo frowned: "But you're not the Pope—the Pope is just a mortal. You are a Special Ability User, you possess formidable powers, if the governnt you support eventually tries to resist you, you can totally…"
"And then what? Shatter the secular power I supported and start over? Choose a new one, support them until they're strong enough to rebel against , and then shatter it again? And then… endlessly cycle like this?"
Chen Nuo understood.
This guy only wants to maintain his authority and interests—so long as he achieves this, he is unwilling for this war-torn country to unify.
He doesn't want a unified, strong secular governnt to erge in this country.
So…
He would rather let the people of this country suffer in a world shattered by war and warlord divisions.
This guy…
Is extraordinarily selfish.
Chen Nuo nodded: "I understand.
So, you can't leave here to enjoy the colorful world outside, and you can only continue to act as God over these natives. anwhile, to make them obedient, you repeatedly intervene to shatter the possibility and hope of unifying this country?"
Pengpeng laughed arrogantly: "I am God! Why should I care about the life and death of those lowly people?"
Chen Nuo didn't bother to evaluate this Pengpeng guy.
However, he achieved his purpose.
He just said, "You can't leave here."
Can't!
It's not that he doesn't want to, but he can't!
And Pengpeng seed unaware of such a subtle probe, he subconsciously accepted it.
Moreover, he inadvertently revealed a piece of information that he himself might not consider very important: I, a wild child grown up in a tribe.
Chen Nuo took a deep breath: "Okay, I apologize for offending you. I think now that we've said almost everything, I can take my leave.
I will seriously consider your proposal."
"I will also leave here—you don't need to try to rally people to siege , I'm not that stupid.
But I'll give you at most three days, after three days, if you still haven't left, I will continue to enact Heaven's Punishnt on you guys!"
Alright then… a conceited, self-proclaid divine egotist, while also quite shaless and selfish.
Chen Nuo shook his head, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
·
After returning from the refugee camp to the town, entering the Mayor Mansion, Lu Xixi was sitting on a sofa in the hall.
Seeing Chen Nuo walk in, Lu Xixi raised an eyebrow: "Did you find that guy?"
"Found him, the ti spent wasn't in vain."
"You should've taken my advice, we should've attacked him together. Since we could find him, it would be a missed opportunity if we let it go." Lu Xixi frowned.
Chen Nuo shook his head: "I haven't recovered my strength, and can't suppress his Spatial Ability. You possess Spatial Ability, but it's not your specialized field, you also can't suppress him. Even if we attacked him together, he'd escape, we'd just waste energy, sweat a bit, without achieving anything valuable."
Lu Xixi glanced at Chen Nuo: "Then according to your plan, have you gotten any valuable results now?"
Chen Nuo rubbed his forehead and whispered: "Maybe, yes. Maybe, no."
Subsequently, Chen Nuo recounted his conversation with Pengpeng.
Lu Xixi listened, her face increasingly disdainful: "This guy's arrogance and conceit exceed our expectations—husband, yet he doesn't seem utterly foolish, he has so brains."
"His arrogance stems from believing we can't do anything to him, hence his brazenness. What I thought was foolishness initially, now seems mainly due to his conceitedness and selfishness."
"So what do you think is the valuable insight or gain?"
"First, he can't leave this land." Chen Nuo smiled.
"And then?"
"Second, he was once a wild child grown up in a tribe."
"How is that a gain?"
Lu Xixi shook her head: "Every Special Ability User grows from ordinary people, unexpectedly awakening their abilities, then becoming Special Ability Users.
Many Special Ability Users were very ordinary, so even grassroots, before becoming Special Ability Users."
"Not quite viewed that way, if casually ntioning his origin isn't a big deal. But if linked with the first point, it rits deeper thought."
Lu Xixi contemplated: "You an that he can't leave this land?"
Chen Nuo sighed: "This person is selfish, conceited, arrogant, and cold-blooded! He utterly disregards the life and death of people on this land; everything he does is rely to maintain his identity as [God], even at the cost of intervening several tis to kill the hope of unifying and eliminating turmoil in this country.
Also, through the conversation, I sensed he actually envies the civilized world outside—he covets the enjoynt of the colorful world outside, he isn't a God, he's thoroughly a selfish, cold-blooded, shaless mortal, except that this mortal accidentally possessed powerful abilities.
He really wants to venture into the outside world, acquire more worldly pleasures, gain more power and wealth… His gaze can't deceive , he genuinely desires that.
But for soone so greedy, conceited, shaless, he can't leave here.
Then, the answer is only one: If he leaves this place, his fundantal interests might be hard."
Lu Xixi's eyes brightened: "His fundantal interests… are…"
The two simultaneously responded: "His abilities!"
Eyes held, Chen Nuo swiftly said: "He can beco the God of this land, ruler, capable of suppressing secular power at will, making people fear him, worship him…
His only reliance is his abilities!
And he doesn't want to leave here, or can't leave, unable to leave… It must be due to sothing that threatens him, even harms him.
With this thought, we can deduce: He so desires the outside world, yet can't leave.
The answer is only one: only by staying here does he possess power, is God! Once he leaves this land, his abilities may be weakened or even stripped away!"
Lu Xixi, being a seasoned top-tier Special Ability User, quickly added: "So… there must be a higher existence? This Pengpeng guy, his ability didn't awaken by himself? It's granted by a higher existence? And he can't leave this place… Leaving causes his abilities to wane…"
"Your guess is possible. Yet other possibilities exist, like so encounter, he received a curse, or sothing else.
But if I follow your speculation, it evokes a more terrifying possibility."
Speaking, Chen Nuo slowly said: "A higher existence bestows power, can mold a wild child into a Controller! This higher existence, how mighty it must be?
Also, why hasn't this higher existence appeared? Or perhaps, Pengpeng can't leave here… because the higher existence granting him power can't leave here!"
Chen Nuo spoke with increasingly bright eyes, yet his tone grew heavier:
"A mighty existence fixed to a specific place, mighty enough to transform a mortal into a Controller! Such an existence… neither you nor I can reach, even Seeds can't, thus, only…"
Lu Xixi also took a deep breath, the two stared at each other, each furrowed intensely.
Only…
Mother!
The answer fitting these criteria is the sole one:
Mother!
`
Then, what is Pengpeng?
Pengpeng is a wild child from a tribe, accidentally encountering a dormant Mother Clone on this land!
Acquired powerful abilities from Mother—but for unknown reasons, can't leave this land.
It's as if Mother created for herself a… watchdog?
Upon saying this, it seems to fit coherently.
`
Suddenly Lu Xixi gasped lightly, clutching Chen Nuo's hand: "Husband, I realized!
Kamisou Ichiro fooled us into coming to this place, ostensibly searching for The Fourth Seed, but he's really deceiving us…
The Octopus Monster…
It is searching for Mother!"
Chen Nuo remained calm, yet his eyes looked out the window, frowning silently.
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