Lucifer: "...Yes, my lord."
"I don't know what those people really want. If it's just to disrupt our plans, it doesn't seem to benefit them in any way." Athena and the others were successfully distracted and finally began to consider the seriousness of the matter. "Are they just trying to obstruct us?"
"To be precise, they are obstructing me." Bai Cha shrugged. "Some people feel I've suppressed their development, but I suggest that no matter what happens, you'd best not intervene."
Athena paused, then immediately realized, "Are you saying you want me to distance myself immediately?"
Athena was somewhat reluctant about this. They were all shadows of their respective countries, leaders of these shadows, and chosen by the world plane. These similarities already fostered a sense of camaraderie. Moreover, Athena and Bai Cha had a good relationship. If she were to distance herself now, wouldn't it be like abandoning a comrade and becoming a deserter?
"Don't be so quick to refute me, Athena. Although we are friends, in certain special circumstances, we must consider how to maximize our interests." Bai Cha chuckled. This statement directly classified Athena as a friend, and Athena looked up in surprise, clearly pleased.
"Even a general who deeply loves every single soldier still regards each life as a negligible number when formulating tactics, calculating the course of the battle," Bai Cha said. "Maximizing interests is the hope for the continuation of our lineage. As leaders, we absolutely cannot let sentimentality hinder the development of history."
Athena naturally understood this. Her country had predecessors who had done the same. Powerful predecessors sacrificed themselves to allow their juniors to escape danger. As long as there were successors, there was hope. These juniors were the sparks of hope; if they survived and grew, hope would be endless.
Yet, even so, Athena did not want Bai Cha to protect her. Just as Bai Cha had said, they were friends, and besides, Athena was also powerful.
"No, I disagree." Athena put away her golden scepter and took a step forward, her expression firm. "Since I inherited the name Athena, I have vowed to protect this world, my family, and my friends. Now that you recognize me as a friend, how can I abandon you!"
"Yes, Miss Bai, we are also powerful and won't hold you back," Raphael also stepped forward, standing behind Athena. "We are also the leaders of our respective shadows and can definitely help you."
Athena's eyes were beautiful, her slightly downturned outer corners giving her the appearance of a rabbit lost in the forest, innocent and pure. Bai Cha could hardly imagine how such a delicate woman could carry her companions and fight for a place in her country.
"You can't face danger alone. Since we are friends, you should trust me, trust that I can help you..." Athena's golden hair cascaded down to her waist, and her white dress made her appear even more sacred and pure.
Her voice, unlike Bai Cha's clear and arrogant tone, reminded Bai Cha of the soft, gentle voices of Jiangnan women during her trip to the ancient town of Jiangnan. At this moment, her voice was filled with determination and courage.
Athena was about to say more, but before her words could fully fall, Bai Cha stepped forward. Athena was momentarily stunned, and then she was enveloped in a slender yet warm embrace.
Bai Cha was slightly taller than her, and her scent was pleasant, like the jasmine she cultivated in her garden. Although she was younger than Athena, this embrace made it impossible for Athena to utter the rest of her words.
Despite being so slender, she was warm and steadfast, like mountains and rocks, providing a sense of security.
"Mhm, I trust you, which is why you cannot get involved." Bai Cha gently hugged Athena and tucked a stray strand of hair from Athena's forehead behind her ear. "If something happens to me, you can definitely lead everyone forward, because I believe in you."
Athena was rendered speechless. She leaned her head on Bai Cha's shoulder, and Bai Cha could feel a warm, moist sensation seeping through her thin clothes.
Perhaps it was Athena's infectious emotion. The tears falling onto Bai Cha's shoulder, the girl favored by nature, caused a surge of sorrow in Bai Cha's otherwise calm heart, a bittersweetness churning in her throat.
"Don't be like this. This will make me worry," Bai Cha said helplessly, patting Athena's back. Her indifferent face softened. "I was just speaking hypothetically."
"There must be another way," Athena looked up, her eyes slightly red. "I have very few friends."
I have very few friends, so please don't say you're leaving.
They were leaders, which in essence meant they were kings in another guise. Kings were solitary; once they stood at the forefront, they rarely made friends.
Bai Cha sighed softly, but it was more out of helplessness. She was not a god and could only do her best.
"I attacked them, so once I'm out, they definitely won't leave me alone. If I'm not mistaken, they will use this as an excuse to take me back for investigation." Bai Cha said. In fact, those people had tried to take her to private locations for investigation many times before.
From the very moment she resonated with Lucifer, someone had come looking for her. Since then, people had constantly found excuses to take her back for investigation.
While they called it an investigation, once it delved too deep, it was uncertain if she could ever come out. It was like Bai Cha taking a criminal back for interrogation. Therefore, Bai Cha had rebuffed them every time.
"Their methods are becoming increasingly aggressive, and I cannot fully predict what they might do, but I may be unavailable for the next few days," Bai Cha instructed Athena. "Therefore, I hope that when they are not paying attention to you, you can rush back and check on Brahma's situation."
"Brahma?" Athena suddenly came back to her senses. The situation of the few leaders was not good. Brahma's situation was the worst. If it weren't for the major problems with Brahma, he could have come with them to this underwater secret realm.
Speaking of which, Athena suddenly realized that Brahma hadn't caused any disruptions in the group chat for a long time. Previously, Brahma was always the most active, but he had been unusually quiet these past few days.
For the past two weeks, Bai Cha and Athena had been dealing with matters underwater. Without Brahma, the others rarely initiated conversations, and the once lively group chat had suddenly gone quiet.
"Yes, we've been in the underwater area for some time, but since we parted ways, we haven't received any news from them," Bai Cha said. In fact, after the few leaders met, they had established a rule to report their work in the group chat periodically.
Bai Cha's reasoning was that everyone would report their current status every so often. This way, if anything unexpected happened, they could respond accordingly. The six of them were the ultimate rescue team, and it was good to stay updated on each other.
Everyone had agreed at the time. Initially, they reported their tasks like reporting to a superior, periodically updating their normal status or any difficulties. Eventually, they all relaxed.
Brahma, in particular, chatted about daily life and told jokes even more frequently than before, complaining about everything. The others would also complain occasionally, and a few funny people would act outrageously, making it quite lively.
Bai Cha and Athena had informed them when they went to the underwater secret realm and reported every three days. As for Brahma, they all knew he had returned due to an emergency. If anything had happened or if there were any progress, he would have left a message. With Brahma's restless nature, he would surely have complained at length.
For example, before, Brahma had been framed by a group of people, and Asmodeus had taken him out to frantically search for evidence to clear his name. While flying, he was still complaining in the group chat, such as how those people were bastards, how annoying those people were, and how little evidence they had found so far, and whether it would be useful.
Bai Cha hadn't even participated in the matter, but Brahma had poured out all his grievances in detail, making Bai Cha feel as if she were reading a novel when she flipped through the chat records, almost as if she were there.
But until now, there had been no movement.
Bai Cha had been paying attention to everyone's movements every day. Brahma's prolonged silence, along with Asmodeus's, made Bai Cha very worried.
"It sounds like your situation outside is quite difficult," Leviathan observed, sensing something from Athena and Bai Cha's demeanor. He looked confused. "You are so powerful, are there people even more powerful than you?"
Everyone exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.
If it was about power, then surely no one was more powerful than them. However, the overall environment now was not something that could be explained in a few words, and often they were powerless to act.
Lucifer thought for a moment, organized his thoughts, and explained the important points to his two subordinates. Throughout the explanation, personal emotions were occasionally interspersed, but Bai Cha did not stop him. In fact, at this point, everyone harbored some dissatisfaction and complaints.
"But speaking of which, there's something." Bai Cha turned back to look at Leviathan and Mammon. "Are you planning to take this created heaven and earth with you, or destroy it?"
This floating island of heaven and earth was, to be honest, quite large. Even in the sea, it was considered a significant island. Moving it would certainly be a major challenge.
However, as far as Bai Cha knew, this heaven and earth seemed to be a pure land that Mammon and Leviathan had created with a significant portion of their lifespans. Abandoning it directly seemed a bit too unfair.
To Bai Cha's surprise, Leviathan waved his hand dismissively. "We originally wanted to create a place to live. Since you just said you could help us find a place to live, then this place is naturally no longer needed."
Everyone: "?"
You spent so much of your lifespan, and you just give it up? Are you that willful?
"It can be shrunk and taken back, but for the world to function normally, it requires constant input of power to maintain it. It's too troublesome," Mammon nodded in agreement. "We were simply tired of living for so long and wanted to enter reincarnation quickly, which is why we went to such lengths to create this heaven and earth. Now we don't need it."
Everyone: "?"
So, there really are people in this world who dislike living too long and want to reincarnate quickly. Truly worthy of the title, tired of living.
However, Bai Cha could understand this. They hadn't wanted to live in the first place, and now Leviathan even wanted to die quickly. Therefore, abandoning this world directly was also understandable.
"Is that so?" Bai Cha rubbed her chin, her tone carrying a hint of negotiation. "Then, may I have this?"
Leviathan was speechless for a long time. He had initially thought Bai Cha was concerned about him, but it turned out she wanted something.
However, Leviathan didn't really care much about it. As long as he could be with his brother and enter reincarnation, that was enough. With this thought, he readily agreed.
The rest was quite simple. Leviathan placed a small mark from his body onto the back of Bai Cha's hand. Bai Cha immediately established a connection with this space. Bai Cha could clearly sense that as this world lost its support, all things began to wither and petrify. If she were to input power now, these creatures would immediately become full of life.