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," Athena and the others, their attention successfully diverted, finally began to consider the seriousness of the matter. "Are they simply trying to stop us?"
"To be precise, they are trying to stop me," Bai Cha shrugged. "Some people feel that I am suppressing their development. However, I suggest that no matter what happens, you'd best not intervene."
Athena paused, then immediately understood. "Are you saying you want me to immediately distance myself?"
Athena was truly reluctant about this. They were all shadows of their respective countries, leaders of those shadows, and chosen by the world plane. So many commonalities fostered a sense of camaraderie. Moreover, Athena and Bai Cha had a good relationship. If she were to directly distance herself, wouldn't that be abandoning a comrade and becoming a deserter?
"Don't be so quick to refuse me, Athena. Although we are friends, in certain special circumstances, we must consider how to maximize our benefits," Bai Cha chuckled. This statement directly classified Athena as a friend, causing Athena to look up in surprise. It was evident that she was quite pleased.
"Even if a general deeply loves every single soldier, when formulating tactics, they must treat each life as a negligible number to calculate the course of the battle," Bai Cha stated. "Maximizing benefits for us is the hope for the continuation of the flame of life. As leaders, we absolutely cannot let sentimentality impede the progress of history."
Athena naturally understood this principle. Her country had also had predecessors who acted in this manner, sacrificing themselves to allow their juniors to escape danger. As long as there were successors, there was hope. These successors were the seeds of life; if they survived and grew, hope would be endless.
However, even so, Athena did not want Bai Cha to protect her. Just as Bai Cha had said, they were friends, and furthermore, Athena was also a strong individual.
"No, I disagree." Athena put away her golden scepter, stepped forward, her expression resolute. "Since I inherited the name Athena, I decided to protect this world, to protect my family and friends. Now that you acknowledge me as a friend, how can I abandon you!"
"Yes, Miss Bai, we are also very strong and won't be a burden to you," Raphael also stepped forward, standing behind Athena. "We are the leaders of our respective countries' shadows, and we can definitely help you."
Athena's eyes were beautiful, the outer corners drooping like an innocent and pure rabbit lost in the forest. Bai Cha could not imagine how such a gentle woman managed to carry her comrades and secure a place for herself in her country.
"You can't face danger alone. Since we are friends, you should believe me, believe that I can help you..." Athena's long golden hair cascaded to her waist, and her white dress made her appear even more sacred and pure.
Her voice, unlike Bai Cha's cool and arrogant tone, reminded Bai Cha of the soft, melodic dialect of the women from Jiangnan when she had traveled there years ago. Now, it carried a sense of 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 found herself embraced by a slender yet warm figure.
Bai Cha was slightly taller than her. The scent emanating from her was pleasant, like the jasmine Bai Cha had planted in her garden. Although younger than Athena, this embrace prevented her from speaking the rest of her words.
Despite being so slender, she was warm and steadfast, like mountains and rocks, bringing a sense of peace.
"Mm, I believe you. That's why you can't get involved," Bai Cha gently hugged Athena, tucking a stray strand of hair from Athena's forehead behind her ear. "If something were to happen to me, you would be able to lead everyone forward, because I believe in you."
Athena was speechless. She leaned her head on Bai Cha's shoulder, and Bai Cha could feel warm, moist breath through her thin clothes.
Perhaps it was Athena's infectious emotion; the naturally favored girl's tears on her shoulder instantly stirred a sense of sorrow in Bai Cha's otherwise calm heart, a bitter sensation churning in her throat.
"Don't be like this. You'll make me worry," Bai Cha said helplessly, stroking Athena's back. Her indifferent expression softened. "I was just saying 'if'."
"There must be another way," Athena looked up, her eyes slightly red. "I have very few friends."
I have very few friends, so you can't just leave.
They, as leaders, were essentially kings in another sense. Kings were often solitary. Once they stood at the forefront, they rarely made friends.
Bai Cha sighed, but it was more out of helplessness. She was not a god, and could only do her best.
"I attacked them, so once I leave, they won't be at peace. 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 beginning, when she and Lucifer had resonated, someone had come looking for her. Afterward, people would always find excuses to take her back for investigation.
They called it investigation, but once it delved deep, whether she could come out again was uncertain. It was like Bai Cha taking a prisoner back for interrogation, which was why Bai Cha had rebuffed them every time.
"Their methods are becoming increasingly intense, and I cannot fully predict what they will do. However, I might be tied up 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 immediately came back to her senses. The situation of all the leaders was not good, but Brahma's was the worst. If something hadn't gone so terribly wrong with Brahma, they could have come to the undersea secret realm with them.
Speaking of which, Athena suddenly realized that Brahma hadn't caused a stir in their group chat for a long time. Brahma was usually the most active, but he had been particularly quiet these past few days.
For the past two weeks, Bai Cha and Athena had been dealing with undersea matters. Without Brahma, the others rarely initiated conversations. The lively group chat had suddenly become silent.
"Yes, we've been in the sea for some time, but since we separated, 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 at regular intervals.
Bai Cha's reason was that everyone should report their status periodically. This way, if anything unexpected happened, they could react accordingly. The six of them were the final rescue team, and it was important to stay updated on each other.
Everyone had agreed at the time. Initially, it was like reporting tasks to a superior, periodically reporting normal progress or difficulties. Eventually, everyone relaxed.
Brahma, in particular, became even more active than before, chatting about daily life and cracking jokes. Others would occasionally complain, and a few jokers would act out, making it quite lively.
This time, Bai Cha and Athena had informed them about going to the undersea 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 what the progress was, there would have been a message. With Brahma's restless nature, he would surely have complained at length.
For example, before, when Brahma was framed by a group of people, Asmodeus took him out frantically to find evidence to clear his name. While flying, he was complaining in the group chat, saying things like how those people were scoundrels, how annoying those people were, and how they didn't know how much evidence they had found and if it would be useful.
Bai Cha hadn't even participated in that matter, but Brahma had poured out all his grievances in detail, making Bai Cha feel as if she were reading a novel and experiencing it firsthand when she flipped through the chat logs.
But until now, there had been no news.
Bai Cha paid attention to everyone's dynamics daily. Brahma's prolonged silence, along with Asmodeus's, made Bai Cha very worried.
"It sounds like your situations outside are quite dire," Leviathan observed, sensing something from Athena and Bai Cha's expressions, and asked somewhat confusedly. "You are so powerful; are there people even more powerful than you?"
Everyone exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.
When it came to power, there were certainly no one more powerful than them. However, the overall environment now was not something that could be explained in a few words; often, they were even powerless to act.
Lucifer thought for a moment, organized his language, and briefly explained the important points to his two subordinates. This explanation was interspersed with personal emotions, which Bai Cha did not stop. In fact, to this extent, everyone harbored some degree of dissatisfaction and complaint.
"However, speaking of which, there's something," Bai Cha turned to look at Leviathan and Mammon. "Are you planning to take this created realm with you, or destroy it directly?"
This floating island realm was actually quite large. Even in the sea, it was considered a significant island. Moving it would undoubtedly be a major challenge.
However, as far as Bai Cha knew, this realm seemed to be a pure land that Mammon and Leviathan had created by spending most of their lifespans. Abandoning it directly seemed like too much of a sacrifice.
Unexpectedly, Leviathan waved his hand dismissively. "We originally wanted to build 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 lifespan, and you're just going to give it up? Are you that capricious?
"It can be shrunk and taken back, but for the world to function normally, it needs a constant input of power to maintain it, which is too troublesome," Mammon also nodded in agreement. "We were simply tired of living such long lives and wanted to reincarnate quickly, which is why we went to great lengths to create this realm. Now, it's no longer needed."
Everyone: "?"
So, there really are people in this world who dislike living too long and want to reincarnate quickly. Truly worthy of the phrase "tired of living."
However, Bai Cha understood this. They hadn't wanted to live in the first place, and now Leviathan wanted to die quickly. Therefore, abandoning this world directly was also reasonable.
"Is that so?" Bai Cha stroked her chin, her tone carrying a hint of negotiation. "Then, can this thing be given to me?"
Leviathan was speechless for a while. He had initially thought Bai Cha was concerned about him, but it turned out she wanted something.
However, Leviathan was not very concerned about these matters. As long as he could be with his brother and enter reincarnation, it would be fine. With this thought, he readily agreed.
The following matters were actually quite simple. Leviathan imprinted a small mark on the back of Bai Cha's hand. Bai Cha immediately felt a connection to this space. Bai Cha could clearly sense that as this world lost its support of power, everything began to wither and petrify. If she were to input power now, these creatures would immediately become vibrant again.