King looked at the Damselette before him, whose back was bent and shoulders were still trembling slightly, and an indescribable emotion suddenly welled up in his heart.
Five hundred years of loneliness, five hundred years of waiting, five hundred years of self-hypnosis: "I must die."
Now someone was telling her, "You don't have to die."
Her first reaction wasn't ecstasy, but rather, "I cannot be this selfish."
Because I cannot gamble with everyone's lives.
Just how much responsibility must it take to crush a soul that should have been innocent and romantic into such a state?
"Focalors, you have no need to apologize to me."
Focalors still kept her head lowered, not daring to look at him.
"Lift your head."
Focalors's body stiffened slightly.
She bit her lip and slowly raised her head.
In those sapphire-like eyes, traces of unshed tears remained; her reddened eyes made her look like a small animal caught in the rain, pitiable and lovely.
King met her gaze.
His gaze was very calm, as calm as the deepest sea, the darkest night.
But beneath that calm lay a confidence and assurance sufficient to crush everything.
"You have no need to seek the protection of a dragon."
"If you are truly that afraid, then feel free to lean on me."
Focalors was stunned.
"Because..."
King paused, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly into a smile that was almost arrogant.
"I am strong."
"Stronger than anyone else in this world."
Nine simple words.
No explanation, no proof, no listing of past achievements.
He was simply stating an indisputable truth—
King is the strongest.
Focalors opened her mouth to say something, but found her throat seemingly blocked by something.
This man... what right did he have to be so arrogant?
What right did he have to be so confident?
What right did he have to say "lean on me" in such a matter-of-fact tone?
Are we that close?
We've only just met for the first time, hey!
And I was just calling you a scumbag!
Focalors's mind raced, trying to find a rational explanation.
But she couldn't find one.
Because King's eyes were too clean.
No lust, no schemes, no utilitarian purpose whatsoever.
Just... wanting her to live.
Focalors's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"...Why, why would you go to such lengths?"
Her voice trembled slightly, whether from nervousness or something else.
"Even though this is clearly a path destined to be difficult."
"It might even be a dead end."
She stared into King's eyes, trying to find a hint of hesitation.
But King only exhaled a breath of turbid air disdainfully.
"A dead end?"
He gave a light chuckle.
"Do you know what it means for there to be no dead ends in front of the strong?"
Focalors curled her lip, gave him a look as if seeing a small fry, and shook her head dismissively.
Veins popped on King's forehead, but he didn't explain.
He slightly raised his right hand and casually clenched his fist.
In that instant—
Focalors felt that what she was seeing was not a person.
It was a universe.
It was the endless starry sky, the infinite Akasha, a grand spectacle of the birth and death of countless worlds.
That feeling lasted for less than a second before disappearing.
But Focalors's back was already soaked with cold sweat, which dripped down to the floor, gathering into a small puddle at her feet.
She stared blankly at King, her lips moving, but unable to utter a single word.
What was that just now?
Is King even human?
King withdrew his hand, his tone remaining flat.
"The word 'dead end' does not exist in the dictionary of the strong."
"I am that kind of strong person."
Of course, he had the confidence.
Everything is difficult at the start.
Although he had only pulled a 10% ascend of his limiter.
But once the limiter is broken, it will continuously and steadily improve.
As the man who broke his limiter.
King had long ago surpassed the limits that the "world" of Teyvat could accommodate.
Not to mention he also had a system.
Although he hadn't opened the system since returning to Teyvat.
But the system's greatest function had never stopped operating.
What was its greatest function?
That was, of course, accumulating Emotion Points.
From Fontaine to Inazuma, from Inazuma to Liyue, and then from Liyue back to Fontaine... along the way, the Emotion Points he harvested had already reached an astronomical figure.
The fanatical worship of those characters, the deep fear, the sincere gratitude, the subtle heart-throbs... all were quietly converted by the system into Emotion Points and deposited into his account.
King glanced at the system panel.
[Current Emotion Points: 979,999,999]
Saving for so long was all for the sake of pulling off something big.
King wanted to see if there were even higher-level draws above the 10 million per draw option.
However, if he truly encountered something he couldn't resolve—
Then he would draw in advance.
Keep drawing!
Draw until it's resolved!!
A real man's words must be this tough!!!
"So, do you have any other questions?"
Focalors snapped back to her senses.
She bit her lip, her gaze becoming complex.
"King... what exactly is your goal?"
Her voice was cold and clear, carrying a hint of wariness.
King was silent for two seconds.
Then he counted them off on his fingers, one by one.
"First."
"The people of Fontaine are quite cute; I don't want to see them drown."
This sounded a bit subtle, but it was King's true thought.
This bunch in Fontaine, although a bit overly fanatical, were essentially a group of kind people.
They would be angry over the disappearance of a strange youth, cheer for a trial of justice, and go wild for the return of their Guardian.
Being loved by such a group of people, it would be a lie to say he wasn't moved.
"Second."
King paused.
"If you die, Furina will surely be very sad."
Focalors was stunned.
She hadn't expected King to mention Furina.
That poor little thing who had been acting on stage for five hundred years, acting until he could hardly distinguish truth from fiction.
Furina... Focalors's eyes began to sting again.
So King was worried about Furina.
Thinking of this, an inexplicable emotion welled up in Focalors's heart.
A bit sour.
A bit bitter.
And a little bit of... envy.
"Third."
King's voice interrupted her stray thoughts.
Focalors raised her head and met his gaze.
In those black eyes, her reflection was mirrored.
"Actually, I don't want to see you die either."
A simple sentence.
It struck her directly.
Focalors's brain went "buzz," turning completely blank.
Her cheeks, at a speed visible to the naked eye, turned red from her neck all the way to the roots of her ears, until even her forehead was dyed a faint pink.
"You, you you you..."
She stammered, pointing a trembling finger at King.
"You big scumbag!!"
"Are you trying to grind my friendship??"
"Do you think I'm as easy to fool as Furina?!"
She spoke louder and louder, more and more righteously, trying to use anger to hide her wildly beating heart.
But in those sapphire-like eyes, something was clearly flickering.
The corners of King's mouth curled up slightly, just as he was about to speak.
Just then—
King's vision went dark, and the familiar virtual option box appeared once again.
[Love Game Master (Rank D)] Activated!
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