Chapter 176: Shattered, Departure
"Sariel, y-you're back."
"Mm. Welcome."
"Just now, you didn't hear anything, did you?"
"I do not have a hobby of eavesdropping on other people's conversations."
Gulie instantly let out a long sigh of relief.
Only Ariel shook her head and sighed. She believed that even if Sariel had heard it, she wouldn't understand the meaning conveyed by the conversation.
"Did you come today for some specific matter?" Sariel asked planely, her face remaining a complete poker face.
Gulie avoided her gaze, shifting his eyes toward Ariel.
Ariel was completely speechless.
If you act like this, Goddess Sariel will think you came to see me. Wouldn't it be better to just confess honestly?
The more she watched, the more conflicted she felt.
However, considering the man didn't have a limited lifespan at all, there was really no need to be impatient.
Later on, after Ariel also gained longevity, she understood his feelings to some extent.
Still, she felt that if he could have been a bit more proactive back then, he wouldn't have to live with such intense regret.
Time continued to flow.
All over the world, people were talking about the power of MA Energy.
The trend was unstoppable, and ordinary people gradually adopted an affirmative attitude toward using MA Energy.
Aside from solving the energy crisis, there was one most important point—it propelled everyone's mindsets.
Along with the publication of the MA Energy theory, Potimas had simultaneously released a certain research finding.
That was the MA Energy Evolution Theory.
Utilizing MA Energy to allow humans to evolve.
For Potimas, this was merely a midway report during his experiments, but for ordinary people, it held monumental significance.
Wealthy individuals who underwent surgeries consuming vast amounts of MA Energy stepped onto a new tier.
There were two changes: first, an increase in physical functions; second, an extension of lifespan.
Because it required the consumption of immense amounts of MA Energy, this benefit was basically something only the rich could afford.
Although they couldn't become immortal, they could extend their lifespans as long as they spent money.
Let me ask you, as long as someone was wealthy, who wouldn't covet this?
Looking at the total population at the time, those who accepted the evolution surgery were only a tiny minority.
Mainly because the energy required was simply too massive.
Although MA Energy seemed to gush out endlessly like spring water in the eyes of ordinary people, it couldn't be collected in large quantities all at once.
Energy used for national infrastructure could be easily gathered, but if it was applied toward evolution, it instantly became impossible to collect enough.
From this, one could see just how terrifying the energy required for evolution was.
That was why the later Dustin simply couldn't forgive those fellows.
Despite all being human, they separated themselves from the human race, viewing themselves as enemies of humanity. The descendants of these evolved capitalists were precisely what were now called the demon race.
Consuming MA Energy in massive quantities ultimately accelerated the collapse of the world.
With the intervention of capital, MA Energy was instantly popularized; only the nation where President Dustin resided still maintained an opposing stance.
Of course, aside from that nation, there were others who firmly opposed it.
Namely, the Dragon Race and Goddess Sariel.
Since it was obtained through magical means, how could the Dragon Race possibly not know about it?
Gods relied on the surplus energy exhaled by the planet to survive, yet the humans of this world were forcibly draining the planet's energy. This kind of act, akin to draining the pond to catch the fish, was foolish to the absolute extreme.
Therefore, the Dragon Race issued a warning to humanity, forbidding them from using it.
But humans didn't give a damn about them.
It seemed humanity's fear of the Dragon Race was still insufficient.
In history, the Dragon Race had once destroyed a nation in a single day and night.
At that time, that nation had lost its mind for some reason, actually launching a new type of bomb at the Dragon Race's dwelling place.
In the end, the Dragon Race was completely unscathed.
As retaliation, that nation vanished.
However, that had long since become history in textbooks, and the humans who still remembered the situation at the time had completely died out.
Times were changing, and the fear of the Dragon Race was gradually fading.
What seemed to the Dragon Race like something that happened yesterday had long since become ancient history to humans.
Later on, due to the presence of Goddess Sariel, the Dragon Race didn't dare unleash their might upon humanity again, making ordinary people feel, "It's just ignoring a piece of advice; the Dragon Race won't go so far as to make a real move."
Weighing the threat of the Dragons against the blessings of MA Energy on the scales, humanity chose the latter.
Similarly, Goddess Sariel also fell into a bitter predicament.
And it was precisely because of the Sariella Society under her own command.
The latest medical equipment required energy to operate, and with the MA Energy Evolution Theory as a foundation, research into using MA Energy to treat terminal illnesses was highly prevalent.
The Sariella Society, which supported the impoverished, naturally wouldn't agree to a ban.
If the wealthy tycoon Fodway had been around, perhaps he could have prevented the internal split.
Unfortunately, the old man had turned into a vampire and was isolated.
Coupled with the fact that the Sariella Society had grown far too massive, the Goddess, as the president, was already unable to suppress those below.
Sariel was ousted from her position.
At that time, she happened to be sheltering the group of children including Ariel, so she simply focused entirely on taking care of that orphanage.
That was how things were.
Regardless of the warnings from the Dragon Race or the Goddess, humanity simply refused to listen.
Even so, they couldn't be allowed to continue acting recklessly.
The Dragon Race knew full well that if this continued, the planet would collapse before long.
To this end, the Dragon Race and Sariel told the world the truth without holding anything back.
But humans would only listen to pleasant words, only believing what was beneficial to themselves.
For things that brought them no benefit, they concocted all sorts of excuses to disbelieve.
They were just that stupid, and the price of their stupidity was something they couldn't possibly fathom.
Gulie still couldn't forget to this day how the Dragon Race elders gathered all members to announce on the spot that humanity was to be eliminated.
On that day, the Dragon Race began to unleash their wrath upon humanity.
The humans at that time were truly beyond saving, but the most damnably wicked of all was still Potimas.
The only reason the old elf made the theory public was out of the hope that "perhaps someone could acquire more results on his behalf."
At that time, his research had hit a bottleneck.
The evolution theory he published successfully extended an individual's lifespan.
Later on, using the experimental data from a large number of demons, he engineered an even longer-lived race.
For convenience, he called them the elf race.
However, that wasn't eternal immortality either; it required further research and required even more energy.
But the energy he could collect individually had a limit, which was why he popularized it.
He also knew the Dragon Race wouldn't sit idly by, but the old elf didn't care at all.
Who cares what becomes of this planet? As long as our research succeeds before the planet is destroyed, that's perfectly OK.
Even if it didn't succeed by then, he could simply fly far away.
Why stay in a place where research can no longer be conducted?
A broken planet that can't grant a single person eternal life is something I don't even want anymore.
He had long since prepared to head into outer space. Since the planet was bound to be finished sooner or later, he might as well squeeze it dry.
As for the rest of humanity, they were destined to die anyway, so they might as well serve as scapegoats to withstand the Dragon Race's fury.
Just as the old elf anticipated, the Dragon Race was truly about to resort to force.
On that day, Gulie came to the orphanage to look for Sariel.
It was also from this day onward that the peaceful daily life of Ariel and the others shattered.
Sariel and Gulie spoke in private. Although the children didn't know what they were talking about, they could roughly guess something.
Because it just so happened that the television broadcasted an emergency news flash, stating that they had suffered an attack from the Dragon Race.
In the next instant, a metropolis turned into ruins came into view through the screen.
Suddenly, Gulie's startled cry came from behind, "How can this be!"
Subsequently, Sariel walked out toward the front door without uttering a single word.
Gulie hurriedly called out to stop her, "Sariel, where are you going?"
"What do you think?" Sariel retorted as a matter of course.
Gulie understood that she was preparing to go fight the Dragon Race.
He wanted to go stop her, only to be interrupted by Sariel.
"Do not block my path. I do not wish to designate you as an enemy."
Leaving those words behind, Sariel walked away without looking back.
Gulie slumped weakly into a chair, lamenting, "Aren't you afraid I might take the children hostage? I suppose that much trust still exists, huh."
He didn't know whether to be happy or sad, his heart filled with a chaotic mix of emotions.
From then on, Sariel never returned.
The television was filled with reports related to the Dragon Race everywhere.
From that day onward, Gulie took up residence in the orphanage. At the time, Ariel was highly bewildered by this.
Now she understood that Gulie stayed behind to protect this place that was most important to Sariel.
This was a blatant act of betrayal against the Dragon Race, and Gulie had also made a massive resolution, yet he didn't let the children perceive it in the slightest.
In order to dispel their anxiety, Gulie interacted with them in an amicable and approachable manner.
The children kept waiting for Goddess Sariel to return.
Everyone besides Sariel returned to the orphanage.
That idol boy from back then also returned, and the only thing the children could do was pray for the Goddess's safe return.
However, at the very, very end, Sariel never managed to return...
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LanLi: These few chapters have been a total onion ninjas TT~TT
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