"Give up."
On the rooftop of the castle, the barefoot girl slowly stepped on the air. She looked at Zhou Li and said coldly: "The Hades Empire cannot contact the outside world. Even for twelve seconds, it cannot enter this area. space."
"well."
Zhou Li sighed lightly and put away the communicator in his hand. He looked at the brightly lit black city under the high platform, and pretended not to care and said to Futaba: "What do you want from me? Your Majesty the Emperor."
"You don't need to call me that."
Shuangye jumped lightly and landed lightly next to Zhou Li. His long orange hair glowed with a faint golden halo under the light, "I'm just curious as to why you are a brave man."
"me?"
Zhou Li was stunned for a moment, then he shook his head with a wry smile, and sighed and said, "You may not believe it. I don't know why I was chosen to be the hero." Jun Jun
"Yeah."
The girl nodded noncommittally. She pressed her skirt and sat on a chair nearby. She followed Zhou Li's gaze towards the pure black city and asked, "Then do you hate this identity?"
"A brave man?"
Zhou Li discovered that even though the emperor always had an indifferent expression on weekdays, for some reason, he always had an inexplicable intimacy with her, like an old friend who had known her for a long time. After a brief thought, he shook his head and said flatly: "First, it's annoying because it's not my wish."
"They all envy your talent."
Futaba gently curled her toes as soft as white jade, her lovely face faded from the majesty of the emperor. She stared at the black clock tower not far away and said softly: "I can advance to platinum in just a few months." , you have six professional talents at the same time, and they all think that you are the proud one of heaven."
"But I don't like it." Jun
Zhou Li stretched out his hand. His right hand, which was originally relatively clean on earth, was already covered in thick calluses. He looked at the rough and abrupt calluses and said with emotion: "I have used these hands for twenty years. He has been writing for a long time, and there are no traces of wear. But after becoming a hero, in just three years, I can no longer see his original appearance."
Futaba did not answer. The long blue skirt wrapped her thin body, but her tall figure was particularly beautiful under the light. After a brief silence, she raised her hand, looking at it without any traces, like the hands of a craftsman who had put all his efforts into carving it, and said softly: "Then do you still want to save these people?"
"save?"
Zhou Li chewed on this word repeatedly. After a moment, he smiled and said softly: "If you asked me three years ago, my answer would be that I would never save these people."
"When I first became a hero, I hated this world and hated everyone I met. I thought they were all a bunch of idiots, a bunch of vulgar people who only care about money. In the hotel I went to at the beginning, the owner of the hotel ruined the laundry because of me. A sheet scolded me for a long time. Then I bought a long sword from my boss that was said to be doped with mithril, but in the end I found out that I had been deceived by him, and the mithril was just coated."
As if thinking of that tragic time, Zhou Li was a little angry, but for some reason, he also felt nostalgic, "I was thinking at that time, I am obviously here to save them, but I am a brave man, so I would live in the house because I have no money. In the most inferior room. I had always planned at that time that as long as I became stronger, I would not care about anyone, just find a mountain to be the king of the mountain, and the world would be destroyed and I would die with it. Anyway, I didn’t want to save them."
"What happened next?"
Shuangye stared into Zhou Li's eyes and asked softly: "What happened?"
"That inn was destroyed by a demon."
Zhou Li smiled, as if he was just talking about an unrelated matter, "Everyone was killed by that demon, except me and my envoy."
Shuangye was stunned. She looked at Zhou Li. It was clear that there was only a faint smile on his face, but she could feel the sadness in his heart.
"Later I found out that the room the landlady gave me was actually the room of her dead son. She
She said it was a grocery store, but in fact she never let anyone else enter that room. The money I gave to the boss was actually fake. I was deceived by the person who collected monster materials. The boss bought the sword with his own money. She seemed to have been deceived too. "
Smiling and shaking his head, Zhou Li gently pinched his palms with his nails and continued calmly: "When they died, I was thinking, it would be great if I wasn't around, maybe they wouldn't have encountered this. Devil, they can still open their own shop and live a good life. But later, after I caught up with the devil and killed him, I started to feel lucky again."
Raising his head and looking at the dark cave, Zhou Li's eyes no longer looked as gloomy as before, "If I were really not here, more people would die because of this demon, and no one would help them take revenge. Killing Kill this devil."
"Later, I met many people, including kings, businessmen, and a very cute girl. They all made me gradually understand that this world is also made up of countless unique and beautiful lives. I can save them, It’s their luck and it’s my luck.”
Thinking of the cute girl who always looked at him with a smile and asked him if he had time to have dinner with her during the next training session, a smile appeared on Zhou Li's face, "Later on, I began not to hate the identity of a warrior. In other words, I don’t hate living in this world anymore.”
"This world?"
For some reason, after hearing Zhou Li's words, a dim light flashed in the eyes of the girl named Shuangye. She looked away and said softly to Zhou Li: "Thank you for communicating with me."
"I should thank you."
Zhou Li smiled and said to her with gratitude: "His Majesty, the Emperor of Hades, can listen to me talk so much. I should be the one thanking you."
"No honorific required."
The girl shook her head and said with a serious face: "You are a brave man, the one destined to save the world. You and I are on the same level, so there is no need to use any honorific towards me."
"Then what should I call you...you?"
Zhou Li was actually not used to it. After all, he used honorifics to Herinen because he was a gray-haired old man and the king of a country. Although the girl in front of him is also the king of a country, her otherworldly temperament and petite and cute face always make him a little embarrassed. It just so happens that the other party doesn't seem to like his honorific title.
"Just call me Futaba."
Futaba stretched out his hand, with a hint of hesitation in his golden eyes, "This... should be your handshake etiquette, right?"
"That's right."
Zhou Li smiled and nodded, stretched out his hand, and gently shook the other person's fingertips. "This is the etiquette that represents equality and respect in other countries." Jun Jun.
After the rooftop, Zhou Li and Futaba began to have more contact. On the third day, Zhou Li started to have dinner with Futaba. The dining etiquette in the Hades Empire is very simple, it can even be said that there is no etiquette. Apart from Zhou Li and Shuangye, there was only one brown-skinned girl named [Carrie] serving Zhou Li on the huge dining table. They often talked about things about the Kingdom of Hades while eating, and were not on guard against Zhou Li.
Sometimes, Zhou Li would also give some suggestions. After all, he had learned this knowledge before. Futaba and Carrie will listen carefully and take note of his suggestions without any perfunctory words.
"Zhou Li, wait a moment..."
On the fourth day, when Zhou Li was delivering fruit to Shuangye, the black mist knight behind Shuangye began to help her master process the documents, and Shuangye left the long table and asked Zhou Li: "I remember you said But there are many stories in your hometown."
After a brief moment of surprise, Zhou Li nodded. He had communicated with the girl in front of him, and he also knew how poor the other country's culture was. There was no other literature or stories other than belief in the Black Emperor. Therefore, he quickly understood what the other person was thinking.
With a faint smile, Zhou Li looked at the girl in front of him who was hesitant to speak. He cleared his throat and asked, "I wonder if I have a chance to tell His Majesty the Emperor of the Hades Empire something about me. What about the story of my hometown?”
Futaba was stunned for a moment. Obviously, she didn't expect Zhou Li to guess what she was thinking. But she was not a shy person. Under Zhou Li's gaze, she nodded calmly and replied calmly: "Okay, I want to hear it." Jun Jun
"That would be great."
Zhou Li put down the fruit plate with a smile and said happily to the girl in front of him: "What do you want to hear?"
"have no idea."
Futaba shook her head and said in a daze, "I have never heard the story before."
After that, Zhou Li would tell some stories to Futaba and Carrie every day. Sometimes, Futaba would wonder about the strange plots in those stories, such as why the heroine would rush to his side desperately after falling in love with the hero, and why the hero would be the enemy of the whole world for the heroine. During this period of time, Zhou Li was keenly aware that Futaba's soul was strangely pure, and even said that the other party might not understand what emotions were at all.
On the fifth day, Zhou Li and Futaba entered the empire called Hades together. It was also his first time to have close contact with this city, which is dominated by black.
Looking down from the castle, Zhou Li would always think that this was some kind of devil's lair. After all, everything here was pitch black and the colors of the buildings were all black or dark. But when he entered this country, he was surprised to find that the people of this country had smiles on their faces that could not be ignored. Jun
He and Futaba bought a lot of things in the store, including curry powder from the ground, some drinks with unique flavors, and a pair of gloves that could light up. Some were what Zhou Li wanted to buy, and some were secretly put into the shopping cart by Carrie. However, Futaba never took anything. She seemed to have no interest in entertainment or food at all, and just simply accompanied Zhou Li. Same as Carrie going on a trip.
On the sixth day, Zhou Li bought a stone from the imperial store and kept it mysterious so no one could enter his room. Carrie once curiously wanted to see what Zhou Li was going to do, but the runes he had set long ago made her face smoke, causing her to ignore Zhou Li for a whole day.
On the seventh day, Zhou Li and Carrie went to a cave. Carrie told Zhou Li that a creature called "gold crystal fish" was found in the cave. The scales of this fish can be used to make jewelry. The two thoughtful people spent a whole day fishing in the underground river. Finally, Futaba appeared at some unknown time and bought two fish from a fishing guy not far away.
On the eighth day, Zhou Li and Shuangye inspected an underground forest. Someone told her that a white spirit tiger appeared in this forest and attacked passers-by. Double surrounded by Zhou Li and Shuangye, the brilliant white spirit tiger was hung on the gate of the castle the next day, preparing to return to the real world with Zhou Li two days later.
ninth day···
"Can you not leave..."
Her skin is as smooth and smooth as chocolate milk, and the white gauze skirt is particularly beautiful on the girl's body. Carrie pursed her lips, looked at Zhou Li who was packing things in front of her, and asked softly, "Can you stay for a few more days?"
"I'm sorry Carrie, my friend is still waiting for me."
Zhou Li put down the backpack in his hand, looked at Carrie, and said with a wry smile: "I have been missing for a long time, they will be very worried about me."
"But···"
Carrie opened her mouth. After nine days of getting along, this tall girl who was silent at first began to feel happy and active because of Zhou Li. This man of similar age to her could always amuse her and tell many interesting stories. He also had a gentle temper and a nice smile. The appearance of Zhou Li added a lot to Carrie's dull life. radiance. But all this is too short. Tomorrow, Zhou Li will leave here and return to the ground.
"Then I'm not your friend?"
Carrie lowered her head, a little disappointed.
"Of course."
Zhou Li stepped forward, gently poked Carrie's eyebrows, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, I will come back to see you. You and Futaba are my friends, friends forever."
"Really?!"
After these few days of contact, Zhou Li understood what an easy-to-coax girl Carrie was. After listening to Zhou Li's words, Carrie's eyes suddenly turned into two crescents.
He happily stretched out his fingers and said to Zhou Li happily: "It's just like what you said in the story. Lagou swears that you will come back."
"good."
Zhou Li smiled and swore to the other party that he would definitely come back here. He already regarded the girl in front of him and Shuangye as his close friends from the bottom of his heart.
tenth day···
tenth day. Jun
Zhou Li suddenly opened his eyes, sat up, and gasped. Eluma, who was lying on a haystack not far away, seemed to sense something and turned her head to look at Zhou Li.
"What's wrong?"
Eluma lowered her voice and asked softly: "Did you have a nightmare?"
"ah···"
Zhou Li calmed down, and after a moment, he shook his head, "That's right."
"It's a... sweet dream that will soon turn into a nightmare."
