CHAPTER 645: 603 THE WILL OF MAZAO

My mind went blank.

All of it? Me and the world?

What is she talking about?

"Do you know what you’re saying?" I asked, "Our stances are different. Since we’re moving in different directions, and our goals conflict, we can only be enemies. The world, or me, since you choose the former, you can’t choose the latter anymore.

"I understand you probably can’t accept being my enemy because you like me, but greed will only lead to an undesired outcome. Wanting everything sometimes means you end up with nothing at all. This isn’t just idle talk, you must understand what I’m trying to express, right? If you can’t give up something, you can’t move forward."

"I understand," Mazao said, "but to me, you are as important as the world. It was you who showed me a new future, you are my world.

"So, I must save everyone’s world, and I must save you too."

"Save me?" I reflexively countered, "What is there to save about me?"

As I asked this question, I suddenly had a sense of déjà vu. Not long ago, in some place, it seemed someone had said something similar to me.

"Zhuang Cheng, you’ve mentioned it before. You don’t want to become my enemy either. Being my enemy is painful," Mazao said, "and I won’t let you feel pain. Just as I won’t escape from my past darkness, I won’t escape from your darkness."

"Anyone can speak of ideals, but what about the specific methods?" I countered, "It’s not like I haven’t considered the possibility of getting along with you. If there’s a way to balance the two and kill two birds with one stone, I wouldn’t have had to tell you the truth with the intention of breaking up.

"To be honest, Little Bowl realized my true thoughts long ago. Her wisdom surpasses ours combined, and if she could think of a win-win solution, she would have advised me already. But the fact is, there isn’t one, it doesn’t exist. If even Little Bowl can’t think of a good solution, do you think you can?"

Upon hearing this, Mazao’s eyes remained steadfast, she said, "I want to change your mind."

"You can’t," I said decisively, "just as you have something more important than your own life, I too have something more important than my life. What kind of misunderstanding makes you think you can change me?"

Mazao said slowly, "I don’t know exactly how to change you. The incident happened suddenly, and I haven’t had time to think much. But this is very clear: I won’t give up on you or the world, I won’t give up on the possibility of having it all until the last moment... and it’s far from the time we have to part ways, right?"

It’s evident that she’s racking her brain, her determined gaze coupled with the sweat on her forehead from squeezing her brain cells to the limit. "Regarding Doomsday, there are still many truths we haven’t uncovered... You need my 扫帚 star power and investigative abilities, and I need your strength. Only by being together can we see further, right?"

"..." I fell into thought.

Mazao’s words were not without reason.

Many things that seem clear actually remain uncertain. The true background of the Master of Divine Seal is still shrouded in mist, and what Xuanming said about the "real Seal Master" is highly concerning. While it’s clear that the cause of Doomsday was an erroneous human history, the specific wish that led to this error remains unknown.

No. 7 believes that someone made a wish to the divine seal that caused the fusion of different worlds, but that’s just a result. Because the phenomenon of world fusion occurred, does it necessarily mean the wisher’s wish was "to make different worlds fuse"? Suppose someone wished for the walls around them to disappear to make their room appear more spacious, eventually causing the building to collapse due to missing load-bearing walls. You can’t simply conclude that "this person’s wish was to make the building collapse," can you?

The stance and motives of the "real Seal Master" lurking in the shadows and our encountered Master of Divine Seal are also issues crucially tied to the fate of the world.

Even though Mazao and I have opposite destinations, at this current stage, we are still on the same path, benefiting from cooperation.

Besides, I’m not entirely certain about being able to confine Mazao. Luck is one reason, and another is that Mazao might receive help from Little Bowl. Even if Little Bowl claims to always stand by my side, it doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll allow Mazao to be confined. Under her blessings and prayers, Mazao could even miraculously escape across realms from the Catastrophe Demon who rules gravity, much less from my restraints.

But if Mazao voluntarily stays by my side, the situation changes significantly.

Losing Mazao’s 扫帚 star power would significantly slow my exploration of the truth; on the contrary, I wouldn’t even need to do anything special, and relevant clues would naturally come to me, especially the various dangers and enemies I most desire, related to the Doomsday process, will also come to me automatically.

This is clearly a path with only benefits, and at the same time... it’s also a path that ensures Mazao will not leave my side.

"After this, I will stay by your side to monitor you. If you try to push Doomsday, I will stop you. And you also don’t want us to separate immediately; you want to be with me... right?" Mazao asked.

"...Alright." After repeated thoughts, I responded, "I understand. Don’t keep saying foolish things like ’changing me,’ but let’s continue to be together for now."

Mazao’s shoulders finally relaxed, revealing a heartfelt smile.

"Then, tomorrow accompany me to see my mom and dad!" she said.

-

The sincere conversation with Mazao ends here. Regarding her suddenly revisiting past events at the end, although a bit unexpected, I agreed.

We returned to the courtyard dining area together. Little Bowl gave Mazao and me a meaningful glance, then pretended nothing happened, eating and chatting joyfully. Although our conversation was private and out of everyone’s earshot, Little Bowl knew from the beginning that we wouldn’t truly break apart.

I remembered what she said in the Post-mortem World.

— "If it’s just you fulfilling Sister Mazao’s wish, I think it’s unfair."

— "I also hope Sister Mazao can save you."

I see, the "thing I forgot" she mentioned before likely referred to this. At the same time, the decision Mazao made, which I didn’t anticipate, was something she predicted from the beginning. She knew Mazao would react that way after hearing my true feelings.

I still don’t think there’s anything about me that needs saving. I’ve always enjoyed what I’ve been doing. I’ve never regretted it, nor will I ever. If I have to say it, it’s that before meeting Mazao, I could never encounter the bizarre events I sought, always returning disappointed. And now, my everyday feels like a festival, devoid of any unfortunate elements.

After the evening gathering ended, Mazao used the Power of Return to clean up the place in one fell swoop, saving the effort of tidying and doing dishes. Everyone had their rooms in this manor, and tonight, they all stayed to rest. Changan, a boarding student at the Luoshan Demon Hunter Academy, also chose to spend the night here.

Mazao and I have separate rooms in the manor, but she still clung to me, wanting to sleep together. I didn’t refuse, even though I said those things before, I still like Mazao, and my feelings of wanting to be close to her haven’t diminished at all.

At bedtime, we embraced each other’s bodies under the covers. She held me tightly as if afraid I’d suddenly vanish. I felt her small body, her warmth, a mysterious calmness settling in my heart. Honestly, I had prepared myself psychologically to never embrace her this peacefully again.

What exactly is our relationship now? Despite having irreconcilable ambitions, we chose a stance of temporary cooperation. We should maintain distance, yet here we are, in a close embrace. It’s strange, yet enchanting, making one reluctant to let go.

I won’t change my mind, nor will I allow others to attempt to alter it. Anyone trying to do so will face my wrath. But for Mazao alone, I can’t muster any hostility, even finding her adorable. This isn’t a statement mixed with sarcasm or pity; it’s a purer, embrace-wanting feeling, not allowing anyone to look at her with disdain.

Her unwavering, gem-like gaze enamors me deeply.

And now, this adorable "culprit" nestled defenselessly in my arms like a sleeping lamb, unconsciously clutching my clothes, eyes closed, breathing evenly in a deep slumber. Gently, I stroked her soft cheeks, played with her bangs, gazing closely at her baby-like relaxed expression.

Coming to my senses, a thought abruptly crossed my mind. Possibly, for the first time, I genuinely, without the influence of any changes in my mind, truly felt affection for this girl named Mazao.

How ironic. Just a moment ago, I told myself that my spirit wouldn’t be changed, yet I quickly recognized the first change within me. Curiously, there wasn’t even a trace of resentment, rather, I felt a bit happy.

Consider it a small loss on my part, but I won’t be losing again after this.