Meng Chao froze.
"What?"
He could hardly believe it. "I... died?"
"Yes, you died."
Su Mu Lian said, "No one lives forever."
"H-how did I die?"
Meng Chao thought for a moment, then pressed on. "In your nightmare, what kind of person was I? What kind of... leader?"
"It's hard to judge. Some said you were the hero who saved Dragon City, an incomparably wise commander who could lead us to conquer the Otherworld. But others said you were a tyrant, a demon, a butcher, a warmonger who would one day destroy Dragon City's future!"
Su Mu Lian looked at Meng Chao. "At first, when the war went smoothly, Dragon City people plundered vast resources from the depths of the Otherworld. Ordinary people's lives rose like sesame blossoms, climbing higher with every joint. Not only did they enjoy greater material abundance than before the war, but they also grew increasingly powerful in both mind and flesh. Naturally, everyone praised you and worshipped you as a radiant savior.
"But as the front line stretched ever farther, the enemy's resistance and harassment grew ever fiercer. Victory remained far away, and the flames of war that had raged across the Another World Continent for tens of thousands of years seemed destined to burn for another ten thousand.
"Under such circumstances, the overwhelming majority of resources had to be fed into the rumbling war machine. Wartime rationing was reinstated, ordinary people's material conditions worsened by the day, and they constantly faced threats from mages, elven assassins, and dwarven suicide bombers. The psychological pressure was immense.
"At that point, you became a 'tyrant, demon, butcher.'
"In order to win the war as quickly as possible, you, as the leader, were not only ruthless toward the Holy Light Faction—you also placed harsher demands upon tens of