Chapter 537

Skadi breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this and began to explain why she had become like this:

"Our people only seek survival, and survival is suffering. Therefore, we evolve continuously and overcome our shortcomings. Over tens of thousands of years, the Sea God has been exhausted. Our last Sea God, Ishimala, chose to fight back when faced with the provocation of the Sargol Person."

We adapted to the coast, we adapted to the land. We faced deadly threats, we died in great numbers. Until we understood, until our enemies became food. Yet the Sea Creatures Tribe continued to multiply, and survival remained a struggle...

Speak like a human being.

Skadi paused for a moment upon hearing this, and after a brief pause to organize her thoughts, continued:

"Years ago, Ishimala was besieged by a group of Abyssal Hunters. As it lay dying, it channeled its consciousness and abilities into me, the one who delivered the final blow."

For the past few years, I have been suppressing Ishimala's consciousness until it was completely overridden. However, the power it left within me is still very active, and it has now completely assimilated my body, making me the new Sea God.

To put it simply, my current consciousness is still that of Rhodes Island operator Skadi. But my body has been assimilated by Ishimala into the sea Sea God who leads the Sea Creatures."

Although the content was still a bit convoluted, Shi Lei understood the general idea and looked at the woman in front of him, asking:

So you want me to give you a quick death?

Skadi shook her head, a bitter smile on her face.

"Death is not terrible. What is terrible is that the race can no longer continue. I am waiting for you here to continue the Sea Creatures. Please listen patiently to my advice."

I know that even if all the Sea Creatures were gathered together, they wouldn't be qualified to be your enemy. Therefore, I wish to offer myself as a hostage and remain by your side as your slave. At the same time, I will control all the Sea Creatures to evacuate and stay far away from human territory.

The ocean area of this planet is several times the area of its land. We can live in uninhabited areas, or remain deep in the ocean, but we hope you can spare our lives."

What if I say no?

Skadi seemed to have anticipated this answer, and a relieved smile appeared on her face. But a tear of resentment still stubbornly slid down her cheek.

"Then I accept this outcome."

Shi Lei stared at Skadi, who was at his mercy, and hesitated for a moment. After all, according to the information provided by Iberia, there were at least hundreds of thousands of remaining Sea Creatures, and they could survive on both land and sea.

If Skadi wasn't lying, then she is currently the only Sea God Ishmarra. If she were to kill them all, the other Sea Creatures would flee in panic, making the situation even more difficult to resolve.

"What happened to the Specter that disappeared with you?"

"She didn't come down with me; she's recuperating on land with Gorlati. She should be back on Rhodes Island soon."

"Did you instigate the recent attack on Iberia by Sea Creatures?"

"No, I only fully transformed into Ishimala today. Without the sea Sea God's restraint, the Sea Creatures will prioritize reproduction, and their attacks are for obtaining food."

After receiving the reply, Shi Lei did not respond. Instead, he turned and left, heading towards the Sea God Temple. Skadi knew there were other people outside and did not stop him.

Before long, the group arrived at the brightly lit palace's rotunda. Shi Lei explained Skadi's physical and mental state, as well as the proposed solution, to them:

"Should we kill her or spare her? I need to think about it some more. How about you hold a vote?"

Mudrock, as the biggest fan leader, responded without any hesitation:

"I'll do as you say!"

Xi and Broca the same reply.

Alty and his companions returned to the Sea God Temple Sea God Ishmarra there, to prevent their existence from threatening the safety of the entire Terra.

But now there's only one Sea God left, and she's controllable. They talked for a long time but couldn't reach a consensus, so they finally decided to listen to Shi Lei.

Now, only the Doctor and Texas remain uncommented on the matter.

Seeing Shi Lei looking at him, the Doctor waved his hands repeatedly:

"Mister Zhongli, such an important decision should be made by you. Can I abstain?"

Texas has not yet made a statement, but it is now in a difficult situation after the Doctor gave up.

If her decision aligns with Shi Lei's, then everyone will be happy. But if it differs, a future accident could easily create a rift between them. There's only one way to escape this predicament:

"I'll listen to you too."

Upon hearing this, Shi Lei was speechless. After asking around, the decision-making power returned to him.

Should he kill Skadi here, or keep her by his side to control Sea Creatures? His choice will determine the future business of tens of thousands of people on Terra.

Twenty-nine years later.

1131, Liyue, Inner City.

A young man wearing a mask arrived at the Central Avenue Plaza. He looked up at the most prominent spot in the center, where the enormous Zhongli Stone Statue stood.

A tour guide wearing a headset was speaking in a loud voice to the tourists from various countries in the tour group:

"Welcome to the Central Plaza of Liyue, everyone. I'm sure you all know this great man— Zhongli —without me having to introduce him."

He was the first leader of Liyue, a steadfast Peace Creator, a generous Technology Contributor, an outstanding Aerospace Pioneer, and the Terra's Great Guardian God!

Not only did he single-handedly stop the war and prevent further bloodshed, but he also used his extraordinary personal abilities to resolve several crises that could have destroyed Terra!

It can be said that without the great man Zhongli, we would not have our food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and the internet. Without the great man Zhongli, we would not be where we are today!

Unfortunately, fate was unkind, and this great man passed away from illness on June 24, 1126. I will set aside time later to take everyone to visit his former residence.

Although he is no longer with us, he lives on in our hearts. Now, I will lead you in reminiscing about the magnificent life of this Foremost Great Person of Ancient and Modern Times!

Shi Lei, wearing a mask, had originally planned to just glance at his own statue and leave. But when the tour guide mentioned that he would be introducing Zhongli's life story, he immediately became interested. No wonder the Rex Lapis in Genshin Impact enjoyed Storyteller recount his tales; it certainly felt quite nice.

The tourists and locals in the square were already very familiar with Zhongli's deeds. But after hearing the tour guide's words, they were still willing to spend time staying.

After all, Liyue, this paradise on earth, was created by him Old Man. It truly became a prosperous and thriving international metropolis without discrimination or barriers.

Shi Lei has amazing hearing and doesn't need to lean in to listen. He listened to the tour guide as he walked to the Zhongli.

Beneath this 55-meter-tall Stone Statues, the life story of the great man Zhongli is engraved. Lines of cold text evoke a series of passionate memories.

"In 1097, Zhongli eradicated the criminal gangs in the Lungmen Lower City and invited the Schwayer Group to set up a factory there, which greatly improved the lives of the local people."

"In 1098, Zhongli sealed away Sui, the most ferocious Great Beast in the Yan for thousands of years, thus resolving the Yan's greatest threat and bringing it a thousand years of peace."

In 1099, Zhongli single-handedly eliminated the Sarkaz Demon King who had started the war. He then built Guili City and took in more than 30,000 defeated Sarkaz Soldier.

At the end of the year, Zhongli traveled to the deepest part of the Yinfei Icefield, where he defeated a powerful Demons that had plagued the northern kingdoms for thousands of years, rescuing Sami from disaster.

"In 1102, Zhongli went to the Southern Deep Sea and annihilated the Sea Creature Leader in one fell swoop, pulling Iberia back from the brink of destruction. After that, the Sea Creatures were leaderless and fled in secret, never to rise again."

"In 1105, Zhongli was invited by the Twin Empresses of Sargon to open the legacy left behind by the Witch King. He discovered the existence of Demons in another dimension, and after a fierce battle, he completely sealed the passage through which the Demonic Invasion Terra."

"In 1111, Zhongli shared his self-developed high technology for free, which once again boosted the productivity of the Terra Nations and ushered in the Mechanized Production Era."

"In 1115, Zhongli spent several years treating millions of Originium-related illness on the Terra. Through his powerful personal abilities, he sealed off weather-related Catastrophe. Later, in collaboration with Rhodes Island, he developed a drug that could cure Originium-related illness, allowing the infected to return to normal life."

"In 1118, Zhongli discovered that Columbia was secretly building Weapons of Mass Destruction and instigating politicians from different countries. He immediately went to the Columbia Capital and assassinated the Colombian President and several Ministry of Defense military officials, thus giving Columbia true freedom."

"In 1121, Zhongli shared his latest technological advancements free of charge, enabling various nations to acquire the ability to build interstellar spaceships. From then on, Terra entered the Interstellar Migration Era. Subsequently, together with the Lich, they opened Space-Time Tunnel and expanded their territory on the planet Tower Two."

"In 1125, an immense Spacetime Turbulence appeared at the Stargate in northern Sami. Lugasalgu and Haranduhan, who had died thousands of years ago, appeared, transforming the frigid Sami into an incredibly scorching desert. Zhongli rushed to the scene upon hearing the news and, after a fierce battle, quelled the crisis that could have destroyed the world, but was severely injured in the process."

"In 1126, Zhongli fell ill after returning to Liyue from the last battle. He remained secluded for a year, and finally passed away on June 24th at the age of 55."

Shi Lei quickly scanned the inscription, finding no objection to most of the records. He could tolerate the claim that the Alien Technology was his invention, but some parts were truly objectionable:

"The Spacetime Turbulence in 1125 wasn't that serious; there was no Apocalyptic Crisis. This is nonsense."

An Old Man standing in front of the Stone Statues glared angrily when he heard Shi Lei speak ill of his idol's achievements:

"You brat, if you can't speak properly, then shut up. Do you even know how many Apocalyptic Crisis Lord Zhongli has averted? How dare you gossip like this! If anyone else finds out, they'll beat you to death!"

Shi Lei couldn't retaliate when he was being insulted because he had Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell his identity five years ago. Now he was just revisiting the place and it wasn't appropriate for him to reveal his true identity.

"Don't get agitated, I meant..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Old Man raised his hand, pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, and forcefully interrupted him:

"I'm the Vice President of the Zhongli Research Association headquarters. Who understands Zhongli better, you or Zhongli?"

Shi Lei shook his head slightly, unwilling to argue with him.

At the same time, a beautiful Lupos woman came up behind her. Even though she was wearing a mask and a hat, her eyes were still bright and sparkling. The few crow's feet at the corners of her eyes were the marks left by the relentless passage of time.

"Hurry up, everyone's waiting for you."

Texas grabbed Shi Lei's arm and forcibly led him away from the scene to prevent them from being discovered and reported to the current leader of Liyue, their child— Stone Dragon.

Although the Old Man hadn't seen their faces behind their masks, she could tell the man was probably in his twenties and the woman in her thirties or forties. They didn't seem like mother and son, but more like...

The world is going to the dogs these days; young people are really going to the dogs.

Wait a minute?!

The Old Man seemed to realize something, his eyes widening. Lord Zhongli's wife, Chelinina, was the only surviving descendant of the Texas Family, and had unique deep blue hair.

That woman just now...

The Old Man looked in the direction the two had left and saw that the young man had already crossed the street.

He had a tall Sarkaz woman on his left and a young dragon woman in Qipao on his right. Behind him followed the Lupos noblewoman he had just met, and a Silver-haired Woman wearing a hat whose race was indistinguishable.

Huh?

Huh?

Huh?

He wouldn't...

The Old Man didn't know Silver-haired Woman, but the other three matched the race of Lord Zhongli's three wives.

Just then, a bus drove across the road, blocking the Old Man's view.

He anxiously shifted his position to check, but after the bus drove past, he couldn't find any more of the five people.

Rumors circulated that Zhongli was still alive, and Liyue sent out a large number of people to search for him, but to no avail.

When Shi Lei's friends learned of this, none of them had any intention of searching for him. After all, he was the omnipotent Zhongli; if they didn't want to be found, they wouldn't be.

They knew that Shi Lei and the others might never appear. But perhaps they would return tomorrow.

The book is finished.