World Will

Looking at the Direwolf Tribe bowing in submission, Mo Li sighed inwardly.

"As expected, it doesn't matter who does this."

To be honest, since arriving in this world, Mo Li had been trying to verify one thing: whether the World Will of this world was keeping a close eye on Rimuru. After checking through this incident, Mo Li finally understood. The World Will, which is the Heavenly Dao of this world, had been watching Rimuru all along. Just a moment ago, when Mo Li wanted to kill all the Direwolves, he actually felt a trace of a chill. Even though no one in this area besides Rimuru could be a match for Mo Li, he still had that feeling. According to Mo Li's guess, this was a warning from the World Will. The Direwolf Tribe and Ran-ga were subjects arranged by this world for Rimuru; Mo Li could not kill them, at least not Ran-ga, as Ran-ga was a significant supporting character. Therefore, Mo Li could not do anything harmful to Rimuru because Mo Li was not a character meant to exist in this worldview—he was an anomaly. Mo Li could do anything, kill any living creature, and do as he pleased, but he could not do anything harmful to Rimuru. This was not only because Rimuru was the protagonist of this world and the Child of Fortune who carried most of the world's luck, but also because she was the reincarnation of the Star King Dragon, the creator of this world. The level of protection this world had for Rimuru was even stronger than that for a typical Child of Fortune, and Rimuru's subjects would, to varying degrees, be sheltered by Rimuru's luck—not to mention Ran-ga, the Star Wolf King, who would become one of the Twelve Divine Demons in the later stages. Mo Li could kill the pack of Direwolves, but he could not kill Ran-ga; such is the importance of luck.

However, the World Will had indeed misunderstood Mo Li. Mo Li never had any intention of harming Rimuru from the start. The Cute King's status in the two-dimensional world was second to none, and her personality was surprisingly good. Furthermore, Rimuru's previous life was a girl, and Mo Li was very protective of such a cute and coquettish Rimuru, much like how Old Master Zhong protected Hu Tao and the Immortal Lord he saw every day.

Moreover, Mo Li came to this world to prevent tragedies and enjoy his retirement; why would he want to make an enemy of Rimuru and look for trouble? That would be pure stupidity. It was just that the feeling of being threatened by the World Will was really not pleasant.

Mo Li felt a bit uncomfortable inside.

"I've got it. As long as I befriend Rimuru and cultivate her to be on my side, then I can use Rimuru to command the World Will. I can do whatever I want. I don't believe you, the World Will, would dare to sabotage your own Child of Fortune or your own 'father'?"

Having figured this out, Mo Li let out a long sigh, and even his breathing became a bit more relaxed. Don't be fooled by how Mo Li always acted like everything was under control; in reality, he had been keeping his guard up, fearing that the World Will would erase him as an anomaly. If Mo Li had some system cheat or bug, it would be one thing, but having only the skills of Old Master Zhong still didn't make Mo Li feel secure, because he knew these skills were granted to him by the World Will. Mo Li guessed that the World Will hadn't eliminated him because of Rimuru. After all, Rimuru was very dependent on him now. So, as long as he helped Rimuru well in the future, it would be fine. Once Rimuru grew up, Mo Li could begin his otherworldly life of leisure. Mo Li had long envied the retirement life of Old Master Zhong. To drink the best tea, to listen to the best music, and to walk the most expensive birds—this was something Mo Li had yearned for a long time.

However, what Mo Li didn't know was that while he wanted to raise Rimuru like a daughter, Rimuru didn't think so at all. In the later stages, Mo Li would suffer quite a bit because of this.

"Ari, Ari!"

Just then, Mo Li heard a shout. Looking down, he saw Rimuru looking at him with a worried expression.

"Is something the matter, Rimuru?"

Mo Li asked in a gentle tone.

"It's nothing, I just saw you weren't saying anything and got a little worried."

Rimuru said with some concern.

"I'm fine, I was just thinking about some things."

Mo Li looked at Rimuru's worried expression and felt gratified inside; the child was finally starting to grow up.

"Then, Ari, how should we deal with these Direwolves?"

Rimuru asked Mo Li.

Mo Li only then realized that he had been so focused on the World Will that he had forgotten about this matter.

Mo Li thought for a moment.

"Since they intend to submit, we should naturally take them in as our subjects."

Mo Li replied.

"Rimuru, have you thought about what you want to do now that you've come to this world?"

At this moment, Mo Li asked Rimuru. Because of him, Rimuru was still living a carefree life. In her view, she would just follow whatever he did. Mo Li wanted to change this mindset and have her develop her own ideas. After all, she would eventually become the ruler of Tempest (Demon Country Federation), the leader of all monsters in the Jura Great Forest, and one of the Eight-Star Demon Lords of this world. Keeping this kind of mindset wouldn't do.

"What to do in the future?"

Rimuru seemed stumped by the question and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"Yes, what do you want to do in the future?"

Mo Li said to Rimuru gently.

To be honest, Rimuru really didn't know what to do. Since coming to this world, she had done nothing but sleep and eat in the cave where Veldora was sealed. Even after meeting Mo Li, he had never made her think about anything. The only thing she had thought about was the matter of making the Goblins submit just now. As for the future, she really hadn't given it any thought.

Looking at Rimuru's confused expression, Mo Li knew that this fellow had never thought about it. If Mo Li didn't ask, Rimuru would probably just follow whatever Mo Li did in the future.

That won't do; I'm counting on you to support my retirement later! If you slack off, then I'll have to do the work, and that won't do at all.

"Rimuru, look at these Goblins and Direwolves. Have you thought about what will happen to them in the future?"

Mo Li pointed at the Goblins and Direwolves kneeling on the ground and said.

"I don't know."

Rimuru replied, looking somewhat lost.

"Rimuru, they have already submitted to you. They are your subjects, your people. What should you do for your subjects?"

Mo Li explained to Rimuru earnestly.

"Protect them."

Rimuru blurted out.

"That's right. You must protect your subjects and be responsible for them. Only then can they entrust their lives to you with peace of mind. Do you understand?"

Mo Li said with a serious tone.

"I understand!"

Rimuru answered loudly.