Talk It Over
Zeus withdrew the golden light.
Higashino Makoto retracted his Pride Demon form, and his wings and halo faded from his body.
The ground was still smoking, but the shattered stone slabs at his feet had stopped trembling.
"You won, so this means you've gained the right to speak."
Zeus's voice echoed across the empty square, carrying a metallic tremor.
"But you just said you wanted to talk, you need to come up with something convincing. Otherwise, even if you win a fight, you've only bought time."
That's just bragging!
You are probably no match for me, yet you've won the right to speak.
If it weren't for Chaos, I might have taken action directly.
Higashino Makoto did not answer immediately.
He looked around; the interstellar city suspended in the air gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen in the sunlight.
The buildings in the distance have simple, smooth lines and are arranged in an orderly manner, like gears whose angles have been precisely calculated.
There were few pedestrians on the streets, but the automated equipment was still working normally.
Occasionally, a pale blue light would sweep across the surface of a building, like some kind of detection system in continuous operation.
"I'd like to take a look around the city first, and see what you've built. Is that alright?"
Zeus looked at him for a moment, then nodded.
He raised his hand in a gesture, and a pale golden staircase appeared in the space beside him, extending upwards to a passageway leading to the upper reaches of the city.
Higashino Makoto stepped up the stairs, with Midori following behind him.
As she walked up those steps, her gaze swept quickly across the walls on both sides, as if she were taking notes.
At the end of the steps is a wide skywalk.
There are no railings on either side of the corridor, and looking out, the entire Olympus City unfolds beneath your feet. The buildings are arranged in a symmetrical structure, radiating outwards from the central square.
In the distance, massive energy pipes can be seen hanging down from the bottom of the city, extending all the way down to the sea below.
In this world, humans do not die, food is produced automatically by machines, and diseases are cured by nanomachines.
Residents did not need to work for survival, so concepts such as "fighting, labor, and punishment" became historical records.
To be honest, it's so much better than my life in my previous life; for most people, it's practically perfect.
If Zeus were to invade his world, he would definitely welcome him and lead the way in surrendering, right?
How many people can this city accommodate?
Higashino Makoto was somewhat curious.
But in this world, population isn't really a problem, is it?
"Supporting such a world to exist would require a lot of energy. Where would that energy come from?"
"The Fantasy Tree, and the underground thermal energy conversion system. The Fantasy Tree's flowering season has ended, but the remaining energy can still sustain the city's operation for a considerable period."
Higashino Makoto stopped and stood at the edge of the corridor, looking down.
The energy channels gleamed with a dark blue luster in the sunlight.
"You have indeed created something remarkable."
He praised it from the bottom of his heart, after all, it was almost a utopia that he could only imagine in his previous life.
"However, if we move to a different location, a place where we can't rely on the Fantasy Tree, will these things still be able to function?"
Zeus's gaze shifted slightly.
What are you implying?
"I have a space. Smaller than Earth, but perfectly large enough to house this city and all its inhabitants. The laws there can be adjusted, and they cannot be altered by Human Order, nor will they attract Chaos."
Zeus remained silent.
He stood there, his face expressionless, but his fingers tightened slightly at his sides.
"Does the place you described really exist?"
"Those five Lostbelt truly exist in nature have all been placed within them by me."
Zeus was silent for a moment, then turned around and looked at the distant horizon.
His voice was a little lower than before.
"I have been protecting humanity for a long time, and I have always believed that they can only survive better under the guidance of God. What do you think of the world I rule?"
Higashino Makoto gave his answer without hesitation.
"Excellent! If I were an ordinary human, I would absolutely uphold your rule. In my opinion, this is the best life most humans can aspire to; even paradise is nothing more than this."
Zeus turned around in surprise, not expecting Higashino Makoto to have such a high opinion of his rule.
"Then why..."
You may have misunderstood something.
Higashino Makoto stared at him, a certain pleasure in his eyes.
"I will not choose to overthrow your rule; I simply do not want this Lostbelt to be destroyed. If it weren't for the fact that Human Order does not allow it to exist, I would not have any ill intentions towards it. After all, such a paradise-like world is also a good subject of observation for me."
He reached out his hand to Zeus and continued speaking.
"Whether it's Ivan the Terrible or Skadi, they continue to rule their worlds. I extend an invitation to you, to bring your beloved humans with you to my world. What do you say?"
Zeus did not answer.
He stood there, his long white hair fluttering in the wind, as if deep in thought, or perhaps weighing his options.
After a long pause, he simply said, "I need to discuss this with my allies," and left.
Standing behind Higashino Makoto, Cui's Hisui eyes swept over the operating energy pipes, and she murmured something.
"The layout of the buildings here is similar to the sacred grounds of Scandinavia, but on a much larger scale."
"The Scandinavia gods used a similar technique to create Valkyries, but unfortunately, that technique has disappeared, leaving only Skadi. The Greece gods, on the other hand, were themselves mechanical warships, and they used interstellar technology to build this city."
Higashino Makoto looked at this world with some amazement; he really wanted it.
The Wisdom accumulated by interstellar civilizations could save him so much time and energy, and bring him so many surprises.
He was quite looking forward to it.
"Never mind that for now, Zeus goes to see his allies. Let's go see our little allies too."
After saying this, he flew towards the earth, with Cui following behind him, and the two figures gradually disappeared.
Higashino Makoto landed on the ground, his feet stepping on a gray-white sandy beach.
The sea in the distance was calm and still, and the sky was covered by thick clouds.
He walked along the coastline for a while and saw several figures on a rocky beach.
Fujimaru Ritsuka sat on a flat rock, her hands supporting her knees, her head bowed.
Mash Kyrielight stood beside her, shield against her legs, hand resting on the edge of the shield, her gaze fixed on the sea. Da Vinci and Sherlock Holmes stood not far away, whispering to each other.