Self-destructive thoughts

When a god took a partner, divine miracles and auspicious light should, by rights, have descended upon the world.

The cascading starlight that should have erupted when Hera, the goddess of marriage, formed her union was silently enveloped by a gentle yet domineering red divine power, dispersing deep within the sea of clouds.

Hera withdrew the faint glow at her fingertips and turned toward the girl standing at the hall doors.

Her head was lowered, her pale blue robe making her shoulders look even slighter. Even the ends of her hanging hair seemed to betray a little unease.

"Don't be afraid."

Hera stepped forward, her fingertips brushing lightly over the golden contract mark on Li Jia's chest, a mark born of their union.

"If you don't want the world to know, we won't tell anyone yet."

Li Jia lifted her eyes, flecks of unease filling them. "No, I just feel things aren't stable enough yet. The divide between our statuses... I need some time to adjust."

Her voice grew softer and softer, the last few words almost dissolving into the wind.

A match between people of equal standing seemed to be an obstacle in any era.

She could disregard what other people thought of her, but Li Jia could not accept Hera becoming the center of public gossip.

"That you could accept me leaves me overwhelmed by your favor."

Hera kissed her cheek. How much courage must Li Jia have needed to be willing to come to her side?

Li Jia thought she had gone mad, too.

Translated into modern society, it would be the equivalent of Li Jia being plastered across all the trending searches, with people saying she had seduced an eligible billionaire and used a one-night stand to climb the social ladder.

Faced with that kind of cyberbullying, Li Jia did not yet have the stress tolerance to ride atop her haters' heads and shit and piss on them.

She needed a little more time to mature o_o

The mission was one aspect, but her own feelings outweighed it, and she had agreed after putting up a little resistance.

Being a god's wife was such a hassle.

Hearing her words, Hera suddenly laughed. "What sort of divide is that? I like you, and you like me. That's enough."

Hera took Li Jia's hand. The warmth flowing from her fingertips gradually relaxed Li Jia's tense shoulders. "You and I are already married. My divine power is shared with you alone. Throughout Divine Mountain's domain, across the four continents and peaceful seas, no one will dare look down on you again."

Li Jia gazed at her own clear reflection in Hera's eyes, her eyes growing slightly hot.

She suddenly understood that so-called divine miracles had never been blessings bestowed by heaven.

They were the person before her willingly breaking the rules for her and offering glory to her with her own hands.

Back in the Deep Hall, the two lay down together on the bed. She closed her eyes, and soon soft, even breathing sounded beside her ear.

"Master, the auxiliary function has been completed. The probability catalysis conversion rate was one hundred percent."

"Congratulations, Master, on reaching the affection level in a single step. The Affection Hourglass has now reached four-fifths progress, with only 10 percent remaining until one hundred percent."

"Please keep working hard."

The electronic voice sounded in her mind, a unique voice that only she and the system could hear.

The moment the system appeared, Li Jia's anger surged. She had known it-why would a little mermaid girl have appeared out of nowhere in the Wave Capital? She had merely been a tool to lure her in.

When Li Jia ignored it, the system seemed to realize she was angry and quickly searched its database:

"365 ways to soothe an angry girl"

"How to minimize the risk of making a girl angry"

And "Can a system restart after its master scolds it into shutting down?"

Along with other such clever (idiotic) questions.

"Master, I meant well but made a mess of things. But in a sense, it wasn't a bad thing either. At least you and the romance target now have a registered marriage, so you no longer need to fear someone beating you to it."

The system still did not understand exactly what it had done wrong. The process had been a little tortuous, but the result was good.

Meant well but made a mess of things?

Li Jia clenched her back teeth, her voice cold enough to shed shards of ice.

Tell me, you used a little mermaid girl to win my sympathy, had me help her destroy the Wave Capital's Light Vortex, plunged the entire Wave Capital into panic, and turned me into a perpetrator. You call that meaning well?

The electronic voice in her mind paused. Only after several seconds did it reply with complete conviction.

"I know it was wrong of me to do that, but rest assured, Master. Every mission's creation and emergence undergo precise numerical calculations. They will not let you come to harm."

"My original intention was to stage a heroic rescue between you and the romance target, but there was an unexpected surprise. The affection between you and the romance target rose by a total of 30 percent on the spot."

"This was the most efficient increase to date, and no one will ever be able to break the bond between you again."

Keeping its senior's advice to bring things about without the host noticing firmly in mind, the system began playing dumb.

Li Jia took a deep breath, feeling her temples throb.

How had she failed to notice how bizarre its logic was when she first bound herself to this system?

But to kill so many children in the Wave Capital for that 30 percent affection increase-don't you think that's going too far?

No one knew better than Li Jia how important the Light Vortex was to the Wave Capital.

Qili's admiration for the merfolk ancestor, the merfolk chief's urgency, the shark guards' anger, and those masses of mangled flesh made Li Jia's brows knit tightly.

Hearing the breakdown in her tone, the system lost its confidence and could only retrieve data to defend itself.

"According to the numerical assessment, the probability of repairing the Light Vortex was ninety-eight percent. Moreover, as one of the Twelve Gods, Hera has a duty to shelter all people and the ability to save the Wave Capital."

What about that two percent risk?

Li Jia interrupted it. What if things went wrong in that two percent, and Hera happened to be unwilling to repair the Light Vortex?

Would the Wave Capital's children still live to see your ninety-eight percent probability of repair?

Calculating everything with numbers is utterly incomprehensible.

Stumped by her questions, the system was unable to speak. After a long while, it muttered softly.

"Master, you've changed. You never used to consider anything beyond yourself."

Not considering it before doesn't mean I don't consider it now.

Li Jia answered the system in her mind. The anger had left her voice, replaced by a measure of calm.

You said before that the missions were meant to help Hera and me reach one hundred percent affection, so I could complete the final mission and stop the War of the Gods.

But if that affection is built on other people's suffering, what use do I have for it?

The system felt its brainwaves ache terribly. Most of its thinking came from numerical calculations in its database, but lately, it had discovered that he was gradually losing some control over his own brainwaves.

It could only steel itself and speak according to its calculated values, its electronic voice stuttering:

"Mission logic takes priority over individual emotions. This auxiliary function has been completed. Please continue working hard, Host. Only by completing the missions can you have a chance at survival..."

Hey.

Li Jia interrupted the system.

If next time you insist on gambling other people's lives for this affection that can't be seen or touched, I'll fucking hang myself right in front of you.

A brief silence followed, as though it were digesting her words, "hang myself right in front of you."

Only after a long while did a faintly panicked crackle of electricity sound.

"Master, the electronic database model does not include the risk option 'host self-destruction.' Unable to calculate."

I don't need you to calculate.

Li Jia spoke softly, her fingertips unconsciously brushing the golden contract mark on her chest, where the warmth of Hera's palm still lingered.

I'll only say this once. If you use other people's lives as mission tools again, whether they're the children of the Wave Capital or anyone else,

I'll terminate the mission immediately, even if the price is my own disappearance.

I won't hesitate.

Li Jia was not threatening it. She truly meant it.

When she first bound herself to the system, she had indeed thought only of completing the missions and gaining a chance at survival. But she had met so many people here that she could no longer look out only for herself with a clear conscience.

The War of the Gods had to be stopped, but the price of stopping it could not be innocent blood.