Chương 33: Chapter Thirty-three: Beneath the Self, All Beings Are Equal
"Do you refer to those purple-skinned creatures as tentacles?"
Wang Hui closed the aluminum lid and sat upon it as though it were a bench.
He spoke leisurely, "If you desire freedom, you must clarify your origins, as well as your reasons for assaulting the surface and seizing the heavenly crystal stones."
"It is those surface-dwellers who have stolen my possessions!"
At this remark, Gurumi fluffed up like an agitated cat, indignantly explaining her situation.
The more Wang Hui listened, the more his expression darkened.
It seemed that the conflict between the surface and the underground had been instigated by him?
According to Gurumi's recollections, she had been born five hundred years ago in the depths of the underground.
Originally a mere mass of clay, she possessed an innate ability to absorb source energy, gradually developing intelligence and transforming into a gelatinous slime form.
Preferring darkness and shunning sunlight, Gurumi had long dwelled in the depths.
To sustain her unique existence, she had infused a burrow of moles with source energy, causing them to mutate and divide, generating new individuals under her control.
The tentacles, later referred to as the "purple-skinned creatures!"
The source crystal that fell from the sky would typically settle slowly into the ground, where it would be gathered by the purple-skinned creatures and returned to Gurumi.
However, she had been quietly devouring the heavenly crystal stones that belonged to those aberrations…
With the subsequent involvement of the three tribes in the struggle for resources, Gurumi found her share dwindling, prompting the purple-skinned creatures to expand their lairs in search of more heavenly crystal stones.
Eventually, this escalated into a fierce confrontation between both sides!
From this perspective, Wang Hui, who had prompted the three tribes to gather heavenly crystal stones, was evidently a key factor in igniting the conflict…
He felt a profound sense of guilt and earnestly inquired,
"Do you understand why the three tribes refer to that particular crystal as heavenly crystal stones?"
Gurumi shook her head in confusion, "I don't know. My tentacles heard them call it that, so I followed suit…"
"Heavenly crystal stones, as the name suggests, are crystals that descend from the heavens."
Wang Hui asserted with a serious demeanor, "And I am a deity from the sky!
The three tribes gather heavenly crystal stones to present them to me, reclaiming what rightfully belongs to me.
It is you who is the thief in this scenario!"
"I, I…"
Gurumi grew flustered upon hearing this.
Yet, seeing Wang Hui's earnest expression, she struggled to articulate her counterargument.
After a moment of silence, Gurumi dejectedly lowered her head, "But I… wish to live!
All these years, I have remained underground, never bothering those surface-dwellers.
Only in the past two years, when heavenly crystal stones became scarce, did I send my tentacles to steal, even if you claim they are yours…
I truly do not wish to revert back to being a lump of clay…"
As she spoke, her voice dwindled to a whisper, and she pouted in silence.
This pitiful display tugged at Wang Hui's heartstrings, and he felt a pang of reluctance to continue deceiving her…
Just kidding!
He ignored Gurumi's pitiful demeanor and shifted the conversation, asking, "Do you know why you were defeated?"
"I was initially winning!"
Gurumi suddenly raised her face, defiantly stating, "Then those fellows somehow acquired armor that my tentacles couldn't pierce.
Their three formidable weapons even managed to injure my core…
And there was a strange old man, possessing strength greater than mine; how was I to combat that!"
"The armor and weapons were bestowed upon the three tribes by me."
Wang Hui shrugged, "And that old man with the greater strength is my servant."
"You…"
Gurumi's little face scrunched up, but she ultimately hung her head in resignation.
"If you are so powerful, why didn't you capture me the first time you visited the cave?
You intentionally let me escape and had your subordinates defeat me; how could you behave this way…"
"Ahem!"
Wang Hui's expression grew somewhat rigid.
He certainly wouldn't admit that when he first encountered Gurumi, he was genuinely inept and unable to capture her effortlessly.
"…This is your punishment!
Beneath the sky, all beings are my subjects, and you are no exception.
However, you have seized a significant amount of heavenly crystal stones without my consent, and thus must be subjected to strict punishment!
Nevertheless, I can offer you an opportunity for redemption."
Seeing Gurumi gaze at him with surprise, Wang Hui gently enticed,
"As long as you pledge your loyalty to me from this day forward, ensuring that you do not harm my other subjects and adhere to the rules, your death sentence will be commuted!"
At his words, Gurumi's purple eyes suddenly sparkled with hope, "If I pledge loyalty to you, will I be able to eat enough?"
"Indeed…"
Wang Hui barely finished his response when Gurumi promptly knelt with a resounding thud, exclaiming, "I am the most devoted subject of the deity! Please take me to eat!"
Moments later,
Wang Hui, Na Lan Xia, and the blue-haired girl Gurumi, clad in a gray-blue robe, strolled leisurely along the streets of the Na Lan territory.
The latter clutched a fist-sized heavenly crystal stone, munching on it with delight, the sound of crunching echoing as she savored it.
Her petite frame, even in Na Lan Xia's attire from her youthful days, appeared slightly oversized, lending her an unexpectedly trendy air…
"Many warriors of the three tribes have experienced various enhancements due to prolonged exposure to the blood of the purple-skinned creatures.
You must assist Xia in investigating thoroughly to ensure there are no adverse effects before further promotion.
You are to follow Xia's orders throughout the process; do you understand?"
Wang Hui was briefing this new little brother… or rather, new little sister.
Gurumi nodded vigorously, repeatedly affirming, "I understand, I understand," yet her purple eyes wandered restlessly.
When they passed by a tavern, she scrunched her nose and halted.
"What is that black sludge those people are drinking? Deity, I want to drink it too!"
...
In the outside world, Wang Hui heaved a sigh of relief upon returning to consciousness.
During this descent, the glass dome had been left ajar, synchronizing the flow of time between both realms.
After soaring the skies with Na Lan Xia and conducting a little brainwashing education session with Gurumi, along with some subsequent arrangements, an entire day had inexplicably passed.
"It seems that the little creature's diet need not be restricted to heavenly crystal stones, significantly reducing the cost of sustenance…"
As dusk fell, Wang Hui simmered a pot of sweet and sour ribs, accompanied by three steamed buns, and sat beside the miniature world, indulging heartily.
Though his projection had enjoyed quite a bit of grilled fish alongside Na Lan Xia, it was merely "heartfelt, not savory."
His physical form had skipped lunch, so he decided to compensate by feasting more for dinner.
Inside the adjacent glass dome, the little people were now on "fast forward," restoring the flow of time.
When Wang Hui resolved to converse with the king of the underground, he did so with the intent to either utilize him or eliminate him if he proved unhelpful.
After all, the special blood of the purple-skinned creatures they had collected would eventually run out.
To continuously enhance the physical prowess of the three tribes, or even reach the level of biological evolution, perhaps inspiration could be gleaned from the mysterious king of the underground.
As for the subsequent coaxing and persuading to win him over, that was merely a delightful surprise!
Wang Hui could have forcibly transformed Gurumi into a fusion beast utterly devoted to him using the Yin-Yang Fish,
but after careful consideration, he decided to suppress that notion for the time being.
With the precedent of the failed fusion between the purple-skinned creatures and the frog leading to death, Wang Hui had to exercise greater caution…
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