Pretending To Be A Boss

Tang Xian's smile did indeed have a hint of hooliganism, and he didn't look at Tang Xiaojiu because Tang Xiaojiu wouldn't understand, but instead, he looked at Bai Mansheng and asked,

"What if the princess hasn't woken up? Might the next move of this strange man be... to escalate the situation from a civil case to a criminal one?"

Bai Mansheng gave Tang Xian an annoyed look and said,

"I haven't seen you for a while, how have you become so vulgar?"

"Isn't that just because I'm afraid that after being the High Priest of the Sea God Cult for a while, you're so full of divine aura that you need a touch of the worldly filth?"

"Worldly filth is this low? Even fairy tales are told by you in such a disgusting way."

"There's even more disgusting stuff, like the second story Xiaojiu wanted to tell me, Snow White."

Bai Mansheng didn't understand, wasn't that story supposed to be a very beautiful love story?

Tang Xian said,

"The latter part of Snow White's story, the princess is killed by a poisoned apple. Then comes another prince who is attracted by her beauty, and during the transport back, the poisoned apple is dislodged, and the princess comes back to life."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"But think about it, what kind of taste does this prince have, why would he transport a body back home?" (Note 1)

Bai Mansheng was stunned. After a while, she came to her senses and thought she could never look at fairy tales the same way again. She looked at Tang Xian and shook her head,

"It's a good thing you're not the one telling her the stories."

"The stories I tell are suitable for all ages. Actually, the audience prefers more and more stories like these."

"Why? Are humans that dark?"

"We don't call it darkness, we call it depth. Behind every beautiful story, there's a chilling interpretation that makes the story interesting, just like reality."

Bai Mansheng knew Tang Xian was alluding to something.

"Humans in the Pyramid live there thinking everything is wonderful, but behind them is a mechanical monster coveting their thoughts.

However, I have never thought I am much smarter than that god. My purpose in establishing the Sea God Cult was to confront the Myriad Beasts Tribunal, not to shelter them from being engulfed by the sea. If they can't help me, I would abandon them without hesitation. I want to know, what's their current status?"

Does this mean that every dragon-slaying hero has the potential to become an evil dragon?

Bai Mansheng pondered carefully, Tang Xian indeed showed a tendency to become the foremost evil dragon: The rapid growth of the Sea God Cult had far exceeded expectations, and now it might be the Myriad Beasts Realm's second-strongest force.

And in the Human World, where Bai Mansheng had only wandered around, she was still very unfamiliar with it, but she knew that Tang Xian already had his own city.

This man had amassed an incredibly large power in both worlds, which, for her, should be a good thing.

Thinking this, Bai Mansheng told herself that Tang Xian's storytelling was a pretense, warning her not to get emotionally attached to the myriad beasts of the Sea God Cult was what truly mattered.

Guessing that Bai Mansheng had understood his intentions, Tang Xian said,

"Just like the Sea God is actually not a good thing. Now that I think about it, it indeed protects these myriad beasts, but the one who trapped the beasts on the island and forced them into fratricidal conflict is also the Sea God.

We're just doing something more meaningful under its name. But be very clear about your identity, you are the queen of the Nvwa Snake clan. You protect your people, the myriad beasts of the Sea God Cult are just an umbrella."

"Sometimes I think you... can be very cold-blooded."

Tang Xian certainly wouldn't admit to that,

"Where I differ from Song Que is that he wants everyone to be well, and I can only be good to those I like. Being good to everyone is just along the way."

Wiping the grease from the corner of his mouth, Tang Xian said,

"If we can protect you and protect this world at the same time, then everybody's happy."

"What if it's not along the way? What if protecting us is at odds with protecting this world?"

"Then we'll just keep a low profile and get by with living. I'm not crazy enough to make an enemy of the world."

Bai Mansheng nodded, accepting his answer. Tang Xian might indeed be a person who is extremely calm to the core.

"Alright, I get your point, and I agree with you. There's something about the Sea God Cult that I need to tell you.

Other animal clans have joined the Sea God Cult one after another, the speed of its expansion is unimaginable. Now, it could already be considered the largest force beyond the dark seas, perhaps still a bit behind the Myriad Beasts Tribunal, but enough to make them wary.

What surprises me is that these animal groups are not difficult to manage. They respect me a lot, including the orange-tiered myriad beasts, who are clearly very respectful toward me.

In short, everything about the Sea God Cult is going so smoothly that it's unbelievable."

"That's indeed good news," Tang Xian replied.

He smiled and added,

"The Sea God made a very nice bridal gown. Such a combination of forces, managing to avoid internal strife and rebellion, is mostly due to the myriad beasts' awe of the Sea God. It shows how creatures of the apocalypse level are truly like gods in this world.

But now is not yet the time; the Myriad Beasts Tribunal's size might be just so, but whether there are unimaginably strong enemies hidden within is also unknown."

Recalling the feather Bai Shuang left him before their farewell, Tang Xian always had the feeling that the tribunal's support—the judge—might be a very frightening being.

"What's the plan for coming to the mining area this time? Is it related to the fox clan?"