Chapter 616: Despair
Perhaps, what the Land of White, which had eradicated poverty, lacked the most, was despair.
Every minute, every second, the people living in this nation experienced their emotions fading under the influence of Daoization, but among them, the emotion that vanished most rapidly was, undoubtedly, despair.
After essentials like clothing, food, housing, transportation, education, and medical care were entirely covered by the rationing system, it became difficult, at least in terms of material needs, to evoke many overly negative emotions in the people here.
Although human desires are insatiable and boundless, with all fundamental needs met, the vast majority of discontent would undoubtedly vanish.
However, negative emotions were also a part of human nature.
Hatred, anger, regret, and even despair—after these emotions representing humanity's darker side diminished, Bai Mo discovered that the rate of Daoization's erosion accelerated...
Put simply, they were overfed, collectively slipping into a state of complacent idleness.
And so, the Despair Crystals from Edward Teach became an external supplement for negative emotions at this time.
The Despair Crystals, composed entirely of negative emotions, served as a unique external stimulus for the Land of White, which otherwise presented an overall picture of calm and serenity.
Compared to a mind network of billions of people, this small amount of despair power was like a few drops of ink falling into the ocean, instantly diluted without a trace, not even causing a ripple, let alone any pollution; the two were simply not on the same scale.
“You look quite delicious too...” Bai Mo’s avatar, seemingly still retaining some twisted negative emotions, turned its gaze to the layer of black mist on Edward Teach’s body, which was of the same origin as the Despair Crystals.
“...”
“He really does need this stuff.”
Edward Teach did not respond to Bai Mo. He discovered, as expected, that Bai Mo, after consuming a pile of Despair Crystals, had become... a little more human than before.
Edward Teach, who was but a hair’s breadth from the seventh stage, had vaguely drawn some conclusions regarding Daoization, and the Despair Crystals he delivered to Bai Mo this time were precisely a test.
...
The cost of Despair Crystals was not high. In the Federation, where everything had a price, one hundred thousand Federation yuan was enough to buy a fresh human life. The total raw material cost for the bag of crystals Edward Teach brought was only four or five million.
The true difficulty lay in the manufacturing process: how to maximize the creation of pain and despair to torment the humans used as raw materials.
Furthermore, it was crucial to ensure that these tormented individuals did not suffer mental breakdowns too quickly, which would result in unnecessary waste. The precise balance in this process was incredibly difficult to grasp.
If one were to constantly engage in such torment, over time, even those creating the despair could easily become lunatics themselves.
If they spent all day together, "one who gets close to vermilion gets stained red; one who gets close to ink gets stained black."
After all, the difference between an ordinary criminal and a lunatic was that while a criminal might commit an act, they still knew they were doing wrong; a lunatic, however, would not feel they had done anything wrong, and would instead question why others sought to stop them.
Yet, the actual deeds committed differed little.
...
“I can provide twelve standard units of Despair Crystals annually, I... Bang!”
“I... Bang!”
“I... Bang!”
“...”
Several times, Edward Teach attempted to finish what he was saying, only to be interrupted by inexplicable tremors.
Unusually, he, who was typically short-tempered, showed little annoyance. Instead, a smile bloomed on his face, as if his plan had finally succeeded.
He certainly wasn't one to hide his emotions. In this man's view, the power gained through cultivation was meant to allow one to indulge freely.
Hiding one's true emotions from outsiders was merely a disguise that the weak were compelled to adopt for self-preservation.
If one couldn't even laugh heartily, then such power wasn't worth having.
...
“I seem to be part of your plan as well?”
After wiping away the last trace of black mist lingering at the corner of his mouth, Bai Mo, his demeanor restored to normal, looked at Edward Teach once more. This time, however, the slightly twisted desire to devour was absent.
How could there be so many coincidences in this world? Someone specifically flew from the Moon to Mars to find him, and just after their transaction was complete, something immediately happened on the Moon.
“...” Edward Teach did not retort.
“My regard for the Moon’s human population isn’t as high as you might imagine.”
“Heh heh heh,” Edward Teach chuckled. “Seeking you out was merely an extra layer of insurance. Even if you choose to stand idly by, there are still plenty of people in the Federation who cannot abandon their human identity.”
Edward Teach was clearly also the type who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
However, among the upper echelons of the Federation, "goody-two-shoes" like Pope Gang Duo were a minority. Among the council members, who stood above countless others, whose hands were not stained with blood?
It was simply that everyone had a different bottom line.
...
Returning to the Moon, one hour earlier.
“How did this trash survive against the Netherworld Puppet?”
The cyan, smoky Netherworld Puppet sliced through the purple, humanoid body again and again with a speed that the naked eye simply couldn’t react to.
Every time Liu Wu was about to open his mouth to retort, a blade would immediately sever his head.
But this seemed pointless, as he would simply take his head and casually reattach it to its original place.
The Netherworld Puppet possessed speed far beyond Liu Wu’s reaction time, yet it could do nothing against his undying body.
“Ying Huo, is there any way for me to counterattack?” After swallowing the Heart of Ying Huo, he gained the ability to communicate directly with the Spirit of Nature of Mars.
“You are too weak,” Ying Huo stated mercilessly. “Your reaction speed is completely unsuited for this body.”
Liu Wu’s body possessed genuine Six-Tiers of power, capable of moving at supersonic speeds, yet as its controller, he was utterly incapable of processing the massive data input of a supersonic world.
If he truly moved at supersonic speed, he couldn’t even see the path clearly; everything around him would be a blur of twisted afterimages, barely allowing him to distinguish north, south, east, and west.
Forget about landing a punch on an enemy; it would be incredibly fortunate if he merely avoided crashing into obstacles.
The Netherworld Puppet, however, was almost entirely an automatic robot. Even if Long Chengwu’s own reaction speed couldn’t keep up, it barely affected its combat performance.
“Am I truly destined to be his plaything?” It was the exasperation of an ordinary gamer who, by extreme luck, found a divine artifact, only to discover they were still being crushed by a "pay-to-win" warrior.
“If you’re willing to relinquish the master control device, I can teach you how to kill Long Chengwu.” From afar, the black-clad knight also perceived Liu Wu’s confusion and voluntarily sent a telepathic message to him.
In any case, the knight couldn’t stand Long Tianxiang either. With Liu Wu to take the blame, secretly offing the other party's precious son presented no pressure at all. The council members' open and covert struggles weren't a new development; it was just that no one was willing to bring their conflicts into the open.
“If I really let go, I’d be the first to be killed.” Liu Wu saw this point very clearly.
“First, tell me how I can kill Long Chengwu.”
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