Life Game In Other World
Chapter 1202: Wild Grass on the Wilderness (Long - for Monthly Passes)

Chapter 1202: Chapter 1202: Wild Grass on the Wilderness (Long Chapter for Monthly Passes)

"Are you Weiken?"

Without waiting for He Ao to answer, Xiya, standing beside him, looked at the elderly figure ahead and asked, slightly flustered.

Her hand clenched tight, fingertips pressing into her skin until they turned pale.

"Yes,"

Weiken withdrew his gaze from He Ao, glanced briefly at Xiya, at her City Defense Army combat suit and resolute face, and smiled. "Young lady, are you a Wilderness Wanderer?"

He then paused, seemingly talking to himself as he analyzed, "Your eyes are filled with wildness. Generally speaking, girls from the slums also carry a similar wildness, but theirs is more easily concealed. They appear harmless, like stray cats.

"On the other hand, girls from the wilderness who grow up fighting the elements are fiercer, more unrestrained, like untamed feral kittens."

Hearing Weiken’s words, Xiya opened her mouth slightly, instinctively wanting to say something. She found it surprising that Weiken recognized her identity, though it wasn’t the primary thing on her mind nor the topic she wished to discuss. Yet as the words reached her lips, she repressed them.

She lifted her head, turned to glance at He Ao standing beside her.

He Ao nodded slightly, signaling that she could continue saying whatever she wanted to say.

Taking a deep breath, Xiya looked back at the elderly figure amidst the dense forest. With a slightly trembling voice suppressed, she asked, "I’ve heard that the management of resources for Wilderness Wanderers, the arrangements that force them into the forests to explore—was all this decided by you?"

"Of course."

Weiken smiled gently, as though discussing one of his proudest accomplishments.

"Don’t you know that this gets many people killed?"

Seeing his expression, Xiya’s composure faltered momentarily. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her tone pitching upwards as emotions surged and erupted in that instant,

"Have you never seen forests covered with corpses? Never seen half-devoured bodies left behind by monsters, or those who freeze or starve to death during winter because they lacked supplies?"

Realizing her loss of composure, she took a deep breath, though her voice still trembled. "What grudge do you have against us?"

"To be precise, I hold no grudge against Wilderness Wanderers,"

Weiken gazed at the flustered short-haired girl, smiling faintly. "Does a gardener hold a grudge against the plants and flowers he prunes?"

Hearing this, the short-haired girl froze momentarily, seemingly unprepared for such a response, a trace of confusion flickering in her gaze.

He Ao lowered his gaze, calmly observing the elderly man before him.

"To me,"

Weiken shrugged, as though stating a simple truth, "Wilderness Wanderers are no different from weeds growing in a yard.

"The existence of Wilderness Wanderers benefits the merchant caravans that traverse the trade routes surrounding Minte City, providing necessary supplies. In this regard, you serve a positive role, which is why I permit you to live here.

"However,"

He raised his hand slightly, speaking with faint regret, "if your lives become too ’comfortable,’ you start to expand, to proliferate. Soon, people will begin challenging the established order, attacking caravans, seizing resources,

"or even banding together to demand more profits from the merchant groups. So, when your numbers grow too large, problems inevitably arise."

He sighed lightly. "Like a lawn in my yard, while it adds a touch of green, unchecked growth becomes a chaotic mess and might prick someone. Thus, it must be trimmed regularly."

"So,"

Xiya looked at Weiken with a hint of confusion. "Those ’dangerous missions’ back then—they were actually..."

"Yes, they were intended to ’prune’ your numbers. Only by maintaining your population at an appropriate level can we ensure both the caravans have a source of supplies and the caravans aren’t attacked—keeping the trade routes operating at maximum efficiency."

Weiken lightly dusted off his fur coat and chuckled. "The mission objectives don’t matter, nor do the rewards gained through the missions.

"What matters is, after a winter passes, how many Wilderness Wanderers survive and how many of you perish."

Seeming to recall something, he laughed. "Of course, the Extraordinary Materials you bring back from the forests are useful enough to cover the costs of my ’pruning’ operations, even turning a tidy profit.

"Honestly, I quite like you,"

He lowered his gaze, watching the short-haired girl with reddened eyes and a body nearly taut with tension, smiling. "You’re so diligent and earnest; one after another, you march to your deaths, exploring those perilous forests, earning me the funds for your next round of forced deaths.

"A lawn capable of self-trimming always has a certain endearing charm."

"You... think this is... charming?"

Xiya seemed to come to a sudden realization, biting her lip slightly. Her fists clenched tight, veins dark and taut swelling beneath her pale skin.

"Of course it’s charming,"

Weiken sighed with a tinge of melancholy. "Sadly, you’ve grown less charming over time. Your father was an incredibly troublesome man. He rallied the surrounding ’weeds,’ encouraging mutual aid, disrupting this process of ’self-pruning.’

"The number of people in the wilderness kept growing. And as that happened, the effectiveness of my ’scissors’ diminished. You even banded together, began hoarding resources, actively opposing me.

"This turned what was originally a lucrative venture into a losing endeavor.

"So,"

His eyes lowered, staring at the short-haired girl, smiling.

"I had no choice but to adopt cruder methods to ’prune’ your numbers. For example, ’employing’ Wilderness Wanderers to work in factories within the city. This not only reduces labor costs but also significantly decreases your population."

Xiya stared blankly at the elderly man before her. She had never imagined that everything—the decades of suffering endured by the Wilderness Wanderers—had stemmed from such trivial reasons.

"You seem to harbor a fundamental misconception,"

Weiken appeared pleased with the girl’s reaction. He gestured dismissively and continued, "You believe yourselves to be the ’masters’ of the wilderness. Yet in truth, this land has no masters. Of course, in some sense, I used to be its master.

"Do you really think that wiping out all of you will make the wilderness cease to exist? It won’t,"

The old man retrieved a pack of cigarettes from his bloodstained clothes. Amidst the drifting snow, he lit one, took a drag, and smiled. "I sprayed herbicide to clear the rampant weeds from the yard. But does that mean the soil disappears along with them?

"All I need to do is sow new seeds, and a fresh lawn will grow. The wilderness will always be there,

"When you’re all gone, new Wilderness Wanderers will arrive on this land,"

He exhaled a plume of smoke, his gaze fixed on the snow-covered forest before him. "They’ll be younger, more docile, and I can mold them into the lush, orderly lawn I envision."

He Ao raised his head, silently watching the old man standing amidst the snow.

Though he had previously gleaned fragments of these thoughts and ideas through ’Mind Reading,’ this was the first time he had heard the complete ’chain of causation’ behind the tale of the Wilderness Wanderers.

No matter how powerful a ’Mind Reading’ ability might be, the questions posed still shaped the answers it uncovered. When the clues were lacking, the questions asked were incomplete, and the responses obtained were naturally fragmented as well.

"So,"

Xiya’s voice, now a touch calmer, carried an underlying tremor. She gazed at the elderly man, her face betraying a mix of tightly controlled emotion and numbness, and softly questioned,

"For the sake of this so-called ’efficiency’ and ’profit,’ you’ve driven generation after generation of Wilderness Wanderers to their deaths. You’ve even resorted to abducting innocents, forcing them into servitude, tormenting them."

Her voice quivered faintly as she touched her waist, "Have you ever considered their families? Don’t you have a family? Can you fathom how their loved ones, their children, feel when they see them dead?"

"Of course I can,"

Weiken placed his cigarette down and grinned. "When I was just a child, I watched my mother die painfully in a cramped, filthy little room."

Flicking the ash from his cigarette, the gray dust settled into the pristine snow below. His smile remained as calm as ever. "This is the way of the world. When you’re below, you’re nothing but weeds and livestock. When you’re above, you’re the master,

"What we call civilization is merely clothing draped over beasts,"

He smiled at the girl before him. "But beasts, after all, remain beasts. Wouldn’t you agree?"

Taking a step forward, his gaze bore into the short-haired girl, whose suppressed anger burned in her eyes. He smiled. "This is the essence of the world: beneath the veneer of civilization lies the most twisted cruelty, bloodshed, and madness. Do you feel anger? Do you feel the fire of rage smoldering within you?"

Bang—

With the snap of his fingers, that crisp sound seemed to ignite flames in the girl’s pupils.

A formless fury, a twisted emotion, began spreading within her mind, consuming her will and burning her very soul. Crimson hues filled her eyes.

Reflexively, her hand moved to draw the blade at her waist, intending to vent destruction indiscriminately onto the surroundings.

But just as her hand gripped the knife’s hilt, she froze in place. It was as if multiple wills clashed within her, vying for dominance over her body.

He Ao glanced at the short-haired girl beside him, then lowered his raised hand.

Weiken had intended to use Chaotic Forces to manipulate and dominate the girl’s emotions. Initially, He Ao thought to intervene, but Xiya’s willpower appeared stronger than expected.

In this chaotic world, resolute willpower often served as the cornerstone of survival.

This level of ’influence’ seemed a fitting test for her to hone her will.

He Ao withdrew his gaze and turned back to Weiken, smiling. "It seems your little tricks aren’t working?"

"But now, it appears you’re short one helper."

Weiken’s expression remained calm as he stared at He Ao. His gaze lifted, locking with He Ao’s own.

He was well aware that the figure before him wasn’t without injuries.

Though he didn’t quite understand how He Ao had managed to leave the city and arrive here,

it was clear He Ao had just survived a grueling battle.

At the moment, it was likely He Ao’s weakest state.

Weiken’s mind had long been overshadowed by a presence known as ’Suote,’ a presence that gnawed away at his will, his mental state, steadily forming into his ’Heart Demon.’

It had become an obstacle on his Transcendent path, threatening to drive him to utter madness.

He was acutely aware that this could be his best chance to defeat and kill the man before him.

So when he sensed the ’Chaotic Power’ that enticed him emanating from He Ao, he had followed without hesitation.

What he hadn’t expected, however, was for ’Suote’ to detect him so easily.

After ’Suote’ killed the humanoid Lizard earlier, he even engaged in idle chatter with the young girl—most likely a ploy to confirm Weiken’s position while feigning indifference.

Still, if ’Suote’ didn’t possess such abilities, he wouldn’t be worthy of becoming his ’Heart Demon.’

The sky dimmed, the snow-covered forest lay eerily silent. Yet, amidst the blanket of white, Weiken knew shadows were rapidly converging. They were humanoid Lizards under his control, aided by the grace of Chaos.

The power of Chaos was particularly effective in manipulating such bloodthirsty creatures.

Through these monstrous puppets, he had practiced influencing wills using Chaotic Forces, leading up to his attempt at bending the girl’s resolve.

Unfortunately, his technique was still immature, preventing him from fully dominating her. Otherwise, he’d have already witnessed the scene of that girl stabbing ’Suote.’

Weiken’s eyes fixed on He Ao, his hand tightening its grip on the concealed blade.

He didn’t know Suote’s exact capabilities, which left him no choice but to approach cautiously.

His earlier conversation with the girl had largely been a ploy to distract Suote while rallying surrounding monsters to his location.

After all, Suote seemed quite intrigued by the girl’s story.

From his prior duel with Smot, the Captain of the Note Intelligence Mercenary Corps, Weiken estimated his current level matched Smot’s strength.

And while older intelligence indicated Suote was only C-level, Weiken found it hard to believe someone at C-level could escape the grasp of the Church of Chaos’s B-level adept while also wielding a B-level Extraordinary Item tainted by Chaos.

Still, the injuries Suote carried undoubtedly weakened him significantly.

Between Weiken’s own power and the creatures under his control, the balance tipped heavily in his favor.

Yet, despite the advantage, a flicker of hesitation lingered in Weiken’s mind.

Was it possible Suote had already noticed the surrounding monsters and was merely playing the waiting game?

The notion gnawed at him, but after extensive deliberation, he dismissed it. Surely his adversary wouldn’t be foolish enough to allow his enemy time to prepare.

Drawing in a deep breath, Weiken’s gaze bore into He Ao’s composed face.

He realized the shadow Suote cast over his psyche had grown so oppressive that he had instinctively developed a tendency to retreat before him.

The more he felt this way, the more he knew he needed to face the challenge head-on, without hesitation.

Unsheathing the crimson blade, he advanced without warning or conversation, launching himself straight at He Ao.

Simultaneously, pale shapes erupted from the snow, converging on He Ao, who stood between the trees.

He Ao remained calm, watching the unfolding events. Slowly, he reached back for the hilt of his blade.