Chapter 1553: Performance and Game Theory

The Eternal Domain has no God-Favored Ones; Chen Ling only learned this last night. In fact, he had a doubt at the time: even if Lord Wuji could expel God-Favored Ones, what if someone in the domain was directly chosen by the divine?

Now, his question had been answered.

Lord Wuji couldn't completely prevent the appearance of God-Favored Ones, but as long as he reduced their frequency and combined that with the knights' regular patrols and screenings, it would be impossible for anyone capable of jumping outside the rules to ever appear in this domain.

"But if that's the case, how are we any different from livestock kept in a pen?" the boy asked again.

As soon as these words were spoken, the man’s face changed completely. He covered the boy’s mouth and said with wide eyes, "You can't just say things like that! Do you want to be thrown into the dungeon too?!

Besides, we have food to eat and clothes to wear, and we live so well every day. No matter what, it's better than those domains on the ground that are freezing and starving!"

Seeing this, the boy said no more. He just gave a soft "mm" and lowered his head to continue drinking his porridge.

At the same time, his gaze glanced inadvertently behind him.

"I have a 'guest' on my end."

Chen Ling, as if sensing something, waved at him. "See you in a bit."

The next second, Chen Ling’s figure vanished without a trace from the boy’s thoughts.

……

The Eternal Palace.

On the luxurious, soft sofa.

Chen Ling opened his eyes leisurely.

A figure in a black robe was already sitting on the sofa opposite him like a ghost. He sat with his legs crossed, hands folded on his knees, his deep eyes watching Chen Ling calmly, the six petal-shaped gems between his brows shimmering with a faint light.

"To be honest, you are quieter than I imagined." Lord Wuji looked around slowly. "I thought you would turn this place upside down."

"Would turning this place upside down have any meaning?" Chen Ling also crossed his legs unhurriedly.

"No matter how much I destroy this place, it will be repaired instantly... Instead, it would occupy the Eternal Palace's production capacity, making supplies scarce for the residents outside. Although I'm not a good person, it would be pointless if the ordinary residents couldn't eat because of me."

Lord Wuji chuckled. "Don't worry, no matter how much you cause trouble, their basic living supplies will still be supplied normally... At most, the furniture they use will be a bit simpler."

"So you came here just to mock my lack of strength?"

"No, I won't mock you. On the contrary... I admire you." Lord Wuji’s gaze was sincere. "If possible, I hope we can become companions."

"Then how about you let me out?" Chen Ling blinked. "Actually, I thought about it yesterday and felt your proposal was quite reasonable. It could ensure the restart and also give the Eternal Domain a chance to try..."

"I'm sorry, even if you truly think that, I cannot let you out."

Chen Ling sighed softly:

"I guessed as much."

Lord Wuji had always been someone who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and he was ruthless. Any sign that could potentially stop him from completing his "Eternity" would be nipped in the bud... Regardless of whether Chen Ling supported his Eternal plan or not, Chen Ling would be trapped in the Eternal Palace by his schemes, because only then could he truly hold everything in his own hands, rather than pinning his hopes on Chen Ling’s intentions.

Having said that, is Lord Wuji really afraid of Chen Ling restarting the world now?

Even if Chen Ling obtained the corpses of all the other Nine Lords and made all the necessary preparations, as long as Lord Wuji was still alive, the world would not be restarted.

But Lord Wuji’s vision was always long-term... He knew that the current Chen Ling was no match for him, but who could say how much Chen Ling would grow in the future? What if Chen Ling fully mastered the power of the Calamity of Mockery? If Chen Ling were to hunt down the Eternal Domain frantically to restart the world, even he might not be able to escape the palm of "Card's" hand.

Therefore, the best method was to keep Chen Ling locked in the Eternal Palace, never letting him leave his sight, and never giving him the chance to grow.

Lord Wuji, as if he had achieved his purpose and confirmed Chen Ling’s state, stood up to leave...

Just then, he seemed to remember something "inadvertently":

"By the way... that region behind your Abyss of Mockery is quite interesting."

As soon as these words were spoken, Chen Ling’s gaze froze instantly!

Even if it was only for a split second, Lord Wuji, who had been prepared, keenly captured this subtle change.

Chen Ling immediately feigned relaxation, returning to calm, and raised an eyebrow:

"Oh? You actually discovered that place?"

"Your poisonous insects hide very well underground... but their movements still couldn't escape my eyes."

"Don't blame me for not warning you, that place is very dangerous." Chen Ling’s gaze was somewhat cold. "It is the scar left by the Red Star piercing through the Gray World, the graveyard of the Gray World, the embers of civilization... even time is chaotic there."

"Time..."

Lord Wuji’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Is that all?" Lord Wuji asked in return. "The Red Star... didn't leave anything else there?"

"No." Chen Ling shook his head decisively. "You had better leave that place before you go any deeper, otherwise... the consequences will be unimaginable."

Lord Wuji nodded, looking deeply at Chen Ling:

"Then... I understand."

He took a step, and his figure vanished from Chen Ling’s mansion in the next second.

After Lord Wuji left, Chen Ling’s calm expression immediately turned visibly gloomy... He stood up, one hand rubbing his chin, and began to pace the room in deep thought.

"Damn it... those stupid bugs, I told them to go there to avoid the limelight, and they actually got discovered by this guy..."

"However, his personality has always been conservative and steady. After what I said, he shouldn't go any deeper."

"If he discovers that last Red Star fragment, it would be truly disastrous..."

Chen Ling’s murmurs were very faint. After pacing anxiously for a long time, he finally let out a sigh of relief... He returned to the sofa and sat down, starting to doze off out of boredom.

He did not notice that,

in the corner of the ceiling where he had just been pacing, a pair of tiny "metal ears" and a pair of eyes as deep and mysterious as Lord Wuji’s silently dissolved into the Eternal Palace... They existed in the blind spot of vision, possessed no life aura, and could not be detected.

Outside the gates of the Eternal Palace, Lord Wuji slowly opened his eyes.

He looked at the direction the Eternal Domain was currently heading, and a strange shimmer began to flicker in those deep eyes:

"The last Red Star fragment, huh... So that’s it."