Chapter 851: Persuasion to Surrender

Chapter 851 -836: Persuasion to Surrender

The corridor was empty, and two figures gradually approached.

Lin Jun looked around, searching for the Demon King, but unfortunately, only Link was present.

Link was scrutinizing the Mushroom People in front of him, his eyes carrying a hint of curiosity.

As they sized each other up, Lin Jun spoke first, “Since you’re here, that means you’ve already sided with the Demon King, right?”

After all, the technology of using the soul channel to communicate with the Pilot’s Seat was unique to the Demon King. Without the Demon King’s help, Link shouldn’t have had the ability to get here.

However, Link joining the Demon King’s side was expected, so Lin Jun was not surprised.

Link didn’t rush to respond; instead, he nodded in greeting, “Hello, Mushroom Lord. This is probably our first official meeting. I have heard a lot about you from the Demon King.”

This piqued Lin Jun’s curiosity, “And what did the Slime say?”

“He said you are a tyrant acting on your own, a deceiver lurking in the shadows…” Lin Jun figured she’d have to note this against the Demon King, but Link continued, “You are also an explorer of utopian possibilities! He believes that, under different circumstances, he might have been friends with you.”

“Friends?” Lin Jun furrowed the brim of her mushroom hat, imagining the scene of becoming friends with the Demon King.

It would require long-term endurance of an inherently evil Slime beside her pure and fragile self. Worse, this Slime was a show-off, acting all knowledgeable every day…

Lin Jun felt a chill for no reason and instinctively stepped back half a step, changing the topic, “You’re waiting here for me; it’s not just to say these things, is it?”

Link was a bit baffled by her reaction, scratching his head, then his expression turned serious, “I hope you’ll stand with us.”

Lin Jun inserted a finger into her mushroom hat, twisting it as if digging into a non-existent ear, “Sorry, what did you say? If I didn’t misunderstand, is this a persuasion to surrender? In this situation?”

“It’s not a surrender but rather hoping you’ll stand with us,” Link said earnestly, “The Death God is not trustworthy. This world is a mistake that needs correcting, and now there’s still a chance!”

Lin Jun shrugged, speaking casually, “I’d like to know more.”

“Do you know what powers the Ark?” Link asked.

“They say negative emotions are more efficient,” Lin Jun replied, “Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be enough souls.”

“Yes, negative emotions,” Link’s voice sank, “To extract enough emotions, the Gods have instigated wars over and over. Heroes and Demon Kings, after all, are just tools for creating conflict. Peace will never truly arrive.”

“However, it’s merely drinking poison to quench thirst,” he paused, “War forces people to constantly learn new skills. These things derived from ether are layered onto souls in endless cycles until, one day, the soul becomes overburdened and sinks into the Abyss, entirely discarded. For thousands of years, countless souls have been consumed like this. This is the root cause of the current shortage of souls!”

“But without doing this, wouldn’t the world be directly doomed?”

In Lin Jun’s view, the Death God was merely robbing Peter to pay Paul, trying to maintain this shaky house known as the Ark.

The methods might be lowly, but there wasn’t another choice—there wasn’t a choice.

“That’s why I say this world is a mistake; it was born from mistakes! The Ark World was created from ether distilled during the destruction of the Old World. It’s malleable clay, capable of shaping a brand-new world! Yet those so-called Gods couldn’t wait to start their creation game before understanding this!” Speaking of this, Link clenched his fist, “Back then, due to their half-baked understanding, some Old World rules were carried into the Ark.”

“You mean using emotions as fuel?”

Link nodded, “Yes, this world could have been much better, and it wouldn’t reach its end so quickly. Only by restructuring it can we change it all!”

Facing the beautiful world Link described, Lin Jun questioned, “It sounds like a lot of conjecture… Moreover, if it were so simply wonderful, why would the Death God stop you? Also, creating a new world, aren’t the living, including me, going to have to die first?”

Link didn’t hide, “A brief death is better than eternal suffering. As for the Death God… we can’t guarantee the success of restarting the world. That stubborn and despicable Death God won’t possibly allow us to take such a risk.”

“The Demon King mentioned that your soul is quite unique. If you assist us, the chance of success could be even higher.”

After speaking, Link looked expectantly at the Mushroom People before him.

Lin Jun didn’t ask what would happen if they failed; Link and the Demon King were undoubtedly ready for such an eventuality.

Lin Jun nodded, “As it stands, if this world continues, it’s doomed, and I don’t dislike you guys seeking alternatives…”

Link smiled, “So…”

“However,” Lin Jun continued, “why can’t it be you guys aiding me? I’ll be the one to create the new world.”

“Sorry, but no,” the ex-Hero replied after a moment of silence to Lin Jun’s question, “It’s not that either I or the Demon King are coveting the divine seat of the new world, but… Mushroom Lord, you are a work of the Death God, just as I once was. There’s a high possibility that she left something on you, and we no longer have a second chance for trial and error.”

“In short, it’s about trust!” Lin Jun laughed twice instead of questioning or getting angry, “After all, I could never trust you guys either!”

The negotiation thus broke down, and Link seemed a bit disheartened but not disappointed.

Before this, the Demon King had already told him it was impossible to persuade the Mushroom Lord; this persuasion was merely his own attempt.

What followed would have to be proven by actions.

At that moment, a door not far behind Link was pushed open, and the Demon King emerged.

The blank corridor was lined with many doors that looked similar in appearance, most of which Lin Jun had no impression of, but she remembered the door the Demon King walked out from very clearly—that was the Shared Dream Project’s door!

Link looked back at the Demon King, a questioning expression in his eyes.

The Demon King gave a faint nod, “It’s been located.”

In the next moment, their consciousnesses disconnected from the Pilot’s Seat.

…

The Mountains, at the base layer of the Molten Fire Dungeon, outside Xiaohuo’s former home.

Dwarf General Duvalin had already surrounded the core behind the Magma Lake with an entire Dwarf Legion.

They were waiting for the Fungus Castle’s elite to arrive, to open the core together in search of the Demon King possibly hiding inside.

Just as Duvalin marveled at the whims of fate—having fought the Fungus Castle before and now cooperating with them—a huge magic power fluctuation emerged from the core’s direction!

Unlike the slight fluctuation only Lin Jun noticed before, this time it was unmasked.

“Be alert! Prepare for battle!”

Under Duvalin’s roar, the well-trained Dwarf Legion quickly took battle formations.

However, the magic power fluctuation didn’t manifest into an attack and soon faded away.

While Duvalin was puzzled, a Rune Master huffed his way over on thick legs, “General, that fluctuation just now was likely teleportation!”

“Teleportation? Where to?”

“That we…”

…

Meanwhile, in Pujie Dungeon, on the Eighth Floor.

At the end of this level, composed of unit spaces and Teleportation Arrays, the Demon King and Link emerged from the Teleportation Array.