Chapter 698 - 439: A Way to Obtain a Soul

Chapter 698: Chapter 439: A Way to Obtain a Soul

Without a second thought, Zhou Chen retracted his outstretched hand and slammed the Treasure Chest shut.

Power and responsibility go hand in hand.

Taking up the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings meant shouldering the responsibility of the King of Gaia, an absolutely crushing weight.

The task of unsealing Gaia alone was enough of a headache, let alone developing its economy, education, technology, culture, society, healthcare, and every other facet after it was unsealed. The mere thought was enough to make one despair.

A politician with years of experience might be up to the task, ’but how the hell am I, a college student who hasn’t even graduated, supposed to handle it?’

"Can I take the sword with me? There’s definitely someone more suitable to be the King of Gaia than me," Zhou Chen said, looking at Onawaro.

"You can have a suitable person come and take the challenge," Onawaro said in a gruff voice.

"Uh, they’re probably busy. The situation on Gaia is dire right now."

Zhou Chen began to gently persuade him. "Old Ao, you’ve been cooped up in here for over twenty centuries. Staying here is a waste of your combat strength. Why don’t you come out with me? You can continue to guard the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings, and you can also scout for more suitable candidates.

Oh, and you should know, the era of crowning kings based on martial prowess is long gone. We’re in a modern society now where even a Demigod can be killed by a normal person pressing a button. A Wise Man is more suited to governing a country than a Martial Artist. In the outside World, many national leaders are Low Tier Ascenders or even ordinary people..."

"What you say makes sense, but rules are rules. Only by defeating me can one earn the right to the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings. And—"

Onawaro’s stance was firm. He stated solemnly, enunciating each word:

"—the sword must remain in the Divine Hall."

Seeing how unyielding Onawaro was, Zhou Chen felt helpless and could only sigh. "Fine, I’ll go get someone."

As he spoke, Zhou Chen opened his map and teleported to the bonfire point outside the Divine Hall—after defeating Onawaro, the map’s teleport function could be used from within the hall.

Once outside, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?"

·

「Fifteen minutes later.」

The space by the bonfire tore open, and Tang Ling stepped out.

She wore form-fitting, lightweight white exoskeleton armor. With her tall, slender figure, blank expression, and silver hair that cascaded down with a metallic sheen, she looked like a cold, steel Valkyrie.

Her exposed skin wasn’t its usual simulated, human-like color. Instead, it was faintly transparent, revealing the circuitry, modules, and mechanical structures within.

"What are you looking at?" Tang Ling tilted her head slightly, her voice tinged with confusion.

"Your internal structure is just beautiful," Zhou Chen couldn’t help but admire. "It has a kind of mechanical beauty."

It was an incredibly strange thing to say. One usually complimented a woman on her appearance or personality, yet here he was, praising the intricate details of Tang Ling’s mechanical insides.

"Thank you." Tang Ling didn’t find it odd at all; in fact, she sounded a little happy in her response.

She then looked toward the great doors of the Divine Hall and walked straight toward them, her figure swallowed by the temple’s Darkness.

「A little over ten minutes later.」

Tang Ling teleported back to the bonfire and shook her head at Zhou Chen, who was in the middle of a barbecue.

"I couldn’t pass the trial of the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings."

The implication was that she had defeated Onawaro but had been unable to lift the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings.

"What happened?" Zhou Chen asked, confused. ’With her power, Tang Ling should have had no problem lifting the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings...’

"I don’t have a Soul. I am an inanimate mechanical being, unacknowledged by the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings. The virtual soul I simulated couldn’t withstand the immense pressure of the sword’s mental trial and collapsed instantly."

Tang Ling seemed to sigh. "If you don’t want to be the King of Kings, then we’ll have to find someone else. I have a few suitable candidates in mind, but none of them could possibly defeat that dragon."

"Now this is a problem..." Zhou Chen frowned.

’The people suited to be a monarch aren’t strong enough to beat Onawaro, and the people who *can* beat Onawaro aren’t suited to be a monarch...’

’Even if I could talk my way past Onawaro, the game mechanics were still in place. The fight was unavoidable.’

"What about you?" Tang Ling asked, sitting on a folding stool Zhou Chen had taken out earlier. She gazed at him. "Don’t you want to be the ruler of a nation, a king above all others?"

"Give me a break. Just being Jiang Che’s Secretary keeps me swamped. You might as well just kill me now instead of making me a national leader."

Zhou Chen took a bite of roasted meat and mumbled, "Besides, I can’t handle that kind of responsibility."

"With the Star Association to help, governing won’t be as difficult as you think. If worst comes to worst, you can just abdicate later."

"But what if we fail to unseal Gaia this time?" Zhou Chen raised a very practical problem. One always had to prepare for the worst.

He said seriously, "If I take up the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings, become the would-be King of Gaia, and then fail to lead Gaia out of its predicament—or even just abandon them—what would happen to the Gaia People?"

Tang Ling fell silent. According to her calculations, there was indeed a chance of failure.

Though Zhou Chen could be flippant at times, he was by no means cold-blooded or ruthless. On the contrary, he valued his relationships deeply and understood the meaning of responsibility. That was precisely why he refused to take on the suffocating burden, avoiding it like the plague.

That meant the only qualified and suitable person to become the King of Gaia right now was her. But because she lacked a Soul, she wasn’t acknowledged by the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings...

A Soul...

The light in Tang Ling’s eyes dimmed slightly, a change Zhou Chen keenly noticed.

He began to ponder. Connecting this to her earlier unusual behavior, he started to put the pieces together.

"Tang Ling, it’s time for a therapy session."

Zhou Chen told her, his expression earnest and grave, "Your psychological issues have become very serious."