A few months ago, the real head of the Jacelyn family summoned Sophie in Cairns' study.
As a powerful person who usually does not show much affection, Keynes rarely has time to sit down and drink tea with his relatives.
That time was no exception.
It was not a harmonious chat between grandparents and grandchildren, but more like a ruthless leader assigning tasks to his subordinates.
"Sophie, my granddaughter, as the only contestant in the Jacelin family, you have only one mission."
"No matter who your final companion is, I only need you to do one thing."
The old man, who looked elegant but was actually cold, rubbed the gold coins in his hands and gave his granddaughter instructions in a calm tone:
"At the right time, kill your companion and sacrifice his life to the god."
"After He wakes up completely, let Him make a promise using this incident as an excuse."
There was nothing unusual about her tone, as relaxed as asking her to make you a cup of tea.
Kill his companion and sacrifice him to the gods as a sacrifice.
"The better the soul, the better the promise should be."
Such a cruel and despicable thing was not difficult at all for him to say. It seemed that he could do it just by raising his hand.
At that time, Sophie's answer was also without hesitation.
she says:
"Understood, Grandpa."
"I will definitely not disgrace the honor of Jia Silin's family."
No matter who you choose...
The result is the same, isn't it?
The hands of nobles are never clean, and such a trivial matter is nothing.
Even after she became a diplomat of the Silver Council, she had heard of such things and even done a lot of them.
It's not like flowers growing in a greenhouse. Sophie has done this kind of thing a long time ago.
After that, Sophie began her journey to find a companion.
Even if she is acting, she has to be fully prepared on the surface.
Some outstanding ones, capable enough to serve as excellent sacrifices for their companions.
Those with special abilities, excellent quality, and outstanding strength...
Various candidates are constantly narrowed down and selected during her screening.
In addition to Ning Feng, there have been several qualified candidates that Sophie is satisfied with, and the sacrifices will be made among these people without any accident.
If I hadn't met Anthony again that time.
Childhood sweethearts.
Unmarried couple.
Even if there is no real love between the two, the relationship between the two is definitely deep.
But at that moment, Sophie made a decision. She didn't know whether it was because she felt ashamed that the other party had made her embarrassed, or because of the resentment she had accumulated over the years.
She decided to make Anthony her companion...
She chose to sacrifice Anthony to the gods!
Perhaps, even she herself didn't know why she reacted like this.
The strange thing is that Keynes did not make any reaction after learning about Sophie's choice.
There was no obstruction or any reminder.
It's like acquiescence.
And Sophie could feel something else besides that.
His grandfather looked at him with a little more approval after that...
…
…
The gleaming dagger passed by and stabbed straight into Anthony's body.
laugh.
The blade penetrated into the flesh and easily cut through Anthony's skin and muscle.
"Well……"
A painful sound was squeezed out of Anthony's throat, and he felt great pain in a coma.
Blood splattered out.
The blood flying from the wound fell on Sophie's hands and cheeks, making her look a little more horrified in her torn dress.
Tick tock.
However, the horror did not scare anyone who saw this scene at this moment.
Tick tock.
"For the glory of the family...I have to do this..."
Crystal tears slipped from the corners of his eyes unconsciously and fell on Anthony's face.
Her expression was still cold, but the tears in the corners of Sophie's eyes seemed particularly inappropriate at this moment.
The hand holding the dagger trembled slightly. She could no longer hold the weapon in her hand and lowered her head.
"But...I can't do it."
The small dagger shifted a little at the end, and instead of piercing Anthony's throat directly, it cut his cheek and nailed him to the ground.
"I, can't do it..."
If it was just a partner in a cooperative relationship, Sophie wouldn't mind killing him.
But Anthony is different.
Even if she thinks that Anthony is nothing in her heart, even if she thinks that the relationship between the two is not very strong.
But Anthony is really different.
In the few seconds it took for the dagger to fall, a large number of images flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.
Memories that I thought I had forgotten, that I thought I would no longer care about, kept flashing back before my eyes.
When they first met, they were playing hide and seek in the manor, and the two secretly made a promise under the night sky...
At that time, he said that he would definitely marry him in the future.
"You... big liar."
Snapped.
After slapping Anthony hard, Sophie's hand did not continue to rise, but stopped on his cheek.
It was like a gentle touch, or like you were feeling his body temperature.
"I hate that you are so carefree! I hate that you always don't take those things to heart! I hate that you are such a coward in escaping."
You made a promise but didn't keep it.
You know what I hate, but you still do it.
"I hate you!"
Words full of anger and resentment echoed in the ruins. Sophie completely let go of her scruples and spoke loudly.
"But what I hate more is myself."
"Why am I still unwilling to give up on you?"
I obviously know that he is not a good person, but why can't I let him go?
"Now, it's time to wake up."
"Because my husband should not be a playboy, but a hero."
Wiping away her tears, Sophie picked up the dagger, and...
Throw it to the side forcefully.
Clang.
"At least in this competition, your performance is not that bad."
Although Anthony's performance was not outstanding, he was always in a state of anxiety and confusion from the beginning.
First, he was hurt by the undead maid because of his carelessness, and then he had a conflict with Ning Feng when his mood was not right. It seemed that his performance could be called poor.
But from beginning to end, Anthony never caused Sophie any harm.
Not even a tiny bit.
He always worked hard without complaining and allowed Sophie to ridicule him.
Sophie, who has only the strength of an ordinary person, is like a fragile flower in a world full of undead, and will break with just a slight pinch.
And Anthony fulfilled his duty. Even when he was seriously injured, he did not let the undead touch a finger of Sophie.
This is enough.
Sophie thought so.
At least, this is enough for now.
As for whether the requirements are too low, let others say.
Anyway, I am not a woman with a good reputation.
None of the women in Jia Silin's family have a good reputation.
The choice has been made. As for how to face Keynes in the future, that is something to consider later.
"Yeah..."
A painful sound came from underneath him. Anthony, who was lying on the ground, woke up and tried to open his eyes with difficulty.
He felt his face was wet and his brows furrowed, but it was related to the scars on his body.
hiss!
Is this feeling water?
When he opened his eyes, before he could realize what was happening, he was so frightened by the situation in front of him that he lost all sleep and woke up directly.
Tears?
His fiancée was actually covered in blood and crying!?
"Sophie... you! What are you doing?"
what happened!?
You actually...
Do you actually have feelings?
ah???
I thought your heart had become as hard as stone...
Although he thought so in his heart, the skills he had developed over the years in his career as Neptune made him stop at the edge and did not speak out his true feelings.
He wanted to get up, but found that he couldn't get up at all. His whole body was limp and without any strength, and he was accompanied by severe pain all over his body.
Especially the face, it's so hot...
"Ahem...what happened?"
The injuries on my body are not important. Why are you crying first?
Sophie did not wipe away her tears, sniffed and said calmly:
"...Your face was scratched, I'm bandaging it for you."
Yes, is that so?
Instinctively, he felt something was wrong, but Neptune's instinct told him not to continue asking any more.
"Oh, that's how it is……"
He nodded slowly with understanding and sighed with difficulty:
"Then it's up to you. Please be gentle."
Nodding, Sophie pulled off a rag and wiped the blood from Anthony's wound.
"Well, Sophie..."
"Um?"
His eyebrows twitched, but Anthony still didn't have the courage to ask questions, so he could only say vaguely:
"We... no, it's okay."
But Sophie didn't buy it. She nodded and said casually:
"If you don't say it, then I will. When you get back, clean up your mess as soon as possible."
Anthony:?
???
"Uh, why?"
Why are you so tough all of a sudden?
"marry."
Nodding in understanding, Anthony suddenly said:
"Oh, that's it, it turns out it's for marriage..."
Anthony: “…………”
Um?
"...Who is marrying whom?"
Sophie, facing the incredulous Anthony, her eyes full of pity, said calmly:
"you and me."
Click!
He anxiously tried to get up, but the result was that the dislocated bones made a loud noise again, causing Anthony's expression to become violently distorted.
But even though he was suffering from such pain, he still shouted with all his strength:
"Ouch! Why!?"
Pushing him back mercilessly, Sophie thought for a while and said:
"If you have to give a reason, it would be intuition."
The Jia Silin family has the most mysterious, but also the most believed in special abilities.
intuition.
"If you marry me, you will definitely be happy... Or so I say, can you accept it?"
I can't accept it!
"Or in other words, Anthony, between liking and hating, which one would you choose?"
His cheeks twitched, Anthony looked at Sophie, and after a long time he murmured:
"If you choose this way, you probably like it..."
"That's good."
Good? What is good?
"By the way, if it's an elopement, how will your family react?"
Have you already thought about this!?
Anthony wanted to complain, but he couldn't move his body. He was finally defeated by Sophie's calm eyes and said with difficulty:
"Perhaps, uh, someone will celebrate, right? After all, those collaterals may also have a chance, but they are most likely dreaming. Judging from my old man's body, there will be no problem in ten more..."
"Wait! You can't really think about it, can you? Even if we elope, our expenses..."
Seeing the direct descendants of Jia Silin's family looking at him as if he were an idiot, Anthony blinked and hesitated.
Okay, you are rich and you are great.
"That's it. Things here are over. Let's talk about the rest when we go out."
"oh……"
I don't know what the future will be like, but now, Anthony feels that the world is dark.
The miserable life in the next few decades seems to be clearly foreseeable.
And in the corner that neither Sophie nor Anthony noticed, the third person in this scene, a slender figure, was hidden in the shadows.
Chu Yu watched the whole farce.
Even when Sophie was about to kill Anthony, she had no intention of stopping him.
She had been watching with pure eyes and a calm expression.
Illusory scales appeared in Chu Yu's eyes, as if he wanted to do something.
But she chose to continue hiding until the end, and she also chose to quit after the voices of the two people disappeared.
…
…
"Keynes, things have reached this point. If you don't give me an explanation, it really can't be justified, right?"
Finally, after being asked again and again and receiving the notice, Keynes did not evade any more.
He came before the legends and bowed slightly to apologize:
"I will explain your questions one by one."
"Everyone, I invite you to come. In fact, the Star Chaser competition is just a part of it."
"The real reason is to witness another thing..."
After straightening his clothes, the elegant aristocratic old man turned around and bowed to the empty sea, ignoring the frowned brows of other legends.
"Please, please witness the miracle of mankind..."
He raised his head and looked at the seemingly empty sky with a fanatical attitude unlike an old man.
He shouted loudly:
"On behalf of the Jacelyn family, Cairns is here to welcome you."
……What?
Before the legends could figure out the situation, Augustus, who had been sitting in his seat, slowly stood up and left his seat.
He did not bend down like Keynes, but he also straightened his body and looked deeply into the sky.
Cecilia, who played the role of the sword holder, did not stand up, but raised her head slightly, with some nostalgia in her eyes, and whispered in her heart:
"...It's been such a long time no see."
The next moment, it was dark.
On the calm sea, a huge shadow suddenly cast from the sky!
At the location transmitted by Augustus, ripples like folds appeared in the space, revealing the reality within.
The super giant ancient building hidden inside is the pinnacle of human power - the City in the Sky!
After thousands of years, his original appearance was once again revealed to the world.
At the same moment when the sky appeared, Ning Feng, who was sitting on the broken throne, also opened his eyes and his body disappeared directly from the spot.
The next moment, he suddenly found himself floating high in the sky.
Ning Feng, who didn't understand the situation, naturally moved his eyes downward and looked in the direction of someone in his field of vision.
But in the eyes of everyone on the cruise ship, there was another scene.
After Keynes saluted respectfully, Ning Feng suddenly appeared in the sky in front of Sky City!
In other words, the city in the sky...
Behind Ning Feng.
He was floating high in the sky, looking calmly at everything beneath his feet.