Chapter 2132: Chapter 2132

After unilaterally declaring his victory, Jenkins narrowed his eyes and continued to observe the "struggle" on the table. The cards he had scattered were still at a disadvantage.

"The outbreak of the Pus of Humanity is an outbreak of the evil in human nature. Correspondingly, if we can suppress the evil thoughts within people, we can prevent the Pus of Humanity from erupting. That's my idea, and it's quite logical. These thirty [Maintain Stability] cards come from my own experiences on one hand, and from the princess's practical teachings on the other. It is a union of two worlds, a method shared between them. I don't consider myself a good king..."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"But I believe this is enough to suppress the Pus of Humanity."

"And you think this is logical?"

the living statue asked. Its gaze was no longer on the card table, but on the dense black threads extending from it, threads that were causing the wax figures in the museum to undergo a brand new transformation.

"Of course it's not logical."

He pressed his right hand flat on the table's surface, his body leaning slightly forward.

"But do not underestimate the power of humanity. Though I may not be a qualified king, I am surrounded by people who are dedicated to helping me with all their hearts. In this card game, although the main players are Miss Silf and I, shouldn't our kingdom in the game also have people who are wholeheartedly loyal to the royal family, or who genuinely wish to change society?"

"For the Difference Engine to try and prove I'm not the king of humanity through a card game... that's a bit naive."

he said softly, his tone unhurried. He knew he had won this game. The emblem of the [Uncrowned King] expanded to cover the whole table, imprinting itself directly upon the [Maintain Stability] cards.

"I may not consider myself a very good king, but that doesn't mean I believe I truly lack the ability."

He straightened up, leaning on the table as he rose to his feet, and looked at the living statue across from him. The latter seemed to have resolved not to speak again, or even to pay attention to the final battle playing out on the table.

"The outbreak of the Pus of Humanity was ultimately stopped by the king's measures. From the first year of the epoch to the tenth, the two monarchs dedicated nearly all their strength to the kingdom."

Jenkins narrated, leaving only the magic sword card and two symbol cards on his left, while moving the rest of the unused cards to his right.

"The domestic situation was in flux, various disasters struck one after another, and social development made life more painful for the poor. But even so, in just ten short years, our kingdom advanced rapidly, constantly being reborn from the last destruction. Ten years can't solve every problem, and the problems that pile up in ten years will require many more decades to resolve. But the efforts of the two kings were plain for all to see..."

He wasn't actually trying to deliberately praise himself.

"Ten years is a short time, but the people already knew of their kings' efforts and determination. Therefore, in the final winter of the tenth year, when the king suddenly announced he would maintain stability with all his might, the people complied, no matter how reluctant they felt. They did so because they knew the king's existence was the very order of this era. Even if they yearned for other things, they knew that order was the first priority for survival.

Thus, the outbreak of the Pus of Humanity only appeared in a limited number of individuals. The greater populace responded to the king's call, trying their best to think of beautiful things and suppress their own evil thoughts.

In the final winter of the tenth year, the kingdom suffered a great calamity due to the outbreak of the Pus of Humanity. It even spread to the entire world, nearly plunging it back into apocalypse. But because of the Uncrowned King, because of the efforts of that crowned Uncrowned King, even though the power of the Beast of Calamity was terrifying, the people were ultimately led into the eleventh year. Even when faced with ruins and the bodies of their loved ones, life had to go on.

People can be knocked down, but they will get back up. To underestimate humanity itself... that would be truly laughable."

Jenkins picked up the three unused cards and said to the living statue:

"The tenth year is over, the year-end summary is complete, and the kingdom enters its eleventh year. This was a good match, but we won."

The [Outbreak of the Pus of Humanity] card was still exerting its power, and the [Maintain Stability] cards were still suppressing it. But just as Jenkins had said, the game was over. Even though the Pus of Humanity had gained the upper hand in that final season, it had not gained complete dominance. Therefore, the kingdom was not destroyed in its tenth year.

According to the rules, Jenkins had won.

He watched the black threads flying out from the tabletop and asked:

The living statue pointed behind itself. On the wall there, a door, shimmering unstably with white light, had appeared.

But before Jenkins and the elf maiden could move, the space around them suddenly warped. Gray mist erupted unexpectedly from the tabletop, blurring their vision in an instant.

Jenkins felt a wave of dizziness, not from the gray mist, but because the space around them was shifting.

He steadied himself on the table and quickly helped the elf re-stabilize her spirit. With no time to complain about Jenkins's earlier actions, Miss Silf shot to her feet.

The gray mist dissipated. The wax museum seemed to have expanded at least a thousand times in size. Though most of the area was still in darkness, it was a darkness that could be seen.

Because of the spatial shift, the door now seemed to be several kilometers away. But far more serious was the fact that every wax figure in the museum was now moving, clutching their necks. A black fluid flowed from between their fingers, landing on the ground and pooling at their feet like black ink. The black fluid writhed like a living thing, crawling over the bodies of the wax figures.

The scene before them was the outbreak of the Pus of Humanity.

"Are you violating the rules? The game is over. We're leaving."

"You did indeed win, but the game isn't over until I declare it so."

the living statue, still seated at the table, said. The table had not expanded with the space, so even in the center of the vast chamber, they could still see each other clearly.

The living statue took a card from the red incident card pile and tossed it onto the table without even looking at it.

"The game isn't over, because an incident occurred in the fourth season of the tenth year. The most dangerous card of all has appeared."

The card's face read [Dreamlike Reality], and its illustration was, of course, the wax museum before its expansion.

"This is the most terrifying of all the incident cards. Its effect is to make the last event that occurred before it was drawn manifest from the card table into this wax museum. And the last event was the [Outbreak of the Pus of Humanity]. Savior, I have not violated a single rule. The expansion of the wax museum is also an effect of this card and has nothing to do with me."

"But for this card to appear now, aren't you pulling the strings?" The source of thɪs content is novel⟡fire.net

Miss Silf scolded, but the other party remained silent.

"Then how do we end this incident?"

"Simple. The Pus of Humanity has contaminated these wax figures. As long as you deal with all the statues here, the incident will be considered resolved."

The erupting Pus of Humanity had not yet completely contaminated the wax figures, so Jenkins didn't know how strong a complete Pus of Humanity monster truly was. Besides, the terror of the Pus of Humanity wasn't in the monsters themselves; it was in its infectiousness, in the twisted power, originating from the very essence of the soul, that was generated when it merged with itself.

Miss Silf grabbed Jenkins's arm and plucked the platinum-gold card representing her bloodline from the air.

"There are no other options now. Sacrifice me."

The wet, dripping sounds of the black fluid were constant. Flowing from the orifices of soul and body, it was not only contaminating the wax figures but the world itself. At some point, a layer of black mire had formed on the ground. Within this disgusting substance, new life seemed to be gestating.

"In the fourth season of the tenth year, the rapid outbreak of the Pus of Humanity formed an army of human evil."

The living statue's voice was devoid of emotion. As it spoke, the wax museum continued to expand. The door on the far wall was now so distant it had nearly vanished from sight.

[Dreamlike Reality] wasn't just manifesting the kingdom's events in the wax museum; it was causing the museum to overlap with the kingdom from the card game, which was why it was expanding.

The place was now practically a plain. Jenkins could even see the shadows of tall buildings in the distance. In a matter of minutes, they would have to face an entire army of black fluid.

"World Tree, please, sacrifice me."

Miss Silf tugged at Jenkins's sleeve, but he shook his head.

He took the platinum-gold card from the elf maiden's hand and pressed it back into her chest.

"Your life is your own to keep."

He then threw the [Elven Wind of Freedom] and the [Heart of the Berserk Elf Tree] onto the table before him. He stamped his foot, shattering the black fluid that was trying to entangle his boot.

"Don't underestimate me. I'm a World Tree Seedling, after all."

Jenkins declared, scattering all the unused cards from his right hand onto the table. These cards had appeared in the game because of him; they represented his experiences, a part of himself.

"I am the World Tree Seedling. I am a descendant of the World Tree's priests. What symbol could possibly represent the elves better than I myself can?"

A layer of green light rippled out from the scattered cards, interlinking with the light from the other two symbol cards.