Chapter 8: Funny.
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— Politics, most of the time, is a show; a circus where people wear glitter-adorned masks and perform for a child audience; the one who shines the most, wins!
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What an annoying little creature! But that's okay; him being willing to cooperate with me means I still have a chance to make a deal that's advantageous to me! This capybara may be a little clever, but he's still a mere member of an inferior species!
“Okay. Anyway, I need you to help me find a new body, and in return, I’ll offer you advice. Having lived a long time, I have quite a bit of knowledge about this world.”
He laughed.
“Ha… you weren’t even born in this world! Besides, you don’t seem to be in a situation where you can demand much, do you? Let’s face it, from the moment this energy emanating from the coin disappears, you will die.”
I was taken aback. Even though I tried to explain, the capybara just ignored me and continued its speech.
Shit… How… How does she know that? Can he read my mind?! Impossible. If he could, I would know… or is he a nonsense user?
“Young lady, calm down. Instead of wasting time on meaningless conversations, why don’t we just make a fair deal? How about this: you teach me everything in this world, and I’ll feed you nectar or mana. How about that? Even though you’re not originally from this world, you still have useful information, right? Like… How to control nectar efficiently.”
“Wait, these terms…”
“If you won’t accept, I’m leaving.”
As the mutant capybara was about to turn around, I screamed.
"No!!"
He looked at me.
For now, I will accept this humiliation, but when I regain my powers, I will crush this damn insect.
“I… I accept your terms.”
“And what are they?”
The capybara asked in an ironic tone, which irritated me deeply, but I didn't show my irritation; instead, with a neutral expression, I said; “I will provide information about this world in exchange for you feeding me…”
“Replace the term 'feed' with 'mercifully save me from certain death.'”
“...”
Not only was he trying to get me into a disadvantageous verbal agreement, but he was also trying to make me explicitly admit that I was in an inferior position to him, and that because of that, I needed to beg.
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It's clearly an attempt to humiliate me.
“Time is running out, tik, tak, tik, tak. You only have 5 hours from now, right?”
And wait… w… what?
“I thought you already realized, but apparently, you’re stupid; I’m a nonsense, and I can read your mind. Geez, I gave you several signs of this, but you only understood now.”
“...”
Hm.
He can read my mind, see my memories, but he can't get information about nectar control and qi manipulation? Don't make me laugh! He probably just has an ability that allows him to know a bit about a person's past.
And even if he can read my mind, he can probably only read my mind in the present, meaning his mind-reading ability has limits! As long as I don't think about the things he wants to know, he'll remain ignorant.
Of course, this will only be valid if this isn't a brief, but for now, let's play his game.
Capybara, you've found the wrong opponent!
“Hahaha, do you think I wouldn’t realize that your ability has limitations? I don’t accept your proposal! You help me get a new body, and in return, I’ll advise you about this world.”
The capybara laughed.
“ Indeed, my ability cannot understand verbal memories that are in a language I do not know, much less absorb complex knowledge from another person's mind, and yes, only see their memories; however, by chance, do you think we are in a circus? What should I do to make you realize your place? Should I draw a manga with a little story that explains your situation? You need me more than I need you.”
I gritted my teeth in hatred because he is right.
“Therefore, I will keep you alive, and you will grant me tutoring on how to control magic and form those mana circles and dantian.
“But these terms…”
“Almost all of your past; from childhood, loves, affairs, and even a little of your future; I know all of it. I know that you despise me, and that you planned only to use me and discard me when I am no longer useful.”
My heart almost stopped.
“I've always heard that external beauty indicates internal beauty, but you are like a mermaid; a beautiful woman who cruelly deceives fishermen and kills them at the bottom of the sea.”
“...”
I couldn't say anything; I just listened in a trance to his words.
Every time he opened his mouth, the atmosphere changed; every word held weight, and every hand gesture drew my attention even further to this mutant.
“Your mistake, little Aria, was mistaking a demon who was disguised as a human for a fisherman.”
After saying such words, he calmly picked up the amulet from the ground, placed it around his neck, and left the cave.
The rest of the night went by without much trouble; he hunted some random animals for food and returned to the cave in the morning. After eating, he went to sleep as if nothing had happened.
I hid myself inside the amulet's inner dimension, lay down on the fantasy floor, curled up in the fetal position, and began to reflect on everything that had happened.
My brain hadn't processed the information yet... no, actually, it had processed too much, but such information made me feel disgusted.
He called me little Aria. Even though he knew my full name, he chose to simply call me by my first name, as if he didn't recognize my noble descent, and on top of that, he carefully selected the word little.
It's an indirect; little Aria = before me, you have the power capacity of a child, and you better get used to it, because unlike common human consensus, in your species, children don't grow up fast.
Since he read my mind and knew my past, he obviously knows that I hate children; I see childhood as a time of ignorance, dependence, and fragility.
He purposely lowered me to this status.
“Fuck.”
Never in my entire life had anyone humiliated me like this. My pride had been crushed…. By a capybara.
That night, I cried with hatred.