Stop It.
Who is It?
Not he, not she, not it.
Prythian's message left all three of them bewildered.
The questions were piling up, and the current information offered no solutions.
"Patriot, they really are back."
Xing Chen and Theresa emerged from the woods, and the Wendigo's eyes glowed red the moment he saw Theresa.
"Hello, Mr. Patriot."
Theresa was the first to greet Bozdcasti with a bow from two hundred years ago. At the same time, her eyes conveyed a message to him.
Don't reveal my true identity in front of everyone yet.
"Hello..."
Patriot's infection was extremely severe, making it difficult for him to speak.
Yelena heard her father say "hello" and wondered why—her father usually responded to greetings with actions; why was he suddenly speaking now?
"Since Mr. Xing Chen and Ms. Theresa are back, let's continue discussing our future arrangements..."
After being severely beaten by the Ursus Army Group, the Reunion Movement suffered heavy casualties. There was also Alina, injured by an Infected, and strange armored vehicles.
Under the strike of a series of events, Talulah temporarily abandoned her plan to head south and recruit more Infected.
Xing Chen didn't pay much attention to the meeting, but Theresa listened very carefully.
Because they were discussing the living conditions of Originium patients.
Patriot wanted to stay on the ice plains. Due to the sharp decrease in ordinary Infected within the Reunion Movement, the problem of food shortages had been alleviated.
"This is exactly the same as Kazdel's solution to the food problem," Theresa said with a helpless, bitter smile, covering her forehead as she stated the fact.
What to do when there isn't enough food? Get rid of the frail elderly and children first.
"But this isn't a long-term solution," Theresa added.
"We all know that," Talulah also had no better ideas.
The meeting ended hastily after a short while. The Reunion Movement and the Guerrillas reached a consensus: return to the ice plains first.
"Well then, meeting adjourned. Get some rest early; we have to travel tomorrow."
After Talulah finished speaking, the Guerrillas, Yeti Squadron, and the Reunion Movement cadres left one after another.
However, Xing Chen, Theresa, and Patriot remained seated, not moving.
Theresa suggested they move to another location to continue their conversation. Would Talulah like to join them?
Talulah accepted Theresa's invitation without hesitation, but she wanted to bring Alina. She wondered if there would be enough space.
"My home is quite large, you know."
With that, Theresa snapped her fingers, and the five of them were teleported to Wandering's End.
Upon arriving at the library, Xing Chen immediately felt much more comfortable.
The temperature here was kept at the most comfortable range for the human body, the specific reason unknown.
"Everyone find a chair and sit down. Patriot, you don't need to."
Xing Chen took out chairs from the storage area. They were so easy to move when he brought them from Earth; why was he so tired now?
Was the Debuff still active, or had his physical condition deteriorated again? Alina, as one of the few studious children in the group, stared wide-eyed at the endless bookshelves.
Talulah was also very surprised, but she thought more deeply.
This place was safe and comfortable, even with a small river and rock garden. Planting crops would be no problem.
But unfortunately, they were not the owners here.
And when they were being hunted, the two of them hadn't invited her in, indicating that the owner of this place did not welcome outsiders.
"Alright, let me properly introduce myself. I am one of the Six Heroes from two hundred years ago, the Sarkaz Demon King, and the legitimate supreme ruler of Kazdel, Theresa."
"Theresa? You are Demon King Theresa? But I heard Patriot say you were dead?"
Talulah had imagined Theresa's identity was very noble, but she hadn't expected her to be the King of All Demons.
"I did die once, but that also allowed me to see many good things," Theresa said, wrapping her arm around Xing Chen's waist and pulling him closer. "So, Bozdcasti, two hundred years later, how have you been?"
"My... apologies... Your... Highness... I... have... failed... your... benevolence..."
Patriot suddenly knelt on the ground, adopting a posture of repentance towards Theresa.
His vocal cords, assimilated by Originium, could only produce hoarse, grating sounds intermittently, but he still insisted on speaking to Theresa in the Sarkaz language.
"...I... am... sorry... for... the... nurturing... of... Chief... Nech... and... I... have... also... sacrificed... my... people..."
Patriot's words were, of course, from the bottom of his heart, but for Xing Chen, it was a form of torture.
He signaled Theresa with his eyes, asking if she could speed up the process.
It was simply too uncomfortable to have a complete sentence broken up and then reassembled for understanding.
"Bozdcasti, how severe is your Oripathy now?"
Almost all Sarkaz are Infected, but the degree of infection varies.
Theresa's level of infection would be terrifying for ordinary races, but it was considered normal among the Sarkaz.
However, the Wendigo's level of infection could scare people to death even among the Sarkaz.
Patriot did not answer; he responded to Theresa's question with silence.
"Then how many of your kin are left?"
"I... know... of... fewer... than... ten... people."
"Fewer than ten people? This is enough to remove you Wendigos from the Royal Court seats! Do you think you're the Shapeshifter Cluster?!"
Theresa's personality might have been very kind before, but after spending so much time with Xing Chen, she had changed a little.
Sarkaz, or rather Tikaz, is a collective term for all the aboriginals of the Terra continent. Since the arrival of the gods, how many sub-species have disappeared into history? Perhaps only the black crown and the first Revenant remember.
As a Demon King renowned for her benevolence (and power), Theresa naturally could not stand by and watch a Royal Court disappear under her watch.
"Xing Chen, may I ask you..." Theresa turned around, grabbing Xing Chen's hands, and showed a pleading expression.
"Alright, alright, if you think it's right, go ahead and do it. Don't grab me like this..." He was usually very willing to help with things that didn't conflict with his own interests.
The three Ursus individuals watched Theresa's act and became curious about Xing Chen's true identity.
However, he had no intention of introducing himself.
"Your... Highness... who... is... he..."
Although Patriot pledged allegiance to the Ursus Empire, that didn't mean he wouldn't uphold the Demon King's status.
And Theresa's attitude towards this unknown race named Xing Chen clearly exceeded normal interpersonal relationships.
"He is my greatest gain so far." Theresa's happiness was practically written all over her face. "Alright, Bozdcasti, I'm going to treat your Oripathy. Take off your armor first."
"Treat... Oripathy..."
Even five hundred years later, Oripathy was an incurable disease, and even in the End Land, Oripathy was not completely cured, only its damage was suppressed.
Since Demon King Theresa said so, Patriot chose to obey the command.
Draining Xing Chen's blood to save one person was too inefficient.
So this time, she planned to experiment with a new method, such as combining the Wendigo's magic with Xing Chen's blood.
Since the Wendigo's magic damage was quite significant to ordinary people, Theresa drew some blood for Patriot, and the other three retreated to a position far from the Wendigo.
"You can begin."
"Yes... Your... Highness..."
As the red magic unfolded, Xing Chen's blood quickly lost its vibrant color, and the power contained within it continuously surged into Patriot's body.
"How do you feel, Bozdcasti?"
At the end of the cannibalistic ritual, the Wendigo raised the blood and poured it directly into his body.
"Very powerful, Your Highness."