Chapter 1854

Li Ruanyu said, "In the eyes of the nobles, we are merely servants. Could you feel that before?"

"I could..."

Not just could.

I could absolutely.

Zhao Chi had been studying for the past two years, never leaving the main gate or stepping out the second door, yet he could still feel the nobles' dominance and aggression.

Before the nobles, every powerful family was as docile as a dog.

"So... the nobles do not regard ordinary people as their own kind. If one day they cannot control ordinary people, they would rather perish together than let ordinary people rise. They would even allow alien races to rule rather than let ordinary people rule."

"This... isn't this madness? What are they thinking?"

"I cannot figure it out either, but that is how they think. They would rather die, or rather benefit alien races, than let ordinary people rule over them. That is their mindset. So for them, survival can only come later."

"A bunch of idiots!"

"Ha~ Exactly, idiots."

"If that is the case, why did they distribute World Stones before? Why not just take them all? That would ensure long-term peace and stability."

Li Ruanyu smiled, "It was indeed like that long ago, but ordinary people would also resist. To ensure long-term peace and stability, the nobles could only open some passages and distribute a small amount of World Stones. This greatly reduced the level of resistance. Ordinary people all rushed to grab the distributed World Stones, so their resistance against the nobles weakened significantly."

Zhao Chi shook his head, "That still isn't right. Even if ordinary people are numerous, even if they resist, they cannot possibly oppose the nobles, can they? The nobles have so many World Stones; if they all establish Territories, they can gain vast numbers of Territory residents every day. Relying on the residents of their Territories, couldn't they easily deal with ordinary people?"

Li Ruanyu nodded, "You are right. That is exactly what they did even longer ago."

"Then... what happened next?"

"Then the ordinary people were wiped out."

"Ah? Sister, don't scare me. Explain clearly."

"Hehe, you are right. The nobles have so many World Stones; if they all establish Territories, their subordinates are endless. Dealing with ordinary people is not a piece of cake?"

"... Yes."

"So the ordinary people were killed off."

"Not, Sister... you, what do you mean? The ordinary people were killed off... then what about us?"

Li Ruanyu sighed, "Who do you think you are?"

Damn...

Zhao Chi said in shock, "I am not an ordinary person? Then who am I? Who are all those ordinary people outside?"

Li Ruanyu said, "For the nobles to ensure long-term peace and stability, if ordinary people were wiped out, they would indeed be secure for a long time, but how would they ensure long-term rule? Who would they govern?"

"Yes... govern whom?"

"Govern the weaker side. Among the nobles, whoever is stronger remains a noble; whoever is weaker becomes a new commoner."

I see...

Zhao Chi was speechless for a moment.

He drained the tea in his hand in one gulp, then asked, "So, there are many World Stones, but they all ended up in the nobles' hands. To ensure long-term peace and stability, the nobles distribute a batch of World Stones periodically to stabilize everyone. Is that right?"

Li Ruanyu opened her red lips, "Exactly."

"And we... our ancestors were nobles who lost in previous battles and were suppressed into ordinary people? Is that so?"

Li Ruanyu smiled, "Mm, at least half are like that."

"Half? Then what about the other half?"

"The other half are Territory residents."

"What?? Territory residents??"

"Yes, Territory residents, the nobles' Territory residents."

"Sister, be more specific."

Li Ruanyu smiled, "Among your women, how many are your Territory residents?"

Zhao Chi was somewhat surprised she suddenly asked this.

But he answered anyway, "Four."

"Do you like them?"

This question...

Zhao Chi did not know why Li Ruanyu asked this, but praising other women in front of her seemed a bit inappropriate, right?

But it didn't matter.

Li Ruanyu already knew they existed beneath Zhao Chi.

"Mm, I like them."

Li Ruanyu said, "Do you plan to have them bear you a few babies?"

"I have no such plans for now, but if things stabilize later and my strength becomes greater, I will."

"If there is a chance, would you be willing to bring them to the Great World?"

"This... of course. After all, the Territory World is too small; it is more like a cage. How vast the Great World is..."

Li Ruanyu smiled, "The nobles before were the same. Some Territory residents were the nobles' family members; some were subordinates who had established military merits for the nobles. They all gained the qualification to reach the Great World. Over time, more and more Territory residents reached the Great World, so it continues to this day."

Zhao Chi asked, "So these ordinary people around us could be descendants of nobles or descendants of Territory residents?"

"Exactly."

"If that is the case, shouldn't we possess many improved genes? Whether descendants of nobles or powerful Territory residents, there shouldn't be a lack of improved genes, right? But why does it feel like the people around us have none?"

Li Ruanyu said softly, "Think about it. If commoners had many improved genes, wouldn't that pose a great threat to the nobles?"

"Mm... yes, a great threat, certainly much greater than now."

"So, everyone has been reset; all kinds of genes have been eliminated."

"Eliminated? By whom?"

"The nobles of today."

"Nobles again..."

That makes sense...

If not them, then who else?

It is still for the sake of long-lasting rule, so of course they must eliminate all the super-strong genes of ordinary people.

Then make ordinary people truly become ordinary people, and obediently accept their rule.

Li Ruanyu thoughtfully filled the teacup and handed it over.

Zhao Chi drank it down in one gulp again.

"What's wrong, Zhao Chi? Are you in a bad mood after hearing all this?"

"It's not so much a bad mood; it's just that I never thought about many of these things before. Hearing them now feels very... shocking."

"Yes, hearing such things is indeed hard to accept quickly."

Zhao Chi fell silent for a moment.

Li Ruanyu kept smiling at Zhao Chi, waiting for him to adjust his mindset on his own.

Zhao Chi smiled at her, then asked again: "Sister, since the nobles are so strong... why were they beaten so badly by the werewolves? They have so many World Stones; doesn't each of them have at least 10,000 territories? If it were simply because they were ambushed by werewolves, it shouldn't have been this bad, right?"

Li Ruanyu laughed: "The nobles are indeed strong, but not to a heaven-shaking degree. Although they have many World Stones, they cannot possibly establish 10,000 territories. The number of territories each person has is limited. Typically, each person has at most 10 or so territories; a few more might have dozens, but people with over 100 territories are rare, and those with thousands of territories simply do not exist."

"There's such a restriction?"

"Yes, after all, territories are tied to the lords, so of course there are limits. You have 5-6 women now; you feel very happy and can manage them. But if you had 100 women, could you still manage them?"

Li Ruanyu was quite good at using examples.

Zhao Chi spends three hours every day with those women of his.

It is not just to satisfy them; more importantly, it is to increase various energy points.

If there were truly 100 women, and they were genuine relationships, Zhao Chi certainly would not have that much time.

He would inevitably favor some and neglect others.

Zhao Chi asked: "I understand. So the nobles cannot use up all those World Stones either. Then having so many World Stones is really a waste."

Li Ruanyu said: "Actually, World Stones do not have to be used only for oneself. Sometimes they can be given to the subjects to use, allowing subjects to become territorial nobles and establish subordinate territories, which can achieve the effect of more territories. But discussing such matters with you is still too early... Just know the concept for now. However, subjects are still subjects, not oneself. Having too many subjects who possess territories is unsafe."

She did not know that Zhao Chi had already reached this level.

Now Gu Qing is Zhao Chi's subordinate noble, a territorial noble.

"Sister, I have another question. Even if subordinates become territorial nobles, one should still be able to see their loyalty, right? If they have loyalty, why would it still be dangerous? After all, one can monitor them at all times."

Li Ruanyu laughed: "Because of human hearts. Even subjects have their own personalities and their own thoughts. And didn't I just say that half of those around us are descendants of nobles, and the other half are descendants of subjects? Can you tell who is who?"

Tell them apart?

Zhao Chi thought back to everyone he had encountered and simply could not tell them apart.