Chapter 386: Rebellion?

Anya smiled at Gao Jie Ming with a pure expression, her voice ethereal and melodious:

"Mr. Gao Jie Ming, it's been a long time. This… is my grandmother's realm. I'm glad to see you again, even under these circumstances."

She turned to Viola and bowed respectfully: "Auntie Viola, you've come."

Viola's lips twitched almost imperceptibly at the term "auntie," but she reluctantly accepted the generational title.

On the other side, Gao Jie Ming watched Anya's innocent, shy, and pitiable demeanor, and his own lips twitched just as subtly.

He knew far too well what this person was truly like.

This pure and innocent facade was nothing but a carefully applied coat of paint!

Peel it away, and inside lurked a mad soul—obsessed with research, willing to sacrifice everything, eyes burning hot enough to scorch.

Their brief encounter during the graduation trial had already shown him this "genius's" near-pathological curiosity toward the unknown.

Viola, lacking Gao Jie Ming's internal drama, cut straight to the point, frowning: "Anya, what exactly is going on? How did this realm become like this?"

Anya fell silent for an instant, her slender fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her dress, then answered softly, embarrassed: "It's… the servant races originally kept as observational specimens within my grandmother's realm… have rebelled."

"Rebelled?"

The word clanked into Gao Jie Ming and Viola's minds like a rusted gear, causing both to wear nearly tangible expressions of bewilderment.

Could the word "rebellion" truly occur in the territory of a formal wizard—let alone the private realm of a Level Six wizard?

Gao Jie Ming couldn't help recalling his own experience in the Golden Garden domain of Noren-147.

He'd indeed faced chaos there, but strictly speaking, it wasn't a "rebellion."

He'd accepted those humans, dwarves, and elves mostly at David's request, never treating them as traditional servant races.

Beyond the first generation, no strict soul contracts had ever been signed.

And the root cause of the unrest then was his first involvement in a large-scale realm war—he'd been absent far longer than expected, and his inexperience led to poor follow-up arrangements.

Even so, the level of unrest in his domain had been extremely limited.

In short, under normal circumstances, a typical formal wizard who cared to manage his domain could never allow his own backyard to ignite.

Yet now, Anya claimed a Level Six wizard's private realm had experienced a "rebellion"?

Not to mention soul contracts as a basic restraint—what did a Level Six wizard even represent?

They were beings capable of touching and manipulating the very essence of a realm!

Within their own realm, they were nearly synonymous with the rules and the realm itself.

Suppressing internal enemies often required nothing more than a thought—deploying the realm's own power to crush them.

Gao Jie Ming, aware he wasn't familiar with this unknown Level Six wizard, followed the principle of "say less, do less," suppressing his doubts deep within.

But Viola clearly had no such reservations; she crossed her arms and spoke bluntly, tone dripping with "I told you so": "That idiot's having another episode again? What nonsense is this?"

Anya's smile grew even more awkward as she whispered: "Grandmother says… war is an inevitable 'baptism' and 'catalyst' for any sentient race in its developmental process. She believes forced intervention would disrupt the natural integrity of spiritual evolution, so… she chose not to interfere."

Gao Jie Ming, however, caught another key implication in her words—he couldn't help asking: "Anya, are you saying… your grandmother never signed soul contracts with these servant races in her domain?"

Anya nodded obediently: "Yes, Gao Jie Ming. The races in her domain were mostly created by her personally using Life Alchemy and Soul Weaving techniques."

"She believes soul contracts, while convenient for control, might subconsciously restrict the free development and creativity of spirit. To pursue the most 'primitive' and 'authentic' evolutionary data, she never signed any form of enslavement contract from the start."

Hearing this, Gao Jie Ming couldn't help rubbing his nose bridge, feeling a headache coming on.

Now the logic made sense.

Viola's friend, a powerful Level Six wizard, had taken on the role of "Creator" and "Observer" within her own realm.

She created life, endowed it with spirit, and then… let go.

She allowed it to develop freely—even embracing war as an extreme form—simply to observe spiritual evolution in its "natural" state.

Gao Jie Ming could only silently evaluate: this senior wizard's research method was truly… shockingly extravagant, ridiculously lavish!

Since this situation was deliberately permitted, it wasn't hard to understand how such a "rebellion" could occur.

But to let things escalate to the point of full-scale war across the entire realm… this wizard's "experimental scale" and "level of permissiveness" were truly extraordinary.

Viola, seemingly accustomed to her friend's style, shifted to another question: "Then why were we teleported to this hellhole? When I came before, I always arrived directly at her precious laboratory."

Anya quickly replied: "Because the speed and scale of this 'rebellion' exceeded Grandmother's initial predictions, triggering the realm's automatic emergency defense protocol. She hadn't yet had time to manually adjust permissions, so all incoming unmarked teleports are now automatically routed to this observation outpost near the front lines."

"I was sent here because Grandmother detected your energy signatures upon arrival and specifically dispatched me to escort you to a safe laboratory zone."

Viola waved her hand, exasperated: "Fine, fine, I get it. No need for you to lead—we know exactly where that idiot's lab is hidden. Follow me."

She clearly knew the route well.

Gao Jie Ming turned to the Black Giant Priest, who had just returned with the two still-twitching elemental beings and animated plants, and looked hesitantly at Anya and Viola: "What… about these specimens?"

He paused, then added: "We instinctively fought back—will that interfere with your grandmother's experimental data?"

Anya blinked her clear blue eyes, shaking her head in confusion: "Um… Grandmother didn't say. I don't know how to handle them."

Viola, however, was direct: "Eliminate these individuals entirely. They have been severely contaminated by my law power and lost normal behavioral patterns. Their existence is already distorted—keeping them risks polluting the experimental environment."

"As for our intervention and the possibility of our observations being detected…" she sighed, "There's nothing we can do now—just ask that crazy old woman face-to-face whether she even cares."

Watching Viola effortlessly take flight, orient herself, and speed ahead, Gao Jie Ming sighed and shook his head.

He sent a mental command; the Black Giant Priests acted without hesitation, ending the suffering of the captives on the ground, then he reabsorbed them into his inner void space.

Beside him, Anya directed the natural spirits around her to assist in clearing the moaning, grotesque creatures lying on the ground.

Together, they finished the cleanup swiftly.

Gao Jie Ming and Anya then took to the air, following Viola ahead.

Mid-flight, Anya subtly drifted closer to Gao Jie Ming and whispered, her blue eyes sparkling with curiosity: "Gao Jie Ming, I heard… you're the one who researched that 'fictional law' and created those fascinating 'imaginary elements'?"

Gao Jie Ming glanced at her and nodded: "Yes, that's correct."

Upon confirmation, Anya immediately perked up, speaking faster: "Can I buy some from you? If military merit isn't enough, I'll trade my collection of spirit crystals or ancient soul runes! Grandmother says, according to her research, your imaginary elements have uniquely potent effects on the growth and mutation of various spirits!"

"No need for special materials—military merit is fine for exchange."

Gao Jie Ming didn't mind; spiritual energy wasn't a scarce, non-renewable resource to him.

In fact, he hoped more people would buy his spiritual energy.

After all, once the Infernal Sulfur Realm's incense deity path is fully transformed, he'll have a constant, realm-wide supply of spiritual energy being generated—far more than he could possibly use in a short time.

He replied casually: "We can discuss the exchange ratio later. But…"

Gao Jie Ming glanced at Anya, who flew beside him—her expression still appeared shy, yet he clearly sensed the subtle spiritual fluctuations radiating from her, carrying emotions.

It wasn't just curiosity—it was a mix of intense excitement, probing desire, and even a faint hunger, as if viewing him as a rare experimental specimen.

Gao Jie Ming shuddered, rubbing his arms in disgust as goosebumps rose: "…But before that, could you please stop giving me that 'I really want to dissect you and see what's inside' look?"

Anya, caught out, didn't blush—instead, she licked her lips and smiled, a grin utterly incongruous with her innocent appearance, tinged with chilling menace:

"Sorry, Gao Jie Ming. But… your life essence smells too 'delicious.' Even stronger than the last time we met—I can barely resist."

Gao Jie Ming's eye twitched violently; he decided to say not another word to this potential research maniac and future cannibal, silently accelerating to close the distance with Viola.

Best to meet the real person here as soon as possible, get this over with, and find a way to leave quickly!

(End of Chapter)