Chapter 1091

"You might think I am flattering you, and in your life, you have likely encountered many people who have flattered you with insincere words."

"But you might as well think about it: what is the difference between me and them? What could I possibly gain by spending so much time praising you?"

Before Shiler had even finished his question, Magneto's expression indicated that he had already fallen into deep thought.

After Shiler finished that sentence, his first reaction was indeed disbelief, because it sounded far too much like sycophancy.

Moreover, it sounded even more like sycophancy that had missed the mark, carrying a tone of irony.

Since Magneto became famous, it was not as if there hadn't been people who needed things from him, greeting him with smiles and flattering him.

However, the main aspect these people praised was Magneto's formidable power; this kind of praise was the least likely to go wrong.

Before approaching Magneto, these people had already done their homework; they understood that if they praised Magneto's temper and character, it would sound far too much like mockery.

The whole world knew that Magneto had a terrible temper and was a terrorist; if you insisted on going to his ear and saying, "I truly admire your character," wouldn't that be asking for death?

Therefore, this was almost the first time Magneto had heard someone admire his personality, so, in that instant, his first reaction was disbelief.

Before Shiler's question had even been fully posed, Magneto's analytical method began to shift from intuition to rational thinking; he was inherently a more rational person, and he preferred to use logic to judge any reaction from anyone.

However, from a logical perspective, this matter was even stranger.

Shiler had no need to praise him, and Shiler would not gain any extra benefits from this flattery.

Of course, it was possible that Shiler wanted to utilize Magneto's formidable power again, but Magneto knew that if Shiler used the same trading method as before—that is, providing benefits to the Brotherhood of Mutants and mutants as a whole to hire Magneto to do things for him—it would not only be easier, but he also wouldn't need to set aside his dignity.

For someone with sufficient ability, gaining an advantage in social aspects is not necessary.

Shiler clearly belonged to this type of person; he could use his own plans to make everyone follow his arrangements, so there was no need to greet anyone with a smile, yet he had specifically praised Magneto.

Although Magneto's heart still leaned toward disbelief, he had already begun to waver, and at this moment, Shiler continued to speak:

"I know. You don't believe that I am praising you sincerely, but have you ever thought about why you don't believe in other people's praise? Is this a nature that humans should have?"

Magneto had just fallen into thought and hadn't yet reached an answer when Shiler answered his own question: "Of course not; humans are naturally happy to receive praise from others; this is human nature."

"Of course, there are some people who have little confidence in themselves and feel that others' praise is false, feeling that they are not that good, but I don't think you are that kind of person; you have absolute confidence in your own abilities, otherwise, you would never reach such powerful control."

Magneto's action of tapping the side of the cup with his fingertips slowly stopped; although he did not answer, he knew it. Shiler was speaking the truth.

A mutant's control over their own abilities is sometimes idealistic; that is to say, the more one feels their ability will go out of control, the easier it is for the ability to go out of control.

And the more confidence one has in oneself, the more one can wield mutant abilities as if they were one's own arms, and the more one can use them with divine mastery; the powerful Master of Magnetism was clearly the latter.

Magneto had never been a person with low self-esteem, or rather, he had become so arrogant that he believed he could control all things in the universe.

Yet, for a person so confident, even arrogant, to have disbelief as his first reaction when facing praise from others, there was clearly some problem here.

"Of course, it is also possible that you suspect I have ulterior motives; this reaction could also stem from your suspicious nature."

"However, your reason is telling you that if I wanted to gain benefits from you, I wouldn't need to come and say nice things to you; I have faster and less strenuous methods."

"Then. After your reason reached this conclusion, you are still resisting believing in my sincere praise of you; what exactly is the reason for this?"

Shiler's questions came one after another, leaving Magneto with no time to care whether he had already lost control of the conversation.

Every one of Shiler's questions struck at the heart of the matter; he himself also felt puzzled, so he did not realize that he was following Shiler's train of thought.

Upon realizing that neither personality influence nor rational judgment was sufficient to cause his resistance, Magneto also began to think: why exactly did he feel that Shiler was not sincerely praising him?

A person who leans toward reason and logic spends their whole life pursuing definitive answers within logical links; Magneto was the same. If one joint remained unthought-out, he would repeatedly think about it, ignoring everything else.

At this moment, Shiler spoke again: "Perhaps the answer is simpler than you imagine; this has nothing to do with your personality, emotions, or IQ. Is it possible that it is just because of 'conformity psychology'?"

"'Conformity psychology'..." Magneto softly recited these terms, but it was actually just the literal meaning; there was nothing to delve into.

At this time, Magneto had not yet understood the crux of the matter, and Shiler spoke up at the right moment to explain:

"When the people around you all say 'no,' an individual will also lean more toward 'no.' When the people around you evaluate something poorly, even if you haven't practiced it yourself, there is a greater probability that you will make a negative evaluation of this matter."

"This is actually not a weakness of human nature; it is just a byproduct of the process of humans constantly self-domesticating and establishing collective consciousness since the establishment of a sedentary society."

"People don't like to appear different from others; it's not that they don't have a personality, it's just that their instinctual judgment is that the place where the vast majority of people go will have lower danger."

"And falling upon you, it is actually that, apart from me, very few people have sincerely praised you. My point of view contradicts the public's point of view, and you had already accepted the public's point of view, so when I raised an objection to this, your first reaction was to not accept it."

"This is not because you have low self-esteem, nor is it because you are suspicious; it is just because you accepted the point of view of the majority and stood with the public."

Magneto's expression instantly stiffened; it was the first time he had heard someone say he stood with the public, and subsequently, he let out a cold laugh and said: "... This joke is not funny at all."

"Do you think you are someone who doesn't follow the beaten path and doesn't mingle with ordinary people?" Shiler asked again.

Although Magneto remained silent and did not answer, his gaze already explained everything.

If Magneto were truly a person who was good at integrating into the society of ordinary people, he wouldn't be staying alone in the Andromeda Galaxy right now.

Just thinking of this, Magneto discovered that Shiler had used so many steps of foreshadowing to dig a dilemma-filled trap for him.

If he said that he was an unlikable person who was not worth being sincerely praised by others, that would mean his point of view was consistent with the public, and the thing Magneto hated most in his life was that group of ordinary people; he would rather die than mingle with this group.

And if he wanted to contradict the public point of view, he would have to feel that he was worth liking and being praised, then his point of view would coincide with Shiler's point of view; that is to say, he must accept Shiler's praise and admit that his goodwill was not out of interest, but from the heart.

Magneto had never sincerely accepted praise from others in his life, nor had he ever acknowledged the goodwill of others.

No matter which path Magneto chose, he had to take a step he had never taken before.

Magneto looked at Shiler's eyes and slowly narrowed his eyes, then, in a slightly strange tone, he said: "It seems you haven't done this kind of thing for the first time, Doctor."

However, contrary to Magneto's expectations, Shiler did not stare at him in silence like before, forcing him to give an answer.

He just picked up the water cup in front of him, took a sip, and said:

"Erik, the tea is a bit cold; drink it quickly."

Magneto didn't put any attention on the water cup; his eyes were constantly staring at Shiler because Shiler's reaction was beyond his expectations.

This sentence Shiler said was actually equivalent to clearing the trap himself; Magneto could completely use this to change the subject instead of having to make the dilemma-filled choice just now.

What made Magneto feel puzzled was that Shiler did this on purpose; he deliberately handed Magneto a step to change the subject instead of using the language trap he had carefully laid to force Magneto to take a new step.

This made Magneto even more puzzled about Shiler's goal; it was clearly a good time to break his psychological defenses just now, with the tip of the knife already against his forehead, why did he pull it back?

Suddenly, Magneto was stunned for a moment; he cast his attention toward the teacup and thought of the action he had just performed.

Previously, Shiler had described him as a stray dog kicked off Earth, so he controlled the teacup and pressed it against Shiler's forehead.

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Actually, Magneto originally had the ability to control the teacup to splash water and drench Shiler's face with tea.

Or let the teacup remain motionless, even if Shiler touched it with his hand or pulled it hard, it wouldn't move even half a point.

This wouldn't cause any harm to Shiler, it would only make Shiler feel embarrassed, but he didn't choose to do so.

And when Shiler controlled a sharp knife forged with language and pressed it against Magneto's head, he could also clearly have kept asking for an answer, forcing Magneto to make a choice.

This wouldn't cause any psychological harm to Magneto, it would only make him appear like a fool who hadn't noticed the language trap and had accidentally fallen into it.

At this point, Magneto finally discovered that from the moment he entered the door, not a single action or sentence of Shiler's was superfluous, including the "the tea is cold, drink it quickly" he said just now.

This sentence was not only a step, but also the bell for announcing the correct answer.

If you don't rely on your powerful strength to disrespect me, I naturally won't force you by winning with words.

At this time, Magneto thought again: when he pressed the teacup against Shiler's forehead, why didn't Shiler move?

Magneto didn't think Shiler lacked the ability to resolve this crisis with a more elegant posture.

But Shiler did nothing, just waited quietly until the slowly calming water surface gave him a signal, and only then did he proceed with the next action in an extremely cautious posture.

Magneto thought again that since Shiler entered the room, he hadn't placed the things he was carrying on any surface other than the floor; this kind of action was clearly done by restraining the instinct of ordinary social interaction.

In Magneto's mind, a question began to swirl constantly: Shiler had no need to do this at all, so why did he go to such lengths?

Why did Shiler have to be so polite when facing a terrorist?

If this was just Shiler's instinct, then he was truly noble to a terrifying degree; if this was special treatment for Magneto, then what virtue or ability did he have?

Could it be that Shiler really had a different view of Magneto than ordinary people? Did he really not think Magneto was an annoying person who was difficult to get close to?

Could it be that Shiler really practically believed that spending extra effort to express goodwill would be rewarded?

Magneto let out a long sigh; before this, no one had ever heard Magneto sigh; he was always cold, serious, and awe-inspiring.

But when Shiler picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, the tea was no longer as bitter as before due to being slightly cold; on the contrary, it had been heated to a temperature just right for drinking.

When the white mist rose, the fragrance of tea drifted in the room, and Shiler gently raised the teacup toward Magneto.

He seemed to have prepared some words he wanted to say for a long time, but when he opened his mouth, he lowered his head and said quite implicitly:

"You like drinking old wine, but that doesn't mean you don't like new tea, does it?"