Nothing Wrong

Ren Yi: "???"

Countless question marks swirled in Ren Yi's mind. He froze for several seconds before he could finally react.

He had grown accustomed to the fact that when he asked his brother about serious matters, Ren Man would sometimes drop massive amounts of information in just a few short words. This time was no different.

He? Who? Death?

Death was actually an Anomaly?

And it was an Anomaly that could actually make Ren Man feel "annoyed"?

Ren Yi felt that he should perhaps maintain the highest level of vigilance toward any noun-like terms within the Alliance.

First, there were things like the Anomaly Web and the Mirror, which sounded like objects. Now, there was the even more intangible and elusive "Death."

The forms that Anomalies took were becoming increasingly abstract, completely exceeding his understanding.

However, this was the first time he had ever seen Ren Man show such a reaction.

Disgust, disdain, and a hint of helplessness.

Ren Yi immediately grew wary and asked cautiously, "Why is He annoying?"

Ren Man lowered his eyes, his gaze falling upon the food on the dining table. After a few seconds of silence, he gave a brief explanation:

"Death dissolves pain."

Death... dissolves... pain?

Ren Yi nodded thoughtfully, a look of realization appearing on his face.

Of course, after death, all pain would cease to exist.

So, was there a conflict between Ren Man and 【Death】 regarding "food," or rather, their Rules?

Did it mean that his brother and 【Death】 were "fighting over the same meal"?

Individuals killed by 【Death】 naturally couldn't provide pain, so his brother would... wait.

Ren Yi suddenly snapped his head up, his eyes full of confusion as he asked.

"But in that case, isn't 'Death' a good thing?"

He had almost fallen into a trap of logic.

"Do not feel pain."

That was what Ren Man had said to him when he took him away from the Three Cities World.

Ren Man's Rule was pain, yet he loathed it. He didn't enjoy seeing others suffer.

In the entertainment city, he had even felt a sense of discomfort because the "pain" was too thick.

Conversely, in that field of Sleep Grass that would plunge everyone into an eternal slumber, where there was no pain and no conflict, Ren Man had seemed exceptionally at ease.

So, Ren Man didn't enjoy spreading pain. On the contrary, he was incredibly "kind."

In reality, once he sensed someone's suffering, he would, with the utmost concern, bring them... Death.

Whether they were humans, animals, souls, or worlds.

Death dissolves pain.

This meant that, in his view, death was perhaps not a terrifying thing, but a release—a gift bestowed upon the suffering.

Ren Yi looked down somewhat blankly, stirring his rice with his chopsticks.

This was the first time he had grasped a hint of Ren Man's motivation—or perhaps he had realized it long ago but had never thought deeply about it.

He felt a sense of confusion.

Was this right?

A very distant voice seemed to tell him that this was wrong.

It was faint, like a thick fog, blurry and ungraspable. When he tried to listen closely, it vanished in an instant.

He tried to catch that weak rebuttal, only to find his mind completely blank.

Wrong? What was wrong?

He picked up a piece of fish, his fingertips feeling the warmth. He put it in his mouth, and the savory, salty flavor overflowed.

Nothing was wrong.

Ren Yi calmly abandoned his attempt to seize that fading sensation, like releasing a butterfly with tattered wings into the wind.

It was beautiful; if a school teacher asked every child to bring an insect specimen to class, it would surely make for a fine assignment.

But he had no need to create specimens, nor did he have any responsibility to uphold or anyone to impress.

He had made his choice long ago.