While Tapu Lele went down to retrieve the treasure, the unconscious Moltres began to stir.
Despite being injured—and Metagross showing it no mercy during the fight—it had only taken five minutes to wake up. Any ordinary Pokémon wouldn't have regained consciousness for at least half a day.
This was just one of the terrifying traits of a Legendary Pokémon.
"Oh, you're awake."
Moltres was still dazed when a light, drifting voice reached its ears, making it instantly tense up.
But the next second, it realized—it couldn't move at all.
"Meta~"
Metagross was using Psychic to completely restrain it.
This guy was now the "merchandise" to be exchanged with Tapu Lele for the treasure—there was no way they could let it escape.
"Stay put. Once the ransom's paid, you'll be free to go," Julian said calmly.
Moltres: 'Ransom?'
'When was I kidnapped? How come I didn't know?'
Moltres still hadn't figured out the situation. The only thing it knew was that it had been defeated by this human.
Now, the man wasn't trying to capture it, nor was he letting it go. Instead, he was demanding a ransom.
'Ransom? Who's gonna pay for me?'
Baffled, Moltres soon got its answer.
As Tapu Lele emerged from the magma, Julian, Metagross, and Moltres immediately turned their attention to it—but their gazes were quickly drawn to the pale golden, lotus-like flame floating beside Tapu Lele.
"Screech!"
The moment Moltres saw the pale golden flame, it became frenzied.
Its expression was like that of a man imprisoned for ten years suddenly seeing the most beautiful woman in the world.
With tremendous force, it struggled against Metagross's Psychic grip—but failed to break free.
Pop!
The Poké Ball containing Arcanine burst open.
"Arf~"
Arcanine: "I want that."
Its eyes burned with deep desire—even stronger than its usual excitement over new furniture.
Moltres: "Damn mutt! That treasure is MINE!"
Moltres was furious. It had coveted that treasure for who knows how many years, but it had been buried so deep that it could never reach it.
"Who are you calling a mutt? Don't you know, if you insult the dog, you're insulting its owner?"
Julian, wearing heat-resistant gloves, smacked Moltres across the face.
'Only I can scold my dog.' –The Domineering CEO Julian, quoted.
As Arcanine stared at the pale golden flame beside Tapu Lele, it felt every cell in its body trembling. It was radiating pure, unfiltered desire.
Drool had already started dripping from its mouth.
Julian: 'My dog's embarrassing me again… but I'm used to it.'
Then he activated his Probing Eyes to inspect the golden flame.
[Flame of Life: When a Pokémon dies, it can be reborn in Nirvana through flames. After rebirth, its level resets to zero, and its potential rises to Gold-tier. (Limited to Fire-type Pokémon with minimum potential of Blue tier or higher)]
Seeing this description, Julian's face lit up with delight—but there was also a strange look in his eyes.
"Is this a resurrection coin? A second-life armor?" Julian muttered.
To be reborn through flames meant instant revival after death. The effect was exactly like a resurrection coin.
The key point, however, was that after revival, the Pokémon's level would reset to zero. That made sense—it was like starting the grind all over again.
But the most crucial part was this: after rebirth, the Pokémon's potential would be elevated to Gold-tier.
You had to understand—what kind of Pokémon had Gold-tier potential? Only first-class legendary Pokémon. Currently, the highest potential for regular Pokémon was only Purple.
Even Metagross, after consuming the Heart of Arceus, only had one-third of its Purple potential upgraded to Gold.
And that was already the limit of what the Heart of Arceus could do. The item had already been fully absorbed by Metagross.
To upgrade the remaining two-thirds of Metagross's potential to Gold, Julian would have to invest resources comparable to the Top-tier treasures.
But now, with the Flame of Life, as long as a Pokémon dies once, it can leap straight to Gold-tier potential.
Sure, there were restrictions, but Arcanine met all of them.
What could he say—this Flame of Lifecould indeed be considered an Ultimate treasure—but to make use of it, a Pokémon had to die first.
If it doesn't die, even if it consumes it, it would have no effect.
Death!
Julian had never once imagined his Pokémon dying.
"Eat it," Julian said to Arcanine.
Having an extra life wasn't a bad thing. Hopefully, it'd never need to use it.
Moltres: "Oi, wait a damn second!"
Moltres panicked. How could this treasure be given to that dumb dog?
It looked at Julian pleadingly: "If you give this treasure to me… I'll become your Pokémon!"
Julian shook his head. "You're not worthy."
'Do you even realize you're just a tool bird? With Tapu Lele around, you can't even be captured.'
And in terms of loyalty and closeness, Arcanine was the obvious choice.
Moltres, for the first time, realized that even as a legendary Pokémon, it didn't have much status.
Especially when it saw the smug look on Arcanine's face.
Arcanine: 'I'm the master's favorite. Who the hell are you?'
Its tail wagged with such joy it practically left afterimages.
Under Moltres's despairing gaze, Arcanine swallowed the Flame of Life in one bite.
It even licked its lips afterward.
Moltres: "…What did it taste like?"
Arcanine: "Ate it too fast. Didn't notice."
The Flame of Life had zipped straight into its body the moment it was swallowed—how could it possibly feel anything?
But in the next second, an overwhelming energy erupted from Arcanine's body.
Metagross instantly shielded Julian.
The surge of energy came fast, and disappeared just as quickly.
Once the energy dissipated, Arcanine's grin stretched from ear to ear.
It had broken through to the Elite-tier.
Then—pa!—a smack landed on his head.
Julian said angrily, "Why couldn't you hold back a little? Why rush the breakthrough now?"
Arcanine wasn't bothered at all. It happily licked Julian's face, tail wagging furiously.
Arcanine: "I couldn't help it! The moment I ate that thing, I just broke through!"
Julian pulled up Arcanine's status panel.
Pokémon: Arcanine (Fire)
Level: 75
Potential: Blue
Ability: Flash Fire
Held Item: Hardened Charcoal
Gender: Male
Moves: Leer, Ember, Howl, Bite, Flame Wheel, Helping Hand, Agility, Extreme Speed, Reversal, Flamethrower, Crunch, Fire Fang, Roar, Retaliate, Play Rough, Take Down
TMs: Protect, Fire Spin, Hyper Beam, Dig, Sunny Day, Giga Impact, Heat Wave, Wild Charge, Psychic Fangs, Blast Burn, Burn Up, Incinerate, Thunder Fang, Flame Charge, Eruption, Heat Crash
Egg Moves: Flare Blitz, Overheat, Double-Edge, Outrage
Note: Fire-type moves +20% power. Can be reborn from flames once.
---
Level 75—decent, mid-stage Elite-tier. Originally, Julian had planned to train Arcanine to break through to late-stage Elite directly.
But he hadn't expected the Flame of Lifeto push it ahead of schedule.
The note at the bottom also included a new line—proof of its rebirth ability.
Now, counting the newly advanced Arcanine, Julian already had four Elite-tier Pokémon on his team.
In this secret realm, aside from the two slumbering first-class legendaries, as long as he didn't screw up catastrophically…
He could basically walk around like he owned the place.
Arcanine: "What's up with this bird?"
Moltres felt like its entire bird life had lost its purpose. The treasure it had pursued for over a hundred years had just been devoured right in front of it… by a dumb dog.
And that dumb dog even rubbed it in, adding insult to injury.
Seeing Moltres emitting a gloomy grayish-white aura, Julian gave it another hard slap across the face.
"Pull yourself together. It's just a treasure, right? With the energy of this volcano, another one will grow back in a few hundred years," Julian said casually.
Originally, Julian had only meant to mock Moltres—after all, a few hundred years? Who could wait that long?
But when Moltres heard that, its eyes lit up with hope.
A few hundred years wasn't long at all. One of its naps easily lasted several decades—waiting a few centuries was completely doable.
And by then, it'd definitely be even stronger. It would surely be able to claim the treasure once it regrew.
Thinking this, Moltres looked at Julian with bright eyes. Not only did it not mind the slap from earlier, it even said gratefully, "Thank you, human."
But then it seemed to realize something and quickly asked warily, "You're not going to come back and steal the treasure again in a few hundred years, are you?"
Julian went silent at that.
'A few hundred years?'
Hell, he wasn't even sure if he'd live to be a hundred.
'I mean, I'd love to… but my lifespan says no.'
Seeing Julian lost in thought instead of answering, Moltres' face paled.
"D-don't tell me…" It wailed, on the verge of tears. "Stealing it once wasn't enough?! You're really gonna do this to me AGAIN?!"
Watching the legendary bird look so pitiful, as if it was about to cry, Julian gave it another solid slap: "Stop crying. I won't steal from you next time."
Moltres: "...Really?"
That wronged expression… It really didn't live up to its reputation as a Legendary Pokémon.
Julian nodded.
Tapu Lele, meanwhile, thought that if there was any other Moltres in this secret realm, it would've replaced this one out long ago. 'So damn embarrassing.'
Tapu Lele: "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. And if you wish to leave this island, you'll have to defeat me first."
"Wait," Julian called out.
Tapu Lele: "What, you want to challenge me now?"
It looked calm on the outside, but was sweating a little internally.
"No. I just want to know—how many humans are left on this island?" Julian asked.
Tapu Lele: "Why should I tell you?"
'I'm a Guardian Deity, getting strong-armed once was bad enough. Now you want to keep bossing me around?'
Julian smirked, "You wouldn't want anything… unfortunate to happen to Moltres, would you?"
Metagross very cooperatively placed its claw on Moltres's slender neck.
And Moltres was even more cooperative, looking at Tapu Lele with pleading eyes.
Tapu Lele: ⊙0⊙
'This human is truly shameless.'
Tapu Lele never expected Julian to pull the same trick again.
Was threatening it becoming a hobby for him?
But if it refused to answer—
Watching Metagross's claw inch closer to Moltres's neck, Tapu Lele finally relented, "Including you, there are fifteen remaining."
"There were originally twenty-five who arrived, and eleven are already dead."
Julian nodded, then pulled out his phone and flipped through his gallery—stopping at a photo of five people.
"Are these five on the island?"
The photo showed the five trainers from Celestria.
Tapu Lele's face darkened. It didn't want to answer.
But then—
Moltres: "Ack—! It's piercing! The skin's gonna break!"
Metagross's claw had already pressed into Moltres's neck—not enough to pierce the skin, but it had clearly sunk in.
Tapu Lele gritted its teeth: "They're not here!"
'Not here? What a pity.'
Julian swiped to another photo—this time of three individuals.
"What about these three?"
Before Tapu Fini could speak, Moltres shrieked:
Moltres: "THEY'RE HERE! Those three bastards—THEY'RE the ones who injured me!"
Just thinking about how those three dishonorable Trainers sent over thirty Pokémon to gang up on it…
Fortunately, it was strong enough to kill more than a dozen of their Pokémon and drive them away.
Though it had still taken a nasty Dragon Claw strike from a Hydreigon that left a wound on its back.
That's why it had retreated to the volcano to heal and nap.
"They're here?"
Upon hearing that, Julian's eyes turned cold.
Compared to the five Celestrians, he loathed those three from Babath even more.
"Where are they now?" Julian asked.
Moltres shook its head—it didn't know. It had originally planned to go look for them once it recovered.
Julian then looked at Tapu Lele—his meaning clear.
'As the island's guardian, you'd know their location, right?'
Tapu Lele's face was now blacker than charcoal: "Human, don't push your luck!"
Metagross twitched its claw, preparing to press in further.
But before it could act, Moltres screamed again.
Moltres: 'I KNOW THE DRILL!'
Moltres: "AAAH—I'M DYING! I'm gonna die! Just tell him already! If I die, who's going to help you suppress this volcano?"
Tapu Lele looked at Moltres in surprise—it hadn't expected the bird to know that it was using it to suppress the volcano.
Seemed like this bird wasn't completely useless after all.
Moltres had known all along—after all, the duty of its kind was to absorb volcanic magma, reducing the frequency of eruptions, protecting lives, and even preventing eruptions altogether.
Seeing how cooperative Moltres was, Metagross couldn't help but think: 'This bird really knows how to bend and adapt. Not bad.'
...
Tapu Lele took several deep breaths, silently reciting a "do not rage" mantra to suppress the fury in its heart. Finally, it pointed toward the base of the volcano and spat out: "They're down there, already on their way up."
They were probably drawn by the battle between Metagross and Moltres just now.
Of course, it was also possible they had come to the volcano to hunt for treasure.
But timing was everything.
Julian had been planning to find those three—now they were walking right into his hands.
After speaking, Tapu Lele quickly flew off. Somehow, its departing figure looked a bit panicked.
'Tch. This guardian deity sure has a fragile mindset.'
Julian turned to Moltres and asked, "So, how about teaming up with me?"
After all, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.'
Though he'd forgotten that he and Moltres were technically enemies too.
Still, Moltres agreed. Compared to Julian, it hated those three Trainers even more. At least Julian had defeated it one-on-one—those three had shamelessly ganged up on it.
'Revenge is a dish best served within ten days.'
Seeing Moltres nod in agreement, Julian tossed it a Max Potion.
"Take this. It'll heal your wounds."
An emperor doesn't send starved soldiers to war. A wounded Moltres might hold him back—and as an ally, it deserved some compensation.
Moltres didn't hesitate and swallowed the whole bottle in one gulp—container and all.
A surge of internal flames ignited in its stomach, instantly vaporizing the container and absorbing the potion.
Feeling its wounds rapidly healing, Moltres's eyes lit up with delight: "Good stuff. Got any more?"
"Oh my god, the World Government is targeting the Freedom Fighters, and it's that Celestial Dragon villain who destroyed Ohara, Saint Rosse," Inside the safe house, Ginny cried out in alarm.
Even though the other side couldn't hear them while they were eavesdropping, she still waited until Rosse and Arlin hung up the Den Den Mushi before daring to make a sound.
"This is a big problem. I have to inform Dragon," Ivankov said with a solemn face, picking up the Den Den Mushi to dial.
"Wait," Kuma stopped Ivankov, "We have comrades in their hands. Can we go rescue them?"
"This... will be very difficult to save them," Ivankov hesitated a bit. He didn't want to abandon his comrades, especially since it was Captain Moa, who had followed Dragon since the early days of the Freedom Fighters.
Not only was she a veteran of the Freedom Fighters, but because of her outstanding appearance and figure, she was extremely popular within the organization.
Moreover, Moa had always liked Dragon, but because Dragon got together with another comrade and even announced that he would never love anyone else in this lifetime, her popularity in the Freedom Fighters actually rose even more.
Someone like her being caught by the World Government and sent as a gift to Rosse. Just thinking about it, one could imagine what would happen.
He simply couldn't accept something like this.
"I'll contact Dragon right now. Only he can carry out a rescue," Ivankov took a deep breath and dialed Dragon's number.
["Moshi moshi, this is Dragon."]
"Chief, Captain Moa was captured, and we also overheard…", Ginny couldn't hold back her urgency and poured out everything they had heard, like spilling a jar of beans.
There was silence on Dragon's end for a moment before he asked, ["Do you know the route they're taking to transport Moa?"]
"They said CP0 will escort her directly through the Calm Belt to deliver her to Saint Rosse," As she said that, Ginny also realized the implications and lowered her head in frustration.
"What's wrong?", Kuma didn't understand.
["We can't rescue Moa,"] Dragon sighed.
"Why? She's our comrade!", Kuma felt deeply uneasy.
Kuma could understand sacrificing for a greater goal, but what he couldn't understand was, when the situation allowed for it, why not try to rescue a comrade?
["Kuma, we don't know the specific route of the transport ship. The World Government has the most complete set of Eternal Poses and the ability to navigate through the Calm Belt. They can easily reach any island in the world."]
Ginny's voice was tinged with despair, "Unless we infiltrate the transport ship, there's no chance at all."
"Then can't we infiltrate it?", Kuma asked with a frown.
["We can't get in,"] Dragon explained in a deep voice, ["If CP0 is doing the escorting, they will definitely have Observation Haki. You all won't be able to hide on the ship unless you're also part of the 'gift.'"]
"But if we're being sent as gifts too, then we won't be able to contact the chief, nor let him know where we are," Ginny said, spreading her hands.
The more they talked, the more discouraged they became. They simply couldn't find a way to rescue their comrade.
That sense of helplessness was really hard to bear.
'Yeah… Do we just give up…', Ivankov felt terrible inside, not just because of the powerlessness of not being able to save a comrade, but also because Dragon actually had a way.
There weren't many members in the Freedom Fighters, so Dragon had a Vivre Card for each of them. A Vivre Card not only indicated a person's life status but could also be used to roughly track direction.
If Dragon wanted to carry out a rescue, he could definitely find the transport ship.
At the same time, he also understood Dragon's decision.
The Freedom Fighters couldn't afford to take a hit right now. If this was just a personal action by Arlin, the organization might be able to tolerate it temporarily.
But if they attacked a World Government ship, then the nature of things would be completely different.
Given the intel they had just passed on to Dragon, Arlin probably wouldn't act recklessly, but Rosse would definitely seize the chance to make a big deal out of it.
When that time came, the Freedom Fighters would be facing a full-scale assault by the World Government's main force.
From a rational point of view, abandoning Moa was the best choice.
'But damn it, a comrade's been captured, how can you stay rational…', Once Dragon hung up the call, Ivankov's fist pounded heavily on the ground, even smashing out a small dent.
But that was all he could do.
They couldn't go rescue Moa themselves. That wouldn't be a rescue, it would be suicide.
———
[Drum Island]
"Do you need us to send someone to receive your 'gift'? Dragon's supposed to be pretty strong, right?", After Rosse hung up the phone, Gion came over to ask.
Ever since the Freedom Fighters appeared, Rosse seemed to harbor intense hostility toward Dragon and the Freedom Fighters.
That hostility was strong. A kind of maliciousness that wouldn't stop until one of them died. It was even stronger than his grudge against Vegapunk.
Gion didn't understand why the Freedom Fighters was so worthy of Rosse's attention, but since Rosse was hostile, she was willing to help.
"No need, Dragon won't go to the rescue," Rosse shook his head.
He understood what Gion was thinking. Encircle and ambush, using this chance to eliminate Dragon.
But unfortunately, this trick doesn't work on a turtle hiding in its shell.
"Huh? There are only five captains in the Freedom Fighters. One of them just got captured, and she's even a renowned beauty who publicly expressed her love for Dragon. Is Dragon really that cold-blooded?", Gion was confused.
'That can't be, right? It's just regular CP0 escorting her, even I have ten thousand ways to rescue someone. Can Dragon really not do it?'
"Heh, you still don't understand Dragon. He's a very conflicted person," Rosse sneered, leaning back on the sofa and leisurely explained:
"Dragon is Garp's son. He grew up hearing stories about Garp and the Marines. He's a second-generation Marine, arguably more familiar with the World Government and the Marines than anyone else."
"I've heard that. Supposedly he became too aware of how dark the World Government and Marines were, so he left and created the Freedom Fighters," Gion nodded gently.
If she were Dragon, she might have made the same choice.
After all, while the evil of the World Government might not match that of pirates, it was still suffocating.
Fortunately, Rosse was just lustful. In other areas, he was far better than those Celestial Dragons.
If the world were ruled by Rosse, aside from beautiful women being a little unfortunate, everything else would probably be better.
In fact, even beautiful women might not necessarily suffer.
Gion saw it clearly. Rosse was a man with an extremely strong possessive desire.
If this world were ruled by Rosse, beautiful women would likely become his personal property, rather than being bullied like now, where beauty not only isn't an advantage but might even become a reason to be harassed.
"Like you said, Dragon ran away because of the World Government's evil, so he wants to overthrow it. But because he knows just how powerful it is, he won't dare to clash with it until he's built up enough confidence," Rosse smiled lightly, summing up Dragon's mindset in one sentence, "He has the heart to rebel, but only dares to pin his hopes on raising a group of people who dare to defy the World Government. He doesn't have the courage to personally go head-to-head with them."
[Half a Month Later]
Until the World Government's ship arrived at Drum Kingdom, Dragon still hadn't done anything, as if he had completely given up on Moa.
After slaughtering nearly half of the Sorbet Kingdom, Arlin also left and continued to track the Freedom Fighters.
However, after Arlin left, Rosse received news that Kuma and Ginny had stepped forward in the damaged southern region of the Sorbet Kingdom, calling for everyone to advance and retreat together.
Although they weren't flying the banner of the Freedom Fighters, just those two names alone, Rosse already understood what was going on.
"The handover over there is complete. The woman is temporarily locked in the basement. As for the Sorbet Kingdom, Zannie asked whether it needs to be dealt with," Gion walked up to Rosse and asked aloud.
Compared to Rosse, Gion had been extremely relaxed these days. Without needing to think about so many things, she just had to finish the job of delivering messages, and then could do whatever she wanted.
With Zephyr and Rosse as sparring partners, plus Sora giving her suggestions on fruit development and Stella providing post-battle treatment, her strength was improving daily.
"I'll go take a look in the basement later. As for the Sorbet Kingdom, ignore it. Let them develop freely. If it's destroyed right after development, it won't hurt as much," Rosse chuckled lightly.
"You're still this nasty," Gion's tone carried no reproach; she had already gotten used to it after boarding Rosse's ship.
The key was that during these days she'd heard from Zannie about the developments in the Jaygar District and had become somewhat numb.
"By the way, this is the annual report of Jaygar District," Thinking of this, Gion hurriedly pulled out a document from her bosom, and the paper was still faintly fragrant.
"This report is narrated by Zannie and written by you, right? Why don't you summarize it first?", Rosse took the paper and smiled as he looked at Gion.
Gion had no issues with memory; she was just especially sensitive to management and scientific knowledge, but quick at remembering combat-related knowledge.
"I did write it, but I only remember the general outline," Gion didn't refuse and recalled the content she had written, "Jaygar District had only been a Special Administrative Zone until the end of 1500 for just over half a year. The original population was 4 million, capable of generating 60 billion Berries in revenue. As of the end of 1500, Jaygar District's population exceeded 10 million, with 200,000 deaths, generating an additional 60 billion in revenue. It's estimated that in 1501, the new population will increase by 1 million..."
These were the figures Zannie had reported to her. The number of newborns and deaths had more detailed reports, all compiled using the method Rosse had provided.
It could be said that every person in Jaygar District was Rosse's asset. Any entry, exit, birth, illness, or death of any resident in the Special Administrative Zone had to be recorded.
According to Rosse's words, every resident had to have a file.
Gion didn't quite understand the intention behind this, but watching living people turn into cold numbers really made her feel numb.
"After reading this report, what are your thoughts?", Rosse smiled and asked, in a good mood.
This report matched his expected figures, maybe even slightly better.
"200,000 deaths... isn't that a bit much?", Gion hesitated and pointed out a part that made her uncomfortable.
She didn't understand the meaning behind these numbers, so she could only try to interpret them from her old perspective.
But 200,000 wasn't a small number. Even during Heavens Hunts, not that many people died.
"The number seems high, but there's nothing that can be done. It'll be even more in the future. There are too many people, all sorts of age groups. Even if we provide enough food, just water and soil acclimation or illness can take their lives," Rosse shook his head gently.
Ever since Jaygar District announced that people didn't need to pay the Heavenly Tribute but could still enjoy World Government protection, countless people had flocked there.
In the Great Pirate Era, safety and survival were what ordinary people cared about most.
Among these people were the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled. After long and arduous journeys, their health worsened. Some couldn't acclimate and died not long after arriving in Jaygar District, but their families rooted themselves in the district.
"Are there really that many people who die of natural causes every year?", Gion asked in surprise.
"200,000 isn't really a lot," Rosse smiled and explained, "Not counting those who die from illness or accidents, based on research reports over the years by the World Government, the average lifespan in allied nations is 51 years."
"Using 51 years as the death line, in a population of 10 million evenly distributed across ages 1–50, you'd get about 200,000 people reaching the age of death each year."
"Of course, as living conditions improve, lifespans will increase, and the age distribution isn't perfectly even. There will also be more long-lived or prematurely deceased cases. So overall, there'll be fluctuations every year, but not too large."
From this number, having only 200,000 deaths since taking over Jaygar District was already pretty good.
However, Rosse was very clear that this number excluded the batch he killed. The count only started after Jaygar District began establishing files.
"Then, converted to the entire world, just natural deaths every year would exceed 10 million," Gion showed a look of astonishment.
She had never paid attention to these numbers before, but after Rosse's explanation, she realized how terrifying this number was.
People dying from pirates probably weren't even that many.
"Just the population of the allied nations alone is over 50 times that of 10 million, not to mention the non-allied areas. Their total population exceeds that of the allied nations, and their average lifespan is even lower," Rosse explained with a smile.
"So, the people who die naturally each year is much higher than 10 million," Gion clicked her tongue slightly.
Faced with such terrifying numbers, she suddenly felt like Rosse wasn't that evil after all.
Even if he enjoyed ten people a day and killed them afterward, that's only a bit over 3,000 people a year, not even a fraction of the total.
"Don't let macro numbers blind you," Rosse instantly saw what Gion was thinking and shook his head in warning, "If you only focus on these big numbers, then your heart will slowly turn cold and only evaluate things in numerical terms. Remember, whether they die of old age, childhood illness, or accidents, these people are all living beings."
"I understand what you mean," Gion gently nodded, a strange expression on her face, "But when you say it, why does it always feel off?"
"That's your bias against Celestial Dragons," Rosse laughed helplessly.
He just liked to enjoy things, what's wrong with that?
Precisely because he liked to enjoy things, he saw those people as human beings.
If they were just numbers, then there'd be no pleasure in enjoying them.
Humans, after all, can only obtain the greatest pleasure by surpassing, belittling, and bullying others of their kind.