In the Name of the Queen

The disappearance of Catalina seemed to be a trivial matter, and it only bothered Roland for a few short weeks.

Now that she has chosen to join the Sea Emperor Palace, their alliance is automatically terminated.

Roland did not reply to her letter, but silently wished his former ally well.

He just regrets that human exploration and control of the ocean will be temporarily suspended.

Technology is too backward.

The semi-ironclad ships of this era are okay for showing off their power among humans, but they are still far from being able to compete with the intelligent life in the ocean.

Perhaps the ocean should belong to marine life.

What shocked Roland was another sentence.

“A fish ceases to be a fish when it lands on land, and a man ceases to be a human when he embarks on the road to stardom.”

Before that he had little time to think about such philosophical issues.

Of course humans are humans, no matter how powerful they are, they are still humans.

Roland always maintained the simplest point of view.

But he must face the problem of the century, is Sophia still human?

Roland gradually realized that Sophia's way of thinking and behavior may have traces of human beings, but they were definitely not normal.

He has thought about it more than once, what is the difference between her and ordinary humans?

Strength? There have been existences in human history whose strength far exceeded Sophia's, such as the many Chosen Ones from the Age of Gods, including Sophia herself at that time.

But the powerful people at that time were not as detached as Sophia.

A condescending attitude? There are not many rulers in the long history of mankind who look down on ordinary people and treat the people as ants.

But they are also different from Sophia. They are all trying to prove that they are different from all living beings. Sophia is different from them. She has never even thought of overlooking all living beings from a high place.

Sophia changed so much before and after the Battle of White Mountain.

Now she is neither the Ice Queen of the past nor a candidate for the Winter Goddess, but a completely different existence.

No matter how many times he faced Sophia, Roland never wanted to look her in the eyes.

Her eyes were as deep as abyss, and she was staring at Roland at the moment.

"What's up?"

Seeing that Roland didn't speak, Sophia asked directly without any politeness.

"I want to know what happened to Tia and the others back then."

The space flow rate in the room has obviously accelerated a bit, and the temperature has dropped slightly.

But this time it was not the air of ice, but the refreshing air brought about by the flow of air.

Obviously, Sophia and the ice attribute were completely cut off.

"Congratulations, it seems that you have abandoned the shackles of the past." Roland said with a smile.

The air temperature returned to normal, and Sophia's slightly sulky expression gradually returned to normal.

"I have a lot of stories about her. What do you want to know?"

Even though Sophia has looked down on many things, there are some things she still can't let go of.

"Can Tiya wield that sword at a level equal to yours?" Roland asked in a deep voice.

Sophia didn't ask which sword, she snorted disdainfully.

"Pooh!"

She answered most accurately in one word.

Roland nodded and continued to ask: "If a mortal disrespects you with words and thinks that you are an ordinary member of the universe like him, will you kill this person?"

"ah?"

Sophia once again cherished words like gold.

Roland nodded and said slowly: "If your ex-husband was willing to treat you like most political marriages, would you kill him? Well, you don't need to answer, I know the answer."

Roland cut off the topic without waiting for Sophia to answer.

At that time, Sophia had no awakening memory and was just an ordinary noble girl. She might lose a lot by marrying the emperor, but she would also gain a lot.

She probably won't rebel against the rules.

Roland's question made the atmosphere in the room a little solemn. Everyone has some unbearable past, and Sophia is no exception.

But she didn't seem angry. She just said slowly after a moment of silence:

"If that idiot Rurik is willing to treat his wife well, even if his wife awakens her memory in the future, they won't become enemies if they can't be husband and wife."

Roland nodded to express understanding.

It would be a bit pretentious for Sophia to say that as long as her ex-husband treats her well, she will never leave him even if she regains her memories of the Chosen One.

They are not in a free love relationship and have no emotional basis at all. They are partners in a political marriage rather than a couple.

If Ivan IV abides by the rules of partnership, Sophia will not break them. But it is not realistic for a goddess candidate to live with a foolish husband.

An amicable breakup is the best option for both parties.

Unfortunately, there was no if, Ivan IV took the initiative to commit suicide, and Sophia fulfilled his wish.

She inexplicably didn't want to continue these topics. Whether it was Tia or Ivan IV, they were both names that made her blood pressure unstable. However, Roland continued to talk reluctantly:

"It seems that Tiya is far inferior to you in terms of her strong mentality, growth potential, and tolerance."

"Nonsense." Sophia's mood improved a lot.

No one can refuse flattery, unless the other person's skills are too poor or his status is too low, then it is not flattery but licking.

Although Roland asked a few questions that raised her blood pressure, he finally came to a conclusion that made her feel refreshed.

Sophia\u003eTia.

The last time I heard someone say this was during the Age of the Gods.

The long-lost past is awakened. Ling Dong, the youngest and most promising among the "four sisters", was abandoned by the three sisters during hibernation and became an outcast on their journey to the gods.

She could never let go of this.

After countless years, there are still people who can see her advantage over Bitia.

You are worthy of it, Roland.

Just as she was thinking about how to respond in a cold but polite way, Roland said something that made her blood pressure rise again.

"But they all reached the God's Domain."

Facts speak louder than words. No matter who said Sophia was better, she was the one left behind.

Her good mood disappeared instantly, and Sophia's expression was a little stiff.

This feeling was like trying her best in a game but being pitted by a stupid teammate, and finally being ridiculed by ignorant audiences.

What's more, she was not pitted by a stupid teammate, but was directly sold out.

"On the day of my final return, I will break up with them. Before that, I will personally destroy their God's Punishment Legion and let them tremble in endless fear."

"If you do this, we will all die." Roland spread his hands and made another shocking statement.

Sophia narrowed her eyes and stared at Roland.

Roland took the initiative to avoid the deep eyes like the starry sky after just one glance.

"Reason?"

Roland cleared his throat, tapped the table with his fingertips, and asked softly: "Knowing that the ascension to the gods is imminent, you still hibernate as usual, are you an idiot?"

The teacup that Sophia just picked up has a crack.

"Of course not, with Miss Winter's wisdom at that time, she would certainly not be so rash. So the day of ascension should have been long after you woke up, and you ended your slumber just in time to be in the best condition to face the possible tests on the day of ascension, right?" Roland added quickly.

"If Miss Winter can hear your approval, she will be very happy."

Sophia smiled, and the cracks on the teacup in her palm were looming, and even repaired.

Seeing this scene, Roland felt a little scalp tingling.

The gap between Sophia and him did not seem to be reduced, and it might even be widening.

"What kind of power is this?" He whispered softly, but he didn't expect Sophia to explain. After all, this was her trump card and she would never show it to anyone easily.

"Balance."

Sophia said calmly: "The seventh era is both an era of destruction and an era of rebirth. Because destruction and rebirth complement each other."

"If there were no tigers, leopards, wolves and bears to eat cattle and sheep, the infinite flood of cattle and sheep would eat the entire grassland until there was no grass left, turning it into a desert, and eventually the cattle and sheep would die."

"Tigers, leopards, wolves and bears seem to be the natural enemies of cattle and sheep, but objectively they guarantee the continuation of the cattle and sheep population. Although it's hard to understand this, you should."

Sophia's eyes were a little more expectant.

Roland is a sage of the time. If he doesn't understand, there may be no one in the mortal world who can talk to her.

She was even a little worried, afraid that Roland would say the same thing as ordinary people.

"Life and death are a dynamic balance."

"Every link in the food chain has its value, including tiny lives that we cannot see."

Roland thought for a moment and continued to explain the process of microorganisms decomposing animal and plant corpses.

He even tried to use reincarnation to explain to Sophia the ingenious balance formed in nature. As for how to explain microorganisms, he was really a bit of a headache.

It is difficult for people to recognize invisible things, and it is also difficult for humans to imagine things that have never been seen. The so-called imagination and innovation are all stitching based on cognition.

How can Sophia believe that there are tiny creatures everywhere in the air?

In the end, it still has to be compared.

Comparing the king with the slave? Not appropriate. Comparing the goddess with the mortal? It doesn't seem like it either.

Just as Roland's brain began to think storming, Sophia's eyes burst into amazing brilliance. Her voice even trembled a little.

"You, you can see them too?"

Roland: "."

Wait, is there really anyone who can see microorganisms with the naked eye? What kind of monsters are these?

If Sophia can understand Roland's story, Roland is willing to respectfully call her a genius old girl. But she really saw the microorganisms, and this time it was Roland's turn to be confused.

Level 5 and Level 4 are only one step away, but the gap is so terrifying?

From Roland's stunned expression, Sophia understood that Roland could not directly see the tiny creatures floating in the air, but saw them through some special observation method.

In fact, she could only see a few of the little guys slightly when she was in a full-blown state, but she had already surpassed her in the past.

After a long silence, Roland did not ask Sophia how she did it, and Sophia did not ask what means Roland used to observe indirectly.

The second era in which Sophia lived was the era of the gods. The most powerful force was the power of the extraordinary. Technology was suppressed by the power of the extraordinary and was breathless. The entire second era did not shine. It was normal for Sophia not to know these things.

When she woke up again, the fifth era with the most advanced technological civilization had disappeared. She still didn't know these once advanced technologies, and unlike Roland, she didn't have the opportunity to study on Earth unexpectedly.

Sophia's memory was broken, but also continuous.

Before awakening, he was a top transcendent in the Age of Gods, and after awakening, he was a top transcendent in the End Times.

Coincidentally, the two guys who were chatting across servers actually ended up chatting with each other.

Sophia's eyes softened a little. She was looking forward to Roland's next argument. She believed that Roland could always come up with something beyond her expectations.

Sure enough, Roland soon put forward a new outrageous theory.

"I have a bold guess. The reason why those three goddesses can ascend to the gods is because their potential, mentality, and realm are not as good as yours."

Sophia: “.”

She subconsciously wanted to refute, but the words stopped at her lips.

There was a question that troubled her for a long time, why the day of ascension in the oracle was advanced, why those three people who were inferior to her in all aspects succeeded in ascension.

The three of them were not even necessarily stronger than the Sea King and the Demon King.

If there were only three places for ascension, Sophia thought the order should be Winter\u003e Demon King\u003e Sea King\u003e Demetrius (abundance) ≈ Freya (nature)\u003e Tia.

However, the three weakest ones went up, and the three stronger ones became losers.

If only one of them was like this, it could be explained by accident, but if all three were like this, there must be some hidden reasons.

She narrowed her eyes, her voice was cold and emotionless.

“Go on, I’m listening.”

“Let’s make another bold assumption, what if ascension is not a meteoric rise, but a trap?”

Roland’s voice was calm, but he said something that made Sophia change color.

Sophia almost wanted to refute, but she held back.

Roland admired her calm mentality and continued, "It's not impossible. Gods are just more powerful humans. They are not saints and have no reason to give alms to the weak. Thinking that the strong will help the weak is just a beautiful vision, not a fact."

"What's the benefit of the strong in the divine realm letting people from the material plane ascend to the divine realm?"

Sophia's breathing was a little rapid. Roland's speculation was too bold. She had never thought about it.

"If they have any plans, they will choose trash with poor potential, weak mentality, and easy to control instead of people with a strong mentality."

Sophia's body shook slightly, and a cold light flashed in her eyes.

She vaguely felt that Roland's inference was very close to the truth.

She knew the six candidates at that time.

Tia was not a strong person at all. She just wanted to cling to the strong. Demetrius and Freya were better, but they didn't have the courage to bet everything on becoming stronger.

The Demon King and the Sea King were essentially the same kind of people as her, but with slightly less potential.

They always believe in themselves, instead of putting their fate in the hands of others. If the three of them ascend to the God's Domain, they will never be inferior to others for long.

"I see."

Sophia pondered for a moment and asked slowly: "What does this have to do with what you said before?"

"Of course."

Roland said slowly: "According to the classics I have read over the years and the archaeological discoveries you described in the Age of the Gods, before the First Age, the Theia plane also had a glorious civilization, but they were completely destroyed in the apocalypse."

"This is the fate of every material plane and the most basic operating law of the universe, just like the withering and flourishing of flowers, plants and trees." Sophia said lightly.

Roland interrupted quickly: "Completely different! According to your description, the Theia plane of the last era is obviously larger than ours."

"If I guess correctly, the real purpose of the God's Punishment Legion is not to destroy us, but to test the upper limit of the strong in the entire plane."

Sophia's body trembled slightly, and she understood Roland's subtext.

The rulers of the God Realm are greedy and stingy. They hope to draw energy from the material plane through the gods, so they need to let these later gods return to the material plane, destroy everything, and help restart.

But they are also unwilling to pay too much, so the power given to Tia and others will not be too much, and will be adjusted according to the strength of the plane's strongmen.

Of course there will be redundancy, but it will definitely not be too much.

Sophia murmured: "I understand, I was weaker during the God's Punishment War, just don't surpass you and Sif's limelight."

"No, you don't understand at all."

"I understand Tia and the others better than you!" Sophia was a little dissatisfied.

However, Roland teased with a little mockery: "Even if you understand them, you don't understand acting. Over-exerting performances are always exaggerated and must be just right. The degree you have to grasp is not to exceed the former winter, and you have to try your best to show that you have finally restored your original strength."

Sophia was silent for a long time, and slowly said: "Fortunately we are friends, otherwise I would kill you." (End of this chapter)