Chapter 333: Douluo God Realm Era Part XXIII: Marriage
"Do you really not want to kill me?" the world consciousness asked cautiously once more.
At this point, it seemed like the world consciousness was a child trying to confirm something unbelievable, inching closer, yet skeptical. Although Ye Wen was beginning to lose patience, he replied curtly.
"Yes, yes, I don't want to kill you, so stay quiet and don't bother me until I figure out a solution."
After what felt like ages, Ye Wen was still without a good plan. Despite being known as Douluo Star's wisest mind, he couldn't devise a solution that would settle things neatly. When he came to, however, he found a pair of bright eyes mere inches from his own.
"Whoa!" Ye Wen instinctively jumped back, putting some distance between them. "What are you doing?"
The soft, hesitating look on Snow Empress's lips faded, and she suddenly seemed at a loss for words. The world consciousness forced down its discomfort, took a few small steps toward Ye Wen, and wrapped both arms tightly around his left arm.
Feeling the closeness of this alluring figure, Ye Wen momentarily lost himself. Quickly recovering, however, he tried to gently push her away, his voice serious.
"Hey, I'm a married man. We're in an office, so this whole...subordinate play thing isn't happening."
But the world consciousness, controlling Snow Empress's body, clung to Ye Wen's arm even tighter.
"What's your plan here?" he asked, exasperated. "I have a wife seven wives! Don't use Snow Empress's body to act this way."
Though he kept trying to pull back, he was hesitant to use force. Snow Empress, however, only held him tighter. Feeling the cold yet captivating presence of her divine body, Ye Wen sensed his inner restraint beginning to waver.
"Marry me."
The words were so soft that, if Ye Wen's hearing weren't sharp, he would've missed them entirely. They struck him as utterly absurd. His voice rose, incredulous.
"Excuse me? Do you even hear what you're saying? I have seven wives already, and now you want to marry me? Not a chance! Stop trying to wreck my family!"
The world consciousness met his gaze, her usual hesitancy replaced with a rare glimmer of courage.
"If you want complete control over Douluo Star," she said quietly, "then you must marry me. I can't trust you otherwise, just as you don't entirely trust me."
"What?" Ye Wen shook his head, baffled. "What kind of twisted logic is that? How would marrying you suddenly give me control over Douluo Star?"
Her courage seemed to dwindle as quickly as it had appeared. She looked away, once again avoiding his gaze, though her voice continued in a faint murmur.
"Over the years, Snow Empress has told me a lot about you. You may have many wives, but you're a good husband. So I thought…if I could join your family, maybe you would treat me as you treat them. It's the only way I could think of to help."
Ye Wen was stunned, his mind blank. Since when did being a 'good husband' mean having to manage all these relationships? And yet, despite himself, the suggestion felt oddly pleasing even reasonable.
For a while, both fell silent, though their closeness filled the quiet space with an undeniable tension. Finally, Ye Wen let out a sigh.
Despite all his efforts, his life had never been as simple as he'd hoped. All he had wanted was a single, sincere relationship, yet his current predicament was not so far off from what Ah Yin and the others had predicted.
His situation with Silver Dragon King Yue Na had been the first time he had taken on a partner outside his original marriages without any romantic intent, but now it seemed another "unexpected relationship" was coming his way.
Perhaps he could have avoided all of this by being a little colder, a little more ruthless, he mused, but…was that really the kind of person he wanted to be?
At last, Ye Wen decided to let things unfold as they would. With Yue Na and Na'er already by his side, perhaps one more addition wasn't such a big deal.
But a new thought struck him. "World consciousness, you say you want to marry me, but…you don't have a body of your own, do you?"
The world consciousness stiffened at first but quickly regained her composure. "Snow Empress's body is my body. Everything she is was created from my own essence. If you marry me, I would merge with Snow Empress fully and then marry you."
At this, Ye Wen's expression darkened.
"Hold on!" he said sharply. "To me, Snow Empress is Snow Empress, and you are you. If you two were to merge, neither of you would truly be yourselves anymore. You'd be killing each other to form a new entity. I won't allow that."
After all, Snow Empress had been a loyal subordinate and friend; he didn't want her erased in this way. He softened his tone and continued, "But you could consider creating a new body for yourself. I have all the time in the world. I can wait."
But the world consciousness shook her head, a soft, cool breath escaping her lips. "You misunderstand. My relationship with Snow Empress isn't as simple as you think."
The world consciousness's voice stammered, clearly struggling to explain the complex nature of their connection.
Suddenly, Ye Wen felt the tight grip on his arm loosen, though she still held onto him.
"Ye Wen," came a familiar, calm voice.
Hearing Snow Empress herself speak, Ye Wen felt a jolt. The idea of getting involved with his own subordinate in this way felt completely inappropriate.
"Do you remember that famous novel you wrote, Chronicles of the Wilderness?"
Ye Wen frowned, thrown by the sudden mention of the book. He had written it on a whim as entertainment to fill the cultural gaps he had found in this world. The novel's innovative world building had made it a huge hit. Of course, it had caused a stir, as he had used his real name as the author, leading to some humorous misunderstandings.
"What about it?" he asked, intrigued by Snow Empress's odd question.
Did she read it? He was surprised this reserved ice goddess didn't seem like the type to enjoy novels.
Noticing his curious expression, Snow Empress began to shrink back a little, embarrassed. Even someone as composed as her could feel a bit awkward about such things. Still, she had brought up the topic, so she forced herself to continue.
"Well, you know how in that novel, you describe the relationship between the Heavenly Dao and its representative?" she asked, her voice soft. "My relationship with the world consciousness is a little like that. Does that make sense?"
A realization dawned on Ye Wen.
Until now, he had subconsciously assumed that the world consciousness was akin to a god. But it seemed there was more complexity to it than that.
Friends can now purchase any novel with a 25% discount. This promotion ends on October 7th.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Cortez10