Seeing that he doesn't plan to trim his beard, Mohe doesn't say much either. She respects the strong. He has the freedom to choose his own appearance style. In fact, Lisidorwei can be considered a usable combat force—but Mohe doesn't trust Lisidorwei. She has betrayed her once, so Mohe assumes Lisidorwei will betray her again. So, should she solve her life issues and make her loyal to herself?
This plan, which only benefits Lisidorwei, doesn't interest her. At this stage, she has no effective way to control Lisidorwei.
Soon, a sumptuous fish feast begins in this unfinished manor.
Doro heaps praise on Mohe's culinary skills.
"If there was wine, it would be even better."
"I'm planning to make this a winery," Mohe says, "The wine from Baixi Town seems to be quite famous in the area. I'm thinking of uniting those involved in winemaking, offering some rewards, and seeing if I can become the spokesperson for Baixi Town's wine. It would be better if everyone worked directly for me."
These words take Doro by surprise: "You really plan to open a winery and do business?"
"What else? Do you think I'm joking?" Mohe replies frankly, "The time to restore my strength is long, and I need a legitimate profession as a cover. You find it unbelievable, and so do others. Until my strength is restored, I'm just an ordinary manor owner."
Doro somewhat understands Mohe's intentions. He knows this is Mohe setting her price, but he actually doesn't have much room to bargain: "I can help you retrieve your right hand."
Mohe pauses her eating movements. Without raising her head, she slowly sips a spoonful of fish soup before finally saying, "Have you thought it through? Hero, if we talk about my previous retrieval of the left hand, you could say you were deceived, used, and cheated by me. When facing some people, you could still argue righteously, even if they don't believe, you could consider yourself upright. But if you do such a thing, you would be genuinely assisting in the revival of the Demon King, plunging the world into the abyss of being ruled by the Demon King."
Her words are unexpected.
At least, Doro initially thought she would let him help her retrieve her legs. However, she didn't haggle but asked him if he had thought it through about doing this.
She was right, the previous events could be said to be entirely within the Demon King's calculations. If he really accepted a deal with Mohe, he would indeed be the one pushing humanity into the abyss for his own benefit, becoming a traitor to humanity.
Is this the Demon King's provocation? Doro doesn't know. He thinks he should have thought it through, but when he meets Mohe's gaze, he can't say a word.
He can't help but recall when he first confronted the Demon King. At that time, the Demon King's eyes were different from now.
Then, the Demon King's left eye had a golden magic array that could penetrate reality and illusion, and the right eye had a silver magic array that could transcend time and space.
Despite the different eyes, the gaze remained the same.
The gaze that seemed to see straight into one's heart was the same.
He saw the sneer on Mohe's face, and she said, "Have some fish."
Doro only feels a sense of powerlessness welling up inside him. He once again realizes profoundly that he is no longer his past self. He can no longer firmly say, "Demon King, your reign ends here." He can even no longer confidently assure Lisidorwei, "I won't let you die."
He is no longer young. The past days of high spirits have long since become history. Betrayal and pain have numbed and made him cowardly.
Even though he still holds some power, he—no longer wields the sharpness of a sword.
Even if he reaches an agreement with the Demon King to help Mohe regain the right hand... can he still do it?
Can he defeat his past companion and the Saintess "Charlette," who guards the symbol of the cursed right hand?
To the Demon King, the right and left hands are probably equivalent. But to humans, the degree of threat is completely two levels. If the Demon King's left hand symbolizes eternity and, if left unchecked in the lava, would birth new life from it, allowing the Demon King to revive in another form. Then the right hand is a devastating weapon.
The right hand signifies a curse.
Just leaving it there will cause various curses to automatically spread, contaminating a vast area, forming a forbidden zone.
As a result, this right hand is personally guarded by the Saintess. She continuously applies purification power to keep it stable, ensuring the curse doesn't spread.
Only she can accomplish such a feat.
Helping Mohe retrieve the right hand means becoming an enemy of Charlette.
As for him now...
Doro's silence makes Lisidorwei cautious as she eats the grilled fish. She doesn't want to coerce Doro. She completely understands that Doro could ignore her—in fact, for present-day Doro, not caring about anyone is probably the best way to handle things. Just like in previous years, he wanders aimlessly, not even knowing where he might end up himself, living a life of debauchery, deceiving for meals and beverages, wasting away time.
Perhaps that kind of state is most suitable for present-day Doro.
He has no need to sit here negotiating with Mohe, no need to consider so much for her.
He also has no need to betray humanity for her. Lisidorwei clearly knows that she doesn't hold enough weight in Doro's mind; he's simply kind, so he can't let her go. The so-called "favor" was repaid long ago.
Doro's performance doesn't surprise Mohe. This man won't easily betray humanity. She knows the time isn't ripe yet. Humanity has abandoned this Hero, but this Hero hasn't truly abandoned humanity. This isn't good news for Mohe. After all—despite saying he won't interfere with her revival, if he hasn't abandoned humanity... who knows, he might stand in her way once again.
Mohe doesn't want to corner this Hero now and then suddenly find one day he "awakened." To suddenly realize, "I ultimately still love humanity." And then turn around and stab her.
She doesn't want this to happen, so she needs the Hero to make a complete decision, to thoroughly abandon humanity—not to come to her with half-hearted intent. That's not what she desires.
Thus, she is "kindly advising" as a way to encourage this Hero to "think it through" and sincerely choose her.
In the past, she disliked using her wits and was reluctant to ponder various problems.
That was because her own strength was great in the past. But now, the situation is different. When weak, wisdom becomes a reliance for survival. Fortunately, though she died once, the legacies left were many. Regardless of her body, knowledge is also a form of power. Combining it with wisdom often yields unexpected results.
Take it slow.
Both the Hero and Lisidorwei must become her strength.
The smile on her face grows more intense: "Do you have anything this afternoon? I plan to shop for some items. The manor is still missing a lot of fixtures. If you have no plans, accompany me for a look. I'll take your preferences into account and check out your taste."
Mohe's calm demeanor further complicates the thoughts in their hearts. This girl is always unhurried... the psychological pressure she brings is not ordinary.
"I'll go and prepare a bit, change my clothes. Don't rush, take your time eating."
Mohe stands up, leaving the two some time alone.
She won't appear until they finish their discussion.