Chapter 314: Want a Daughter?
Serie was slightly stunned, then instinctively retorted, "Solve completely? You want to erase the Demon Race from this continent entirely? Impossible. The breeding of demons and monsters stems from the world's shadow. As long as life exists on this land, they cannot disappear. This is the law of the world."
She assumed Rhodes wanted to conduct a complete racial cleansing.
But that was absolutely impossible.
The history of demons was even older than that of elves. Moreover, since the conditions and methods of their manifestation were still unknown, how could they be completely exterminated?
Rhodes shook his head. "No, not extermination. I am wondering... is it possible for demons to coexist peacefully with other races, like humans, elves, and dwarves?"
"Coexist?" Serie almost thought she had heard wrong. She looked at Rhodes in disbelief. "That is even more impossible! Demons are born evil. Their nature is chaotic and malevolent. Peaceful coexistence? That is nothing but a fantasy!"
Her tone carried strong denial.
Rhodes was not swayed by her negation. He patiently explained his view. "The 'nature' you speak of might not be unchangeable. In my view, the root reason demons are seen as evil is that they lack the cognition of 'malice.'"
"They cannot comprehend emotions like sympathy, pity, or love. Therefore, the emotions that constitute the foundation of morality are a blank slate to them. They act on instinct to destroy and kill, but they may not necessarily realize what such actions mean to others."
"Elves cannot fully understand human emotions either," Serie countered, recalling the barrier she felt when she first dealt with Rhodes. "But we do not harm them because of it."
"It is different, Serie. Elves possess their own unique emotional system, but demons do not. They do evil not out of choice, but because their existence dictates it—because they cannot understand the concept of 'harm.'"
"Even so," Serie still felt his idea was too whimsical, "what do you intend to do? Do not forget, demons eat humans."
Rhodes smiled. "Of course not now. If I encounter a demon today, I will still kill it without hesitation. I am talking about the future—perhaps hundreds, or even thousands of years from now."
"Once I fully master the formula of life's composition, I plan to try researching the life formula of demons to see if I can modify it slightly at the source. Attempt to make them capable of understanding various emotions. When they can understand what pain is, what loss is... perhaps they can begin to understand what 'evil' is, thereby suppressing the destructive desires in their instincts."
Serie huffed softly, her tone still full of skepticism. "Too unrealistic. Setting aside the immense time required... even if you succeed, how can you guarantee they won't use this to become even more cunning?"
"That would require even longer observation and guidance," Rhodes accepted her assessment calmly.
Unfortunately, the best research subject—Solitär—had been killed by his apprentice. If he really wanted to conduct this experiment, Rhodes would have to find other demons.
Preferably a demon with a genetic mutation, but that was too rare.
"It is nothing more than spending a bit more time. We have plenty of time, do we not? When that day truly comes, perhaps the title 'Demon' will need to change... perhaps to 'Demihuman'?" he said half-jokingly.
Serie didn't answer. Clearly, she still felt Rhodes's idea was unrealistic.
The topic seemed to come to an end.
Rhodes stood up and walked to the window, standing shoulder to shoulder with Serie as they gazed at the scenery outside.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly turned his head. His gaze landed on Serie's cute, petite face, and he tossed out a bombshell question in a relaxed tone:
"By the way, Serie... do you want a daughter?"
"..."
Serie's body visibly stiffened.
Her eyes opened wide, filled with pure astonishment, as if she couldn't process the information she had just received.
"...What?"
She asked instinctively, her voice dropping several decibels and trembling slightly.
Rhodes watched her near-catatonic reaction, the smile on his face deepening.
After successfully resolving the hidden danger of the Southern Unified Empire, and especially after dispelling the shadow of death looming over Serie's future, he felt a long-lost sense of relaxation and joy.
This seemingly abrupt thought had sprouted naturally from this state of mind.
"There is no possibility of reproduction between humans and elves."
Serie finally recovered from her shock. She tried to use cold facts to cover the turbulence in her heart, but the tips of her ears, tinged with a faint red, betrayed her.
"I know." Rhodes waved his hand. "I have other methods. The process might be a bit troublesome, but do not forget my talent."
Although such a thing was a bit ridiculous, with his [Creation] talent, creating a magic that allowed pregnancy between different species wasn't entirely impossible.
Serie fell silent.
She lowered her head, her hair falling forward to hide her expression.
Inside, her heart was turning upside down.
Refuse?
That was her first instinct. Or rather, long ago, she had clearly stated she had no desire for children.
But the words reached her lips and were suddenly swallowed back.
A subtle emotion emerged; she didn't want to refuse this man.
After a long while, she asked softly and cautiously, "Why... do you suddenly want a child?"
She didn't answer yes or no directly, but tried to probe the real reason behind his shocking proposal.
Rhodes gazed at her bowed head, seeing her tense, fair neck and her small hands clenched on her lap.
The smile on his face slowly faded, turning into a more serious expression.
He reached out, his hand naturally touching the tip of her ear.
An elf's ears could only be touched by their most intimate partner. Although most elves couldn't understand what an "intimate partner" really meant, it had naturally become a spot others were absolutely forbidden to touch.
But this taboo-like action made Serie's body tremble, yet she did not dodge.
"No special reason. Perhaps just a whim. I felt that in the long future, having a little one flowing with both our bloodlines growing up beside us... would be quite interesting."
He didn't say anything sentimental about carrying on the family line; that sort of thing wouldn't work on an elf like Serie anyway.
However, Rhodes knew she needed time to digest this topic.
So he didn't press further. His hand dropped, interlacing his fingers with hers. Simultaneously, he leaned his head forward until his forehead rested against hers.
And Serie didn't pull her hand away, nor did she move her head.
She simply felt the breath of this man.
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