thefictionvixens Page 318
Page 318
After explaining, Sula concluded in this way.
Chapter 469 To join the British Empire, you first need a puppet.
"To turn dolls into mere weapons of war is an insult to them."
"Look at these girls, how beautiful they are, just like violets that are still in full bloom at the end of spring."
"They should have their own time and dignity to see the blue riverbanks and touch the fluttering butterflies."
Sura's eyes revealed a hint of seriousness, showing that this smiling witch, who liked to make harmless jokes, had her own bottom line on this matter.
Jiang Kehan neither agreed nor refuted; she simply voiced a question that had been building up in her mind.
"Do these girls really have their own thoughts?"
Sula fell silent for a moment, her hand holding the teacup frozen in mid-air, her eyes slightly closed.
In fact, the reason why dolls can be completely trusted by witches and even placed in the witch's army is because they are no different from normal people on the surface, but they never have a will or a soul.
This is why, despite possessing countless advantages of creations that could truly be called living beings, they couldn't even achieve an improvement in their realm.
Strictly speaking, any living object has the potential to undergo transformation and then continue to progress based on that transformation, but dolls do not.
To put it bluntly, in the eyes of many witches, dolls are actually inanimate objects.
But... they're just too silly! They act like real people, as if they really have their own emotions, their own joys and sorrows.
They can laugh, shed tears before they die, and even take the initiative to care for their owners, offering them a warm embrace at any time.
Perhaps only Angela Terry, the true designer of the doll, knows exactly why she did it.
However, from a purely practical standpoint, the administrative officers who deal with dolls most frequently stubbornly believe that dolls are also people, their most capable assistants, and... friends.
Jiang Kehan and Ai Lier, who was standing next to her, exchanged glances and fell into deep thought.
It can only be said that the British Empire has its own unique circumstances, which made the two people, who didn't know each other very well to begin with, feel somewhat unfamiliar with each other, but there is no doubt that the other party had no ill intentions.
This is a good thing and a bad thing.
Because they did not show any sign of agreement, but instead waited for Jiang Kehan and the others to be captivated by the British Empire and become witches under the same ideology.
Jiang Kehan had nothing to say about this. She knew very well that she would never, and could not, belong to any empire.
After all, her potential is too unique, and the best approach is to simply ignore it.
The Witch King has set a precedent and proven one thing—witches neither need truly forceful rule nor care much about so-called physical threats.
Well, the fact that witches have developed to this extent and remained unified is already an incredible miracle.
“I respect your opinion, but…” Jiang Kehan put down her teacup, “Perhaps I need some time to understand the dolls, so much so that I can spend the whole day in the Sunless City before I can express my views.”
Sula nodded understandingly, then smiled self-deprecatingly; there were things she herself knew all too well.
However, miracles belong to witches; there is always hope and possibility.
"Please forgive my intrusion, but as a temporary friend, I still want to remind you."
Sula straightened her body, regaining her meticulous posture, and fulfilled her duties.
"In the eyes of the British nobility."
She paused, then glanced at Ariel and Solita beside Jiang Kehan before saying this.
“Each witch can only represent herself. Even an official like me can only be responsible for matters within the territory.”
"If I speak out in public, or at a ball, it can only represent my personal, humble opinion, and perhaps even..."
"Even if my lord expresses his support for this, the other witches will only discuss it with my lord and will not involve me."
"The same applies to you and your loved one."
Jiang Kehan's expression gradually became serious, which was not good news for her.
This means that if she wants to socialize, she can only do so alone.
Unfortunately, she wasn't very good at bargaining. She had originally brought Ariel along with her, intending to have the other party assist her.
However, Ariel's own strength is still too low, and her opinions, like Sula's self-deprecating statement, are not taken seriously by others.
Even if Jiang Kehan gives her affirmation, the other witches will ignore Ai Lier and will only talk to Jiang Kehan in detail.
But social interactions require flexibility and adaptability, and Jiang Kehan, lacking Ai Li'er's sensitivity, couldn't come up with a perfect reason.
If Ariel speaks out too much, the other nobles will only continue to lower their opinion of Jiang Kehan—what capable lord would need to consult the thoughts of a witch every day?
The other party should at least be a great witch.
"Do you have any good ideas?" Jiang Kehan asked.
As an administrative officer, Sula was particularly aware of the subtext of "whoever makes the decision should resolve it," and her ability to say this clearly indicated that she was prepared to extend goodwill.
Seeing that Jiang Kehan was very cooperative, Sula smiled and turned around to look at the group of dolls standing obediently in the distance, and gave them a reminder.
“There is absolute equality among witches, but…”
"It does not include other races, or those that are regrettable."
Jiang Kehan nodded knowingly and looked at the group of puppets.
However, even without the power of magic to perceive them, she would still regard these charming girls as real beings; they truly embody the word "perfect."
The same applies to being a negotiator.
The dolls can represent one witch and negotiate with another, a unique feature of the Sun Never Sets.
In the Empire on which the sun never sets, the doll is like the cat ball in Jiang Kehan's heart, almost perfectly integrated into this proud empire, becoming the gentleness that the other party lacks.
Only here will the witch regard the doll as a more "equal" being, rather than an absolute tool.
"I understand. So, Miss Sula, are there any doll manufacturers you would recommend?"
Sura immediately revealed a somewhat mysterious smile. She stood up, picked up her cane again, and introduced the situation with a smile.
“Miss Kehan, there is a qualified doll maker right in front of you.”
"but……"
She paused, clearly recalling the somewhat ambiguous attitude the person above had towards Jiang Kehan, and added.
"If you can get an Angeli doll, then disregard what I said."
"Of all the people in the world, she is the only one who truly understands the dolls and knows their true thoughts."
Jiang Kehan smiled and nodded, exchanging contact information with Sula before she left.
“I will contact you when I need to, Miss Sura.”
"I pay my respects to you and your puppets."
Chapter 470 Forged in tears and fire, then shattered.
As Sura departed, not far from Star Claw, a blue spatial gate, undulating like a stone sculpture, suddenly appeared.
Jiang Kehan looked at the constantly flashing woodblock prints, touching her chin with great interest.
The scroll records the history of the British Empire since its founding. Although there is no textual explanation, each scroll has its own unique meaning.
For example, the very first scene shows a king arrogantly snatching a sword from another pope and then throwing it into the fire to forge a crown.
Without a doubt, the monarch is the original witch monarch of the British Empire, while the pope actually refers to the leader of Fran, those witches who nominally follow in the footsteps of the saint.
This scene illustrates how the British Empire succeeded France as the dominant power in the world at that time.
Then, the sky darkened, thunder rumbled, and the aurora borealis descended. A king with a completely new face knelt on one knee, his crown dimmed, tears streaming from his eyes.
The ground in the painting is shattered, the starry sky is turbulent, and everything is no longer peaceful.
This is the fall of stars, the opening of the eyes of the Supreme Being and countless dragons amidst their roars, which also signifies that the witch has officially entered the era of the Society.
For the British Empire at that time, survival became the most important issue.
The throne changed hands several times, not because of rebellion, but because the entire family of the previous emperor had perished in the fight against foreign enemies.
The glory that once belonged to the British Empire has faded, leaving only the indomitable spirit of a generation, which has turned into tears falling to the ground.
Jiang Kehan sighed slightly. Only by personally experiencing that era can one feel the bitterness and resentment within it, and only then can one truly cherish the peace we enjoy today.
So even if the great ones had many opinions about the Witch Queen, in the end they could only sigh with a hint of respect and then continue to criticize her for being unconventional.
I have to scold her, since I can't beat her in a fight. How can she know I'm criticizing her if I don't scold her?
Otherwise, given Sophia's attitude, she might actually take criticism of her as praise.
For example, Jiang Kehan once complained: "Sophia doesn't understand people's hearts at all, and she has been betrayed by the knights under her command several times."
The message would automatically translate to the other person: "Sophia is amazing. Even though her people have rebelled several times, she remains steadfast."
Yes, Sophia is indeed that abstract in this respect. Her smiling demeanor towards other witches is not because she is magnanimous, but because she has no idea that they are criticizing her.
Only by using the most intense tone of abuse could she frown and realize that things were not so simple.
There's a certain air of natural dullness about him, but a more accurate description would be—he's arrogant, completely immersed in his own world, and extremely indifferent to the outside world.
In fact, if Sophia hadn't chosen to enter a period of slumber after unifying the witches, her witches would have rebelled within a few years.
This jerk is so incomprehensible; he has no respect for the order that belongs to others and can't be bothered with him.
When conquering the world, Sophia always brought hope and victory, which largely made the other witches overlook this problem, but after unification...
At that time, all the greatness of Liang Hua and Angeli was considered to be Sophia's only two most outstanding contributions in her life, in regards to her choice to fall into self-slumber.
The other one broke through the Great Witch, personally excavating the path to the end, and unifying the witches.
This shows its gold content.
Jiang Kehan couldn't help but chuckle as she recalled Lilith's exhausted performance during her rant, but the thought of having to contact Sophia frequently in the future made her smile fade away.
Since Sophia fell into a deep sleep, the only people who could contact her besides the Black and White Ravens, the Royal Knights, and the Twelve Greats were the only ones who could do so.
Among them, the great ones who are mainly responsible for the witch's daily affairs often have to contact her, and each time is torture for both of them.
The Great Ones were annoyed that the other party couldn't understand human language, while Sophia was annoyed that she would get scolded every time she met them.
Both of them wore long faces, looking extremely distressed.
While Jiang Kehan was lost in thought, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure among the shimmering lights.
She was a somewhat naive young girl with her back to her subjects, ascending the steps to the throne.