Chapter 38: Qiyana's Pride

Seeing that Qiyana had asked about the most important matter, Tarin looked at Lupe beside him and then said:

"What follows involves many secrets, so please keep it confidential, Elder Lu Pei."

Despite saying that, who else was there among the beasts? After thinking it over, Lupes realized that only himself and the servants Qiyana had brought were superfluous.

Although she was filled with curiosity about Neeko's race and the composition of the Shuma, Lupe felt it was more important for her family to return to Ishtar, so she didn't say much, nodded, and got up to take her leave.

Judging from the way Tarin and Qiyana are communicating now, Tarin has undoubtedly taken the initiative in the communication...

While the tenth Alai may appear aggressive on the surface, it is clear that Tallinn has the rhythm under control.

Trusting Tallinn, Lupe wasn't worried. After all, so far, everything had gone according to Tallinn's plan.

Qiyana's servants were somewhat nervous and at a loss, but Qiyana clearly didn't take it to heart and simply waved them away.

Don't be fooled by Qiyana's current proud, arrogant, and domineering attitude.

But in reality, just by sensing pheromones and bodily reactions, Tarin was able to determine that Qiyana was feeling ashamed all the time.

This shame was multifaceted: on one hand, it stemmed from Tarin's forceful act of sitting on her chest and pressing a knife to her neck when she refused to accept defeat. On the other hand, it was also because Qiyana had previously promised Tarin that if she lost, she would be at his mercy.

Although Tarin didn't say anything, Qiyana didn't say anything, and Lupe wisely didn't mention it either, a proud girl like Qiyana couldn't deceive her own heart.

With the only outsider gone, only Tarin, Nidalee, Neeko, and Qiyana remained.

Although there are still herds of beasts, these herds were originally subordinates of Tarin. Moreover, although the Paka jungle cats were once part of the Vastaya, after so much evolution, they have long since lost some of their human-like intelligence.

While their remaining intelligence allowed them to overcome some of their feline instincts, they were still a long way from being able to understand human speech and comprehend the meaning of human language.

Simply put, "Shoma" is the soul of a living being.

Tarin turned his gaze to Qiyana, absorbing the clairvoyance medicine stored within his glands to activate his senses and read Qiyana's sema to ascertain her current thoughts, and said:

"Neeko hails from the Misttail race of Ionia and is born with the ability to read the shoma of other life forms. Within the shoma resides a person's personality and memories."

Upon hearing Tarin's words, Qiyana was initially taken aback, but after realizing what Tarin meant, she suddenly snapped out of her daze.

He then looked at Nicole beside him, and after seeing Nicole nodding in confirmation with a big smile, he immediately distanced himself.

At the same time, she exclaimed in a voice filled with fear and disbelief, "You mean Neeko can not only transform into my appearance, but also read my memories?!"

"Yes." Tarin nodded, then sighed, "That's why I don't let Neeko read other people's shomons."

Not to mention Qiyana, even Nidalee, standing to the side, showed a surprised expression after hearing about Neeko's true abilities, and couldn't help but glance at the lizard girl next to her a few more times.

If it's just about mimicking appearance, Qiyana would be surprised, but not too nervous.

After all, even in a world without magic, one can determine someone's identity and expose their disguise simply by asking questions based on their appearance. How much more so in a world with magic?

But if this involves memories, or even deeper, the soul...

"That's really, really terrible!"

After a brief moment of panic and wariness, he looked at Nicole, whose face had become worried.

Qiyana's mind raced with countless ways to use it, and she couldn't help but reveal a smile of ambition:

"Such an ability actually exists in this world? Such a race actually exists?!"

Looking at Qiyana now, Neeko seemed to recall many of the people she had met when she first entered human society...

This even includes the first Vastayan sailor Neko encounters.

The sailor, merely knowing that Neeko possessed the ability to transform into other people, already harbored numerous wicked thoughts, terrifying the naive Neeko at the time, who immediately fled in panic...

Now, sensing Qiyana's emotional shift, Tarin initially frowned inwardly, contemplating whether to use the backup plan—

Tarin didn't want Qiyana to become a slave to ambition and power, willing to do anything. In fact, Tarin hoped even more than Qiyana herself that she would become a wise and benevolent queen…

It doesn't matter if I'm a little willful or arrogant.

But all of this is based on the premise that Qiyana does not harm those around Tarin.

Neeko, while possessing immense power, is still a naive child at heart. If they hadn't met, it wouldn't have mattered, but now that they have, Tarin finds it hard to convince himself to ignore her.

Even now, though she has told Qiyana about Neeko's abilities, Tarin has already prepared for the worst.

If Qiyana truly cannot control her ambition, then...

Tarin wasn't worried about Neeko's safety. After all, given the Misttail's formidable abilities, if Neeko wanted to leave, frankly, even Tarin might not be able to keep an eye on her...

While Tarin couldn't read the depth of a shoma like Neeko, he could still sense general emotions through the Clairvoyance Elixir.

This level of reading isn't as direct as Neeko's ability to know someone else's memories, but combined with Tarin's own pheromone perception, it's enough to determine the general thought process.

Qiyana's emotional journey, as it is now, consists of contempt, fear, ecstasy, and finally, pride.

The contempt stemmed from Qiyana's initial belief that while Neeko's transformation ability could change her appearance, it lacked inner power and therefore did not deserve to be compared to elemental magic.

The terror stemmed from the discovery that Neeko could read souls, perfectly replicate anyone, infiltrate any situation, read emotions and inner thoughts, turn enemies into friends, and silently overthrow the empire.

Qiyana was overjoyed because she had found Neeko herself—the perfect creature for assassination, power grabs, espionage, and subversion.

And Aoran is...

Qiyana glanced at Tarin beside her, who was intently watching her and observing her reaction, and puffed out her rather large chest.

Ixtal has a tropical rainforest climate, and the residents mostly wear light clothing. Now, with that puff of her chest, Qiyana's superior figure was on full display.

The arrogance between her brows makes Qiyana not only noble, but also irresistibly alluring, inspiring a desire to conquer her.

Although she lost to Tarin, Qiyana never doubted that she was incapable; she was determined to train even harder and avenge the humiliation of being ridden beneath her.

And this pride has indeed profoundly influenced every aspect of Qiyana's life—

Especially after feeling the care and respect from Tarlin, although Qiyana herself may not have realized it, the human need for recognition, belonging, and being needed was indeed silently at work.

And so, meeting Tarin's gaze, Qiyana raised her head, revealing her long and beautiful neck, her delicate face almost reaching for the sky.

His fingertips pressed against his chest, his golden eyes filled with a sharp and arrogant arrogance, his tone haughty and overbearing:

"Ha, reading memories, perfect disguise, manipulation in the shadows... that sounds interesting. But Qiyana doesn't need these kinds of shadowy tricks!"

Hmm... are you sure you don't want this?

Tarin raised an eyebrow. In the original story, Qiyana was truly a born demon, willing to do anything to prove herself.

Seemingly sensing Tarin's surprise, Qiyana glanced at everyone present, recalled Tarin's previous words, and a determined look flashed in her eyes.

"What I want is not a stand-in, not conspiracies, not sneaking around to overthrow anyone. What I want is a fair stage!"

Qiyana's voice carried a hint of resentment and determination:

"I will make all the Yuntars and all the Ixtals watch as I use my power, my talents, and my primordial principles to trample my sisters under my feet."

"I want them to acknowledge from the bottom of their hearts that only Qiyana is worthy to sit on the throne of Ixtal."

As she spoke, Qiyana's eyes were filled with determination, and her hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

Qiyana didn't become ruthless from the beginning. It was only after she became desperate and couldn't gain recognition from others no matter what she did, even after showing her talent in the Primordial Axioms, that she gradually became extreme and took unorthodox paths.

Feeling unappreciated, unnoticed, and unwanted... these feelings may seem insignificant, but they can quietly destroy a person's spirit and reason.

"A win is a win! I, Qiyana, win fair and square!" Saying this, Qiyana paused, pursed her lips, glanced at Tarin, then crossed her arms and hummed:

"I will only lose to those who are truly stronger than me."

Upon hearing this, Tarin wisely remained silent, but Nidalee, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow and asked, "You mean the thing about losing to Tarin?"

Upon hearing Nidalee's words, Qiyana glared at her, while Nidalee found Qiyana's words utterly baffling.

So what if I lost to Tallinn? Isn't that a common occurrence? Lately, every time I've played a one-on-one against Tallinn, I've lost like a complete wreck...

Unaware of the relationship between Tarin and Nidalee, Qiyana glared at Nidalee before turning her gaze to Tarin. After staring at Tarin for a moment, she coldly snorted and said:

"I will rely on my own strength... and all the power I can access to keep learning, getting stronger little by little, until one day—"

Qiyana approached Tarin, standing on tiptoe to try and make herself look more powerful and intimidating.

Unfortunately, Qiyana's pear-shaped figure and firm, full lower body only became more slender and upright when she stood on tiptoe, as if she were wearing high heels.

Extending a finger, Qiyana tapped Tarin's chest earnestly and firmly, her voice soft yet clear:

"I'll knock you to the ground with my own hands, just like you straddled me and pressed a weapon against my face..."

I will also straddle your face with dignity and let you taste the humiliation of being between Qiyana's legs!

Upon hearing this, Tarlin subconsciously lowered his head and looked at the firm, plump buttocks that were wider than his shoulders, feeling a sense of suffocation.

They are indeed difficult to deal with.

Seeing the silent Tarin, Qiyana felt a surge of pride, thinking she had won the round. She then turned and leaned against Tarin, looking at Neeko and saying:

"As for Neeko, while her abilities are indeed tempting, I, Qiyana, am the strongest weapon myself!"

"Don't try to test me with something like this, Qiyana will never lose!"

Upon hearing Qiyana's resounding answer, Tarin nodded after a moment of silence.

It wasn't just her words, but also the pheromones she released while speaking, and the emotional outlines emanating from her at the Shimmer level, all of which proved Qiyana's inner determination and resolve.

Although it sounds strange, what Qiyana, who did many things that could be described as monstrous in the backstory, actually wanted at the beginning was a fair chance to compete.

It can be said that Qiyana was striving for this fair competition opportunity until she broke her own sister's legs.

But in the end...

It can only be said that the conservative inertia generated by more than 6,000 years of isolation is indeed not something that can be easily shaken by the genius of one person.

Later, Qiyana also realized this and gradually focused her attention on the younger generation within Ixtal who shared her ideals.

"I underestimated you." Tarin placed his hand on Qiyana's shoulder.

If it were anyone else, Qiyana would definitely open or shake it off with disgust.

But perhaps it was because Tarin defeated her with undeniable power in a direct battle, or perhaps it was because of what Tarin had said and done before.

Or perhaps because Tarin now readily admitted his mistake, Qiyana didn't shake him off. Instead, she glanced at Tarin's hand resting on her shoulder and then hummed:

"Then tell me where you underestimated me."

"...Because of some futures I've seen." After a brief silence, Tallinn decided to tell the truth.

One lie requires more lies to cover it up, especially when dealing with intelligent and sensitive people; achieving a perfect lie is incredibly time-consuming and exhausting.

Especially in child psychology, deception is not just as simple as "lying".

Rather, it is the most direct and insidious way to destroy a child's sense of security, trust, and self-worth.

"I think you're more qualified than anyone else to know about these things concerning your future."