Utopian System

Chapter 410 System's Heartache

Mei reviewed the numbers for the fifth time, her fingers tracing the neat columns of figures.

The amounts of mana she was handling now was almost surreal.

Each page told a story of sacrifice and hope.

"The debt to the citizens is completely settled," she commented, meticulously organizing the records with practiced precision. "But they keep contributing."

"It's hope," Ren responded without looking up from his own calculations, his quill scratching steadily against parchment. "They believe that if they contribute enough, Elio will eventually find a way to end this."

The silence that followed was broken only by the scratching of quills on paper. Finally, Ren sighed, putting down his work.

"A lot of hope from many, but... Diana is growing more distant with me," he murmured, his voice mixing concern and frustration. "We barely talk lately, and when we do..."

"I know what you mean," Mei set aside her documents, looking at her companion with sympathy. "It's like Lila. She gets worse every day too."

"At least Diana doesn't watch Elio and Zara constantly," Ren ran a hand over his face, exhaustion evident in his features. "The way their relationship flows, how natural they are together... it must be like salt in the wound for her."

Mei nodded, remembering how her friend visibly tensed whenever Zara and Elio interacted. The small gestures of affection, the shared glances, the way they gravitated toward each other without even noticing, each moment another small cut to Lila's heart.

Even her felt it a bit... but Lila was...

"Today it's their turn to feed the deposits," Mei commented, worry evident in her voice.

"The two of them?" Ren straightened in his chair. "Diana and Lila together?"

"At the outer barrier. Where Zahyla..."

Lila looked at her with confusion, the unexpected comparison drawing her out of her melancholy.

"Not romantic, obviously," Diana smiled weakly. "But that feeling of being trapped in an emotional cycle... of not being able to move past something even though you know it's destroying you. My mother was... complicated. Always demanding perfection, always comparing me to others. I hated and loved her simultaneously, and I hated myself for not being able to resolve those feelings."

"What changed?"

"The shared pain potion," Diana lowered her voice. "It's a secret, but... the god gave it to us in the main exchange and I asked Ren for a loan. When we shared it, I could feel all her pain, and found that she didn't hate me... found her constant worry that I wouldn't be strong enough to survive in this world. And she felt my desperation to be acknowledged, my frustration at never being enough."

Diana ran a hand through her hair, the memory still vivid. "It didn't fix everything magically, but... it gave us perspective. I understood that her harshness came from love, from fear of losing. And she understood how her actions truly affected me... Even though god said it was primarily to help old rulers manage their mind living too many years..." Continue your journey on empire

"Are you suggesting I give Elio a shared potion?" Lila asked, her eyes widening at the possibility.

"No, no," Diana shook her head quickly. "I'm suggesting you try to see things from his perspective, and maybe find a way for him to see things from yours. The worst case would be direct rejection, but even that might be better than this emotional limbo you're in."

"The weight of an entire city on his shoulders," Lila murmured thoughtfully. "The responsibility of keeping everyone safe, of becoming stronger... wait, I may fall in love harder if..."

A musical laugh interrupted her thoughts.

"How adorably pathetic!" Zahyla's voice floated to them from the distance. "Heart troubles while your world slowly crumbles. Isn't it charming?"

The two tensed, turning toward the voice. Zahyla floated beyond the barrier, her cruel smile visible even at a distance.

"Oh, don't stop on my account," she continued, her voice mixing amusement and disdain. "Please, continue discussing how little Lila might make her precious leader notice her. It's much more entertaining than watching you fail in your pathetic attempts to become stronger."

Diana stepped forward, placing herself protectively in front of Lila. "Not everyone measures a conversation's worth by its utility in battle."

Zahyla's smile widened. "No, I suppose not. After all, what else do you have left besides your little dramas? Trapped in your cage, playing at being warriors while time runs out..."