pertwk Chapter 4270 Change of Throne
Chapter 4270 Change of Throne
Chapter 4270 Change of Throne
"I never imagined that the examiner's past was so tragic..."
Angel murmured softly.
The little devil host, who had been ignored by Angor and had a furrowed brow, relaxed his brows again upon hearing Angor's remark.
It turns out that the test taker was still immersed in the narration of the withered one... That makes sense, even as the host, it would be difficult to let go of it in a short time.
As a little devil who enjoys watching the fun, it couldn't even muster the desire to play when faced with the withered one.
It's too heavy, too tragic.
Thinking about it this way, the test taker's reaction is actually quite normal.
He had been standing there in a daze, probably because he was too shocked to react for a moment.
After thinking about it this way, the little devil host looked at Angor with a more pleasing gaze.
That kid's reasoning skills were pretty good just now. I wonder what he'll say when faced with the tragic past of the withered one? Will he sigh? Show regret? Or offer advice?
With a gossipy glint in his eye, he lightly leaped to the nearest sealed monument to the withered one, squatted on top, and listened to the conversation below.
The withered one gently shook his head: "I am recounting these past events only to keep my promise... I do not need your sympathy or pity."
The withered one actually felt a little regretful for his impulsiveness: he had suddenly revealed a secret he had kept hidden for a long time.
Despite its regret, it clearly felt a relief after revealing the secret.
It lowered its brows, letting it be a moment of indulgence.
As the withered man's emotions surged, Angel spoke again: "Of course I know that pity is meaningless to the examiner. Or rather, most of the time, sympathy and pity are meaningless."
"More than these pointless emotions, I'm concerned about whether the examiner has considered how to resolve... the burden in your mind?"
"Does the examiner intend to carry this unbearable burden of life forever?"
The Decayer raised an eyebrow and glanced at Angor: "I'm no longer your examiner; just call me the Decayer. As for the 'solution' you mentioned... why did you suddenly bring that up?"
Angell shook his head in denial: "It wasn't brought up suddenly. My mentor taught me from a young age that crying is useless. Find the problem and then solve it."
"Identify the problem, then solve it?" The decaying man repeated in a low voice, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes.
However, it quickly shook its head: "What you said is simple, yet profound. But you must know that there are many problems in this world that you can identify but cannot solve."
"Just like the aging of living beings, the rusting of objects, the erosion of beliefs... I can see these problems, but I cannot turn back time, nor can I stop those things that are destined to disappear..."
Even though the decaying creature has become more afraid of death, its answer still carries a faint sense of emptiness; it tends to think of anything that can be associated with death.
Ingres: "When living beings grow old, then find ways to prolong their life; when objects rust, then polish and renovate them; when beliefs are worn down, then rekindle and reignite them."
Ingres's answer actually obscured the key point, but its content was clearly in opposition to nihilism.
If the Decaying One were still the examiner, it would see Angell's words as mere arguing and would most likely not pass him.
But now, the decaying ones don't really care that much.
It knew that Angell was telling itself in this way: discover the problem, solve the problem.
“I understand what you mean, but you don’t understand my predicament.”
“I truly cannot understand your predicament, just as I could never understand my teacher’s heart when I was a child.” Angell: “I’m just curious, does the ‘decaying one’ mean that you keep ‘them’ in your head but never think about how to solve them?”
The withered one opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.
How could it not have considered a solution?
But there's no way to solve it.
Even the gods could only shake their heads helplessly when they saw it, and even advised it to give up.
But how could it possibly give up?
Even if they are just fragments of the soul, they are their only compatriots and siblings, and the last "relics" of the Prusha civilization.
And so, it could only bear it day after day...
“I actually think the tester is quite right; you can’t keep carrying them around forever.” At this moment, the little devil host suddenly spoke up: “Perhaps you could consider seeking out deities related to the soul; they might have a solution.”
The Decaying One: "I once went to the realm of the Spirit Eye in the name of the God."
The Spirit Eye is a great demon god of the abyss on the same level as the Cruel Scholar, and the domain of its authority lies in the "soul".
The withered one went to see the Eye of the Spirit Realm with hope, but the Eye of the Spirit Realm did not summon it at all.
They simply found a believer to relay the message.
"He said that He could help reshape the soul, but each soul fragment would require a large amount of Abyssal Soul Sand to complete."
Abyss Soul Sand is extremely expensive; even a single grain can be auctioned off in Lassudran.
Now, to complete a single soul fragment, a large amount of Abyss Soul Sand is required.
Let's not even talk about the price.
The decaying being's head contained not just one fragment of a soul, but countless fragments...
Even if all the Abyss Soul Sand produced in the Abyss Layer every year were given to it, it probably wouldn't be enough to fill the entire hole.
In the end, the withered one had no choice but to leave the Eye of the Spirit Realm.
Even the gods who control souls can't do anything about it, so what can it do?
After listening to the withered one's account, the little devil host looked unconvinced: "I have a feeling that Lord Spirit Eye lied to you. He is a being who holds the power over souls, how could He be unable to solve this?"
The withered one shook his head: "Later I asked the God, and He said that the Spirit Eye may have exaggerated the resources for completing the soul fragments, but overall it was not deceptive."
"No matter how powerful the soul authority wielded by the Spirit Realm Eye is, it is still only a Great Demon God, not an Unparalleled Great Demon God. Moreover, above the Unparalleled Great Demon God, there are miracles..."
If we use the wizarding system as a counterpart, the Spirit Eye is a legendary existence. No matter how strong the legendary authority is, it is impossible to complete the soul fragments in the head of the Decayer.
Unless He stops cultivating for the next tens of thousands of years and spends all his time on the decaying beings.
But is this possible?
Obviously impossible.
So it's not that the decaying ones don't think of solutions; it's that they truly don't have any.
All it can do now is to have its subordinates collect Abyss Soul Sand as much as possible... It doesn't even need to replenish all the souls; it would be satisfied if it could replenish one each year.
The little devil host asked, "But how many more years can you keep this up?"
As the host of the Chapter of the Heart, it can actually vaguely sense the situation inside the sealed monument.
The decaying one is now in a very bad state.
Neither its own nihilistic mental state nor its nearly withered physical condition could sustain it for long...
The withered one shook his head bitterly: "I'll hold on for as long as I can... Besides, I should have died a long time ago."
The little devil host hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed helplessly.
For a moment, the air fell into a cold silence.
Just then, Angel suddenly spoke up: "Actually, resolving this matter may not require the Abyss Soul Sand, nor may it require any powerful demon god authority."
These words, like a sudden clap of thunder in spring, instantly attracted the attention of the Lesser Demon Host and the Withered One.
They turned to look at Angell almost simultaneously.
Although the little devil host still had that unreliable demeanor, his expression and voice were serious and solemn: "Although some people always say that I like to watch others have fun, it can only be me watching other people have fun. I don't want to be watched as a source of amusement by others."
"do you understand me?"
"Don't joke around, especially not this kind of joke."
It gives people hope, and then disappoints them; it may not sound like a big deal, but for someone deeply mired in nihilism, it could very well be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.
While issuing the warning, the little devil also glanced at the withered one out of the corner of his eye.
The decaying one remained silent, though its eyes were calm, a glimmer of hope could still be seen.
“I have no right to joke,” Angell shrugged. “I’m just stating a fact.”
Before the little devil could refute, Angor turned to the withered one and said, "My teacher once told me a principle: if you can't find a sharp stone to hone your blade on this mountain, then go look on another mountain."
"If the power of the abyss cannot help you, why don't you try the power of other systems?"
The little devil host was taken aback.
Although Ingres did not explicitly state the method, the principle he put forward was not wrong.
Thinking of this, it turned to look at the withered one, wondering how the withered one would respond.
The Decaying One: "Your teacher is a wise man, and his words are not wrong. However, since you have come to the Chapter of the Heart, isn't your purpose to pay homage to Your Excellency, the Venerable Scholar?"
"Scholarly Honored One" is a respectful term used by the citizens of the City of Faith to address the ruthless scholar.
Compared to the general title "Godly Lord," the title "Scholarly Venerable" emphasizes that the scholar's knowledge is unparalleled and that he is the only one worthy of respect.
"Your Excellency's knowledge far surpasses human imagination," said the Decaying One. "It can not only identify every stone of the Abyss, but also the mountains of many civilizations across the multiverse."
"Including your wizarding civilization, and even some of the abilities you alchemists possess, they evolved from the teachings of the Scholar, such as inscriptions."
The implication is quite clear: while it's true that learning from others can be helpful, this principle doesn't apply to ruthless scholars.
Angel did not deny it, but said, "Even the brightest light has corners it cannot reach. Perhaps, even someone as learned as Your Excellency has areas you haven't explored?"
The Decaying One: "What you said isn't wrong, but you..."
The Decayer instinctively wanted to question Angor, but after thinking about it, he felt it was pointless.
If so, what if?
What if Angell really possesses knowledge that even the Cruel Scholars haven't mastered? What if he's telling the truth, and he really can find a way to resolve the fragments of the soul?
With this faint hope, the decaying one chose silence.
Little Devil Host: "So the method you're talking about is..."
Angell: "I do think of a possible solution that might be useful to the Decayers, but before I talk about it, I would like to ask the Decayers a few questions."
The little devil host turned to look at the withered one.
The withered one was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly: "...Ask away."
"The first question is, if there really were a way to solve your predicament, what price would you be willing to pay for it?"
The decaying one answered almost without hesitation: "Everything I own, including my life."
Angell, without any expression, continued to ask:
"My second question is, if they could come back to life, would you want them to rebuild the Prussian civilization?"
The withered one hesitated this time, and after a moment of hesitation, said, "If you were to ask me this answer now, I might say that whether or not to rebuild the Prussian civilization is not important, what is important is survival; but if they really do survive, I might become greedy and take advantage of them..."
"So, in order to avoid changing myself."
"If you really have a way to bring them back to life, I can sign a contract in advance. Whether you demand the reconstruction of civilization or not, it can be written into the contract."
“A very pragmatic answer,” Angell said softly.
"The third question is, what if they came back to life, but no longer looked the same... It's like your soul was placed in a dog's body and resurrected in that form, could you accept that?"
The Decaying One remained silent for even longer than before, his eyes flickering, before finally saying softly, "As long as the core remains unchanged, it will still be the same."
Angel nodded noncommittally: "Fourth question, if they were to come back to life, what would you see as your role? Guide, observer, or participant?"
The Decayer: "If I could truly be resurrected, whatever role you wish for me to play, I would do it."
"One last question. Once they are reborn and become independent individuals, what will your stance be if their will conflicts with the rules?"
"Are you standing with your fellow citizens against the rules?"
"Or will you stand on the side of upholding rules and order, and restrain or even punish your compatriots?"
The withered one pondered for a moment: "If they are saved because of the rules, then afterwards... regardless of right or wrong, I will stand on the side of the rules."
Angel nodded: "I understand."
"There are no right answers to these questions. I just want to see your stance."
The statement from the decaying entity indicates its willingness to give up everything, relinquish rights, and uphold the rules.
That's enough.
Little Devil Host: "Hehe—why does it feel like the roles of offense and defense have been reversed?"
Previously, it was the Decayer who asked Angor, and Angor was seeking a stance.
Now it is Angell's turn to ask the Decayer, and the Decayer must state his position.
It sensed something was off, but if Angor could truly help the Decayers, then none of that mattered…
"So, do you really have a way to solve this problem?" The little devil master jumped onto the seal above Angel and asked curiously.
Angell stared directly at the withered one, and in the other's eyes, which were clearly filled with expectation and trembling, he said softly, "Yes, I have it."
“However, this method only exists in theory, and it originates from…” Angor did not say it explicitly, but pointed upwards, seemingly implying that it came from a higher existence.
The withered one and the little devil master suddenly realized and indicated that they understood.
If it really is Ingres's method, they might still have some doubts, after all, Ingres is too young in their eyes.
But if Ingres said that there was "someone" behind it, their suspicions would lessen considerably.
“I’m not sure if this method will work; we need to test it.” Angell looked at the withered one: “Do you agree to test it?”