Chapter 831: Chapter 43: A Temporary Sense of Belonging
“The psychological yearning for maternal figures and elders is very common among teenagers during adolescence. Your special identity and experiences particularly intensify the subconscious feeling of loneliness, which is a normal psychological phenomenon…”
“Stop! Don’t explain!” Gongsun Ce yelled desperately, covering his ears, “It’s not what you think it is! This topic is over, don’t bring it up again, just forget it!”
“And you know, memories cannot be easily forgotten.”
“Please, talk about something else!”
The Dawn Knight handed over a peeled pear, and Gongsun Ce shoved it into his mouth, attempting to choke himself with it.
He thought that his first meeting in Shadow Mist City had already been the pinnacle of awkwardness in his life, but reality proved that life was far more tumultuous than he imagined, with embarrassing and awkward situations only increasing instead of decreasing… After recovering from serious injuries, having your secret crush sit by the bed to take care of you—what a rare scene that is, hard to come by a second time in a lifetime. Even if he couldn’t pull off a suave move like a movie hero upon awakening, at least he could have said something witty! Now, it’s great—he’s probably become a total little brat in her mind, with no chance in this lifetime. If he had known, he might as well have thrown caution to the wind and gone for a hug out of gratitude; at least then he could have gotten something out of it!
“Damn it…” He finished off the pear with difficulty and slowly returned to normal, “How’s everyone? Is everything settled? How long was I asleep?”
“You were asleep for 3 days, Mr. Gongsun.”
Alandia carefully narrated the aftermath of the events to him, detailing the outcomes of various battles and the overall changes in the environment. Gongsun Ce listened attentively for a while and then pondered, “Did Situ Yi personally go to the royal palace? Is his target the crown?”
“The crown is also a high-level Heart Phase Weapon, and is a necessary tool for the royal family’s succession of the Impermanence Skill,” Alandia explained.
“I think that man wouldn’t make a fuss to such an extent just for a mere weapon…” Gongsun Ce pondered, “Is the key point the succession? By the way, what exactly is the inheritance of the Impermanence Skill? I never thought this thing could even be passed down from person to person.”
“It’s an ancient ritual, where the Spirit Light of the Impermanence Law Enforcer is separated from one’s own mind, and the ability is transferred through the fusion of minds,” Alandia explained, “The more similar the two individuals are, and the deeper their feelings for each other, the higher the completeness of the succession.”
Never mind what Spirit Light is, this method sounds like some martial arts novel technique called ‘head pouring’. Just by the principle, this ‘head pouring’ shouldn’t require a weapon, yet Alandia said the crown is a ‘necessary tool’…
Think of it from another angle. Wouldn’t a skill originating from the mind like the Impermanence Skill cause big problems if completely handed over to someone else? It’d be understandable if it was inherited only when the old king was about to die, but there have been normal transitions of power in the country’s history with old kings abdicating and new ones ascending the throne—never heard those abdicated kings met grim ends in their later years…
“To protect both sides of the inheritance?” Gongsun Ce had an epiphany, “Directly inheriting the entire Impermanence Skill is likely to cause issues, so they used a weapon as a medium for indirect power transmission. This way, the new king doesn’t suddenly achieve ultimate power and undergo a personality change, and the old king doesn’t pass away immediately after the transmission is complete?”
“You are always sharp, Mr. Gongsun.” Alandia praised, “The royal family has never publicly detailed the principles of the crown’s succession, but I believe the crown holds the thoughts and memories entrusted by past kings. This power can protect both sides’ safety and help the new king gradually stabilize and control the power.”
“So, the crown is like a big database, and it might even contain King Morton’s memories… Situ Yi has been researching the founding myth, and it’s possible that’s why he targeted the queen for those memories.” Gongsun Ce pondered, “With so many Creation Realm Mages appearing, Situ Yi couldn’t have acted alone. That so-called ‘Hidden Law Master’ could very well be their leader… the true head of that organization.”
Remembering the brief exchange with the man in the troupe, he said with a complicated feeling, “It truly ended like a walk-on actor.”
This unexpected death might be related to him devoting power specifically to restrict Alandia. Situ Yi, not anticipating the trap would be destroyed, failed at the last moment and was ultimately abandoned by his trusted accomplice, dying. A man playing with people’s hearts exits like a traditional villain boss due to a ‘miscalculation’, which truly is an ironic event.
After saying this, the two were momentarily silent. Gongsun Ce wanted to bring up Jian, but felt that saying “Hey, I personally ended your old friend” was akin to dancing in a minefield, sounding as disastrous as possible. He uncharacteristically fell quiet, hearing Alandia say from beside him, “Mr. Gongsun, why did you come to help me at that time?”
“Huh?”
Gongsun Ce was taken aback, thinking what kind of question is that? Does this kind of thing even need a reason? But Alandia’s expression looked so earnest, as if discussing evidence with him, making him dismiss the idea of glossing over it.
“It’s just… no reason at all.” Gongsun Ce scratched his head, “Just like when you’re at school and see a girl from the neighboring class being cornered, or after school see a poor kid surrounded by some thugs demanding money, most of the time you think they’re quite pitiful but don’t have much to do with yourself, so you walk by quickly. But sometimes you feel they’re too pitiful and can’t stand it, so you go and do the right thing?
That goddamn illusion trap looked disgustingly terrifying, piecing together ‘truths’ from familiar people to make it seem like the whole world was bullying you. But that obviously wasn’t the case! Just like how in the last episode of that melancholic anime ‘Eva’, not to mention the theatrical version, everyone comes together to clap and say ‘Congratulations’. Reality has no reason to be worse. I thought Alandia is such a good person, why should she suffer so much, so I tried my best to pull you out. No reason needed.”