Being coquettish means you are aware of the possibility of being favored, while being sensible means you are aware of the idea of ​​being abandoned.

So Liz was acting like a spoiled brat, but also seemed very sensible. She completely ignored her sisters' voices and looked at Ash with wide eyes.

Her world is very small, so small that it will become very empty if she loses anyone, so she is willing to betray everything for anyone, even fairness and justice.

Ash looked at her, searched his pockets but couldn't find a handkerchief or tissue, so he had to use his sleeve to wipe the milk stains off her face, and smiled: "Have you forgotten that I have a contract with you, and I also have a contract with the eldest lady."

"But Aunt An Nan likes you very much!" Liz said anxiously, "She will definitely not be willing to let you go—"

"She's willing to do that." Ash said, "Maybe Annan has a crush on me, maybe even likes me a little, but love is not as omnipotent as you think. In fairy tales, love can make you climb mountains and cross rivers, turn your fate upside down, and even level the mountains and seas, but in reality it is useless, and the fantasy it brings to people is not even as good as Harvey's candy."

"Her love for me may be the love of a friend, the love of a pet, or even a little love for the opposite sex, but it is definitely not a love that overrides life. For the sake of the Lord God's wish, she can even use her own life as a bargaining chip, so what am I?"

Ash rubbed Liz's head and said, "You will understand in the future that whether you like me or hate me, they are just emotions fostered by hormones and illusions created by life. You can chase after or even indulge in these illusions, but they cannot fill your life. Only ideals, life and meaning can make you grow into an outstanding woman."

For some reason, when Liz heard Ash lecturing her seriously, her nose felt sore and her vision became blurry. She pouted and said, "Dad, are you really qualified to say such things? You don't seem to have any ideals."

"I'm so sorry for being such a superficial adult and setting a bad example for you." Ash scratched his face awkwardly, "Of course, I really hope that you will become an outstanding and beautiful woman in the future, but I will also be very happy if you become ordinary like me. Sometimes, it's a very happy thing to be able to live like in the story, 'in the blink of an eye, they have lived for decades of ordinary life'."

"I will definitely grow up to be a super cute beauty!" Liz sniffed fiercely: "But Dad, why do you say it as if you can't see it yourself? The more you say that, the more scared I am! If it is so dangerous, why don't you resist the bad woman An Nan, but have to accompany her to die?"

"Oh, by the way, Aunt Borgin and Uncle Harvey will definitely not surrender. Let's discuss with them and resist Annan's tyranny. Freedom belongs to us—"

"They won't go along with you."

Liz was startled: "Why?"

"Because An Nan offered a higher price than freedom." Yaxiu smiled and said, "The Lord God's wish."

"But the God's wish is not something that only one person can obtain—"

"Annan proposed another possibility." Yaxiu said: "The Lord God's wishes can never be fulfilled, so it stands to reason that it must have a "wish capacity". As long as it is within this capacity, our wishes can be fulfilled, no matter how many wishes we have. "

"Annan said that although her wish can only be fulfilled by the All-Knowing Weaver, it is not a very great or important wish, and it can even be considered insignificant. Therefore, if there is still "wish capacity", she will be happy to fulfill our wish."

Liz tried hard to find reasons to refute: "But, but these are only An Nan's one-sided words. The All-Knowing Weaver may not be so easy to talk to. Maybe he will only fulfill one of An Nan's wishes. Then you will have worked in vain!"

"But at least there is hope, isn't it?" Ash smiled, "Although hope without results is poison, but we... but Igula and Harvey already have such a life, how can they resist having a happy dream?"

"Liz, you have to know that I, Igula, and Harvey are all homeless strangers. Sometimes I also think, isn't it just leaving our hometown to live in a strange city? How difficult can it be? But when I think about the past that can only be recalled from memory and completely cut off from the past twenty years of life, even if our hearts are as cold as iron, our blood is still warm."

"What was Xavi looking at when he was smoking? What was Iguala thinking when he was taking a bath?"

Liz: "Dad, are you missing your hometown too?"

Ash smiled, held Liz in his arms, and asked, "Do you smell anything?"

Liz sniffed hard in his arms: "The smell of water, clothes, and a little bit of shampoo... Hey? Aren't we in Happy World all day? When did you wash your hair, Dad?"

"Ah, being with a group of you who are either cute or pretty, I definitely have to work on my appearance, otherwise I'll end up on the same level as Harvey." Ash shrugged, "So is this a familiar smell to you?"

"Um."

“This is the taste of hometown.”

Liz asked nervously, "So, Dad, do you want to go back to your hometown?"

"At least Igula and Harvey don't want to. After all, some things are only suitable to be kept in memory." Yaxiu said: "Missing our hometown only proves that we can't live in peace, so we can only dig out some bones from the grave of memory like wild dogs to fill our stomachs. This is why Igula and Harvey are willing to take risks with Annan - they want to gain the power to hold on to happiness."

"But aren't they very strong? Aunt Borgin will become the Rusty Crow, and Uncle Harvey may even become a legendary wizard who controls the gods in the future." Liz said, "How much power do they need to hold on to their own happiness?"

"That's a good question. Perhaps they are also expecting the All-Knowing Weaver to give them an answer." Ash spread his hands: "You can't count on them anyway."

"What about you, Dad?" Liz asked, "What is your wish?"

"Me?" Ash was slightly startled, and after thinking for a while, he said, "My true wish cannot even be fulfilled by the Omniscient Weaver, and I dare not let Him fulfill it."

If he made a wish to the All-Knowing Weaver to return to his hometown, not to mention that the All-Knowing Weaver could not fulfill it, it would be terrifying if it really came true - if the Lord God set his sights on that clear blue planet, then Ash, the guide, would become a sinner who deserved death.

"As for my secondary wish..." He paused: "I want to meet someone."

"who?"

"A person who is very important to me," Ash pinched Liz's little face, "As important as you. But I want to see her, but I dare not see her."

"Why?" Liz was a little jealous at first, but she became curious after hearing this: "Doesn't that person want to see you?"

"I don't know. Let's just assume that she wants to see me. But..." Ash said, "If I really see her in reality, I might have to give up my real wish."

"Why? Do the two wishes conflict?"

"In theory, there is no conflict, but it's like a stray dog ​​that has been adopted. It has no motivation to go out and grab food, and can only maintain its happiness as a domestic dog. It's also like a balloon that you bought today. From now on, it will be controlled by the string and cannot selfishly fly into the sky."

Liz seemed to understand: "So Dad, is your wish to meet that person?"

"No." Ash said, "First, I haven't made up my mind yet. Half-hearted determination is not good enough. Second, she has her own life and is not ready to see me. Third, there is no need. It is only a matter of time before I meet her. There is no need to waste a wish."

"So what is your wish, Dad?"

"I was just trying to discuss this with you."

"Ah?" Liz was stunned, and said thoughtfully: "Dad, you are so unpopular in the Gospel Kingdom now, why don't you make a wish that everyone will like you? Or simply, gain the power of a legendary magician? Wait, the wish capacity required by a legendary magician may be too much. You should make a wish that is easy for the Omniscient Weaver, but will obviously improve you and has a very high cost-effectiveness..."

Just as Liz was thinking about what wish to make, Ash shook his head.

"I'm not asking you to think about my wish, I'm asking you, what is your wish?"

"Ah?" Liz raised her head and looked at Ash blankly.

"In the underground hall of the Four Pillars, although Annan threatened you, you are a smart kid. If you don't want to join the funeral agency, you just need to insist that you don't want to. Annan and Cleos won't do anything to you. They are not cruel enough to kill a little girl just because she is a 'stranger'." Ash said, "Plus, you instigated me to plot against Annan that night, so I know why you joined the funeral agency."

Liz opened her mouth, but no words came out, she couldn't refute.

The trial of the bronze dragon would allow her to get help from various coincidences, so that she would get closer and closer to her goal. This effect is still in effect today - after being captured by the Four Pillars Cult, joining the funeral ceremony, and then coming all the way to Nabisteen, she is only half a step away from her goal.

"Even if I have to deal with adults and work alone, what is the wish that I want to fulfill?" Ash asked, "Can you tell me?"

"I..." Liz stammered, "Dad, do you want to fulfill my wish?"

"It depends. If you want the love of a prince and princess, then I can only prepare a better pillow for you so that you can sleep better." Ash shrugged: "But if your wish is very important to you..."

As he spoke, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly: "Someone once told me that although I don't have a dream, I can protect the dreams of others. I'm borrowing this here. Although I don't have any wishes worthy of praise, I can help realize your wishes."

"but why?"

Liz grabbed Ash's sleeve and shook her head vigorously: "I can't understand... I'm not your relative! I have nothing to do with you! We are just strangers... I don't like it... I don't want you to be so nice to me... I don't want to..." As she spoke, her voice became more and more choked, and her words became more and more incoherent. Her eyes could no longer hold the tears that were getting bigger and bigger, and they fell down without paying.

"Hey, didn't we agree that we would be a family after the weaving festival?" Ash said with a smile, "But your suspicion is reasonable. How could a normal person give up such an opportunity? If Igula heard it, he would definitely say that I used rhetoric to deceive an ignorant little girl like you."

"That's not what I meant—"

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Yaxiu said, "At that time in the underground hall, you were all dirty and were forced by An Nan to sign a contract. Then you looked around and hugged me, calling me names that I couldn't bear at my age..."

"Dad." Liz couldn't help but burst into laughter, and confessed with a guilty conscience: "Actually, at that time, I just felt that among the people around me, only you... were easier to deceive..."

"Igula told me immediately afterwards." Ash said, "But I still believe in my judgment."

"When you hugged my thighs, I could see fear, uneasiness, and anxiety in your eyes, as if my thighs were the only thread you could hold on to when you fell."

“It’s just like me before.”

Liz rubbed her eyes: "Like you?"

"Well, at that time I was just like you, my heart was dominated by fear, my soul was devoured by anxiety, and no matter where I fled, I couldn't escape loneliness." Ash nodded: "Then I was saved by someone."

"Is that the person you wanted to see?"

"Yeah, so I really can't just leave you alone." Ash turned his head to look at the river, the sparkling light of the underground river reflected in his eyes: "I know other people don't like you very much, but don't care about them. As long as I like you, the world will like you."

At this moment, Liz wished that the surrounding street lights could be brighter and the fluorescence of the underground river could be brighter, so that she could see clearly the flickering light in Ash's eyes, and how much of it was pity and how much of it was love.

"Wait," Liz sniffed fiercely, thinking of a terrible possibility: "Are you willing to be with An Nan just to fulfill my wish--"

"No, no, no, you don't have to think of me as such a great person." Ash didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "The main reason is that An Nan will never let me go, otherwise I would definitely go with you and Igula. Since An Nan insists on abusing me like this, I can only enjoy it and think about how to use this benefit."

"If you don't have any wishes, I will also make a wish to An Nan."

Wait, let Ash make a wish?

Although he has not made up his mind yet, if he has no other wishes, he can make a last wish to meet 'that person' who is very important to him...

Liz immediately used Ash's sleeve to wipe her little face, put on the mirror gloves again, and looked down at the mirror.

Then she looked up and looked at Ash seriously.

"Ash, I am Princess Isu."