Chapter 296: Haina's Future (Part 3)
The old pastor who witnessed my grandfather's death more than ten years ago has passed away long ago.
His son even looked to be in his forties or fifties—for a priest who had mastered the art of fire worship, his appearance meant his true age was definitely higher than his. Perhaps he had been in Eagle Point Village for quite some time.
But the pastor failed to provide Aiwass with much useful information.
Because he had only been in his father's position for a short time, he had not yet been exposed to many things. He probably didn't know as much as Iverson did today.
The only information he could provide was probably the village's burial traditions.
“There is no cemetery in our village.”
While distributing cakes to Aiwas and Lily, the priest replied softly, "All the corpses will be thrown into the swamp, and there will be no more unified worship.
"Because remembrance and worship are both acts of the dusk path, and we are nothing more than a group of nameless people who have sold our souls—unexpected in life, and unremembered after death. People without names will not have tombstones."
"Then why do those children have names?"
Aiwass asked a question that had puzzled him for a long time.
The priest simply smiled. "We are all nameless souls trapped here, forgotten shadows of the Sand Clock... but they are different. They are all healthy children."
"...Why did you sell your souls?"
Aiwass asked, "Why does Amber charge such a price?"
For ordinary phantom demons, human souls are a scarce commodity. To obtain souls, demons are even willing to sign contracts and allow people to command them.
But to the Pillar God, it didn't matter at all. After death, the soul naturally flowed into the nine different rivers. It was a natural resource for humans, just like the air we breathe. No one would pay a price to breathe such ordinary air.
Unless this "air" itself has some special meaning.
——The most curious thing about Aiwas is why Amber agreed to such a deal?
Judging by the twilight power still swirling through the village, the deal wasn't completely concluded even then. Amber continued to provide a steady supply of power, enough to affect everyone's sense of time.
But the pastor just shook his head.
He put his finger to his lips. No answer.
Or maybe it can't be answered.
So Aiwass had to change the subject and asked indirectly, "What about Haina? Do you know anything about her?"
Finally, the pastor spoke up, "Among all the newborns in our village, Haina is the most special one. No doubt about it."
Indeed, Aiwass thought.
In your village, brimming with the power of dusk, with both her biological and adoptive fathers suited to the path of devotion, she was ultimately able to achieve a state of half-authority and half-transcendence...
Neither dedication nor dusk.
"I thought she would be a priest, or a blacksmith."
Aiwass slumped his shoulders helplessly, picked up a piece of dessert and put it into his mouth without hesitation, and replied incoherently, "But she doesn't seem to be adaptable to the path of dedication."
"Yes, that's why Haena received authoritarian education when she was young. This also came from Jacob's suggestion - he told Haena's mother that little Haena was adaptable to the authoritarian path.
"It was from then on that Haena's mother began to deliberately cultivate Haena's authoritarianism. It can be said that Mr. Jacob played an indispensable role in her becoming an Overseer today."
The pastor sighed, "And now, Mr. Jacob's grandson has become her friend, invited here... This is probably fate. Fate is the blood of dusk, and everything in the future is predetermined by amber, engraved in the amber tree. Everything is inextricably connected."
“Authoritarian education…”
Aiwass was a little confused.
But he paused, and suddenly remembered——
That was the content of their conversation when he and Haina met for the second time and were pushed by Haina to the Pelican Bar.
"Yes, my family is poor. But my parents taught me from a young age to be an upright person. I must abide by the law, be loyal to the queen, and be honest to my teachers. Although I have no money, I have never done anything wrong, even a petty theft."
"—I won't ask others to do the same as me, because not everyone agrees with authoritarianism. But I will try my best to restrain my own behavior. It's not because I'm forced to do so, but because I am willing to do so.
"—Now, I wholeheartedly obey my superior and carry out every order he gives within the rules; but if one day I become higher than him, then he must also obey me in the same way."
Haina's childish yet confident voice echoed in Aiwas's heart.
He took a deep breath and gradually reacted.
“…Why didn’t I realize it then?”
This is the most typical authoritarian education.
The adaptability of a transcendental being is not fixed from birth, but constantly changes, just like Janice, Meg in the past, and Ligeia in the present.
Family education is the simplest way to adapt to changing paths. While it's not suitable for everyone, and you can't go too far... For example, Isabel isn't suited to the Path of Authoritarianism, but if she wants to transition to the Path of Love through education, it's still possible. Similarly, Yulia is on the Path of Balance, but she's also suited to Wisdom and Transcendence.
With proper guidance, it is often easy to lead children onto the designated path when they are still young.
It is somewhat difficult to switch from the twilight path to the authoritarian path.
But it is possible to transcend the path.
Furthermore, the Path of Transcendence was illegal in Avalon. If Haina had a strong adaptability to the Path of Transcendence when she was born, and her parents had decided from the beginning that she should leave Eagle Point Village, then they would have to use various means to transform her adaptability to the Path of Transcendence into the Path of Authority...
That's why she received such a strict authoritarian education.
In this way, Aiwass thought of the stories that his grandfather Jacob told to Haina when she was a child...
--Carnivores, led by a giant red bear and a golden lion, ruled the world. Herbivores, such as a white horse and a green deer, outwitted and ultimately defeated the giant bear to become the new king. The golden lion, after swallowing a black mole, was then ripped out of its stomach by the mole.
The story of "The King on the White Horse" is a metaphor for Arthur's victory over the High Heavens and his rise to become the Silver-Crowned Dragon. This story itself is full of traces of "transcendence," and simply recording it is rebellious.
Although Haina had heard many stories about Jacob, this was the only story she remembered very clearly.
This shows that Xiao Haina’s first path of adaptability is to transcend the path!
So, Haina’s biological father…does he also have the adaptability to transcend the Tao?
If that's the case, maybe Haina's impulse to become a Taoist is actually inherited from her father!
Perhaps his disappearance is inextricably linked to Jacob or the Noble Red...
What he and Haina have in common is that they can both leave Eagle Cape Village for a long time.
If his departure wasn't a scumbag move, but a pioneering act that only he could do...
Does that mean that only a strong enough power of "transcendence" can break through the stagnation and seal of the power of dusk in the blood, and thus live a normal life in the outside world?
Aihua immediately understood why he had never seen Haina in the original game.
——Because Haina will only stay as a trainee supervisor for half a year.
When she graduates, she will return to Eagle Point Village just as she is now.
From then on, she would never return to Glass Island - because she could never go back.
She would either awaken the adaptability of the Twilight Path or her own transcendent nature. Either possibility would cause her temperament to change drastically, and she would no longer enjoy her work at the Supervisory Bureau.
So, are there similar bosses or forces in the game?
——It really does.
And this time it’s not the BOSS.
In version 2.X, there is a separatist demon uprising army called the "Hyena Gang" in Avalon, which resists the colonial rule of the Star Antimony Kingdom.
They were a group of demonized former Overseers, who swept everywhere with a large group of undead hounds, attacking mines, bridges, and railways controlled by the Star People, robbing caravans, assassinating the "new nobles" who had defected to the Star People, and transforming those they killed into undead again.
Under the control of the Star Antimony, Avalon lost control of the Griffin Brigade and the Eye of Avalon, making it difficult for them to accurately control local intelligence like Avalon does today. The Hyena Gang hid in the most desolate places, and with the help of the people of Avalon to conceal their tracks, despite repeated attacks, they were difficult to completely eliminate.
The leader of the Hyena Gang is a tall and beautiful woman named "Wuming".
She was full of vigor and confidence, but her body was covered with scars—not scars left by lack of timely treatment after battle. Scars, as a reminder of wounds, were themselves a powerful symbol of twilight.
"Nameless" wore her hair tied in a waist-length ponytail, with dim yellow eyes. Her clothes were tattered, revealing two arms and one leg. She wore a bright and handsome smile. She possessed the powers of Authority, Transcendence, and Twilight, and was incredibly popular among both players and the people of Avalon.
They are considered half friendly units.
Because the Hyena Gang can be earned by gaining "faction favor", the Hyena Set purchased from the faction store is the highest-level set commonly used by Demon and Necromancer players.
It wasn't until the founding of Camelot that Wuming became a vanguard in the attack on Shadow Sky Division, only to be killed by Shadow Sky Division's direct attack. The Hyena Gang eventually fell apart, and the remaining familiar NPCs became Camelot's police guards.
...Thinking back now, this should be Haina from another world line.
It’s not Aiwass’s fault that he didn’t recognize him - the name, hairstyle, eye color, temperament, and occupation are all different. Except for the figure, nothing is the same... How can I recognize him!
And maybe because of her good figure, Haina is always being stared at, which makes her feel a little inferior. She usually has a bit of a hunched chest. She is basically nothing like the big sister who is generous, elegant, and aggressive.
Aiwass shook his head, dispelling the belated thoughts.
Regarding her father's matter...I have to tell Haena first.
Thinking this, he said goodbye to the pastor.
When Aiwass went out, he found that it was already dusk outside.
As soon as he left the house, his expression suddenly changed.
——Why don’t we go back first?
But at this moment, Aiwass suddenly stopped.
Because the pastor was responsible for receiving people from outside the village, his house was located near the entrance of the village, very close to the path leading into the village.
But now, Aiwas heard the excited and rude shouts of a group of people from the village entrance.
He frowned slightly, pulled Lily back half a step and hid in the pastor's house.
Sure enough, it didn't take long.
Then a group of people in red robes rushed in——
Today's update is 8,000 words! (Chest up)
Sudden hard work, writing from the moment I woke up until now——
I'll update normally tomorrow (I'm so tired that I stick out my tongue)
(End of this chapter)
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