Chapter 921 What if the fire is not hot enough?
After reducing the number of accompanying personnel, Aiwass's maneuverability speed was significantly improved.
Although the Galatea Cardinal was extremely heavy, completely different from its slender appearance...but for the Pegasus that Helechin transformed into, even if it was twice as heavy, it could easily carry it.
"Thank you for your hard work, Galatea."
Aiwass sighed. "I know you want to retire... or rather, a long enough vacation. But given the current situation, I still need you for a while."
"I'm afraid I won't be able to let you go home until the Fallen Angels are defeated and annihilated."
He had asked Cardinal Galatea to come alone, partly because he had something he wanted to say to her alone.
Otherwise, in fact, Aiwass and Helechin are enough.
"It doesn't matter to me, Your Holiness."
Galatea spoke softly, her voice as clear and cool as a spring. "I've waited for thousands of years, so a few months won't make a difference. Besides, I can't let go of what's happening here anyway... No matter how tired I am, I can't just leave others to suffer and leave like this."
She sat behind Aiwass with her arms around his waist.
"Uh-huh..."
But at this moment, Aiwass suddenly felt a huge force coming from his waist - Galatea tightened her arms slightly, and Aiwass felt like he was squeezed by a hydraulic press.
"I have something to say first, Your Holiness—there is something I need to clarify right now."
Galatea asked seriously, "How many people do you plan to take with you?"
Aiwass raised an eyebrow and said casually, "Take as many as possible, at least take all the items from the Ziggurat—that's what we agreed on beforehand. They were going to come to Avalon anyway, but they've been stopped now."
"Besides the Ziggurat?"
Galatea pressed, "Where are the other civilians?"
"I intend to launch a campaign, and I've been laying the groundwork for this since I was pope."
Aiwass spoke immediately, clearly having already thought of a plan: "The Narcissus Principality is already short of people, and the Theocracy can accommodate quite a few. If I make an appeal in the name of the Theocracy, both Black Eagle and Iris should be willing to take in some refugees... I've already contacted everyone I need to contact regarding this.
"Plus, Avalon can also accommodate a number of refugees... If that's not enough, I'm in contact with the troll tribes in the southern continent. It just so happens that Avalon is planning to reclaim the southern continent and needs manpower. We can also hire some Star Antimony Transcendents at high salaries to go to the southern continent and build infrastructure - something Avalon doesn't have easily."
"...It seems you've been prepared for this for a long time."
"Of course," Aiwass's voice was clear and full of energy. "Even without the Fallen Angels, Star Kingdom would have been in economic crisis. And then there's the undead plague unleashed by Valentine VII, who has transformed into the Undead... Now the Star Kingdom's army is divided, the Queen is in power, and even the security forces can't pay their salaries. The Star Kingdom is now a mere shell of its former self.
"There's another detail here—many Star Antimony people have grudges against the goblins. And the goblins have grudges against the trolls. Now the largest troll tribe has come to me, and I've pushed them to Avalon... In other words, the goblins and I are now on opposite sides.
"Although the Avalon Railway was also sponsored by the Goblin Chamber of Commerce, the money was already in hand. And the Goblin Chamber of Commerce's original goal had long been achieved... which was to completely destroy Star Antimony's economy.
"The investment they gave Avalon was money to bribe the Minister without portfolio. Now that I am Pope, that price is far from enough—it is a price they cannot and could not offer.
"I took the money and had to do my job. But after I did my job, I also had to finish it—send those who harbor hatred towards the goblins to their homeland, give them the support of the Church—originally Avalon—and give them the opportunity for revenge and restoration... This was my original arrangement for them.
"...In other words, I'm partly responsible for the current situation facing Star. The escape plan I prepared for the people of Star was partly to remedy my own plans... But now that the Fallen Angels have arrived, that evacuation plan has been repurposed."
Aiwass tilted his head slightly, looked at the silent Galatea, and asked humbly, "How is it, Cardinal Galatea? Do I seem a little too evil?"
"—On the contrary, Your Holiness."
Galatea's voice was cold: "I think you are too merciful."
"...Don't play tricks on me," Aiwass said helplessly, "I know this isn't a good idea..."
"No, I mean it literally—you're too charitable. That's not a good thing."
Galatea said solemnly, "If you were wearing the Holy Crown right now, I would have absolutely no objection to your decision. Even if all the spirits were to burn to ashes, they would still illuminate the direction you point to. However, you are not officially the Pope now, so I dare to explain to you..."
"Just like the rule you just mentioned—the demons didn't care about their evacuation because the person you took away was a difficult figure they needed to risk their lives to defeat. Their manifestation rules are different from usual. If you die here, you're really dead. So they chose to stand by and watch.
"—But if you try to take civilians away, will the demons really stand by and watch? I'm afraid not. That would only lead to an even more intense conflict.
"Not only will the demons' actions become more intense—citizens who would otherwise survive will be killed by demons trying to escape as a warning. And the rebel forces coming to the rescue will face even greater danger. An army of high-ranking demons is a god-like entity that most nations cannot contend with.
"Although the Fallen Angels and the Higher Demons directly summoned by them cannot leave the country bound by this ritual, they can create new Higher Demons at any time.
"Trying to rescue Star Antimony will only lead to being blocked by the upper demon army and losing precious manpower. When that happens, they will be attacked by demons transformed from the residents of Star Antimony and may not even be able to save their own land.
"—Fire needs fuel to burn. If you're unwilling to give up anything, you might end up losing everything."
That's not an unfounded worry.
Rather, it was the conclusion Galatea came to after calm and ruthless logical reasoning.
——I am afraid that the voter of this twin mirror is the one who least believes in romance and beauty.
"...You mean," Aiwass finally understood what she meant, "that I shouldn't save them?"
He caught a familiar trace from Galatea.
That was... controlled fire.
A concept derived from Cardinal Loki, the predecessor of "necessary evil" and "premature death".
This concept is really popular in the Theocracy... It seems that there are more than one or two cardinals who agree with Cardinal Loki's concept.
"Just like the rule you mentioned—as long as we secretly transport those who are talented, sober, and not easily deceived by the demons, the demons will never do anything too bad to others. Instead, they will try their best to maintain a friendly attitude."
Galatea said calmly, "So we must not launch a large-scale rescue. Even if we need to rescue someone, we should do it like we are doing now, with small groups of elites working together to pick up a small number of people—in small numbers and multiple times, in this way, we can delay the demons' actions."
"And to satisfy the demons, we can't even publicize the fact that we'll gradually rescue people. It will give people hope, and the demons, in order to destroy this slim hope, will take even harsher action against these civilians. This will be counterproductive—
"In other words, our goal is to ultimately save as many people as possible. And to achieve this, the sacrifice and degradation of some are necessary. By using the fewest sacrifices, we can achieve the longest possible peace and save the greatest number of people, while not impacting the interests and security of other nations... This is the best way to contribute."
Galatea's words were somewhat complicated. "If it were the previous Pope... I think he would have thought the same."
“…So he’s not me.”
Aiwass sighed. "Or at least not entirely me."
"You still intend to—?"
"Galatea," Aiwass interrupted the Cardinal Doll, "of all things that emit light or heat, what do you think I am more like?"
"……you……"
Galatea was silent for a long moment before answering, "You are like the sun, imparting light and warmth to all things equally. Of all the popes I have ever met, you are the one who best fits the word 'sun'."
“…That’s really a compliment.”
"That's not the case," Galatea said coldly. "The sun's light—at some times it's too weak, at others it's too strong. Some will freeze to death, some will die of heat... but at least the whole world has life because of it.
"But this light is so taken for granted that people tend to forget its existence, even choosing to avoid it. When someone needs help more than ever, this light seems insufficient; the sun cannot cover the world. The brighter it makes the day, the more sinful the night becomes, simply hiding those sins from the sun's eyes.
"But any fire requires fuel. Even the sun is no exception—Xi Tiansi burned himself to illuminate the earth. The same was true of the Great Day of Creation... Perhaps it was because he burned himself out that he met his peaceful death.
“Just like the light and heat emitted by a lit match or a candle, the farther away it is, the more it dissipates…all that heat is wasted.
"And the heat wasted in trying to illuminate the entire world is infinite. That 'fire' could have been used to change everything, create everything, and destroy everything, but now it is only used to make the world look prosperous..."
Galatea's voice was cold and calm, as if devoid of any emotion.
But Aiwass felt that her words were full of emotion and even a little excited.
——Those were the most sincere words from the scaly beings who had survived from the Second Sun era.
The sun cannot be seen under the sea - they were not born from the sun, so for their civilization, the sun does not represent the original everything.
Rather...
——She was afraid of the sun.
Or rather, she was afraid of Aiwass's desire to become the sun.
Or maybe... she was afraid of the Fallen Angels.
For Galatea, who was once just a researcher doing odd jobs, Lucifer, who was once the master of the Tower of Babel, was so powerful that he was almost impossible to fight against.
Even though she had lost her heart and was left with only longing, the fear she felt at that time had not yet dissipated.
Unable to defeat, unable to resist - from the moment she first learned that the Fallen Angels had descended into the material world, she had felt a sense of dejection and decadence.
"Galatea," Aiwass said suddenly, "you must have experienced it too—that dark age.
"The second sun went out, and the sun god Mithra, who was supposed to be born, was not born. The earth was shrouded in darkness, and the cold and hunger made everything hopeless... I am right, am I not?"
"...Did you remember something?"
"No, not really. That's just information I could deduce."
Aiwass shook his head and said softly, "You said... 'All that heat is wasted,' but I don't think so.
"The world back then was much colder than it is now. Without the sun's light, everything lost its vitality.
"That 'heat' is never wasted. It simply changes the most fundamental environment, changing the world in the most subtle and invisible ways.
"Thank you, Galatea. You were able to compare me to the sun—and that's what I want to be."
Aiwass smiled and said, "Do you know why Xi Tiansi became the third sun?"
Galatea reasoned calmly, "According to the secrets we uncovered in the ruins of the Tower of Babel, fragments of the sun fell into the sea. This was the birth of the Beastmaster—the Forbidden Son. Before gaining the ability to evolve, he was a sea monster. It is precisely because of this power of creation that hundreds of beasts appeared on Earth."
"The Beast Master and Heng Wo are two sides of the same coin. Xi Tiansi, as the son of Heng Wo and Heng Wo, possesses the remnants of the Second Sun expelled by Heng Wo, as well as the power of creation controlled by the Beast Master..."
"No, that's not what I'm talking about."
Aiwass shook his head: "He would ignite himself and become the third sun under the persuasion of the Sand Clock - precisely because people have seen the sun.
“Although people today fear the night, they are not desperate. This is because they know that the sun will rise again tomorrow… and it was the same back then.
"People know that there was a sun in this world, and they remember the scene when it illuminated the earth. It was a beautiful scene, worth remembering. It was for this reason that Xi Tiansi chose to sacrifice himself... to ignite the Xihuo that would burn him."
Aiwass thought of the visions he had seen while reading the Morning Crow Tantra.
It was painful for Xi Tiansi to set himself on fire.
He works tirelessly, and sometimes even falls asleep suddenly, plunging one area into eternal day and severe drought, while forgetting to bring light to the darkness on the other side.
—But He would rather burn for it.
That is to bring light back to the world.
"Despair kills, Galatea. If we don't give people hope, and let them realize they're the abandoned, once the demons are defeated, they'll become new demons... harboring despair and anger, hating everything. If even the Holy Church has abandoned them, what is there for them to live for?"
“Give people hope! Let them know that the sun will rise again after it sets; let them know that the light will come again after it leaves…”
Aiwass said calmly, "This isn't just for the Star Antimony people to see. It's for everyone else to see as well—only through struggle can there be a way to survive. This won't be the only time the Celestial Being descends upon us. Preserving the population through 'compromise' is merely a debt owed to the future."
Galatea was a little confused: "What if the demons take radical measures?"
"Then fight them, and I will lead the charge."
Aiwass shook his head: "Galatea, if you fall into the trap of 'premature death' and 'necessary evil', you will not be able to save the world.
"When disaster strikes, it's not just a one-time sacrifice. Constantly abandoning the minority for the sake of the majority, retreating again and again... That can't be called salvation at all—at best, it's just limiting losses."
"...But what if sacrifice is necessary? If one side must sacrifice... it's better to sacrifice a few to save the greater number than to let even more die. This is how civilization has survived since ancient times."
Galatea's ideas remained strong.
Because in her understanding - that is why the concept of the source of civilization is dedication.
Sacrifice the individual to continue civilization.
Even though the main body of today's civilization is no longer the civilization of the past, just as she is no longer a scaly person...but civilization still continues.
"—You've all got one thing wrong. It wasn't 'necessity,' it was 'helplessness'... It was because of lack of ability that 'sacrifice' occurred. It wasn't because of their sacrifice that civilization existed."
Aiwass said firmly—he was actually provoked by Cardinal Galatea's pessimistic remarks: "Just as some people have to endure the cold because the fire is not hot enough. It is not that some people have to endure the cold so that others can get warm. When encountering a problem, solve it. This should be the right way!
"Even if someone must sacrifice, it must be at the hands of the enemy, not at the hands of our own people. Sacrifice should be voluntary, courageous, and fearless... not cold-blooded, ruthless, or rational. I think you've taken the wrong path—I am the Pope, the Son of the Candlelighter, so listen to me.
"I'll show you—we can defeat a mere Fallen Angel! If we can't even defeat a mere Fallen Angel..."
——Then how can we fight against the end of the world?
Aiwass said this and swallowed the second half of the sentence.
He sighed and asked Helechin to stop.
Aiwass turned around and looked at Galatea, who had fallen completely silent. She clearly still had a deep fear of the Fallen Angels.
She was not persuaded by Aiwass, but simply stopped confronting Aiwass.
He reached out and touched Galatea's head.
The girl, who looked as cold as a doll, looked up in confusion.
Perhaps only at times like this would it seem that she was just a girl who died before adulthood, rather than a powerful cardinal.
And Aiwass whispered in her ear: "If the fire is not hot enough, burn me first."
Chapter 2 of 5,000 words! I updated 8,000 words today, making up for yesterday's update!
Starting from the 7th, the update time will be restored to 12 noon!
——The Tail Ring Ceremony is completed, and the cycle of reincarnation restarts!
Sleep——
(End of this chapter)
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