Chapter 75: Consolation

Chapter 75: Consolation

Hearing Miss Justice’s slightly desolate and bewildered words, Klein felt a certain empathy, because similar thoughts had surfaced in him earlier as well.

After recalling for a few seconds the motivational essays and emotional chicken soup he had read in his previous life, he considered his words and said, “The death of a father is very small to Loen as a whole. It might happen every day, perhaps more than once. But to his children and his family, it is a major event capable of changing fate.

“In the same way, below the level of angels, every person’s ending is predestined. They will inevitably pass away. They will inevitably be buried. But that does not mean the time from birth to death is meaningless.”

Justice Audrey listened and nodded slightly. Once again, she spoke in that self-mocking tone.

“I understand these principles. It’s only that the secret you just told me was too shocking. For a moment, I couldn’t control my emotions.

“As a Psychiatrist, I actually need someone else to console me…”

Klein smiled.

“Isn’t that very normal? Many times, we can recognize whether another person’s state is normal, but we cannot see our own problems clearly. Haven’t you said before that you and Susie occasionally counsel each other?”

Because Dwayne Dantès had seen Susie, the golden retriever, Audrey had not hidden related matters during their casual conversations.

Audrey nodded gently.

“Mm… That is true.

“I’ve already thought it through. I will do what I can, and leave no regrets.”

She gradually adjusted her mental state.

Klein then said, “It isn’t only about leaving no regrets. Perhaps the things we do can also accumulate strength for resisting the apocalypse.

“Compared to the whole, they may seem insignificant. But even the broadest desert is formed from grain after grain of sand. Even an ocean with no visible end is gathered drop by drop. If every person gives off whatever warmth and light they can, perhaps a little hope may be born.”

“Give off whatever warmth and light…” Audrey quietly repeated the key words in The World Gehrman Sparrow’s statement.

“I’m not the one who said that,” Klein added with a smile.

Audrey’s lips curved, and she responded with a faint smile.

“Was it Emperor Roselle?”

I don’t know whether he ever said it… Going through his quotations requires enduring a powerful sense of shame. I still haven’t managed to finish reading them… Klein neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, he changed the subject and said, “Begin hypnotizing me. Make me forget the matters related to the starry sky, and remember only the corresponding warning.”

“Wait a moment. There is something I would like to ask you.” Audrey made the request openly. Taking this opportunity, she spoke of what she had been doing recently, the difficulties she had encountered, and the confusion in her heart. “…Mr. World, do you have any advice? What should I do to prevent the citizens of Backlund from suffering too great a disaster before the war ends?”

As for stopping the war, although she very much wished to, she rationally knew that she did not have the ability.

At the same time, she understood that even Mr. World could not achieve it. Even if Mr. Fool personally intervened, at most He might reverse the situation, but He could not end the war outright, because this world war was, in essence, a battle between gods.

Klein hesitated for a few seconds before answering honestly, “Although the Audience pathway should act from behind the scenes as much as possible, and although when I act, I always keep words like ‘caution’ and ‘care’ in mind, doing my best not to put myself in dangerous situations…”

At that point, Justice Audrey instinctively answered in her heart:

From all the rumors at sea, from Forsi and the others’ descriptions, and from the demigod battle I witnessed, I cannot see “caution” or “care” at all. I see only strength and aggression… Still, being able to do those things and survive truly requires more than strength alone…

Seeing that Miss Justice was listening very seriously, her emerald eyes filled with focus, Klein continued, “But in this world, not every matter can be resolved easily and simply, without taking risks.

“Sometimes, when I do something, I act with the thought that I may die.”

Justice Audrey’s inner muttering stopped. She was silent for a long while before slowly saying, “I understand what you mean.

“Doing what one wishes to do and absolute safety are often impossible to have at the same time. One can only choose one.”

Klein nodded. He decided to let Miss Justice more clearly recognize the truth of this world, lest she act with excessive idealism.

“Among the methods you mentioned earlier, the one that is currently the most feasible, carries the least risk, and can help Backlund’s people the most is to obtain grain from the nobles, the Churches, major merchants, and the royal family.”

“Why not seize grain from the armies of Feysac, Intis, and Feynapotter?” Audrey subconsciously asked.

Klein answered calmly, “Because those three armies have already advanced deep into Loen territory. Even if you manage to break through demigod protection and successfully steal their food, they will not collapse. They will inevitably plunder the surrounding people’s food to maintain themselves. In the short term, the impact on them will not be great. As for the long term, perhaps there will be no time to wait for it.”

Audrey understood at once who would truly suffer in that case.

This was the difference between war before a divine war and ordinary war.

“And I cannot do that either. The Traveler’s Bag has limited capacity, and so does the Teleport recorded in Leymano’s Travels.” Justice Audrey comforted herself with that sentence. Then, thinking, she asked, “If I truly obtain grain from nobles, merchants, and the royal family, and the Church discovers traces of it, how will they react?”

Klein kept the same tone as before.

“They will tacitly allow it.”

…Audrey faintly felt that this was the answer, but for the moment, she could not understand why.

Klein continued, “Believers are anchors of gods. One believer is one anchor. In that regard, a noble and a poor person are essentially no different. No one is nobler. No one is lower.

“Under normal circumstances, nobles and merchants can use their status, authority, wealth, and influence to help the Churches maintain the system and spread faith, so they receive more importance. But under the current situation, which is more important: a few thousand anchors, or hundreds of thousands, even millions of anchors?

“This is a simple math problem.”

Faced with this reality that tore away the veil of warmth, Justice Audrey briefly found herself unable to speak.

Seeing this, Klein added, “From this angle, what you want to do also has meaning on a larger scale.

“You are helping the Evernight Goddess and the Lord of Storms stabilize Their anchors. In the future, perhaps that will become a key point in resisting the apocalypse.”

Justice Audrey’s lips gradually pressed together. Only after a long while did she relax them and laugh softly.

“Only now do I realize that deep down, I was still somewhat proud of my status as a noble.”

“What is noble is character, not status.” Klein said the rest for her.

Audrey slowly breathed out, calming the turmoil in her heart. Yet she did not immediately make up her mind.

Casually, she said, “It seems the Tarot Club’s relationship with the Churches—uh, with the Church of Evernight—is not bad.

“Are Mr. Fool and the Evernight Goddess allies?”

This question is difficult for me… I would like to be allies with the Goddess, but the Goddess may not necessarily think highly of me… Klein inwardly muttered a few sentences, then said rather solemnly, “For now, they can be considered allies.”

He deliberately emphasized “for now,” lest reality slap him in the face later.

At the same time, he grumbled the true answer inwardly:

Judging from the current situation, the Goddess is the Tarot Club’s angel investor and major shareholder…

Justice Audrey slowly nodded. Then she suddenly smiled.

“I was thinking: when you answered ‘for now, they can be considered allies,’ what were you muttering in your heart? It must have been very interesting, just like when we explored Liveseyd.”

…Miss, a Psychiatrist should not make such jokes with a patient… Is this because after so many casual chats over the past half year, we’ve become much more familiar and you’ve revealed your true nature? Please respect the adventurer before you, who is famous for coldness and madness… Mm, I have to admit, the Audience pathway really is good at adjusting its own emotions… That time was all Leonard’s fault… Klein was first startled, then pretended nothing had happened. He leaned back against the chair and said, “Begin.”

Audrey immediately restrained all emotion and began a serious, meticulous attempt at hypnosis.

After everything was over, Klein confirmed through the crimson star that, after Miss Justice returned to the real world, she had not been watched by the Great Old Ones.

Of course, he had already forgotten that the matter involved the Great Old Ones or Outer Deities. He could only confirm from Miss Justice’s state that no abnormality had occurred.

Whew… Klein breathed out, threw the paper that could awaken this memory into the pile of miscellaneous items, and told himself that he would read it after becoming an angel.

…

Backlund, the Bridge area, inside an apartment.

Emlyn White looked at Maric, who had suddenly appeared opposite him. He removed his top hat and bowed with great poise.

“What do you want?” Maric sat on the sofa, leaning forward with both hands clasped as he asked.

Emlyn pulled over a chair and sat down, smiling as he asked, “Do you still want to deal with important figures of the Rose School of Thought’s indulgence faction?”

“Do you have a lead?” Maric asked back expressionlessly.

Emlyn had clearly come prepared for this “visit.” Calm and unhurried, he said, “Regarding the Rose School of Thought’s person in charge of Backlund, I truly have no clue.

“But after the war intensified, East and West Balam, the Star Highlands, the Paz River Valley, and the Hagati Grasslands on the Southern Continent have all fallen into chaos. Many demigods of the Rose School of Thought have surfaced and stepped onto the stage. They are no longer so difficult to locate.”

Maric looked once at Emlyn, with his red eyes and thin lips, and said, “Which Sanguine duke or marquis do you represent when you say this?”

“Can I not represent myself?” Emlyn raised his chin slightly and asked back with a smile.

Maric shook his head seriously.

“You are only a Sequence 5. You do not yet have the qualifications.”

He spoke so directly that Emlyn temporarily had no idea how to respond.