"Justice Saint, Radiant Sovereign..."
Paper Princess looked at Annan, filled with emotion: "It’s almost as if Mr. Sisyphus himself has been resurrected within you."
"But I am definitely not Sisyphus."
Annan smiled: "Because I will certainly surpass him.
"I shall surpass my self of yesterday, and even more so the heroes of the past."
"I believe."
Paper Princess nodded earnestly.
The look in her eyes toward Annan was like a glimr of light—not as if she was looking at a junior, but rather like looking up to an admired predecessor.
"Of course, apart from power..."
Annan gripped his fist with a hint of nostalgia, murmuring: "This sense of ’completeness’ also intoxicates ."
Since Annan arrived in this world... this was the first ti he felt the world was so wonderful.
His emotions, his consciousness were completely free—no longer bound by any restraints.
Not locked by the Winter’s Heart in positive emotions, nor locked by the inverted Winter’s Heart in negative emotions.
"It feels just like a... normal human being."
Annan reflected.
Hearing his words, Grey Craftsman and Paper Princess were both stunned for a mont.
Annan turned around, blinked at the two, and said: "I guess you both didn’t understand."
"No, I think I can understand."
Grey Craftsman gently shook his head: "Emotions indeed can bring this kind of power. I can’t even imagine how, when your emotions were completely split and opposed, the two personalities could achieve unity..."
He stopped there, clearly thinking of the Grey Professor.
A personality that had split off from oneself, wanting to kill oneself—this was basically equivalent to one’s own child wanting to slay their parent. Although Grey Professor ultimately failed, just knowing about it was enough to make Grey Craftsman sigh.
"Perhaps it is because... when I responded to the summoning and ca to this world, I already had a mature personality."
Annan smiled: "It’s just over a decade of hardship. It can’t change ...
"Besides, speaking of enduring the hardships of Winter’s Heart—I actually didn’t really suffer."
Saying this, his gaze deepened: "My father loved very much... my elder brother was very responsible and tolerant towards , my sister cherished greatly. My old grandmother protected , and Ten Fingers secretly safeguarded .
"Although I couldn’t feel any happiness, had no sense of achievent, and had nothing exciting to look forward to... my soul was like a dead, bitterly cold lake, so calm that there were no ripples. For over a decade, not a single day was interesting...
"—But indeed, I had a good life. My status was lofty, I was valued at ho, had no worries about food and clothing, and could receive a good education... Even though we all suffered from the curse of Winter’s Heart, it also brought us closer together, caring more about the ’love’ we couldn’t feel."
"I had a better life than those Hands of Winter whose emotions were mostly frozen; better than the warriors fighting on the frontlines. Better than those poor folk at the bottom, better than those werewolf tribes shivering in the snow plains beyond the small barriers... it could even be said that my life was much better."
At this, Annan revealed a gentle smile.
But Paper Princess couldn’t see a trace of pleasure in that smile.
Instead, from that complex smile, she saw weight and clarity.
Annan seed to be questioning Paper Princess, and at the sa ti questioning himself: "Knowing the ordeals of those people—how can I say my days have been hard? How can I boldly claim ’I lived a painful life’?
"Now that I am aware of their hardships, how can I turn a blind eye? Soone from my holand once wrote: ’Look around , my soul is wounded by the suffering of mankind.’ And I feel much the sa.
"It’s just rely not experiencing joy from the mont of birth. It’s too light... really, such a light curse."
"I see..."
Grey Craftsman sighed: "Then I understand.
"It’s my perception that was wrong—I shouldn’t have regarded you as an ordinary person. You were born to change an era, to save a world... Miss Haoyun really did choose the right person."
"Indeed," Annan murmured, "she was the one who pulled into this world."
"Correct."
Grey Craftsman nodded: "She also told us that there is no need to keep this a secret from you. But it’s better not to ntion it until after you have advanced to Gold."
"...Ah, indeed. I now understand."
The expression on Annan’s face beca subtle.
Having recovered the part of his mory sacrificed by Black Annan, he finally rembered who Miss Haoyun was.
If he wasn’t mistaken... Miss Haoyun should be the avatar of his boss in this world.
—And to think, after losing his mory, he even thought she was a good egg!
By the way, after confirming Miss Haoyun’s identity.
Annan also recalled—the true identity of the blabbermouth poet was actually a Suggs who had beco a god in this world, brought over by Lady Luck.
No wonder she had a good relationship with Annan.
She could be considered Lady Luck’s subordinate, and Annan was similarly an employee under another incarnation. Rounding up, that leaky mouth and he could be considered colleagues from different departnts of the sa company...
"After retrieving my mories, I really understood a lot..."
Annan took a deep breath.
He finally knew who the green-clothed figure with all the nas sared out was in the nightmare of the "Long Night Approaching".
"Erald Lama, huh..."
An avatar of Hastur.
...Probably the equivalent of a CEO from a company next door?
What was he trying to do by sending Annan a yellow seal?
Headhunting?
Or did Annan voluntarily jump into his territory instead?
It might be possible...
After all, the nature of the Egg of Dream Condensation was nothing but the Moth Mother recording down otherworlds she saw and found interesting. Since the boss could have avatars in different worlds, the neighbor CEO most likely wouldn’t be too different...
...With this in mind, he now understood his position clearly.
And he had no more doubts about "why it was him".
Because this was obviously a company-assigned task—transferring from the headquarters to a subsidiary. Plus, the gift of a lifeti annual pass to interdinsional travel.
In that case, that product manager from the neighboring project team who died suddenly was probably also...
Annan’s expression grew complicated.
Speaking of which, the kid nad Russell, who used to be Annan’s junior and now lived with him, was also an employee of their company...
...And was recomnded by Annan himself.
Now working in the company’s PR departnt, he recently beca a small team leader. It’s said that the boss sees great potential in him... just as he once did with Annan.
It should be any ti now.
Annan thought.
"Right, " Paper Princess suddenly rembered sothing, "are you going back to Winter?"
"Yes, I heard Great Grandmother has awakened."
Annan replied: "I should go and see her first... Besides, I don’t need to take the subway now; it would only take a few minutes to fly there."
As for the traps he had previously planted in the Winter Duchy, there was no need to ntion them to the pure and innocent Miss Paper Princess.
Annan thought quietly to himself.
"Then in that case..."
The Gray Craftsman said while handing Annan a jar.
Inside the jar was a silver-gray, dreamy gossar-like solution, and within it was a heart that was still slowly beating.
Unlike the hearts of ordinary people—this one was wrapped in patterns of silver-gray webs, intricate designs covering it completely. There were also several small black rune strips, like the tape used for injections, pasted on it, severing so of the lines among the web-like patterns.
"This is the Reversed Heart of Winter..."
Annan murmured.
With it, his sister could be saved...no longer having to succumb to the fate imposed by the Lady of the Storm!
So Annan respectfully thanked the Gray Craftsman: "Thank you very much... I shall head back to Winter then."
"It’s just returning a favor,"
The Gray Craftsman said with a smile: "Take care on your way."
"I’ll go with you!"
Paper Princess said hastily: "Great Grandmother told to bring you over... if you go back by yourself, she will scold !"
"Ah... that’s fine then."
Annan smiled: "Then I’ll trouble you to carry there."
"No problem," Paper Princess said confidently, "I fly steadily, and it’s very comfortable on my back."
Returning to one’s country on the back of a deity—truly an extravagant mode of transportation.
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