"I can understand."
Annan nodded seriously, "Although I am still not used to it... I will try my best."
He understood very well what the Hairdresser had said.
It was indeed advice given with good intentions.
"Just like the disparity in lifespan between the people of Auster and those from Aesirland, it changes their perception of many things."
The Hairdresser said solemnly, "Austerians have lifespans of several hundred years, and they do not consider wasting ti a shaful thing. They can naturally rember events that span decades, and for them, forgetting is often more important than rembering.
"The lifespan of Aesirlanders is very short. A considerable number of mortals don’t even live to fifty—the halfway mark of a century. This ans they must mature and begin producing their own offspring within the first third of their lifespan.
"And choosing a spouse is a difficult matter. They, unlike Austerians who have centuries of ti to leisurely select their partners, must judge based on standards that can be spotted at a glance.
"Therefore, for them, standards such as tall or short, fat or thin, dark or light, wise or foolish all have their own rationale. All in all, it’s their animal instinct in selecting a more valuable partner... And this hasty, even sloppy choice, often leads them to overlook the inner qualities, to overlook love."
"But can they be blad? Fifty years is just too short, half a lifeti passes in the blink of an eye... I also once knew an Aesirlander. He visited in his youth, and while I simply took a nap, he turned into an old man who had difficulty walking."
"In such a case, how can one enjoy life with peace of mind? Similarly, if an Aesirlander obtained the lifespan of an Austerian but didn’t change their values and lifestyle, then this longevity would beco a torture for them; by the sa logic, if an Austerian ended up with only the lifespan of an Aesirlander and did not cherish it, they’d find themselves too old to stand up before they knew it."
The Hairdresser said in a deep voice, "I am called the Hairdresser precisely because I usually don’t kill them; instead, I shave off their hair.
"But why do I do this? For , killing them is much simpler than shaving their heads. Even if I killed all those who bother with their impudence, it would affect no one and nothing, their retaliation would be weak against .
"Yet, I spend a considerable amount of—more ti than it would take to kill them—to shave each of their heads bald. I hope that by doing so, they beco curious and it provokes their thoughts."
"To make them realize clearly... that these Transcendents, who appear like gods before mortals, are even simpler to kill than it is to shave their heads for those beings that are higher in existence."
"I understand," Annan nodded, "People don’t understand or want to listen to reason. But if you act strangely, it makes them think of reasons themselves and they are more likely to take it to heart."
"There will also be so swindlers who will use this tactic in reverse to deceive others."
The Hairdresser cautioned, "You must be careful. You are the Charioteer, your position is crucial... You are the helmsman of this world. Every successful scam against you could lead the future into an entirely different direction."
"Of course, I know."
Annan smiled, "Because I myself—am such a swindler."
—A great swindler who deceives himself.
Everything "White Annan" found and every truth he understood almost all originated from the guidance of "Black Annan." Annan fully understood himself; under unexpected calculations, he simply couldn’t evade these sches.
The personality he ultimately cultivated is exactly the one "Black Annan" hoped he would have.
It’s like the note within a brocade bag—
Even "Black Annan" almost didn’t resist at all and just returned to Annan...
...because that was also part of Black Annan’s plan.
As the strongest Ritualist in this world, "Black Annan" had long been aware of the existence of The Worm.
With the connection between The Worm and the Charioteer, The Worm would definitely use various ans to co knocking.
If I don’t leave any backup of myself, once The Worm finds , I’ll have no chance of turning the situation around. Because The Worm is equivalent in scale to the Charioteer, while the Book of the Celestial Chariot is a level below.
And The Worm seeks to obtain a physical form—it wishes to descend upon the world materially. Hence the Book of the Celestial Chariot is the most suitable vessel.
Since The Worm erged from the Charioteer’s corpse, conceptually, it can be considered the Charioteer’s child. And the Book of the Celestial Chariot is indeed "the Charioteer’s successor"; Annan’s body is the most suitable for The Worm.
When Annan gathers the Book of the Celestial Chariot, he will be directly exposed to The Worm.
Dark Annan precisely separated a part of himself to guard against this "possibility"!
Inheriting the Heart of Justice is just part of the plan—the most conspicuous part. It’s also the part used to mislead others.
The true aim of Dark Annan is to create a "self-backup with differences".
So no matter what The Worm intends to do...
Whether trying to pollute Annan’s thoughts, take possession of Annan’s body, or duplicate Annan’s existence. All plans that allow The Worm to achieve a "material presence" can be countered with this "differentiated backup" for a "self-repair".
If The Worm pollutes Annan’s thought, Dark Annan will return to kill the contaminated Annan; if The Worm attempts to take Annan’s body, Dark Annan will help Annan fight against The Worm; if The Worm wishes to copy Annan’s existence, then Dark Annan will offer himself as an incrent to multiply the presence of Annan.
From the very beginning, Annan knew that his future self would try to retrieve these mories. Because he is more inclined to trust others than to be overly suspicious.
Dark Annan’s plan also took advantage of this trust.
When he clipped his personality and mories to offer to the mysterious lady, he was especially careful not to damage them. Precisely because of this, Annan was able to assimilate them in an instant when he regained his forr mories.
If it were the other way around, such a plan would inevitably fail. A suspicious Dark Annan would not perform such a ceremony... even if he yearns for his departed self, he would only decisively move forward, never looking back.
In that case, they would never be able to unite. Instead, they might fall into The Worm’s hands.
"—This is a kind of destiny."
The voice of the old grandmother ca from the depths of the cave: "I know what you’re thinking, Annan."
As she spoke, she erged in human form.
It was the first ti Annan saw this elder in na, his actual protector.
Her appearance was sowhat similar to the Paper Princess, hence also bearing a resemblance to Annan.
But the grandmother was three ters tall—her chest and thighs were much fuller compared to the slender, girlish figure of the Paper Princess.
Her face looked very young yet mysteriously exuded a sense of maturity and reliability... in other words, she was a "young-looking elder," not a girl with an old soul.
Her hair was not draped behind her like Annan and Paper Princess’s, but rather tied into three ponytails of varying length and thickness behind her, with the highest ponytail protruding from the crown on her head. A strand of silver hair also partially obscured her face.
On either side of the crown, she had pairs of pure white, ice-sculpted, curved dragon horns with intricate dark golden patterns.
She was clad in a dignified, traditional, complex and splendid robe of silver, white, purple, blue, and gray—excessively solemn even by formal dress standards. For a commoner, just putting on this garnt would probably take several hours.
Upon seeing Annan, the corners of her mouth imperceptibly lifted.
Then she bent down... and, as if cradling a baby, took Annan into her arms.
Reviews
All reviews (0)