When the plot-skips players into the game world-Chapter 1024 - 366: Don’t want to eat? Then lets not eat at all
Chapter 1024: Chapter 366: Don’t want to eat? Then let’s not eat at all
“…your only friend.”
Aleister repeated the words of Pengbonazi.
She held her wine glass, slender and long fingers gently sliding on the glass wall.
She almost wanted to laugh: “So, you killed the descendants of your friend, seized his Queen Consort and their descendants… as well as his kingdom?”
Although Aleister had never met Queen Louise or the current Valentine VIII outside of the ascension ceremonies, she understood the Son of the Moon… or rather, the personalities of all Transcendents of the Path of Love. Aleister could directly guess what they had all been through.
If there were big data statistics for this world’s ascension ceremonies, Aleister could be certain that… the total ban rate of the Path of Love during the full moon ceremonies would definitely be in the top three.
The first one should be the former Path of Adaptation, after all, it was famously unstable and slippery.
——If you’re not afraid of death, then what sort of Adapter are you!
And once you place your own survival at the highest priority, it naturally isn’t a good thing for your teammates.
As the Lord of Scalefeather has now obtained the warrior profession, and with the support of the Pillar God’s power, has transformed a massive number of Transcendents from other Paths—whose concepts were originally overlapping in controversial areas—into Adapters, the ethos of the Path of Adaptation has changed from “scraping by” to actively “contending for survival space.” The reputation of the Path of Adaptation should improve to a considerable extent.
In terms of unwelcomeness by other Paths, the Path of Love should at least have the strength to secure second place, if not contend for the first!
“It’s because they chose the wrong path.”
Pengbonazi’s face showed no hesitation: “First of all, those who betrayed Antimony and deviated from the Path of Bashir were not me, but them. No one has more right to say this than I do, since I have guarded this path since its very inception.
“Among the many nations that split from the Helasal Empire, only the rulers of Xingti came from commoners. Not just the King and officials… aside from myself and the principal, who gave up power after establishing the nation, even the Red and Black Chancellors we selected were of common birth.
“To those who excel, more is given; supremacy lies in strength. Anyone in Antimony can gain a stage to showcase their talents, as long as they truly possess such abilities. Those with talent are given a platform to refine it further, and those who have honed their skills will take control of everything.
“‘Even the most ferocious and dull beasts have the potential to ascend to godhood.’ That is the essence of Stibium-style Alchemy, the will that Bashir adhered to all his life. Even when he ascended to the Dream Realm, he still deeply believed in this concept—considering it the most correct path, the path that would allow the nation to flourish and prosper the most…”
“…because of the Helasal Empire.”
Aleister supported her chin with her left hand and whispered softly, “After all, the empire was destroyed for this very reason.”
In the last days of the Imperial Era, most capable individuals did not receive the positions that could accommodate them.
It wasn’t even an era of competition or overstraining but a situation where there was nothing to strain for—the bloodline already determined everything. No matter how hard a common-born Fifth Energy Level Transcendent or someone with a comparable status worked, they could not compare to nobility-born Transcendents of the Third Level… because the former were just individuals, while the latter wielded connections and power.
When commoners split into many organizations and competed within them, the common interests of the nobles made them more united. Any attempt to seize the nobles’ power would provoke a fierce counterattack from all nobility… It could be said that the real rulers of the empire were no longer Heracles, but the nobles of the Helasal Empire.
Under such circumstances, talent was no longer seen as an asset… but became a bona fide threat.
Because even without these talents, the Empire would still be the Empire. Strong to the point of being indestructible, immovable, and inviolable.
But with these talents, discordant voices appeared within the Empire itself.
“——So the Empire was destroyed.”
Pengbonazi answered calmly, his words surprisingly showing some wisdom: “The short-lived species’ thoughts are limited by what they see, and Bashir was born at the end of the empire; naturally, he would believe that the root of all social conflicts came from the rulers’ negligence and rejection of talent. For this reason, he placed extra emphasis on the selection of talent and was vigilant against the solidification of power.
“But back then… after his death, Antimony almost immediately fell into the brink of collapse.
“Because every force within the nation was very powerful. Bashir even actively cultivated their ambition and desire for power, which meant that Valentine II had no way to subdue them at the beginning of his reign. Every faction was ready to claim the throne, forming connections for this purpose. Back then, both Black Hawk and Narcissus still existed, and there were even factions that chose to communicate with them to obtain overwhelming power against other factions.
“Back then, the infighting in Antimony was more intense compared to today. Decrees issued would be void within two days, as the issuers might have already been dismissed, replaced by someone more powerful.
“The upper-level Transcendents fought fiercely, even coming to blows. Meanwhile, the common people below had no idea which laws they were following, or if the regulations had expired, living their lives in confusion. No one could say clearly what they planned for the future and what they were not allowed to do.”
“It wasn’t until that time that we understood… Besides being strong, a nation indeed needs to value stability. The reason the first reign of Xingti was stable was because Bashir had suppressed everyone. But once he left, chaos inevitably ensued.”
“——This is actually because the systems proposed by Valentine I were well-thought-out but still imperfect.”
Aleister nodded and added, “His personal capabilities were too strong, so he didn’t want the system to restrain him. But successors might not have the same strength, and thus they were unable to extract enough power from the system to protect themselves.”
Aiwass had once studied this piece of history back in Avalon—as a negative example of what could happen if Transcendents from multiple Paths held high positions, as a warning to Avalonians.
While Avalon’s sole respect for Authority led to much chaos and suppressed national development, such messes indeed never occurred. Even in the time of Prince Lohar or The Execution King, things had never been so disordered.
“So at that time, I and the principal took action together… we suppressed them again, affirmed Valentine II and conferred upon him the dignity of a king. This is also why the nobles still maintain their respect and awe towards the Red and Black Chancellors to this day.”
Pengbonazi sighed, his expression complicated: “Since then, Antimony’s rule has gradually stabilized.”
His face seemed to reflect a mixture of resignation, loss, and sarcasm.
“What about now?”
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“Beyard,” he said leisurely, “Do you regret it? Do you think that you were wrong to hand over power to Valentine back then?”
“You don’t understand me very well, Baroness Beyard.”
Pengbonazi shook his head: “I don’t have an affinity for authority… Power in the Material Realm holds no temptation for me. If I truly wanted Antimony, there would be plenty of opportunities. Aside from me, the ‘Headmaster’ is the same — to us, ruling a kingdom as a King or shepherding a flock of sheep and cattle makes little difference.
“Rather than a pleasure, it’s more like a job. When one transcends the mundane by so much, looking at those mortals only brings weariness… What they argue about, fight over, strive desperately to attain, pursue throughout their lives, and pass down through generations, all of it is nothing but illusion. In the face of grand time, all that once glittered will wither like blooms.”
“I have lived but a few hundred years; I can only imagine that the elves who live even longer possess an even more indifferent view towards such matters. Perhaps this is also why the Holy Nation is able to maintain its neutrality.”
“—Don’t you feel the same?”
“I… have something I aspire to pursue.”
Aleister fell silent for a moment, then answered softly.
In that instant, she too was beset by a turmoil of thoughts:
The determination and passion with which Aiwas and Aleister press on are largely because this world faces crisis upon crisis.
The Fallen Celestial Marshal descends, the Ring of Ouroboros proliferates, Serpent Celestial Marshal’s conspiracies. And that secret that will lead to the “end of the world” in the future.
It’s said that when the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up… But what if they themselves are the tallest?
They have no choice but to bear it. For the sake of this immensely difficult goal, even if burning everything might not be enough to reach it, how could they afford to slack or indulge in idle thoughts?
But…
What happens when the ultimate foe is defeated, when the war to end all wars is concluded?
What then for Aiwas?
To return to a daily life that has been shattered? Does he even have any semblance of a routine left? Or will he discard unnecessary emotions, cut away the superfluous self, to become a Celestial Marshal or a Pillar God?
As a fellow Son of the Moon on the Path of Love, Aleister felt she understood Pengbonazi for an instant:
If Aiwas were to ascend to godhood while she was cast down, severed… perhaps she would be far madder than Pengbonazi.
“So, you handed over power to Valentine II and then took it away from Valentine VII… is it because you no longer wished to play the game?”
“I didn’t want to wait any longer.”
Pengbonazi stated flatly, his voice brimming with sincerity from the bottom of his heart: “With each successive Valentine I, none measure up to the previous, and the Aurum-Stone Knights’ path remains untraveled; the nobles of now are still the same nobles from the founding of the Kingdom, and the Transcendents among the common folk are now too numerous to find employment. The truly talented are being ostracized.
“The establishment of Antimony was initially reliant on the common people, yet now the commoners of Antimony find themselves in the same plight as during the Imperial Era. History still cycles endlessly, the world’s evolution like a headless and tailless ring. Even if I exert effort to topple it and reset everything… what significance would it hold to piece it back together?
“Even if Antimony could slowly reform to solve these issues, by the time the amendments are complete, it would no longer be Antimony. That simply isn’t the Antimony that Bashir and I struggled for. Why should I protect it?”
“…You don’t intend to unite with other Sons of the Moon to rebuild the Helasal Empire,” Aleister suddenly understood Pengbonazi’s true intention, “You just simply want to destroy Antimony!”
“Indeed, I aim to destroy Antimony — but so what?
“I want to kill it while it still can be said to be alive, not slaughter a corpse; I want to obliterate it before it becomes too repulsive for me to bear, leaving something hopeful for the people of the future. Let them mourn Antimony, reminisce its former brilliance, rather than, as with the fall of the Empire, where it seems anyone can trample on it and haughtily analyse its downfall.
“Without my sponsorship, help, and protection, Antimony would never have been born. Since the Antimony of old came into being because of me, then let the Antimony of today perish by my hand.”
The voice of the blond, red-eyed youth was slow and clear: “Although the Headmaster is also experienced, he never contributed to the founding. Yet, I am at least one of the two founders of the Kingdom of Antimony… I believe I have the right to end it.
“Antimony belongs to Valentine and me. And while the current Valentin is no longer Valentine, I am still myself.
“Hence, it is rightfully mine.
“This is not about taking… but rather about returning.”
