Chapter 114
The Black Musicians, operating under the name "Echoes," have caused rapid Water and Soil erosion in the North, triggering a famine unseen in a century. You and three thousand Philosopher's Kid are trapped in the North, along with two thousand other refugees who have fled from various parts of the archipelago.
[You broke open the five steamed buns on your body, and scooped up two fish from the sea. With the power of the harvest, the amount of food increased dramatically! Thus, all five thousand people were fed.]
[As you travel and study, your reputation grows, Jeanne, as one of the Twelve Apostles, remains steadfastly by your side.]
Jeanne believes you will become the next Philosopher King, and therefore advocates for a more active struggle. In increasing numbers, you disagree with her ideas.
Jeanne has decided to betray you to the Academy of Philosophy and the Academy of Harmony in order to force you to become the Philosopher King. Her reward is thirty silver coins.
On the eve of your return to the Ys City after a ten-year pilgrimage, a feast was held to celebrate the Sacrifice. You had already sensed Jeanne's betrayal and said to your Twelve Apostles: "Behold, the hand of the one who betrayed me is on this long table."
The next day, Jeanne kissed you at the city gate. Philosophers and musicians recognized you among five thousand people.
[You were the first to be arrested by both houses of Congress. During the arrest, your Laurel Wreath fell to the ground. You calmly picked Laurel Wreath up and said, "A philosopher may die, but he cannot lose his crown."]
The opposing philosophers Crown of Thorns and nail you to a cross for execution.
Jeanne was filled with deep regret; she realized she had led you step by step to your death. She desperately begged for your forgiveness, but you had already breathed your last!
Philosophers discussed the "New Learning" in the academy, while the Prophetess Sibyl still waited under the Golden Tree.
The journey of the second-born has come to an end.
Hebe laughed in exasperation.
Do you consider yourself a philosopher? I think I am.
And isn't this last part a classic account of the May Archon Messiah? It's clearly and plainly recorded in the Orthodox Church's scriptures, and there are countless fan-made paintings based on it. Aren't they afraid the Messiah will come and collect royalties?
What, this is a secret history? Oh well, never mind.
Hebe quickly reviewed her tumultuous life and soon identified several key points.
In theory, philosophers should be just as firmly controlled by Eris as musicians. But why is the actual situation so different?
If we divide the power held by the Philosopher King into two parts, music and philosophy, the answer becomes almost obvious.
The pinnacle of musicians is the Tuners —even the Philosopher King is only the most outstanding Grand Harmonizer.
Furthermore, the Philosopher King also bestowed his authority upon the Three Grand Harmonizers.
According to Hebe's knowledge, although the Three Grand Harmonizers were far inferior to the Philosopher King in terms of power, they were actually not that different in terms of musical skill.
Therefore, when Eris infected the Three Grand Harmonizers, the musicians naturally lost control.
But the pinnacle of philosophers is only the Philosopher King.
"So, this 'Philosopher King' who is always playing Grand Symphony... is actually resisting Eris's assimilation?" Hebe's eyes were somewhat complicated.
When Minamoto no Raikō was resisting Ashiya Dōman, who was only at the Twilight level, he had to sever all five senses and become an empty vessel.
And this Philosopher King was able to withstand the positive contamination of Eris's true form for so long.
Thinking of this, Hebe couldn't help but feel a sense of respect.
She immediately turned her attention to the results of this simulated birth.
"You have obtained the Daylight Mark [the Uncrowned King]."
176 The Little Knights were defeated.
Daylight Mark: The Uncrowned King.
Literally, it refers to someone who possesses the virtues of an emperor but lacks the position of an emperor; within the Cathay cultural sphere, it can also be used specifically to refer to that "Great Accomplishment Sage Teacher".
But placing it here probably indicates that Hebe was truly only one step away from becoming a "Philosopher King" in her previous birth.
This mark has two effects.
The first effect is similar to the [Tuners], except that one targets musicians while the other suppresses philosophers.
Whether or not Eris infected the philosopher, at the very least the latter could not pose any effective threat to Hebe.
The second effect even has its own name: [Wooden Trumpet of Heaven].
"The world Lack of Way for a long time, and Heaven will use you, Master, as its bellwether."
In the second history of Cathay, government officials would travel to various places shaking wooden clappers to proclaim government decrees.
When "Simple King" is activated, Hebe can neutralize and offset any effects from others, whether positive or negative, whether from enemies or allies.
In other words, it's like a True Magic card that can completely negate the environment that others have worked so hard to create.
Within the duration and range of "Wooden Trumpet of Heaven," only Hebe can produce an effect.
Of course, this won't come without a price. To activate the second effect of the Plain King, one must be at least at the Twilight rank.
But here's the problem: the King himself is just Daylight Mark; if he wants to become twilight, he must combine the Daylight Mark into a successful enterprise.
Then another problem arises: to accomplish great deeds, one must fully awaken the imprints... Then the problem returns to the beginning—you must first become twilight before you can fully awaken the imprints.
Putting aside this self-inflicted bug, each time Su Wang is awakened, the Ascended One's rank will drop for a period of time afterward.
The magnitude of the fall is completely random.
The impact could be negligible, with the drop in rank still occurring at dusk; or it could be extremely severe, causing a direct fall from dusk to ordinary life—the latter essentially meaning sudden death.
But these two issues are not really problems for Hebe —on the one hand, her true rank is extremely high, and on the other hand, she only uses it in Lostbelt.
Hebe's expression was not good, her gaze shifting back and forth between the records of her three births.
"During the simulation, time should have been relatively still, but now, after three simulations, time is flowing."
During the first simulation, the Philosopher King plays the Grand Symphony for exactly four hundred years.
In the second simulation, the Philosopher King continued to perform for over four hundred years.
As for the third simulation... well, even the effects of the previous simulation have surfaced.
Hebe instinctively bit her thumb nail, and after biting her thumb, she went to bite her ring finger.
She realized that Eris must also be prepared, and perhaps the more simulations there were, the more prepared the future ruler would be.
"And then there's Jeanne... Is she really Eris's pawn?" Hebe also felt a little doubtful.
Through multiple simulations, Jeanne's positioning has been constantly changing.
Hebe looked at the desktop of the Secret History Simulator, and sure enough, new options appeared.
The Bell of Ys awaits the newcomer, Prophetess Sibyl waits eternally beneath the Golden Tree.
[O second-born being, please choose the beginning of your destiny: 1. Pure Water Spirit; 2. Knight; 3. Hunter.]
"Will there also be malfunctioning robots?" Hebe thought with a wry smile.
Three marks are enough to constitute the achievements of the Twilight Realm. This simulation is to confirm Jeanne's position.
"The knights and hunters are just expendable pawns," Hebe thought to herself. "If Eris is targeting me... then He's taken the bait."
Of course, she could also assume that Eris was already waiting for her to truly descend as a Pure Water Spirit.
But that would only lead to a vicious cycle of you predicting me and me predicting you, which is meaningless and unnecessary.
Now all that's left to do is choose between the knight and the hunter.
"Knight," Hebe chose.
[You chose to descend upon the high seas as a knight, and the Grand Symphony has been playing silently for over four hundred years. A new citizen is born in the expansive gardens of Ys City.]
A good citizen needs to be physically strong. From a young age, you followed your older sister Jeanne, learning how to use weapons.
You are not as skilled with long-handled weapons as Jeanne, but you possess a unique talent for short-handled weapons, especially small, hook-shaped scythes.
[Thanks to this, upon reaching adulthood, you took the place that belonged to Jeanne. In the Golden Hall, you drank the Youthful Dew, shedding your frail human body and taking refuge in a new form forged from white stone and brass, becoming a true knight.]
At the age of twenty, you and your comrades marched into the North, where you committed numerous atrocities with your weapons, causing a third of the North to sink into the sea.
During your campaign against the barbarians, you encountered fierce resistance. Although the barbarians did not understand melody, the Pure Water Spirit fought alongside them.
To suppress this rebellious mob, you demolished Norwich, the northern city, and filled the vast void with poison and filth, drowning the Pure Water Spirit and the defiant barbarians within!
Jeanne could not accept such atrocities; she chose to join the barbarian resistance and face you once more.
For some reason, Jeanne's power is able to rival yours, and her power even continues to grow during the war, causing casualties among the knights.
As always, you draw power from rocks and the earth, but this time you realize that Jeanne draws power from metal. Her muscles hold the potential for transformation, and so, in a desperate chase, she catches up with you.
Jeanne shattered your body with her bare hands and destroyed the heart that had drunk the Youthful Dew.
[All that remains in your sight is Jeanne's sorrowful face; the Prophetess Sibyl still waits Golden Tree.]
[The journey of the second-born has come to an end.]
"You have received the Daylight Mark [Lesson of Strength]."
Hebe stared at the words and suddenly burst out laughing.
She finally understood what her relationship with Jeanne truly was.
—A Opposing Blades.
To be precise, it is Opposing Blades in the process of forming, because a true Opposing Blades can only be formed when both sides are in the twilight.
As two eternally opposing sides, when the simulated "self" stands on Eris's side, Jeanne will naturally be pushed in the opposite direction.
When the simulated "self" is in opposition to Eris, Jeanne will naturally side with Eris.
However, taking that side does not mean being "assimilated" by Eris.
Because the Opposing Blades is a tightly anchored structure, no third party can interfere except the two parties involved. Hebe has already experimented with this in the Higashi.
Even though it was just a temporary simulation of the Opposing Blades, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna and Tsukahara Bokuden successfully contained Eris's influence.
Like a pair of repulsive magnets, as long as the repulsive force is controlled, they won't be pushed too far apart.
177 The Secret of the Private, The Rebirth of the Maid of Orléans
Hebe chuckled softly and turned her gaze to the [Lesson of Strength].
She was also curious as to why Jeanne was able to fight against a knight who had completed his ascension in the simulation, even in a "human form," and even win the fight.
As Hebe looked at it, more and more words gradually appeared on the mark.
[Daylight Mark: Lesson of Strength]
[Sexual Aspect: Blade]
[Path of the Hero: A person who achieves success through courage and sacrifice, earning the respect of others.]
At the end of the battle between Crippled Wolf and Scar Father, a private rose from the ashes of flame and steel, his uniform tattered (for he had emerged victorious in countless battles), his banner crimson (for he had died a heavy death in numerous wars). Crippled Wolf was enraged, Scar Father was delighted. The former because of the impossible, the latter because of the inevitable...
Therefore, when Private First Class defeated the Wolf, he was promoted to the new governor, but Scar Father was also enraged, because once a mortal, now a private, "would do unforgivable things," which subsequently led to the "Chilling Iron Curtain" and the "Cosmic Rift"...
The soldier subdued the lame wolf, thus becoming a hero who deterred the beast's heart. However, the lame wolf was always in pain and always frenzied, therefore it always intended to devour its rider, and in the years that followed, the wolf's pointer drew ever closer to Eris. As the Cathay, this indicates that the soldier, to some extent, was not "completely in control"...
Reciting a private's name before battle will give you courage; reciting a private's name during training will increase your strength.
The private's name was Helius.
Hebe was stunned.
Her throat bobbed, her eyes widened, and her scalp tingled.
"So that's it... So that's it! So that's it!" the girl roared inwardly. "No wonder the August Archon collapsed after World War II, no wonder the slain wolf and Eris grew closer, no wonder Scar Father once protected Cathay, but is now being driven out of Cathay entire country, no wonder this world also has an Iron Curtain Cold War, and the recent split of the Great Caucasus Alliance..."
"It turns out that at the very end of World War II, a soldier from Cathay defeated the remnant wolf that represented destruction!"
She excitedly patted her knees with both hands, but then quickly grabbed her wrists.
What other army could it be? It must be the People's Liberation Army, which has made countless sacrifices and shed countless blood, yet rose again from the ruins, standing like steel to defend the country.
The private might be a member of that army, or... he might be that army itself.
Hebe gritted her teeth, her calm expression nearly shattered beneath the turbulent emotions surging within her.
Only she understood how difficult it was to overcome a ruler. And at that time, the private not only had to face the wolves, but also had to fight Scar Father again later... It was so hard, so incredibly hard!
As someone who walks the same path, how could Hebe not understand this heavy responsibility, how could she not feel inspired and encouraged?!
Even though she had no interaction with the privates in a strict sense, Hebe felt extremely relieved just to know that there were similar individuals.
"No... perhaps we are not entirely without connection," Hebe thought.