Chapter 117
181 We just want to survive
In the Lostbelt strategy, only by making decisive moves can the Completion Rate be increased.
Jeanne is certainly one of the Atlantis Lostbelt, but she is by no means the most important one on the stage.
Hebe knew perfectly well that on the stage of Atlantis, only she and Eris could be considered the final deciding factor.
Eris's traces are everywhere, yet her form is nowhere to be found. Driving change will cause her to become unseen, thus increasing the Completion Rate Lostbelt.
The more drastic the change, the greater the increase in Completion Rate, but it will not exceed fifty percent at most!
[Attention! The primary objective of the current Lostbelt is to ring the "Bell of Ys" and bring Great Stillness to the entirety of Atlantis.]
Open the road to Ys City, the capital of Atlantis, replace the Philosopher King Remus trapped on his throne, and play the final note of the Grand Symphony!
Secondary objective 1: Establish the "Undetermined City-State of Agor".
After the catastrophe, establish a kingdom for the survivors; a capital city lies even beneath the deep sea. The more people who survive, the higher the goal's completion rate; at least ten thousand people are required to complete the goal.
Secondary objective: assassinate the "Three Grand Harmonizers".
The Three Grand Harmonizers have gone astray; every decision they make pushes Atlantis into the abyss. Atlantis will eventually fall silent, but it can choose how it will cease to exist in the water.
The more conspicuously you kill him, the higher your success rate. Caution! This objective contradicts Jeanne Darc's path!
Secondary objective three: Establish your own association.
Beneath the Waves, all things are overturned. But some things are preserved, much is lost, much remains. Choose a location, recruit your followers, and enable them to survive the catastrophe.
The longer the association exists, the higher its goal will be achieved. Caution! This goal contradicts Jeanne Darc's path!
Secondary objective four: to liberate all the Pure Water Spirit, so that they are no longer bound by their suffering fate.
Pure Water Spirit, children of youth, the prototype of all dew, the pearl's most beloved subjects, and candidates for the Water Palace Immortal Class. They have been bound by the Grand Symphony for thousands of years, and many of them have lost their minds.
They should not and cannot be enslaved by anyone anymore. Note! This goal contradicts the path of Jeanne Dalque!
Secondary objective five: To spread the name of the "hero".
In Cathay, the Private was considered above the Named Attendant, but still below the Regent. Some schools of thought say this might prove that the Private had not yet completed his true ritual, but he was indeed very close to the position of Regent, perhaps only needing a witness of sufficient weight... However, Celestial Flint and Zhen Zhu had no time to cast more glances.
The goal is to ensure that at least a thousand people in this era speak of the private's esteemed name; the more people who do so, the higher the success rate of the objective. Note! This objective contradicts the path of Jeanne Darcz!
Secondary objectives do not affect the Lostbelt clearing progress, but they will affect the final evaluation.
Ultimate goal: Defeat Eris and cut the Lostbelt.
There is only one being who holds the power to determine history. Defeat them within this Lostbelt. Completing this objective will automatically complete the Lostbelt's conquest.
Since Eris made her debut as Hebe's archenemy, the Secret History Simulator has become more precise in its descriptions of missions.
The previously vague writing style has now become decisive and clear.
This is a good thing for Hebe, because when facing Eris, any ambiguity in language could become a loophole for him to exploit.
However, the four side objectives contradict Jeanne's intentions...?
On the one hand, this allowed Hebe to oppose her without any psychological burden, but on the other hand, she also began to wonder which side Jeanne was on.
There are only two rulers with a blade in this domain... no, now there are two and a half.
Since Hebe and the private are "traveling together," Jeanne is left with only two choices: Scar Father and the Wolf.
Considering that the intentions of establishing Agor and Jeanne are not contradictory, Hebe can tentatively assume that she is on the path of being a subordinate of Scar Father.
"But not authoritarian." Hebe frowned.
Scar Father's most renowned organization was the Authority Path, which focused on establishing authority, maintaining rule, and upholding the hierarchical order between superiors and inferiors.
Almost all rulers are practitioners of authoritarianism.
Hebe was not an advocate of the Authority Path, but she could boast that no one in the world understood it better than she did.
On the surface, Scar Father only controls this one path... but what about in secret? As far as Hebe knows, Scar Father also has at least one other path of practice known as the "Secret Master" in the Middle East.
The latter is the origin of what is known as the "Assassins" and is also the etymology of the word "assassin".
Jeanne is certainly not the "Assassin's Path". She should be another unknown path under Scar Father's command. If Arthur is the king, then Jeanne is the marshal... but there is also a bit of apocalypse and miracle in her.
Hebe frowned, and for the time being, she forcibly named this path "Leadership".
Just as Hebe was secretly naming Jeanne's path, a commotion suddenly arose not far away.
At the center of Domremy Island stands a tall clock tower, and the entire island's buildings are constructed around this clock tower.
In the past, Tuners would play together in the clock tower, enveloping the entire island in the power of the Grand Symphony. But since the Philosopher King Remus became obsessed with playing the Grand Symphony, the place has been abandoned for nearly 140 years.
On the Domremy Island, there are no real musicians, let alone Tuners.
This is why, after Nero's two massacres of the Orleans Region, the Atlantis on Domremy Island actually integrated more closely with the barbarians of the North.
—The Grand Harmonizer didn't treat them as fellow Atlantis at all.
Fortunately, the "Philosophical Chaos" had not yet broken out, and Nero had not yet gone so far as to slaughter every island he saw... Ironically, at this time, Nero's slaughter was still relatively random and fair.
If all goes well, Domremy Island will be drawn by Nero several years later.
But before that, two legions under Nero's command had already been coming to Domremy Island from time to time to scout out men for practice.
Want to run away? Ha! Under the fully activated clock tower, the surrounding water is the best prison; not even a feather can float, let alone row a boat out to sea.
So Jeanne didn't want to wait, and she couldn't wait.
After contacting Boudica, she began gathering people in the center of the square to prepare for the sea voyage.
Naturally, there was a lot of opposition. Why should we be forced to leave our homes just because you say one thing?
Instead of heading to the bustling areas of Burgundy, they're going to the north... Isn't that rebellion?
"I will only ask three questions."
In the clock tower square, Jeanne stretches out her hand and raises her fingers.
The girl's blonde hair fluttered in the wind, and her expression was so natural that it was as if she were discussing what to eat today, rather than talking about treason.
How many indigenous people are over the age of fifteen?
What brought you here?
"Who can guarantee that Domremy Island one to be wiped out?!"
Jeanne looked around and at the gathered crowd, raising her voice.
"Look me in the eyes!"
No one dared to answer the question, Jeanne raised her hand and pointed to her face.
" On Domremy Island, I am the only native over the age of fifteen."
"You were all slaughtered by Nero's legions and then driven here to live among the common people."
"No one can guarantee that our beloved Grand Harmonizer won't suddenly decide to slaughter the Domremy Island again."
Fifteen years ago, the inhabitants of Domremy Island and the surrounding islands were slaughtered by Nero's army. In order to populate these islands, Nero dispersed and reassembled the families who had been killed and drove them to this place.
Jeanne, seeing the growing crowd, raised her arms and shouted.
"Since Nero has never considered us his own people, then let's go to the North!"
"This is not a rebellion, we just want to survive!"
182. Either don't do it at all, or do it thoroughly!
In the crowd, Hebe crossed her arms and watched as the people around her went from riot to order.
It was as if Jeanne had activated a mind control aura; she easily silenced nearly five hundred people with just her tone and gestures.
It's not about intimidation to force obedience, but about raising a flag and having people follow...
Hebe's mutterings reached Jeanne's ears. She turned her head and saw a flaxen figure faintly visible in the crowd.
She couldn't always hear what Hebe was thinking. Even when they were face to face, there was still some background noise in Hebe's thoughts, like a thick sea fog that was hard to hear clearly.
If Hebe was far away, she would have no way of hearing it.
"Ishtar, I need your help now," Jeanne said to Hebe. "I hope you will stay with me in Domremy."
Hebe only needed a moment's thought to understand what the "Maid of Orléans" was going to do.
They were bait, but also a nail; they couldn't leave before most people escaped into the North.
Even if it's time to evacuate, I'll probably be the one covering their retreat...
"—And that's just right."
Hebe was satisfied with Jeanne's arrangements; she needed to make some big moves to accelerate the Lostbelt conquest.
Jeanne, who had only heard the first half of Hebe's heartfelt words, already felt somewhat guilty and was even less willing to look Hebe in the eye.
By a twist of fate, the two reached another strange agreement and both stayed on Domremy Island, silently watching the island's inhabitants leave by boat.
The sea waves surged.
Jeanne turned her head and suddenly said to Hebe, "I'm very sorry about what happened last night. But I really had no choice but to do it..."
Hebe watched the ship sail away into the distance. "You mean the contract was signed last night? I didn't mean to blame you."
Jeanne thought that it was her act of forcing Hebe to sign the contract that made Hebe uncomfortable, but that was not the case.
As Pure Water Spirit without even a physical form, Hebe was supposed to sign a contract with someone else, but Jeanne rushed in from the start, which is what really made Hebe feel a bit lost.
Of course, Hebe herself quickly came to terms with it—it doesn't matter who she signs the contract with.
Rather than a stranger who could be a "major enemy," it's better to choose Jeanne, who is relatively more familiar to you.
After all, she still needed to rely on the Opposing Blades to keep Jeanne firmly in check and prevent her from being pushed into Eris's camp.
However, on the other hand, Hebe actually looked down on this Opposing Blades structure.
Having fully participated in an era's Power Struggle in the Higashi, Hebe was already feeling somewhat weary, and the Opposing Blades was the smallest structure of that Power Struggle.
Hebe can travel with the private for a period of time, but that doesn't mean she has to be a soldier under his command.
This heartfelt message was naturally omitted at crucial points, and only fragmented words were heard by Jeanne.
The latter thought Hebe was just putting on a brave face, but he was even more tormented inside.
"I have a question for you, Jeanne."
Jeanne blinked in a daze, then realized that this wasn't a thought, but rather Hebe was actually talking to her.
A girl with long flaxen hair and beautiful green eyes walked lightly back and forth on the white stone-paved road, her hands behind her back and her body slightly bowed.
"How do you plan to kill Nero?"
This was indeed a question that was on Hebe's mind at that moment.
Both she and Jeanne wanted to kill Nero. Since they had the same goal, how could they disagree?
"She wants war, so I'll give her a war," Jeanne replied resolutely. "I will be at the forefront, and she will die on the battlefield as a Tuners."
[That's so blatant... Okay, I think I understand where the disagreement lies.]
Hebe pondered to herself.
She realized where the disagreement between Jeanne and herself lay.
If we consider Nero as a world boss, then these two are like players trying to defeat the world boss and achieve the first kill.
Ultimately, it comes down to who gets the kill first; how the kill is done isn't as critical.
Of course, while I understand, it doesn't mean that Hebe would let go of this opportunity to rack up points.
How could someone be able to both oppose Jeanne and complete side quest objectives? How could such a good thing exist in the world?
Thanks to Hebe's unconscious turning around while thinking about these issues, Jeanne's already fragmented voice became even more intermittent, sometimes near and sometimes far, which was truly torturous!
A knight with a body made of brass and white stone stands on the shore, leaning on a greatsword as tall as an ordinary person.
They gazed toward the direction of Domremy Island, their spiritual energy surging beneath their rocky faces covered by heavy visors.