The Only One You Can Pledge Loyalty To

We should sing its praises... and remember it forever?

Jie La Er never expected to hear such words from Ao Li Wei.

The real Instigator of Calamity is now able to utter such high-sounding words.

"Are you serious?" Jie La Er couldn't help but ask. "Are you really serious?"

"Of course," Ao Li Wei replied calmly. "I will always respect those who have dedicated themselves to this cause; they are as brilliant as stars, and of course, that includes you, Jie La Er. I have always believed that you are the brightest one among them."

Jie La Er felt absurd and almost laughed.

Ten years ago, he might have considered those words an honor, after all, they were spoken by the Archbishop of Tower of Babel.

But now...

"Jie La Er, I understand your anger, your despair, and your desperate attempt to fight to the death." Ao Li Wei walked to Jie La Er's side and gently patted his shoulder like an old friend. "Even if what you're doing now is, in your own way, trying to save Lyra, I won't blame you. After all, this is all you can do before you can't get your hands on the truth. I respect you, but I don't want you to go down this wrong path... Our future still needs symbols like you, heroes like you."

Do you think I would believe such nonsense?

Ao Li Wei sighed softly, his tone like that of an old father helplessly addressing his rebellious grandchildren. "I know you won't believe it so easily, that wouldn't be you... But it's okay, we still have time, lots and lots of time. Whatever you want to know, I can tell you."

Ao Li Wei's words continued to echo throughout Lyra, allowing every Lyra People to hear the conversation between their Archbishop and the former hero.

Jie La Er tried to calm himself down. He knew that everyone in Lyra was watching him, and now was not the time to solve the problem with a single blow.

So he raised his head, looked directly at Ao Li Wei, and asked, word by word, "You said you wanted to kill Lyra."

"To be precise, I want to kill the Lyra God, not Lyra," Ao Li Wei said. "The Lyra People, Lyra City, and the Lyra God have been bound together for thousands of years, and this should not be the case."

"Why?"

"The Mechanic of Lyra have a saying: 'If a machine wants to Yong Xin, it must constantly iterate,'" Ao Li Wei said. "This saying is most fitting for Lyra City. Lyra City is like such a machine. For thousands of years, we have been constantly updating and iterating, becoming more and more advanced and powerful, but... that's where we've come to."

Ao Li Wei walked slowly around Jie La Er with his hands behind his back.

"Haven't you noticed? It's been a hundred years since the last National Congress. Back then, we passed the Gear Train Act, which transformed the entire Lyra City into the most advanced city in the world. But... what happened after that? In the past hundred years, have we had any other major innovations like that? Have we had any innovations as advanced as the Gear Train that could change the structure of a city?"

"It's all gone, all gone."

"Although we are still making progress and innovating in small ways, our prosthetics are becoming more and more flexible, and our parts are becoming more and more precise. But our city has not changed for a hundred years. The tracks of the Gear Train were laid a hundred years ago. Every gear on it exudes an old smell, like an old man who can replace his prosthetics and his artificial eyes, but he cannot replace his decaying organs and blood vessels. This will inevitably lead him to weakness and death."

"But people die and that's it. But what about the city of Lyra? Are we just going to stand by and watch it decline and decay like this?"

Ao Li Wei stopped in front of Jie La Er, looked him into the eyes, and then spoke slowly.

"At least, I can't stand to watch."

"That's why I decided to do something."

After hearing Ao Li Wei's explanation, Jie La Er found it utterly absurd. "So you're planning to kill the Lyra God?"

"If we don't do this, we won't be able to innovate," Ao Li Wei said calmly. "Jie La Er, you should already know what the main body of Lyra City is made of. If we don't eliminate it, do you think we can accomplish those things?"

Ao Li Wei's words immediately reminded Jie La Er of the flesh and blood he had seen in the furnace at Gear Central Station.

The Lyra City is composed of the flesh and blood of the Lyra God.

It seems Ao Li Wei is well aware of this as well.

"So, for this reason, you want to kill the Lyra God?" Jie La Er still found it unbelievable. "The Lyra City was created by the Lyra God. He protected us before the Contaminated Land. The Lyra City exists because of Him..."

Jie La Er was interrupted by Ao Li Wei before he could finish speaking.

"So, in your eyes, the Lyra God is our creator, our protector, our... father-like being, is that right?" Ao Li Wei asked calmly. "So, in your eyes, I'm like a rebellious son who wants to kill his father when he's unwell, is that right?"

Jie La Er looked directly at Ao Li Wei: "Isn't that right?"

As Jie La Er said those words, he saw a strange smile appear on Ao Li Wei's lips, as if he had been waiting for Jie La Er to steer the conversation in this direction.

However, the smile was fleeting, and Ao Li Wei quickly returned to his previous calm demeanor.

No one noticed the laugh except Jie La Er.

This made Jie La Er feel somewhat uneasy.

"Yes, looking at it this way, I really do seem like a rebellious son." Ao Li Wei turned his back and slowly walked back to his seat. "To the Creator, to our God, haven't I been far too heartless, far too cruel?"

He stopped in front of his seat, then turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present at the meeting before finally settling on Jie La Er's face.

"But, is our Lord, our Lyra God, truly the... merciful Father you speak of?"

Jie La Er was slightly taken aback.

"Was everything He did truly to protect us?"

Ao Li Wei slowly raised his metal prosthetic leg, his voice gradually growing louder.

"People of Lyra, look at our bodies."

"Look at your bodies, our mechanical prosthetics."

Everyone looked at Ao Li Wei's raised prosthetic arm.

"Look, what a perfect creation. It can do so many things. With it, we are Lyra People, the most advanced Lyra People in the world." Ao Li Wei said with a smile, then suddenly exerted force and forcibly ripped the prosthetic arm off. Before anyone could react, they saw the gruesome muscles at the severed arm after Ao Li Wei removed the prosthesis. Due to the excessive force, the severed area was a bloody mess, a sight that sent chills down everyone's spine. "But without it, what are we?"

His blood dripped onto the stands, a shocking sight.

"Hehe, without this prosthetic limb, what are we?" he said softly. "We are disabled people, disabled people with incomplete limbs, disabled people who cannot hold a knife and fork when eating, and who must use crutches when walking."

"But when exactly did it begin?"

"Lyra People are disabled people who have prosthetic limbs."

Why should we be proud of having prosthetics and ashamed of our original flesh and blood?

"Why do our children clamor for newer, better limbs even before they're adults?"

"Our adults don't have many parts of their bodies that truly belong to them."

"Our elderly are not buried with a complete body after they die."

Why is this happening?

Ao Li Wei's gaze shifted downwards again, continuing to meet Jie La Er's eyes.

"Can you tell me, Jie La Er, who made us so dependent on machines? To the point that we're willing to abandon our own flesh and blood to embrace that cold metal?"

"And who is it that has planted shackles in our minds, preventing us from taking action against the source of this power while possessing such immense strength?"

"After using these things, the Lyra People can only be Lyra People. Once they leave Lyra, the machines fail, and we are just disabled people who can't do anything."

Ao Li Wei's tone grew increasingly cold.

"Answer me, Jie La Er."

Did He protect the Lyra People, or did He imprison them?

Are we His people, or the... beasts He has raised?

"Jie La Er, have you ever thought that if He were to abandon us one day, there would be millions of disabled people in the entire city?"

At this moment, the entire conference hall... no, the entire Lyra City was completely silent.

People stared blankly at Ao Li Wei, then stared blankly at their own prosthetic limbs.

They had never considered this issue before, and now, as if suddenly awakened by Ao Li Wei, an indescribable fear suddenly welled up in their eyes.

Even Jie La Er couldn't utter a rebuttal, only staring blankly at Ao Li Wei, his previous questioning momentum completely gone.

This oppressive silence lasted for almost a minute.

Finally, one of the attendees, trembling, whispered, "Then... kill Lyra."

His words were like a spark that had fallen into kerosene.

In an instant, the flames of anger and fear ignited.

All the attendees stood up, raised their fists, and shouted.

"Yes, kill Lyra!"

"Kill Lyra! Kill Lyra!"

"Kill Lyra!"

The voices of the attendees carried outside the meeting, igniting the discussion as well.

The entire Lyra City was filled with angry shouts of "Kill Lyra!"

Ao Li Wei stepped off the stage amidst the roaring sound of the waves and walked back to Jie La Er.

Even though the two were about the same height, Jie La Er felt like Ao Li Wei was looking down on him.

"Do you understand now, Jie La Er?" Ao Li Wei said with a smile.

Jie La Er felt a sharp pain in his throat. He looked at Ao Li Wei and asked in a low voice, "Is this your plan?"

The flames were already lit, and Ao Li Wei no longer needed to make his voice heard by the whole city, so he spoke in a voice that Jie La Er could hear, "Yes, of course the original plan was more secure, but because of the trouble you caused me, I had to keep revising the plan and bringing it forward... Fortunately, it still went smoothly."

As he spoke, he took another step back, letting his voice resound throughout the city once more.

"People of Lyra! I have heard your voices, I have received your prayers." His tone was solemn and reverent, as if a true god had descended. "I, Oliver De Li, promise you that I will absolutely change all of this. I will personally kill Lyra and bring a new future before you!"

Upon hearing this, the shouts of "Kill Lyra" immediately turned into cheers for Ao Li Wei.

They chanted Ao Li Wei's name even louder than they had when they chanted Lyra's name.

"Now, only one final step remains." Ao Li Wei looked at Jie La Er again, smiling as he extended his hand. "Knight of the Evening Star, Jie La Er. After all that has happened, are you willing to pledge your allegiance to me once more, and fight for the future of Lyra once more?"

In that instant, hundreds of burning gazes fell upon Jie La Er in the hall.

Outside the hall, even more people were watching this place.

"As long as you are willing to pledge allegiance to me," Ao Li Wei said softly, "I will forgive everything you have done before, and I will restore your reputation, as well as the reputation of all the Night Stars. They will no longer be rebels; they should return to everyone's sight as heroes."

"Of course, even if I didn't want to, I would still do it," Ao Li Wei said with a smile. "You deserve it."

Jie La Er opened his mouth.

Is that it... over?

He just had to step forward and shake that hand, just like he had done countless times ten years ago.

Is all of this finally over?

The reputation of Xiaoxing.

Past obsessions.

Will everything finally see the light of day? If only New God would descend?

So... wonderful?

Jie La Er was momentarily bewildered.

But at that moment, he remembered what Bai Wei had told him.

Do you know the price that comes with the arrival of New God?

His pupils narrowed slightly.

No, no, no!

This guy has been hiding the most crucial thing!

Jie La Er immediately stepped forward. "Do you know how many people will die if New God is enthroned..."

"Your daughter is in the Third District's branch tower," Ao Li Wei suddenly spoke, still in a voice only the two of them could hear. "The child you care about, named Orange, is right outside the gates of the Tower of Babel."

Jie La Er's body stiffened.

Ao Li Wei still had a smile on his face, but his words were icy cold.

"Jie La Er, think it over. Some words, once spoken, cannot be taken back... Oh, and that widow," Ao Li Wei said. "I'm not the same person I was yesterday. Now... the entire Lyra is under my control."

Jie La Er stared intently at Ao Li Wei: "You knew everything? You knew what the arrival of the New God would bring?! Why did you still do it?!"

"These are necessary sacrifices, Jie La Er," Ao Li Wei said calmly. "You now have only two choices."

"The first option is to say those words, then die as a traitor, along with those guys. But you will gain nothing. You should know very well that even if you say those words, no one will believe you."

"The second option is to take my hand, and I will give you everything I promised you. You will still be the hero you once were, your daughter, that little girl, and that widow... and many more people will be saved, and you will have a place in the future."

"Both of these choices can only affect you, not me."

"Make your choice, Jie La Er." Ao Li Wei looked Jie La Er into his eyes and said, enunciating each word clearly, "To die as a rebel, or to live as a hero!"

Jie La Er turned his head and, through Bai Wei's eyes, saw a place very, very far away.

At Rim Station, two men are walking toward a woman who is crying.

In the Third District tower, the Devil Knight standing beside Ina slowly reached for the Blazing Fire Sword at their waists.

Outside the Tower of Babel, a skeletal Knight struck up a conversation with Tachibana, who clutched her collar tightly, trying to leave, but was stopped.

"Jie La Er!" Ao Li Wei roared at Jie La Er, "Make your choice! Now!"

At that moment, Jie La Er almost broke down.

Until Bai Wei's unquestionable voice rang in his mind.

"Reject him, Jie La Er."

"The person you can be loyal to."

"Just me."