He Wei Ni Ya's Decision

"Sister Ni Ya, you're here again."

The red-haired, black-eyed girl withdrew her gaze from the magnificent Sword of Order and turned to look at the little girl who was skipping and hopping towards her.

"Good afternoon, Orange," He Wei Ni Ya greeted her earnestly.

"Hey, no need to be so formal." Ju waved her hand. The once somewhat withdrawn little girl had been reborn, just like the city beneath her feet. Her once lifeless eyes were now full of liveliness and energy. "I knew you were here right away. Even though you're not Lyra People, you're so interested in the Sword of Order. Can you tell me why?"

He Wei Ni Ya hesitated.

Indeed, after her injuries had mostly healed, she frequently went to the Sword of Order and stayed there for a long time. But she didn't have any particular intentions; she was simply curious and found it strange.

She could sense that the Sword of Order was the former Lyra God, whose body stood on this land in the form of a sword. This was unimaginable to He Wei Ni Ya, since she had risked her life to drive the Lord of Holy Sound away from that land during the Holy Sound era.

In her view, gods and mortals cannot coexist; they are mortal enemies.

However, in Lyra, beneath the Sword of Order, which symbolizes divine authority, lies a scene completely different from what she had imagined.

During her recovery, she witnessed firsthand how the Lyra People gradually rebuilt the shattered city from the ruins. Although it was far from the once world-renowned mechanical city, the Lyra People's vitality and hope were something He Wei Ni Ya had never felt in the Holy Sound.

All of this was accomplished under the Sword of Order, and in He Wei Ni Ya's mind, "vitality" and "hope" were inherently contrary to the gods.

That's why He Wei Ni Ya kept coming to the Sword of Order to carefully observe "Him," wanting to see how the Lyra was different from the Holy Sound.

After all, besides Visas, she is probably the only one in the world who has had close contact with both the Lyra God and the Lord of Holy Sound, so no one is more suitable to make an evaluation than her.

However, the Lyra God is not in good condition right now. Most of the time, He Wei Ni Ya feels that He is asleep. Only on rare occasions will Hevinia open his eyes and observe this land. And only during those brief moments can He Wei Ni Ya sense His presence.

This aura was unlike that of the former Lord of Holy Sound, powerful and majestic, making it hard to breathe. Instead, it was like that of a father who was both serious and kind, whose gaze that swept across the world was filled with both sternness and love.

But do gods really love people?

He Wei Ni Ya wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, which was why she kept coming here and observing.

But she couldn't tell Ju these things, since Holy Sound was still hunting her down and knowing too much about her wasn't a good thing for a child.

"Hey, if you don't want to tell me, then don't." Ju noticed He Wei Ni Ya's hesitation and waved her hand understandingly. "I was just asking. Ina asked me to come find you. It seems like there's something important."

"Miss Ina?" He Wei Ni Ya perked up slightly. "Alright, I'll go back now."

Ina is Tachibana's guardian and one of Lyra's high-ranking members; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to protect her from the pursuit of the Holy Sound. During this time, she has been taking care of He Wei Ni Ya.

Although He Wei Ni Ya knew that it was Bai Wei who entrusted her to Ina was unaware of Bai Wei's existence. Through their time together, He Wei Ni Ya also learned that Ina had a great father, a hero who sacrificed himself in the War of the Gods— Jie La Er.

Based on Ina's account, He Wei Ni Ya roughly guessed that Jie La Er was Bai Wei's previous partner.

So in a sense, Jie La Er is her senior.

Unfortunately, she no longer had the chance to greet this special senior.

He Wei Ni Ya sighed inwardly.

Behind her, the Sword of Order stood like a silent old man, watching the two girls walk further and further away.

Although she had something very important to do, Tachibana, who was leading the way, walked leisurely and without any rush. At the same time, she asked He Wei Ni Ya about the Holy Sound with great interest. For Tachibana, who grew up in the Mechanical City, the magic of musical notes was too tempting. So much so that she felt that the Seventh Note on He Wei Ni Ya's body were like works of art, and she would reach out to touch them from time to time.

As long as the information wasn't too dangerous, He Wei Ni Ya was naturally willing to tell Tachibana, so she answered Tachibana's various questions while observing both sides of the road.

Two months have passed since the cataclysmic disaster that shocked the world, Lyra People are still rebuilding their city. It's not easy, as most of them were once half-human, half-machine. After the disaster, most of their machinery became unusable, leaving them instantly disabled. So they had to salvage the still-usable machines from the ruins, and for those that were completely unusable, they had to rely on very primitive techniques. As a result, it's common to see complex machines powered by sticks and stones, a primitive yet stylish sight that's quite interesting to watch.

Before long, they finally returned to the house, where Ina was already waiting for them.

Because she hadn't overused mechanical prosthetics before, Ina is now one of the few able-bodied people in Lyra, which keeps her very busy most of the time, He Wei Ni Ya hasn't seen her for quite some time.

"Miss Ni Ya." Ina's eyes still looked tired, as if she had just finished work not long ago. "How are you feeling?"

"There are no problems anymore."

Although it took a long time, with the combined support of the bones and the Seventh Note, He Wei Ni Ya's body recovered to about 70-80%. As long as she doesn't use the power of the Seventh Note at the same time, her body won't have any major problems in the future.

"I see." Ina was also very relieved. After all, when they first brought her back, half of He Wei Ni Ya's body had already entered hell, and all of Lyra's healing methods were ineffective. They could only hope that she would heal herself. Fortunately, she recovered. "It's so good that she can recover."

"If it weren't for you, I would be dead by now," He Wei Ni Ya said earnestly.

"Hehe, no need for formalities." Ina waved her hand and then said, "I came to see you today to ask about your plans for the future."

"What are your plans after this?"

"Yes." Ina nodded. "I didn't ask when you were recovering from your injuries, but now that you're healed, I should formally ask if you would like to stay in Lyra."

He Wei Ni Ya blinked, but before she could speak, Orange beside her started shouting, "Of course! If Sister Ni Ya doesn't stay in Lyra, where else would she go?"

"Alright, alright, be quiet for a moment." Ina pinched Orange's cheek, then smiled at He Wei Ni Ya and said, "I'm not rushing you to make a decision. I just think having an official identity is pretty good. If you're willing to consider this place your second home, I'll help you get your identity certificate tomorrow. Then you'll be a real Lyra People. As long as you cover up the notes, those people from the Holy Sound won't be able to find you, and you can start a new life here."

A new life?

He Wei Ni Ya was naturally tempted.

During her two-week recovery period, she couldn't do much in the city, such as work, because she lacked identification. So, rather than living in Lyra, she was more like an observer watching the lives of the Lyra People.

Now Ina is going to give her identity certificate and make her a Lyra People, so that she can truly live with Ina and Tachibana and start a brand new life.

He Wei Ni Ya didn't dislike this vibrant and lively city; in fact, she was quite looking forward to it.

But...

For some reason, He Wei Ni Ya felt that Ina had something else to say.

So she looked at Ina seemed to have guessed what she was thinking, but did not answer immediately. Instead, she pinched Ju's cheek and said, "Alright, you can go out now. Miss Ni Ya and I have something to talk about."

Is there something you absolutely have to hide from me?

Ju was somewhat dissatisfied, but she understood the importance of the matter, so she told He Wei Ni Ya, "You must stay," and then left the room.

Once only she and He Wei Ni Ya were left in the room, Ina gently rubbed her temples and said with a touch of emotion, "Your premonition is really strong, Miss Ni Ya."

"What happened?" He Wei Ni Ya asked. "Is it related to me?"

"I don't know if it has anything to do with you... Don't worry, it's not the Holy Sound people who came looking for us," Ina said softly. "It's another church. I don't know if you've heard of Wildfire."

"That Esoteric Sect?"

"Yes." Ina nodded. "There was an accident with the Wildfire."

"What is it?"

Their god is dead.

He Wei Ni Ya's mouth dropped open.

Then Ina told He Wei Ni Ya about the situation with Wildfire. Although Lyra was still in a difficult period of reconstruction, the intelligence department had already been rebuilt. After all, they had to guard against the other churches having bad intentions during this special period. So, although they got the information about Wildfire later than Rhine, it was at least comprehensive.

After hearing the news about Wildfire, He Wei Ni Ya's first thought was that Bai Wei had killed Wildfire.

After all, no one else in the world besides Visas could do something like that.

Although Ina was unaware of Bai Wei's existence, she knew that there must be some force at play, just like the Holy Sound Lyra back then, which is why she told He Wei Ni Ya about it.

"There's something else that came along with this," Ina said. "News has come from the Contract Land that the Rhine God Sect has extended invitations to all churches."

"The Contract Land?" He Wei Ni Ya asked, somewhat puzzled. "What kind of place is that?"

Ina said softly, "This is a mysterious organization that exists outside the system of the Eight Great Churches. I only just learned of its existence. They are supported by the Eight Great Churches —yes, even the Esoteric Sect are no exception. However, they never set foot in the mortal world and are even strictly forbidden from engaging in worldly affairs."

"Then what is the meaning of their existence?" The moment He Wei Ni Ya asked this question, she had the answer in her heart.

"Visas," Ina replied briefly.

...really.

He Wei Ni Ya pursed her lips tightly.

He Wei Ni Ya's expression made Ina realize that He Wei Ni Ya was indeed connected to Visas.

Of course, the most she could think of was that He Wei Ni Ya was related to a certain Visas' Corpse Pieces holder, and she would never have thought that it was related to Visas himself.

"Then what exactly is the purpose of this invitation from Rhine?" He Wei Ni Ya asked.

"I don't know yet." Ina shook her head. "We'll only know when we get there, and we have to go. Because the 'contract' in the Contract Land isn't signed by mortals, but by the gods. So the gods' followers have to abide by the gods' contract. Therefore, whether it's Lyra, which is being rebuilt, or the Holy Sound, which is still in turmoil, they all need to send representatives. Not to mention the Esoteric Sect. Except for Wildfire, whose god is confirmed to be dead, all seven churches need to participate. This is the rule, but it's also the only time in a thousand years..."

The only gathering in a thousand years...

Aside from Bai Wei, He Wei Ni Ya couldn't think of anything else that would elicit such a response from the major churches.

Has their whereabouts been discovered? Or have they already fallen into the hands of the Rhine?

If it's Bai Wei, then no one should be able to do anything to him, right? He Wei Ni Ya couldn't imagine anyone being able to defeat Bai Wei.

But...

He Wei Ni Ya looked down at her hands.

The Seventh Note and the bone, which should have been Bai Wei's weapons, are now in her hands, just to save her life.

Thinking this through, He Wei Ni Ya knew what choice she had to make. So she looked up at Ina and said softly, "I'm sorry, Miss Ina, I'm afraid I can't stay here any longer."

Ina didn't seem surprised by He Wei Ni Ya's choice, but she still asked, "Can you tell me what you plan to do?"

"I..." He Wei Ni Ya bit her lower lip lightly.

"Hmm... it seems I can't say either," Ina said softly, "Just like he was back then."

"He?"

"Yes, my father," Ina said. "I always knew he had a secret. He promised me that he would tell me everything after everything was over, but unfortunately, I never found out what that secret was."

Looking into Ina's eyes, which were filled with desolation, He Wei Ni Ya felt even more guilty. "I'm sorry, Miss Ina, but I..."

"I know, you don't need to say anything," Ina said with a smile, stopping He Wei Ni Ya from apologizing. "You just need to know what you're doing."

"I know. Miss Ina, I am very grateful to you and Tachibana. You are like family to me, and I really want to live with you." He Wei Ni Ya said very seriously, word by word, "But I owe someone a life. Now he may be in danger, or he may not be. But no matter what, I can't pretend that he didn't exist and live on with this life without a clear conscience."

He Wei Ni Ya's words made Ina's pupils narrow slightly, and then she couldn't help but say softly, "If I had had the same determination as you back then, I wouldn't have missed seeing my father one last time."

"... Miss Ina?"

"Ah, it's nothing." Ina rubbed her slightly red eyes, then smiled and said, "Go ahead, Tachibana and I will support you, and we will wait for you to come back."

He Wei Ni Ya bowed deeply to Ina, then belatedly realized something. "Speaking of which, isn't the Contract Land a secret? Is it really okay to tell me this directly?"

"Of course not."

Ina slightly raised the corners of her mouth, her gaze passing through He Wei Ni Ya and landing on the divine sword standing on the Lyra land.

"Because this is the guidance of the Sword of Order."

Some people asked why He Wei Ni Ya still uses this name even though she has changed back. It's because I spent a long time coming up with this name, so I wanted to use it more often.