Hai Na's Future (Third Update)

The old pastor who witnessed my grandfather's death more than a decade ago has long since passed away.

His son even looked to be in his forties or fifties—as a priest who had mastered Sacrificial Fire Method, his aged appearance suggested that his actual age was certainly not less than his actual age. He might have been staying in Eagle Cape Village for a long time.

But the pastor didn't provide Iver with much useful information.

Because he had only recently taken over his father's position, there were many things he hadn't yet experienced. He probably didn't know as much as Iver does now.

The only information he could provide was probably about the village's burial traditions.

There are no cemeteries in our village.

As the priest distributed pastries to Iver and Lily, he answered softly, "All the corpses will be thrown into the swamp, and there will be no more unified worship."

"Because remembrance and worship are acts of the Path of Twilight, and we are nothing but a group of Nameless people who have sold their souls—unexpected in life and unremembered in death. Those without names will not have tombstones."

"Then why do those Children have names?"

Iver asked a question that had puzzled him for a long time.

The pastor simply smiled, "We are all Nameless, lingering souls trapped here, forgotten shadows of the Hourglass... but they are different. They are all healthy children."

"... Why did you sell your souls?"

Iver asked, "And why would Amber charge such a price?"

For ordinary demons, human souls are a scarce commodity. Demons are even willing to make contracts and be used by humans in order to obtain souls.

But for the Pillar God, that was utterly irrelevant. After death, the soul naturally flows into those nine different rivers. It's a resource as natural as breathing air; no one pays any price for breathing that ordinary air.

Unless the "air" itself has some special meaning.

—What Iver most puzzling is why Amber would agree to such a deal?

Judging from the Twilight Power that still permeates the village, the transaction is not even fully over yet. The amber continues to provide a steady stream of power, enough to influence everyone's sense of time.

But the pastor simply shook his head.

He held up a finger to his lips. There was no answer.

Or perhaps it's impossible to answer.

So Iver could only change the subject, asking indirectly, "What about Hai Na? What do you know about her?"

Finally, the pastor spoke, "Among the newborns in our village, Hai Na is the most special one. Without a doubt."

Indeed, Iver thought.

In your village, filled with the Twilight Power, and with both her biological and adoptive fathers possessing adaptability to the Dedication Path, she ultimately managed to achieve a balance between authoritarianism and transcendence...

Neither offering sacrifices nor experiencing twilight.

"I thought she would become a priest or a blacksmith."

Iver slumped his shoulders helplessly, picked up a pastry and put it in his mouth without any hesitation, and replied indistinctly, "But she doesn't seem to be suited for the Dedication Path."

"Yes, that's why Hai Na received an authoritarian education when she was young. This also came from Jacob's suggestion—he told Hai Na's mother that little Hai Na had an adaptability to the Path of Authority."

"It was after that that Hai Na's mother began to deliberately cultivate Hai Na's authoritarian mindset. It can be said that Jacob played a significant role in her becoming an overseer."

The pastor sighed, "And now, Jacob's grandson has become her friend and has been invited here... This must be fate. Fate is the blood of twilight; everything in the future has been predetermined by the amber and engraved on the amber tree. Every thread is connected."

"Authoritarian education..."

Iver was somewhat puzzled.

But he paused, then suddenly remembered—

That was the second time he met Hai Na, and the conversation they had on their way to the Pelican Bar, which was pushed by Hai Na.

"Yes, my family was poor. But my parents taught me from a young age to be an upright person. To follow the law, to be loyal to the Queen, and to be honest with my teachers. Although I had no money, I never did even a small thing like stealing."

"I will not demand that others do as I do, because not everyone agrees with the Path of Authority. But I will restrain my own behavior as much as possible. Not because I am forced, but because I am willing to do so."

"—Now I am devoted to obeying my superior and carrying out every order he gives within the rules; but if one day I am higher than him, then he will also have to obey me in the same way."

The innocent yet confident voice of Hai Na echoed in Iver's mind.

He took a deep breath and gradually came to his senses.

"... How come I didn't realize it at the time?"

This is the most typical example of authoritarian education.

The adaptability of extraordinary individuals to different paths is not fixed after birth, but rather constantly changes. Just like Yanis, and like Meg in the past and Ligeia now.

Family education is the simplest way to adapt one's path. Although it is not useful for everyone and one should not stray too far from it... For example, Isabel is really not suited to the Path of Authority, but if she wants to switch to the Path of Love through education, it is still possible; similarly, Yulia is on the Equilibrium Path, but she is also suited to wisdom and transcendence.

With proper guidance, it is often easy to lead young children onto the right path.

It's somewhat difficult to switch from the Path of Twilight to the Path of Authority.

However, it is possible to Path of Transcendence.

Furthermore, the Path of Transcendence is an illegal path in Avalon. If Hai Na was born with a strong adaptability to the Path of Transcendence, and her parents decided from the beginning to have her leave Eagle Cape Village, then they could only use various means to transform the adaptability to the Path of Transcendence into the Path of Authority...

That's why she received such a strict Path of Authority education.

This reminded Iver of the stories his grandfather Jacob had told Hai Na when she was a child...

—The world was ruled by carnivores, led by a giant red bear and a golden lion. Herbivores, such as white horses and Green Deer, outwitted and outmaneuvered the bear, eventually becoming the new King. The golden lion, however, was dug out of the stomach by a black mole after swallowing it whole.

The story of "The White Horse King" is an allegory for Arthur's defeat of the Supreme Heaven and his becoming the Silver Crowned Dragon. The story itself is full of traces of "transcendence," and simply recording it carries a rebellious connotation.

Hai Na had heard many of Jacob's stories, but this one was the one she remembered most vividly.

This suggests that Little Hai Na's First Path is indeed Path of Transcendence! Then, Hai Na's biological father... does he also possess an adaptability Path of Transcendence? If so, perhaps Hai Na's Path Urge is actually inherited from her father! Perhaps his disappearance is inextricably linked to Jacob or the Noble Red ...

What he and Hai Na have in common is that they are both able to leave Eagle Cape Village for extended periods of time.

If his departure wasn't an act of being a "scumbag," but rather a pioneering act that only he could have made...

Does that mean that only a sufficiently strong "transcendence" power can break through the stagnation and seal of the Twilight Power in one's bloodline, thus allowing one to live a normal life in the outside world?

Iver immediately understood why he had never seen Hai Na in the original game.

—Because Hai Na will only stay for six months as Trainee Inspector.

After she graduates, she will return to Eagle Cape Village just like she is now.

From then on, she never returned to Glass Island —because she could never go back.

She will either awaken to the adaptability of the Path of Twilight, or she will awaken to her transcendent nature. Either way, it will drastically change her personality, and she will no longer like her work at the Bureau of Supervision.

So, are there similar bosses or factions in the game? — Actually, there are.

And this time it's not the BOSS.

In version 2. X, there is a separatist demon Rebel Army called the "Hyena Gang" in Avalon, who are resisting the colonial rule of the Stibium Kingdom.

They were a group of former inspectors who had been corrupted by demons. They led a the Great Collective undead hounds, sweeping across the land, attacking mines, bridges, and railways controlled by the Stibnite Person, robbing caravans, and assassinating the "New Aristocracy" who had sided with the Stibnite Person. They would even re-enact the people they had killed into undead.

Under the control of the Stibnite Person Avalon lost control of the Griffin Brigade and the Eye of Avalon, making it difficult for them to control local intelligence as precisely as Avalon does now. The Hyena Gang hides in the most desolate places, and with the help of the people of Avalon to conceal their tracks, they have been repeatedly attacked but have been difficult to completely eradicate.

The leader of the Hyena Gang was a tall and beautiful woman named "Nameless".

She was spirited and exuded confidence, but her body was covered in scars—not from untreated wounds after battle. Scars, as marks of wounds, are powerful symbols of twilight.

"Nameless" had her hair tied in a high ponytail reaching her waist and possessed hazy yellow pupils. Her clothes were tattered, revealing her arms and a leg, and she had a bright and handsome smile. She possessed the power of three paths simultaneously: Authority, Transcendence, and Twilight, and was very popular among players and the people of Avalon.

They were practically an allied unit.

Because the Hyena Gang has "faction favorability" that can be increased, the Hyena Set purchased from the faction shop is the highest-level set that is used by both Demon and Necromancer players.

It wasn't until Camelot finally established that Nameless became the vanguard in the campaign against Shadow Angel, only to die in a direct attack by Shadow Angel. The Hyena Gang eventually disintegrated, and the remaining, somewhat familiar NPCs became Camelot's police guard.

... Looking back now, this must be Hai Na from another timeline.

It's no wonder Iver didn't recognize her—the name, hairstyle, eye color, temperament, and occupation were all different; apart from her figure, nothing was the same... How was I supposed to recognize her?!

Furthermore, Hai Na might feel insecure because she's always being stared at because of her great figure. She tends to slouch a bit. She's completely unlike that confident, poised, and assertive older sister—

Iver shook his head, dispelling the belated, chaotic thoughts.

I need to tell Hai Na about her father's matter first.

With that thought in mind, he said goodbye to the pastor.

When Iver went outside, he found that it was already dusk.

As soon as he stepped out the door, his expression changed drastically—

—How about we go back first and then talk about it?

But at that moment, Iver suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Because the pastor was responsible for receiving people from other villages, his house was located near the entrance to the village, close to the path leading into the village.

But now, from the edge of the village, Iver heard a group of people shouting excitedly and rudely.

He frowned slightly, pulled Lily back half a step, and hid in the pastor's house.

Sure enough, not long after.

Then a group of people dressed in red robes rushed in—

Today's update is 8,000 words! (Chest out)

A sudden burst of diligence—I've been writing since I woke up.

I'll update as usual tomorrow (I'm so tired I can't even stick my tongue out).