Persuasion

Arter, who had been asleep, stood up again and walked to Lin Yu with his cane.

The hunched old man stood between the Life Giant and Lin Yu, preventing the enormous Life Giant from taking another inch.

Arlan was stunned for a moment before speaking, "Older Brother, are you... are you alright?"

Lin Yu also looked at Arter, coughed twice, and said, "Ahem, I'm sorry, Mr. Arter, I broke my promise... I've disturbed your peaceful rest."

"But I have no choice, you see..."

Arter Mercury smiled. "I understand. It's Arlan who's caused you trouble. His impulsive nature hasn't changed much in the last seventy years."

Then, Arter looked at Arlan.

The raging fury that could have engulfed the entire Nightless Sky Family Hall had been silently extinguished. The powerful and influential Mercury Family Head Arlan Mercury, looked at his Older Brother and spoke somewhat helplessly.

"Older Brother, I..."

"Arlan, is 'Life Shaping' really that useful? All that Life Force is being wasted like this," Arter said seriously, pointing at the giant. "This guy consumes a huge amount of Life Force for every second he moves... Wouldn't it be better to use that for research, healing, and other meaningful things?"

Arlan lowered his head and whispered, "Arter, I just wanted to save you."

"Why save me? I should have died fifty years ago. I've lived another fifty years; I should be content."

Arter said directly, Arlan was stunned for a moment before looking at Lin Yu.

"You actually told your Older Brother about this?!"

Before Lin Yu could answer, Arter spoke up loudly, "Don't I have the right to know about this matter?"

Lin Yu continued unhurriedly, "Clearly, Lord Arlan doesn't believe you have the right to know. I just asked him if he had consulted you, but he got very angry and was ready to kill me."

Arlan said angrily, "Stop stirring up trouble and trying to sow discord between me and my Older Brother. That's not what you just said..."

Old Master Arter interrupted Arlan again, "But you really didn't ask for my opinion— Arlan, is this how your father and I taught you?"

"As the Family Head of the Mercury Family, shouldn't you solicit opinions from all sides before making a decision?"

"Of course, it might be necessary to act unilaterally once in a while, but others have already offered their opinions, don't you even intend to listen to them?"

"Mr. Freud is quite right—for over fifty years, you've never told me this, always making me feel like I'm Chosen of Life, keeping me away from the Mercury Family..."

"In the past fifty years—we've met only a handful of times."

"In the past fifty years, have you ever asked me how I've been doing?"

Arter Mercury said this, Arlan was taken aback.

"But I'm just afraid of you..."

But then Arlan suddenly fell silent.

The Life Giant vanished from the hall, Arlan murmured afterward, "Was it really me who made a mistake?"

"Have you been living in pain all these years?"

Arter remained silent.

Instead, Lin Yu spoke up, "No, you didn't exactly do anything wrong. From what I've observed, Mr. Arter has seemed to be quite happy and content over the past fifty years."

Judging from his previous interactions with Saint Orchid Kui and Nightless Sky Fire Apricot, Arter Mercury should be quite satisfied with his life of over fifty years.

Despite being "living" in someone else's home, Alter Mercury probably never had any Desire power.

If he had lived a life of hardship, frustration, and resentment for the past fifty years, Arter Mercury would certainly not be the kind and benevolent elder he is today.

If that were the case, he probably wouldn't be so calm about his impending death.

As Lin Yu spoke, Arter Mercury looked at him with a wry smile, "If you say that, how can Arlan possibly agree to your request?"

"I just felt I shouldn't lie to him, and besides, I couldn't fool him anyway," Lin Yu shrugged. "If you want him to respect your opinion, you should honestly tell him what you think—tell him that you've been happy and content all these years..."

Arter nodded, understanding Lin Yu's meaning.

He looked at Arlan Mercury.

"Indeed, Arlan, I have lived a very fulfilling life for the past fifty years. The Mercury Family has treated me well, and the five children of Nightless Sky Yong Lian and Greedo often come to talk to me... Although they all went on to have their own things later, and only Fire Apricot still comes to see me from time to time, since almost no one in City That Never Sleeps knows me, I can often wander around the Inner City... drink some tea, try out the newly opened restaurants, and bask in the afternoon sun. I'm afraid most people in this city have never experienced such happiness as I have—the lower classes are busy running around, the upper classes are obsessed with power struggles, while I, an old man who should be dying, am living a very comfortable life every day."

"Honestly, I should thank you, Arlan... Thank you no matter what, thank you for all the Mental Energy you put in to let me live another fifty years—even if those fifty years were painful, I should still thank you, because living is living—living is better than dying."

Arlan pursed his lips as he listened to Arter's words.

"Older Brother..."

"But," Arter interrupted Arlan, changing the subject, "Even though I've been happy these past fifty years, I'm not meant to be alive... Thank you, Arlan, my brother, thank you for letting me live for fifty years."

"But I should have died long ago—let me leave in peace, this is my choice, my insistence."

Arter spoke, he quietly looked at Arlan.

Arlan gazed at his Older Brother, and for a moment it seemed as if he had returned to fifty years ago.

He recalled many things—from his childhood, from adulthood, and from recent times...

Arlan thought of the night he had just learned of Arter's sudden illness, the joy of his successful ritual in the Great Wilderness, and the hardships he had endured over three years of cultivating and nurturing those "Alchemical Creation" to Becoming a God Contract. He let out a long sigh...

"Older Brother, it was really, really hard to save you."

"But... after my father and mother passed away one after the other, I really didn't want to lose you."

Arter stepped forward and gently patted Arlan on the shoulder. "You've worked hard, little brother..."

"But you'll have to walk this path alone from now on—I've seen it all. You've done a great job these past fifty years, whether it's for me, the Mercury Family, or the City That Never Sleeps. You have a clear conscience."

"And we will always be reunited."

Arlan looked at Arter and suddenly chuckled, "Arter, are you trying to spout nonsense about an afterlife...? Even if it's fake, you were still a legitimate Chosen of Life in form."

Arter laughed, "You have to give me something to look forward to, and also give myself something to look forward to... because I've missed my father and mother for a long time too."

The two brothers laughed for a long time, until finally, Arlan's smile faded, and he spoke with reluctance.

"Then... goodbye, Older Brother."

"Okay, goodbye, little brother."