"Father/Grandfather, are you really leaving Lainer?"
Several months after Rosa passed away peacefully of old age, Rowan and his son Luo Wu were stunned to learn that Roland intended to leave. They hurried over and asked him in disbelief.
Roland stood by the window, tending the flowers Rosa had planted during her lifetime. He said calmly, "My mind is made up.
"Perhaps I should say that I made this decision when I first became a Legendary Mage. I was only waiting for Atali and Rosa to reach the natural ends of their lives."
He waved a hand, signaling the two, who were eager to dissuade him, to calm down, then explained.
"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are ordinary things in this world. You need not dwell on them too much.
"And the longer lifespans that come with transcendence are not necessarily a blessing for human society.
"They allow conservative ideas and certain stubborn ailments to linger. However wise and discerning a person may be, they will develop habitual dependencies and gradually grow averse to change.
"I once thought that Legendary Mages left their original worlds after advancing, venturing into the Star Sea and searching endlessly, out of innate greed or some tradition.
"Only now have I realized that they merely wish to enrich their lives through the vastness of the universe.
"A long life without change is not truly longevity. It is a painful torment instead.
"And so long-lived species must keep moving if they are to feel that their existence has meaning."
"But the Lainer World has only just been united. We still need your protection..."
"Even fledgling eagles eventually leave the nest, and tiger cubs must learn to hunt for themselves. How much more so an emperor who is to rule an empire?
"If you still believe that