Lin Chuan brought this topic, which he considered unimportant, to a close and teased:
"I remember you saying you came to Backlund to experience life as an 'ordinary person'?"
He heavily emphasized "ordinary person," his implication obvious: did Grisha really think the life he was experiencing now was ordinary?
Grisha clearly did not mind Lin Chuan's teasing. He admitted candidly, "That was indeed my plan at first."
"So you've changed your mind?" Lin Chuan smiled and said, sounding somewhat surprised, "I originally thought you wouldn't care."
"Yes, I once thought so too," Grisha replied. "But perhaps it was the influence of those anchors, or perhaps my own symbolism..."
There was no pity in his eyes, only a faint hint of amusement. As though he had come to terms with it, he said:
"Whatever the reason, pessimism, despair, numbness, resentment, and primal evil... in the end, I still couldn't simply leave them unchecked."
"It's just like that saying they often repeat," Grisha said. "The Lord bears all the sins of this world, doesn't he?"
Lin Chuan shook his head and said:
"But you don't intend to keep spreading your faith in Backlund. And... it seems more like you're studying something new."
"That alone would be fine. After all, I only have a superficial understanding of these things, so I'm hardly qualified to comment. But..."
Lin Chuan asked uncertainly, "Don't you intend to establish more stable anchors?"
Grisha's expression was gentle and his smile natural as he asked in return:
"I already have enough, don't I? Aren't there the anchors you provide in the Starry Sky?"
"Huh?"
Lin Chuan froze, a trace of bewilderment entering his expression. He opened his mouth, pointed at himself, and asked:
"Me?"
Grisha answered with certainty:
"Yes, you."
The corner of Lin Chuan's mouth twitched slightly. For