Chapter 392: 365 Fa Zheng 2

With this development, the number of Impermanence rallying behind Governance Ideology rose to three, a gap not so significant compared to the four Impermanence supporting Extraordinaryism.

However, it seems that only Fa Zheng truly has the interests of Governance Ideology at heart. Mazao and Jian Feixian appear more as if they’ve joined in just for the excitement.

At this thought, I suddenly realized something. That is, without Fa Zheng, Governance Ideology might never have been able to survive in Luoshan, or it might even have never emerged from the beginning—because Gua Tianshi once said the concepts of "Governance Ideology" and "Extraordinaryism" actually began as politically charged rhetoric from Fa Zheng.

In other words, the concept of "Governance Ideology" might have been created by Fa Zheng. Even the term "Extraordinaryism" might only have been developed as a counter-concept to "Governance Ideology" in the initial stage, later appropriated by Gua Tianshi and others.

This ideology and that ideology, it really doesn’t sound like phrases that an Impermanence unrelated to politics would toy with, unless there happened to be a special Impermanence with a strong political consciousness who started this trend among his peers.

What’s happening in Luoshan now seems less like a clash of two different ideologies and more like the emergence of a dissident within an organization that was originally meant to have only one ideology (that is, the Extraordinaryism ideology). This dissident, relying on his popularity and leadership, forcibly created a situation of internal conflict.

So, why exactly did Fa Zheng do this?

Does he have deeper motives?

I think, him confessing to me that he is the mastermind behind the Human Bureau, must be to show his sincerity to me. He knows very well that presenting himself with candor in front of me can better win me over, and indeed, I am one to fall for this approach. Given that, I took the opportunity to climb along the pole and asked a few more questions. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind sharing more with me.

Thus, I laid out all my doubts, and Fa Zheng, stunned for a moment, then showed a slightly hesitant expression.

"You’re asking me why I wanted to establish Governance Ideology..." he said, "It’s not a problem to tell you. In fact, I’ve also told Jian Feixian, it wouldn’t be fair not to tell you.

"But you might not believe the reason I tell you. Many people regard me as a schemer with ulterior motives, even as a conspirator manipulating numerous plans behind the scenes. I don’t deny those rumors, because I do indeed have many schemes in private. From your perspective, it’s probably hard to believe that such a dark-hearted person could harbor such a reason."

I said, "It’s okay. I’m mentally prepared."

For an almost omnipotent Impermanence, the majority of wishes in this world can be easily fulfilled, and most things can be obtained in a few words.

Power, wealth, beauty, fame, health, life span... From the commoners to the Emperor, the tangible and intangible goods that humanity has pursued from ancient times to the present are all easily accessible for an Impermanence, sometimes even being offered to them voluntarily.

It’s only Ming Zhuo who is troubled by special reasons, having to worry about health and life span, and recently even accidentally lost reputation because of me—his is a special case, and clearly, Fa Zheng doesn’t belong to that category.

When someone like Fa Zheng is asked what they seek, their answers are mostly something ordinary people can’t imagine.

Even with all the mental preparation, Fa Zheng’s answer still surprised me beyond expectation.

"I want to make others feel that I’m a good person and genuinely thank me," Fa Zheng said calmly.

For a moment, I almost couldn’t understand what he said, and after I did, I indeed found it hard to believe that his reason was just that.

"—Just that?" I asked, "Why?"

"No other reason, just because I want to do it," Fa Zheng replied, "Since I was young, I’ve always liked being thanked by others, so I would try my best to do good deeds, just so I could receive a word of thanks afterward.

"When I was younger, I had other hobbies too. I wanted power, wealth, beauty, fame... but as my power grew bit by bit and those desires were all fulfilled, I no longer cared about them.

"Except for this very first desire, which I’ve never grown tired of, so now I act almost solely for this reason.

"This desire might somewhat resemble the pursuit of fame, but it’s not like I want to be fervently praised by the world, nor do I want the power to command a hundred responses with a single call. As long as those whom I’ve helped, in their future lives, can remember once or twice that they’ve been helped by me, and be willing to smile for it, that’s enough for me. That’s the only reward I want.

"I don’t need my name etched in history, nor do I need to be celebrated or well-known throughout the world... I don’t need anything else."

Saying this, his voice seemed to carry a trace of emotion, "Many people find me incomprehensible, but is it really... that hard to understand?"

"It might indeed be a bit hard to grasp," I said.

"Is that really the case? Zhuang Cheng, you must have been thanked before and surely felt the joy of wanting to receive thanks again," Fa Zheng said, "Moreover, you should have your own pursuits. I can sense an aroma similar to mine from you.

"You are not merely being propelled by the situation to where you are today, but rather possess a clear willpower. Although I do not know exactly what you are pursuing, it must be a desire that seems incomprehensible to ordinary people.

"Yet, Zhuang Cheng, what burns inside your heart, is it really such a terribly arduous and obscure desire?"

His words indeed resonated with me.

Yes, although friends around me, such as Changan and Zhu Shi, occasionally express their incomprehension towards my yearning for adventure, more people simply label me as a freak and a lunatic, but I never believed my inner world to be that far removed from the norm.

In the end, I just want to throw myself into an adventure as splendid and magical as a fantasy story. This must be a thought that everyone has had, most certainly have lain in bed imagining themselves on incredible adventures, more than once falling asleep accompanied by such fantasies. The impulse that spurs me to action is nothing more than such a naïve, universally empathetic, and simple idea.

The reason I take action is not based on some profound, complex background or cause. Even if asked why I do it, I can only say, "No other reason, just because I want to."

Perhaps Fa Zheng and I are of the same kind.

Gradually, I accepted Fa Zheng’s reasoning, and then realized something even deeper.

"So that’s it... is this also your tactic for winning people over?" I said, "After ’making them understand with reason,’ is it then ’moving them with emotion’?"

"That’s right." Fa Zheng nodded candidly, "However, everything I said was also heartfelt."

It’s precisely because it was heartfelt that it was effective. I might have just been hit by my own tactics.

With that, our conversation was nearing its end, we exchanged a few more simple words, and then Fa Zheng concluded, "Well, I’m going to prepare for the attack on the Human Bureau next, you continue to rest."

"See you next time." I said.

As my Perception pulled back from the entirety of the Luo Mountain Headquarters, the imagined cinema auditorium scene also dissolved away like an ink wash painting. The scene surrounding me once again returned to the sanatorium room.

I mulled over Fa Zheng’s words in my heart, and after a moment, the door to the room was gently knocked.

I could sense it was Mazao outside the door, and as I responded, she slowly pushed the door open with her body. She carefully carried a plate in both hands and walked to the side of my bed.

On the plate was the food she wanted to make for me. I looked at it curiously and saw a steaming small cake. Soft and fluffy, slightly trembling like a patch, covered with a lot of white sugar, exuding an aromatic fragrance.

There might have been some minor mishaps in the making process, as the shape of the small cake was quite irregular and seemed twisted and crooked.

Mazao said awkwardly, "I forgot to ask what you liked to eat, so I made this."

"...What is this?" I asked.

"I just vaguely remembered how to make it, not the name, but the chef said it’s called Egg Custard Pastry," she said.

To be honest, I was quite surprised.

My expectation for her was merely not to make some kind of culinary disaster. Because of my stereotype of Mazao’s past life—"This bug is actually edible, after pinching off the head, it tastes like chicken"—I thought it wouldn’t matter if she made food with no concern for flavor or texture, even if it looked bad, but I never expected her to serve up such an official dessert.

I took the plate and fork, then cut a small, soft piece of the cake with the blunt edge of the fork, lifted it up to carefully observe in front of me.

This was actually made by Mazao? The Mazao I remembered and this soft, warm cake seemed worlds apart.

"Do they have cakes in the Doomsday Era?" I wondered.

"No... they don’t."

Mazao’s gaze on the Egg Custard Pastry was also puzzled, she said, "At least in my memory, there aren’t any. But when I saw those ingredients, I don’t know why the method suddenly sprang to my mind, my body also seemed to remember, and some actions were naturally carried out."

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