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Chapter 350 - 347: "I’m Sorry

Chapter 350: Chapter 347: "I’m Sorry

The next moment, Su Ming’an’s view shifted.

He saw a deserted alley.

Su Rin stood in the alley, facing a young girl entirely cloaked in a black robe.

"...Is everything ready?" the girl asked.

"All set, preliminary checks complete, no bad weather today." Su Rin said, smiling, "It seems it will be a smooth voyage."

The girl remained silent for a moment.

She reached out her hand and lifted the hood over her head, revealing a beautiful, fair face.

Su Ming’an realized in an instant that this girl looked exactly like the princess he had just seen at the Royal Family.

The difference was, this girl seemed younger.

"That’s not what I meant." the girl said, "I was just asking, Su Rin, do you understand the mission of this voyage?"

"...I do." Su Rin said.

"This ’Cloud Vessel’ project is designed to save half the people while sacrificing the other half." the girl paused briefly, "— But do you truly understand which half is being saved and which is being sacrificed?"

"I understand." Su Rin said.

The girl fell silent again for a moment.

She looked up slightly, gazing at the dim sky light.

"The current situation in Pulaya, the storm is not the biggest issue..." she spoke slowly, "The Royal Family has observed that although this storm is severe, it will not destroy all of Pulaya, but... currently there are not enough resources to survive. We must reduce the population, or we will face a situation of widespread starvation—an inevitable decision—do you understand the Royal Family’s dilemma?"

"I understand, Your Highness." Su Rin continued to respond.

The girl sighed:

"I know the ’Cloud Vessel’ is your pride, and you hope for its safe return. Assigning you this task is unfair, but we are powerless—I am a member of the Royal Family, and in this situation, we must pursue an outcome that keeps the majority safe rather than risk everyone dying... Do you understand that?"

"I understand." Su Rin responded.

The girl remained silent on the spot for a moment.

Su Rin’s responses were still so succinct and decisive, as if he didn’t care about boarding this "ship of death."

But she understood well.

...His journey might have no return, and he might not even reach the destination. His cherished airship’s primary purpose was merely to reduce the population.

And the Royal Family had deceived everyone, letting the citizens believe that reaching the mythical Yun Shang City would mean absolute safety. But in reality... whether there existed any deity in the skies who pitied them remained uncertain.

If it really came to that last moment of despair, as the plan’s primary executor and the only one privy to the risk, Su Rin would undoubtedly face the wrath of all those doomed on the ship.

Thinking of this, the girl lifted her head.

In front of her, Su Rin’s lips still curled up, seemingly unafraid of the fear.

The girl remained silent for a moment.

After a moment, she continued speaking, her voice as light as a feather:

"...This voyage, for ordinary people, is entirely about drawing lots for half the people. Death, in this case, is fair."

Standing at the mouth of the alley bathed in sunset light, her hand, adorned with a gemstone ring, slowly clenched:

"And to ensure the future peace of Pulaya, key figures like the Soul Hunt leader, nobility of the Royal Family, head of the Royal Knights, captain of the Pulaya guards, including your brother and father... none of them can board the ship with you, have you already bid them farewell?"

"I have." Su Rin said.

"Under what pretext?"

"A long journey."

"..." The princess exhaled.

Her hand trembled slightly, and her eyes reddened slightly, "You still harbor hope, don’t you?"

"I won’t consider death as my end until I reach the journey’s destination," Su Rin revealed a smile.

He smiled broadly, entirely devoid of the neurotic gloom that would come later:

"Although Yun Shang City has never responded to us, and we cannot be sure if there is any deity there who pities us, since half of the people believed my lie, I shall treat my guests with the utmost enthusiasm.

"I love this land that gave birth and nurtured me, but currently, the situation of this land does not allow me to act willfully.

"If what awaits me is indeed a desperate end, then I rightly deserve to face their wrath.

"No one should arbitrarily decide on another’s life and death, and there has never been such a thing as lesser moral duties yielding to greater ones.

"——but death and disaster will not spare anyone just because of some dispute over ’righteousness and benefit.’"

"In the face of reason and facts, if there is a way to live, we can’t possibly choose to die together with everyone, right?"

"So if someone indeed must be blamed, if someone must be nailed to the pillar of shame for today’s decision, to repent for half of those lives."

"...then it ought to be me."

"Let everyone hate me."

"That’s exactly why I boarded this airship."

"..."

The princess’s gaze trembled.

After a moment, she spoke:

"...even if my decision is wrong?"

Su Rin touched her hand through his black robe:

"Even if our decision is wrong."

The princess trembled fiercely.

Her whole body shuddered slightly, and tears streamed uncontrollably.

Behind her, people walked on the bluestone street, a young man waving to his family, a mother smiling at her child, young men and women embracing each other, and elderly men and women with gray hair.

They were saying goodbye.

A departure that seemed like a life-and-death farewell.

Her body trembled slightly, and a soft sob slid uncontrollably down her throat.

Suddenly, she squatted down, hugging her knees.

"I’m sorry..."

Her voice broke unclearly, her head buried deep between her knees, her face flushed with red.

"I’m sorry... I’m sorry to all of you, I’m sorry to you..."

The sea breeze brought a noisy clamor of voices, the shrill sound of a steam whistle nearly tearing through the sky.

It momentarily drowned out her crying.

"I’m sorry..."

Seagulls flew across the blood-red sky, casting small shadows, blocking the sunset on her hair.

After a brief sobbing spell, she lifted her head

Su Rin had already turned away, disappearing into the golden alleyway.

...

The scene shifts.

Departing.

A girl by the street, throwing the brightest, most beautiful flowers to those departing.

Su Rin walked at the forefront of the group, separated from the residents crowding together to board. Behind him were the neatly dressed Soul Hunters, well-trained soldiers, and various senior engineers.

This was an honored team from the Cloud Vessel.

They were about to board.

The girls’ screams arose along the streetside, some singing loudly while others tossed out flowers, expressing their adoration to their heroes.

The riverside was brilliantly lit, with towering buildings glittering.

One boat after another sailed by, decorated with flowers, and the scenery on both sides became a moving painting.

"Haha, Su Rin, this is a scene I’ve never seen before," laughed the bald assistant Gerald, slapping Su Rin’s shoulder hard, "Once we’re back, aren’t all these girls going to throw themselves at us? Hey, I really should have brought Junior; he even said he’d let me have the chance."

"A borrowed light." A female engineer scoffed from beside them: "The young lady likes Su Rin, not some old cowboy like you."

Su Rin forced a smile.

The flowers thrown by the girls landed on his head, and he brushed the petals away, hesitating for a moment.

"Gerald, maybe this time you just... just don’t..."

...just don’t board the ship.

He didn’t finish his sentence.

"What?" Gerald bellowed.

"Nothing." Su Rin turned his head away, ignoring Gerald’s inquiry.

The setting sun caught in his eyes, and he squinted slightly.

——And then, as he turned his head, his eyes met with those of a girl on the street.

She was incredibly beautiful and someone he had never seen before.

She wore a plain long dress, her lips redder than flames, and she had a long black braid that hung heavily, darker than the darkest clouds.

Her demeanor was lively, vibrant, and elven, her eyes bright as wildfire in a lush forest.

Su Rin’s stride paused for a moment.

Su Ming’an could distinctly feel that Su Rin’s hesitation was very abrupt.

Perhaps he had fallen for her.

Before the departure.

Before taking half of the people towards their deaths.

"Hey, I’m saying, don’t leave your sentence half-finished, I’m really anxious... Engineer Su? Engineer? Talk to me, what do I need this time, what not...?"

The noisy voice still buzzed in his ears.

Seeing Su Rin look her way, the girl on the street showed a shy smile and threw something at him.

Amidst a chorus of girls’ screams, Su Rin caught what she threw.

Through the sunset’s light, he saw it was a bottle of aged rice wine, adorned with a beautiful garland of cornflowers.

On the glass, a small line of text was stuck.

[I like you.]

[When you come back, could you give me a chance?]

He looked over.

The girl had already shyly hidden in the crowd, as if trying to escape from him.

Surrounded by her friends, they teasingly called out:

"Hey! Don’t run, Gerald! How can you run away after giving him something? Have some courage..."

The girl’s figure completely disappeared.

Su Rin took another glance at the rice wine in his hand.

Amidst the chanting and teasing from Gerald and his other colleagues, his hand suddenly raised—

"Plop."

The bottle fell into the lake and sank gradually.

In that moment, he felt an unprecedented tranquility and his mood was exhilarating.

He did not look back at the riverside again, as if he had shed all burdens.

"Su Rin, how could you just toss someone’s gift away..." his colleagues shouted in a frenzy.

Su Rin turned his head away.

Looking towards the massive airship in front of him, he slowly shook his head.

"Why delay her,"

he said.

...

The scene gradually dimmed.

The replay of this memory stored in the Memory Stone came to an end.

Su Ming’an looked at the darkness before him, now fully aware of the airship incident more than sixty years ago.

... Or rather than calling it a "truth," it would be more apt to call it a "lie."

It was a colossal deceit.

The Royal Family had no certainty that the residents boarding the ship would safely reach Yun Shang City; they tricked them aboard under the pretense of reducing the population.

Yet, as it turned out, this plan had actually succeeded.

——Su Rin had indeed led those who boarded the ship to safely arrive at Yun Shang City.

Otherwise, it was impossible to explain why Su Rin was still alive, why there were still residents from Yun Shang City sending letters down.

This story had a rare perfect ending.

The only regret might be that, aside from Su Rin, no other people from Yun Shang City managed to successfully return to Pulaya.

More than sixty years had passed, and most of those who had awaited their return... had already departed this life.

Most of them did not wait for the person who said he would come back.

Su Ming’an waited to return to his original position, only to discover that his surroundings were still shrouded in pitch darkness.

Suddenly, he heard a voice.

It was Su Rin’s voice, echoing in the darkness, as if he were talking to himself.

...

[I accepted Princess Sofia’s request and became the executor of the lie, carrying the hopes of tens of thousands towards Heaven.]

["I succeeded."]

[But I am not Vandilun, who sings proudly before the church; I do not possess his courage.]

[I am the dove in his hands that burns. Even as the flames engulf me, I still struggle desperately.]

[...And then I turn to ash.]

[Even those who fight for the majority shouldn’t necessarily earn the approval of the minority.]

...

[People ultimately cannot be purely rational creatures.]

...

Su Rin’s voice stopped there.

A flash of white light.

When he reopened his eyes, Su Ming’an had returned to his original room.

In his hand, the Memory Stone was completely shattered, splintered with a flash of blood, and Su Rin’s monologue had vanished as well.

In the top right corner, the barrage of comments surged, discussing the character of Su Rin.

——In facing an overwhelming disaster, he deceived everyone, sending half to their deaths to save the other half.

Even though the final outcome was perfect and no one died, Su Rin’s actions still sparked heated debate.

Su Ming’an suddenly felt a wave of fatigue wash over him.

Going through Su Rin’s memory had taken a long time, and dawn was now breaking outside the window.

He was not concerned about what kind of person Su Rin was; rather, he pondered the information revealed by the Memory Stone.

From the previous information, it was evident that Yun Shang City truly possessed deities capable of erecting barriers, and the airship incident sixty years ago was not fictitious.

He pondered and laid back.

"Ding."

A strange ring.

An eerie black and red pattern suddenly lit up on the bed, and dark energies surged violently from behind him.

In the night, a pair of blood-red eyes stared at him.

"...Finally, you’ve returned."

The Assassin’s voice was cold, her cursed Pattern Mark flashed.

Thinking she had succeeded, she turned to leave swiftly.

The next moment, the Amber Knife, like an arrow, pierced through her abdomen in an instant.

She let out a piercing scream, her body glowing with a bloody light, revealing her light golden hair and an extremely beautiful face.

Su Ming’an stepped forward and, without waiting for her to plead, chopped off her head with a sword.

The girl’s head rolled across the floor, her almond eyes still showing some confusion, seemingly surprised at how quickly she had been killed.

Su Ming’an glanced at the face of the girl.

He had killed the princess of the Royal Family.

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