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Chapter 376 - Three Hundred and Seventy-Three: "Must It Be This Way?

Chapter 376: Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-Three: "Must It Be This Way?

Su Ming’an turned his head, looking towards Sherrod with his fists clenched.

"I want to ask you to at least keep my sister safe until the sea monsters start causing trouble," Sherrod earnestly requested.

"Sea monsters causing trouble?" Su Ming’an heard the term: "The princess is still alive, how could the sea monsters possibly cause trouble?"

"Have you heard of the ’principle of equivalence’?" Sherrod said.

"I have," Su Ming’an replied, "So now it has reached the point where even the soul inside the princess can’t suppress the nearby sea monsters?"

"It’s just a precaution," Sherrod said, "In theory, the sea monsters shouldn’t be strong enough to riot to this extent, but recently, the barriers have been unstable, storms are frequent, and the sea monsters seem to have become more active... If they take advantage of the defenselessness of Pulaya during the Maritime Banquet, it would be a disaster for us. Not to mention, there are outsiders causing trouble at the Southern District dock, occupying the ships where our innocent people live... My sister is among them..."

His tone grew more urgent, as if he were desperate to head off and save them right then.

But he knew he couldn’t.

As the Guardian Knight of the Royal City, his duty came before his family ties. Unless Su Ming’an personally allowed him to go and save them, he could not leave.

Su Ming’an found it hard to understand this Knight’s Spirit. In his view, if a family member was in trouble, one should head to the rescue immediately. As long as the Royal City was not in danger, acting first and reporting afterward was justifiable; blindly adhering to rules was nothing but dogmatic behavior.

But the young man before him seemed to think otherwise.

Su Ming’an also knew that Sherrod was certainly an important figure in the instance.

He was the knight who, in the princess’s words, was most bright and affable in recent years and could potentially become the so-called "Brave."

In the books at The Great Library, Su Ming’an had learned the meaning of Brave in Pulaya, which implies a "warrior who rescues from dilemma."

As long as the Brave was there, Pulaya would surely overcome one crisis after another.

In history, Pulaya had faced insurmountable dilemmas, such as foreign invasions and tsunamis, all settled down by the emergence of these so-called Braves.

It was more like a symbol of spirit, more like a guiding light, as if just by having the Brave alive recent crises would undoubtedly be resolved.

At first, Su Ming’an thought that as Su Rin, a foreigner who could break Pulaya’s battle situation, he ought to be "the Brave," but now it seemed, this guess was wrong.

After understanding the specific meaning of the Brave, indeed, Sherrod before him fit more to that role.

Given the recent frequent storms and dangerous conditions, indeed, a crisis in Pulaya was imminent.

Thus, the so-called Brave, Sherrod, he must stay alive to prevent any unexpected circumstances arising from his death at this level.

At least for these next few days, the Brave must stay alive.

"Sherrod," Su Ming’an softened his tone, "I know you really want to save the Pope, but I don’t intend to keep him locked away forever. Once the Maritime Banquet ends and I leave Pulaya, normal order will be restored."

"..." Sherrod fell silent for a moment.

"Must it be this way?" he said, "Captain."

He called him captain.

"It must be this way," Su Ming’an said.

Sherrod fell silent again.

He stood on the most awkward of platforms.

On one side was the Knight’s Spirit, and on the other side were his beloved grandmother Gerald and his sister.

The choice he could make was either to completely abandon his previous beliefs and join with Su Rin, the rebellious god-defying "traitor", in protecting Pulaya.

Or, to stick to his spirit, until he watched his loved ones die before his eyes.

"Do you want to join me in going to the Southern District dock to save the people... and your sister?" Su Ming’an said.

He was forcing the issue.

If Sherrod chose to agree, he would fully join his camp.

The Knight of Light fought for the new king, which was a highly legitimate matter. Those ministers who lingered at the Soul Hunt headquarters would also change their minds.

Sherrod sighed.

He slowly extended his hand, which held two necklaces.

"Please give this necklace to my sister, tomorrow... is her birthday," Sherrod said. "If she... is still alive."

Su Ming’an glanced at it, the necklace was the kind with a photo pendant, inside was a likeness of Sherrod’s sister.

Clearly, the other party had refused.

"In return, the other one is for you," Sherrod said. "Thank you... Your Majesty."

...

[Received a B-level temporary mission: Immortality]

[Mission description: Deliver the necklace from Sherrod’s hand to his sister.]

[Mission reward: Immortal Pendant (Red Level) *1]

...

It was actually a Red Level piece of equipment.

Su Ming’an accepted the task, but he could not yet see the attributes of the necklace.

"Happy birthday in advance," Su Ming’an took the necklace.

Sherrod gave a very forced smile.

He seemed to want to smile cheerfully, but in the end, he just tweaked the corners of his mouth.

"I indeed did not expect... that the captain who once broke the rules of Pulaya with me, who shared grilled meat with me, would be the world-saving hero from sixty years ago," Sherrod said. "But, captain, I would still prefer if you were just the captain."

"Some things cannot be resolved by ’hoping,’" Su Ming’an said. "If possible, I also wish you were not such a strict adherent to the principles of the Knight of Light."

"Can I persuade you to reconsider now?" Sherrod looked at him: "... Do not go against the Deity’s will, do not usurp Pulaya’s throne, let the conflict between the two clans continue, these are matters we should not handle... If I were to persuade you like this—Captain, would you be willing to go with me to the streets of the Eastern District for grilled meat once more?"

"..." Su Ming’an fell silent for a moment.

"I know, I’ve heard from the princess, she said you guys are ’Players,’" Sherrod said. "I’m not sure what exactly that means, I just know that you are able to travel around various worlds, shuttling through different stories as time-space travelers. This sounds very enviable.

I also know that you must complete certain tasks, like, achieving victory in the Maritime Banquet, or joining a certain organization, or hunting a member of the Soul Clan...

"The princess says, you only see us as mechanical gears, items to be utilized, swords or guns in your hands, and not as independent beings...

In fact, including Leken (Noel’s role), even though he enjoyed conversing with me, in his eyes, I could also see that it was not the look one gives to an equal life."

"...But captain, you seem a bit different; you saved Grandma Gerald, you saved me, and when speaking with me, you respected my ideals—as if I became a soul that could be communicated with equally in your eyes."

Su Ming’an: "Because I always respect those who think independently and have firm ideals."

"...So I am a ’person’ after all," Sherrod suddenly laughed.

The sunlight poured into his eyes, and he laughed very genuinely.

"...I grew up in Pulaya, I’ve seen a lot of things. Many people from birth never become an independent ’person’; they don’t consider themselves as people.

"A symbol, a name, a mark carved on a stone monument. That’s how the sacrificial members of the Soul Hunt understand themselves, like kindling and firewood, from the moment they fire their first shot, they consider themselves bricks in the soil of this land.

"...Captain, I greatly envy you.

"You do not need to bear unforgettable hatred, pursue generation-spanning ideals, or fight passively due to the origins of history, only to die on a battlefield deemed your final resting place.

"—Because you are free.

"You can choose the missions you want, freely interact with the people you desire, you possess strength and the power to shuttle, you can well reject those burdens that displease you.

"...However, I cannot.

"Even though I know that my world might have been invaded, my thoughts might solely be made up of purely mechanical elements, everything I say and do might just be routine, dictated by what’s written on paper. Even the missions I bear, the knight’s spirit I uphold, exists solely for the so-called ’setting.’

"...I have never even had a life of my own, but from the beginning to the end, I existed only to welcome you.

"Ultimately, am I to be seen as a character within a story, as a part of this land that belongs to the ’Knight of Light’ impression, as a ’victim’ within the spirit of a mission,

"...or as a free soul, a person capable of independent interaction with you?

"The difference confuses me.

"Even now, I still do not know whether the reason driving me to speak these words is the so-called ’character setting’ and ’system’ at play, or if I have a brain capable of organizing these absurd remarks.

"Mission, spirit, affinity with the light—these are all innate.

"I am like a being composed of all things natural to me, which people call fate."

He placed his hand over his chest.

"...And yet, even now, I am still troubled by the emotions stirring in my heart and the knight’s spirit I adhere to."

"However, everyone has a mission," Su Ming’an said, "You, us."

"Free souls, do you also have missions?"

"Yes," Su Ming’an said, "Because you are also a free soul."

Sherrod laughed.

"Captain," he said, "Is there really no turning back?"

"..." Su Ming’an said, "I will deliver your sister’s gift."

The smile at the corner of Sherrod’s mouth faded.

He turned and left.

He ultimately chose to return, to stand by the princess he once swore allegiance to, even though she was no longer the glorious guardian of Pulaya but had become a corrupt soul.

Perhaps he had once saved Gerald with Su Ming’an, but he could not overcome the hurdle before the knight’s oath.

Perhaps it was just his nature.

Perhaps it was the settings playing tricks.

...

This was precisely why Su Ming’an persisted.

—Because he was afraid,

if in the end he failed to redeem Zhai Xing, to rescue humanity from this hopeless game,

if the ultimate wish was not realized, if no one achieved the goal,

then,

...would all of them, including those who had not even participated in the game, the remaining humans, become another "Sherrod"?

And what he is now experiencing, these worlds that have turned into instances, were they also once...

...

"Are you done talking?"

A lively voice came from behind, and Nailuo, who was staggering slightly, walked up.

Her face was free of wrinkles, still vibrant and beautiful, radiating the allure of a Red Rose.

She stopped and started, her complexion somewhat pale, perhaps because she had applied too much powder.

Behind her, she carried a fiery red long spear, and though she might have been terrible with the spear, she seemed to have no intention of giving it up.

"What’s wrong with your leg?" Su Ming’an asked, noting her gait.

"Hmm, ah," Nailuo raised her head to look at the sky, "Just that it’s not very easy to walk, I’m tired."

"If you’re tired, go back to sleep," Su Ming’an started walking.

The Southern District harbor, and a bunch of scoundrels who took human vices to their extremities, awaited his handling.

He noticed that the channel chat was in uproar, with many captured players pleading for their lives, and quite a few ’champions of justice’ stating their intention to head to the Southern District to attempt a rescue.

Yet, very clearly, based on live updates from the channel chat, these people couldn’t even break the defenses, let alone penetrate in to rescue anyone.

Most were still engrossed in scoring points, only the passionate players ventured into such dangerous places like the Southern District to save others.

"I say, are you in a bad mood?" Nailuo suddenly leaned over.

"Weren’t you tired?"

"Adventuring is also part of relaxing the spirit," she said matter-of-factly, "Whatever you’re going to do, take Miss me along. Considering you restored my youthful beauty, I’ll give you a chance."

Her words were haughty but playfully spirited and not too excessive, seemingly just aiming to lighten the mood.

"Go back to sleep yourself," Su Ming’an ignored her, and strode away.

He glanced at the necklace in his hand.

Inside the locket of the necklace was a photo of Sherrod’s sister.

She also had blonde hair and, being a twin, looked quite similar to Sherrod but was much gentler and softer.

He memorized the girl’s face and quickly walked towards the Southern District harbor.

...

[Soul Hunt Headquarters·Conference Room]

In the quiet conference room, a few uniformed Soul Hunters were sparsely seated.

As the leader of the Soul Hunters, Shadow had involved them in the Maritime Banquet, leaving these ministers stuck in Pulaya.

Among them, the minister from the Southern District, Karocha, had a grim expression.

"The princess has rarely made such a foolish decision," he said, "to let a newcomer, who arrived in Pulaya just three days ago, become the leader and have us all follow his orders..."