Arcanum: Chaos Path

Chapter 397 Little K, the Night, and Azik
Little Amon seemed to have thought of something, and looked at Roland with a puzzled expression, asking, "Uncle Lucifer, isn't Bethel your trusted advisor?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Lin didn't even raise an eyebrow, and said confidently, "Isn't it possible that there isn't just one key minister? Of course, they are all my trusted and important ministers."

"You might as well just say your heart is a durian, with your most trusted advisors standing on its tip." Medici glanced at him, his words dripping with his familiar sarcastic tone.

"What is durian?" Azik, standing next to him, looked puzzled, clearly because he hadn't had enough contact with Rolin and hadn't received enough information.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ke quickly lowered his voice and began to explain to Azik. While explaining, he couldn't help but glance curiously at the Goddess of the Night.

This was the first time Xiao Ke had met this legendary fellow villager who had traveled through time, so curiosity was naturally inevitable. However, besides curiosity, Xiao Ke was also a little nervous.

After all, theoretically, Xiao Ke still has the identity of a Night Watchman, but he is currently on vacation.

The Goddess of the Night naturally sensed Little K's gaze, and she looked over openly, sizing up the young man before her.

This was the mysterious candidate that the Goddess of Night had once intended to appoint. Although she admitted that before the other party showed his potential, the Goddess of Night was just making a move as a matter of course and did not really expect that Little K could suddenly become the Lord of Mysteries with only a dozen years left before the end of the world.

Ultimately, the Goddess of the Night was simply a little unwilling to let that guy Amon ascend to the position of mystery.

After all, let's not even mention the Amon that has been modified by Rolin. The Amon of the past was really no good, making it hard to entrust the future of this world to Him. Not to mention that the Goddess of Night and Amon did not have a good relationship and were almost hostile throughout the Fourth Age.

Given the nature of the Goddess of Night, how could she possibly allow the birth of a hostile and mysterious ruler if she had no other choice?

Now, the Goddess of Night has roughly guessed from Rolin's attitude that this seemingly ordinary fellow villager in the original destiny had indeed accomplished something that could be called a miracle, becoming that great being. She also knows that with Rolin's intervention, Little K might no longer choose that destiny.

The Goddess of Night wasn't exactly disappointed, after all, Bethel was a really good candidate. If she hadn't been corrupted by the Outer Gods before, she would probably have readily supported Bethel's ascension to the throne.

The Goddess of Night simply looked at Little K and suddenly said, "I'm sorry."

“…Huh?” Little Ke was stunned for a moment, clearly not quite understanding.

"I'm sorry that in my original destiny, I burdened you with responsibilities that you shouldn't have had to bear, but at that time, I probably had no other choice," the Goddess of Night continued, her voice gentle, reminiscent of a tranquil night.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ke pursed his lips, looked at the Goddess of the Night, and after organizing his thoughts, said, "You don't need to apologize for things you didn't do. On the contrary, I should express my gratitude."

Xiao Ke said earnestly, "Thank you, Goddess of the Night. Without you, I might have become a sacrifice for the resurrection of the Celestial Venerable the moment I transmigrated. It is because of your help that I am able to stand here."

The Goddess of the Night seemed to chuckle upon hearing this, then said in her still gentle voice, "I simply don't want the Celestial Venerable to be resurrected. If you really feel bad about it, just consider it a favor you owe me!"

After speaking, He ignored Little K's reaction and looked directly at Azik, saying, "Long time no see, Azik. You're in better shape than I expected." "...Long time no see, Lady Night. Thank you very much for your help." Azik was naturally dealing with the Goddess of Night before, although as the former Death Ruler, He and the Goddess of Night were basically on opposing sides.

"No need to thank me. I only made a deal with Lucifer. The person you should really thank is him," the Goddess of Night said with a smile.

Azik was not surprised by what he heard, but subconsciously looked at Rolin.

"No need for words of thanks; there's no need for such formalities between friends." Luo Lin said with a smile, "More than words of thanks, I'd like to see you before me as a complete individual."

"Of course, if you are unfortunately defeated by divinity, I will remember to write 'He was a good father' on your epitaph." Rowling's last sentence was half-joking and half-serious.

“…Perhaps we could add the phrase ‘he lived’?” Azik paused for a moment, then smiled gently, but his expression was very serious.

“That sounds pretty good.” After seemingly thinking about it seriously for a second, Rowling nodded, approving of Azik’s choice of epitaph.

The two of them discussed the inscription on the tombstone for a while, oblivious to everyone else, and finally Azik himself decided on the third line, "Epitaph."

This is certainly not to say that if Azik had not defeated the divinity, Rolin would have killed him directly. It's just that if the fused being is indeed the former divine puppet, then Azik's personality, born in the cycle of a thousand years, would also be considered dead to some extent.

Azik is the Death Consul, but the Death Consul is not the same as Azik. The former includes the latter, just as a person's present includes the past, but the past is not the same as the present.

Perhaps the divine doll will regain its humanity in the future, but no one can say for sure that it will become Azik again.

Just as the same soul, after different experiences, may not necessarily grow into the same kind of person.

So if Azik were to truly become a mere illusion, Rowling would erect a tombstone for him.

“…Lucifer, if I truly fail to overcome divinity, and all these 1000 years of experience become nothing but a dream, and I become that divine puppet I once was…” After discussing his epitaph, Azik’s expression suddenly became serious, and he looked at Rolin and said, “Then please pass on a message to Him for me.”

Azik laughed, his smile gentle yet with a hint of relief, and said, "Even a blank doll can have a heart. Perhaps it can no longer be me, but it can still have a new self."

Azik doesn't hate his former Death Archon. Perhaps he once rejected that cold and cruel version of himself, but after truly getting to know him, Azik has long since accepted that he was his past self. Although they cannot be equated because of their 1000 years of experience, Azik still hopes that his former self can truly live on.

After listening to him quietly, Rowling's expression became unusually serious. He nodded and said, "I understand. I will pass this on to Him."

The atmosphere seemed somewhat heavy at this moment, but the relief shown by the person involved prevented it from feeling oppressive.

(End of this chapter)