Night Journey

Chapter 7 Discussion
Cillian has always believed that White Cliff Town is a fortress standing on the edge of the dark world.

The evidence wasn't just the towering walls, the ridiculously large underground storage space, and the sophisticated vertical farm, but also the town hall in front of Cillian.

Over time, most of the town hall has collapsed and fallen into disrepair. It was later rebuilt by the townspeople as a new residence, but from the remaining parts, one can still glimpse the former glory of the building.

Solid bricks and stones, complex passageways, and skeletons and rusty swords unearthed from the ruins... Baiya Town must have another unknown history, but that history is too distant, so distant that it has long been forgotten by the townspeople, who can only leave behind the name "Town Mayor's Hall" according to custom.

"The teacher must know something."

As the guardian deity of White Cliff Town and the torchbearer whose age is a mystery, Nuen must know the history of White Cliff Town. Perhaps it was a certain past event that made Nuen stay in this town and live this ascetic life.

Otherwise, with Nunn's strength, he could easily cross the wilderness alone to those prosperous city-states, enjoying fine wine and delicacies, as well as the privileges of the extraordinary.

The mystery will be revealed tonight.

Ciri thought to herself with peace of mind and straightened her clothes.

"Cillian, over here!"

Beneath the archway of the town hall, Ava, dressed in a familiar white dress, waved to Cirien.

"You're not late, are you?"

Cillian strode forward, a smile on his face.

“Perfect,” Ava said, scrutinizing Cillian’s attire from head to toe. “Not bad, you’ve brought out all your best stuff?”

"It needs to be a little more formal."

Looking into the dimness deep within the archway, Ava didn't know the purpose of tonight's banquet, but Cillian had already guessed most of it.

Becoming a superhuman is an extremely risky thing. Even if Cillian has so-called chaos resistance, he might still die in the ritual like the Soflowa brothers before him.

Cillian was not only a stubborn person, but he also had some strange obsessions.

Humans should not merely strive for basic survival; they should also have higher aspirations. Even if demons besiege the city or chaos invades, they should persevere to the end.

In this savage and insane world, Cillian still maintained his dignity, wearing a tie over his tattered collar.

"Let's go."

Cillian took a deep breath and walked inside. Ava did not accompany him; she simply stood there and watched Cillian leave.

"Aren't you coming?" Cillian asked.

“Father only invited you and Teacher Nunn,” Ava said helplessly, spreading her hands. “There’s nothing we can do about it.”

"Ok."

Cillian was certain that tonight's events would be related to superhumans.

“Although I can’t go, I can wish you well,” Ava said with a smile. “You’re right, I’m a saint, aren’t I?”

Cillian affirmed, "Of course."

Ava stepped forward, gently embraced Cillian, and whispered.

"all the best."

Stepping into the depths of the town hall, Ciri stroked the gray bricks and stones, glancing over the various sword and knife marks.

Ciri could picture that scene: at some point in the past, a fierce battle had broken out in the mayor's hall, with two forces locked in a deadly struggle in the narrow passageway, corpses piled up like mountains, and blood spilling down the steps.

The roars of people echoed through the dome, the cries of death and the howls of anger intertwined, reverberating like a requiem.

Pushing open a series of heavy doors, Cillian met Mayor Paul in the innermost courtyard.

Paul was a refined-looking man with thick glasses perched on his nose. He always had a kind smile on his face and a gentle voice that gave people a feeling of warmth and comfort.

He sat upright behind the dining table, with a variety of delicacies laid out in front of him.

There seemed to be something in the darkness to the side. After looking closely for a while, Cillian noticed that Nunn was sitting there, silent, like an invisible shadow, blending into the deep darkness.

"Teacher, mayor."

Cillian nodded to the two of them, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

“Cillian…”

Nunn murmured Ciri's name, as if he wanted to say something, but then fell into deep hesitation and remained silent.

Cillian naturally understood his teacher's intentions and spoke frankly.

"You invited me here tonight to discuss matters concerning extraordinary individuals, right?"

Bohr's smile froze, and he couldn't help but look at Nunn beside him.

Deep breathing could be heard in the dim light.

“That’s right, Cillian, we’d like to discuss with you whether you can advance to the level of a transcendent being.”

Cillian is a bright student, but sometimes he's too bright, tearing through all pretenses and catching the adults off guard.

"As you should know, Baiya Town is in a very critical situation. It has been cut off from the outside world for more than 20 years. The reserves of soul essence are gradually being depleted, and my blood alone cannot sustain the entire town."

Nunn's tone was stiff, as if he had recited those words many times in his mind.

Cillian understood Nunn's dilemma; making himself a superhuman was not much different from urging himself to commit suicide.

“Furthermore, even if we alleviate the shortage of soul essence in White Cliff Town, it won’t be enough. We need to cross the wilderness and rebuild connections with other city-states. Only in this way can we completely resolve the crisis in White Cliff Town…” Ciri interrupted Nunn’s speech, his tone firm.

"I am willing to become an extraordinary being."

Nunn paused for a moment, as Ciri had never dared to interrupt him before.

He didn't feel angry; instead, he felt a deeper sense of unease.

“Cillian, I need you to think this through carefully. Becoming a superhuman is nothing to be thankful for. On the contrary, in this barren White Cliff Town, such an act is tantamount to suicide.”

“It’s alright, teacher,” Cillian said firmly. “I want to become a superhuman, and only by becoming a superhuman can I set foot in the world outside White Cliff Town.”

Nunn lowered his head and pressed hard on his temples.

The shadows obscured most of his face, but Cillian could vaguely glimpse the pain on his face.

"Teacher, are you afraid I'll fail?"

Nunn remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "I don't want to cut off my students' heads anymore."

“But if we don’t do this, White Cliff Town will perish sooner or later,” Cillian emphasized again. “I am willing to take responsibility for my choice.”

After calming down a bit, Cillian added, "Teacher, you didn't just suddenly decide to tell me this, did you?"

Nunn slowly raised his head, his deep gaze fixed on Ciri.

Under the table, Ciri gently pressed his left palm, recalling the golden ouroboros seal.

"Because I survived the wilderness, the gray fog, and the chaos resistance that allowed me to survive?"

"Yes."

Nunn looked directly at Cirien, who had always been a man of few words, awkwardly organizing his thoughts.

"With your Chaos Resistance, you might be able to survive the ritual and become a transcendent being... but this is not absolute. There is still a high probability that you will be corrupted and turn into a demon."

“Then what are we waiting for?” Cillian said optimistically. “There aren’t many geniuses like me in White Cliff Town.”

Nunn understood his determination and turned to look at Paul beside him.

Paul didn't say much, and simply stated, "There are still many ritual materials in the warehouse. You can use them whenever you need them."

He added, "Those things are useless to ordinary people; you can do whatever you want with them."

Cillian was slightly surprised.

Ritual materials related to extraordinary individuals must be very rare, but according to Pol, there seems to be quite a few still in existence in this remote and impoverished town of White Cliff.

This thing doesn't seem like something that Baiya Town could possibly possess.

"Okay, I'll get ready."

Nunn's gaze lingered on Cillian for a moment before he left without saying a word.

As Pol watched Nunn disappear into the darkness, he said sadly, "This is not only a trial for you, Cillian, but also a test for your teacher."

"For a teacher, the cruelest punishment is to kill their own student."

Cillian did not respond; the discussion was over, and it was time to get down to business for the night.

Picking up his knife and fork, Cillian stuffed a piece of potato into his mouth.

Seeing him eating so voraciously, Pol teased him.

"You're really optimistic."

“I’m just very confident,” Cillian wiped his mouth, “I believe I will succeed.”

"What if it doesn't work?"

“There are no ‘ifs’,” Cillian said earnestly. “When you think about ‘ifs,’ you’ve already lost your confidence.”

"Um……"

Pol cut off a small piece of beef and remarked, "Your comment just now reminded me of someone."

"Who?"

"Your teacher's first student."

Cillian put down his knife and fork and listened quietly to the stories of the past.

"That was decades ago. I was only a few years old then, short, and could be easily lost in a crowd."

Paul reminisced about the past, "That child was about your age now. He was here too, amidst the townspeople's discussions, he firmly believed he could become a superhuman..."

The story didn't continue; Cillian already knew the ending.

“It was a big blow to Nunn. After that, he continued to adopt children and train them to be his students, but the townspeople could see that Nunn gradually became cold and unapproachable, a complete contrast to his former self.”

“Cillian, you must succeed,” Paul encouraged, “not only for the survival of White Cliff, but also for my daughter.”

“Ava likes you very much. She would be very sad if you died.”

Cillian nodded without saying a word.

(End of this chapter)