It's normal for an evil god to raise an Abyss.

Shivering with coldness, Chtholly fell headfirst through the clouds, thinking. Although there was only one conclusion, Chtholly still felt an inexplicable discomfort in her heart, and her heart was in constant conflict.

Just as Chtholly wasted time meaninglessly, a black shadow appeared in the corner of her white vision.

"Eh--?"

After seeing the shadow's entity clearly, Chtholly flapped her wings and moved towards it.

Chapter 203 Enlightenment and Price

A few minutes later.

The patrol reconnaissance boat [Baroque Pot] belonging to the [Guardian Wing Army] is a small operations room on the second level.

"I'm sorry for the sudden visit, First Class Gray Rock Skin Attaché, but I saw your ship flying nearby and couldn't help but..."

Chtholly wiped her wet hair vigorously with a borrowed towel and apologized to the Reptilian leader.

Although the patrol reconnaissance boat was only carrying out routine inspections and was not performing a military operation, it was inevitable that Chtholly would disturb other people's work if she ran over directly.

"That's fine. Chenfeng Temple is always open to noble warriors."

Graystone Skin didn't care about Chtholly's "disturbance" at all and put the cup full of hot tea on the table.

Compared to his rather large body, the small teacup looks like a toy. Watching him fiddle with the tea art in a very serious manner, there is a sense of unreal and comical humor.

"Thank you."

Chtholly took the cup, blew on it a few times, and slowly put the tea into her mouth.

"so bitter……"

This was Chtholly's first impression. The tea was not only scalding hot, but also very bitter. She felt a tingling and numb sensation on the tip of her tongue.

"Any advice?"

Graystone Skin asked, he still cared why Chtholly was flying in the clouds in this season and visited this place.

"Well……"

When asked the core question, Chtholly was speechless for a moment. She was lost, confused, and thinking. Then, she spoke:

"At this point, I really can't say, 'I'm afraid of death', right? After all, it's come to this point, right?"

"Ok?"

Limestone Skin raised one of his "eyebrows", but of course reptiles have no body hair. However, Chtholly felt that if he had eyebrows, he would have this expression.

"It's... about Second-Class Technical Officer Xueyue. She showed us a completely different way of fighting than before. Although I don't understand what she did, judging by the results, it is indeed more likely to win than the current method we are using. It is more efficient and more... correct."

"oh……?"

Gray Rock Skin's tone was slightly drawn out. Although he was a little surprised, he did not think this was unexpected. After all, there were still many mysteries about Xue Yue, so it was not surprising that she had a fighting method that was different from the current situation.

Chtholly lowered her head and looked directly at her reflection in the cup:

"But I... don't want to agree with this. I don't want to believe that my [sisters] (the former golden fairies) are wrong. I don't want to believe that they don't have to die. Therefore, I don't want to listen to her. Anyway, I don't have much time left. I want to prove it on the battlefield. I think I have to abide by the [sisters'] way of fighting and prove that they are right. But..."

"Are you afraid?"

"..."

Chtholly hesitated to nod in agreement.

Perhaps it was the unique culture of the reptiles. Graystone Skin was very particular about the word "warrior". Although Chtholly didn't know the details, according to Graystone Skin's standards, Chtholly should be considered barely qualified as a "warrior".

If I nod at this moment, I am sure that the other party will be disappointed and will be considered as someone who has lost his courage and abandoned his qualification as a warrior.

"Yes……"

Even though she thought so, Chtholly still couldn't lie about such a thing.

“Hehehe… I see…!”

Limestone Skin opened his mouth and let out a sound from his throat that sounded like the sound of a clay bell being swung. Although it was a bit noisy and harsh, it was undoubtedly his laughter.

"what?"

Chtholly didn't understand why Gray Rock Skin suddenly laughed. If he was denying her answer, it should have been a mocking laugh, not this kind of hearty laughter that came from someone who understood something.

"Second-class technical officer Xueyue, she wants to defeat the [wind] in your heart."

Graystone Skin explained why he was laughing, but the words he said were just as confusing.

"【wind】?"

"That's the true face of what you call 'enlightenment'. Or, to put it another way, would it be easier to understand if we call it 'acceptance of fate'?"

"what the hell……"

For some reason, Chtholly felt a little relieved. Although she also felt a little empty in her chest, it was not much different.

"First-class military officer, you know that I'm not cut out to be a soldier. I can't tell from your appearance that you're so good at flattery. I took it seriously..."

Chtholly smiled bitterly.

"No, it is impossible for the noble people of scales to lie, just like the sun setting in the north."

"But you just said that I accepted my fate?"

"No, [Accepting one's fate] and [Awakening] are essentially the same thing. Both will make people make the decision to give up important things in order to achieve their goals."

"Well, how should I put it? In my impression, shouldn't [Enlightenment] be something more precious?"

"The value of everything is determined only by the price required to accept it. The awareness of giving up important things should have a corresponding value. Giving up the same things and accepting fate is of course equivalent."

“…I don’t quite understand.”

Chtholly shook her head slightly.

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Shadow Garden Small Theater: The Price

Chtholly: "Ms. Tavel..."

Bubble: "Lost fairy, it seems that you are looking for the answer to a question."

Chtholly: "Hey, how did you know..."

Bubble: "I am very familiar with the gaze of someone seeking knowledge, and I am afraid that it is not convenient to ask her directly the question you want to ask me."

Chtholly: "...It's not a big deal, but I'm a little curious about Xueyue..."

Chtholly: "I once heard a saying, 'To gain the corresponding power, one must be prepared to give up the corresponding important things.' So, what price did Xueyue pay to obtain the power she has now?"

Bubble: "Wow... I think I understand why you don't ask her in person. So, what's the purpose of asking this question? Do you want to become as strong as her?"

Chtholly: "...No, it's just..."

Bubble: "When a stunning [genius] appears before people's eyes, they will only be terrified by how much inhuman price he paid for these things."

Chtholly: “…Huh?”

Bubble: "I know you can't understand, so I suggest you stop here and don't explore it. Xiaoxue gave you a new life to escape your fate, just to keep you away from this kind of thing. Don't let her down."

Chtholly: "Okay... okay."

Chapter 204 The Lost Cat

"Being deceived by beautiful words is not what a warrior should do~"

Gray Rock Skin said this while making a weird "chuckle" sound.

"So in the end, what should I do?"

"As you like~"

Limestone skin gave an ambiguous answer.

"I'm asking questions because I don't understand... What is the right thing to do..."

"What is correct? There is no such thing as a fantasy on the battlefield. It is either to defeat the enemy or to save yourself. There are other things that vary from person to person. These can all be concluded after the battle, but they do not exist on the battlefield.

Therefore, there is always a [wind] lingering in the heart of a warrior, serving as a signpost when one does not know where to go, and as a resting place for the soul that is not polluted at the end of the battlefield.

"...First-class military officer, I don't understand more than half of what you said..."

Chtholly gave a distressed smile.

At the beginning, she could still understand the conversation between herself and Gray Rock Skin. Whether she accepted it or not, at least she could grasp the meaning. But as the conversation progressed, the content of Gray Rock Skin's words and sentences became more and more complicated.

Chtholly felt that she had received some valuable advice. It wasn't that she didn't feel anything at all, but she just couldn't understand what she was saying.

"Hehe, you said before that you wanted to defend the correctness of the way your sisters fight, right?"

"……Yes."

"In that case, before you go into battle, you should first understand what the so-called correctness is. We only have an intellectual understanding of the way you fairies fight, including your fate, accumulated history, and the will hidden behind history. Everything is the same."

"That's really an irresponsible statement, First-class Military Attaché..."

"In short, [the wind] can carry everything."

Gray Rock Skin responded with a nonchalant expression.

"..."

Chtholly sighed slightly. She always felt that she had accepted many things. However, according to what the other party had just said, accepting fate and awakening are essentially the same mentality. If she tried to think in this way, she did feel that she had become a little braver.

"Although this may make you angry, I want to make one thing clear."

"what's up?"

"Actually, I don't want to be a warrior at all."

Hearing what Chtholly said, Gray Rock Skin burst into laughter:

"I know that's what makes you an excellent fighter."

-------------------------------------

Knock-knock-

"Come in."

A soldier leaned close to Limestone and whispered something in his ear.

"Well, let her come over."

After just a moment, the door of the operations room was opened again.

"Oh, sorry to bother you two~"

A familiar and brisk voice.

Xueyue stood at the door, with her military uniform casually draped over her shoulders, and looked at the two people in the room with her arms folded across her chest.

"I'm here to take the stray kitten home~"

This statement made Chtholly's cheeks turn red immediately:

"How did you find this place?"

"Of course I flew up here~"

Xueyue answered as a matter of course.

(It turns out she can fly...)

This thought flashed through Chtholly's mind, but this kind of question didn't seem important at the moment.

"But before that, I have something to discuss with Gray Rock Skin. Could you please wait for me outside, Chtholly?"

-------------------------------------

"Let me confirm that the sound insulation here is okay."

Xueyue knocked on the wall next to her. She didn't know what material it was made of, but she could tell from the feel that it was some kind of metal.

"If you don't shout, people outside won't be able to hear the conversation."

Huiyanpi handed a cup of tea to Xueyue.