Chapter 194
The Afterlife
Eivass fell silent for a long time, slowly closing the diary.
Isabel let out a soft exclamation, “You… you’re not reading it anymore?”
Her voice held a mix of surprise, joy, and a touch of regret.
“I’m not,” Eivass replied, turning back with a gentle smile. “Because I’ve understood the root of your fear and know where your heart originates from.”
“Is it that you don’t want to read it, or that you don’t need to?”
“Neither. It’s that we won’t read it this time.”
Eivass corrected her, “To peel away the hidden layers of your heart and understand your past; and to pore over your secrets and pry into your thoughts… these are two different matters.
You wanted me to read your diary only because of your fear and agitation. Your emotions are too complex right now… and I don’t wish to take advantage of your vulnerability.”
Eivass said with a smile, “I want you to tell me all your secrets, wholeheartedly and seriously. Tell me in person, not through this half-truthful diary.”
Hearing this, Isabel’s cheeks immediately flushed red.
As the saying goes—what proper person writes a diary?
Can what is written in a diary be considered heartfelt?
Not to mention, the essence of the Du Lack Family Diary is actually a will. The curse and poison could be chronic or acute. At the slowest, one might not die for months, and at the fastest, one could die instantly without any chance of rescue.
In such a situation, it was extremely difficult to leave a stable will. That’s why the first prince chose to have everyone else leave behind diaries. After his death, these diaries would be seen by others, allowing them to understand his thoughts and intentions.
By reading diaries together and sharing secrets, the royal family would also become united in their cause. They could understand each other and stand on the same ground, making internal strife less likely.
That prince was likely Queen Sophia’s eldest son. For being the first to realize this, he was indeed suitable to be king.
Similarly… in such circumstances, there naturally wouldn’t be anything too secretive in the diaries.
Just like Clea’s husband, Willie’s father, his diary showed traces of restrained emotions.
But they all made the same mistake in their assumptions.
The process of writing a diary was indeed a way to alleviate fear and vent unease. However, here lies a problem… if the diary was certain to be seen by others, then the negative emotions contained within would inevitably be conveyed to the next person through the text.
In a closed system, this cycle would repeat. The negative emotions accumulating in the text would continuously pile up, becoming more and more intense.
Hatred, confusion, fear, anger, escapism, sorrow…
By the time it reached this generation, Isabel could no longer bear it.
This was not her fault. It was because the pressure she bore was too immense.
Unlike how doctors conceal illnesses from terminally ill patients—what the Du Lac family did was the exact opposite; everyone kept saying, “I’m going to die,” and “You’re going to die too.”
Then, they would witness one person after another die, until the rooms in the Silver and Tin Hall were emptied one by one.
This was akin to an intensive care unit, easily leading to depression.
The only one who seemed to realize this was the last person whose entry was quoted in Isabel’s diary.
His words carried strength; he must have been a veteran knight. He understood what he needed to do, and therefore, he chose to comfort others—he did not vent his own fears and sufferings in the diary, but instead imparted the strength to live to others.
A knight who could be recognized by the Silver Crown Dragon would surely become its Disc after death.
This was quite rare.
Even though the royal family of Avalon were descendants of Lancelot, who once served the Silver Crown Dragon, not all of them could become Crown Lord’s knights. This was because the Silver Crown Dragon was quite discerning.
After all, there is no concept of reincarnation in this World. It generally respects the natural cycle. But death is not an absolute end.
The souls of mortals are born along with their physical bodies; they are a gift from the World. After death, souls, based on their affinities, enter nine different rivers and flow into the domains belonging to the Nine Pillar Gods.
Pillar Gods and Heavenly Envoys can use their powers to temporarily detain and preserve other souls, or to split off a portion of their origin and power to promote the other person to become a Disc. If they do not do so, the souls will eventually reintegrate into the World at the end of the rivers, forming a grand cycle.
The souls most frequently intercepted are those who followed the Path Adaptation, the Path of Love, and the Twilight Path.
After death, those who followed the Path Adaptation have their souls transformed into various strange and bizarre beasts within the wild domains of the Lord of Scales and Feathers. They would fight and devour each other in endless dense forests and wilderness, evolving until they become strong enough to be noticed and taken by a Pillar God or Heavenly Envoy, becoming their Disc.
Those who followed the Path of Love would, after death, enter different domains based on their desires. Those who enjoyed fighting, violence, and savagery would enter the Shadow Domain and endlessly fight others, only to be reborn and continue battling. Those who enjoyed sex and gluttony would enter the Flesh and Blood Domain to enjoy endless, chaotic, and decadent feasts.
They would indulge their desires until their souls were completely lost, or until they gained complete control over their desires and were chosen as Discs by a Heavenly Envoy.
As for Hengwo, the Pillar God of the Path of Love—Hengwo never dances with others; only in the Moon’s dwelling does He eternally dance sorrowfully with His own reflection. He is the Pillar God with the fewest Discs.
As for the Twilight Path, after death, they would transform into amber stones within the Amber Forest. Their pasts, memories, lives, and souls would be completely preserved by the amber, even if it was meaningless.
Except for these three Paths which have an “automatic diversion mechanism,” the Pillar Gods and Heavenly Envoys of other Paths would carefully screen individuals. After all, creating a Disc requires sharing a portion of their own Power. Only souls they particularly favored would be taken. Usually, the Pillar God would select first, and then the Heavenly Envoys of that Path would choose. After all the Heavenly Envoys have chosen, any remaining souls would be reclaimed by the World.
The Silver Crown Dragon is a highly discerning Pillar God, even more so than the Candlemaster. Only souls of high quality—loyal, just, brave, honest, reliable, tolerant, and honorable—would be chosen by Him to become His knights. However, He is also the best to His Discs. If a Disc is attacked by the Discs of other Pillar Gods or Heavenly Envoys in the Dream Realm, the Crown Lord would directly wage an unending war against them.
The Crown Lord’s knights are quite active.
The knights train and study in palaces at the foot of the sun-drenched Crystal Mountains, singing and galloping across the boundless Emerald Grasslands, engaging in mounted combat. Occasionally, they would visit the Material Realm as witnesses to covenants or to punish those who break them. Sometimes they would briefly transform into mortals, traveling the World and acting heroically.
Knights typically do not appear in temples in their Disc form, unless it is to issue a warning to a tyrant—the Crown Lord’s knights would protect all rulers, ensuring their bloodlines do not die out. They would also protect mortal rulers in the Material Realm from being arbitrarily attacked or controlled by other Discs from the Dream Realm, thus maintaining harmony and separation between the Material Realm and the Dream Realm.
Cooperating with them in guarding the balance between the two realms are the Discs of the Hourglass.
However, for tyrants, the knights would withdraw their protection. One reason for this is that “tyranny” is a domain held by the Bear Heavenly Envoy.
The Crown Lord would silently watch over the entire World from the mountain peak where blizzards perpetually blow. Eivass did not know precisely what He was watching. Apart from this and selecting knights, He hardly interfered with anything else… relying entirely on His knights as His proxies. It was much like King Arthur of the past, who dispatched the Knights of the Round Table on adventures.
It was precisely because of this that Eivass felt lost and flustered when the Silver Crown Dragon suddenly focused on him, a mere mortal.
—Why are you looking at me?
If it were the Hourglass, he wouldn’t have been flustered.
The Hourglass is the Pillar God most closely connected to the Material Realm. Its temper is so good that it can even bargain with mortals who have not embarked on the path of the extraordinary. As long as someone summons, even with an incorrect ritual, He and His Discs would most likely respond. The ritual to repel Phantom Demons and banish them back to the Dream Realm draws its Power from the Hourglass.
If Eivass were to die, he might be taken by the Father Snake, or he might be taken by the Candlemaster. Isabel is likely not on the Twin’s radar yet. If Sherlock grows further, the Great Philosopher might take an interest, but for now, it’s unlikely.
Bishop Mathers has somewhat strayed from the Path of Devotion, and Yulia is even newer.
Among Eivass’s friends currently… the only one likely to be noticed by a Pillar God is probably His Excellency, the Grand Guardian. Given George’s personality, strength, and accomplishments, he would surely become a knight of the Silver Crown Dragon after death. And indeed, this is what happened, which is why Eivass referred to him as “Saint George,” because he was promoted to Disc after death.
—When you think about it, I’m practically friends with a Disc.
Chapter 2 will be a bit later~
