Epilogue: The Final Lesson
When Klein woke up the next day, he felt like something was wrong.
He thought about it for a while but still couldn't understand what Nairn meant yesterday by saying he would bring him "a little trouble."
"Whatever, I'll accept whatever Senior Nairn wants to do to me!"
He thought with a strange sense of resignation.
After all, Senior Nairn had given him too much. If the gap between them wasn't so vast, Klein would have wanted to chop off a chicken's head and burn yellow paper right then and there to swear brotherhood with him.
He shook his head, clearing these messy thoughts from his mind, and began his studies for the day.
However, the atmosphere today was exceptionally different.
After Old Neil finished teaching him pendulum dowsing and the "Reimbursement Method," he didn't return to his corner to tinker with his bottles and jars as usual. Instead, he suddenly gathered all the Nighthawks of the Blackthorn Security Company, saying he wanted to hold a sharing session.
It was about misconceptions in Ritual Magic.
Klein's heart skipped a beat, feeling a bad premonition.
He felt that today's Old Neil was somewhat different from the decadent, stubborn old man of the past.
His gaze was unusually calm, even possessing a... clarity that comes after liberation.
When everyone gathered in the archives room, the atmosphere was relatively relaxed; everyone thought it was just a normal technical sharing session when Old Neil stood at the front.
"The topic for today's sharing was originally 'Common Cognitive Misconceptions and Safety Rules in Ritual Magic.'"
He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping over all the familiar faces: Klein, Captain Dunn Smith, Frye, Royale, and others.
"But I think no 'case study' can illustrate the problem better than the speaker himself."
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Klein's heart sank abruptly.
"Before sharing 'misconceptions,' we must first recognize: who is performing Ritual Magic? It is a 'Beyonder,' but first and foremost, it is a 'human.'"
Old Neil's voice was low and clear.
"Humans have love, fear, things they cannot obtain, and things they cannot let go of. When a person holds power beyond ordinary people, their greatest misconception is often not misremembering a symbol or mispronouncing an incantation..."
He paused, then said something that shocked everyone.
"But rather mistakenly believing that this power can fill the void in the human heart, that it can reverse the inevitability of fate. Today, I am such a living case, fallen into the deepest misconception."
"I was obsessed with resurrection rituals, not for knowledge, but for a person. My wife, Salist."
He spoke his deepest secret frankly, without a trace of shame or concealment on his face.
"That love was real; it was the best part of my life."
"She is gone, and that is also real. That is the worst part of my life."
"When the best and the worst are superimposed, what do they become? They become an unbearable 'if'—'if I could save her,' 'if I could be stronger,' 'if I could reverse time'..."
"So, I spent my whole life gambling on an 'if.'"
"I gambled my savings, my reputation, my principles, even the trust I had with you all. I used every power I could—knowledge, rituals, and even... began to pray to a dangerous existence."
He confessed!
He confessed so directly that everyone was caught off guard.
Klein's eyes widened. Although he had guessed it long ago, hearing Old Neil admit it so calmly still left him incredibly shocked. A dangerous existence? Could it be that eerie eye he saw yesterday?
Captain Dunn Smith's expression also became extremely serious. He seemed to want to say something, but ultimately chose silence, letting Old Neil continue.
"I gave it my all," Old Neil's voice carried a hint of self-mockery, "to the limit of what a 'human' can do, to challenge the mountain of 'Death' that even deities find difficult to cross."
"And then..." He paused, looking around at everyone's shocked faces.
"I lost."
"We are always taught not to leave regrets. But today, I want to use the rest of my life to tell you a harsher, but truer lesson."
"Some regrets in life are destined. Just as some peaks are destined never to be conquered."
"Making a mistake itself isn't terrifying, nor does it necessarily lead to regret. What truly causes regret isn't 'I messed up,' nor 'I could have tried but didn't.' From this perspective, what I regret is..."
His voice cracked for the first time, carrying profound realization and pain.
"What I regret is that in the process of 'gambling,' I forgot why I was gambling. I made 'bringing her back' the sole purpose, yet forgot that the reason she was worth gambling for was that she loved that upright, kind Neil who would protect others. And I, at the gambling table, personally pushed that Neil forward as a chip."
"This is the most tragic and ridiculous thing about us 'poor wretches': we possess a tiny bit of god-like power and then delude ourselves into trying to perform great deeds that only deities can accomplish, yet in the process, we lose that tiny bit of the most precious thing that belongs to humans."
"We gamble everything wanting to win back the past, but often end up losing the present and the future."
The entire archives room was deathly silent.
Everyone was shaken by Old Neil's bloody self-analysis.
Every word he spoke was like carving his own heart with a knife, and also like a warning to everyone present.
Dunn Smith's knuckles were white from gripping his cane, but he did not interrupt, only listening quietly.
He knew this was a companion using his own soul to give them one final lesson.
"Yes, that love was real, but this 'obsession' and 'regret' are poison. It made me start lying to my own people, forging reimbursement receipts, and embezzling public funds just to buy materials that were increasingly dangerous and closer to the Abyss."
He took a stack of forged documents from his coat and placed them gently on the table, as if displaying evidence of his crimes.
"Look, this is the first step. When you have an 'extremely justifiable' reason, an 'extremely grand' goal, you will find that the rules you once upheld—the Nighthawks' code, the bottom line of being human—begin to become 'negotiable' and 'flexible.'"
"This is the first and most fatal cognitive misconception: we treat our own pain as a license to betray our principles."
Klein stared blankly at those receipts, thinking of the "Reimbursement Method" he was still learning, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Old Neil's voice took on a hint of bitter laughter: "We are all Beyonders, possessing knowledge and power unimaginable to ordinary people."
"We fight the eerie and protect order, appearing very powerful. But in the depths of our hearts, we are just like all mortals, perhaps even more fragile 'poor wretches.' Because our power amplifies our desires and also amplifies our pain."
"An ordinary person losing a loved one might spend a lifetime remembering; but a Beyonder losing a loved one will delude themselves into spending a lifetime trying to 'reverse' it. This delusion is the fastest shortcut to madness."
"I stand here today to turn myself in, not because my ritual succeeded, but precisely because at the edge of complete corruption, I looked back at you all."
He looked at Klein, then at Dunn.
"I suddenly realized that if I took that step, I would be betraying more than just the code; I would be betraying the 'upright Neil' whom Salist loved, the 'reliable teammate' you all knew, and that initial spark of light in my heart when I first became a Beyonder."
"In the name of resurrecting her, I almost personally killed everything she cherished, and killed myself as well."
The archives room remained deathly silent. Everyone was shaken by this sudden "teaching case" written with an old Nighthawk's lifelong regret.
"So, the'safety rules' I give you are only three, more important than any symbol or spiritual material."
"First, never use 'love' or 'any noble reason' to justify your violations. Rules are not shackles; they are the guardrails that prevent us from falling off the cliff while walking in the dark. Tear them down, and the first one to be dashed to pieces will be yourself."
"Second, face your own fragility. Admit that you are a 'poor wretch' who will feel pain, make mistakes, and have irreversible regrets. Then, carry that fragility and seek help like a human, rely on your companions, and find an exit within the rules—even if that exit is just 'living on with scars.'"
His gaze became incredibly sorrowful and gentle.
"Otherwise, you will be like me, not saving the one you love, but using the longest ritual to perform a tragic funeral for everything she loved."
"The third rule," he looked at Captain Dunn, at Klein, and at every familiar companion, "accept your insignificance, and upon that foundation, build your dignity."
"My dignity does not Lie in my ability to resurrect Salist. My dignity Lies in the fact that when I was about to completely betray the man she loved, I stopped."
"I could be remembered by her as an out-of-control Monster, or I could be remembered by her as a failed Guardian. I chose the latter."
"You all are my final 'anchors.' Thinking that you would be endangered by my fall, thinking that the Blackthorn would be shamed by my betrayal, this 'Connection' stung me and also pulled me back."
"In this vast and cold world, these faint attachments between people are the only things we can understand, grasp, and thus be defined as 'human.'"
"It is more powerful than any occult force because it is our only 'anchor' against our own divinity, which is to say, madness."
Having finished, he turned to the silent Captain Dunn Smith and said calmly:
"Captain, I am reporting myself for embezzling public funds, performing illegal dangerous rituals, and having been contaminated by the power of an evil god. I request to undergo the church's review and punishment."
Dunn looked at him deeply, his gray eyes filled with complex emotions. Finally, he nodded heavily.
Before Old Neil followed two Nighthawks to assist in the investigation, he left one last sentence, like a proverb:
"Beyonder characteristics tell us how to become gods. But how not to turn into Monsters, that is something only we ourselves, as 'humans,' can teach ourselves."
"This lesson is finished."
...Knock, knock, knock.
Nairn opened the door and let Triss in.
"Master."
As soon as Triss entered, she knelt on one knee, her posture humble to the extreme.
Due to the nourishment of the potion, her appearance had completely transformed from a clear-featured youth into a peerless beauty capable of overturning all living beings.
Her skin was like snow, her features like a painting, and her long black hair hung down like silk.
But her voice remained cold, and the fanaticism contained within it made the air seem several degrees hotter.
"Rise. Report your results." Nairn sat back on the sofa, gesturing for her not to be overly formal.
"Yes, Master."
Triss stood up and began to report her actions during this period.
"Following your guidance, I went to the slums of Tingen City to find those waiting for death in despair. I gave them a 'Merciful End,' allowing them to escape their pain in peace. In the process, I felt the 'Witch' potion being rapidly digested."
Her tone was very flat, as if she were speaking of a trivial matter.
But Nairn heard something unusual.
He could feel that when Triss said the words 'Merciful End,' her emotions showed a slight, positive fluctuation.
She seemed... to have truly found a unique sense of satisfaction from this 'Reverse Acting.'
A future 'Primordial Demoness' actually liked being an angel of death?
"I found... I'm starting to like this feeling. Seeing the grateful smiles they show at the moment of liberation, I can feel a kind of... peace.
"This allows me to understand the true meaning of 'The End' better than simple slaughter and spreading fear."
Nairn raised an eyebrow.
Triss's initiative was quite good.
Not only did she execute the task perfectly, she even found joy and her own understanding in it. What was this? A benevolent ascent opposite to corruption?
Why did he always have the strange feeling of successfully persuading a fallen girl to turn over a new leaf?
"Very good, continue," Nairn encouraged calmly.
"While practicing 'Merciful End,' I was also investigating those scumbags who deserve to die," Triss's tone returned to icy cold. "I tracked down a big con artist named Lanulius. He exploited people's greed for wealth to conduct a fundraising scam in Tingen City, defrauding a large number of citizens of their property and causing many families to go bankrupt."
"I plan to let him fall into hell just when he is most self-satisfied, thinking he is about to run away with the money. This meets your requirement for the task to 'kill the scumbags who deserve to die.'"
Nairn nodded, very satisfied with Triss's execution.
This was exactly the result Nairn wanted to see.
What he wanted was not a Lunatic who only knew slaughter and spreading calamity, but a'sting' planted inside the Demoness Sect that he could control and use.
A Demoness with her own 'moral' bottom line was undoubtedly more valuable and more interesting than a pure Lunatic.
"Well done," Nairn gave an affirmative evaluation.
Upon receiving her master's praise, Triss's cold face seemed to soften slightly.
"Master, I have also brought you something."
Triss looked up, her beautiful face expressionless, but her eyes flashed with a light as if seeking credit.
She took out a box wrapped in a thick layer of lead from her small handbag and offered it with both hands.
Nairn took it; it felt slightly heavy in his hand.
He opened the lead box.
Inside the box lay a mass of silver-white strange substance that flowed like mercury yet emitted dots of starlight.
A pure aura that calmed the mind emanated from that mass of substance.
This was... a Spectator Beyonder characteristic!
Nairn's eyes instantly lit up.
"Where did you get this?" Nairn asked with some surprise.
"I killed a member of the Psychology Alchemists."
"Psychology Alchemists?" Nairn's interest grew even stronger.
Triss hurriedly explained the course of events, fearing that Nairn might misunderstand her for killing the innocent indiscriminately.
"This man was a scumbag. Seeing my beauty, he wanted to use his Beyonder abilities to commit indecent acts against me."
"I investigated him; using his status as a political broker, he helped the powerful and wealthy manufacture many miscarriages of Justice, causing innocent families to be ruined."
"He also enjoyed threatening and toying with victims using their core desires right in front of them, all for his own amusement. Clearly just a 'Spectator', yet he always wanted to be the protagonist."
"Originally, I only went near the asylum to monitor Hood Eugen, but I didn't expect such an idiot to deliver himself to my door. He shouldn't be an inner member of the Psychology Alchemists, just a peripheral one."
Triss emphasized repeatedly: "Master, he truly was a scumbag who deserved to die. At the moment he was most complacent, thinking he was about to succeed, I let him fall into the deepest fear and despair. I watched with my own eyes as his beautiful dream shattered, watching his ugly, foul soul howl in terror."
Nairn looked at her as she seriously defended the 'legitimacy' of her killing, finding it somewhat amusing.
As a Beyonder of the Demoness Pathway who was destined to spread calamity and suffering in the future, she actually had to explain a person's crimes repeatedly just to kill them, reiterating how bad the person was and emphasizing that she was acting on behalf of heaven.
What was this? Had she been successfully disciplined by him?
However, Nairn also understood that this was precisely the positive impact brought by his previous teachings on 'Reverse Acting'.
Triss was using her own way to understand and practice the Authority of 'End', while striving to maintain her humanity and not be swallowed by the madness of the potion.
This was good.
"I understand." Nairn nodded, showing his approval. "You did very well. I am very satisfied."
Having received her master's complete affirmation, Triss's tense body finally relaxed, her eyes revealing undisguised joy and adoration.
Nairn asked no more questions, holding that [Spectator] characteristic in his hand and refining and absorbing it in an instant.
A cool power, as if it could see through the human heart, slowly flowed from his palm into his body.
Nairn closed his eyes, carefully feeling this power.
The will of the [Chaos Theater] fluctuated slightly, completely erasing the residual mental imprint of the original owner from this characteristic, leaving only the purest Beyonder power.
Nairn felt his thinking become clearer than ever before, and his senses became exceptionally sharp.
More importantly, he felt that the part of the power within him belonging to the [Player] Pathway was rapidly merging with this new power.
[Player] requires acting, and [Spectator] is the best observer and learner.
[Player] needs to see through the human heart, and [Spectator] is naturally able to Insight the subtle changes in emotions.
The two complemented each other and fit perfectly.
His foundation, which had been somewhat flimsy because he had 'boarded the train before buying a ticket', was completely solidified at this moment.
He had finally become a complete, worthy dual Sequence 9 Beyonder!
[Path of a Thousand Faces] Sequence 9: Player!
[Path of Chaos] Sequence 9: Fun-seeker!
Two completely different powers reached a perfect balance within his body.
One allowed him to calmly observe the world and see through the human heart, like a gentleman sitting in the first row of a theater.
The other allowed him to fanatically seek fun and create accidents, like a mischievous child ready to rush onto the stage at any time.
This feeling... was beyond words!
Nairn slowly opened his eyes, a strange light flashing within them. In his eyes, the world became clearer, and also more... full of loopholes and 'tripwires' available for manipulation.
"Go back for now and continue your mission," Nairn instructed Triss.
"Yes, Master."
Triss bowed respectfully and retreated silently from the room, merging into the night once again.
Only Nairn was left in the room.
The completion of the dual-Pathway foundation brought a sense of absolute control and a feeling of free-will, giving Nairn a sense of pleasure from the depths of his soul.
He leaned back comfortably on the sofa and began to review the scenes of 'drama' he had staged in this world since his transmigration.
Starting from that sentence on the alfalfa, "You don't want to turn into a Demoness, do you?"... his first appearance. Facing the sequence 8 'Instigator' Tris, he borrowed a demigod level status, and with a 'Name Sealing' style question, "Do you see me... as a human, or as a god?", he completely broke through the other's mental defenses.
Immediately after, facing the demigod Dread of the 'King of the Five Seas' Nester, he maintained eye contact calmly in his capacity as a [Player], using a silent psychological game to force back this great pirate who roamed the five seas.
A mortal toying with a demigod—this script was exciting and fun enough.
Then, there was Triss's complete submission.
He didn't choose violent control, but instead threw out the truth of the 'Demoness Curse' and two completely different paths, letting her make the choice herself.
In the end, he gained a loyal fanatic with immense growth potential.
After that was the founding of the Tarot Club.
Using an ordinary copper coin combined with the Sefirah power of the [Chaos Theater], he forged a Connection with 'Sefirah Castle', successfully ascending to that mysterious space shrouded in gray fog, becoming a founding member alongside 'The Fool', Mr. 'Lovers'.
"I know all the potion formulas in this world."
This earth-shattering declaration instantly made him the most powerful support in the Tarot Club, someone even 'The Fool' Klein Moretti flocked to.
He taught Audrey Hall modern accounting and 'Triple-Entry Bookkeeping', opening the door to a new world for her, and also planting a 'money bag' to control the kingdom's financial power for his future plans.
He pushed for the Tarot Club's first 'grand narrative', throwing out a series of grand plans, letting Audrey, this naive noble girl, see for the first time the possibility of her changing the fate of Loen.
He found Klein offline, and with the words "Hello, fellow countryman," he directly caused this future 'Fool' to break down.
He established 'The All-Old Association' and started a 'God-making Crash Course'. From true names to rituals, from the Acting Method to the path of kings, he guided Klein step by step onto the 'protagonist' path he had planned for him.
Then there was Old Neil.
He personally took the stage, playing his late wife Salist, and using a carefully woven, most realistic Lie, he pulled back a soul about to fall into the Abyss, and took the opportunity to direct a play called 'Old Neil's Last Lesson'. The far-reaching impact of this was something even he himself could hardly predict.
And just now, Triss's report. A Demoness who should have headed towards calamity and suffering had, under his guidance, become a 'partner of Justice' keen on 'punishing evil and promoting good', and had even proactively brought him the [Spectator] characteristic he urgently needed for advancement.
Each of these things, one by one... the smile on Nairn's lips grew wider.
Compared to a pure 'Spectator', he was more of a 'Player'. He was never satisfied with passively observing the plot; he wanted to actively participate, make changes according to his own will, and create his own 'iconic scenes'.
At the same time, as a 'Fun-seeker', he enjoyed all the accidents and chaos generated in the process.
The principle he followed—'create accidents, not harm'—gave all his actions a unique sense of chaotic neutral order.
He could be the light of a savior, or the shadow of a spoiler.
At this moment, the two characteristics of [Player] and [Fun-seeker] merged perfectly within him, giving him an unprecedentedly clear understanding of his own path.
Their common point lay in emphasizing the awakening of subjectivity and active creation.
Not passively accepting the world's existing script or order, but intervening and redefining it with one's own will.
[Player] understands and influences the world by playing different roles.
[Fun-seeker] tests and changes the world by creating different accidents.
Ultimately, it was a philosophy of 'going all out'.
The meaning of your existence is written by your own hand in the process of dancing with the world (acting or perturbing).
It required him to be fully committed, because the direction of the world's manuscript was closely related to his every 'choice of how to participate' or 'choice of how to cause trouble'.
His belief was his pen; his going all out was the most profound creation.
This was not only the starting point of the transcendent path, but also a fundamental inspiration sufficient to ignite Nairn's passion for life: he was both the primary author of his life and the co-creator of the reality he inhabited.
The world awaits your annotation, whether through a brilliant character or a wonderful joke.
Nairn slowly exhaled, feeling his spirituality and spirit sublimated once again in this realization.
The foundation of dual Sequence 9 was now as solid as it could be.
Nairn slowly stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the city sleeping in the night.
The light of gas lamps cast a dim yellow glow on the streets. In the Darkness of the distant slums, countless instances of poverty, disease, and despair were hidden. At the other end of the city, in the mansions of the nobles, luxurious balls were being held, lasting through the night.
This was a world full of contradictions, fragmentation, and injustice.
It was also a world... full of 'fun' and 'stages'.
So... an unprecedented light sparkled in Nairn's eyes.
What kind of human world do I want?
In Nairn's mind, this question echoed like the tolling of a great bell.
Scenes from the past flashed back clearly once more.
He saw the ordinary passengers on the alfalfa, trembling under the demigod Dread of the pirates, placing their fates in the hands of the gods.
He saw Triss's helplessness and despair under the fear of the 'Demoness Curse'.
He saw Audrey Hall, a pampered noble lady, Above the Gray Fog, her eyes revealing for the first time a thirst for power and a hatred for her own powerlessness upon hearing the 'potion formula'.
He saw Alger Wilson, a 'Hanged Man' struggling in the gap between faith and reality, not hesitating to bet everything for an ethereal hope.
He saw Zhou Mingrui, the 'fellow countryman' who came from the same civilization as him, lonely playing another person on a foreign continent, his greatest wish being merely to 'go home'.
He saw Old Neil, an old man tormented by regret and obsession all his life, crying like a child in front of his late wife's tombstone.
He saw the slums of Tingen City, lives struggling to survive amidst poverty, disease, and oppression, finally reaching their 'End' in silent despair.
He also saw the other side.
He saw the light of wisdom in Audrey's eyes after learning new knowledge, and her vigorous determination to change the country.
He saw the rekindled hope and fighting spirit in Klein after receiving the promise to 'go home'.
He saw Old Neil's straightened back and the clear gaze of someone who had found the meaning of life again after letting go of his obsession.
He saw Triss, a soul that should have fallen into Darkness, finding her own 'Justice' of punishing evil and promoting good on a twisted path.
This world was dark, decayed, and full of injustice.
Gods were high above, looking down indifferently at the human world.
Beyonders struggled on the edge of madness, and ordinary people sank in ignorant despair.
This was the worst of times.
But... the corners of Nairn's mouth slowly curled into an arc.
Precisely because it was bad enough, did it have the value of being changed.
Precisely because it was dark enough, did a little starlight appear exceptionally bright.
He stood here, both as an observer and a spoiler.
So, what kind of human world do I want?
When this question appeared again, a grand idea, full of endless 'fun', slowly took shape in his heart.
He remembered his initial goal, the grand ambition he set in his heart after advancing to [Fun-seeker]—to 'fish out' a modern society.
Now it seemed that this goal was a bit narrow.
What he wanted was not just a modern society with extremely abundant material wealth and highly developed technology.
What he wanted was a world where everyone had the right to choose their own life.
A world where ordinary people didn't have to place their hopes entirely on ethereal gods, but could change their fate through their own efforts and wisdom.
A world where Beyonders didn't have to struggle in loneliness and madness, but could find companions, find an 'anchor', and protect their own world while protecting others.
A world where words like 'fairness', 'Justice', and 'hope' were no longer luxuries for a few, but a reality that everyone could touch.
What he wanted to do was to set off an unprecedented, top-down and bottom-up ideological enlightenment and institutional change in this world where steam and Beyonder intertwined.
He would use transcendent knowledge of economics, management, sociology, and more to reshape the skeleton of this era.
He would use the true essence of the 'Acting Method' to light a guiding lamp for all Beyonders groping in the Darkness.
He would use the Sefirah of the [Chaos Theater] to leverage the underlying rules of this world, create 'miracles', and guide the direction of history.
What a grand and interesting drama this would be!
And he, Nairn, would be the sole general director of this drama.
An indescribable sense of heroism and ecstasy gushed out from the bottom of his heart.
His spirituality was boiling, and his soul was burning.
The ideal of the [Player] and the fanaticism of the [Fun-seeker] reached an unprecedented unity at this moment.
He stood by the window, spreading his arms as if to embrace the whole world.
An invisible radiance that only he could see bloomed from his body, illuminating the entire room.
Nairn laughed softly, his eyes flashing with excitement and expectation.
He whispered a declaration:
"This was once the worst of times—"
"This will be the best of times."