Senator Firefly gave Randidly a look then nodded slowly Hmm IÆll keep it in mind Would you like to return to the party
No Randidly said shaking his head Neveah was right If he didnÆt want something he shouldnÆt force himself Besides he knew that if he didnÆt return to the part Tia would remain the center of attention Perhaps she would be a little disappointed but this was a domain where she would feel more at home Randidly either of their identities didnÆt belong there
Instead Randidly followed his memories and walked toward the Orchard specifically the newer district where they were still performing construction To his surprise immediately after he arrived at the edge of the sprawling city a group of people turned up in front of him
Mr Ghosthound did you see my new apple tarts Here try one
Mr Ghosthound wait until you feel this My silk has improved a lot ItÆs like wearing the wind is it not
Mr Ghosthound thank you so much for your advice I think that my new ice cream
And so on over and over a stream of people who came to thank him and provide new examples to Randidly It was overwhelming at first but soon Neveah began to speak feeding Randidly the information he needed in order to respond to the people and make them feel heard
Only four minutes after this stream of people arrived a gaunt man with a large beard arrived and he took Randidly away heading to a construction site Very soon Randidly was raising metal beams and assembling a 20 story apartment building It was honestly impressive because all of the work was done by men They were so empowered by the System that they were able to reproduce the mechanical power of machinery from before the System arrived
After all most of the heavy machinery from before the System was lost in the initial chaos It was now much cheaper to just have System empowered individuals work than to purchase one of GhostÆs expensive pieces of machinery
With RandidlyÆs help the building seemed to grow before his very eyes assembled one piece at a time By the end of it everyone was cheering as Randidly held the steel beam aloft as two men on either end slide the nuts and bolts that would serve as a placeholder until the braces could be prepared
Afterward the gaunt man shook RandidlyÆs had and left without a word The men and women who had worked on the project patted Randidly on the back and departed as well leaving him alone in the strange half built district It was now close to sunset and the light filtered through the bones of the building in an exceedingly strange way It came in beams and glow so the whole place was suffused with an orange red half light
And in that glow Randidly saw a small boy
The boy stood in the half light oblivious to RandidlyÆs presence His cheeks were dirty and his clothes were worn but it was clear that the clothes themselves were of high quality And without sort of ceremony the boy was punching a stone wall
Pat Pat Pat
His expression was scrunched up enough that Randidly knew the experience was not pleasant for the boy But still he had an unyielding determination It was clear that in his mind he had to continue this action
You learned it from Shal I learned it from you and now with your face I am teaching them Neveah said walking up next to Randidly She was still in her true form and in the half light she seemed more like the Raid Boss that she had inherited the body from than someone who had created a safe haven for thousands of displaced people
Randidly turned back to the child That determined look on his face it truly reminded him of himself struggling all those years ago under ShalÆs wing in that first dungeon This was the change that Neveah was working she was giving people hope and tools to seize it
Could Randidly do the same Perhaps But he would need to sacrifice his other life and he wouldnÆt be able to do the same things that Neveah could Her patience and endless energy to help people and try things far surpassed his own Still
It was never a matter of whether what you were doing was productive Randidly said with a sigh That doesnÆt matter to me What matters is this engagement After that comes marriage Neveah you cannot marry this girl And IÆm profoundly uncomfortable with you marrying her with my face
She regarded him carefully but all she replied with was Why
Because it feels like she is not marrying you she is marrying me Randidly said
Neveah shook her head slowly I had hoped you would get a taste for Tia and understand why I went along with her misunderstanding Or at least I hoped you would get a feel for what I was doing here and want me to continue But it appears we see things from a different perspective That is okay It is only because of the way you are that you accomplished so much But now I must tell you something Randidly
Here Neveah paused and took a step closer to him looking down at him
Although you are Randidly Ghosthound you are not the pen that will write the legend of Randidly Ghosthound
Chapter 552
Through your actions you have become more than yourself you have become a symbol Neveah said patiently You are not just a person but you are proof of a concept you are proof that humanity can stand up against the System But your legend is more than that as well Because it is every story from the lives you have touched It is every way that you existing rippled outward changing the course of history
You are upset because you see yourself and some part of you says thatÆs not meÆ Even if those actions are good you have that instinctual reaction In the nicest way you are naive Randidly
Do you think that some others have not also have had the ideas to impersonate you You are the most powerful human I know of both in terms of individual might and in terms of renown In both Zones you are known If I was not acting as you there is no doubt in my mind others would attempt to do the same either for good or for ill Your legend would grow piecemeal from the tales of these impersonators At some point it is possible that the fakes proliferate to such a degree that your own actions can do little to sway the course of your legend But that is okay because you are not the type of person to care about such things
That thatÆs not Randidly said grasping to find exactly why he disagreed so strongly with what Neveah was saying He could understand that some people might try and use his identity to their advantage but to actually pass themselves off as him
You are self absorbed If you were not you would have been crushed by the details of what you have been doing Neveah said matter of factly I have watched many people I started thinking that people were like you but you are atypical in so many ways I would not have become the Soulbond of most people But with you it was the most natural thing in the world Most other people do not like themselves They clothe themselves in status distract themselves with pleasures hide within righteous emotions and religion You have become such a thing that you are a piece of clothing these people can wear
You are an icon
Randidly just stared at Neveah When they were bound Neveah could barely speak She wasnÆt even gendered at that point Now she seemed to be lecturing Randidly on his own existence And honestly her words rung true There was a lot here that Randidly hadnÆt thought about simply because he was too close to the issue He should have understood that people would use his identity at some point NeveahÆs actions here did have a sizable anchoring effect on that
People being what they were if there was no news to talk about they would make news on their own Usually by imitating the past news But as long as Neveah was the face of Randidly Ghosthound they wouldnÆt act out as him Or at least that was what Neveah was claiming
However Randidly could see now how it was all of those things It was her being the Randidly people could see it was her helping people it was her enjoying this life it was her making a good name for him But it was also
Neveah waved her hand and suddenly she was him Before we continue thereÆs something that I need to take care of Can I have a minute