Randidly regarded Lucretia mutely Lucretia couldnÆt resist the urge to chuckle IÆm just being realistic How much of ourselves is truly us and how much is just the environment
Waving a hand in irritation Randidly said I donÆt want to have a nature versus nurture discussion right now This world is my body I need to have some semblance of control
Then Randidly blinked His grin was then wolfish Ah of course You are saying the number doesnÆt matter much Ultimately it is the ten percent that has the images that is what matters Have there been any hints of my images spreading
Lucretia nodded There are a few places that IÆve seen concrete knock off image but most are fuzzy and malformed Apparently whatever sort of status existence this world endured previously didnÆt allow any real images to develop The country we have allied with Noran has already employed several of the individuals from Tellus who can use images as visiting scholars for their military college Which ultimately means we bear increased influence in our ally but also increased exposure to political trouble
And although I said there was nothing overt Noran has been pushing its military college very aggressively these past few years I would be shocked if they didnÆt make a move in the near future If we want to prevent war we need to intervene soon But to do so IÆll require some time to gather more information Lucretia said seriously
Randidly opened his mouth and then paused His immediate reaction to conjure a group of Riders for Lucretia here in the Soulskill so she would have a group of reliable troops But the more Randidly thought about it
At that moment Randidly could feel his two images on his separate shoulders Nurture and growth from the World Tree Destruction and entropy from the Grim Chimera Releasing a breath he followed both of those paths forward in his mind attempting to predict the outcomes of the different stances he could take in regards to his Soulskill The entire time Randidly could feel the fragile feeling of security that he had finally managed to develop over the past four months shaping his perspective
The longer his gaze followed the branching paths leading toward a series of political interventions in his Soulskill the heavier RandidlyÆs emerald gaze become His mind drifted back to the sordid and twisted series of covert operations that the United States green lit in South America and all of the far reaching consequences that resulted
With RandidlyÆs Control Focus and Intelligence he felt reasonably confident that he could predict the broader consequences and costs of what Lucretia was suggesting Which was perhaps arrogant But RandidlyÆs Crown seemed to resonate as he calculated the lives they could save by preventing a war between the countries present in RandidlyÆs Soulskill
The fragile feeling of security flickered and shrunk Was what Randidly was considering protecting the people of his Alpha Cosmos or simply babying them We donÆt have time for careful calculation or soft solutions
Lucretia studied him Then she blinked in shock as RandidlyÆs face settled into a grimace You you donÆt think we should intervene to stop the coming war here
In this land I wear no Crown Randidly said quietly He could see the unmarked graves of his fellow soldiers along the Hallat even now In the dark space of his mind when it wasnÆt populated by images that was the scenery that was conjured What right do I have to impose my will upon these people
Lucretia just looked at Randidly
Helpless he shook his head Do I possess the prerogative to save them from their own foolishness And more than that should I
This is your body for good or for ill Lucretia waved her hand in the air But her eyes stayed on RandidlyÆs face But I can see well I was always wondering how the SpearmanÆs vision would affect you If this is your body then this war will be a refining process for the unconscious images that you’ve collected You would benefit greatly from the war in a sense
Randidly opened his mouth to say something but Lucretia raised her hand I didnÆt mean it as a criticism As it happens I totally agree that the best course of action is to allow things to resolve themselves But I suppose I assumed you would find the truth of this situation distasteful
I cannot be gentle Especially with myself Randidly replied
Grinning Lucretia said Ah perfect This is what I wanted to point out to you She spread her hands to indicate the world then brought them together toward Randidly You cannot have things both ways These lives we are talking so casually about are both you and also separate individuals It is not an either/or DonÆt hide from the ethics by only considering the definition that is convenient for you at the moment
Randidly playfully punched LucretiaÆs shoulder Alright alright I get it No more lectures please I donÆt need them
Really Lucretia raised her eyebrows
Randidly spread his mouth wide but his expression was not a smile Her disbelief was clear so it was time to remind her of his growth The Crown of Upheaval and Gloom manifested above him and the air began to tremble LucretiaÆs fingers tightened around the arms of her chair while Randidly spoke Even if they are just the accumulated unconscious figments that IÆve gathered do you truly believe their deaths cause me no grief
After a few seconds Randidly released the Crown and the air settled back to normal Slowly Lucretia straightened They returned to their observation of LucretiaÆs apprentices for almost ten minutes
Then right before the air returned to normal Lucretia spoke Alta would have been happy here The original Alta I mean This land relies heavily on chivalry and unspoken etiquette to get by Alta her favorite stories as a child were about bands of heroes
Randidly looked upward toward the overcast sky Heroes are just the shards of a broken society that refract the most splendid light Their edges will cut you to the bone LetÆs hope my Soulskill wonÆt need a hero for a while longer yet
Chapter 986
We cannot press the charges Senator Heathridge said over the phone Overhead a thunderstorm boomed noisily On the line there was a thin whine of static
Evan Crane couldnÆt believe his ears They they were foolish enough to publicly assault the police of Zone 1 They refused to comply with an investigation in the face of a court order More than that that monstrous woman enforcer they hired made it abundantly that Erickson Steel has no intention of respecting the police force of this country There is no way the bureau will let this go And with them on our side
Which is why we will force them to drop it The Senator said quietly Then he sighed for several seconds an unwilling admittance of a bone deep weariness that wafted out of the phone terminal between them For the first time since they began working together Senator Heathridge seemed like he had given up It is out of our hands I was completely blindsided Erickson SteelÆs plan perhaps Randidly GhosthoundÆs itÆs I
The other man trailed off into silence
So just like that we are giving up Evan Crane clenched his hands into veiny fists Every time that Erickson Steel barely managed to avoid falling into his grasp Evan had gnashed his teeth but he had been able to ultimately control his anger After all Evan knew that this was only a short term avoidance With the support of Senator Heathridge and Evan pulling the strings from the shadows there was no way for Erickson Steel to resist falling into his grasp
It was even finally looking up for their plan They had painted Erickson Steel into a corner They had several tricks up their sleeve but they had been forced to blow those tricks in order to escape EvanÆs traps But now
But now in the SenatorÆs voice Evan heard defeat
I will never let this go Evan thought his eyes twitching as he glared hatefully at the terminal
ItÆs honestly the most exquisite thing that IÆve ever encountered Truly this spells doom for our original course of action Suddenly there was something very strange in SenatorÆs HeathridgeÆs voice But since we found out his ultimate goal so early Well itÆs not like we have no avenues available to us