Nodding slowly Randidly stepped out fo the room and Mr Syllo followed him In the light the juxtaposition of his body parts was even more striking His crab claw seemed to bulge suddenly out of his torso in an unnatural fashion The flesh around the transition was inflamed But even more than that Randidly suddenly understood the image of Mr Syllo
His was an image that believed that people could never change
His was an image that said this is what we areÆ It was an image of acceptance and encouragement of a very particular sort
RandidlyÆs mind was tracing the newly understood shape of this image as they moved to the middle portion of the house They sat on adirondack chairs in the courtyard and Randidly refused the offered refreshment Mr Syllo calmly waited for him to bring up the reason for his visit while Randidly considered the image around him The reason the image was so powerful was that it was so simple and stable It encouraged people to simply accept themselves as who they were
To put it another way it would tell people not to deny or ignore their thoughts or desires even if they were negative
To some this message would be encouraging and reassuring The image would function as a salve to heal wounds and strengthen their Willpower In others it would lead to dangerous self indulgence and a downward spiral of negative behaviors Overall it was a neutral image It was a powerful but a blunt tool
Although Randidly knew the act would always end in disappointment he still methodically cracked the knuckles of his right hand and then tried to crack the knuckles of his left The motions were just so familiar that it was easy to thoughtlessly mirror them Several people that have interacted with your image have come to Kharon I wanted to make sure that my city wasnÆt being targeted
Well I didnÆt deliberately target you itÆs more like your city is too dominant in the minds of most people In a way congratulations Mr Syllo brought a straw up to mandible filled mouth and slurped noisily I actually imitated you Mr Ghosthound in my company In placing the image at the center of everything that we do
I run a number of banks and lending institutions across the Zones thatÆs how I encounter so many people And it is my companyÆs policy to judge peopleÆs future productivity by their current actions Obviously there are some special circumstances that can be considered but I believe that actions are what ultimately what displays a person’s true character I watch the way individuals behave and see the truth Thoughts and emotions are just facades
Randidly tilted his head to the side Then he chuckled Honestly IÆm not really one for philosophical debate I just wanted to warn you I donÆt mind your ideology And I have seen proof that your image increases the power of the people around you regardless of other side effects ThatÆs good for Earth
But IÆll say this Kharon right now is confident because I am present on Earth That means they donÆt feel threatened by these people that have felt empowered by your ideology to pursue their small grudges and give in to impulses But after I leave I donÆt think Kharon will play as nicely
As Randidly spoke he was imagining the confrontation between this image and KharonÆs He saw in Mr Syllo a new shape for the old privilege of the elites of Earth Even after being warped by Father KarminÆs experiments this man still came back and was able to manage quite a few banks and lending institutionsÆ And to the weakness that he found in himself and others during the difficult transition to the System he said this ItÆs not your fault People cannot change
Honestly Kharon could level this type of foe in its sleep But Randidly was also aware that he didnÆt need to be the only image in the world As with this duos tournament hurdles give rise to improvement
It was hard to read Mr SylloÆs expression considering his features but he currently seemed to exude amusement Are you expecting me to control people Restrict the actions that they wish to take on their own
of course not thatÆs against your code right Randidly grinned like a wolf You believe that people will do what they will People cannot change They will ultimately follow their nature But what is missing from your outlook is a recognition of perspective these people that drifted into Kharon were not in the position to do anything about their emotions In fact indulging in them recklessly could be very dangerous if one of our police officers lost his or her temper Humanity must know patience You should address that oversight in your creed
And yet you claim not to be a philosopher Mr Syllo observed
Randidly shrugged IÆm a realist
Well thank you for the warning I will consider this The crab man said with a small bow As thanks would you like me to tell you a secret about yourself
Randidly arched his eyebrow Mr Syllo spread his arms one human and one crab His image tried to approach Randidly again only to be devoured by the Stillborn Phoenix RandidlyÆs image whined hungry for more
After gathering his thoughts Mr Syllo spoke You are quite interesting to talk to Mr Ghosthound I can feel your three images and the three desires that drive them quite clearly But you know I consider myself a study of human character And all three of your desires well it is a bit like the guardian of hell Cerberus They appear to be separate but they grow from one true core
Oh Randidly said
Dominance That is what you crave Randidly Ghosthound You wrap it in pretty justifications but that is the true longing in your heart Mr Syllo brought the straw to his mouth and took another slurping drink Is that not why you are planning to leave this planet Because there is no more for you to dominate here on Earth You cannot and should not contain your nature
Ha The difference between what I am and what you think I am is exactly what I told you earlier Perspective A perspective that gives me a true understanding of my capability in the Nexus Randidly glanced at Mr Syllo Then he smiled mildly well everyone can have their own opinion Just be glad we didnÆt end up being enemies Mr Syllo DonÆt lose your sense of perspective in the future
Then Randidly left Before too much of the day was lost he wanted to reach out and heal Vualla
Chapter 1446
Through the tenuous and thin threshold that was a Nether Ritual Randidly released waves of YggdrasilÆs image to alleviate the exhaustion and image dehydration that Vualla was experiencing She absorbed the imageÆs ambient energy and her breathing eased As always the process made RandidlyÆs mouth tighten in dissatisfaction The Xyrt Brigade had not done much to earn RandidlyÆs affection
At least the situation with Earth was a high level political move that much he could at least forgive after he had defeated Kaan But the suffering they claimed was training and forced Vualla to endure
Stay focused Your other image is expanding and it wants to eat me Vualla chuckled Your Stillborn PhoenixÆs bedside manner is shit
Randidly shook himself and quelled the rising hunger of his egg of hunger Sorry about that IÆm just well IÆll be heading to the Nexus soon IÆm just trying to take some notes about the debts IÆll have to collect when I arrive
Through there connection Randidly could feel every detail of VuallaÆs smile IÆll be waiting DonÆt have too much fun before I finish this Seven more months and IÆll be free
Congratulations Your Skill Nether Ritual has grown to Level 172
Although he was unwilling Randidly let the connection fade after a few more minutes Vualla had told him that his timing was rather poor there was only a short time remaining before she would be allowed out of the isolation chamber and return to the training So they didnÆt have much time to interact Randidly simply had to frantically try and let VuallaÆs image heal so that terrible wasting sickness of her personality he had encountered last time wouldnÆt recur
Sitting on his floating island he waved a hand and cleared a sightline to the night sky His manor here was getting rather close to being completed so the noises coming from the construction site had changed drastically The quieter and more methodical noises of the wood and stone being carved replaced the heavy assemblage of the past few days