Chapter 255: Fire and Ice, Destruction and Creation (4k)

"I... saw fire."

Perhaps because the sanctuary's special environment stirred thoughts in his mind, Herbert's conviction grew firmer as he recalled everything that had appeared before his eyes.

After closing his eyes, what he saw was not light.

It was fire!

Blazing flames!

After closing his eyes and recalling, Herbert felt more images surface in his heart and saw a sight he had never seen before.

The memories in his mind had also taken on a different appearance.

In Frost Crystal Wang Cheng, every face he had seen in the slums and the commoner districts, every pair of eyes... had all undergone subtle changes.

In the past, Herbert had only seen the decay and corruption of the upper echelons of the Frost Crystal Kingdom, their extravagant lives.

He knew clearly that if left unchecked, the kingdom would surely be devoured by them.

Others at this moment would think as he did — that the Frost Crystal Kingdom was already terminally ill and required a thorough purge, from top to bottom, from inside out.

Herbert thought this way, and acted this way.

But when he carefully recalled this moment, he saw another perspective.

He discovered... the Frost Crystal Kingdom had actually long since reached the brink of collapse.

And the direct cause of its destruction would not be the nobles draining it dry, but rather an ending that would come in an even more tragic way.

The kingdom would be burned to ash... by the wrath of common folk!

Herbert saw countless flames of fury in the bodies of those kingdom residents.

Their flesh was numb, they lived like walking corpses, but deep in their souls — where even they themselves had not noticed — they kept questioning fate.

They condemned the unfairness of fate.

"Why does effort go unrewarded?"

"Why does no one care whether we live or die?"

"Why must we meet such a tragic end?"

"It's not fair!"

"This isn't fair!!!"

……

They asked again and again, wanting to change, yet lowered their heads helplessly before that vast gap, powerless because of their own weakness.

Fury in their eyes, fire in their hearts.

But... they still lacked a moment.

Their past lives had shackled them; habit kept them from easily thinking of rebellion.

They only thought, "Just endure a little longer, everything will pass," bearing the pain before their eyes.

They did not notice how terrifying their own fury was.

At the same time, those foolish nobles had not noticed this either.

The nobles did not understand how dangerous the boundless fury hidden in the hearts of those they exploited at will truly was!

When the nobles wantonly ravaged others, trampled atop others' heads and thought only of pleasure, they paid no attention to their own situation.

They, and the kingdom, had long been walking on the brink of collapse.

That bunch of Bai Chi ignored that they had already stepped to the edge of a cliff — one more half-step, and they would plunge into an endless abyss filled with raging fire.

And the moment they lacked could arrive at any time.

Perhaps ten years later, perhaps twenty, perhaps on some ordinary afternoon.

The entire Frost Crystal Kingdom had long been sitting atop a powder keg filled with explosives — all it would take was a single spark to send it sky-high.

Perhaps it would be a maidservant who, unable to bear the nobles' bullying, took her own life in despair.

Or perhaps a miner's son, who died tragically in a mining disaster, being silenced and killed.

Or perhaps the moment when all the money on one's body still could not buy half a loaf of bread.

When the road ahead held nothing but death, when good people were driven to the wall...

They would naturally find a way to demand justice for themselves.

"That flame rises from the hearts of common folk, gradually swells, and finally, upon reaching its peak, explodes — burning everything to ash."

Herbert shook his head, his expression tinged with melancholy; he thought of many, many things.

"Common folk are weak."

No one could deny this.

In a world where extraordinary power existed, the plight of ordinary people was the most tragic.

"The fury in one person's heart is indeed limited, but when they gather together, it will erupt with boundless force."

Herbert knew better than anyone else in this world just how much energy common folk could unleash when they gathered together.

A single spark can start a prairie fire.

Many a little makes a mickle.

Quantitative change leads to qualitative change.

Although in the Extraordinary World, an individual's strength as a powerful being was magnified without limit, and ordinary people found it hard to kill true powerhouses by sheer numbers, by piling up lives.

But... did the Frost Crystal Kingdom actually have any true powerhouses?

Professionals below Legend could still be worn down to death by human-wave tactics.

Faced with the sheer violence of numbers, even if they wanted to flee, they had no way to escape.

At the same time, individual weakness did not mean common folk were utterly powerless to resist.

Do not forget — this is an era of faith in the gods.

Faith can be transformed into power!

One person's faith may be insignificant, but the prayers of ten, a hundred… tens of thousands are enough to bring about tremendous change!

So long as someone with intent gives it a little nudge, that fury will swell rapidly, ultimately drawing the gods' prying gaze.

That's right — even the wrath of mortals can draw the attention of the gods.

Even if… that gaze belongs to Miss Xie Shen!

A kingdom that has not been taken over by a church of the gods likewise means it will not receive the gods' protection.

This is a patch of fragrant meadow that no one has yet plucked.

Ordinarily, the gods look down on a remote little place like the Frost Crystal Kingdom and would not waste manpower and resources developing faith there.

But if it were heading toward destruction, the situation would be different — certain evil gods would certainly be very interested.

However, don't imagine that They would come to actively help these pitiful wretches.

On the contrary, those evil gods would not only not step forward to stop it, they would only wait for the day the kingdom's destruction arrived, and might even secretly stir things up, adding fuel to the fire.

They would let mortals lay waste to the kingdom, and might even regard it as a grand blasphemous rite, reaping what they need from it.

In the end, once everything was over, They would send out their servants to take over this half-broken kingdom.

"Flames shall devour everything, destroy all."

"When the searing heat dies away, only a stretch of ash will remain."

This is fire — the fire that represents destruction!

And after working all this out, Herbert closed his eyes again without needing the archbishop's reminder.

He continued to recall, and then saw more.

"No, it's not just fire… I saw ice as well!"

The snow and ice blanketing the land, the cold gazes of the nobles as they looked upon others, and that soul as hard and cold as ice… this remote little kingdom was simply too cold.

Ever since that great dragon scattered its bone-chilling blood across the land, the cold seemed to have been carved into the very marrow of the Frost Crystal Kingdom.

It made most of its subjects cold and stubborn in temperament, like hardy stones that are not easily broken, enduring wind and snow, never rising in revolt until driven to the very brink.

The year-round cold had also taken far too many lives.

A gust of cold wind would blow past, and a few pitiful souls would drift away with it.

For this kingdom—

Snow and ice likewise represent destruction.

When it comes to destruction, ice is equally great, and equally capable.

"……"

This time, after opening his eyes, Herbert did not continue to speak, but frowned and fell silent.

Is the fire and ice I saw truly the whole truth?

Do they only have a destructive side?

After a long silence, Herbert shook his head and murmured softly, "…No, that's not right."

It was more than that.

Absolutely more than that!

Fire and ice are absolutely not only destruction!

Herbert had once said a thing or two when he was "beguiling and winning over" the Goddess of Snow and Ice.

He believed that snow and ice did not only bring cold and death.

"Snow and ice that fall from the sky, crystalline and pure."

Herbert whispered to himself, sorting through the still somewhat hazy thoughts in his mind.

"Snow and ice… are full of creativity, able to bring new life to what is rotten and withered."

"Those falling snowflakes, that congealing frost — they are not there for destruction, but to welcome new life."

Those words he once used to beguile the Goddess of Snow and Ice had always contained a piece of his true heart.

Snow and ice should not only have a destructive side.

True, snow and ice make one feel desolation and deathly stillness, and they do possess the power of destruction.

Perhaps in terms of destructive effect, ice is inferior to fire.

But in terms of range and duration, ice's power of destruction is even far superior to fire's.

White disaster, avalanche, blizzard…

A vast expanse of white — the earth is truly clean.

Devouring life, snatching away vitality.

Where snow and ice pass, only ice-sealed shells are left upon the wasteland.

But… perhaps those were not snow and ice's true intent.

When the snow and ice melt and the cold fades away, the silent myriad things will once again revive, and the dormant land, having been tempered by the bitter cold, will at last greet a new beginning.

Snow and ice will take life, but they will also leave behind seeds of the future.

Whether flame or snow and ice, their true intent is not solely to burn and destroy.

Destruction is not only for the sake of ruin, but for a better rebirth!

Just as the Shepherdesses of the Goddess of Snow and Ice brought vitality to the Elida Territory.

Those maidens, who came from snow and ice and possessed the ability to save others, did not represent snow and ice's cruelty, but their gentlest and most beautiful side.

The Shepherdesses were not merely pretty vases borrowed from the Goddess of Snow and Ice for show — what Herbert truly valued more was the medical and divine knowledge they possessed.

With them there, the Elida Territory could get back on the right track all the faster.

And the Goddess of Snow and Ice — this cat-goddess who, after Herbert made contact, gave him a rather interesting impression — he could not sense any malice or coldness from Her either.

On the contrary, Herbert had only to peel back the other's icy disguise a little, and he could already feel the vigorous vitality emanating from the other, that overflowing youthful energy.

If even the goddess who held the divine office of 【Ice and Snow】 was like this, how could it itself possess only a destructive side?

"If ice and snow are like this, then flame… ought to be the same."

With his earlier experience, Herbert's train of thought opened up quickly, and he thought of even more than ice and snow.

"Yes, when a forest burns to the ground, the ashes left behind become the energy source for new plants."

"Not only that—cooking food, keeping warm, making tools, purifying evil… fire has brought humanity far too many benefits."

"Moreover, fire itself holds many special meanings in human history."

Suiren-shi drilling wood for fire, Prometheus stealing fire… in far too many cultures, fire has been regarded as a symbol of life, hope, strength, and faith.

"In most cases, when the fire of destruction appears, the fire of creation will surely descend, bringing a new order."

Now…

The fire of destruction—he had seen it.

Where, then, was the fire of creation?

Herbert subconsciously raised his head, looked blankly toward the Daodazhu Sect, trying to get some hint from him.

But before Herbert could open his mouth to ask, he had already seen the answer.

In the old man's pale eyes, Herbert saw a blurry white-haired youth—that was his own reflection.

"It seems you've already figured it out."

The old man looked at the oddly-expressed Herbert, nodded, and said softly: "That's right, you… are likewise fire."

"The fire that burns away shackles and rebuilds order."

For the nobles of Frost Crystal, Herbert was a destructive blaze.

But for the common folk of Wang Cheng, was Herbert any less a flame that brought salvation?

"What did you bring them?"

"Hope."

The old man finally showed a satisfied smile and murmured: "You saved them."

"In your eyes, all you did was a revenge that wasn't even complete, but in their eyes, you are a savior descended from the heavens… though no one knows your name."

"Not only that, you also left behind the nuns and the knightly order, to help them through this difficult time."

Killing the evil nobles, winning them a measure of justice, distributing supplies, giving life a new hope.

Herbert was dazed for a moment, then said somewhat unconfidently: "But I…"

I really hadn't originally intended to do any of that.

All these things in outsiders' eyes… were not actually Herbert's original intent.

It could barely be counted as something done in passing, but it was absolutely not his true original purpose.

Herbert tried to explain, but was stopped by the Daodazhu Sect shaking his head.

"Child, you need not explain, for whether it was your original intent or not, it makes no difference."

The old man looked at the bewildered youth and smiled.

"To them, you who can command a dragon are a true strong one."

"And every move of a strong one stirs the winds; every word and deed will be magnified and dissected by others… whether they themselves are willing or not, whether they truly thought that way or not."

"Do you understand? This is the… fate of the strong who wield power."

Herbert fell silent.

He suddenly had some inkling of what the Daodazhu Sect had actually wanted to do by chatting with him this time.

He wasn't someone with nothing to do seeking a chat, but was trying to convey an idea to him.

"Herbert, you are destined to become a strong one; when that time comes, your will will lightly decide the life and death of others."

The old man who stood at the pinnacle of mortal things murmured: "Whether destruction or creation, it all lies between a single thought of yours."

The Daodazhu Sect gazed at the youth before him who had yet to shed his greenness, and gently asked his choice.

"Destruction? Or creation?"

"What will your choice be?"

(End of chapter)