Chapter 466: with translation of chapter title

"I guessed as much. If not, brother would never have failed to mention its whereabouts." Zhigengniao's tone remained firm, "Although the ending is regrettable... I still firmly believe this choice is correct. Birds are not born to spend their lives in cages... Even if they cannot fly, the sky is their home."

"But that's the crux of the problem. If some chicks in this world can never fly their whole lives, how can we declare the sky to be their home?"

Zhigengniao asked tentatively, "You mean... humans are the same?"

"Think of the Astral Express—this is a perfect example. The Nameless One poured tremendous effort into connecting the worlds, earning acclaim across the universe… Yet only a handful could endure such an arduous journey, and they were hardly ordinary folk. For pioneering is no burden a mortal can bear. Otherwise, how could this path once end in severed silver rails, abandoned trains, and fallen star gods?"

Zhigengniao stepped forward and firmly objected, "Fallacious logic. If we follow that reasoning, wouldn't the future become a privilege reserved for heroes?"

Xingqiri lifted his gaze toward the distant theater, his eyes solemn: "It's regrettable, but reality is exactly so. The other name for 【Future】…… is 【Self-worth】."

"While heroes certainly exist in this world, admired and sung by people, the vast majority of ordinary people can never become heroes in their lifetimes."

——

Attack on Titan

What he said also makes sense……

Inside the Survey Corps dormitory, Eren carefully recalled the history he had learned as a child, as if the great deeds in that history were almost all created by great figures.

"Eren, don't blindly trust him; Mr. Xingqiri's words are somewhat misleading," Armin whispered from the side, "Moreover, his examples are somewhat biased—heroes are indeed important, but the soil that nurtures heroes…… I think that is more important."

"Eren, you might consider this carefully…… If one day the Astral Express truly slays 【Abundance】, would you think that is merely the achievement of generals and heroes like Jingyuan?"

"Of course not!" Eren instinctively retorted, "Without the united effort of all military and civilians, the Luofu Astral Express might have already fallen; even if the general personally took the battlefield, he'd be helpless, right? Like Caiyi and Yuku…… Luofu's present is also built upon the lives of countless soldiers and civilians."

Exactly, this is also where I find Mr. Xingqiri's words misleading——this world does have heroes, but the definition of hero cannot be simply divided by strength; it must be defined by actions and impact on posterity. Just like those millions of sacrificed aviators, they are both the mortals Mr. Xingqiri speaks of and the heroes bearing the Astral Express's fate; without them…… 【Hunt】 could not have reached today.

Then, according to your logic, are all of Xingqiri's ideas wrong?

Armin shook his head: "No, not at all…… In my view, he and Miss Zhigengniao's ideas are both extreme, like the two sides of a scale each bearing a heavy weight. If their thoughts could moderate toward each other, I think that would be good."

——

"Some are born weak and helpless, some fall into later misfortune, some yield to wickedness and cowardice. In the face of survival, they are equally positioned, only able to watch as their worth is continually plundered by external forces."

Zhigengniao gazed at her brother's back: "That is why we ought to show care and tenderness to the weak, give them ample aid, as if it were ourselves…… 【Harmony Ode】 has always taught us this."

"Although the aspiration of 【Harmony】 is indeed grand, even in this carefree beautiful dream, the strong remain strong and the weak grow weaker… such is human nature; it certainly possesses a great aspect, yet also harbors an insignificance that can never be eliminated."

"Fundamentally, if people cannot even guarantee survival, let alone that illusory egalitarian future. As long as the law of 【Natural Selection】 persists in the world…… it is inevitable that chicks will fall to the ground."

"But if people do not live for the future, are they merely living to live?" Zhigengniao voiced her confusion, "If Brother believes that even 【Harmony】 cannot save the weak's predicament, then which star god could fulfill our ideal?"

Facing his sister's question, Xingqiri also let out a deep sigh.

He lifted his gaze to Pinokangni's brilliant night sky; those stars, bright or dim, were the neon of another dreamscape.

"People always forget that, once, when the first bird took to the skies, the whole world's expectation for him…… was that henceforth, no chick would ever fall to the earth."

——

Marvel Universe

"No chick will ever fall to the earth…… This kid really dares to boast like that."

In the top-floor lab of Stark Tower, Tony Stark reclined in a floating chair, swaying a glass of amber whiskey, "Frankly, if he can pull this off, I'd support him receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for the next two hundred years—if he's willing."

"That's not the crux of the issue." Dr. Banner, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, "The key is how he intends to achieve it? I do support his having this idea—having an idea is at least better than having none, right?"

The scene Xingqiri currently depicts is as beautiful as the Eden where the gods dwell in the scriptures. If he could create such a paradise, calling him a 'god' would be no exaggeration.

Even within the forces of the star god of 【Harmony】, poverty, weakness, and exploitation exist. If this kid eliminated those, wouldn't he have accomplished, with a mortal's body, what even a star god cannot?

Tony doesn't believe he can pull it off.

What matters is what plan he can produce. From a pragmatic standpoint, Tony favors Zhigengniao more—although this little girl's idea isn't as grand as her brother's, at least it has some feasibility. The notion of aiding the endangered and relieving the distressed also aligns with charity; if she could open the universe's largest charitable company, the effect would surely be very good.

——

"Under the warm lights, the boy leaned close to the girl and curiously asked, "Sis, are you studying? What are you reading?""

""Mr. Ge Feimu gave me a picture book! It tells the story of 【Harmony's Many Strings】." The girl's face beamed with innocent delight as she pointed at the page, excited, "If I could become a string tuner, I'd like to summon… 【Resonant Chorus】 Dominicus! I want to sing together with everyone, convey our wishes outward, so that all may feel happiness and joy.""

""That's right." The boy smiled with relief, "Then… I'll also choose 【Resonant Chorus】.""

""Brother… do you have no wish of your own?""

""Of course I do. But… it also contains your wish, everyone's wish. That would be a true paradise where all could find peace.""

""Then we'll set up a stage within it, invite everyone to watch our performance, thus fulfilling both our wishes and Brother's—using the power of 【Resonant Chorus】.""

""All right, then we have a deal." The boy extended his pinky."

""Mm, pinky promise! But how does one become a string tuner……""

Xingqiri gazed at the sky, slowly closing his eyes: "Perhaps, one must first become a star."