What surprised Jing Yuan even more were the horns on Noldrei's head.
"Those horns?"
"They're fake." Noldrei changed back to his original form as he spoke. "I showed them to Fu Xuan before. Fooled her completely."
"This…" Jing Yuan was a bit speechless. He never thought Fu Xuan would have been tricked by something like that.
Noldrei smiled. "But it's true that the Alchemy Commission used me for experiments and injected me with Vidyadhara marrow."
After saying that, he turned to Dan Heng. "Go on inside and find Bailu. General Jing Yuan is waiting here for me. If I go in, he probably won't be able to eat or sleep well. He'll spend at least the next six months wondering if I did something in there, if I left something terrible behind."
Dan Heng was also at a loss. This guy was just a little too direct and honest.
An ordinary person really couldn't handle it.
Dan Heng knew Jing Yuan well. He was a general who liked to work with a smile, a rare strategic genius who favored tactics and methods. For him to be forced to come and personally watch over Noldrei just showed how much of an impact he'd had.
"Not at all, not at all. I did come here with something to discuss with you. It's perfect, actually. While Lady Fu is away, we can talk about her."
Seeing that this no longer concerned him, Dan Heng immediately took his leave to handle the Vidyadhara's loose ends.
Noldrei and Jing Yuan remained at the starskiff ferry port that led to the Scalegorge Waterscape.
And so, Dan Heng went to meet Bailu alone.
"Alas..." Jing Yuan watched Dan Heng leave, sighed helplessly, and then began. "Lady Fu is carrying a heavy burden right now. Even I find it difficult to understand what she plans to do. I'm very worried she'll become a second Dan Shu."
Noldrei shook his head. "She won't. In Dan Shu's heart, the Xianzhou held no weight. But in Fu Xuan's heart, if I were to act against the Xianzhou, she would turn on me in a heartbeat. The only reason she doesn't think I'm a bad person right now is because the Pure Land Theory I created is beneficial for resolving the Xianzhou's crisis of faith."
He seemed to remember something and pulled a document from his person, handing it to Jing Yuan.
"This is for you. I was originally going to show it to Fu Xuan, but giving it to you is the same. It's Dan Shu's diary."
Jing Yuan's brow furrowed slightly as he took the diary. He skimmed through a portion of it, discovering that it wasn't really a diary so much as a collection of Dan Shu's musings, written down involuntarily at various times. The vast differences between the time periods were obvious.
"You see? From the very beginning, Dan Shu never cared about the Xianzhou. She was one of the heaven-bereaved; the Xianzhou brought her more pain than joy. The loss of her most important friend was the key turning point."
"But Fu Xuan is different. When she came to the Luofu, she was already an outstanding diviner. She had supportive colleagues and friends, even comrades she could entrust her life to. For Fu Xuan, coming to the Luofu meant gaining far more than she lost. She won't become like Dan Shu."
Jing Yuan said thoughtfully, "So, Lady Fu has confided a great deal in you. The problem is, she knows very little about you."
Noldrei understood Jing Yuan's meaning and explained, "I know you're suspicious of my actions. But in truth, these minor conflicts and clashes are nothing where I come from. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that for a crisis of faith to escalate to this level is more of your Xianzhou's own problem."
"Theoretically, not putting all your eggs in one basket is a good way to diversify risk. But in reality, that's not the case. As you diversify your risk, you also deplete your own sincerity and credibility."
"It's absolutely impossible to play both sides in a conflict between Aeons. Therefore, the co-existence and division of faiths within the Xianzhou is an extremely dangerous state."
"You must have a tool that allows the people of the Xianzhou to decide their own direction of faith at any time. And the 'Pure Land Theory' is just such a tool. You need to use a philosophical power that has not yet been controlled by the Aeons to link the positions of some of them together."
"You people didn't create this tool yourselves, so I, an outsider, decided to toss it to you. Just to see to what extent you Xianzhou natives could use it."
Jing Yuan's expression was complicated. He read Dan Shu's diary while listening to Noldrei's commentary on the Xianzhou's faith.
It was precisely because the tool Noldrei provided was so effective that Jing Yuan found himself in this difficult position.
Noldrei hadn't sabotaged the Xianzhou for his own benefit, nor had he done much harm to it. On the contrary, it was the people of the Alchemy Commission who had used him for human experiments.
The feeling he gave Jing Yuan was like that of the original Yaoshi.
You need this, so I will give it to you. As for whether you can use it well?
The final answer to that question was the result Noldrei wanted to see.
This was also part of what made Jing Yuan's feelings so complex. "The Xianzhou and its people must be a great disappointment to you, I imagine," he said wistfully. "I've often heard it said, 'A ruler chooses his ministers, and ministers also choose their ruler.' Even friends who come and go will occasionally test one another. But I suspect the final outcome will not lead you to believe the Xianzhou is a civilization worthy of much attention."
It was a rather provocative conclusion.
Jing Yuan naturally wouldn't devalue the Xianzhou himself, but he also realized that Noldrei's standards for a civilization were far more stringent.
One could see a part of it in the Pure Land Theory. Noldrei believed that the ability to resolve humanity's conflicts and suffering was a crucial criterion for judging the level of a civilization.
Noldrei looked at the glittering surface of the sea in the distance. "General Jing Yuan, what kind of Xianzhou do you want in the future? I mean, as an important leader of the Luofu, have you ever thought about solving any problems for its people, or making their lives a little more progressive?"
Jing Yuan closed his eyes and thought for a long time before speaking. "I have thought of many things. But in truth, I am already exhausted just maintaining the normal operation of the current Xianzhou. I cannot imagine how a better Xianzhou ought to be shaped."
Noldrei nodded in understanding. This was perfectly in line with his understanding of most leaders. Jing Yuan was no different from the leaders of various countries on Earth. The higher level of the Xianzhou civilization didn't change his own situation.
Noldrei smiled. "I met a friend on the train. She told me that if you don't know, why not go and Trailblaze a new society you desire? I think she's right. When I find a solution in the future, I'll come back and tell you the secret to building a new society. How about it?"
Jing Yuan was astonished. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, puzzled.
Noldrei thought for a moment and replied, "I just don't think life in this universe should be this hard."
He mulled over his words, then nodded firmly. "Yes, it's as simple as that."
A sense of awe rose in Jing Yuan, and with it, his wariness of Noldrei increased threefold.
Was this damn bastard a loyal man who seemed treacherous, or a treacherous man who seemed loyal?