Su could glimpse a corner of the true future from among countless possibilities. This immense ability, which earned him his title, also became, to a certain degree, the greatest obstacle preventing him from grasping the actual truth.
He could foresee Durandal's rise and meticulously arranged things, easily suppressing her, painstakingly trying to take on the heavy burden of "saving the world" for her; yet he failed to foresee that Durandal's already incredibly firm will needed no further trials, making his painstaking efforts seem like a pointless farce.
He could foresee the unruly and rebellious Kalpas would eventually make his move, and prepared to completely eliminate him for it; yet he failed to foresee that Kalpas's actions were merely a pretext from start to finish, simply wanting to use it to draw a clear line with them...
The saying goes, "Even the wise are not always free from error," but for Su, this seemingly insignificant flaw was more akin to "a miss by an inch results in a mile's deviation"; like a rare masterpiece missing the final, vital brushstroke, letting any connoisseur know it remained incomplete.
In the original timeline, whether in the real world or the Elysian Realm, the moment Su could finally add the last stroke to this metaphorical painting was always when his own journey was nearing its end...
Lin Wei saw this as a huge shame and had tried to prompt his realization earlier—but judging by the results, simple verbal persuasion clearly had little effect.
After all, among those struggling through life, who hasn't heard all sorts of grand principles, even able to recite them effortlessly? But often, it still takes a harsh lesson from reality, a painful blow that strikes deep, to truly etch these superficial truths onto the heart, transforming them into deeply ingrained understanding.
"Sometimes," Lin Wei's voice was calm, but his tone was sharp, almost scolding, "qualities like humility, circumspection, and compassion—these virtues can inadvertently become another form of hidden arrogance, all without self-awareness."
"If you are truly a sage who can perceive the myriad causes and effects, accustomed to the birth and death of worlds, then why can't you understand? Mobius's so-called 'mountain of wicked deeds'—whether judging her heart or her actions—weren't they, in the end, aimed at saving the world, at trying to pull dying human civilization back from the abyss of destruction? Isn't that, in itself, a form of profound compassion?"
"..." A mix of emotions welled within Su. He instinctively wanted to argue, yet suddenly felt dejected, unsure how to even begin.
"You've gazed too far into the horizon, closed your eyes and scrutinized the storms and calms within your own heart for too long, but you've never truly seen the vibrant individuals right beside you," Lin Wei continued relentlessly. "You've always watched over them, cared for them, but it stems more from your 'duty as a doctor' than from being 'Su,' the companion who should have walked heart-to-heart with them."
Lin Wei didn't let up. An opportunity for a 'shock to the system' like this only came once; once Su was wise to it, it wouldn't be effective again. "'Su, you use your mind's eye to 'View Self,' you use the Second Divine Key to 'View World'—so what do you use to 'View Others'? Or have you, without realizing it, subconsciously filed away all living beings, near and far, into that category of 'the world' which you regard with such cold objectivity?'"
"..." Despite being reprimanded so bluntly, Su felt no anger, only a slight chill down his spine. Like a student caught making a mistake, he quietly endured it, reflecting. After a long moment, he let out a deep sigh.
"I imagine Hua, and... Sakura, they must have anticipated that I would stand in your way?" he said finally. "That's why they entrusted their respective Divine Keys to you beforehand, yet I failed to perceive this?"
He had already seen from reviewing the data logs: when Lin Wei met Hua and SAKURA, he hadn't mentioned borrowing the Divine Keys. Yet, as they parted ways, both had tacitly placed their Keys into his hands without further words.
They had foreseen Su's choice, while he, despite foreseeing Lin Wei's meetings with them, never considered they would do such a thing, let alone prepared for it. To bear the title 'Wisdom' yet be so shallow... it truly is deeply shameful...
But at the same time, Su realized, this wasn't the only thing he had failed to perceive. When Lin Wei and the others, who should have been banished by the Seed of Sumeru, stood unharmed not far from him, Su's intelligence allowed him to instantly grasp the entire sequence of events:
The moment Yae Sakura stopped and Lin Wei noticed him, these two individuals, who had had no prior communication or plan, acted with perfect, instantaneous coordination— Yae Sakura, with her refined swordsmanship, drew her blade in a flash, executing that special technique learned from SAKURA, leaping herself and her companions out of this space-time.
Simultaneously, three pink feathers fell from Lin Wei's hand. Leveraging the unique nature of the Elysian Realm, he used their "logged data" to instantly shape these feathers into perfect duplicates.
And just like that, in an instant Su failed even to detect, Lin Wei's group smoothly executed this "Cicada Sheds Its Shell" maneuver. They even had enough leeway for Lin Wei to control the duplicates and chat—another brilliant "Deceiving Heaven to Cross the Sea" tactic.
No wonder Lin Wei came forward alone, Su thought silently. I initially perceived it as openness and confidence. Looking back now, it was likely also to minimize revealing flaws.
Was he angry? Annoyed? Not at all. Instead, there was an inexplicable sense of relief and gratification. So, should he try again? The thought flickered and died. Partly unwilling, partly unable. Because...
"Su, now that we're meeting face-to-face, you wouldn't want to do anything inappropriate again, would you?" Seeing Su returning to his senses, Lin Wei signaled Yae Sakura and Yuno to relax while issuing a smiling warning. "If you try that again, I won't be so polite this time."
Holding back the first time was out of respect. But if you push your luck, don't blame me! Make no mistake, I'm merely unwilling to use the Key of Corruption, not unable! Lin Wei knew Su wouldn't fail to grasp this. He had simply gotten stuck "outsmarting oneself"...
"I have already made my effort. Since it has failed, and I have lost the reason to continue obstructing you, I naturally won't insist further." Su shook his head, calmly acknowledging defeat. Then, with admiration, he said, "Thank you for your help, Visitor."
He has to thank me for this! A ridiculous thought popped into Lin Wei's head, quickly suppressed. He asked curiously, "May I ask what you plan to do next?"
"Next... I suppose I will walk through this Elysian Realm once more," Su stated calmly. "For fifty thousand years, I thought I knew this place intimately. Now, I realize there might still be shortcomings. Perhaps I can converse with myself for introspection." Retracing past paths, understanding yesterday's causes, perhaps only then can one touch tomorrow's fruits.
"Is that so?" Lin Wei nodded knowingly and offered one final suggestion. "If you have time, why not try listening to Mobius's heart? See what her opinion of you is, knowing how much you dislike her?" Excessively preconceived notions hinder your grasp of truth.
While so many people disliked Mobius, what did she think of them? Su had never known, trapped in his own cocoon, rejecting her due to his aversion. He arguably understood her less than Kalpas.
Otherwise, he wouldn't still be hiding the truth about Klein's death from her, causing Mobius endless fixation. He thought he was being kind, bearing the "sin" alone. He never considered if Mobius could handle it. Did he really think she couldn't guess? She just wanted confirmation! Little did he know this concealment fueled her extremism.
Lin Wei sometimes felt Su's self-righteous stubbornness resembled Aponia's. It seemed psychic MANTIS warriors had mental quirks. No wonder he got punched. Serves him right! At least Su could be snapped out of it, unlike the unrepentant Aponia.
"..." Su wanted to respond but didn't know how. He couldn't lie; his negative view of Mobius remained. Agreeing felt false, refusing felt unreasonable.
"It's just a suggestion," Lin Wei said, seeing Su's conflict but not pushing further. "Whether you take it is up to you. If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
"Thank you, Visitor." Su sighed softly again, perhaps grateful for the prompt, perhaps for the understanding.
"No problem, it was nothing," Lin Wei replied with a carefree smile, then fell silent before sighing. "After all, sometimes knowing too much is a curse, and overconfidence leads one astray. If you can fall into this, maybe one day I will too, without realizing it. I only hope someone can wake me up..." Seeing Su made Lin Wei uneasy. Path dependence bred hidden dangers. What if he succumbed to arrogance? He had no easy answer.
"Visitor, do not dwell on it. The road ahead is long, the answers lie hidden within your heart," Su, regaining his calm, offered his blessing. "May your path forward blossom like flourishing branches and leaves."
"Ha, I hope you're right~" Realizing excessive worry was pointless, Lin Wei laughed lightly, turned, waved, and led the two women towards Mobius's lab.
Su watched them leave—eyes closed—then turned and walked in another direction. He felt like having a good chat with Kevin. Just... a simple chat.
---||---
Meanwhile, at Mobius's laboratory.
A pink-haired girl, mischievous as a Fairy, popped up. Cupping a hand to her mouth, she yelled, "Mobius, are you in?"
"Mo-bi-us?"
Her high-pitched voice echoed, making Elysia cover her ears. "Oopsie, looks like that was a little too loud!"
"Hmph, you think? It's deafening!" Mobius emerged, carrying her toolbox, glaring disdainfully at Elysia. "What is it now?"
"Hee hee, I found something super interesting!" Elysia revealed a megaphone, eyes sparkling. "Just now, Lin Wei gave Su a good scolding! I recorded the whole thing~"
"...?" Mobius looked utterly confused, like the black question mark meme. Scolding Su? Oh, a fight? No big deal. But how do you record a fight with a megaphone? A vein throbbed on her forehead. Are you messing with me again?
"My dear Mobius, we're both exceptionally beautiful girls. What's the fun in watching boring fights?" Elysia pressed a button on the megaphone. "This recording will definitely interest you, I guarantee it!"
Lin Wei and Su's conversation emanated from the Pardofelis-brand loudspeaker.
"Visitor, it has been a long time..."
Hearing Su's gentle voice, Mobius curled her lip and snorted. She immediately guessed Su had tried to block Lin Wei. She glared at Elysia, wanting to throw the time-wasting nuisance out.
"Don't be hasty, Mobius~" Elysia giggled, scooting closer. "Let's listen a bit more together?"
---||---
A little while later.
"What the heck?" Lin Wei was frustrated. After being left outside Mobius's lab, he finally saw her, looking furious, her attitude far worse than before.
"What's going on? Does she hold a grudge that much?" Lin Wei looked bewildered, like the confused Nick Young meme. "Didn't we already settle things clearly?"