"The first task is to deliver this letter to you."
Lin Ruo pursed his lips, not immediately taking the sealed letter the puppet handed him.
Just as the puppet was wondering if the other party had concerns, suspecting the letter was problematic, and was about to speak, he heard Lin Ruo say:
"No, how did you pull the letter out from under your butt? Normally, shouldn't it be kept in your bosom or some secret compartment?"
The puppet: ?
Facing Lin Ruo's unconventional question, the puppet first paused, then showed a thoughtful expression, and after thinking for a moment, replied, "How would I know? The main body put the letter there. Maybe it was afraid the letter would be blown away by the wind, so it used me to press it down."
From this answer, it was clear that the puppet's thinking was also quite unconventional.
"It seems you are not as consistent with Alista's personality as you claim." Hearing the puppet's reply, Lin Ruo smiled. He gave the puppet a meaningful look, and then, amidst its stiff expression, pulled away the letter.
Alista was undoubtedly a meticulous person, so the letter he left for Lin Ruo was enclosed in an exquisite envelope, with a complex mark made of red sealing wax at the Sealed Artifact.
Lin Ruo recognized that mark; it was Alista's personal Sealed Artifact. He had seen this mark when he first recovered memories related to him.
In addition, a line of words was written on the envelope, which, when translated into common speech, meant: For My Teacher's Eyes Only.
Lin Ruo's gaze lingered on that line of text for a moment, then he unhesitatingly tore open the envelope—it wasn't that Lin Ruo was overly confident that Alista wouldn't trick him, his teacher, but because Medici was right beside him. With Medici's strength and vigilance, if this letter truly had a problem, Lin Ruo wouldn't have been able to even touch it.
Facts proved that the letter probably had no issues. Although Lin Ruo vaguely felt a surge of power when opening the letter, that power was clearly not directed at him.
Or rather, because of the existence of that power, Lin Ruo was the only one who could safely open the letter.
Inside the envelope were two items: a dark black key about an inch long, and a folded letter paper.
Lin Ruo poured out the key and weighed it in his hand, then noticed the puppet opposite him casting a longing gaze, clearly knowing what it was.
Lin Ruo immediately raised an eyebrow. He didn't rush to ask the puppet what it was, casually handed the key to Medici next to him, and then took out the letter paper to read:
"To Teacher Lin Ruo, For Your Eyes Only:
"Teacher, by the time you read this letter, I should have already committed an unforgivable mistake, something you cannot tolerate. To be honest, this is not an unexpected outcome, because I understood long ago that I am different from you, Teacher.
"Teacher is the one who cares least about power. For you, it's better to read a few more books than to spend time pursuing advancement. Yet, I can never restrain my desire to ascend. Driven by this desire, the future me is bound to part ways with you, and may even become the target of your cleansing.
"I leave this letter not to defend my future self, nor to beg for your forgiveness. Since my future self chose betrayal, I have naturally prepared for everyone to abandon me.
"I only hope that when you see this letter, you will not be overly angry or sad because of me. Wasting emotions on someone like me is not worthwhile. You can kill me and then cast me out of your mind.
"I know you can do it, because you have always been the gentlest, and also the most ruthless. Sometimes I even wonder whether the gentleness you display is genuine emotion, or merely a form of Imitation or disguise.
"I hope you won't be angry at my baseless conjecture.
"You must have already encountered the puppet I left behind, right? I wonder if its existence made you angry. But please let me explain, I did not create it to leave you a pure and flawless version of myself, nor did I intend to anger you. I know Teacher dislikes such ambiguous existences the most, and would never consider it to be me.
"The reason I created it was actually due to some selfish desires of my own. I wanted to know what kind of person I truly am. Apart from those additional identities, what is the essence of Alista Tudor?
"I couldn't get this answer from others, nor could I obtain it through self-reflection. So I created it—a puppet that carries all my memories and emotions up to my advancement to Sequence 1, theoretically consistent with my personality—hoping to gain the answer by observing it.
"I believe Teacher has probably guessed the result of the observation. The puppet I created did not meet my expectations. Although it indeed possesses all my memories and emotions before my advancement to Sequence 1, the personality it ultimately developed is quite different from mine. I don't know why this is, and I even considered destroying it, but in the end, I decided to keep it and leave it to you.
"Teacher, I know you may not be able to understand my actions. In fact, I don't understand myself either. Perhaps I just looked at its clumsy imitation of me, thought of my past self, and thus had this strange idea.
"However, for you, Teacher, it will probably be a qualified tool. Although its combat ability is lacking and its personality is flawed, the puppet has inherited my ability in handling paperwork very well. For you, who always dislikes paperwork, it will be a qualified helper. And the key to control it, I have enclosed with the letter in the envelope. I believe you have already received it.
"Of course, if Teacher dislikes it, there's no problem with destroying it.
"The letter should end here. In truth, I know I should leave something more meaningful, but I still don't know what to write. After all, after committing unforgivable deeds, any words are pale and powerless."
The front of the letter ended here. Lin Ruo pursed his lips and turned the letter paper over, only to see a few lines of text on the back:
"Teacher, I'm sorry."
"Perhaps, back then, you shouldn't have chosen a student like me, who harbored a devil within."
"If Medici is still alive, please apologize to him on my behalf."
"But there's no need to forgive me."
The handwriting of these last few lines was noticeably different from the previous ones, likely written by Alista at a different time.
Lin Ruo's gaze rested on these lines, not moving for a long time. He suddenly laughed, a cold laugh, tinged with a complex and indistinguishable meaning.
"I won't forgive you," Lin Ruo said, as if talking to himself, and yet as if speaking to someone.
"But you're right, casting you out of my mind is a good decision."