41. Gold and Silver
Xiling returned to the conference room, only this time, there were three more people in it. It seems the two people had just woken up, and before the bell even rang, they'd slammed their heads onto the table, snoring almost simultaneously. It was a truly hearty snoring.
Xiling stood on the stage, watching the two people sleeping so soundly below. In that moment, he deeply understood the feelings of the teachers who had to teach in the school while students dozed off.
So, Xiling decisively kicked the two out.
Those two were Luo Tianyi and Houraiji Kyuushou, who were now wandering the streets. Although there wasn't much to see in the current Leyndell Royal Capital.
There were seven people in the conference room. With his pointer, Xiling tapped the large characters in the center of the wooden board: Silver Rule.
Xiling addressed the crowd below, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Silver Rule is not a successor to the Golden Rule, but a complete subversion. Its core lies in 'progress' and 'innovation'!"
Xiling's gaze swept over the audience. His words were slow, but each one carried weight:
"The pursuit of eternity, the desire to freeze time, the locking of all things into a fixed cycle—these are the chronic diseases of old age, the shackles that hinder life from reaching higher possibilities! Therefore—"
He slashed his pointer sharply under the four characters, with an even louder 'snap!'
"'Eternity' is the Silver Rule's primary enemy!"
These words were like a boulder dropped into a calm lake. Corhyn's breath hitched! He instinctively straightened his back, his face filled with a mixture of shock and confusion. As a former researcher of the Golden Rule, "eternity" was the loftiest pursuit under the radiance of the Erdtree, a symbol of the rule's perfection! Now, in the new king's definition, it had become the primary enemy?!
The intense cognitive conflict made it nearly impossible for him to think. His inner doubts boiled like magma, and almost relying on his scholar's instinct, he suddenly raised his hand, his movements even had a touch of anxiety in them:
"Your Majesty!" Corhyn's voice trembled with excitement. "Forgive my intrusion! But I simply cannot understand! Why...why is 'eternity' an enemy? The Golden Rule pursues eternity, ensuring everlasting glory and enduring order! Is pursuing stability and permanence also wrong?"
After asking this question, Corhyn realized what he had done—he had actually questioned the very foundation of the new king's rule!
To Corhyn's surprise, Xiling on the stage showed no sign of anger or irritation. Instead, his bright eyes instantly lit up with excitement, as if he had finally received the question he had been waiting for.
"Good question, Corhyn!" Xiling generously gave him a big, appreciative thumbs-up.
His smile remained, but his eyes grew intensely focused. Xiling didn't immediately respond with a lengthy speech. Instead, he made a move that caught everyone off guard—
He bent down, groped beneath the podium, and then, under everyone's bewildered gaze, he straightened and spread his palm.
In his palm, quietly, lay an object.
It was just an ordinary quill pen.
You can find it everywhere in the Lands Between, the kind of common, cheapest quill pen used by apprentices to copy scriptures and merchants to keep accounts. The penholder looked slightly worn, and the feathers weren't from any rare bird, bearing the marks of long-term use.
"Everyone," Xiling's voice rang out again, his gaze sweeping over the three people from the Lands Between. "How long has this pen existed in the Lands Between? Perhaps even you have long forgotten. It's witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties, the fall and rise of demigods, and even the transformation of rules!"
Xiling's tone suddenly intensified, tinged with doubt: "But even with such a long time, long enough for the world to change, has it had any improvement? Has there been any progress in it? It still looks the same!"
Xiling's gaze pierced Corhyn and Morgott: "Tell me, do you know the reason? Why would a tool that has accompanied civilization for so long be trapped in an eternal, suffocating state of unchanging existence?"
The meeting room went silent, with only the occasional sound of wind passing outside the window. Corhyn opened his mouth, trying to find reasons from various angles, but he was always stuck at some invisible obstacle, unable to form a complete answer.
Morgott remained silent, as if thinking of something, but the thought weighed heavily on his heart, making him unable to express it. In this moment of suspense, a cold, precise, and unwavering voice rang out, like a stone of truth cast into stagnant water:
"Because of the Golden Rule."
These words instantly captured the attention of everyone present. Corhyn stared at his mentor in astonishment. He had never imagined he would so directly and decisively target the once supreme rule!
A smile of understanding and admiration crossed Xiling's face. He raised his thumbs high in the direction of Goldmask again:
"Master, indeed! You hit the nail on the head!"
He clapped his hands, drawing the astonished gaze away from Goldmask. "Alright, everyone, stop staring at the master. Truth is what it is: once revealed, it's incredibly simple."
Xiling's pointer gently tapped the blackboard behind him again. This time, there was no sound of chalk scraping against each other. With a flash of silvery magic, the words "Silver Rule" on the blackboard dissipated and reorganized like ripples, instantly transforming into a giant tree symbol, lush and leafy, radiating an ethereal golden glow—the Erdtree.
The tip of the pointer firmly touched the center of the Erdtree's image.
"Golden Rule," Xiling's voice grew deep and solemn. "This was once the eternal order of the Lands Between, bearing the hopes and prayers of countless beings. People prayed to it, believed in it, anchoring the foundation of everything firmly in its radiance."
Xiling paused, his eyes glancing at Corhyn. "Corhyn just asked, 'What's wrong with this?'" Xiling repeated Corhyn's question, his voice devoid of blame, only a hint of deep thought:
"From the perspective of maintaining order, it's good. It provides stability, a fulcrum of faith, and even, at certain times, brings relative peace."
Xiling's tone suddenly changed, sharpening: "But! It's not good enough! Far from good enough! Because it lacks the most essential thing—a 'beacon' that guides the future!"
Xiling's voice suddenly rose: "It's because there's no guidance! No pursuit of a 'better' state! All of you, the entire civilization of the Lands Between, are stuck in the 'eternity' of the Golden Rule, stagnating without compromise or progress!"
Xiling's gaze, like a blazing star, pierced everyone below, especially Morgott and Corhyn: "Tell me, the Lands Between's most glorious era—the Golden Age! The great Queen Marika the Eternal ended the conflict and unified the Lands Between! And then what?!"
Xiling's question struck everyone like a hammer. "What did the Queen lead you to do after that? After establishing the dominance of the Golden Rule, what did she promote for the advancement of civilization? Throughout the long scroll of history, what tangible progress did she—or rather, what tangible progress did the Lands Between elites under the Golden Rule—promote?!"
Xiling looked at the crowd: "I am not disparaging Her Majesty Queen Marika's achievements. She ended the chaos, and her greatness is unquestionable. But I am the new king, and I must clearly explain the pros and cons of her rule! The Golden Rule's drawback is that it creates a false sense of 'eternity', paralyzing the spirit of progress!"
He looked around at the crowd and delivered a shocking conclusion: "Since Queen Marika's reign, the Lands Between seems to have fallen into eternal 'peace' and 'stability,' but is that truly the case?" He struck the golden tree pattern with his pointer, echoing dully. "No! Absolutely not! It's a terrible stagnation! A civilization's slumber! Even more terrifying thing is..."
Xiling's tone was icy and cruel: "Time, under that false eternal glory, has not only failed to advance, but in some ways—it has begun to regress!"
Xiling's cold words, "It has begun to regress," were like the last stone dropped into a lake, stirring up ripples so heavy they were suffocating. Corhyn's face was pale, his lips trembling, as if he wanted to defend that glorious era, but was suffocated by the cruel logic of reality.
A complex and inexplicable light flashed in Morgott's eyes—an instinctive defense of a denied era, yet also a vague, yet unspoken, painful identification with the suffocating pain he had felt during those long years of stagnation.
Xiling's gaze swept over the two of them, his tone unrelenting: "But the root cause of this stagnation is not solely the fault of Queen Marika."
Xiling's voice echoed in the silent conference room. "That was the choice of the times, the result of the collective choice of all beings living in that era—including you."
Xiling looked out the window. "What was the Lands Between like before? Filled with primal slaughter, chaotic disorder, and the fear of constant uncertainty! Marika was the one who ended that dark age, the sharp blade that split the chaos! She established order, bringing unprecedented unity and peace. This feat will immortalize her name and be remembered forever by future generations!"
Xiling's voice was filled with unquestionable respect, but then the subject shifted.
"It is precisely because of this that the Golden Rule she established has earned people's almost blind trust and reliance. People regard 'eternity' as the most precious gift bestowed by the Queen. They are content with it, fearing the uncertainty that any change might bring."
Marika, blindly trusted by the people, failed to guide them forward. Perhaps it was due to a lack of time, or perhaps there are other considerations. As Xiling's final words fell, the entire room fell silent...
Only one person, his presence, remained as steady as a rock amidst this storm of thoughts, as if untouched by any emotional ripples.
Without hesitation or emotion, Goldmask's voice rang out again, precisely posing the central question:
"So, what about your Silver Rule?"
"How will you move it forward?"
Goldmask, the only person, without a single inflection, once again asked, "So, what about your Silver Rule? How will you move it forward?"
Buzz!
Magic power surged once more, and the golden tree pattern, like a sand painting blown away by a strong wind, rapidly disintegrated and reassembled! —Silver Rule!
Xiling's palm slammed heavily beside the four characters 'Silver Rule!'
"The path forward lies in these four words! Within this Silver Rule!"
His piercing gaze swept across the room, finally resting on the expressionless face of Goldmask. "The 'beacon' that the Golden Rule lacks, the Silver Rule must ignite it! And it must burn eternally!"
Xiling's voice was unwavering: "Progress requires direction! Civilization requires guidance! No matter which king rules Leyndell in the future, no matter how the times change, people must possess an eternal guidance that transcends the individual and transcends time! That is—"
"One Step Further!"
"The name of this beacon is 'One Step Further'!"
Xiling's voice, with its unquestionable declaration, echoed through the conference room.
"Want blessings? Then advance! Want power? Then advance!"
"Even the most ordinary farmer, artisan, scholar, warrior... as long as one embarks on the path of seeking 'better,' the Silver Blessing will be equally bestowed upon everyone!"
"It bestows favor not based on noble blood, nor based on great strength!" Xiling opened his arms, as if embracing the invisible future.
"It only considers one thing—whether you are taking a step towards 'a step further!' This is the cornerstone of the Silver Rule, and its greatest promise!"
Xiling's words made Corhyn's eyes sparkle with disbelief. Morgott trembled slightly, as if overwhelmed by this unprecedented concept of "equality." At this moment, the cold, unmoved voice of Goldmask echoed again: "The Rule provides a direction for man to move forward... a path never before imagined."
He paused, then turned his golden face toward Xiling and posed a question: "Such a radical change... would the gods approve?"
Xiling chuckled, a laugh devoid of contempt: "The gods?"
Xiling shook his head slightly. "From the moment the Elden Ring is restored to its full form, there will no longer be any 'container' for the Elden Ring."
Xiling's gaze seemed to penetrate the dome of the royal city, gazing at the silver tree: "There is only one in the world... The Elden Ring—an Elden Ring bearing the Silver Rule! It is no longer controlled by any individual will, be it human or so-called god."
Xiling raised his hand, pointing to the location of the Silver Erdtree: "It will forever and independently operate at the heart of that tree, like the cornerstone and heart of the world, maintaining the order of the Silver Rule! Its rules are the pulse of the world, and its 'One Step Further' is the direction of all things."
Xiling withdrew his gaze and looked directly at Goldmask again: "Such a result... Such a cornerstone of future order, Master, are you satisfied?"
The conference room fell silent, and the air seemed to freeze.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
Goldmask slowly rose from his seat. He stood straight.
The moment he stood up—
Buzz!
A silvery glow, without warning, shone from Goldmask. Amidst this silvery glow, Goldmask lowered its masked head slightly toward Xiling, offering an unmistakable bow of recognition and submission!
His cold, emotionless voice, at that moment, seemed to carry a hint of inexplicable understanding and decision: "Please allow me to join you."
"Join the creation of the 'Scripture' that will guide the future."
"Please also allow me to join you... in the battle to lay the foundation for this new order."
Xiling's lips curled up. "It is an honor, Master."