Darkness cannot be tolerated under the sun... Should one say Roy is lucky or unlucky?
"Taking the path of 'Faith' to seize the capacity of others is, after all... too dangerous..."
Having listened to Roy detail how he was projected with negative emotions by [Nature] and became so depressed he nearly committed suicide, Zeno glanced cautiously at Maha and said, "It wasn't without reason that your great-grandfather didn't let you take this path back then."
Actively spreading faith and passively spreading fame were two completely different concepts... The former path was wider and broader, yet full of dangers; the latter was a slow stream, far less fast than collecting faith, but it won in terms of safety.
"Zigg took this path back then."
Maha finished his sandwich and spoke calmly... Zeno and Silva remained silent. No one knew the final outcome better than they did, having experienced it personally.
"But, Grandfather's visualization object wasn't the sun."
Silva glanced at Roy and said, "He didn't have as easy a time dealing with the backlash as Roy does."
The sun, born with the characteristic of dispelling darkness... Zeno twirled his white handlebar mustache and said with some approval, "It might be worth a try."
"You've already started walking it, what's there to try?" Maha cast a sideways glance and said grumpily, "All of you, get out\!"
There wasn't enough food to begin with. Didn't they understand the principle of respecting the old and cherishing the young?
Silva glared at Roy, pulled back his chair, and stood up. Zeno shook his head, hunched his back, clasped his hands behind him, and followed... The father and son disappeared in an instant. By the time Gotoh pushed the dining cart back, the entire cart of food had gone into Maha's stomach.
It was a mystery how the old man's withered body could hold so much food. After wiping his plate clean, he cast a faint glance over and said, "Did you think I was joking?"
Maha's expression turned solemn: "I really came to collect your corpse\!"
Roy lowered his head and said nothing.
The old man looked at him quietly for a long while, then reached out and tapped him on the forehead three times: "Can't you enter dreams? See you in the dream tonight."
Roy looked up in surprise... Maha slid directly off the chair, turned to leave, and said with his back to the boy, "Don't look at me. Your father said we should guard against you a bit, so we don't all fall for your tricks."
Roy: "..."
"Yes."
He watched Maha leave, staring out the window thoughtfully...
"Young Master..."
"Young Master..."
At 7:00 AM, the grandfather clock chimed.
Two calls pulled the boy's drifting thoughts back to reality.
Gotoh reminded Roy, "Kastro is here."
*Creak\~* The half-open door swayed in the wind, revealing the white-haired teenager bowing outside.
"Young Master, Kastro reporting for duty\!"
Accompanying Roy on a mission for the first time, Kastro was obviously much more reserved than usual.
In the Heaven's Arena, he was the high-spirited heir of the Tiger Bite Fist. After coming to the Zoldyck family, he trained day and night... He had finally caught an opportunity to go out on a mission with Roy. These past few days, Kastro's nerves had been tight, secretly telling himself that he must perform well, inadvertently putting a lot of pressure on himself.
"Relax." Roy saw through the boy's inner thoughts at a glance and smiled at him. "I have already instructed 'Taiyi'. You just need to listen to his orders."
Kastro was stunned and blurted out, "Am I not going with the Young Master?"
And who is Taiyi?
"It is correct that you are with me." The [Swamp Space] opened, and a tidal flat appeared behind Kastro. The mud surged, revealing another Roy.
A gentle smile always hung on the corner of his mouth as he patted the boy's shoulder.
Kastro looked back. Taiyi nodded slightly to him. He then subconsciously turned his head back; Roy was sitting at the dining table, listening to Gotoh report on the itinerary. Kastro was stunned... A moment later, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he cried out in his heart: 'So cool\!'
It's... a clone\!
'If I could create a clone... then, two against one...'
Kastro looked askance at Gotoh... 'I'd beat him into a pig's head\!'
"Stop thinking about it..." The boy's eyes were as bright as light bulbs, blinding enough to make one unable to open their eyes... Even without using [En] to capture his inner voice, Roy could understand what he was thinking. He said without lifting his head, "For an 'Enhancer' to imitate 'Transmutation' and 'Conjuration' to forcibly create a clone, that is going astray."
"Taiyi, take him down."
"Let's go." Taiyi smiled. "Wait until you develop your 'Nen Ability' first."
"Yes." Kastro buried his head, bowed, suppressed the longing in his heart, and followed closely behind Taiyi, exiting the door and heading straight down the mountain...
*Whoosh\~* A gust of wind came, and the red sun leaped out from the horizon, shining on the two of them, stretching the shadows of the master and servant very long...
Taiyi wore a robe, held a scripture in his hand, and wore a sun pendant on his chest. Compared to the usual Roy, he added one part holiness and three parts gentleness. Walking down the stone steps, he said with his back to Kastro, "If you have something to say, just say it."
Kastro shook his head, throwing away the image of two Roys appearing in his mind at the same time. Weighing his words, he carefully chased after Taiyi's back and asked, "Young Master, I want to know how I can gain your approval?"
"You are fine as you are now..."
"No," Kastro took a deep breath and mustered his courage, "I also want to be like Butler Gotoh, to become the Young Master's right-hand man and receive the Young Master's rewards."
"You peeked at Gotoh's training?" Roy (Taiyi) stopped and looked at the boy with a smile.
Kastro blushed and hurriedly defended himself, "It wasn't peeking, it was watching openly."
"Water Breathing"... "Infinite Pistols"... Kastro thought of how Gotoh practiced with his coins by the pool every day without shying away from him, and said unconvinced, "He knew I was watching."
Then he added silently in his heart: 'He was showing off to me on purpose, to intimidate me\!'
Roy (Taiyi) laughed... Then... "Are you after the recognition, or the reward?"
"I want both\!" Kastro raised his fist without hesitation. "I want the Young Master's reward, and I also want to be the Young Master's personal head butler\!"
[Prompt: Detected one "Potential Believer", awaiting development...]
[Individual Name: Kastro.]
[Loyalty: Absolute Loyalty.]
[Remark: The host can use "Grace" to increase the trust bond with the "Potential Believer" and increase the other party's loyalty.]
What comes after absolute loyalty... Roy received the panel prompt and glanced at Gotoh's panel; "Overflowing Loyalty," willing to give his life for him, was shining brightly\!
The boy gently held the sun pendant on his chest and looked at Kastro with burning eyes: "Do you believe in the sun?"
Kastro was stunned for a moment, took a deep breath, met Roy's gaze, and said in a deep voice, "If the Young Master is that sun, then I believe."
"En." Roy (Taiyi) pointed his fingers lightly at the center of the boy's eyebrows. "It is yours."
Kastro blinked, and a piece of information appeared in his mind, named—"Fire Breathing\!"
The white-haired teenager stood frozen in place, then suddenly called out, "Young Master, wait for me."
He followed closely behind Roy (Taiyi) down the mountain...
It was night.
They boarded the airship to Yorknew City and left the Republic of Padokea.
"Young Master, they should have set off."
At 8:00 PM, with a single lamp burning like a bean, inside the Zoldyck family castle.
Gotoh, having served Roy dinner, checked the time and spoke.
Roy gave a noncommittal hum, passed the night absent-mindedly, lay on the bed, and remembered Maha's instructions from the morning.
Carrying a trace of thought, he entered the dream, arriving once again at the Sea of Cognition. Standing before the colorful dream passages, he stopped to watch for a moment, activated [Dream Parasitism]... found the dream passage belonging exclusively to Maha, and plunged headfirst into it\!
"You came?"
"I came."