The sun does not tolerate darkness beneath it... Should Roy be considered lucky or unlucky?
"Using 'faith' to siphon off others' Sense will ultimately always be too dangerous..."
After carefully listening to Roy's detailed account of how [Nature] projected negative emotions, leading him to near-suicidal depression, Zeno cautiously glanced at Maha and said, "Your great-grandfather didn't take this path for a reason."
Actively spreading faith and passively spreading fame are two entirely different concepts... The former path is wider and broader but fraught with danger, while the latter is slow and steady, not as quick to gather faith but safer.
"Jager took this path back in the day."
Maha finished his sandwich and calmly said... Zeno and Silva both remained silent, knowing the ultimate outcome better than anyone else who experienced it firsthand.
However,
"Grandfather's visualization wasn't the sun."
Silva glanced at Roy and said, "He handled backlash not as easily as Roy."
The sun, naturally endowed with the property of dispelling darkness... Zeno lightly stroked his graying mustache, nodding in agreement and said, "Perhaps it could be tried."
"Having gone this far, what is there to try?" Maha glanced over unhappily and said, "Just all get out of here!"
The food was scarce to begin with; don't you understand the respect for the old and the young?
Silva glared at Roy, pulled out a chair, and stood up,
Zeno shook his head, hunched his back, and followed... The father and son vanished in an instant; by the time Wutong returned with the food cart, all of the food had already gone into Maha's stomach.
The old man's skinny body, who knows how it could hold so much food, after finishing, cast a gloomy glance and said, "Did you think I was joking?"
Maha's expression turned serious: "I'm really here to collect your corpse!"
Roy lowered his head and remained silent.
The old man quietly watched him for a long while, then reached out and tapped his forehead three times: "Aren't you able to Enter the Dream? See you in a dream tonight."
Roy cast a surprised glance... Maha directly slipped off the chair, turned around, and walked away, saying with his back to the young man, "Don't look at me, your dad said to be careful, don't all fall for your tricks."
Roy: "..."
"Indeed."
Watching Maha leave,
He gazed out the window thoughtfully...
"Young Master..."
"Young Master..."
At 7 o'clock in the morning, the clock chimed.
Two calls pulled the young man's drifting thoughts back to reality.
Wutong reminded Roy: "Haseki Dorou has arrived."
"Creak~" The half-open door swayed in the wind, revealing the white-haired young man outside bowing courteously.
"Young Master, Haseki Dorou reporting for duty!"
On his first mission with Roy, Haseki Dorou was noticeably more reserved than usual.
In Heavens Arena, he was the spirited heir of the Tiger Bite Fist, coming to the Zoldyck family, he trained day and night... Finally catching a chance to go on a mission with Roy, Haseki Dorou had been on edge these past few days, silently admonishing himself to perform excellently, subconsciously putting a great deal of pressure on himself.
"Relax." Roy saw through the young man's thoughts with a single glance, smiling as he said to him, "I've already instructed 'Taiyi,' you only need to follow his orders."
Haseki Dorou was taken aback, blurting out, "Isn't it with the Young Master?"
Who is Taiyi?
"It is indeed with me." [Swamp Space] opened, revealing a stretch of marshland behind Haseki Dorou, from which another Roy emerged.
He always carried a gentle smile on his lips, lightly patting the young man's shoulder.
Haseki Dorou turned to look, Taiyi gave him a slight nod, then instinctively turned his head back, seeing Roy sitting by the dining table, listening to Wutong report the itinerary, he was momentarily stunned... Moments later, a pair of eyes suddenly shone brightly, internally exclaiming: "So cool!"
It's... duplication!
'If I could duplicate... then, two against one...'
Haseki Dorou looked to Wutong with a sidelong glance... wouldn't he get beaten to a pulp?
"Stop dreaming..." The young man's eyes shone like light bulbs, dazzling to the point that people couldn't open their eyes... Roy, even without using [En] to capture his thoughts, could understand what he was thinking, saying without raising his head, "'Enhancement' forcing duplications by imitating 'Transformation' and 'Conjuration', that's heading in the wrong direction."
"Taiyi, take him down."
"Let's go." Taiyi smiled, "Wait until you develop your Nenryoku before saying anything more."
"Yes." Haseki Dorou bowed his head, bending slightly, suppressing his inner desire, and following steadily behind Taiyi, leaving the gate, heading straight down the mountain...
"Whoosh~" A gust of wind blew, the red sun leaped out of the horizon, shining on the two men, casting their master and servant shadows long, long...
Taiyi, dressed in robes, holding a scripture, a sun pendant hanging before his chest, compared to the usual Roy, exuded an added sense of holiness and gentleness, stepping down the stone stairs, his back to Haseki Dorou said, "If you have anything to say, just speak."
Haseki Dorou shook his head, shaking off the image of two Roys simultaneously appearing in his mind, pondering over his words, cautiously following Taiyi's back and asking, "Young Master, I want to know how I can earn your recognition?"
"As you are now is already good..."
"No," Haseki Dorou took a deep breath, mustering up the courage to say, "I also want to become like Butler Wutong, to be the Young Master's right-hand man and earn the Young Master's reward."
"Did you sneak a peek at Wutong's training?" Roy (Taiyi) paused, smiling at the young man.
Haseki Dorou blushed, hurriedly clarifying, "It wasn't sneaking, it was watching openly."
"Water Breathing"... "Infinite Revolver"... Haseki Dorou recalled Wutong practicing shooting by the pond every day without any concealment, defiantly saying, "He knows I'm watching."
Finally, he silently added in his heart: "He's doing it on purpose to show off and intimidate me!"
Roy (Taiyi) couldn't help but laugh... Then... "Are you after recognition, or the reward?"
"I want both!" Haseki Dorou unhesitatingly raised his fist: "I want the Young Master's reward, and I also want to be the Young Master's close butler!"
[Prompt: Detecting a 'Potential Believer', ready for development....]
[Individual Name: Haseki Dorou.]
[Loyalty: Absolute loyalty.]
[Note: The host can increase trust bonds with a 'Potential Believer' through 'Grace' to enhance loyalty.]
What lies beyond absolute loyalty... Roy received a panel prompt, glanced at Wutong's panel, and saw "overflowing loyalty" capable of sacrificing life, glimmering brilliantly!
The boy gently held the solar pendant on his chest, gazing intently at Haseki Dorou: "Do you believe in the sun?"
Haseki Dorou was momentarily stunned, taking a deep breath, returning Roy's gaze, and solemnly saying, "If the Young Master is that sun, then I believe."
"Hm." Roy (Taiyi), and with two fingers gently tapped the young man's brow: "It's yours now."
Haseki Dorou blinked, and suddenly an insight appeared in his mind, named—"Fire Breathing!"
The white-haired young man stood there dazed, suddenly saying: "Young Master, wait for me."
Quickly following Roy (Taiyi) down the mountain....
That night.
Boarding a dirigible bound for Yorknew City, leaving the Republic of Padokea behind.
"Young Master, they should have set out by now."
At eight in the evening, a lamp flickered like a bean,
In the Zoldyck family's ancient castle.
After Wutong attended to Roy's dinner, he glanced at the time and spoke.
Roy nonchalantly murmured an agreement, mind elsewhere as he muddled through the night, lying in bed, thinking of Maha's morning instructions.
With a bit of reflection, he entered into the dream, returning to the Sea of Cognition, pausing at the entrance to the multicolored dream pathways, invoking [Dream Projection]... found the path specific to Maha, and plunged headfirst into it!
"You've arrived?"
"I'm here."