"You are the sacrifice, aren't you? So his descent is near!" The voice of that gigantic eye rang in Xiaobing's mind, shocking him with the discovery of something only he and the entity knew. Just as he wanted to say something via telepathy... the artifact interrupted him, saying, "Is this your only wish? Hmm, then I must grant it for you!" After uttering those words, it directed its gaze towards the ground, then towards the sky, east, west… it looked in every direction before saying: "Disperse!" in the language of the Aelithians.
"Wait! What do you mean by that?" Xiaobing shouted but suddenly felt two auras approaching his and James's location at great speed.. Xiaobing used his ability and saw it was Lokehart and Lizzy. The mention of Lizzy sent a shiver through his body, which had lost all its shadows, and the Abyss Pistol had turned into a ring after that massive explosion from using the Black Hole.
"What are you saying?" James spoke while looking at Xiaobing, who was leaning on him… Then he too sensed the approach of Lokehart and Lizzy.
Xiaobing opened his mouth to say something, but that false world suddenly collapsed, and he felt he was no longer in the sky but on a dark street. The iron poles holding the gas lanterns emitted a faint hiss like sleeping snakes, casting their flickering orange glow onto the stone-paved gutters of the street.
"Oh, we're on Dark Lantern Street!" James spoke suddenly, pulling Xiaobing out of his contemplation of the scene before him.
"Dark Lantern Street? Why are street names so weird in this city!" said Xiaobing, looking at the empty street ahead, where only a few poor people were sleeping under the light poles, presumably thinking it would warm them a little. He continued, "I think your dear prince should check on the conditions of his people instead of spending money building palaces!"
"First, street names aren't weird; they're named that way because of an unforgettable story that happened there! Second, don't call him your prince! He's our prince. Third, you're right! He should check on this poverty-stricken neighborhood! But who would have expected our dear devil to have a compassionate heart!" James replied while supporting Xiaobing as they walked.
"Even if a strange or old story happened here! You shouldn't name a street something weird like Dark Lantern? As for you calling me compassionate, I don't know what to say anyway!" Xiaobing replied lazily.
"Yes… I know this very well!" James smiled while looking ahead.
Xiaobing looked at James and saw him smiling, so he said to him, "What's there to smile about? It's of no use now. We've lost the trail of the puppet left by the serial killer, and also the trail of the priest and that bishop!" It was true that Xiaobing's whole body ached, but he hadn't told the truth when he told James he'd been affected by the Pillaging Flame! He didn't want to tell him the truth and about the clues given to him by that puppet person; he could only keep up the act. He continued, "I know it's a fake smile, so don't trouble yourself explaining it to me!"
"Man! You're really amazing, but you look even more amazing with this Path, to be able to detect my act! Haha, that's great!" James laughed spontaneously while praising Xiaobing.. and continued, "What I'm doing isn't without benefit; it's something that increases my progress through the tiers and helps me break through levels quickly!"
"Do you mean the acting method?" Xiaobing replied, unsurprised.
"Well, you could say it's called acting! It's one of the ancient methods from the old epochs, and it helps a lot with advancement!" James replied in a casual tone.
"Embodiment?… And it's an old method? That seems really interesting!" Xiaobing spoke and quickly continued, "Let me guess how it works. Is it about playing a specific role? But you must not forget yourself?" Xiaobing had read a specific novel where this method happened to be one of its key pillars.
"No… That's not how it works. There are three pillars you must focus on in the future, and as a beginner, you must know these three important things to advance quickly! And before you refuse or ask me why I'm telling you… simply because you're my partner, so don't object!" James said in a serious tone. He continued, "First, there's Philosophical Embodiment, Cognitive Perception, and the Existential Sacrifice!"
'And who told you I'd refuse to receive important information like this? These three pillars seem terrifyingly coordinated and organized, and I don't know why? The existence of Philosophical Embodiment is inevitable with Paths or Levels, but… what did he mean by me being wrong earlier? Does the Embodiment method work differently? Don't tell me it's inverted like history!' Xiaobing thought deeply to himself, then said, "And what's the purpose of these three pillars?"
"Hahaha, there's more than one way to ascend in levels, but… I told you it's the oldest and most effective!" James replied before continuing, "And it just so happens you're using one of these methods! Namely, the Philosophical Embodiment method, as you say demonic words but your actions are the opposite!"
"Is that what you meant earlier when you said my words were wrong? And why are you giving me words I already know about myself?" asked Xiaobing.
"Yes, you know yourself well, and this can help you advance more quickly. The answer to your first question is… Philosophical Embodiment involves playing a specific role, but you must be extremely deep in your performance, and contrary to what you said earlier, you must completely forget your old self, otherwise the Embodiment may fail!" James said while looking at Xiaobing.
"What are you saying? Unbelievable! Why would even the acting for advancing from one level to another be inverted from what I know?" Xiaobing exclaimed while asking, then continued, "But the idea of forgetting oneself seems more desirable than despicable!"
"Why don't you go ask the first person who invented the inverted acting method? Also, I don't know how I learned about it in the future, but we follow Paths without any inherent different abilities and they don't follow any logical sequence at all!" James replied, annoyed, and continued, "And what are you saying? That the idea of abandoning one's former self is more desirable than despising it?
This method would only be desirable for people who have done horrific, unforgivable things in their lives! But for people who have family or friends or whatever! They would be required to abandon this life of theirs and play roles they never wanted, and also, this Embodiment goes against your Path's abilities! For example, if you have clown abilities! You must do things contrary to those abilities, like becoming a psychiatrist!"
'Ah! So that's how it works with the Philosophical Embodiment method. I have to go and do things contrary to my abilities! Now I understand why the entity said, 'You'll be a psychiatrist suffering from psychological ailments in this process,' when I told him I would observe and manipulate James!.. As for him saying it's desirable for criminals!
No, that's not correct. Rather, it's a great blessing bestowed upon power-bearers because some of them will suffer from madness, turn into monsters, or die solely due to the side effects of their abilities!' Xiaobing thought to himself and didn't care about the people who would be required to leave everything behind; he saw it as a sacrifice for power! If he wanted power, why would he hold back at that time?
"Yes, I believe it wouldn't be a problem for me, to be fair, because I consider human relationships mere nonsense and a burden in the face of obtaining power!" Xiaobing fell silent, letting his words sink in, then quickly said, "But for you, I don't think it's pleasant!"
Xiaobing's final words stabbed the sensitive place inside James and left him silent as they walked on the sidewalk, with James supporting Xiaobing.
....
End of Chapter ~ To Be Continued