Original God's Dark Priest

Chapter 913 Living is Meaningful

In the eyes of those who hold hope, death is not tragic, not even the end, and not worthy of mourning.

For them, death is simply a place they will eventually reach, a stage that everyone must go through in life, so they neither shy away from it nor fear it.

Mavica was already aware of this; she regarded her death as a bargaining chip and placed it carelessly on the gambling table called Nata.

Night Goddess had clearly anticipated this, saying, "The key part of the plan now is to use the six tribal heroes to liberate the power that Shibarak obtained from the Reign of the Dead."

Since it is her power, the price to use it is self-evident: death.

"So, Mavica will die in this war against the Abyss?" This was the only possibility that Xining could think of.

Yagami confirmed her guess: "Yes."

“Safir…did you hear that? Even so, are you just going to stand by and do nothing?” Sitrali knew that Safir hadn’t left, and she couldn’t possibly leave.

Saffir remained silent, not answering, as she pondered what to do next and how to arrange things.

Would it be advantageous for her if Mavika died?

The answer is no. Winning over a deity is not easy, and she had already done a lot to win over Mavica. There was no reason for her to just watch her die.

But... how to fight against the rule of death is a problem.

The Four Shadows cannot attack living beings on Earth without restraint, but this time they have crossed a line. If she insists on confronting the Reign of Death because of Mavka's death, she will definitely suffer the consequences.

After a long silence, she finally spoke softly: "I've already said it, do what you're supposed to do, and leave the rest... to me."

Yes, let's fight! Who's afraid of who? Even if we die, we'll live forever! I'm just a worthless life, so let's fight if you dare!

"She...agrees?" Xinoning was a little unsure. That was the Reign of Death, after all. Was this guy really that adamant? Was she just putting on airs?

Before she could continue speaking, Saffir appeared, his face expressionless, only with a deathly indifference: "The most important thing for a person to do is to figure out what they should do and what they can do."

Whether Mavica lives or dies, you have no power to stop it, so why waste your energy on this?

Do your job well and strive to steer everything toward the most favorable outcome—that's what every individual in a group, a nation, should consider.

“…” Xinoning originally wanted to ask if there was anything she could do to help, but after hearing this, she understood that there was no point in asking.

She began to hate the Riddler.

Yagami seemed used to this: "Sethrally, you've always been concerned about this, but don't forget that a person is destined to die. It may sound like a part of fate, but death and my fate are not the same in essence."

Fate foretells what will happen in the future; the time, place, and plot are all predetermined. But death is different; it is a rule.

The power of the Death Order will help Mavica overcome the formidable enemy, the Abyss, but she must sacrifice herself in the process.

“It’s also possible that it won’t happen during the process, but after everything has settled down,” Saffir corrected.

The demon race excels at making soul contracts, granting you wealth, power, love, freedom, and even a degree of immortality.

The price is that your soul will be taken away by it after you die.

Some people might wonder, if someone is immortal, will they still die?

That's for sure. After all, immortality is a curse. When you get old, your physical functions decline, your friends leave you one by one, you can't feel any joy in this world, and your vision, hearing, and taste begin to have problems.

Your mind becomes confused and hazy; you no longer know the meaning of your life. At that point, you will seek out the demon with whom you made a deal and offer up your soul.

Demons have plenty of patience and time; they are the most qualified hunters.

Saffir, whose body was filled with demonic blood, was well aware of this and could roughly guess the thoughts of the Reign of Death.

She slightly curled the corners of her lips: "What she wants is not necessarily a dead Vulcan, but definitely a soul of great significance, and such a soul, no matter who it is, is enough to pay the 'reward'."

“I think your guess might be correct,” Yagami agreed. “She doesn’t care about the time or form of death, but she will make sure that death happens.”

My lord, do you already know how to avoid this?

"Now you're calling me 'My Lord' again?" Saffir scoffed at the Night God's fickleness. "Why should we avoid it? It's just death, isn't it? I've died countless times. It's not such a terrible thing."

She spoke lightly, but a vague unease lingered in her heart, because she felt that something important had been overlooked, yet she couldn't quite recall it.

Shaking his head, Saffir didn't continue thinking about it: "It involves the rules, so it's not something you can handle. I told you, leave this to me, and I'll come up with a suitable solution."

"Could the glow be of some use?" Citrari asked, worried that Saphir might not be able to withstand it.

Saffir laughed when he heard this: "The only special thing about Luminous is her identity as a Descendant. Everyone knows that the Traveler is a Descendant, but what you don't know is... I am also a Descendant."

"You actually..." Xinoning was stunned. This was the first time she had ever heard that Saffir was a Descendant. In fact, very few people knew about it.

Those who knew the truth were only a few members of the Witches' Guild, a few earthly rulers, and a few Fool's Enforcers who had a good relationship with Saphir.

This information had never been disclosed before, and its revelation by Saffir today was quite a shock to Xinoning and Sitrali.

Saffir ignored their astonished expressions and continued, "Descendants do not enter the ley lines, and the rules of Teyvat do not fully apply to them. Therefore, when it comes to matters of the rules, Descendants have an inherent advantage."

But you must also understand that what is called destiny is something that will definitely happen. Even if you use the characteristics of the Descendants to forcibly change some nodes, it will still lead to the same result in the end.

To put it more simply, since the outcome of this plan is that Mavika will die, by informing Ying in advance and having her mediate, we can postpone Mavika's death, at most allowing her to hold on until the end of the war.

But the final outcome won't change; she will still die. It's predetermined. If we want to tamper with this, we need to use what I just mentioned: replace Mavica with a soul of immense weight. This is the key to avoiding her demise.

“But where can we find such a soul? No, that’s not right, I should say…” Xinoning subconsciously considered the possibility of this, but immediately dismissed it, “No one could accept this, right?”

Who would choose to die when they could live a good life?

“Yes, isn’t that cruel to the replacement as well?” Night God understood what Saffir meant, and she sighed, “The method is ingenious, a path I never imagined, and it’s beyond my capabilities.”

Please forgive me, but I cannot offer you any assistance in this matter.

"It's ridiculous to find one person willing to sacrifice themselves to exchange for the life of another who is willing to sacrifice themselves, as if death were something so great and glorious."

"Mavika herself has accepted it, and we're still thinking about how to protect her..." Saffir pouted; she didn't like this feeling.

This made her feel somewhat hopeless about the world.

Sitale clenched her fists tightly, her eyes fixed on the ground ahead: "I can't accept it. Isn't she supposed to be that strong? She always finds a way to overcome difficulties; she never gives up..."

She's simply not the kind of person who can accept death peacefully!

Her voice was so loud that even Saffir chose to remain silent at that moment.

Sitale gave a wry smile: "Ying... and Mavica have a very similar temperament, almost like sisters. Their eyes, their actions, are very similar in many ways..."

"So, you think that if they join forces, they can definitely defeat this Abyss invasion?" Saffir glanced at her sideways.

Sitella nodded silently. That was exactly what he thought; he believed that if they joined forces, they could overcome even death.

Saffir nodded slightly: "Then let me see how much power the two of them can unleash when they join forces."

"Perfect timing. It's not a good time for me to take action these days. I have plenty of time to watch them overcome death."

"I will also wait and see without expecting anything in return. For me, time is running out, and it would be my honor to witness humanity's shining moments when they fight with everything they have." Yagami's tone was somber, seemingly unconvinced.

Saffir frowned and snapped, "What nonsense are you spouting? I'm still here. Do you think I'd let you die? That would be a slap in my face!"

"Me too! Lord Yagami, humanity has not forgotten your contributions. After we solve the Abyss, we will definitely find a way to keep you alive," Sitrali solemnly swore.

The Night God was speechless for a moment before saying, "Well... I'm sorry, I misspoke. I have great faith in my Lord's power, and your attitude makes me very happy."

But... I've lived for far too long... so long that I've almost forgotten my age. How long am I going to live? Ten years? A hundred years? A thousand years? Or ten thousand years?

My dear friend... many times, the words "to live" are much harder to say than "to die."

I think you can see that the Kingdom of Night will eventually disappear, humanity will still face the abyss together, and in the end, everything will cease to exist… So, in our eyes, how much meaning does it really have?”

“I don’t know what the meaning of life is, or rather, the search for the meaning of life is a false proposition. To live is to live, and to live is to have meaning. Your thinking is wrong. I suggest you wake up before you think about it.” Saffir wouldn’t dwell on such a topic.

She'd considered enough philosophical questions; now she just wanted to focus on more practical issues.

Xinoning bit her lip. She suddenly found the words of this Fool's Enforcer quite amusing, and he almost made her laugh.

She coughed lightly, then adopted a serious expression: "Even if tomorrow is the end of the world, humanity will still strive to survive. That's what makes us different."

“That’s right!” Seth Lari gave Hino Ning a thumbs up.

As Yagami looked at the three people before her—one who had lived for millions of years yet still had a passion for life, and two who were willing to risk their lives for their country and the world—she admitted that she was moved.

“Well, every time this happens, I feel envious, and it also makes me feel a renewed sense of identity with the mission I bear. My creator was right. Take this, it's my gift. It's part of my will, and it can record that traveler's experiences on this land, whether they belong to the past or the future.” The Night God's voice trembled almost imperceptibly.

Saffir could tell that giving this thing had plunged Night God back into a state of life as fragile as a candle flickering in the wind.

Night God paused for a moment, then continued, "With this, we can create the ancient name you desire, making her a hero forever remembered by the Nata people."

Xinoning was somewhat moved: "Thank you. You are already so weak, and we still have to rely on your strength."

“Thank you so much,” Sitaleie said sincerely.

There was a hint of pleasure in Yagami's tone: "You're welcome. To an angel, this is just a trivial contribution."

"Let's go back quickly, it's getting dark."

“Okay, let’s go.” Citrali nodded, looking at Shinonen and Saffir.

Shinonin also planned to leave, but Saffir did not move.

Sitella and Xinoning exchanged a glance, and then they heard the Night God say, "My Lord, please stay with me a little longer. We need some space to talk about our own things."

“Okay, you guys go ahead, I’ll be back soon,” Saffir said, and Cetalli and Shinonin didn’t insist and left.

Only Night God and Sapphire remained in the cave.

They remained silent, neither of them speaking first.

After a long while, it was Saffir who brought up the topic first: "Shinonin and Sitrali won't die."

She didn't use a question, but rather a very certain one.

Yagami said quite frankly, "Yes, I will pay the price for forging the ancient name. This time, the craftsman's life will not be required."

"How much longer do you have?" Saffir abruptly changed the subject again.

Yagami did not answer immediately this time, but was thinking or rather, observing.

After a while, she said, "I don't know. From the moment you gave me life, our destinies, which had long been severed, have become intertwined again. I... cannot see through anything related to you, including myself."

“That’s a good thing.” Saffir nodded slightly.

If you can't see clearly, it means there's still a long time to go, long enough to obscure fleeting thoughts, long enough for even the consciousness of the Night God to be submerged in this long and profound tide.

Night God sighed softly: "But that was the tide of your destiny. I was submerged after only a slight touch, leaving only bewilderment."

"It's good to be confused sometimes, even if you're a bit lost. A life that's too clear-headed is too boring, isn't it?" Saffir smiled, seemingly quite satisfied with the current situation.

After thinking for a moment, she added, "Since they can handle Ying's ancient name, then I should also get myself an ancient name..."

“Why not hand it over to Mavica? She would be more than happy to do so, since she thinks she was going to die anyway.” Yagami said this, his words ambiguous.

Saffir shook his head: "I can do this myself. After all, the so-called ancient name is just a vessel that stores the original owner's aura and concept."

From a macro perspective, this is essentially an anchor point, allowing the souls of the dead, who should have been wandering, to gather together. It's not a particularly sophisticated method; it's easy to imitate. However, the environment of the Night God's Kingdom is a major problem…

"With the protection of the archangel, do you still need this resurrection item?" Night God asked, somewhat puzzled.

Saffir raised his eyes slightly, looking at the Night God's true form through the endless void: "There is something in this world called an admission ticket. Without an ancient name, even I would not be able to penetrate the Night God's Kingdom with my flesh and blood."

The last time I was able to enter was because of the ancient name of Kazina.

I am a descendant, unable to enter the earth's veins, not even in my spiritual form. But with this, I can evade the laws of this world.

Mavica and the others solved Ying's problem by accident while taking safety precautions, but I still don't have a solution for myself.

Furthermore, if I'm going to ask Mavica to repay a favor, what I need is something more useful, not this kind of decoration that's practically a disposable item, isn't it?"