Super Righteous Player
Chapter 866 - 403 Path of Good

Chapter 866: Chapter 403 Path of Good

—— Specimen preservation technology.

Not in the form of text, nor video, and certainly not experience.

But like the principle of nightmare generation, it froze an entire era in time.

"Because there is no main quest in this public nightmare, and thus, no ’experience’ can be gained even if one leaves... it will not be purified."

Lin Yiyi explained to Hilda.

"... But like a nightmare, it requires a soul to support it, right?"

Hilda hesitated: "And to support a nightmare of this scale, I’m afraid it’s not something a few souls can suffice..."

"It doesn’t matter."

Atalante shook her head beside her: "Not everyone will die, but everyone will hope to be chosen. It’s a contribution, as well as a sacrifice, without a doubt the ’greatest way to die’."

"Is this... the Path of Good?"

It was Jiu’er who suddenly asked.

Atalante was taken aback by the question and immediately looked over.

She seemed astonished and was speechless for a long time.

Jiu’er had seen the term when casually reading books copied from dragons’ scrolls.

To the Elves, "deities" were not exalted beings worthy of worship. Such a notion was more characteristic of the ignorant people of Aesirland.

Elves refer to these transcendent beings who ascend in the realm of light as "Lords." They are the holders of power, not the guides of spirit.

Their faith was largely related to dragons.

Aside from the "greatest fire" represented by the forge father, which is the "flame path," there was also the "winter way"...which is the "frost path." Then there were the more niche beliefs, specifically the "Path of Good."

Elves who believed in the "greatest fire" saw themselves as "hammers" and "anvils," shapers of others’ lives in the "greatest fire." As a result, those who believed in the greatest fire often chose to become mentors or philosophers.

Meanwhile, Elves who followed the "winter way" placed more emphasis on tradition — family, race, nation, world. They upheld laws and norms, enjoying a peaceful and unchanging life, detesting "actions of passion" with no meaning, believing that purifying one’s soul and abiding by universally accepted rules would make one’s desires become placid and profound, bringing about a life of "eternal winter"–like tranquility.

Their origins were usually associated with law, military, and politics, opting to become defenders or punishers of the law, or to become soldiers, or to become Lords.

Selecting officials based on moral standard and reverence for the law — even throughout the entire history of the Aesirland continent, only the Elves did so.

The method of Elf rule resembled a "philosopher-king" political structure.

The "Emperor" was responsible for formulating and revising all laws, not concerned with any specific affairs, while each institution, each locality, only needed to follow the rules set by the Emperor, executing specific tasks and providing upward feedback, thereby continuously perfecting the laws.

Under these circumstances, a rare philosophical notion...or rather, a special belief emerged.

During the Imperial period, this belief had no formal missionary organization, thus it was exceedingly rare. It was not a result of mainstream belief’s suppression but because this idea itself did not possess the propagative nature like the other two.

The "greatest fire" was the "striver" among Elves, who believed that "to become stronger one must endure hardships" — a concept common for the later generations of Aesirland, yet for Elves with curse ability technology, it represented a moral view.

And the frost path was even the origin of Elven organizational and unity thoughts. Perhaps there might be Elves who did not like to strive, thus despising the greatest fires’ philosophy... but there were almost no Elves who completely rejected the frost path.

That unique "non-dragon-worshipping idea" was only recorded by scholars who studied Elven culture after the destruction of the Empire — this ideology was what the Elves called the "Path of Good."

They did not worship the two most powerful and ancient "Dragon Lords," namely the Old Grandmother and Forge Father, and thus did not partake in their intellectual essence.

Their belief was, "Since dragons are Dual Aspects, the more chaotic the society, the more rampant a dragon’s desires; the more peaceful, the more a dragon tends to slumber, the milder their temperament. Therefore, the philosophical view held by dragons cannot be directly applied to elven society."

They placed greater importance on the concepts of the "greatest way to live" and the "greatest way to die."

Jiu’er remembered this because this idea... actually bore some resemblance to the utilitarianism practiced by players.

The adherents of the "Path of Good" believed that Elves, as the soul race of silver, were fundamentally good at heart. Yet possessing a good heart did not necessarily lead to good deeds... because they each had their own lives, their own difficulties.

So, it was up to them to perform "good deeds" on behalf of these people.

It wasn’t necessary to consider "the thoughts behind a certain action" or whether one wanted to do it themselves; as long as it was beneficial in its outcome, then it was a permissible act; and if over the long term it proved to be extremely beneficial, then this was the "Ultimate Act of Good."

They were generally givers. They dedicated their entire lives to the cause of "good fruits," sacrificing their lives, a commitment they called "The Life of Greatest Good."

For example, traveling to areas not covered by the curse network to teach "barbaric tribes" technology and culture, building fortresses in the most desolate places, paving roads, constructing levees.

Even in death, they would strive to find a "place of sacrifice" where their death could bring more benefits to others—this was the "Death of Greatest Good."

In the philosophy of the "Path of Good," a person who achieved "The Life of Greatest Good" was the greatest; one who achieved "The Death of Greatest Good" was the most fortunate.

But the "Path of Good" also suppressed an individual’s self. They would do things they initially didn’t want to do, simply because those things would yield better returns... including marrying someone without mutual love, engaging in an unwanted profession, not being able to go home when they should, not being able to die when it was time to die. Their happiness was pursued in the moment of "leaving the world."

They did not care about personal happiness or reputation, only in pursuing "results."

—Just like players.

Among the followers of the "Path of Good," there were also a very small number who were incomprehensible to others—like the supporter of the abolition of the curse network, "Ernest Flamel."

"...It seems that in the future, the Path of Good continues to be passed down."

Atalante said with some relief, "Then this means that specimen preservation technology has its significance."

...No, actually not.

Jiu’er opened her mouth, but ultimately did not reveal the truth.

Lin Yiyi knew what Jiu’er was thinking.

So she immediately took over the conversation and asked, "We’ve heard that you are the holder of the Heart of Justice in this generation.

"And we happen to have a friend who desires the Heart of Justice... and another friend, the inheritor of your Storm’s power. But her inheritance seems incomplete..."

At first, Atalante listened quite seriously.

But upon hearing the rest, she suddenly paused.

She clenched her right hand tightly, her whole person visibly drifting off for a moment.

"...The inheritor of the Storm’s power?"

Atalante murmured.

She pursed her lips, furrowed her brows, and fell into complete silence.

It was only then that Lin Yiyi belatedly realized she might have said something wrong...

Because Atalante’s and Maria’s Storm powers both originated from the Book of Truth, "Storm and Heart’s Canticle."

Being able to inherit Storm’s power implied that Atalante had not ascended successfully.

—This was also the part that Lin Yiyi found strange.

If Atalante had not succeeded in her ascent, then she shouldn’t have any experience to share with Maria...

But by now, it was too late for regrets.

Clarifying the matter would at least eliminate any wholly pointless misunderstandings. It would prevent taking back incorrect information.

So, she steeled herself and still said, "Yes, the inheritor of ’Storm and Heart’s Canticle.’

"But the power she wields seems to be far less compared to yours... Is this related to your possession of the Heart of Justice? Or to put it another way, is the ’heart,’ this part of the sacred relics, a necessary condition for activating the full power of ’Storm and Heart’s Canticle’?"

Lin Yiyi very clearly posed all the questions she had brought with her.