Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 939 - 56 The Soul Born from Books

Chapter 939: Chapter 56 The Soul Born from Books

"Of course, we are born from books." This time, Catheria did not conceal much and answered directly, "Books have become the vessel for our stories. The more people see them, the more who know about us, the more who like us. Consequently, more people wish for us to truly exist, and thus, we really do exist."

"This method... it seems very familiar." Pannis stroked his chin, pondering as he spoke, "Aside from those ancient primal deities, some rule-based deities seem to have been born this way as well."

"I never said that," Catheria narrowed her eyes with a smile, her expression full of the clergy’s characteristic cunning and mystery. "These are your words. To think you dare to speak of such matters, it is disrespectful to the deities, you know. Be careful of Divine Punishment."

"Hey, hey, that’s too much," Pannis said with a pained expression as he rolled his eyes. "What kind of way to shift the blame is this?"

"Hehe, just kidding." Catheria pursed her lips, laughing joyfully, "But indeed, our existence is for that reason. So, even though the form of our existence differs from that of the deities, from a certain perspective, we are actually quite similar to some of the deities. The only difference is that we are much weaker than the deities because our birth does not stem from faith but from affirmation and desire, which are vastly different. Therefore, we cannot reach the heights of the deities."

"So, you mean to say, those of you who once existed were, after death, reawakened by people’s affirmation?" Pannis asked with some confusion, "That would be crossing the boundary between life and death, right?"

"You are mistaken. We are not reawakenings. Your hope is predestined to be disappointed," Catheria shook her head, "We are not the previously real-existing individuals. We are entirely new beings, reborn from people’s affirmation, using those individuals as prototypes. Essentially, we have no relation to the originals. So, trying to use this method to awaken the person you wish to is utterly impossible. Even if she were to be ’awakened,’ she would not be the same person. Furthermore, do you think it’s that easy? Have you not noticed that every one of us emerges from books with centuries of history? Why do you think that is? It is because, apart from needing a tremendous amount of affirmation, our birth also requires a long period of evolution, and there is a significant chance of failure, meaning, some luck is necessary too."

"I wasn’t thinking of awakening anyone, I was just curious," Pannis said as he turned his head away, muttering awkwardly, but he continued with his question, "However, when that elf priestess Tifa saw Flare, she mentioned a series of numbers, which only the real Tifa would know. If she possessed that part of the memory, how can you say she’s not the original person?"

"Even if she retains unique memories, she is still not the same. It’s because the people who affirmed us ’believed’ she should know about that matter, and so she did. People’s will is very strong, strong enough to create us out of nothing," Catheria explained patiently, "Just like Diana, she still remembers the landscape of her homeland, the names of every single one of her direct subordinates, but are those truly her memories? No, it is because people think she should know these things. But in the real world, do we actually still remember those details? What are our real personalities? Is Isabella truly a soul-devourer? Did Blood Girl actually consume the blood and flesh of her enemies? When I sacrificed my life for the God of Light, was I really without any grievances? Nobody knows, not even we ourselves."

"That’s quite problematic," Pannis mused, "Based on your stories or novels, people think of you in a certain way, and so, you become that way. But what if their perceptions conflict? For example, you... never mind, take Isabella. Some believe she was simply vilified due to political strife, but others think that might not be slander and she indeed devours souls. Surely, there can’t be two Isabellas."

"Do you know how much effort I had to put into placating her to prevent her from coming out to bite you? Why, even while discussing such serious matters, do you still find ways to provoke others to hit you?" Catheria sighed heavily, shaking her head helplessly as she explained, "Let’s put it this way, the rule-based deities born from people’s faith face the same issue. Actually, the answer is quite simple. When we come into existence, all cognitive conflicts undergo an automatic correction process, with the majority’s belief taking precedence as the truth, while the minority’s belief is automatically discarded. If there’s no absolute majority with one side holding dominance and the perceptions are not significantly divergent between the parties, the world’s rules will follow some inexplicable regulation, even beyond the comprehension of mortals or deities, to choose one of them, thus facilitating the birth of a deity."

"Exactly," Pannis nodded, "Theoretically, those deities born from faith are indeed like that."

"But, we’re not so fortunate," Catheria exhaled, "For the first part, if there is a dominant perception, we are born smoothly like the deities. But for the second part, when there’s no dominant perception and beliefs are contradicting, heh, why do you think I said our birth is a matter of success rate? We are not deities, after all. The world’s rules will not compromise for us."

"I’m sorry." Sensing Catheria’s compassion for those kin who had perished without ever appearing, Pannis could only express his consolation with an apology, and Catheria, smiling, shook her head and said, "It’s nothing, just a little regretful, that’s all."

"Then what if several people created different characters and images based on the same prototype as you?" Pannis had barely finished asking when he smiled bitterly and slapped his forehead, "So stupid, of course, the dominant one prevails."

"Heh, you’re right," Catheria said with a smile, patting Pannis on the head as if he were a child, "Indeed, a silly child."

"I still have a question about your birth," Pannis, unable to retort and with a poker face as if nothing had happened, quickly changed the subject, "What happens if, after you’re born, people’s perceptions of the medium that bears you change? What then?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with a recommendation ticket or a monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)