RNP Chapter 870 Countermeasures ()
Chapter 870 Countermeasures ()
After rejecting Paimon's suggestion that Elhesen was a mole, Narcida smiled gently, her eyes calm and profound, and slowly revealed her thoughts:
“Your intuition is not bad, but I already have a plan for the selection of the ‘mole’.”
Her tone was gentle yet authoritative: "Do you remember the scholar named Setare?"
Ying and Paimon nodded almost simultaneously, memories flooding back—in the long cycle of the "Birthday of the Flower Goddess," Setare's figure had become their most familiar "background."
"Setare? Of course I remember!"
Paimon flew forward, his tone tinged with resentment:
"Isn't that arrogant little follower who always hangs around behind the Great Sage of the Order of the Church? I see him every time I reincarnate, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say we're old acquaintances?"
“And then there’s,” Paimon frowned, recalling those unpleasant moments, “every time I saw Nel, she acted all high and mighty, speaking so harshly and meanly, it was infuriating!”
[Just finished this part of the story, it left a deep impression on me, since I got threatened by her every single round... Damn it!]
I didn't expect Paimon to have such a good memory; I had almost forgotten.
Poor Nel... she was verbally abused sixty times. It's heartbreaking to think about.
Nasita nodded slightly, a knowing gentleness in her eyes: "Yes. I've always enjoyed observing people—"
“Souls of all kinds are like unfinished stories between the pages of a book. And Setare is especially special among them.”
She spoke softly, as if recounting an ancient fable:
"Born in the desert, she was the most brilliant academic prodigy among the people of the Red Sands. With her extraordinary intelligence, she was exceptionally admitted to the Academy of Religion, becoming the sage's assistant..."
"This should have been the beginning of a legend, don't you think?"
Paimon opened his eyes wide in surprise and said:
"So you were originally from the desert?"
"I always felt that she was different from other scholars..."
"Most of the desert people I usually see in Sumeru City are mercenaries or merchants. It's really rare to find someone like her who can get into the core of academia."
However, Iya frowned slightly, his tone tinged with doubt: "Your talent is so exceptional that it allows you to overcome poverty and prejudice, to walk from the desert into the temple of knowledge, yet you end up as just an assistant?"
He looked at Nasita, his eyes full of confusion: "This... doesn't seem reasonable."
Nasita shook her head slightly, her expression calm yet tinged with a hint of heaviness: "The Council of the Church holds the power of knowledge, and naturally will not allow any force that might shake the foundation of its faith to rise."
"And Setare—she comes from the desert, worships the Red King, and is the glory of the desert, which is incompatible with the ideals advocated by the Council of the Church."
"Therefore, despite her exceptional talent, she was always excluded from real power. This was not her fault, but rather a deep-seated prejudice, an invisible wall built by history and perspective."
She glanced at the crowd, her voice tinged with a sigh: "However, these are not the most crucial issues at the moment."
The tone shifted abruptly, becoming poetic and ethereal: "Let's return to Setare herself."
"Her name, 'Setare,' means 'star' in an ancient language. And in the boundless desert night, she is like the brightest star in the sky, lonely yet radiant."
[Fun fact: The pronunciation of Setaria comes from the Persian word "Setareh," which means "star."]
[It sounds a bit like Stelle, and it does have a similar feel to Star.]
"Later, the sun chose her—the radiance of daylight summoned her away from the night, allowing her to shine like a star under the clear sky of knowledge over Sumeru City."
She paused for a moment, as if savoring the metaphorical fate: "But when she was truly in the daylight, what she saw was not warmth and hope, but the scorching sun burning the earth, bringing drought and disaster."
"She began to waver, to doubt: Was such a ray of light truly worth following?"
"She once thought of turning away, returning to her own night sky, to light up another starry sky. But... she was ultimately too attached to the glory of the daytime, too greedy for the honor of being recognized."
"So she closed her eyes, buried her shame and inner conflict deep inside, and continued to play the role of the 'star that assists the sun'."
Nasita's gaze swept over the crowd, and she said softly:
"Setare is the star, the desert is the night, Sumeru is the day, and the Church of God is the sun that hangs high in the sky."
Yiya seemed to understand something, then nodded: "Sister, there's no need to explain anymore, we already understand your analogy."
Naxi Da smiled, a hint of playfulness flashing in her eyes: "You have to be clearer."
"Caesar used to say that I spoke in a cryptic and incomprehensible way, so over time I developed the habit of speaking clearly and explicitly."
[Good job if you're not a riddle teller.]
[This isn't really a riddle, and strictly speaking... is it even a riddle?]
Even if everyone can understand it, it's still in riddle format.
A riddle is a story that hides the answer in a different way within what is said.
Ying gazed into the distance, then murmured thoughtfully, "So, this is Setare's truest thought? She doesn't entirely agree with what the royalists are doing..."
"Then, it is indeed highly likely that we can turn her to our side."
Paimon floated gently in the air, his eyes gleaming with a peculiar light, his tone carrying a subtle hint of emotion:
"It sounds like the reason she stayed in Sumeru might not be because of loyalty to the Order of the Church, but because she was drawn to the academic atmosphere and tranquility of this city of knowledge."
"For her, this place is more like a safe haven where she can escape reality."
“But she knew in her heart that she was actually opposing the atrocities of the Church Council,” Ying frowned slightly, her voice growing deeper, “and she had never truly let go of the guilt she felt towards her home desert homeland…”
"But she chose to remain silent and go with the flow. In the end, she was just running away."
Nasita gently shook her head, her emerald eyes like a still, deep pool, revealing a clear understanding of the world: "Faced with complex positions and heavy responsibilities, choosing to turn a deaf ear and let the situation deteriorate until it is beyond repair—this is the most common tragedy in the world."
"Most people in the world are not evil, but they become accomplices to crime because of cowardice."
Her tone was calm yet undeniable: "This is the choice most people would make when faced with a decision."
"It's only human nature, and we have no right to criticize it."
"However, even if she feels guilty, she is now an accomplice of the royalist sages. Legally speaking, she cannot escape her guilt."
“That’s why,” a sharp glint flashed in Ying’s eyes, “if we need to plant an inside agent, she is undoubtedly the best candidate.”
Naxi Da's lips curled into a slight, almost sly smile, like a night lotus quietly blooming under the moonlight:
"As the Sage's assistant, she has easy access to core secrets; though residing in the central authority of the Church, her heart is always with the desolate desert—"
"Her stance was never firm to begin with; it was only a matter of time before it wavered."
“And more importantly…” she slowly raised her eyes, her gaze sharp as a blade, “I have already tracked her movements.”
"As long as we plan carefully and create the right opportunity, it won't be difficult to get her to stand on our side."
Iya stroked his chin, looking thoughtful, and said in a low, gentle voice, "For Setare, this may not just be a betrayal, but also an opportunity for redemption."
"An opportunity to confront one's inner self and make up for past shortcomings."
Nasita nodded slightly, a hint of compassion flashing in her eyes: "Indeed."
"Although many members of the royalists have committed serious crimes, some of them are not acting out of their own will, but have been coerced into doing so."
Her voice softened, yet remained firm:
"There may be no such thing as ignorance is no excuse in this world, but compared to those who actively commit evil, these lost souls at least have room to turn back."
“If Setare is willing to break free of her shackles and join the side of justice, I would not mind giving her a chance to reform.”
Paimon froze, then suddenly took a half-step back, widened his eyes, and exclaimed, "Nasita... when you said those words just now, you really, really sounded like a villain."
Ying chuckled softly upon hearing this and nodded in agreement:
"That's right. In those classic adventure stories, the real villains are often not purely evil."
"Their opposition to the protagonist is not out of evil, but stems from completely different stances and beliefs."
She blinked, looking at the little god with a teasing smile: "The way you were strategizing and planning just now perfectly fit the 'tragic villain' character setting."
Iya stroked his chin, a spark of excitement igniting in his eyes: "My sister, the Goddess of Sumeru, is actually the mastermind behind everything? This kind of plot setting... feels incredibly intriguing."
Nasita smiled helplessly, but a hint of melancholy appeared between her brows: "This is indeed due to a clash of positions. But if it were just because of differing positions, I wouldn't have said those things just now."
Her small face gradually calmed down, like the surface of a lake before a storm, with undercurrents surging beneath the calm: "The real problem has never been that the royalists are my enemies, nor that they miss the Great Compassion Tree King."
"Whether I am the king of the Great Tree or the throne of the god of wisdom, I do not care."
Of course you don't mind. Does it really matter whether you sit here or the Great Tree King sits here?
The Great Compassion Tree King is like Emperor Zhaolie, and Naxi Da is like Liu Shan, the rightful and legitimate successor, without question.
[Nasita: Even if the Great Tree King returns, I will have no regrets. For I am the chosen successor, standing upright and honorable on the throne of wisdom.]
“The real reason I convicted the royalists,” she said, her voice soft yet thunderous, “was that they dared to lay their hands on the ordinary people of Sumeru City!”
The air seemed to freeze at this moment.
Ying and Paimon held their breath, and even Iya put away his joking expression.
Nasita raised her head, her heterochromatic eyes, one emerald green and the other crimson, burning with an inviolable majesty: "If it were merely a factional struggle or a change of power, even if I had a thousand grievances, I would not consider them sinners."
“I am well aware that I am not as wise as the Great Tree King, so it is quite normal for some people to question my rule.”
“But…” Her voice suddenly turned cold, like ice covering a blade, “They shouldn’t have tried to use the people as pawns, or tried to achieve their goals by harming the people!”
"Protecting every life on this land is the vow I made as the Grass Goddess, and it is the meaning of my existence." She slowly rose, her figure small yet seemingly supporting the weight of the entire world.
"Anyone who threatens the safety of the people is my enemy. This crime is unforgivable!"