Lord Lan Spits Out His Food, and the World Turns Its Heart

Inside Pranay's special cell, after a brief silence, the Poet of Great Love still offered no answer to Pranay's question: "Why did you choose me?" The black-haired, green-eyed figure merely smiled faintly. "Why are you smiling?" "I was reminded of something very happy," the Poet of Great Love replied. Pranay simply had never seen what a truly useless, shameful demon looked like. "Is my pathetic state making you laugh at me?" "It might have a little to do with what you just said, but only about ten percent." "..." The Poet of Great Love's answer baffled Pranay, but he could sense that the King was not truly mocking him. Rather, in some subtle way, it felt as though she was refuting his words, making him understand that he was by no means a useless great demon. At last. "My King, I have only one question: Can we simply flee to the Southern Continent and return a century from now, instead of entangling ourselves further in the whirlpool of the Protos Empire? While this presents an immediate opportunity to quickly achieve our long-cherished wish, the risk is far too great." Pranay kept his head down, speaking in a low, heavy voice to the Poet of Great Love. "No. That is the one thing I cannot grant you, nor will I lie to you." The Poet of Great Love answered him without a moment's hesitation. And with that, Pranay fell silent once more. Giving Pranay a moment to think, the Poet of Great Love spoke again. "Pranay, the more adept one is at calculating, the more one realizes that calculations can never outmatch the unpredictability of change. Not even Foresight can do it, nor can even the Goddess of Fate exert total control—otherwise, the Resurrection Church would never have existed in this world. You should understand this truth better than I do." Sitting before Pranay with hands resting lightly on her knees, the Poet of Great Love murmured softly, "Sometimes, the closer you get to a hundred percent safety, the more afraid you become, isn't that so? Yet you know full well that there is no absolute safe haven in this world. Think carefully: by staying in this prison, can you truly attain inner peace?" The Poet of Great Love radiated a gentle yet resolute aura, with a gaze that seemed to see right through the turmoil and anguish in Pranay's heart. "..." Pranay remained bowed in thought, words failing him. "In your world, suffering and trials are inevitable, but the more stubbornly you cling to them, the deeper your anxiety grows. By my side, you can lay down all your burdens, rely on me, and enjoy this pure sense of ease in the present," the Poet of Great Love continued. "Yet... if I want peace of mind, I must let go of this obsession, and yet my anxiety makes it impossible for me to do so," Pranay confessed, torn by inner turmoil as he spoke to the New King. Beside the New King, he seemed to feel a tranquility he had never experienced before. Yet if he agreed to the New King's proposition, he would be violating the very principles he had adhered to all his life. He feared that plunging into theories and ventures far too unknown would ultimately cast him into true despair. "Then tell me first, Pranay: what is inner peace? When do you usually experience it?" the Poet of Great Love asked gently. "..." Pranay was lost. "I am not sure. Perhaps... I have never truly experienced inner peace," Pranay replied in a low voice. "Ever since the Demon Realm fell into ruin, you have been desperately searching for peace of mind, haven't you?" Bringing her hands together gently, as if having pinpointed the root of the problem, the Poet of Great Love addressed Pranay: "You have been trying to suppress your desires. I can see it. For the demon race, suppressing desire might sound like an unnatural act at first glance, but misfortune is so often born of desire. Wasn't the downfall of the Demon Realm brought about by that very thing?" "You wish to render your soul unshaken by emotion and desire, to attain a tranquil mind and reach an ideal state of security." "..." Seeing that Pranay had no desire to speak and was eager to listen, the Poet of Great Love continued. "Alternatively, returning to primal hedonism—not craving excessive indulgence, but ensuring one is well-fed, hydrated, and clothed, or sustaining the most basic conditions of survival while rejecting excessive luxury and vanity, drawing immense satisfaction from a simple life—can also bring inner peace." "As of now, you have successfully attained both states here in Herrom Prison. But what then? Have you ever stopped to consider whether you truly feel peace in your heart?" At this point, the Poet of Great Love paused, waiting for Pranay to respond. "I cannot feel it," Pranay admitted, his voice laden with helplessness. "For the past hundred years, every single day has been agony. To tell the truth, today is the happiest day I have had." He waited for his words to draw laughter from the New King once more. This time, however, the Poet of Great Love did not laugh. She merely nodded with utter earnestness. "That you could put so much effort into pursuing inner peace is truly remarkable. And for me, defining what inner peace actually is happens to be just as difficult a proposition. Because our identities differ, our standings differ, and the matters we face differ, inner peace takes different forms." The Poet of Great Love's voice was gentle yet resonant, every word suffused with encouragement. "Though I have taken it upon myself to lecture you this much, truth be told, I am sorry to say that I too want to understand what inner peace truly means to you." Even though the words ended there, Pranay felt as if he could hear the unsaid continuation— *And that is precisely what I want to help you achieve.* "Pranay, if you do not wish to leave today, I still hope we can be friends. Perhaps one day we will meet again. But if you are willing to come with me, I will place you in the safest haven and protect you well, doing everything I can to keep you away from fighting and killing. Even if I ever ask you to act, it will only be in battles where victory is guaranteed." The Poet of Great Love's voice remained soft, wanting not to impose the slightest pressure upon Pranay. "By my side, if an enemy ever threatens your inner peace, I will be the first to fall in battle before harm ever reaches you." This time, Pranay finally raised his head, gazing at the black-haired, green-eyed figure with immense complexity in his eyes. In this endless darkness, there was always a ray of light. He wanted to say something, wanted to ask why the New King was treating him this way, only to realize he had already asked that very question. Reflected in those emerald pupils, his own expression was full of regret and remorse. "Do you want to ask me once more why I am so fixated on a 'useless,' 'shameful' demon like you?" the Poet of Great Love asked Pranay with a smile. "Yes... I want a direct answer, not another consolation," Pranay said, a rare note of resolve entering his voice, as if determined to find out whether he could truly live up to the New King's expectations. "Do not let longing for what you lack make you overlook what you already possess, Pranay," the Poet of Great Love said with earnest gravity. "Your knack for sensing danger and your desire to remedy it is praiseworthy, but channeling that same effort into re-examining your own strengths is just as vital. You will find that discovering your strengths is far more valuable than fixating on your greatest shortcomings." With those words, the light finally returned to Pranay's eyes.