"Don’t overthink it, senior."
Looking at Salvatore, who was sitting opposite him with furrowed brows, Annan’s face showed no trace of panic or anxiety.
He simply hugged his knees and leaned back against the carriage, lazily curling up into a ball.
Annan glanced at Salvatore and spoke, "Bishop’s thoughts are correct. Both of us look very young, and for those people pursuing power and profit, they are bound to stir up trouble... which will increase the unpredictability.
"Although Bishop always appears to be a nice guy, it’s the nice guys who are terrifying when they lose their temper. The more it is at this time, the less I should show up—after all, what we need now is not a Roth Fort that follows my orders completely but a Roth Fort that won’t drag me down at the critical moment.
"If it’s for this purpose, then the best thing we can do is to get lost as soon as possible. If we could let the various forces within Roth Fort mistakenly think that Bishop Daryl has usurped my authority, that would be even better..."
"No, that’s not the issue I’m thinking about."
Salvatore shook his head and added, "Nor is it about letting Bishop go ahead to explore the path—since Bishop Daryl has managed to become a district bishop, it shows that he has at least the strength of a silver-rank Transcendent. Besides, he is old and experienced, making it much safer for him than us to handle such matters."
When exploring unknown rituals, the danger brought by an incompetent teammate far outweighs the benefits brought by an extra team member...
It is better to have no one help than to have someone hold you back.
Not to mention, this teammate cannot be thrown out to attract firepower but must be protected with divided attention...
Annan and Salvatore were not the kind of stubborn and ungrateful people.
They were very aware that, in the face of such an enemy—or perhaps not an enemy, they were simply no match.
If you are no match, don’t go and get yourself killed.
Even a game you could win could be lost by doing so...
"What I’m pondering is," Salvatore said in a low voice, "do we really have... a reason to prevent the resurrection of Master Michelangelo?
"He was a true master, highly respected. In addition to his reputation in the world of Transcendents and his countless disciples, he is also a grandmaster artist in the human world..."
Perhaps it was a habit of being overshadowed.
The timidity in Salvatore’s tone made it difficult for him to express his own thoughts.
Especially when his idea was somewhat "unconventional."
After all, in the worldview of Transcendents, any unknown, unverified, and unauthorized private rituals are not to be trusted—they must be approached with caution.
No one knows what the necessary Sacrifice and materials for the ritual are.
No one can be sure of what side effects the ritual might bring once it succeeds.
No one can guarantee what the person performing the ritual aims to achieve.
Any of these could be problematic and lead to a tragic cost of more than one life.
If you’re using an unregistered, unknown ritual, and no one is willing to vouch for you... then it means your goal does not want to be, or cannot be noticed, right?
So, for the sake of our safety and that of others, it’s only natural to prevent you from performing the ritual, right?
Therefore, once Transcendents see someone secretly performing an unknown ritual, their first reaction is to stop their ceremony and completely break it up.
Salvatore’s idea that "maybe the ritual being successful would be better" would be ridiculed as naive by those in the world of Transcendents.
"I support you, senior."
Annan’s tone was calm and sincere, "I think your attitude towards this matter is correct. If this ritual is truly for reviving Master Michelangelo, then to destroy it without a second thought for safety’s sake, just out of habitual thinking, would indeed be overly conservative.
"We are all ordinary people, we are all human. Humans make mistakes... This means that the approach of ’uprooting all rituals’ will definitely be wrong at times, right? So why can’t it be now?"
—Without a doubt, Annan’s words were like the sophistry of a child.
No adult would take a child’s words seriously. Regardless of what a child rattles on about, one thing is undeniable—he is just guessing.
To venture upon one’s speculation is never a wise decision.
...But Salvatore, he truly wanted to believe in Annan’s words from the bottom of his heart.
Or rather, he had already planned to do so. He just lacked an excuse.
Salvatore took a deep breath, "Then, I will stay in the basement when I get back and urgently prepare a batch of pre-transformation agents. When it’s close to the fifth day, remember to call me in advance. On that day, I will make another batch of useful potions... Thank goodness, I brought enough materials with me before coming to Frostwater Harbor."
He looked at Annan with some uncertainty and asked, "Will you come back with me to Roth Fort after five days?"
Although Annan seemed not to want to destroy the resurrection ritual.
For Salvatore, it was enough that Annan did not interfere; he didn’t dare hope that Annan would join him in taking the risk...
His shadow also told him—although the risk of this plan failing wasn’t big, if his speculation turned out wrong, the cost would be more than he could bear. Losing the title of Tower’s Child would be the least of his worries; it was possible that a grievous loss could result in his expulsion or even being wanted.
—Salvatore wanted to give it a try.
Because Master Michelangelo was undoubtedly a valuable person in this world. His worth was much higher than that of someone like him, with no talents... If he was really wrong in the end, Salvatore was prepared to risk his life and release his shadow to safely escort civilians to escape.
For "Tan Juan" not to follow him was indeed the wisest choice.
But that’s what he said.
He still hoped, when making decisions, to hear "Tan Juan’s" opinion...
"Of course, I will come. It’s different from letting His Excellency the Bishop take a look at the situation. It’s dangerous for you to go there... If I advocate for you to take the risk, yet I have the ability to come but don’t, what difference would it make from being a bastard?"
But unexpectedly, Annan calmly replied, "Just call me when the time comes.
"I’m just curious about one thing, senior... I hope you can answer me.
"Do you really decide to get involved in this troublesome matter just because you think ’reviving Michelangelo is a good thing’?"
His eyes were shining, brimming with curiosity.
He had indeed planned to get involved... but his curiosity about Salvatore was genuine too.
Because according to Annan’s analysis, Salvatore must be hiding something in his heart.
Otherwise, given his personality, he should have first tried to persuade Annan not to go, and then resolutely decided to accompany him on the adventure after Annan refused. Not so proactive... Regardless of whether Annan went or not, he would witness that unknown, years-in-the-making grand ritual.
Annan was very curious about that answer.
Peering into the secrets in the hearts of others and the hidden aspects of their personalities was also one of the joys in Annan’s life.
Salvatore fell silent.
He was pondering... Or rather, he was also asking himself.
Finally, he spoke with a firm tone, "There is also a part of the reason concerning Mr. Notre Dame. I am somewhat worried about him, and I have always believed that he is not an evil person—my intuition tells me so.
"But I cannot judge a person’s character based on my own speculation. I must see with my own eyes, hear with my own ears, and judge with my own heart.
"And if he’s not an evil person, he must be in a very difficult situation right now... He needs help, but when he looks around, everyone wants him dead. Even if he did nothing wrong..."
It was just as he had said in the carriage.
Salvatore paused for a moment.
He raised his head and gazed at the roof of the carriage.
As if he was looking at someone in his memories.
In a whisper soft as a dream, Salvatore murmured, "How can I turn my face away from the suffering that others endure?"