"No, Rednaya, you're wrong. Eternity is what's most important, but that doesn't mean you have to give up everything else."

"But you died, of old age."

Rednaya stepped forward, her exquisite and beautiful face almost touching the man's, and spoke with lips devoid of any emotion:

"I watched you die with my own eyes and buried you. My beloved kin, all lost to the passage of time."

"I spent a lifetime chasing eternity, my comrades, partners, teachers, lovers, offspring, constantly replaced, until finally, only I was left. I abandoned my species, abandoned my ideals and nationality, continually seeking change to extend my life. My feelings, my emotions, my character, all worn away by millions of years."

"—You have seen the extinguishing of the Sun, personally showing me that dying Red Giant Star. Now you tell me: Eternity isn't important?"

"Standing before you now is no longer that penniless little girl; I've surpassed every strong ancestor of Tracy's lineage. I am the strongest Collector, the controller of the world's wealth. If I wish, my money can buy the entire universe. I am a Deity, as eternal as Heaven, shining with the Sun and Moon."

"Your preachings and expectations hold no meaning; my understanding of eternity is more authoritative than yours."

"But since you are so wealthy, know everything, all-knowing and all-powerful."

The man looked at her platinum dragon pupils with a smile:

"Why haven't you achieved eternity yet?"

"Almost there."

"No, Redd, you don't understand. If you have that qualification, even deep in the dark Starry Abyss, eternity will follow you actively. But if you don't have that capability, even if you exhaust everything, you cannot pursue the path of eternity."

"What can you understand, you mortal, not even 200 years old?"

"I understand you, child."

The man reached out, gently brushing Redd Gold's eye corner:

"Your heart died one year during midsummer, and the rest of your life supporting your continuance is but a lonely, cowardly Soul Spirit, an obsession. You are void and lost, unable to find where your true heart lies. You have nothing to love, nor any goals to strive for, always carried forward by the waves of the era."

"You have no qualification to lecture me, mortal."

"Redd, my child, if you think I'm still preaching to you, that is the biggest misunderstanding, even if I reincarnate a hundred times, I would sacrifice my own flesh and blood to choose you."

Even faced with harsh words, the man merely smiled slightly:

"My father chose children in a simple and brutal way, walking into the crowd, slicing his wrist—any child not poisoned by Ether Blood would be selected by him, cultivated as a successor."

"But you are different. You came to me voluntarily, your eyes, your desires, your beliefs exactly like mine—so I love you, child. I love myself, so I also love Redd who is like me."

"I hope you become better, hope you find happiness, hope you fulfill your wishes and ideals, rather than wither away in unease and fear all your life, ultimately becoming a living corpse."

His fingertips caressed the Goddess's pale, cold skin:

"Your skin has a porcelain quality—are you going to ally with Leoz?"

"...Though it's not what you think, I indeed collaborated with Leoz."

"Truly fascinating, that Red Giant Star was a gift from a Meteor Fall Master partner I knew. No matter how many years pass, my child has now joined forces with the deities my friend believed in."

The man sighed with emotion:

"Rednaya, have you recorded your name in history, or will it stink for eternity?"

"You should know, those of the Secret leave no trace."

Redd said:

"At least I'm still alive. I still exist."

"Redd, I must tell you something. Some have died but are never destroyed; some live, yet nobody needs them or cares about them, like a mere stone."

The man grasped Redd's hand, earnestly advising:

"You asked me about Leoz earlier, right? Let me tell you, I once heard from that Meteor Fall Master friend, Leoz is a very great person, and not a 'Deity.'"

"...'Person'?"

"A creature without emotion, utterly devoid of feelings or motivation, everything it did was merely to change the status quo, hoping to prove itself."

The man said:

"Leoz is something without a name, not even qualified to create. Unlike you, you have many people helping you, you have talent, you have talent, you have courage, you are smart, but Leoz has none of it."

"And yet, such a worthless, useless entity managed to keep the Secret out of Haines, continuously exerting pressure, almost splitting the Secret Council internally, right?"

"Yes, Redd, exactly, this nameless trash without talent or strength, not the bravest, nor the smartest, stopped the greatest and strongest Secret!"

The man tightened his grasp on Redd's hand, reminding:

"Redd, you were raised directly from the bottom level, there are many things you don't understand—the incredible Strength of those quietly enduring people coming from the very bottom."

"This world is composed of minute particles. When you try to separate these particles, you're taking everything they have, and those with nothing will resist angrily, releasing terrifying energy. If you push a group of people to the brink of desperation, they'll unite and unleash a Strength that strikes terror into plunderers."

"And as for Leoz? It's not the smallest particle, but just an ordinary atom repeatedly driven to the edge, finally exploding in unbearable fury. Everything it did was merely to protect its only possession."

"If you're going to ally with Leoz, remember one thing: Whether it's a Pantheon or anything else, it's all that Leoz has accumulated bit by bit, like a diligent person's lifelong savings, a Farmer's land and children, a Blacksmith's hammer and anvil. If you utilize it, then go ahead, but don't take even the smallest thing it cherishes most."

"What, do you think I will certainly betray it?"

Rednaya laughed.

"In a future you can never reach, I am now in league with Leoz, we are both traitors facing the same enemy. What do you understand? Do you know what situation we are facing? Do you know how terrifying our Strength is for Haines right now?"

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