Arthur stepped down from the wooden podium and slowly approached the villagers who still looked so enthusiastic and carried away by the atmosphere after hearing his speech.
"We are very proud of you, Ah-Long!" exclaimed one of the villagers.
"I didn't expect the boy the Village Chief brought back then could give such a great speech," praised another villager with sparkling eyes.
"I think we have found the perfect candidate for the next Village Chief," chimed in a middle-aged man, accompanied by boisterous laughter of agreement.
Then, a grown man stepped forward approaching Arthur. "Ah-Long, Uncle doesn't mean to oppose your noble intentions at all. But... who will teach the children later? We couldn't possibly have the money to hire an outside Spirit Master as a teacher, right? You know yourself how the financial condition of our village is."
Arthur smiled confidently. "Regarding that matter, Uncle can rest easy. I have thought about it thoroughly and have found someone who is very suitable to teach at this school," answered Arthur.
The corner of his eye briefly glanced towards the shade of the leafy tree he had stared at while on the podium earlier—a place that was now completely empty, leaving only the blowing wind. "Besides, I myself will also help teach the children."
"Alright, if you have indeed made up your mind, then we will not question it anymore. But remember, if you need any help whatsoever, just tell us directly. You are a very precious gem to this village," said the man named Uncle Li while affectionately rubbing Arthur's head.
"Thank you very much, Uncle Li. I will definitely rely on your help if I need it," Arthur replied politely.
In the midst of the conversation, the corner of Arthur's eye caught a tiny, black-haired figure wearing blue clothes standing silently at the edge of the crowd. Arthur quickly excused himself and approached the figure.
"Tang San!" called Arthur cheerfully. That figure was Tang San, the son of a drunken blacksmith who was the same age as Arthur. "You actually came! Thank you. I thought you wouldn't want to come," Arthur greeted friendly.
However, just as Arthur raised his hand to greet him closer, Tang San only stared at him flatly for a moment, then immediately turned his face away.
Without saying a single word, the black-haired boy turned around and walked away with quick steps, distancing himself from the crowd.
Arthur's steps halted. His hand hovering in the air slowly dropped, accompanied by a soft sigh. "He ran away again... Even though I just wanted to greet him properly," Arthur muttered, slightly disappointed.
Before Arthur could ponder Tang San's cold and closed-off attitude, a group of village children suddenly ran up to him with cheerful faces.
"Long-ge!" called a little girl who was the same age as Arthur with a cheerful tone.
"Gege!" called several other children in succession.
Arthur turned his head and smiled brightly. "Oh, all of you! Thank you for coming," he said to the group of village children who were now crowding around him.
"It's nothing, Brother! We are also on holiday, there's no work in the fields," replied one of the boys.
"Besides, Gege has helped and played with us so often. Of course we would definitely come!" chimed in a girl stepping forward to approach Arthur.
Arthur slightly furrowed his brow, looking a bit awkward. "Well... could you guys stop calling me by that title? It's not that I don't like it, but we are the same age. In fact, some of you are clearly older than me. How could you call me 'Brother'?" protested Arthur gently.
"That cannot be changed! To us, Gege is like a big brother who always leads us," argued the little girl with shoulder-length brown hair and a pair of pitch-black eyes. Without hesitation, she reached out and tightly grasped one of Arthur's hands.
The other children who heard that immediately nodded in unison, agreeing.
"Xiu..." called Arthur softly. He realized the girl's distance was too close to him. As someone who highly upheld etiquette, Arthur slowly released Xiu's grip with a very polite and gentle movement. "Can the title really not be changed?" he complained in resignation as he lowered the girl's hand.
"No, Brother!" answered Xiu firmly, which was immediately cheered in agreement by her other friends.
Arthur could only let out a heavy sigh, giving in to the stubbornness of these village children.
Suddenly, a boy pointed towards the road. "Earlier I saw Gege trying to approach that kid again, huh? Did he run away again?" he asked, referring to Tang San's departure.
Arthur nodded slowly. "Yes... I am also confused. Why does Tang San always avoid me when I approach? Even though I just want to be good friends with him."
"That kid is indeed very weird, Brother. We used to invite him to play often, but he just ignored us," grumbled one child.
"Not only that, he even intentionally stays away from us!"
"Right! For some reason, the look in his eyes always makes us feel uncomfortable when we are near him."
Hearing the barrage of complaints, Arthur tried to calm them down. "Maybe Tang San is just a very shy kid and isn't used to crowds yet," he defended.
"This Brother is always too kind to him!" protested the boy beside Arthur.
"My mom said we'd better stay away from Tang San. He has a drunkard for a father! If we get too close to him, later—"
"Enough. Do not continue." cut in Arthur quickly.
This time, his tone of voice turned firm and authoritative. The children who heard it were instantly startled and fell completely silent.
Seeing the shocked looks on their faces, Arthur's gaze softened again. He reached out his hand and gently patted the top of the boy's head affectionately.
"Talking bad about other people behind their backs is not a good thing to do," advised Arthur with a very gentle tone of voice.
"Listen to me... the mistakes made by parents are not sins that must be borne by their children. Never judge a child just because of their family's actions, understand?"
The children looked at each other for a moment absorbing those words, then nodded obediently in unison. "Alright, Brother... we understand."
Arthur smiled with relief again. "Very good."
(Transition)
The silvery moonlight illuminated an open field filled with an expanse of Blue Silver Grass. Under the silent night sky, Arthur stood tall alone.
He closed his eyes for a moment to focus his senses, then slowly opened them. "Come out. I know you are there," said Arthur, staring straight into the dense shadows of the trees at the edge of the field.
Only the silence of the night and the sound of crickets responded to him.
"I see. You still like to play around, it seems," Arthur sighed softly.
Suddenly, he stomped the tip of his foot on the ground with extraordinary precision. A fist-sized rock instantly bounced into the air, and nimbly, Arthur's tiny hand caught it.
Whoosh!
Without the slightest hesitation, Arthur threw the rock at high speed towards the darkness.
A second later, from the direction of the throw, the sound of slow footsteps could be heard approaching. The footsteps were so light and elegant, as if her feet weren't touching the ground at all. Along with each of her steps, buds of illusory flowers suddenly bloomed on the grass, emitting a purplish light that drove away the darkness of the night.
From behind the shadows, a figure of a woman in a white robe emerged—the exact same woman Arthur had briefly seen in the village square this morning.
"Fufu~ You are too rough on a woman with delicate skin, you know?" she chuckled with a voice that was so melodious and soothing.
"That's because you were still hiding," Arthur replied with a flat tone, before finally mentioning a name that was very familiar on his tongue. "...Merlin."
"Hehehe~ Long time no see." The mysterious figure slowly lowered the hood of her robe. Her silver hair flowed gracefully in the wind, framing an intoxicating smile on her face. It was a beauty that transcended the limits of ordinary humans—a magical charm capable of making anyone fall to their knees, regardless of their gender.
"My King...." she called with a teasing tone.
Arthur stared at her intently. Various complex emotions instantly raged within his chest. On one hand, there was a strong urge in his hand to punch the beautiful yet incredibly annoying face in front of him. On the other hand, his respect for the mentor who had guided him so much clashed hard with his frustration over the woman's nature, which was always overly relaxed and manipulative.
In the end, the King of Knights could only massage the bridge of his nose and let out a very long sigh, choosing to surrender to his own feelings.
"For now... I will not demand an explanation from you regarding the Beast incident and all the chaos you caused in the past," decided Arthur with a tired tone, trying to make peace with the situation.
Merlin covered her mouth with one hand, widening her eyes with a playful look as if she were deeply moved. "Oh~ You are indeed a very kind-hearted King, Your Majesty."
Arthur massaged his temples slowly, suddenly feeling a little regretful for coaxing the woman out of the shadows. "Let's just get straight to the point," he sighed.
Arthur stared straight at the Magus of Flowers, also known as Lady Avalon.
Beneath their footing, a remarkably beautiful visual contrast was created; a field of bright pink illusory flowers blooming around Merlin's feet, facing and bordering directly with the expanse of Blue Silver Grass softly glowing under Arthur's feet.
"Merlin... what kind of world is this exactly?" asked Arthur, his tone of voice turning very serious. "I can still feel my connection with Alaya, but the connection is extremely weak, almost completely severed. Besides that, the Gaia in this place also feels very strange. Its existence is there, but very fragile... like a newborn baby."
Arthur's emerald eyes sharpened. "Is this world a Singularity? A Parallel World? Or a Lostbelt? Then, what exactly is the reason I was summoned here? Since I arrived, I haven't felt the presence of a Beast or any entity threatening the survival of humanity at all."
Hearing the barrage of serious questions from her King, Merlin only chuckled softly. "Hehe~ Be a little patient, my King. I will answer those questions of yours one by one."
The silver-haired woman tilted her head, her playful smile slowly fading.
"First, the reason why your connection with Alaya has weakened drastically... is because this world is not connected to The Root at all," Merlin revealed calmly.
Arthur's eyes instantly widened. "What?! So this place... is not one of the three things I mentioned earlier?" he asked in disbelief.
"Exactly," Merlin nodded while taking a slow step, letting her pink flower petals flutter blown by the night wind. "This world is completely separated from The Root. It stands on its own, isolated, and independent. That is why this place does not know the concepts like in our world."
Merlin pointed slowly towards the expanse of grass around them. "The will of nature in this place is more accurately called 'Planet Douluo' or 'World Consciousness'. And the reason why you feel it is still very weak... yes, it's because this planet's consciousness has indeed just awakened."
Arthur fell silent for quite a long time, trying to digest the massive information.
"No wonder... no wonder the energy in the air feels so alive yet different," muttered Arthur. He looked back at his mentor. "Then, does this world consciousness system operate the same as our world?"
Merlin tapped the base of her staff gently on the ground. Instantly, two magical orbs of light appeared and floated calmly in the air, emitting a dim light between the two of them.
Merlin pointed the tip of her staff at the first orb of light. "In some aspects, their concepts do sound similar. However, the underlying system is very different," she explained with an elegantly swaying tone.
"Gaia in our original world is the absolute embodiment of the Planet's collective desire to survive. It focuses entirely on the physical survival of the planet itself—even to the point where it considers humanity as parasites and actively antagonizes them."
Then, the Magus of Flowers shifted the tip of her staff to point at the second orb of light. The light of the orb felt much warmer.
"Conversely, the World Consciousness in this dimension acts more like a neutral caretaker. My King... you have studied about Spirit Power and Spirit Beasts, right?" asked Merlin.
Arthur nodded slowly, his eyes staring intently at the second orb of light. "Yes. Creatures with spiritual auras that are categorized as monsters within this world's ecosystem, right?" he answered to confirm.
"Exactly," Merlin's sweet smile bloomed once more. "This planet's consciousness acts purely as the will of nature that regulates the circulation of life, spiritual energy, and equilibrium on this continent. Its main focus is only to maintain the balance of the food chain between the Soul Beasts and humanity. It has absolutely no intention of antagonizing or destroying human civilization."
Arthur nodded slowly. "I see... Now I understand. This world's consciousness does not hate humanity, but only acts as a limiter." He fell silent for a moment, the look in his eyes slowly dimming. "Then, Merlin... what exactly is my purpose for being sent to this world? And most importantly... about this body."
Arthur looked down, staring at his two tiny palms with an expression of deep guilt. "Is it possible... that I obtained this second life of mine by snatching away another child's right to live? Have I... stolen someone's body to be able to be here?"
The smile on Lady Avalon's lips widened, looking at Arthur with a gentle gaze mixed with amusement. "Oh, my poor King. You are truly different from most humans. If it were anyone else, they would definitely prostrate themselves in gratitude for being given a chance to be reborn, without caring how it happened."
"I don't mind a second chance at life at all, as long as it doesn't hinder me from fulfilling my oath as the protector of humanity," asserted Arthur without the slightest hesitation, his emerald eyes staring sharply. "But, if this life of mine has to be paid for by snatching the rights and soul of another person... I reject it. I would rather go back to embracing death than have to live in such a despicable way."
Merlin laughed softly, her laughter ringing melodiously like the rustle of silver bells in the middle of the night. "Hehe~ You are a truly fascinating Transmigrator, my King. If it were anyone else, they would definitely not care and just enjoy their new lives. But you actually think that far ahead...."
Arthur's brow instantly furrowed, his serious expression replaced by confusion. "What? Trans-mi-gra-tor—"
Before Arthur could finish his question, a gust of night wind suddenly blew very hard, sweeping across the meadow.
Pink flower petals fluttered wildly, obscuring his vision, forcing the King of Knights to close his eyes and raise one hand to cover his face.
Amidst the howling wind, Merlin's melodious voice echoed softly, as if whispering right in his ear.
"As for your two questions earlier... everything will be answered after you pass the Spirit Awakening Ceremony. Be patient and wait one more year, my King. When that day arrives, all the answers you seek will reveal themselves~"
Slowly, the wind calmed down again. Arthur opened his eyes.
However, the scenery in front of him had returned to silence. There was no longer the figure of a white-robed woman nor the field of pink illusory flowers. All that was left was the expanse of Blue Silver Grass swaying slowly blown by the night wind.
Arthur gently smacked his forehead, letting out a long sigh with a very resigned look on his face. "She did it again... always running away in the middle of a conversation."
Even so, a faint smile was etched on his lips. He tilted his head up to look at the expanse of stars in the night sky, then shouted out with a slightly raised tone.
"Merlin! Tomorrow morning we gather here! You understand very well the task I ordered you to do in the village square this morning, right?!"
From the empty air, Merlin's cheerful voice echoed softly again, carried by the blowing wind. "Of course, my King~ I gladly accept that position. I will be a teacher at Avalon Elementary School tomorrow morning!"
Hearing that annoying yet relieving confirmation, Arthur could finally let out a long sigh. He then turned around and walked away, heading back towards the village and leaving the open field.
However, right after Arthur's silhouette completely disappeared, the bushes at the edge of the forest suddenly rustled softly.
Two figures of little children stepped out of their hiding place. One was a little girl with dark purple hair that flowed down to her hips. Beside her stood a little girl with bright blonde hair—a golden color very similar to Arthur's hair—cut short to her shoulders.
The blonde-haired girl's body trembled slightly. Her pair of emerald green eyes still stared in disbelief at the place where Arthur and Merlin had interacted earlier.
"So... so, Brother Ah-Long is also the same as us?" she whispered softly to the purple-haired girl beside her.
The purple-haired girl clicked her tongue softly, folding her two tiny arms in front of her chest. "Tch. It turns out the witch woman wasn't lying. And remember, his real name is not Ah-Long, but Arthur Pendragon," she corrected in a sharp yet calm tone. She massaged her temples slowly.
"Our past memories just returned a few days ago, and now we are immediately faced with this shocking reality. It really gives me a headache."
The blonde-haired girl immediately turned her head with an anxious look on her face. "Y-you couldn't possibly be planning to use Brother Ah—I mean, Brother Arthur, right?" she asked hesitantly.
The other girl snorted softly, the corners of her lips curving to form a mysterious smile. "Hmm, what else do you think? From what the witch showed about him, Arthur was no ordinary person in his previous life. He possesses the qualities of a true King."
The purple-haired girl's purple eyes glinted coldly under the moonlight. "This world is cruel, you and I know that. I will make sure he sits in the highest position he deserves. And by doing so... my goal will also be fulfilled."
Without waiting for an answer, the girl turned around and began to walk away towards the village.
The blonde-haired girl squeezed the hem of her skirt tightly, both of her hands trembling to hold back an overflow of emotions.
"Do you still want to use methods like that?! Playing the villain again? You are planning to bear all those dirty burdens alone again, aren't you?!" she cried out in a suppressed shout, staring sadly at the tiny back in front of her.
The purple-haired girl's steps slowed down slightly, but she did not turn around.
"This is not the Vasilios Empire!" continued the girl with a trembling voice yet full of bravery. "You don't need to do those cruel things alone anymore! I will definitely help you, and Brother Arthur... he will definitely protect us too! Brother Arthur is very different from Eros! You are no longer Medeia Beliard who has to fight in the dark alone!"
The girl's steps finally came to a complete halt. She turned her head slightly over her shoulder. She stared at the blonde girl from the corner of her eye with a look that was hard to decipher—a mixture of cold firmness, cunning, and a glimmer of affection that was tightly hidden.
"We will see about that... Psyche Callista," Medea muttered softly, before finally stepping again through the darkness of the night, leaving her question hanging in the air.