Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 89 – Black and White, and Gray
In reality, Yan City, in the midst of rebuilding, couldn’t spare anyone for the Grand Council of Cities.
High-ranking officials like Lin Cheng and Li Ping were too busy, and those below them were needed for the reconstruction efforts.
As for those even lower…
It was pointless.
As a newly established mega-city, Yan City had little influence in the Grand Council.
Therefore, it didn’t matter who they sent.
Choosing Anna… was entirely Elise’s idea, relayed to Yan City through the Holy Knight-Captain.
But when Lin Cheng learned that the Holy Knight-Captain had designated a girl named “Anna,” whom he didn’t know, he was alarmed and immediately investigated.
After the investigation, however, his expression turned even stranger, his gaze shifting between the impassive Holy Knight-Captain and Anna’s photo.
So the Holy Knight-Captain has… this kind of hobby…?
However, this misunderstanding was cleared up when Anna and Elise appeared. Even Lin Cheng could sense the respect shown towards this young woman by the Holy Knight-Captain.
And so, Anna’s attendance at the Grand Council as Yan City’s representative was decided.
After calming down, Hua Qiling also understood Yan City’s intentions.
Yan City was too weak, too insignificant to have any real influence in the Grand Council, even though they were the reason for it being convened.
And having just suffered a near-city-destroying disaster, they were short-handed.
In this situation, sending a random representative was better than assembling a delegation.
However, she hadn’t expected them to choose Anna.
“It seems this ‘Elise’… isn’t simple.”
Hua Qiling pondered, then, seeing Anna’s increasingly nervous expression, she raised an eyebrow. “What, don’t want to leave Yan City?”
“A little…” Anna mumbled. “If Second Sister Hua is unhappy, I won’t go.”
“Go, why wouldn’t you go?” Hua Qiling said, hands on her hips. “Noah! That’s the largest human mega-city, completely different from this small town of Yan City.
“Since you have a chance to see the world, you can’t miss it!”
Hua Qiling paused, her voice softening.
“Just… remember to come back.”
“Mm-hmm!” Anna nodded vigorously, then, as if remembering something, she slapped her forehead. “Oh right, Second Sister Hua, Elise said we have to go to Lannister to find Miss Luo Yan first. Do you have anything you want to tell her?”
“Tell her… I don’t really know…” Hua Qiling’s expression was conflicted. “Or rather, there’s too much I want to say, but you wouldn’t understand…”
“It’s okay, it’s okay, tell me everything, I’ll remember it,” Anna smiled mischievously. “I’m sure Miss Luo Yan also misses you very much, hee hee…”
“Go on, you little rascal,” Hua Qiling said, then hesitated. “Just tell Miss Luo Yan that… ‘Hua Qiling is doing well’… Is that enough?”
“Just that? Don’t you have anything else to say?” Anna asked, holding a notebook. “That’s not even a full page!”
“Heh, I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not telling you,” Hua Qiling crossed her arms. “I’ll go to Noah myself and tell Miss Luo Yan personally when I’m free.”
“Tch, Second Sister Hua is so boring.”
“You little brat, getting sassy, are you?!”
Hua Qiling’s face flushed with mock anger, and she pretended to lunge at Anna.
Anna dodged and stuck her tongue out at Hua Qiling before running off.
Watching her go, Hua Qiling’s anger subsided, and she shook her head, amused.
…It was good to see her back to her usual energetic self. A quiet Anna was strange.
“Hmph, how can I just say one sentence?” Hua Qiling muttered, pulling out a pen and paper. “A message… I’ll just write a letter.”
…
In another hospital ward.
Due to the unusual nature of Qin Wen’s injuries, she couldn’t be moved to a regular ward.
This ward, personally secured by the Holy Knight-Captain (actually Elise), was protected by a powerful anti-demon barrier, comparable to the “Ember’s” space. Everyone entering and leaving was thoroughly checked for any traces of demonic power.
Even with the inexplicable disappearance of the demonic corruption within Qin Wen, the strict security measures remained in place.
Anything related to a Primordial Demon warranted such caution.
Qin Wen sat on the bed, staring blankly ahead.
This had been going on for a while; she hadn’t yet recovered from the trauma.
Just then, footsteps echoed from outside, and a hunched, elderly figure silently appeared beside her.
“Wen’er.”
A deep voice, heavier than usual.
Qin Wen turned stiffly, looking at her closest, most respected relative.
“Master…”
The Sword Saint Sect Master.
No one knew his name; his past, like the Sword Saint sect itself, was shrouded in mystery.
But no one could ignore this unyielding mountain, this sharp sword of humanity.
“Am I… useless?” Qin Wen lowered her head. “I actually became… an accomplice to a demon…”
Regardless of the circumstances, Qin Wen had been the catalyst for this disaster.
Although no one blamed her, she couldn’t use the excuse of being controlled to absolve herself. Her mistake remained.
“Yes, you are useless,” the Sword Saint Sect Master nodded, then his voice sharpened. “But do you intend to remain useless? Did you ever imagine yourself like this?”
Qin Wen looked up, startled by her master’s rare display of seriousness and his harsh words.
“Who are you?”
The old man’s gaze was sharp, like a blade.
“I… am Qin Wen.”
“No, that’s not the answer the Sword Saint sect needs. Tell me, who are you?” He pointed at her. “Where is your answer?”
“My answer…” Qin Wen murmured, her eyes unfocused. “But… who am I? Where… is my answer…?”
The old man watched her silently for a long moment, then sighed deeply.
“Wen’er, you’ve changed a lot since coming to Yan City, but whether this change should be called growth… depends on you.”
He smiled wryly, his expression softening as he gently stroked her hair, just like he used to.
“Before, you only thought with your sword, acted with your sword, but now… you hesitate, you no longer rely solely on your sword, you’ve learned to think.”
“My sword…”
Qin Wen looked down at her hands.
Yes, even when she had betrayed herself, her sword had remained true.
Neither living nor dead, existing only to slay demons.
Just like before, if she sensed even a trace of a demon, she would pursue it relentlessly, never giving up.
But now… she hesitated?
“I’m not unaware of your experiences in Yan City, but I don’t know if these changes are good or bad, because this is your path… you must walk it yourself,” the old man whispered. “Answer me again, Wen’er, who are you?”
Who am I?
How could she answer this question?
Qin Wen closed her eyes.
She recalled her days hunting demons in the Endless Wasteland, and the guilt she felt when she mistook Miss Luo Yan for a demon…
For the first time, she realized that the world wasn’t just black and white, but also shades of gray, filled with suffering and struggle.
So, what had she been pursuing all this time?
Her black and white worldview had shattered, replaced by an endless expanse of gray…
She had begun to hesitate, she had set aside her sword that only saw black and white, abandoning her initial innocence and purity, lost in the gray.
And her master’s words reminded her… that she still had her sword.
Yes, her sword couldn’t distinguish between gray, black, and white, but it could give her the most direct, the purest, answer.
“…I understand, Master.”
A spark returned to Qin Wen’s eyes.
“I am… Qin Wen of the Sword Saint sect, and my sword… will answer this question.”
Several swords materialized, their humming a response to Qin Wen.
“There’s an old saying from a religion in the Old Era, describing a person’s state of mind,” the old man said slowly. “Worldly detachment, worldly engagement, then detachment again, then engagement again.”
“Your training in the Endless Wasteland forged your resolute sword heart, a state of ‘worldly detachment.’ And during your time in Yan City, you learned to think, to make choices… You’ve experienced ‘worldly engagement’.”
“So now, Wen’er, it’s time for ‘detachment’ again. Use your sword, and see the world’s suffering and struggles once more.”
“And when you return to ‘engagement’… the name of the Sword Saint… will resound throughout the world because of you.”
Qin Wen wasn’t excited by her master’s words. Her expression turned serious.
“But Master, can I… truly do this?”
She, who claimed to slay all demons, had been tainted by a demon, almost committing an unforgivable act…
Could such a person… truly live up to the name of the Sword Saint?
“That’s for you to decide,” the old man shrugged. “Leave Yan City. Take your sword, and your thoughts, and I will await your return.
“When that day comes, I can proudly proclaim that I am the master… and the father… of ‘Sword Saint Qin Wen’.”
The old man straightened his back, his expression no longer playful, but filled with pride and expectation.
Qin Wen rarely saw him so serious, but she knew that he had always been this way, simply hiding it beneath a playful facade.
She smiled faintly at him, then stood up resolutely, leaving the bed.
The swords around her vanished, but their sharp aura lingered.
Just like before, Qin Wen looked like a drawn blade.
But unlike before, this blade’s edge was now sheathed.
“It’s time… to start anew.”
Qin Wen’s gaze hardened, and she walked out of the ward, heading towards the exit of Yan City.
She didn’t say goodbye to her master, because she knew that he… her father… would always be with her.
Always.
…
The Sword Saint Sect Master watched Qin Wen leave, his serious expression quickly crumbling.
He slapped his knee and wailed dramatically.
“Oh Wen’er, my daughter has grown up and left me… She didn’t even say goodbye…”
“Alright, alright, old man, she can’t hear you even if you cry.”
An impatient female voice sounded, and a tall, beautiful figure appeared. Elise said, exasperated.
“Don’t call me old man, you old hag, you’re older than me!” The Sword Saint Sect Master glared at her. “I remember clearly, you and my father were of the same generation, and he even pursued you!”
“…I am Elise, thirty-one years old.”
“Stop pretending, you old Illusion hag, I almost had to call you Mom! Oh wait… if my father had actually succeeded… would I even exist?”
“I told you, I’m not Illusion, I’m Elise,” Elise turned away, stubbornly clinging to her persona, even though it had long since crumbled.
“Keep pretending…”
The Sword Saint Sect Master muttered.
“By the way, I heard you attacked Dawn?” Elise raised an eyebrow. “Two ‘Destruction’ level Cadres were injured, and that Rhine, who started the war, is now half-paralyzed. As their elder… wasn’t that a bit much?”
“They attacked Wen’er! If it weren’t for them, she wouldn’t have been targeted by the Witch of Envy!” the old man grumbled. “Besides, my grandfather was their Fifth Mister, so technically, I was just disciplining them on his behalf…”
“…Isn’t it a bit strange for someone your age to keep mentioning your father and grandfather?”
“Isn’t it stranger for you, an old hag, to pretend to be young?”
“I told you, I’m thirty-one…”
“Ugh, just drop the act, old woman.”
Only the Sword Saint Sect Master dared to speak to Elise like this. Anyone else who knew her true identity wouldn’t dare be so disrespectful.
“And that ‘Miss Luo Yan’… what are your plans for her?”
The Sword Saint Sect Master hesitated, then asked.
After this disaster, and considering all the signs, he realized that Luo Yan might not be an ordinary Demonically Infected.
Elise glanced at him and replied,
“I’ll take her to meet the ‘Saint.’ If she’s related to what happened back then… we’ll find out.”
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