2301 - The Little Ones
Hmm.
Robin emerged from the golden Gate with his hands behind his back, then began to look around calmly, raising an eyebrow.
This time, he did not appear directly next to his target, but according to his spiritual sense, he was not too far away.
And judging by the location, it was only natural that he did not find what he was looking for right away.
He was in a place resembling an underground cave, dimly lit and intensely hot. A faint glow on parts of the ceiling seemed to be the reflection of shimmering liquids, and the heat made the place feel like the surface of a dormant volcano—stable on the outside, turbulent within.
As for the cave itself, it was by no means level; it was full of slopes and heights, rocky spikes hanging from the ceiling, and strange secretions oozing from the walls!
After a few moments of searching, Robin chose a direction and walked in it with ease, as if on a leisurely stroll.
Hmm.
Glacion and Richard appeared behind him. This time, Richard was walking on his own; he did not seem to need assistance to walk, but he moved forward slowly.
As for Glacion, he kept walking beside him to support him if he fell, and called out to Robin, "My lord, may I ask a question?"
"Go ahead." Robin advanced slowly.
"Your advice to the Marshal was essentially for him to continue what he was doing, but to perform good deeds that would count in his favor..." Glacion furrowed his brows. "Isn't that belittling the concept of Deeds? Something you yourself said is of a higher rank than the Laws."
"I spoke from my own experience, and from what many before me have experienced," Robin said with a smile.
"I understand that. I do the same myself." Glacion waved his hand. "But I've never heard anyone speak of the concept of Deeds with such reverence and philosophy. After all, the Law of Purity can free you from its consequences... yet you only praised it to ultimately grant such a major loophole."
Robin nodded. "Hmm, the Law of Purity does not free you from the accumulation of negative karma; it merely mitigates the consequences. That negative karma makes you an enemy of the heavenly laws to a certain degree, and the Law of Purity mediates to lessen that hostility. That's all. The negative karma remains and accumulates... and you saw for yourself what it did to Aru. It would have destroyed him in the end."
Then he smiled. "And when you speak of a loophole... did I say it was a loophole? If such a thing existed, it wouldn't be my role to discover it. I am far too small before the concepts. I can only contemplate them and keep pace with what I understand of them."
"A loophole?" Glacion furrowed his brows. "What's the point of Karma then? If someone destroys several planets and then goes off to give some charity or build villages—isn't that a loophole? That person would still be a sinner committing wrongdoing, and what they do would be nothing but blatant hypocrisy!"
"Hehe~" Robin paused and looked back. "You just don't get it—you don't understand the meaning behind it!"
Then he spread both palms, raising his right hand. "Aru destroyed 100 villages, and a thousand people died in them." Then he raised his left hand. "He himself built a hundred villages and created the opportunity for a thousand people to be born." Then he looked into Glacion's eyes. "When you look at the big picture, did Aru really do anything?"
"...?" Glacion furrowed his brows.
"Now let's reverse the example." Robin clenched his right fist. "Aru destroyed the same hundred villages and killed the thousand people, but because Karma has no loopholes, as you say, it didn't allow him to atone and judged him as a bad person forever... Would Aru then go build villages or create an opportunity for anyone to live?"
"..." Glacion shook his head.
Robin gestured with two fingers. "This is it—this is the opportunity. The chance for a Sinner to take a step back and mend what they've done. Perhaps, through repeated good deeds, they'll grow accustomed to them and leave their dark past behind. If Negative Karma were truly unforgivable, you'd be living in a real hell—a hell where anyone whose doors of repentance are shut would commit every kind of sin, with or without reason, because they'd simply ask themselves… why not?"
Then, with a smile, he pointed toward Glacion. "Let's imagine for a moment that you're a teacher. You have a very troublesome student who hits his classmates, tears up their books, and breaks their pencils. What would you do? You'd tell him he has a chance to correct his mistakes as long as the semester isn't over—even if it's just for show—so the other students are spared his mischief while he reflects on himself. Or would you close the door on him and tell him he's doomed to fail?"
He then winked at Glacion. "And when the semester ends, as a teacher, you can gather all his deeds throughout the year and decide whether he passes or fails. The important thing is that you've shielded the other students from his harm as much as possible throughout the semester, without intervening yourself."
"...." Glacion stared into Robin's eyes with fear. "Is this what you meant when you told the Marshal you wouldn't speak of anything you weren't sure about? You seem very sure to me."
"I'm just connecting the dots." Robin shrugged, then turned and started walking again. "You get the idea, Glacion. How you use it is up to you. Just know that we are still very, very small."
Then he flashed a wide grin as he reached a corner and pointed in a certain direction. "Oops, there she is!"
In that direction stood a woman with nine tails, thick white fur, and a stunning black-gold armor covering her body. Directly in front of her was a large lake of a clear, slightly blue liquid.
She was sitting in a meditative posture, eyes closed, and even after Robin's loud shout and laughter, she noticed nothing, continuing to sit with several empty bottles around her.
"Hmm?" Glacion furrowed his brows. "I know her. That's... the young lady Renara, the Spearhead of the Cradle Empire!" Then he raised his voice slightly. "Are we really in Middle Sector 100?"
"Hehe," Robin began approaching Renara, his eyes gleaming with gold. "It's time for the Spearhead to be sharpened again."