In the current land of Siberia, Issei’s perception was far superior to when he was at the Clock Tower.
On one hand, his magical prowess had significantly improved, and on the other hand…
he was now, for all intents and purposes, half the owner of this land.
Therefore, even with the morning mist shrouding the river ahead, he had detected the presence of the black-haired man as soon as he arrived nearby.
The black-haired man sitting by the river also scrutinized Issei from head to toe, then quickly said with a smile, “It seems my disguise isn’t perfect yet, to be discovered by you so quickly.” “But then again…
although you’re human, the Beast aura on you is quite strong.” By the end of his sentence, there was a hint of deeper meaning in the black-haired man’s tone.
Issei approached calmly, reaching the riverbank and looking directly into those incredibly profound eyes.
“Who are you?” Although he had guessed the other party’s identity, he still asked for confirmation, just in case.
“Taigong Wang.” The black-haired man yawned lazily as he spoke, glancing at the motionless river surface.
“Of course, you can also call me by another name…” Under Issei’s gaze, he continued, “Taigong Wang.” It really was him…
Hearing that name, Issei’s thoughts began to stir.
He believed he had some understanding of this special Heroic Spirit.
Taigong Wang is not a Heroic Spirit summoned by any ‘person’, but an agent of the counter force, an expert dispatched to deal with human order crises.
His true mission is to subjugate Beasts, which are great calamities born from human history that threaten humanity itself.
Issei had imagined that Heroic Spirits would appear to subjugate Beasts later, but he hadn’t expected that the first one to appear in the Tunguska explosion area would be this ‘God-Era Hunter’.
“Don’t worry, I don’t plan to personally handle the troublesome task of subjugating the Beast in this area…
Besides, it’s still uncertain whether it even needs to be subjugated,” Taigong Wang said with a smile.
Issei’s eyes flickered, vaguely realizing something.
From his words, it seems he’s seen the connection between me and this land…?
Without giving him more time to think, Taigong Wang’s gaze turned to the still undisturbed river surface, then he sighed softly, “It seems on my first day here, I’ll be going home empty-handed.” He’s worried about’striking out’, isn’t he…
Issei said calmly, “You won’t catch any fish.
There’s no life left in this land anymore.” Taigong Wang looked deeply at Issei and said serenely, “That’s not necessarily true…
Before this, I never imagined a human would appear in such a place where all life has been extinguished.” You didn’t talk to Taigong Wang for long, because you saw him quickly return to fishing by the river.
Out of politeness, you bowed respectfully to him before leaving.
Before you left, he looked deeply at you.
After returning to your tent, you were still somewhat concerned about his appearance and purpose.
So, early the next morning, you returned to the river and saw Taigong Wang’s figure in the misty fog.
He sat silently before the bluestone, like a statue, unmoving.
He didn’t notice your presence, as if he had fallen asleep sitting there.
Day after day, you went to see him almost every morning, hoping to understand his purpose.
One day, he suddenly invited you to fish with him.
You accepted without hesitation.
In the morning, you sat by the river fishing with Taigong Wang, and in the afternoon, you began to soothe the lingering resentments of the creatures in this land.
Until one morning a week later, ripples appeared on the river, and a fish actually bit the hook.
“There’s actually still living things in this land?” Issei was somewhat incredulous.
“Probably because of ‘miracles’.” Taigong Wang chuckled as he looked at the young man, slowly saying, “I can feel that the dense malevolence in this land is gradually weakening…
Perhaps one day, even without me, this land will regain its former spiritual energy.” He looked at the lively fish in the young man’s hand and smiled, “Can you give it to me as a souvenir?” As Taigong Wang spoke, a special interface quietly appeared in his vision.
Your existence is a huge variable for this already lifeless land.
Taigong Wang, realizing this, is very interested in you.
He asks for the fish you painstakingly caught.
Your choice is…
A: Sternly refuse, stating, ‘This is what I caught, why should I give it to you?!’ B: Give him the fish as a farewell gift.
C: (Rubbing hands together like a fly) Tell him that if he wants this fish, he’ll have to trade a treasure for it!
Although there were many options, in reality, choosing ‘2’ was absolutely the most correct and safest decision.
Thus, Issei unhesitatingly chose option ‘B’.
After you handed the fish to Taigong Wang, he nodded with great satisfaction.
Then, to your surprise, he bent down and slowly immersed his hand, along with the fish, into the clear river water.
The fish wagged its tail, seemingly reluctant, circling his hand once before swimming lightly into the depths of the river and disappearing.
“Issei, what do you think is the most powerful thing in this Tunguska scorched earth?
Is it the Beast’s power?
Or those weapons?” Taigong Wang suddenly asked.
Issei was startled.
Before he could speak, he saw Taigong Wang slowly shake his head: “Actually, neither.
The truly most powerful and dangerous thing is the ‘resentment’ of hundreds of millions in this land.” “What you just caught can be seen as one wisp of these billions of resentments.
You simply hoped to catch a fish, so one wisp of resentment voluntarily transformed into a fish and bit the hook…
because more and more departed souls in this land are recognizing your existence.” “Anger and hatred can only be resolved through ‘Empathy Magecraft’.
This is your path, and it is how you will win true victory in the future.” “Watch closely.
Use your eyes to see through the sorrow of this land.” You looked up and suddenly saw an incredibly vast and peaceful ‘vision’ surge into your mind.
You seemed to hear the dying wails of countless beasts and saw the path that could lead them to peace.
When you came back to your senses, Taigong Wang had already stepped back, a leisurely smile on his face, though it now carried a hint of relief.
“Congratulations, you’ve found your own ‘fishing rod’.” As his words fell, a prompt quietly appeared.
Under Taigong Wang’s guidance, you have gained a new understanding of the essence of ‘resentment’ and obtained the special authority: A Single Thread of Providence.
A Single Thread of Providence: B Just as Taigong Wang waited by the chaotic Wei River for the ‘Zhou’ dragon-fish amidst countless currents; when this skill is activated, no matter how complex the offensive, it will transform into a chaotic torrent, and only a single shimmering ‘thread’ will clearly indicate the only feasible path to the optimal solution.
This ability seems quite interesting…
In short, it’s a ‘discernment’ authority.
As long as an enemy uses magic on Issei, he can use ‘A Single Thread of Providence’ to break their magic…
Days passed, and your life has now become even more fulfilling.