Chapter 50 Light Is Passing
"...You said that their leader is coming too?"
Nefertari raised his eyebrows and stopped what he was doing.
She reached out and pressed a few times on the ritual plate that was burning with blue-purple flames to extinguish the fire.
Turning back, the red-haired lady with pale skin asked in surprise to her tall childhood sweetheart, "When? What level of leader?"
In those beautiful flame-colored pupils, there was an inexhaustible glow of fire.
It was the search for endless knowledge... or greed.
"I didn't ask, but it should be the top of the sect."
Nieusser replied in a low voice.
He shook his head, sat behind Nefertari, and looked at the bookcase on the side with some disappointment.
He whispered: "They are as you said... they are followers of the light."
"What do you see?"
"Light."
Nieusser replied: "They are not like us, who have a light in their eyes and do not get lost...their light is in their hearts.
"Those three children don't look very old. The oldest one is in his early twenties and less than thirty years old. The boy among them is still her own brother."
"...Brother?"
Nefertari was startled.
She was silent for a moment, and then replied somewhat blankly: "I remember that the male heirs of the earth world...should be the chief heirs of the family, right?"
"At least in winter. The old nobles of the United Kingdom also have this custom."
Nieusser's mood was very heavy: "Her brother has died in the sporozoite mill more than thirty times."
Hearing this, Nefertari's hand trembled invisibly.
Her lips moved slightly, and the word "idiot" was in her mouth, but she couldn't bear to spit it out.
She was silent for a while,
Or swallow those words and put it another way: "It was their leader who ordered them to go to the sporozoite mill to purify the nightmare?"
Overseer Nieusser nodded.
He added: "And their leader is here to purify the nightmare.
"I heard from that group of children... There should be a group of backups after that. There are at least a hundred people, all elites who are proficient in purifying nightmares."
"...I can't afford to pay that much."
"No, they didn't ask for money..."
"They didn't want it, but can I not give it?!"
Very rare, Nefertari shouted in a low voice: "Whether they want it is their business, whether I give it or not is my business!"
The two of them raised their heads at the same time and looked at each other subconsciously, but after a very short but unbearable silence, they quickly turned their eyes away.
"……Feel sorry."
Nieusser was the first to speak.
His voice was gentle and honest, as frank and harmless as his appearance.
Nefertari sighed deeply and shook his head: "You are not wrong. I am too excited...
"That's what I think, Nieusser. You listen to me. These over a hundred people came to the underground world, definitely not just to purify the sporozoite mill.
"They are supposed to cast light into the ground. Let those of us underground who live from false light...experience the light that belongs to the 'sun'.
"However, if they do clean up the sporozoite mill for us. Then I intend to give them a great gift - they came to change the fate of our underground people, and they gave their lives and worked hard for us without any relatives and no reason.
"I don't care what the wise men and diggers in other cities do, but I want them to believe that... when they come here, at least one city will welcome them, at least one city will recognize and remember their contributions. Not in vain.
"Those stupid and short-sighted mortals may not understand what they have changed. They don't care about nightmares, and they never care about the fate of every underground city that was eroded by nightmares... The space of the underground world is too huge to make them no longer cherish all of these."
Nefertari stood up, put his hand on his chest, and his voice became a little louder: "But I understand what this means! This is a country without gods. Although the underground world is vast, it is not infinite. It is all over the place, As our population grows, one day... we will come to an end.
"But it's different now!
"I know what they paid for! I understand better that all the misfortunes we've experienced have nothing to do with them—"
- I even want to join them.
Nefertari's lips moved.
But she still didn't say it.
She mourned for her cowardice and her life.
She can accept that she died in search of the truth, and she can accept the ending of giving her life for a friend, such as Nieusser.
However, for the hundreds of thousands of nightmares that can never be purified in a lifetime... Even if she fought to the death and gave everything, she was just throwing a stone into the sea.
—Irrelevant sacrifices that don't see the dawn.
Maybe even the speed at which she purifies nightmares can't keep up with the speed at which nightmares are born... Even if she abandons her life, her family and friends, and the ideals she has held since childhood, she can't do anything meaningful.
Just thinking about it made her feel terrified.
She is not afraid of sacrifice. Not afraid to die.
But she was afraid that her sacrifice had no meaning and that nothing would change.
Just thinking about it made her cry.
"I understand, I understand."
Nieusser thoughtfully wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said warmly, "You can't let the heroes bleed and cry. That's what you mean."
"...Yes, that's it. That's what I meant."
Nefertari stood in the same place obediently.
When Nieusser handed her the handkerchief, he gently blew his nose.
Only then did he pursed his lips, raised his head, and said seriously to the tall and strong brown-haired supervisor: "Neusel, our [digger]. The accumulator and guardian of wealth, the person who opened up the city—
"I, [Wise Man], Nefertari...According to the ancient rules, apply for a fund. To entertain the leader of the [Hidden Eye], build enough houses, buy enough food and water, hire Servants, and travel and medicine for followers of the Light...until their destination city is willing to pay for it all. And, after the sporozoite mill has been purged, I want to give them, in our name, Give some gifts."
——The gifts that can be given to the extraordinary can only be curses.
Nefertari knew that this was a lot of money.
Even if she took out all her private money, she couldn't make it up at all.
The scale of the underground city is much smaller than that of the above-ground city-because of the vast area and sparse population, there may not be 30,000 people in the entire sporozoite mill. And in the city of Winter City directly above it, the population is more than ten times that of it.
You know, this is the Winter Principality in winter. Not to mention elsewhere.
The tax collected from 30,000 people was just barely used to support more than 100 people at the highest standard.
Plus "gifts" and travel expenses.
... This money, Nefertari can't get it at all.
But Diggers are different.
Those who can become diggers usually risk their lives in the exploration layer for more than ten years. A considerable amount of wealth has been accumulated on hand...
But these wealth are earned by the sacrifice of their lives. Because diggers usually don't dive further into exploration layers, the wealth is only accessible. After investing in the underground city and becoming a supervisor, the diggers usually try their best to control the outflow of funds.
Although they are not smart people, they also know the truth of sitting on the mountain.
However, Nieusser replied without hesitation:
"—I promise."
Because he thought so too.
"Don't worry, I still have the first right to discover two cities and a medicine field," Nieusser replied with a smile, "The annual dividends alone can supply the sporozoite mill's daily consumption."
"...Then we'll all become paupers."
"You'll earn it again sooner or later. You're smart after all."
Nieusser shrugged.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
The two of them were not too surprised by the other's choice.
Rather, that's exactly how...they have known and known each other since childhood.
But, not yet in love.
……perhaps.