Chapter 42: Acting Correctly

There is no doubt that the life Father Ludwig arranged for Bernardino can be said to be extremely bright.

And Annan can see it too.

Father, he didn't just bring up the fatherless and motherless Bernardino with a compassionate heart without expecting anything in return... He fell in love with Bernardino's talent and hoped to train him to be his successor, The art of sculpture that he owns is passed on to him.

The reason why Father Ludwig chose to live here in seclusion may be another story.

And when the priest's voice fell, Annan finally had a new main mission.

[Main task: play as Bernardino]

Immediately, a large piece of small characters quickly appeared below the line of words.

But the content in it surprised Annan slightly:

【Don't regret it】

【Wake up soon】

【survive】

——The long-lost "survive".

Annan sighed silently.

It is indeed a nightmare with "reenactment" characteristics.

Everything in the past will be abstracted in this nightmare.

Unlike "memory", which is a nightmare feature that focuses on restoring facts, "reenactment" is also deducing the past, but it emphasizes the realization of the mind. That is to say, after a certain degree of "artistic processing", it has a different expressive force.

It's like the "Brother Sledgehammer" who followed in the gallery nightmare, symbolizing the imminence of death; the infinitely repeated gallery is Amos's subconscious resistance that has gradually become clear about the end of his death.

The props in the display cabinet do not exist there in the historical line; the black shadow under the lamp, the approaching demons and hounds in the reverse time corridor also symbolize something.

On Amos' real escape, of course, nothing of the sort would appear.

He's just an ordinary person, and Joseph can certainly communicate...but the "Brother Sledgehammer" in the nightmare is just a ruthless death mechanism.

According to Zedi Heita's nightmare science research, the "replay" type of distorted nightmare emphasizes a certain process in an abstract way. A recurring nightmare is itself an infinite repetition of that nightmare.

In order for the purifier to experience this process perfectly, once he dies in this nightmare, all memories that appeared in the nightmare will be emptied.

All this is to provide a "deeper sense of substitution."

— That is, to prevent spoilers.

Luckily Hugo didn't get into this nightmare at the time.

The corners of Annan's mouth rose slightly, revealing a satisfied smile.

Because of this, he can fully experience the whole of this nightmare...

The world is still pretty bright today.

The setting sun is just outside the window, and the golden light shines on the sparkling sea. It was undoubtedly a very beautiful, dreamlike sight.

Carefully pondering Bernardino's mood, Annan spoke in a low voice and said softly, "I just... hope to become a more meaningful person."

"What is meaningful?"

Father Ludwig sighed softly: "Should I give all my rations to other hungry people and save one poor person, or a rich person who gives away porridge every day and save more than a thousand people? The chance to let yourself live is given to others; but if the latter try their best, they can even eliminate the famine in a place.

"What you lack is not kindness or awakening, but aptitude... or power. Without power, you can't do anything. Conversely, as long as you have enough power, no matter what you want to do can do it.

"What is power? That is absolute excellence. Whether it is becoming an extraordinary person, or becoming an official, or becoming an outstanding scholar, or a quite famous artist-as long as you are outstanding. Your excellence, It will naturally turn into strength."

"...Is the career you are good at more important than what you like?"

"That's right, it's more important."

Father Ludwig replied without hesitation: "You are just a fisherman's son, there is no room for hypocrisy.

If you just wish to live a life of peace and happiness, then I don't ask much of you - your craft of making sculptures will allow you to pursue any trade without starvation. But you want to do "meaningful things" and become "meaningful people"... You have your own ideals. "

The priest sighed softly and said slowly: "You are still young, so you won't understand... how heavy the word ideal is. It's so heavy that if you don't exert all your strength, you won't be able to bear it at all, and you can only choose to abandon it.

"Then mediocrity is an unforgivable sin to you.

"You can be miserable, you can be unhappy, you can be crazy, and you can be sad. But you can't be mediocre. Because you have dreams, you want to do meaningful things...and mediocrity means giving up dreams."

Annan was dumbfounded.

—because he knew that Father Ludwig was right.

Bernardino doesn't even have any money, and he still doesn't have the ability to survive independently.

He needed Ludwig's money to leave the Diamond Island, and even the living expenses were paid by Ludwig. The "apprentice" work he performed was not so much a part-time job as an internship under guidance. What he made couldn't be sold, and it had no value at all.

Then Ludwig actually has the right to speak-he just needs to reject Bernardino.

But the priest was sitting here, seriously reasoning with Bernardino.

—and it really makes sense.

After all, Father Ludwig has no obligation to satisfy Bernardino's delusions. He wasn't even Bernardino's biological father, nor was he related in any way.

And sculpture is indeed the only craft Bernardino currently has that can be used to make a living.

This made Annan directly at a loss as to how he should respond.

After all, he was not the real Bernardino, and there was no teleprompter in the nightmare. He didn't know how Bernardino would refute and make trouble for no reason at that time...

"If you have nothing else to say, that's the end of today's conversation."

Father Ludwig saw that Bernardino had fallen into silence, so he concluded: "I'm going to the church to continue making new stone statues. Remember to eat on time and don't wait for me. Dinner is stewed fish with vegetables and tofu. The pot is hot.

"Remember to watch "The Beauty of Solidification" for an hour after eating, and then continue to make the plaster statue you made two days ago. I will check your progress when I come back."

Father Ludwig, who is both a teacher and a father, carefully arranged the learning content for thirteen or fourteen-year-old Bernardino.

Father Ludwig's face was always stern, without any fluctuations in expression, always maintaining a solemn expression, even when he was speaking, he always squinted his eyes. He doesn't seem to be an easy person to get along with...but he is very patient with the rebellious Bernardino.

After Father Ludwig left the house, time seemed to fast forward, and it became dark in the blink of an eye.

Annan's heart skipped a beat.

Judging from this reaction, this memory didn't seem to end there... His main mission didn't fail either. There seems to be other content behind.

...Could this not be the last conversation Bernardino had before leaving?

In other words, his current performance turned out to be correct?