Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 211: Chapter 210: Fang Zheng’s Decision

“What exactly is going on between you and Wilhelmina?”

After seeing to the considerably injured Wilhelmina, Shana immediately found Fang Zheng and questioned him with great intensity. In the face of Shana’s questioning, Fang Zheng simply shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s quite simple, I dislike her, she dislikes me, and then she even tried to take my things, so I fought with her… Is there anything else?”

“But…”

Confronted with Fang Zheng’s response, Shana was at a loss for words for a moment. In fact, she had already heard the full account of the incident from Wilhelmina; regarding the forcible attempt to take the Zero Hour Resurgence, Shana also found it incomprehensible. But the bigger issue wasn’t this, it was the hostility towards Fang Zheng that Wilhelmina had made clear in Shana’s presence.

“That man is a very dangerous entity, you cannot continue to stay by his side, it will hinder your mission as a Fire Mist Warrior as well.”

...

Faced with Wilhelmina’s warning, Shana didn’t know how to reply. She wanted to tell Wilhelmina that she stayed not because of anyone’s demands, but because in the previous battle, she had realized she wasn’t as strong as she had thought, and so she remained to enhance her own strength. But Wilhelmina had this to say…

“That is not the attitude a Fire Mist Warrior should have. You must unquestionably continue on the path you are meant to follow.”

But Fang Zheng’s expression was another matter.

“Every parent has once had expectations for the path their child would take, but in the end, the path they take still depends on the child themselves, doesn’t it? What’s the point of trying to make a cow drink water by forcing its head down?”

“Ah…”

Hearing this, Aralastor couldn’t help but sigh.

Of course, he knew what kind of determination and sense of mission Wilhelmina had in raising Shana. Aralastor had also once believed that Wilhelmina was correct; she had worked hard to raise Shana, helping her acquire knowledge and power. For Wilhelmina, Shana at that time was the ideal person.

But Fang Zheng’s view was completely different; he believed that people change and grow continuously on their journey. Therefore, his educational policy for Shana was nearly the complete opposite of Wilhelmina’s – the former hoped that Shana could learn from various experiences and change accordingly, whereas the latter believed that as long as Shana maintained her initial untainted, pure supreme form, that would be sufficient.

Their views were as different as heaven and earth, one of the Antarctic and the other of the Arctic, without the slightest point of intersection.

In official terms, this is called “both parties have fully and candidly exchanged their opinions and have reached a consensus on their differences”.

In simpler terms, it’s “we both know the reasons and motivations of the other side; I can understand why they do this, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to accept it.”

So Aralastor could see too that the unmistakable hatred Fang Zheng showed toward Wilhelmina wasn’t because of her cold demeanor or fiery actions. It was because he knew of the intense sense of mission the maid harbored, which was exactly what sparked his anger.

To put it bluntly, even if you’re raising a child for the sake of world peace, you have no right to demand that they turn out exactly as you envisioned, right?

Wilhelmina was just as stubborn. Entrusted by an old friend, she had secretly vowed to use everything within her power to cultivate the greatest Fire Mist Warrior worthy of the title “Catastrophic Fire.” She absolutely wouldn’t allow the child to have the slightest flaw, as this was her mission, her responsibility, and an inescapable promise to a departed friend.

Therefore, the conflict didn’t arise from misunderstanding or miscommunication. On the contrary, it was based on both parties having fully exchanged and understood each other’s reasons and methods. Since neither side could accept the other’s approach, nothing was left but to come to blows.

Faced with such a situation, Shana didn’t know what to do. On one hand, she regarded Wilhelmina, who had raised her from childhood, almost as a mother. On the other, she disagreed with Wilhelmina’s view of Fang Zheng. Shana was well aware of how much she had improved after being taught by Fang Zheng, and she wouldn’t deny this because of her feelings for Wilhelmina. Moreover, during the battle against the “Eulogy Reciter,” Shana had noticed her own advancement and transformation. Thus, she never agreed with Wilhelmina’s allegations.

“When I was little, my mother had hoped I would become a pianist,”

But what Shana hadn’t expected was for Fang Zheng to suddenly change the subject, talking about something else.

“My family situation was a bit complicated back then. I won’t go into details, but in short, she hoped I would become a pianist and then defeat my father… It was probably a banal plot from an eight o’clock TV drama. To be honest, at first, I took it very seriously. After all, it was just the two of us, mother and son. Whatever she asked of me, I’d strive to do. So I practiced piano every day, starting before dawn and continuing until it got dark, practicing until my fingers were blistered… Well, that’s normal for everyone, not really surprising,”

“…………”

At this point, Shana opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ended up saying nothing.

“At the beginning, I was quite successful; I guess you could say I made a name for myself at a young age, having inherited some of my father’s talent. But to be honest, I didn’t really like the piano at that time. I did what I did because it made my mother happy. And it’s true, every time I won a competition, my mother would praise me, and I felt proud and arrogant. To me, the piano wasn’t a hobby; it was a mission. A mission given by my mother to defeat my father.”

“………And then?”

This time, Shana couldn’t hold back and spoke up, actually guessing the answer.

“I won. I made it to the finals for my mother’s dream, and faced off against my father——and then I won. But my mother didn’t acknowledge it because I had chosen Classical music, whereas my father played Impressionist music… My mother wanted me to defeat him in the realm of Impressionism, but I still preferred Classical music a bit more.”

At this, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders.

“Just like that, I was kicked out of the house by my mother.”

“……Huh?”

Facing this outcome, Shana couldn’t help but be startled.

“Why? Didn’t you win?”

“Yes, I won.”

Fang Zheng nodded.

“But my mother doesn’t think so. She wanted me to defeat my father with Impressionism, not Classicism. Unfortunately, I’m better at Classical. So when she realized that I couldn’t possibly beat my father in the realm of Impressionism, she gave up on me and went to find another ‘reliable material’ she deemed suitable.”

At this point, Fang Zheng snorted coldly.

“In the end, what she wanted to see wasn’t my victory, but the victory of ‘someone who could beat my father in the field of Impressionism.’ So ‘I’ don’t matter at all, if I can’t meet her expectations, then no matter how well I do, I am worthless to her.”

“………”

Upon hearing this, both Shana and Aralastor fell silent. They finally understood why Fang Zheng had such disdain for Wilhelmina. Because, just like his own mother, she only permitted actions that aligned with her own expectations. Once deviated, no matter how well Shana performed, to Wilhelmina, it held no value.

Because it wasn’t what Wilhelmina expected.

That was why Fang Zheng simply resorted to using his fists.

“However, it’s a blessing in disguise, for I didn’t have to play the piano anymore after that. Indeed, the feeling of typing on a keyboard is a bit more comfortable… this could be considered a good thing. But, that’s not what I want to talk about now.”

Having said that, Fang Zheng looked at Shana.

“Aralastor, you said earlier that most Fire Mist Warriors joined to seek revenge against the Followers of the Crimson Realm, right?”

“Ah… Yes, that’s correct.”

Faced with this sudden one-eighty question from Fang Zheng, Aralastor was taken aback and didn’t understand what Fang Zheng was thinking, but still provided an answer.

“I’ve come to understand the Fire Mist Warriors’ stance toward the Followers of the Crimson Realm. What about their attitude toward humans?”

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For some reason, Aralastor suddenly felt that Fang Zheng’s question seemed to conceal some deeper meaning.

“….In fact, there are also many people who assist the Fire Mist Warriors, mostly handling intelligence work on the outside, of course, there are those…”

“Those are people related to the Fire Mist Warriors, right? I’m asking about the Fire Mist Warriors’ attitude toward ordinary people.”

“….It varies from person to person.”

“I see.”

After hearing Aralastor’s response, Fang Zheng nodded, then looked out the window and fell silent for a moment before speaking.

“I am leaving Goki City.”

“What?”

Confronted with this unexpected answer, both Shana and Aralastor were stunned, completely clueless as to how Fang Zheng arrived at this conclusion.

“You’re leaving? Where are you going?”

“For the time being, I think I’ll take Tilia around the world.”

Fang Zheng’s decision wasn’t spontaneous. Shana and Aralastor were unaware that, before Fang Zheng’s battle with Wilhelmina, she had mentioned an organization called “Masquerade Ball.” It was then that Fang Zheng’s Prophecy Spell activated once more. Although the omen was still not clear, Fang Zheng was certain that the next part of his journey with the Soulstone was inextricably linked to the Masquerade Ball.

So Fang Zheng intended to leave Goki City in search of the whereabouts of the Masquerade Ball. Furthermore, after his fight with Wilhelmina, his suspicions and interest in the world’s state grew. Initially, Fang Zheng thought the Fire Mist Warriors were akin to dark heroes like Spider Hero or Batman, but now it seemed… their relationship with humanity was even more complex.

Perhaps similar to that of Mutants?

Moreover, Fang Zheng also had this underlying sense that if he could do something, maybe he could gain even more from this world…