Chapter 428: Multiverse philosophy: Originator
Zhen Liu was caught off guard by the sudden action, but quickly reclaimed his composure before speaking his thoughts on the matter.
“I mean…maybe something like that?,” Zhen Liu answered, “it’s just…feels kinda wrong to suddenly put an end to a life I had inadvertently cause to exist. I’d rather not be like Victor Frankenstein and run away from the problems I cause.”
=An understandable sentiment, that man was a terrible father,= Logos agreed, having read a bunch of the literary classics that came from their lord’s world.
Pathos on the other hand decided to be a bit snarky….and cryptic.
“Okay, I’ve been meaning to ask this. Y’all have been hinting at the divinities of my world being real and occasionally popping up here, some of the aether arts in here clearly have the word ‘buddha’ in their name’s, like [Buddha’s Golden Palm] and [Buddha’s Begging Bowl Imprisonment], is that the same Buddha I know or is that a Buddha exclusive to this world?”
<=It's the same guy,=> Logos and Pathos answered simultaneously as if not suddenly dropping a bombshell on Zhen Liu’s head.
“Say what?,” Zhen Liu asked with genuine shock to his voice,” also wait, does that mean-”
<=No no no no no no. No. Absolutely not,=> both Logos and Pathos stated while shaking their heads violently against the notion that the Buddha might have been a Kaijin Lord. Granted, they had a very good reason for this though.
=We’re beings made of desire, he literally has none, it causes us both spiritual and physical pain being in the same room as one another. And to elaborate further, the Buddha started mortal in your world, reached nirvana to remove himself from your world’s circle of life and death and I now believe is hopping into other worlds to this day…last time we saw him was…around the time we were on the lord prior to you and your immediate predecessor.=
“I…kinda expected that, also what the fuck you met him?!”
=Not directly, no, that aforementioned predecessor of yours did though. Coincidentally, he was also from your world milord.=
The sheer amount of coincidences stacking upon one after another was starting to drive Zhen Liu mad to the point that he briefly forgot about the mechanical oversized parasite as he needed answers.
“You mentioned that guy before…who was he?”
Logos looked to Pathos for a moment, sharing a look that caused the former to shake her head.
=Unfortunately, we can’t tell you,= Logos answered.
“What? Why not?”
“Of course he did…,” Zhen Liu sighed in exasperation, “can you at least tell me his title, what he was like before ending up here or what he was like?”
While he didn’t know whether or not the enigmaticness was due to the influence of these two, or because his predecessors we’re overly dramatic, he was getting sick of it.
Thankfully though, Logos and Pathos could at least tell him that much…and maybe a bit more than they intended.
=The Pentinent Judgeman,= Logos interjected, =he called himself a “man of god” and was a very…sad and angry individual. Namely at himself.=
“Why’s that?”
=He said that in his past life, the one on your world, he was something called a “witch-hunter” and when he ended up here, he realized just how messed up his occupation was and how messed up he was.=
“Oh…”
“Huh…”
As soon as Pathos made that statement, Zhen Liu couldn’t help but stare at the mechanical parasite that had stopped rolling around and was now sleeping in the glass cage.
Did he truly want to spare this accidental parasite because he felt responsible, or was it because he felt a strange sense of kinship with the beast before him?
After all, they both irreversibly took over someone else’s life and dramatically changed their trajectories. Granted, one ended in tragedy and bamboo exploding out of their body, while the other was yet to be seen.
‘Yeesh. Newton thinks about gravity from an apple to the head, Einstein realizes relativity from a stray thought at work…I question my existence and the meaning of my life from staring at a parasite and learning about my predecessor…how is that fair?’
Zhen Liu went silent after this revelation, an understandable reaction to have when one re-evaluates their life, but this silence went on long enough that Logos and Pathos got a little worried.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine, just…realizing that I probably won’t be able to turn this thing into a kaijin until I get stronger…probably.”
=That is correct milord, you won’t be able to turn living animals into kaijin until you reach the Aether King level.=
“I was just joking about that, what?”
=Well…=
As Zhen Liu was busy being regaled about even more details about what he could potentially do, after going through a small existential crisis in the depths of a magic library, wondering about his own value as a person/transmigrator, the group of beings that had no reason to question his meaning we’re busy with their own thing.
Namely, finding ways to alleviate their boredom…mostly.
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How does one determine the value of a life?
By having someone else judge the company they keep?
By having others gawk at the items they own?
By spreading the faith they follow to others, regardless of it’s flaws?
Is it only through the validation of others that one can determine their worth?
No.
At the end of the day, the only person who can make that call, is the same person that stares back when a mirror is involved.
-A philosophical rant of worth, by a man who met a Buddha.
