At 17 Queen Mary Street, Xia De and the doctor carried their suitcases up to the second floor. He suddenly laughed, "Doctor, judging by what we just did, we look like typical villains."
"Good and bad are relative," the doctor said. They didn't go to the first floor but entered the second-floor corridor and walked further inside.
"How so?"
"No one is entirely good or bad. A person can do good deeds and bad deeds. Just maintain a good Balance."
The doctor said, arriving with Xia De at the innermost room. Kicking open the door, they went to the window, outside of which was a safe alley.
"Balance... Speaking of which, I've always been curious if our school's name, Saint Byron's, has a deeper meaning."
Xia De asked.
He pushed open the window, peered out to confirm no one was in the alley—people on the street were busy putting out fires and picking up money—then took off his mask, discarded the frog leg, and jumped directly from the second-floor window into the alley.
Taking off his gloves and shoe covers and stuffing them into his pocket, the middle-aged doctor followed closely, carrying his suitcase, and jumped from the second-floor window. He explained calmly, in a good mood, "The name of Saint Byron's itself carries the meaning of Balance. Miracle and blasphemy are relative; inspiration and whisper are relative; the Destiny Ring itself is a perfect circle; and a Ring術士 himself has another self behind him. Saint Byron's believes that the foundation of the Ring術士 system lies in Balance. Only by maintaining Balance can one continuously advance without losing control."
He stomped his right foot, which was numb from the landing, and after they both tidied their clothes, they walked towards the alley entrance, carrying their suitcases.
The middle-aged doctor said leisurely, "Xia De, the more you live in this City, the more you will understand the preciousness of Balance. This world doesn't need extremes; where there is light, there is darkness; where there is goodness, there is evil. Even civilization and nations themselves require stability and Balance, not extreme good or extreme evil."
They walked side by side to the alley entrance, and people throughout the street seemed to be screaming. Thick black smoke billowed from the third floor of the detached apartment, and flames leaping from the windows dyed half the sky red.
They both looked up at the burning window. The flames were rapidly spreading from the third floor to the second, but no one paid attention to them, carrying their suitcases, as they emerged from the alley.
Xia De thought about his short time in this world and the stories he experienced from the first to the second Ring:
"We kill and set fires, but we also protect the weak. We rob and kill, but we always remember to maintain reverence."
"That's about it," the doctor nodded, and he and Xia De turned to leave.
The wind swept through the street, making the raging fire even more intense. More and more people ran past them, and this strong wind also caused the remaining blood-red poisonous droplets on the third-floor windowsill to drip from the window.
It fell in the wind and then tilted due to the strong wind.
"Hmm?"
Xia De felt something fall on his head. He touched it and found it was just clear water.
Brushing past the running people, they walked through the shouting, screaming, or simply curious crowd, with their backs to the burning building, and walked down the street into the distance.
"Even the night before last, weren't the gods themselves in Balance? The main divine duties of the righteous gods were mutually balanced, and when evil gods came to this world, there would surely be good forces to stop them. It might be mortals, or it might be other deities, but all of this is Balance."
Xia De paused and asked the doctor, "So, you mean the truth of the world is Balance?"
"Not quite. It should be said that Balance doesn't need to be pursued; everything in this world is Balance," the doctor said with a smile.
"Doesn't need to be pursued?"
Xia De frowned slightly, "I don't understand."
"You are still too young, too young," the doctor sighed, shaking his head at Xia De, "You still have a long life to experience my words. Pointlessly searching for what is good, what is bad, what is light, what is darkness, is merely wasting your life."
"Then how should we grasp our own Balance?" Xia De inquired. The middle-aged doctor smiled, "I have experience with this. I often tell my patients this: every night before going to bed, review what you've done during the day. If, after reviewing, you can sleep with a relaxed mind, then you have grasped Balance."
The young Outsider nodded.
Behind them, the violent explosion of burning wood sounded again. Beside the two walking down the street into the distance, people either came with basins of water and buckets to help or ran away quickly with terrified faces. Only the two of them proceeded at a normal pace.
Flames burst from the windows of the three-story building. Black smoke and firelight dyed the sky of Tobesk red. On the street below the building, people clutching banknotes discussed what had just happened. Disheveled women cried loudly, and people rushing with basins of water were nervously unsure whether they should enter the house.
The firelight reddened every face.
With his back to the burning building, the advancing doctor raised his hand to adjust his hat, the firelight reflecting on his back. Xia De turned to look at the burning building, the firelight reflected in his eyes:
"sixth epoch, common era 1853, summer, thunder moon. Firelight reflects on your face. Under the midsummer sky, you witness all that you have done. You once offered your eyes to the Golden Scales, and you once judged the gods holding the Blood Feast under the moon. The Chosen are your companions, and the girl bearing everything stands by your side. The Golden Scales are balanced by your weights, and in your eyes, you see the entire world. Outsider, do you, who grasp Balance, desire the current story? Outsider, do you anticipate a grand epic?"
The doctor stepped forward, lowering his head to hold his hat, a smile on his face hidden beneath the hat.
Police teams, blowing their sirens, stopped on the street, shouting to maintain order, their faces full of anxiety.
People on the street stood in the firelight; the greedy picked up banknotes, the helpless looked up at the building, and the brave waved their arms to signal safety.
City Hall carriages carrying water raced from the distant streets, and further away, more and more people were gathering.
Black smoke billowed from the third-floor window, leaping flames swirling, leaving a winding upward trail under the gloomy sky, reaching higher and higher.
Xia De lifted his left foot, held his suitcase in his right hand, and turned his head to look behind him.
Firelight flickered in his eyes, figures swayed around him, noisy chatter entered his ears, and the smell of burning filled his nostrils.
A muffled boom sounded overhead. Rising heat entered the clouds, water vapor condensed, and thunder rumbled within the clouds.
The burning City was about to rain.
On Saturday in Tobesk, dense crowds moved like tiny ants in this steam-powered City. Outsiders, Ring術士, gods, Cultists, fires... all of this did not affect the stability and Balance of the City.
After experiencing so many things, this world, this City, was still the same as the day he arrived. This was still the Pearl of the North, Tobesk City, the City of Fog.
Xia De stood under the vast sky, in the enormous steam-powered City, listening to the soft laughter of the woman beside him, and suddenly felt he understood something.
With his back to the smoking building and the gathered people, he followed the doctor, merging into the bustling crowd.
"So, Balance is within all things?"
In his pocket, the 【Genesis · Balance】 rhode cards glowed faintly. A massive dark golden Balance flashed behind Xia De, but no one saw it.
"Outsider, you have gained new power."
(End of Volume)