Chapter 1164 — Dinner in the Stonesplitter Keep

Ropney listened carefully to every word Selena laid out, not daring to miss a single letter of it, and only once the other had finished the list of cautions did she ask, "If these things do occur... what happens then?"

"Rest assured, the initial mental influence will not forge a 'shackle' as firm as a mind-brand—we have many mature methods for clearing away the shallow pollution left by a god," Selena said in a tone that carried conviction. "None of these methods leave aftereffects; Patty will not even notice that anything has happened to her."

Selena's tone was utterly sincere, yet Viscountess Ropney could not help but knit her brows, saying with some worry, "There truly will be no aftereffects at all?"

Selena looked at this anxious mother and suddenly smiled. "Of course not—we have dealt with this kind of power for several centuries. Shallow mental pollution is not nearly as terrifying as many imagine, and besides, Amorn is a god who has already departed from his divine seat; the residue of divine pollution he left behind has largely dissipated over the past three thousand years. By our reckoning, that is a quite safe 'dose.'"

"...I have decided to trust the judgment of the professionals, Lady Selena," the Viscountess Ropney said after a brief silence, exhaling softly. "And besides, this is in itself a choice we made together."

Selena gave a slight nod. She looked at Ropney and saw the sunlight falling across the other's profile, the worried expression gradually easing—which showed that her reassurance had, more or less, done its work. After a moment's thought, she broke the silence. "When I first sought your opinion, I did not actually expect you to agree... Though this project is an opportunity for Patty, I know you have always been extremely protective of your daughter."

"To come into contact with the 'miracle' of the God of Nature, to verify whether the final safety boundary of the barrier system holds—whatever the outcome, Patty will come away healthy... From a rational standpoint, I had no reason to refuse," Ropney shook her head. "I was indeed worried, but I have never let my worries interfere with rational judgment—if I lacked even that much judgment, my daughter and I could not have survived to this day."

At this, the Viscountess glanced at Selena again and nodded slightly. "And I am also well aware that it was out of goodwill that you secured this opportunity for Patty—though it is a risky experiment, for Patty the gain far outweighs the danger. You could easily have found other test subjects, people who could bear lighter responsibility and smaller risk, yet you gave the place to Patty. I am grateful."

"It is good that you can see it that way," Selena sighed, seeming a little more at ease. "Actually... I have always worried that you might harbor some resistance toward us—a resistance born of what we once were, and of what we did to Patty..."

"I did once resist you because of what you are, but where Patty is concerned, I have never truly held any grievance against you," the Viscountess Ropney cut in before she could finish. "In any case, when Patty was in the greatest pain, it was your help that carried her through the hardest days. In a childhood that was not happy, at least some fragments were joyful and bright—her 'Sister Selena,' the short-tempered but amusing red-haired uncle, Sister Wendy who sings so beautifully... There are many I still cannot put names to, but I know that your companionship meant a great deal to Patty."

"Our companionship..." Selena laughed a little at herself. "In truth, at the beginning we were only conducting an experiment. We had taken note of the weakened connection between Patty's soul and body after her grievous injuries, of the willpower far beyond her years that had been tempered through repeated torment. We needed just such a 'test subject' to test neural-interface technology, and even to test the compatibility of the sandbox system... That was our original purpose, and none of us could have imagined then what it would all become.

"Looking back now, whatever way you looked at us, we probably had nothing to do with 'conscience.' Most of us, even if we were friendly to Patty, were at first mostly observing an interesting test subject. I do not know exactly when the change happened... Perhaps your daughter exerted a subtle influence on some of us, or perhaps the Upper Narrator incident woke us devotees, drunk on salvation fervor, with a dose of reality... Who knows?

"We Eternals who are so skilled at manipulating the mind actually have a hard time figuring out the little changes in our own heads."

Ropney listened attentively to every word from this former member of the Dark Zenith Cult, and only when the other's voice fell did she ask calmly, "Does Patty already know about these things?"

"I told her everything," Selena smiled. "Not long after the Imperial Computing Center was completed... I told her the truth about the previous Phantom Spire City and about all of us."

"Clearly, she still chose to trust you afterward, and happily took up the post of guide in the new Phantom Spire City—she is even quite proud of it," Ropney smiled. "I fully support her decision."

Selena was silent for a few seconds, then nodded slowly. "I think I understand why Patty accepted the truth so smoothly... She inherited your wisdom—your wisdom in the matter of 'judgment.'"

Then she stood up and glanced at the giant sun gradually sinking outside. "It is getting late... But I imagine you will not be going to inspect the factory as planned?"

"I want to keep watch over Patty's condition; the factory inspection can be put off until tomorrow—are you leaving?"

Selena hesitated, the corner of her mouth curving slightly. "Would you mind having one more 'ghost' in the castle to dine with you and your daughter?"

"Of course I do not mind," Ropney said at once, her tone sounding rather pleased. "Patty will certainly be delighted—this is the first time you have stayed in the real world to dine with her. But I have one question... How will you eat?"

Selena's expression froze for a moment, and only after a long while did she mutter, as if to herself, "Ah, that is indeed... a problem."

...

Patty was especially happy today, because Sister Selena, who seldom met her in the real world on ordinary days, had come to visit her family's castle, and even more because the other had actually stayed this time to dine with her—something that had never happened before, a rarity surpassing even the two marvels of "Mother not handling official business after nightfall" and "Uncle Magnum returning calm and composed after finishing his lessons at the academy."

In the dining hall, the bright radiance of the magic-crystal lamps had already been lit, the artificial light driving off the darkness gradually thickening outside the castle. A white tablecloth was spread over the round dining table, and a dinner that could not be called luxurious but was certainly ample had been brought to the table—among it the most renowned spiced stewed meat of the southern region, and sweets and griddle cakes from the Holy Spirit Plain. Patty, steering her wheelchair with her neural cords, made a brisk circuit around the table, laughing happily as she said, "They are all my favorites!"

"Patty, do not race around the table," Ropney immediately checked her daughter's somewhat rash behavior. "You will bump into someone—and we have a guest today."

"Oh," Patty stopped at once beside the table, steering her wheelchair closer as she looked at Selena seated nearby. "But I will not actually bump into you, right, Sister Selena?"

"In theory you will not bump into me, but if I wished, I could produce the same effect as 'bumping into me,'" Selena laughed. "It is a very profound magical technique—would you like to learn it?"

Patty thought it over and shook her head vigorously. "...I had better not. Doing exercises before dinner would spoil the aroma of the food."