At 17 Queen Mary Street, Shad and the doctor carried their suitcases up the stairs to the second floor. He suddenly laughed:
"Doctor, judging from what we just did, we look like typical bad guys."
"Good people and bad people are relative terms."
The doctor said that the two did not go to the first floor, but entered the corridor on the second floor and walked inside along the corridor.
"What do you mean?"
“No one is completely good or bad. A person can do good things or bad things. Just keep the balance.”
The doctor said, and went to the innermost room with Xia De. After kicking open the door, the two came to the window, and outside was a safe alley.
“Balance… Speaking of which, I’ve always wondered if the name of our school, St. Balance, has any deep meaning.”
Shad asked.
He opened the window and stuck his head out to make sure that there was no one in the alley. People on the street were rushing to put out the fire and pick up money. He took off his mask, threw away his frog legs, and jumped directly into the alley from the second-floor window.
He took off his gloves and shoe covers and stuffed them into his pockets. Then the middle-aged doctor followed suit, carrying his suitcase, and jumped down from the second-floor window. He explained calmly that he was in a good mood:
"The name of Saint Byron means balance. Miracles are the opposite of blasphemy; enlightenment is the opposite of whispers; the life ring itself is a standard circle; the ringmaster has another self behind him. Saint Byron believes that the foundation of the ringmaster system lies in balance. Only by maintaining balance can we continue to advance without losing control."
He stomped his right foot, which was numb from landing on the ground, and after he and Xia De sorted out each other's clothes, they walked towards the alley with their suitcases.
The middle-aged doctor said in a leisurely tone:
"Shad, the more you live in this city, the more you will understand the value of balance. This world does not need extremes. Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is goodness, there is evil. Even civilization and the country itself need stability and balance, not extreme goodness or extreme evil."
They walked side by side to the alley entrance, and the people on the whole street seemed to be screaming. Black smoke billowed out from the third floor of the single-family apartment, and the flames from the window dyed half of the sky red.
The two of them looked up at the flaming window. The flames were quickly spreading from the third floor to the second floor, but no one paid attention to them as they walked out of the alley carrying a suitcase.
Xia De thought about the short time he had spent in this world, and the story he had gone through from the first ring to the second ring:
"We kill and burn, but we also protect the weak. We kill and rob, but we always remember to remain in awe."
"That's about it."
The doctor nodded and turned to leave with Shade.
The wind blew through the street, making the burning fire more fierce. More and more people ran past them, and the strong wind also caused the remaining blood-red poisonous liquid drops on the third-floor windowsill to drip from the window.
It fell in the wind and tilted because of the strong wind.
"Um?"
Xia De felt something falling on his head, and when he touched it, he found that it was just water.
They brushed past people running, through the crowds that were shouting, screaming, or just watching the excitement, walking away along the street with their backs to the burning buildings.
"Even the night before yesterday, weren't the gods balanced against each other? The main duties of the righteous gods balance each other. When the evil gods come to this world, there will definitely be good forces to stop them. It may be mortals or other gods, but it's all balanced."
Xia De paused and asked the doctor:
"So, you mean, the truth of the world is balance?"
"That's not accurate. It should be said that there is no need to pursue balance. Everything in this world is balance."
The doctor laughed.
"No need to pursue?"
Xia De frowned slightly:
"I don't understand."
"You are too young, too young."
The doctor sighed and shook his head at Shade:
"You still have a long life to experience what I am saying. It is a waste of your life to explore in vain what is good, what is bad, what is light, and what is dark."
"So how are we supposed to balance ourselves?"
Xia De asked, and the middle-aged doctor smiled:
"I have experience in this. I often tell my patients this: before going to bed every night, review what you have done that day. If you can relax and sleep after the review, then you will be able to strike a balance."
The young stranger nodded.
Behind them, there was another loud explosion caused by burning wood. Around the two people who were walking away along the street, people either came to help with basins and buckets of water, or ran away with terrified faces. Only the two of them were moving forward at a normal speed.
Flames burst out of the windows of the three-story building, and black smoke and flames dyed the sky of Tobysk red. On the street below the building, people holding banknotes talked about what had just happened, women in dishevel cried loudly, and people rushing over with basins of water were nervous and didn't know whether they should enter the house.
The firelight dyed every face red.
With his back to the burning building, the doctor raised his hand to touch his hat as he advanced. The fire reflected his back red. Shade turned to look at the burning building, the fire reflected in his eyes:
The sixth era, the year 1853 of the Universal Calendar, summer, the month of thunder. The firelight reflected on your face, and under the midsummer sky, you witnessed everything you did. You once offered your eyes to the golden scales, and you once judged the gods who held the blood feast under the moon. The chosen one is your partner, and the girl who bears everything stands beside you. The golden scales are balanced because of your weight, and in your eyes, you see the whole world. Stranger, you who have mastered the balance, are you eager for the current story? Stranger, are you looking forward to the vast epic
The doctor walked forward, lowered his head and held up his hat, with a smile on his face hidden under the hat.
A police squad with sirens blasting stopped on the street, shouting to maintain order, their faces full of anxiety.
People on the street stood in the firelight, the greedy ones bent down to pick up the banknotes, the helpless ones looked up at the buildings, and the brave ones waved their arms to warn of safety.
The town hall carriage carrying water was rushing over from a distant neighborhood, and further away, more and more people were gathering.
Black smoke burst out from the third-floor window, leaping out of the gathering flames, leaving a winding upward trail under the gloomy sky, until it reached higher and higher.
Shad raised his left foot, held the suitcase in his right hand, and turned his head to look behind him.
Fire flickered in his eyes, human figures swayed around him, noisy and chaotic noises came into his ears, and the stench of burning rushed into his nostrils.
There was a muffled rumbling sound overhead, the rising hot air entered the clouds, the water vapor condensed, and lightning made a muffled sound in the clouds.
It's going to rain in the burning city.
On Saturday in Tobesk, people were moving around like ants in this steam city. Outsiders, ring wizards, gods, cultists, fires... all of this did not affect the stability and balance of the city.
After going through so many things, this world and this city are still the same as the day he arrived. This is still the pearl of the north, the foggy city of Tobysk.
Xia De stood under the vast sky, in the huge steam city, listening to the woman's gentle laughter beside his ears, and suddenly felt that he understood something.
With his back to the burning and smoking buildings and the crowded people, he followed the doctor and merged into the bustling crowd.
"So, balance is in everything?"
In his pocket, the Genesis Balance Rod card glowed faintly. A huge dark golden scale flashed behind Shade, but no one saw it.
You have gained new powers, stranger.
(End of this volume)