Chapter 29 Choice

"A letter is a profession,

and once opened, it will determine the growth path of my future,

dictate my treatment, life, and my subsequent exploration of the world's limits in Zion City. To some extent, it even decides the maximum time I can survive in this world.

I can't rush. I must think slowly and make a decision.

Neither Chamberlain nor the clergy at the Official Residence mentioned a 'time limit,' so staying here for a while should be fine."

Yi Chen also tried calling out to Little Grape, hoping it would offer some advice.

Unfortunately,

only his consciousness had come to this place.

He calmed his heart and called upon the full concentration he used when conducting research.

The first thing he observed was the blue envelope.

"The Evergreen Vine Circle, encircling tree branches like those of a person… Clearly related to the 'Pathological Characteristic' within me, it must correspond to a plant-related growth path.

Once chosen, I could further develop the plant system.

Moreover, Mr. Wilbert once said that the Pathological Crystal I ingested is of high quality in both color and shape.

During my assessment in Green Lake Town, I profoundly experienced the conveniences that plants offer.

But still, let's look at the others first."

Yi Chen's gaze shifted to the black envelope,

When he carefully observed the sailing skeleton on it, the parchment envelope actually released strands of faint black mist, which Yi Chen inhaled through his nose.

In an instant,

his thoughts were pulled toward a vast black sea, where a skeleton, alone in a wooden boat, floated on the surface.

When the skeleton turned its head,

half of its rotting face was still there... identical to Yi Chen's.

The sudden scare snapped him back to reality.

"The black sea… I've seen a similar scene before when I accepted First Gentleman's skin. An inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if I had been there, seems related to death.

When I first arrived in Zion and happened to meet the Doctor on an arch bridge, he too mentioned that I have death flowing in me.

Could it be because of 'transcending'?

Is the appearance of the black envelope related to my experience of death and transcendence?"

Recalling what Chamberlain said about the black envelope, corresponding to the Nightmare Profession, once chosen, I would receive special training from the Organization to become an Executioner.

Yi Chen did not reject this title.

Intuition told him,

the path of growth the black envelope offered would certainly bestow upon him even greater strength.

"No hurry… let's look at the purple one as well."

Compared to the others,

the purple letter made of thick, white card stock seemed heavier and more exquisite.

Paired with the library emblem imprinted on its surface,

it resembled a purple gentleman perusing books in a library.

"The library emblem on the envelope surface seems to be inscribed with tiny text… In reality, it probably needs a highly precise micro-engraving machine to imprint such text.

Without the Visual Enhancement provided by Little Grape, I simply can't see clearly.

Wait a minute~ If this place is only accessible to a consciousness, could it be understood that the so-called 'Old Hall' is also a kind of consciousness area, like a dream?

If that's the case,

maybe my subjective thoughts could influence objective factors?"

With this thought,

Yi Chen tried to open his eyes as wide as possible, nearly pressing his bulging eyeballs onto the purple letter.

However,

the prolonged stare actually magnified his field of vision,

and the previously unreadable text gradually became clearer,

When it was completely visible,

"This…"

Yi Chen was so startled that he stepped back repeatedly,

and pinched his own skin to confirm that what was happening before him was not a dream.

To verify he wasn't seeing things, Yi Chen returned to the stone table and looked again in the same manner... This time, he looked longer and more carefully.

"Why... is my thesis printed on it?"

Among the book imprints on the purple letter, those tiny texts were indeed the graduation thesis Yi Chen had devoted so much effort to writing before his death.

On the left side of the book, the text corresponded to the cover of the thesis, including the title, Yi Chen's and the tutor's names.

On the right side was the thesis abstract.

These all-too-familiar words pulled Yi Chen back into painful memories, and for a time, he gave up on the purple letter.

Before long,

Yi Chen calmed down and began to think about the whole situation again.

"The blue letter corresponds to the 'Pathological Characteristic' I just acquired on this side,

the black letter seems related to transcendence, corresponding to some Death Attribute,

and the purple letter to my experiences before death.

As Mr. Chamberlain said, the letters are closely related to me.

At a glance,

the first two are better,

but... plants signify vitality, black signifies death.

If I choose either as my growth path, the balance within me will be disturbed, the chosen attribute will inhibit the development of the other, or even completely extinguish it.

If I want to develop them in combination, the purple letter is the only choice.

Should I take this risk?"

Yi Chen looked at the purple letter again,

his gaze focusing on the book emblem on the envelope.

In that moment, he recalled every detail of his life before, whether it was in the hopeless orphanage, or attending the local school after escaping.

He never missed an opportunity to read,

it was the lines of text between the covers of books that inspired him to survive in the world he lived in before,

shaping a correct 'outlook on life' during his subsequent education, giving him the chance to become a 'person'... Fighting his way through the relatively fair path of learning, he won scholarships every year and made it all the way to graduate school.

[Books] were the dawn of his life before death.

"Purple, corresponding to a unique [Profession]... Books and reading were also the most important things to me before death, and the things I was best at."

As Yi Chen gradually made up his mind, an intuition also formed simultaneously,

without any further hesitation,

he picked up the purple envelope from the stone table,

tore it open!

The text recorded in the letter turned into a strong and scorching beam of light, flooding into his eyes, penetrating his brain.

He could even faintly smell something like a burnt brain.

Buzz!

When he opened his eyes again,

he was back in the ritual room.

Whew~ Whew!

Yi Chen knelt on one knee, gasping for breath... His entire head was emitting billowing white smoke.

The other Assessors had also completed their 'Letter Selection'

On certain parts of their bodies, such as the palm, neck, and chest, the emblem of the chosen letter had emerged.

Blond Edmund had the pattern of 'Gun and Sword Interweaving' branded on the right side of his neck, still smoking, as if it had just been branded.

The giant Dagbert had the pattern 'Arm showing the bicep' branded on his right upper arm, obviously related to a [Profession] involving strength.

Juliana's emblem was branded around her waist, with the pattern 'Dagger Stabbing Skull,' perhaps related to assassination.

George Chamberlain, the person in charge of this assessment

scanned the emblems on everyone with eyes like an owl, showing quite a satisfied expression.

"This batch of newcomers is quite good, with a high proportion of Rare Professions, and the integration process went quite smoothly, and a few newcomers can be tried for key cultivation... Huh?"

When Chamberlain's gaze finally fell on Yi Chen,

no matter what angle he used, he couldn't find the 'Emblem'

"Failed!?"

Yi Chen was the newcomer he was most optimistic about, and he had also gained the appreciation of the First Gentleman,

stepping directly into the Array,

ready to give Yi Chen, whose brain was smoking, a full-body checkup.