"Is that so?" Elliot asked.
"Yes, what else could it be?"
"Then let's make a wager."
"What kind of wager?"
"Give me five years. For those five years, you must do exactly as I say. I will completely change your view of the 'human' species, and you will admit I was right." Elliot proposed the wager.
"Impossible. They are what they are. There's nothing to change." Morax stood firm in his conviction.
After all, this was the answer he'd arrived at through thousands of years of wandering the world and personal experience. He believed it utterly.
"Then dare you take the wager?" Elliot pressed further.
"Just five years?" Morax felt this timeframe was far too short. Five years to overturn his millennia of personal experience seemed somewhat unrealistic.
"Yes, just five years," Elliot confirmed.
"Fine. What if I win?"
"If you win, you may make any three demands." Elliot offered a condition he couldn't refuse.
"Then... could I ask you to teach me Heaven's Motion and Ten Thousand Phenomena within ten years?"
Clearly, Morax was still fixated on that incredibly stylish technique and refused to let it go.
"If you put in enough effort, it should be possible." Elliot nodded.
"Really!?" Morax was ecstatic.
"Of course. My word is my bond. Provided you're extremely..."
"Extremely dedicated! I get it! I totally get it! I'll work my ass off every single day! As long as you teach me within ten years, I'll dedicate myself for ten years! I'll dedicate myself until you're scared!"
Morax cut Elliot off mid-sentence, already envisioning himself wielding Heaven's Motion, All Phenomena. Dreaming before anything was even set in motion.
Elliot's mouth twitched at the words.
"I should've kept my mouth shut..." he muttered under his breath.
After all, once he understood the real meaning behind it, the more he heard, the more absurd it sounded.
Working hard to be carefree every single day... That was just too much.
"Don't get too excited just yet. What if I win?" Elliot snapped him out of his daydream.
"Bro."
"No offense, but there's no way you can win this time!"
"I know the human species inside out. They're just so... dull. I don't even think it's worth engaging with them."
Morax, who had lost confidence in battle, now found it renewed in his understanding of humanity. After all, having traveled the world for so long, he'd encountered at least hundreds of thousands of humans.
He trusted his judgment completely—it could never be wrong.
It wasn't that Morax's perspective was flawed; based on what he'd witnessed, his assessment was accurate. But his view was too narrow.
In other words, Morax was too naive. Every time he encountered humans, it was as an [God]. Naturally, humans held reverence for a god—upon meeting one, they would prostrate themselves in worship, hoping for divine protection.
Yet Morax had never once approached humanity as a mere human. Thus, the scenes he witnessed were almost always identical. Over time, his impression of humanity became deeply ingrained in his mind.
His confidence was not entirely unfounded.
Simply put, the more ignorant they are, the more confident they become. They cling to their own methods with unshakable conviction, and no amount of persuasion from others can sway them.
In such situations, trying to confront them with data and facts yields minimal results. They will always find countless excuses.
In other words, you can't win them over with words alone. Even if you present the truth right before their eyes, it won't work.. You must let them experience it firsthand, feel it themselves, to truly change their perspective.
After all, humans aren't machines; they aren't static. As long as their thinking is sound, even the most deeply ingrained beliefs can be altered.
Take ghosts and spirits, for example. No one believes in them. Even if you present photos or videos supposedly capturing ghosts, you won't convince anyone. Only through a complete, personal experience will they change their minds.
What Elliot needs now is for Morax to personally experience human society—to understand humanity's complexity, the world's warmth and coldness, and the joys of life. Only then will Morax begin to see humans differently.
Though five years feels rushed, Elliot believes it's sufficient.
For truly understanding humanity is merely the beginning of this lifetime. Acceptance doesn't mean liking, much less protecting. This is a gradual process—and the mission of Elliot's ninth incarnation.
"I said, what if... what if I win?" Elliot corrected.
"If..." Morax lowered his head in thought.
"If Brother wins, you may also make three demands. Whatever I can do, I will do."
Unable to think of matching conditions, Mora simply replicated Elliot's terms. This seemed the fairest approach.
Of course, Morax felt it still favored Elliot slightly. Not only was victory assured for himself, but Elliot's three conditions would inevitably outweigh his own. After all, Elliot possessed far greater strength and held far more secrets than he did.
"Agreed. The wager stands," Elliot accepted readily.