197. The Silver Church and Rhodes Island Form an Alliance
If the Doctor initially approached Xiling with a clear purpose—to showcase Rhodes Island's ideals and inclusiveness, to enthusiastically introduce the facilities, and to try and win over this mysterious figure—then at this moment, all of that was blurred by intense fear.
The instant Xiling's fingers lightly touched Miranti, when those hideous Originium stones vanished as if being erased, a chilling, primal dread gripped the Doctor's heart. It wasn't joy, but an almost instinctive alarm: This shouldn't have happened! It had touched some absolute taboo!
This immense shock made his subsequent actions stiff and sluggish. He almost mechanically led Xiling and Lemuen through Rhodes Island's corridors and functional areas, his carefully prepared introductions stuck in his throat, becoming brief, rapid, and even incoherent.
Several times, he even froze in the middle of the corridor, staring blankly ahead, his thoughts clearly drifting to that incomprehensible miracle.
However, Xiling and Lemuen seemed completely unconcerned.
Whenever the Doctor seemed to pause, they patiently stopped, remaining silent until he snapped back to reality, then calmly inquired about their next destination.
After several tens of minutes, the Doctor briefly and quickly led Xiling through the scenery of Rhodes Island, finally arriving at the point that had initially been his destination.
The deck of Rhodes Island.
The rising sun struggled to break through the horizon, and the Doctor instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes, as if the light itself stung his chaotic nerves.
"Your attitude has changed a lot since we first met, hasn't it?" Xiling's voice was tinged with laughter as he stood beside the Doctor, basking in the morning sunlight.
The Doctor looked at Xiling, who seemed completely unaffected by what had happened, and remained silent for a long while, unsure of what to say. His mind was in turmoil.
"Are you bothered by what I did before?" Xiling smiled, even waving his hand in front of the Doctor's eyes, as if trying to wake someone from a daze.
"…What exactly did you do, Xiling?" The Doctor's voice held a barely perceptible tension as he finally asked the question that had been swirling in his mind.
"What do you think I did?" Xiling countered with a question instead of an answer.
"…I don't know." The Doctor shook his head; the fear brought on by the unknown gripped his heart once more.
"Then listen carefully." Xiling leaned back against the railing, relaxing against the deck railing.
Exusiai immediately moved closer, her eyes filled with curiosity. She was equally curious about her brother-in-law's miraculous abilities—had the girl been cured? Or was it something else?
Facing Exusiai's curious gaze and the deep confusion in the Doctor's eyes, Xiling simply smiled, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather:
"It wasn't a cure for Oripathy. I just... restored her condition to normal."
Exusiai tilted her head in confusion:
"Restored to normal? Isn't that still curing the Oripathy?" To her, they were completely synonymous.
Sensing Exusiai's confusion, Xiling snapped his fingers crisply:
"Simply put, it's restoring her physical condition to the point before she contracted Oripathy."
His gaze returned to the Doctor:
"So... you don't need to worry."
"I'm not a bad person," Xiling said lightly.
"Naturally, it won't affect your plans."
"Don't worry."
"...What are you talking about?" The Doctor felt an even deeper sense of bewilderment.
Xiling's last sentence was like a key, trying to insert into the rusty lock of his memory, but only making him more confused.
But for some reason, the words "it won't affect the plan" felt like a faint warmth, inexplicably easing his tense nerves a little.
Exusiai wailed, clutching her head, "Brother-in-law, why are you getting so mysterious!"
"Mysterious is good; these things are hard to explain in a few words." Xiling put his hands on her hips, smiling frankly.
Some truths really don't need to be known by too many people.
"So…you rewound her personal time?" The Doctor managed to utter the explanation that was closest to his understanding.
"It's not so much time, but more accurately, her state of being." Xiling corrected him with a smile, his gaze lingering inquisitively on the Doctor's face.
The Doctor's reaction was much more intense than he had expected…shouldn't all the relevant memories have been erased?
Was it instinct?
Perhaps the pressure in his heart eased slightly, and the Doctor's chaotic thoughts receded like a tide.
He recalled Xiling's subtle attitude towards him from the moment they met—that seemingly all-knowing composure… A conjecture quickly formed in his mind, becoming incredibly clear.
"You know me…" The Doctor looked directly into Xiling's eyes, his voice low and certain, "Or rather, you know the me of the past."
Xiling didn't deny it:
"Something like… I've heard of you."
"Do you think I'd believe that?" the Doctor thought to himself.
He looked at Xiling standing before him, as if the other was waiting for something.
Perhaps… his question.
The Doctor took a deep breath.
"Can I ask you a question, Xiling?"
"Of course, Doctor."
Doctor: "…What is the plan?"
Under the Doctor's gaze, Xiling softly said, "Probably… saving civilization."
An old era called the pre-civilization.
As Xiling finished speaking, an image and a voice seemed to flash through the Doctor's mind, but all of this seemed shrouded in a hazy mist; he could neither see nor hear them.
The Doctor pressed one hand to his head, feeling as if something was missing from his mind.
But just then, a warm hand gently rested on his shoulder.
An indescribable sense of calm instantly soothed the turmoil in his mind, all the strange sensations receding like the tide. The Doctor looked up, meeting Xiling's knowing smile.
"You'll understand eventually," Xiling's voice carried a strange, comforting power.
He withdrew his hand, his tone shifting naturally:
"Well then, now it's my turn to ask you a question."
"...Please speak."
"If one day, Rhodes Island is destroyed, and everyone... perishes."
"As the sole survivor, you possess a way to bring everyone on Rhodes Island back to life."
"But this way requires you... to reap the lives of the innocent, using their suffering and end as the foundation for rebuilding Rhodes Island."
"Doctor..."
Each word from Xiling struck the Doctor's heart: "What is your choice?"
Xiling gazed at the Doctor, and Lemuen also gazed at the Doctor, their eyes fixed on him, as if awaiting his answer.
Faced with this question, the Doctor, in his lucid state, scratched his head.
"No matter how I think about it... this question is related to me before my amnesia," the Doctor sighed inwardly, this thought surfacing in his mind.
Xiling didn't urge him, but waited patiently.
"In a way, this is a trolley problem, isn't it?" The doctor's voice lowered.
"To save one side, the other must be sacrificed. And I am the one standing at the crossroads, the one who must switch the tracks."
He paused.
"In a situation where there's no other choice, most people… will choose to save those closest to them, abandoning complete strangers. This is understandable, even human nature. There's no absolute right or wrong; ultimately, it's all a choice made for what one cherishes."
"So," Xiling looked at him, "which side are you going to abandon?"
However, the Doctor shook his head, and a smile Xiling had first seen on his face appeared.
"You should know the answer very well, Xiling," the Doctor's voice was calm. "All choices stem from oneself."
"Those who lack the ability can only painfully choose one at the crossroads of fate."
"But…"
The Doctor suddenly stretched out his hands towards Xiling.
"What if I have enough power?" He clenched his fists tightly.
"Then I'll have both!"
The Doctor stared directly at Xiling.
"If you insist on saying… 'You can only choose one?'"
The Doctor's lips curled into a smile.
"Then I can only assume… you're being unreasonable."
"There's never been a standard answer to your question."
"And this is my answer."
"Are you… satisfied?"
Perhaps before losing his memory, he faced a similar situation. He didn't know what he chose then, but now he knew exactly what he wanted.
He wouldn't choose either!
The Doctor stared intently at Xiling.
"A perfect answer." Xiling smiled, giving him two thumbs up, offering unreserved affirmation.
The other's answer was perfect, and perfectly aligned with his own desires.
Seeing Xiling's straightforward approval, the Doctor's tense nerves finally relaxed, a relieved smile involuntarily appearing on his face.
The timing was perfect!
The Doctor solemnly extended his hand to Xiling: "Xiling, I hereby formally invite you to join Rhodes Island!"
"Good job, Doctor!" The arriving medics all thought the same thing.
However, Xiling blinked, revealing an extremely sly smile.
"Sorry, Doctor," he shrugged, "I'm already taken, so I can't accept."
"Huh?" The Doctor's smile froze instantly, his outstretched hand awkwardly hanging in mid-air.
This isn't how the script is going?! Wasn't this supposed to be a test?
Shouldn't he pass the test, demonstrating a shared ideal, and then they'd both be perfectly aligned, staging a scene of "I have no power, you have divine power," a match made in heaven? Wasn't his resounding answer just now a perfect pledge of allegiance?!
Seeing the Doctor's expression shift from astonishment to disbelief, Xiling's smile deepened. He gently pressed Lemuen's shoulder, pushing her in front of the Doctor.
"Look, this is my boss," Xiling gestured towards Lemuen.
"Talk to her if you have anything to say."
Lemuen pushed forward and smiled approvingly at the Doctor's answer.
"A very good answer, Doctor."
"The question he asked earlier was actually what I wanted to ask you."
"Huh?" The Doctor was completely stunned, his mind blank. So, the examiner was her!
"May I... ask what the real meaning of this question is?" The Doctor suppressed his shock, scratching his head in confusion.
Lemuen took a small step forward, her aura subtly becoming serious and solemn:
"The meaning lies in... assessing the possibility and basis for our cooperation."
Her gaze, almost tangible, pierced through the Doctor's bewilderment:
"Now, in the name of the Silver Church, I will formally apply to Rhodes Island to establish an alliance."
When Lemuen finished speaking, a certain silence fell over the room.
Exusiai's eyes widened in confusion.
The Doctor's mind raced, desperately searching for information about the Silver Church, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find anything. What exactly was the Silver Church?
The Doctor spoke with some doubt.
"Forgive my bluntness, but I've never seen the Silver Church mentioned in any historical texts."
"Yeah, what's going on, sis? What Silver Church? I've never heard of it!" Exusiai hurriedly pressed.
Faced with the doubts and unspoken questions from the two—or rather, the entire room—Lemuen simply took a deep breath, her gentle smile unwavering.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it resonated clearly in everyone's hearts:
"You only need to know one thing..."
"Our strength is enough..."
Lemuen proclaimed like a divine oracle:
"—To overturn the order of Terra!"
An invisible pressure suddenly spread out from her! Then came a clearer, more resolute declaration:
"And we, the Silver Church, have descended here for one sole purpose—"
"To utterly transform this land rife with suffering!"
To hear Lemuen's words in ordinary times would undoubtedly have sounded like a pipe dream.
To change all of Terra.
To change this land?
What kind of audacious person could utter such a thing?
However, all doubts were abruptly silenced in the next instant!
Light! Pure, blazing light!
Three pairs of enormous wings, seemingly woven from the purest light, unfurled! Each feather shimmered with a liquid silver luster! A dazzling halo slowly coalesced above her head, its sacred radiance silently bathing the entire deck! This was not the light of Originium Arts! This was Lemuen's will! It was transforming into a torrent of light illuminating Rhodes Island most directly and undeniably! Words were utterly powerless at this moment.
Doubts vanished in that instant.
People were frozen in place, staring blankly at Lemuen, her wings outstretched in light.
She hovered in the light, her posture sacred and awe-inspiring, like a goddess of judgment and redemption from mythology.
"Overthrow Terra's existing order"—this was no longer an arrogant declaration, but the future revealed by this angel before them!
Looking at the hand reaching out to them, was there any need to hesitate?
Hesitating any longer would be foolish!
The Doctor hesitated no longer, reaching out to grasp that hand.
The alliance was formed.
Perhaps no one knew what the Silver Church truly was yet?
But they had seen it with their own eyes.
They had seen an angel descend to earth.
They had seen a true angel—determined to redeem this suffering land, possessing the power to shake the world.