This question also happened to be what Angel wanted to know. Angel perked up his ears, eager to hear what the Alchemy Golem had to say.
Alchemy Golem: "That’s because of his ignorance."
Ignorance? This answer was a bit unexpected to everyone.
Adanis: "Why do you say that? I’ve never thought of Olao as ignorant."
Alchemy Golem: "That’s because the future you all see is too insignificant. For instance, you clearly already have a way to leave, as long as you first find the descendant of Noah and decide to help the main body of this Nose Avatar break through the Legendary Wall Barrier, then you will certainly head towards the Origin World. Once you reach the Origin World, you will be able to retrieve the missing part and have a better future."
"But what do you choose? You chose to stay in this oppressive Dark Space you’ve created."
Adanis seemed to want to argue, but the Alchemy Golem waved his hand and interrupted, "I don’t care what you think, but what I have to tell you is that the fate of the Noah Clan is closely related to you."
"Let’s make a hypothesis: if back then, when you had the means to leave, you chose to leave but did not search for the Noah descendant... What do you think the future would be like?"
Adanis did not reply, because from her perspective, things that haven’t happened have no value in answering.
The Alchemy Golem was not annoyed, continuing, "In such a case, I can still conclude that your future will lead to the Noah Clan. No matter what the means, fate will push you towards the Noah Clan."
Adanis sneered: "Fate?"
Alchemy Golem: "Actually, I don’t believe much in fate either, but I think the term fits well here. The reason is simple: If you don’t want to die, if you still aspire to go further, then the missing part must be recalled."
"You might think you don’t care about the lost part now, but when you suddenly age and your lifespan becomes evident due to that lost part, will you still not care?"
Although this was a rhetorical question, the Alchemy Golem did not give Adanis a chance to answer, but directly said, "The rebellious you would probably still answer, not care."
"But, while you don’t care, someone does." The Alchemy Golem glanced smilingly at the distant Olao.
Adanis’s expression changed rapidly, from indifferent to a shade of somber.
"After all, you were raised by his hands. How could he bear to see you die? But you do not want to be associated with the Noah Clan, so you won’t get back the missing part. What should be done?"
"Given my understanding of Olao, he will surely respect your choice. You don’t want to be associated with the Noah Clan, he won’t force you. As for Olao, while he cares for the Noah Clan, he can’t replace you in retrieving the missing part. Thus, he has only one method to save you."
Adanis: "What method?"
"Transform himself into the missing part for you to fulfill." Alchemy Golem: "He would rather dissipate than become an incarnation to fill your missing rib. Sacrificing himself to complete your perfection—isn’t that romantic?"
The Alchemy Golem implied, "You should also anticipate his one-time romance for you. By then, you will be able to appreciate such romance. However, it is only this once, treasure it."
Upon hearing this, the tight strings in Adanis’s heart snapped one by one.
She didn’t know whether Augustine’s words were true, but she knew that if what Augustine said were to happen, Olao would definitely sacrifice himself for her.
Though it sounds romantic, Adanis absolutely does not want to see such romance because it is a ’romance’ leading to death, a love with no turning back.
Moreover, this kind of romance and love, at its root, stems from ’father’s’ love for ’daughter.’
This is not what Adanis wants! It’s not what she desires to see!
"So, to avoid such a situation, must I collaborate with the Noah Clan?"
Alchemy Golem: "Yes. But whether you are willing to cooperate with the Noah Clan is your own business, I cannot force your choice."
Adanis lowered her eyebrows; her present mood was the most chaotic since her birth.
Not only was her heart a mess, but her thoughts were also a jumble.
Does she really have no other option? If she collaborates with the Noah Clan, what would become of her steadfast resolve?
And even if she truly cooperated with the current Noah Clan, would those Empty-hearted People she exiled become thorns in cooperation, could they truly trust each other?
As Adanis felt her thoughts becoming knotted, the Alchemy Golem spoke again:
"Speaking of which, earlier I mentioned your ignorance comes from seeing too small a future. Do you understand this now?"
Adanis turned her head, her heart having some thoughts, but her words were still firm: "Only a collection of various conjectures, reality is not conjecture."
The Alchemy Golem chuckled lightly: "Conjecture? Since you think so, alright then, let me give you another conjecture."
"I’ll turn this conjecture into a proposition: how to let Olao see that you’ve grown?"
Adanis snorted coldly without speaking, but her ears pricked up. Because she genuinely wanted to know how to make Olao truly see her.
"Why has Olao always failed to see your growth?"
"What is the answer, I won’t respond, but I’ll ask you a few questions for you to ponder."
Pausing, the Alchemy Golem said, "First question, do you understand him?"
"Second question, do you rely on him?"
"Third question, have you ever left him? I mean, a long-term departure from here."
"Fourth question, do you reckon you’ve had any changes in image, personality, or behavior?"
"Last question, has he seen any changes in you?"
Alchemy Golem: "You need not answer me these questions... You say it’s just conjecture, now it’s your turn to conjecture."
Upon hearing these five questions, Adanis fell into contemplation. These five questions are incremental inquiries that Adanis had not considered... or rather, did not want to confront.
Now, pointed out directly by Augustine, she had no choice but to face these questions.