"I don’t know."
The silver-haired girl gave the expected answer, yet, impressively, after clearly stating she didn’t know, she offered some personal opinions.
"However, obsession is just obsession, the purpose of a remnant soul is to fulfill that obsession. As for what the obsession actually is, does it hold any significance for you?"
The silver-haired girl quietly looked at Kaier.
But if someone were to observe closely through a mirror, they’d find that in her odd-colored pupils, the reflection is not of Kaier, but of a stranger’s silhouette. That silhouette clings to Kaier, eyes closed tightly, seemingly in a deep sleep. His face is riddled with shattered holes, from which refined Soul Force continuously gushes and flows toward Kaier.
Ha, the obsession is indeed strong.
The silver-haired girl lowered her gaze and furrowed her brow, letting out a soft sigh within her heart before speaking again: "Rather than these matters, what you should focus on are your choices for the future. Whether to fulfill his obsession or to restrain the impulse within your heart, defying the obsession."
After saying these words, the silver-haired girl continued to gaze at Kaier. It could be said that she had spent more time on Kaier than anyone else... except for Angel, temporarily.
Moreover, her words had somewhat exceeded the limits.
As Jon would put it, it’s inappropriate to speak deeply when the acquaintance is shallow.
Kaier was now perplexed too; before coming to the Underground Aqueduct, he never thought his passion for exploring ruins was influenced by others, always believing it was just a personal interest. Although the shadow of the remnant soul in the True Words Tome made him slightly doubtful before, there hadn’t been any confirmation.
The silver-haired girl’s words today truly dragged Kaier back from the bubble of beautiful fantasy to reality.
No matter how much of his ruin exploration was out of hobby, influenced by the remnant soul, ultimately, part of it was not from his heart.
In such circumstances, should he continue his journey of exploring ruins?
Should he begin as a "Traveler," and end as a "Traveler"?
Kaier was completely unsure how to choose, looking at Dox with bewilderment.
Dox was the one he was most familiar with among those present; he could rely on and expect only Dox.
Dox also noticed Kaier’s inner conflict and said, "This isn’t something that requires immediate decision now; the future is long; deciding in ten, a hundred years won’t be too late."
Just as Dox finished speaking, before Kaier could respond, the silver-haired girl’s voice sounded: "No, his time is already limited."
"What do you mean?" Dox looked at the silver-haired girl with confusion.
"The remnant soul cannot exist indefinitely; as the parasitic host becomes stronger, the time of its existence becomes shorter and shorter. So, it’s nearly impossible to make a decision ten, a hundred years later. Unless he stops cultivating from today."
What the silver-haired girl said was indeed a fact; previously, although everyone knew Kaier had a remnant soul, they didn’t pay much attention because it couldn’t influence Kaier, who had a complete Transcendent soul, and would ultimately dissipate.
Once it dissipates, talking about the obsession of the remnant soul would already be meaningless then.
However, having clearly known that the remnant soul would disappear, when pondering the silver-haired girl’s words, one would find she seemed not entirely objective in her narration.
Angel: "Do you seem to be hoping he chooses to fulfill the remnant soul’s obsession?"
In her messages to others, the silver-haired girl wholly spoke from an objective perspective, yet with Kaier, she expressed a subjective opinion.
Whether it’s good or bad is hard to say. As they do not know the stance of the silver-haired girl, it might be best to directly point out this layer now, and see how the silver-haired girl would respond? Why is she so concerned about this matter? Which stance does she hold?
Whenever Angel would ask, the silver-haired girl would remain silent for quite a while. This time was no different; she gazed at Angel for a long time before softly saying: "Because... of the bond."
"The bond again? What does bond mean?" Angel asked in astonishment.
This was Angel’s second time questioning "what the bond is." The first time, her answer was "Temporal Body is a bond."
But this time, Kaier had no Temporal Body; why did the bond emerge again?
What does "bond" mean to her?
The silver-haired girl seemed reluctant to answer, often turning her head, but each time she moved, Angel’s expression slightly changed.
She knew clearly that Angel was interpreting her actions.
Just like how she decoded others’ behaviors through Reflection of the Heart.
After hesitating for a while, she finally spoke: "Bond is a type of connection. Whatever you do will create links with the surroundings, connecting people, objects, spaces, time... everything and everything, as long as you act, there is a connection."
"Whatever you gain, you’ll pay a corresponding price."
"Whatever you consume, you’ll compensate from another aspect."
"All these things require bonds, and these bonds maintain... fairness."
It was rare for the silver-haired girl to say so much at once, yet her words were cryptic, and few present understood.
Angel understood, for what the silver-haired girl spoke of was a kind of worldview, one that Jon had mentioned.
Additionally, Jon frequently referred to this conceptual worldview, known as: Karma, or Karmic Affinity.
What seed you sow, what result you reap. This is the simplest explanation of Karma; from a specific viewpoint, it does count as a "bond" in concept.
By understanding through the lens of Karma, the silver-haired girl’s meaning implies: there’s a link of cause and effect between Kaier and the remnant soul.
Further, she previously presented an example: what you gain comes at a price.
This seems to suggest Kaier obtained benefits, so he must pay for it.
Angel somewhat understood the silver-haired girl’s stance; she was likely a proponent of this Karmic worldview, therefore naturally stood on the side where Karma needs to cycle when seeing Kaier’s situation.
But, that said, leaving Kaier’s situation aside for a moment, how is Temporal Body related to bond or Karma?
Her three Temporal Bodies corresponded to Dox, Black Earl, and Angel... could it be she’s using Temporal Body to establish bonds?
And the actions of the Temporal Body seemed rather strange—having them answer questions?