Chapter 115: Ouyang Chen (Part 2/2)
Translator: Strivon
Red Fox was just like a bad student who had been called upon by his teacher. He gaped speechlessly with a bewildered expression.
Ouyang Chen entered his strict-teacher mode. The cold and clear gaze behind his glasses made Red Fox tense nerves shudder. Now came a second question.
"What is the logic of the inner world?"
Red Fox’s mouth gaped but not a word came out. In fact, he had long since spoken out the thoughts in his mind when he was rebuking Luo Nan. Was there a difference? It's all about politics, reality, and compromise...
But spitting these opinions in front of Ouyang Chen was a very difficult thing to do.
Ouyang Chen was not hoping for a response. He just answered directly, "The logic of the inner world is decided by destructive capability. The scope of extraordinary powers' destructive capability is what determines the boundaries of the logic for the inner world."
Red Fox became hoarse but he was unable to refute these words.
"When compared to normal people, the number of ability users is quite small. However, we possess powerful destructive capabilities. We have formed societies and orders, casting organizations all over the world. In turn, we have allowed destructive potential to cover the globe. All that is needed is our will and we can directly influence everyone's lives or deaths on this planet. Normal, secular society has been warped and twisted by us in this manner. Ultimately, this is a sort of extortion logic."
"Uh, president..." Red Fox had turned into someone who suffered from a communication disorder. He had no idea how to express his opinions.
Ouyang Chen's lips hooked into a faint smile. "I'll switch to better sounding words then. We can call it the logic of the strong, for the strongest destructive powers are erected upon the various paths of the strong’s Self-Logic, upon this foundation."
"In our current situation, there is not a single destructive power of the strong that is able to cover the entire world. Ultimately, we still have limits. We have to divide the world. Therefore, the strong are axles of the inner world and they radiate out circles of influence big and small. The customary method of exchange in the inner world all depends on the circles of the strong. Contention, compromise, and exchange arise within this circle."
"The strong are the root of logic for the inner world. Everything else, the conflicts, compromise, trickeries, politics, are all just for show and formality. Then comes the next question. Who are the strong?"
The gears in Red Fox's brain finally began to operate when faced with this third question. Ouyang Chen pointed at the rooftops of the three large buildings surrounding Frost River Reality. "Three First Oblatums are acting together. They do not care for the price and can let those skyscrapers collapse for all they care. Are they strong?"
Red Fox answered cautiously, "That depends on who you compare them with."
"Excellent!"
"Huh?" As far as Red Fox could recall, this was the first time Ouyang Chen gave him approval since they met but what did this president approve of?
Ouyang Chen adjusted his glasses, his gaze unprecedentedly cold and raw. "Finally, you know that power and strength are all relative. I can give a few supplementary words. When the strong face off, the strong brings out a base stacked with real and material achievements and accomplishments. So, who, where, and what are you facing?"
Red Fox's heart suddenly throbbed. He was stupefied on the spot.
Facing... Who am I facing?
Dim and scattered memories formed together like a cloud. Red Fox had a vague recollection of the time when he first arrived in Xia City. Now that he thought about it, it was really quite strange. He had suffered such a bitter lesson, yet he continued to entrust himself in this damnable Society?
Yes, it was because of the resources and benefits of the Society. It was because he needed to train hard and quickly improve himself. Then he would return to Hu City and exact vengeance with pleasure. But day after day and year after year had passed. How could he forget? When did he forget? For what reason did he forget? It seemed like he forgot these things too...
Was it because of the limits of his talent? Or the fact that he practically did not make an inch of progress? Was it because of the passage of time? Healing the harm to his heart?
No, ultimately, it was as He Yueyin had said. His Self-Logic had been distorted by the logic he detested the most. The word ‘imploding’. Wasn't it none other than the most habitual word of that trash from headquarters?
"Distorted?" Red Fox pulled out his arms and looked at his hands. He saw the slow changes that had been occurred over the years to the structure of his body and he felt his body be so unfamiliar to him.
Ouyang Chen's voice entered his ear. "Don't let your mind wander. Let us continue discussing what it means to be 'strong'... Oh, this relates to why you're 'stupid'."
The upheaval in Red Fox's mind was shattered. His mental frustrations were lessened. But his thoughts grew all the more chaotic. He lifted his head blankly and looked at this president, who had just given him an awakening blow.
"Whether it is in comparison or facing off, an example is needed. You say, who do you think is the strongest here at the present?"
"Obviously it's the president..." Red Fox did not know whether to laugh or cry but he responded without the slightest hesitation.
Ouyang Chen was currently the one and only Extraordinary officially registered in the Xia City branch of the Society. He stood at the apex that was the pyramid of humanity. He was super strong. Though Secretbound First Oblatum An Weng of the Order of Justice may be someone powerful enough to make one's expression change when his name was heard, he was far from being placed as an equal with Ouyang Chen.
The extraordinaries had an agreement in place to restrict their actions. If Ouyang Chen were to completely ignore these restrictions and make a move with determination, the three First Oblatums of the secular side would need to risk their lives to summon their holy entity. They would need to kneel down on their knees and ask Fairchild to change sides and give them a hand. However, there still would not be the possibility of another confrontation; the battle would be decisive.
Ouyang Chen was quite blunt. He nodded in acknowledgment. "Then who's next... Just talk about the people on our side."
"The Secretary?" Red Fox replied quite swiftly.
Ouyang Chen did not comment. "Then who's next?"
Red Fox slowly mulled over his answer. "Then comes me, Yingying, Kitty, Papercut, Bamboo Pole... I'm not familiar with Bai Xinyan."
Ouyang Chen laughed but he did not appear to express an opinion. Then an accurate perspective drawing of a building appeared before them. It was none other than Frost River Reality. The figures of several people were projected within it; they were He Yueyin and the other members of the Society. Their sizes might have been small but they were life-like.
"What about him?" The person that Ouyang Chen was pointing at none was other than the teenager whom Red Fox had skipped over, inadvertently or otherwise—Luo Nan.
Red Fox sneered, "Him? He's not even an Awakened."
"Yep, he has yet to awaken."
Ouyang Chen nodded and sighed. He then muttered, "Ordinary people are bright. I alone am muddled. Ordinary people are pure. I alone am smothered."
Red Fox's ability regarding classic prose was quite shallow. He was all confused hearing this. He could only raise his hand in surrender. "President..."
Ouyang Chen did not mean to give Red Fox a hard time. He laughed and said: "Classical texts are not my specialty either. These words, from my understanding, mean the following: Everyone's energy is finite. When one establishes high level logic, it is hard to deal with the numerous and chaotic logic of the normal, secular world separately. When one forms a high level logic, the logic of the normal, secular world becomes completely meaningless. Therefore, intelligent people of the normal, secular world will find themselves muddled in the dark; they become like children, young and clumsy."
"The further the distance between high level logic and normal logic, the more intense the ratio between the two. Once it reaches a certain level, one may even find themselves unable to connect with normal logic and run in the opposite direction. There is an old saying, ‘The bright way seems dim. The forward way seems backward. The straight way seems crooked’."
Ouyang Chen gazed attentively at the exquisite projection, his pupils growing serene and distant. "At a higher level. At a stronger face off. How would it be possible to know the hardships within when using the eyes of ordinary people, using their ways of assessment? Furthermore, he is still a novice... Everything has to start from scratch."