How many times has this happened? Henry thought as he stood quietly in the corner to the left of the main entrance of the monastery with Mira.
The famous scholar Abel Ambrosio, who was born in the Palosian Plateau, once put forward such a theory in his book "To This Gentle and Lovely World": "Those who lament their misfortunes all day long often have never experienced true happiness. The pain, but most people who have experienced many ups and downs in life and know the bitterness of the world embrace incomparable tenderness."
"Because they deeply understand the taste of suffering, they have more compassion for the things around them and cherish every bit of hard-won time."
His eyes glanced at the little guy with white hair below.
Mira verified the correctness of the scholar's theory to a great extent, but unfortunately, during Henry's long journey, he more often saw another kind of person who was completely opposite.
Just like the people in front of them who deeply attracted the attention of the Luoan girl, they were people who had been tortured and swore to gain strength and escape from it all. After gaining strength, they inevitably become the oppressive party.
There are countless similar examples to be cited. No matter where they are, such things that are so absurd and unbelievable to onlookers are happening again and again.
The peasant leader, who suffered so much under the repressive policy and eventually overthrew his lord in an uprising, became another foolish king who abused his power and did whatever he wanted in less than ten years.
It is always too easy for human beings to get lost in lust and power, especially those who have experienced pain. When they taste the taste of being free from restraint and doing whatever they want, they understand the taste even more.
People like Mira who have maintained their individuality and purity despite hardships are as rare as the legendary unicorns - but can she always be like this? Henry thought as he looked down at the white-haired girl.
There was something about this girl that attracted him.
There were some sparkling things that he and many other people born in this world had forgotten and were lost in the long river of time that should not have been thrown away - but what should he do, that was a question.
This was the reason why Henry kept silent about the current matter before, because he subconsciously did not want the white-haired Luoan girl to be tainted by the hypocritical reality.
But Mira is a person living in the real world after all, she is not a puppet at the mercy of sages. This 11-year-old girl had an unusually strong and unique personality that was beyond his expectation, which he had vaguely noticed from the beginning.
But can it be preserved in the future, along with the sparkling essence that initially attracted Henry?
he does not know.
At this moment, the black-haired sage looked down at the other person. He didn't know what would happen in the future, but because of this, the road ahead became somewhat exciting.
This was rare in his life.
The abundant knowledge brought by the long journey allows Henry to easily judge and solve something in most situations. There were almost no situations that were 'unknown' to him. This had been the case a long time ago, and before meeting Mira, Henry thought it would be the same thereafter.
Maybe the white-haired girl couldn't notice it yet, but from the day she decided to follow this person, the life trajectories of some people were destined to undergo great changes.
We still don’t know what magnificent story will happen after this, but tracing back to the source, everything may have started here and now.
It started with the action that the stubborn girl with white hair made after watching in silence for several minutes.
She was silent, determined but shaky in her steps.
The cork roots of her round-toed leather shoes made a crisp sound as they tapped on the rain-stained stone surface with Mira's rhythmic steps, and she walked straight up to four people in their twenties. Between the young man and the two middle-aged nuns - Henry watched all this silently, and the girl's next move made him sigh.
Obviously, even though Mira seemed mature and calm in many thoughts compared with her peers - and perhaps most adults - she was still a loli after all, and the atmosphere was tense.
Henry held his forehead and seemed to have a headache, while the six people who had just been having a heated argument fell into a daze because of this petite white uninvited guest.
After watching for a few minutes, our white-haired lolita made a subjective judgment that those people were bullying the nuns.
The little Jiujiu Henry who was beating in her heart could guess that based on what had happened to her, she couldn't let it go, but the girl alone did not have enough power to stop it all - which is why her steps were a bit... The reason for trembling was because Mira didn't know whether she would help or not - so the sage thought, and the next second she turned her head and looked at him with pleading eyes, which completely proved this inference.
But that's why he has a headache.
People will always subconsciously substitute when they encounter something that involves themselves or is very similar to their own experience. Once this happens, you will be controlled by emotions and lose the ability to objectively judge.
The combination of impulsivity and emotion leads to subjective judgments that are often very different from the facts, and actions based on such judgments often do not end well - as is the case now.
The most luxuriously dressed leader among the four young people frowned and pushed Mira away who was standing in front of the nuns as if she wanted to protect them. The girl who stumbled to the ground looked over blankly and was The nuns she 'protected' didn't even look at her.
"Go inside," the nun in her forties or fifties said to several young people, then turned her head and glanced at Mira coldly, and then turned her eyes to Henry.
"You are not welcome here, get out of here, you lowly poor devils." The compassion that a clergy should have should not allow even an inch of space on the face full of disgust. Henry's expression was already expected. Calm, Mira, who was sitting on the ground blankly, did not make any sound for a long time.
"Bang -" The wooden door of the monastery was closed forcefully, and the clearly audible sound of the iron door bolt being fastened reached the ears of the two of them. The footsteps went away from one side and approached from the other side. Henry came over and stood next to Mira without saying anything.
The air began to feel a little chilly. I wonder if it was the psychological impact of the sparse crowds. Mira hugged her arms.
"Are they...also involved..." Her voice was thin and trembling.
Henry could probably understand what this white-haired loli was thinking - she had thought that at least these nuns would be the last refuge for the children, just as she had at least had her parents as a haven in the midst of countless pains.
But the world has always been indifferent and cruel. Even real relatives can be easily abandoned for small benefits. Not to mention the nuns who looked after these children simply because of their duties.
Henry looked directly into Mira's eyes. The light blue pupils with tears in the corners of her eyes were extremely pure. Only at this time could he realize the fact that this girl he had known for less than two weeks was only 11 years old.
But she was destined not to grow up as simply and happily as a child.
The man who claimed to be a sage looked directly into those pure eyes in silence, and then slowly spoke, using his usual slightly formal wording: "Some people are not ready to be aware when they take on responsibilities."
"Maybe it's an unwilling duty, maybe it's just the consequence of impulse."
"Indeed, in your opinion, the actions of those people and the miserable lives of children caused by them are more and more heartbreaking the deeper you go. But what if I tell you that the starting point of all this is not malice but What about an act of self-satisfaction?" The key words in Henry's words made Mira's eyes widen in confusion, and then the sage raised a hand and pointed directly at the dirty gray stone tablet at the door of the monastery house.
She did not know this real writing, so Henry read: "Good man: Mr. Lawrence, in the autumn of 189 Avenela Calendar and 227 Divine Calendar, he took 17 orphans to stay at Ashenil Monastery. May the gods remember it. your lovingkindness"
"If I had to guess, this kind man has never visited these children since he placed them here." Henry put away his hand, then looked down at the girl: "Mira" - he rarely takes things so seriously He called her by her name - even though the two of them had only known each other for a short time - the girl's eyes sparkled with an inexplicable light, and the sage continued: "We will always get into trouble because of something that looks very painful. I felt that I had a mission and felt that I had to do something.”
"But sometimes, incomplete and half-hearted acts of kindness are more hurtful than pure malice." The girl did not interrupt, she just listened quietly to Henry's words: "It is not just some people who ruin their lives. In the final analysis, interests and needs stem from the prevailing indifference deep inside that is covered up with a good-faith appearance."
"I know there is a part of you that blames me, blaming me for having the power, but seeing them and not wanting to help."
"If I explained this to you before, you might not be able to understand it, but now you can understand it," he said, looking directly at Mira, whose eyes were wide open.
"Because of a momentary impulse and an inexplicable sense of responsibility, or a half-hearted act of kindness just for self-satisfaction, it will only mess up other people's lives and even lives." Two pairs of eyes are similar in color, but one is deep and the other is clear, reflecting each other. While standing, the man who claimed to be a sage spoke word by word in the cold air.
"So I need you to be sure"
"Saving others may sound great and heroic, but in fact it is not a one-time task. If you decide to do it, the consequences, good or bad, will come with it. For the rest of your life”
"It is something that must be thought about calmly and objectively, and done from the heart. If you cannot decide that you are determined to give everything for this matter, do your best no matter what, in order to achieve a clear conscience The ending."
"Suppose you only act out of a little compassion at first, and then you reach out and get immersed in the self-satisfaction of helping others without thinking about what will follow."
"You shouldn't do this"
"..." Mira lowered her head.
Her white hair was ruffled by the breeze, and under the gray-blue sky, it showed the same clarity as her eyes.
The silence this time was quite short. Within ten seconds, the Luoan girl raised her head again.
She looked directly at Henry.
"Mr. Sage may not be qualified to say that others are self-satisfied half-hearted good people." The first words Mira said made Henry stunned for a moment, and then he remembered that she was referring to the destruction he had made when the two first met. The incident that destroyed her life, and just when the man who claimed to be a sage was a little bit dumbfounded, the girl continued to smile.
"But in terms of results alone, I'm not on the bad side, right?" Mira stood up from the ground. Her previous unhappiness seemed to have disappeared. She smiled, tilted her head and looked up at Henry and said. .
The wind blew the girl's chest-length white hair, and she said this with her bright smile.
"If there is such an example, there is no reason to choose to sit on the sidelines because of worries about the consequences and responsibility." Mira said, and Henry shrugged: "You still haven't answered my question head-on."
"But this is at least a qualified answer." The man who claimed to be a sage showed a smile, and then stared at the wooden door of the monastery.
"Then what should we do now?" Mira asked.
"Now"
"We're going to commit a little crime" and Henry replied.
