Declaration of Participation (before battle)

... Isn't that Jia Baoyu?

What's that doing here...? And what did he just say?

I had a feeling this was going to happen, but... we really kicked the hornet's nest, huh...

Hark, one and all, and gaze upon our glory! In the eleventh hour doth the final band of heroes arrives!

…….

Yi Sang, don't pretend you're not with us, huh? At least give the audience a wave.

<Guys... I don't think they're taking the announcement too well...>

A large portion of the audience is vociferously expressing their collective confusion, wrath, and concern. These emotions are expressed by their jaws that have been opened past a certain degree.

As Meursault observed, I realized that the chaos wasn't restricted to the audiences; the candidates were starting to get agitated, too.

And there he is. The disgusting, duplicitous bastard who brings annihilation to everyone around him with that silly, innocent smile...!

Huhh!? What's going on? I thought Baoyu wasn't participating in the Hierarch war?

... That dumbass.

S.Y.N.C...

...? Explain yourself. Now.

Miss Saude told me to grab onto your sword like my life depended on it if you said that exact phrase...!

Blimey, can't we just -

She mentioned you too, Heathcliff...! She told me that, if you ever said anything like, "can't we just give 'em a good beating and be done with it", I should...!

Ha ha, what a throwback~

Decorum... I demand decorum.

… I hope you do not mean to risk having your body marred.

W-withdraw your name, it isn't too late. Now!

... Fuhu.

I'm heading in, father.

... Thirty-third candidate, Baoyu of the Jia family.

Come forth.

Ready, Dante?

<I don't know...>

And...

... what about you, Ryōshū?

Puff...

I'm itching to get chopping.

Need to vent this shitty feeling.

A-are you sure they're going to be okay, Faust...?

This is something that must be done regardless of the soundness of its participants.

Faust spoke sternly.

I still... quite detest this plan.

Let's be honest for a sec. Are any of us actually happy to go through with this?

…….

Okay, I guess there's the one...

Hong Lu, Ryōshū, and I walked up to the platform.

Up close, it was much larger, grander, and more imposing than I thought it'd be.

Enter the fabric threshold.

Once we walked past the curtains as instructed, we saw Jia Yuanchun, Jia Mu, and Jia Zheng waiting for us inside.

I know not what, in your life beyond the hedges, could have wrought this change of heart...

... but to see you aspire to the seat of the Hierarch is indeed a sight most curious.

It's been a while, big sister.

Has the life in Q Corp. been treating you well?

I have seen and learned much.

As you must have, Baoyu.

…….

Now I see your true reason for returning home today.

I'm sorry, grandmother. I thought better than to let this be common knowledge.

So you did.

Now that you have revealed your intent, withdrawal is no longer an option.

Very well. Now present the answer that you have brought here today.

I'm sure you've already sat through many, many people standing in the same place I am now, explaining to you what it was that they'd brought.

So, I suppose you would much prefer that I give you a straightforward visual demonstration than make you sit through another thousand-word lecture.

Hong Lu gave Ryōshū a nod.

Yes. I'm okay.

…….

Our "answer" that we may be able to demonstrate before them...

... is resurrection via Dante's power. To show them that to us, death is but a temporary setback.

And a most dramatic demonstration of that ability would be to...

…!

…….

Indeed... you have certainly demonstrated something.

You were truly the least dreary part of today, Baoyu.

Aha, I see. So the most effective way to do it would be for me to get killed in front of them.

Without any room for ambiguity, at that.

... Yes.

Uh, then...

Does that mean that one of us has to... uhm... make sure that Hong Lu... no longer lives?

Oi, no need to beat 'round the bush.

Remember what we did to each other when we first met?

Then, Heathcliff, is the implication that you...

... are still willing to murder Hong Lu without hesitation?

Murder - Mate, did you really have to put it like -

Verily, I do not wish to hurt my good companions more than I already have...

It may be a stretch to say that it is fortunate, however...

... we seem to have an individual among us who may be able to carry out the task in a most painless, swift, and unburdened manner.

And everyone immediately turned to look at...

... Hoh.

So, how would you like to be cut?

... Puff. Where's that fucker, Lei Heng? Who's he working with?

It seemed that slicing Hong Lu in half... did nothing to distract Ryōshū from her own thoughts.

Jia Mu watched us in silence, motionless in her seat.

You have... split his brain in half.

You have irreversibly ended this child's life; not even Life Insurance shall be able to bring him back now.

Baoyu?!

Well, then... what will you do now?

You have no means to restore this jade of the family. For your transgressions, you will...

Clock. Spin it.

<…….>

... And so it turned, in one of the most high-intensity situations I'd ever turned it.

The muscle fibers, the nerves, the flesh that was split, all begin to reconnect like a rewinding videotape...

<Hnngh... huh? Wait, why doesn't this hurt at all?>

Ryōshū's skill with the sword was no joke. I didn't feel even the slightest bit of discomfort.

<I doubt Hong Lu even realized that he was dying...>

Baoyu… I truly realize that it has been a while since we've met.

He has grown quite bold.

<…!>

…….

I smell beasts...

... Dark shadows had appeared outside the curtains, surrounding us before I even realized what was happening.

Bull. Rooster. Dragon. Monkey. The Heishou are here.

The task was to find the answer to freedom from aging and death...

... not to break a Taboo and precipitate the destruction of our home.

... It has not been long since the family that once led H Corp. was brought to ruin. No Arbiter nor Claw shall ravage a family of Hongyuan again -

Jia Yuanchun appeared ready to command the Heishou to kill us all, but...

…….

Jia Mu silenced her with a wave of her hand.

You will wait.

Venerable Jia Mu...

Once the resurrection is complete, the Head will...

We must end this before they -

Hold for but fifteen minutes, at least.

To be rash in judgment is to judge incompletely.

I wish not to lose either - our treasure, and a clue to immortality.

…….

And Hong Lu was whole again.

Ah...

Thank you, Ryōshū. It really didn't hurt at all. And you too, Dante.

N.P.

Grandmother, big sister Yuanchun.

Did you see that? This is the immortality I found.

…….

... Are we safe?

…….

If aught be owed, a swift vengeance shall arrive in time; it is simply yet to return. (不是不报, 时候未到)

Jia Mu's quiet utterance seems to dissipate the forces that had surrounded us outside the curtains.

Jia Baoyu, in the first round of the Family Hierarch Evaluations...

... you pass.

... Baoyu of the Jia family passes.

What trickery is this?

I thought he was off on some sightseeing tour away from Hongyuan like a jobless rich kid. When'd he even manage to find his own answer?

... Thus ends the first round.

Those who passed must prepare for the second round, set to commence tomorrow.

Remember. The candidates are barred from harming one another between now and the commencement of the second round of the Evaluations.

This is your one and only rule, thus remember it well: anyone who dare break it shall immediately be disqualified.

... That is all.

As soon as Jia Zheng announced the end of the first round, everyone in the audience seats began rushing toward the first floor...

<G-getting mixed up with that crowd's probably not a great idea. Let's get out of here...!>

Indeed. Let us immediately return to Hong Lu's room.

... and we decided to slip out of here before the curious crowd swept us away.

However, as we turned around to leave...

…….

... stood Jia Qiu in our path.

Oh, big brother Qiu. Congratulations on passing the first round.

I hear that you have passed as well, young master. Congratulations are in order, it seems.

How is it that you, young master, who has not shown an inkling of ambition toward the seat of the Hierarch...

... suddenly emerge as one of its candidates, positively stealing the show?

Well, ya know. Sometimes people get swept up by random surges of ambition.

Wasn't that 'surge of ambition' your company's, and not young master Baoyu's?

<... Well, if our last meeting didn't confirm it, it sure seems like they know us well.>

Have we not impressed upon you enough that you were to nicely remain within the borders? Instead, he sparks such disorder at the fringes of his perimeter.

I had thought that his only role in this design would be to be played as a pawn by Jia Xichun, no more...

My lord. Perhaps you have overestimated this young master.

…….

Are you... still of the belief that inaction is a path without consequences?

I didn't even get to say hello to you earlier, brother Qiu.

Baoyu of the Jia family formally extends his greetings to you.

…….

I realize that this is the first time we're meeting face-to-face since I reached adulthood.

Speaking of which, did you manage to stitch big brother Yihua and Mr. Qingtao's heads back onto their bodies?

…?

Heathcliff was the first to let out a flabbergasted gasp before the other Sinners followed suit.

I guess that's just how siblings of Hongyuan greet each other, huh?

Seems like Miss Baochai was just a particularly nice exception...

... You ask a question that deserves no answer.

You have arrived here, unprepared, yet ready to cast yourself into the flames all for the mere reason that your 'turn' had come.

If your mind hasn't changed, then it would have been wise to remain unseen and unnoticed as you were.

Yes, thank you for your concern.

…….

This... façade of wisdom and pensiveness worn upon your speech...

... is truly intractable.

Mmhm... do I do that?

Noticing Jia Qiu's hand tighten around his weapon, Ishmael quickly jumped in.

Oh, in case you forgot, there's a rule preventing candidates who passed the first round from killing each other. Hopefully I'm not the only one who remembers that.

If you're going to continue to bully us, don't be surprised if there are... consequences.

Outis... you've finished the preparations, right?

Mhm. The reinforcements are standing by at the front gates.

Huh? What reinforceme -

WHICH! is why I am warning you that taking any rash action prior to the start of the second round could result in a pointless skirmish for both of us.

A loud boast from an illusory army in an empty fortress. Though, I believe that sheer might is hardly the quality one should flaunt.

... Tch.

I am not intent on fighting you here.

Jia Baoyu, you will beget great suffering by endeavoring to embrace beyond your abilities.

Yet if he still wishes to challenge and be broken, then perhaps that outcome is simply meant to be.

And with that, they turned around and left us. It seemed that they were here only to give us a warning.

What a relief... I thought we'd have to fight Jia Qiu and his... Heishou Pack...

They did see right through us in the end, but... hey, nice teamwork, Outis.

Hmmh...

What unbelievable impudence.

Did you notice how they did not even glance at the rest of us through that entire exchange?

…….

Xue Baochai peeked out from a pillar before walking up to Hong Lu.

You passed the first round! I'm so happy for you, Baoyu. Seriously, what's going on here? I didn't imagine even in my wildest dreams that you'd be participating in the Family Hierarch war!

Congrats to you too, big sister Baochai. For passing the first round.

Gathering from the fact that you hid it even from me... you really didn't want anyone to know, right?

Yeah. I imagine that must've kicked up quite the ruckus with everyone.

Now I'm starting to feel kinda bad about this... Somehow we ended up lying to everyone.

Hey, don't beat yourself up over it. Own it instead.

Well, if it's all the same to you, then... I wanna say that I'm so happy that you decided to take part.

I was... worried that you might have already left Daguanyuan, so far, far away from me again by the time I was finished with the Family Hierarch war. That would've been too bad.

So I'm glad that we'll get to spend more time together, even as contestants.

Don't forget to say hello and give me a wave if we ever run into each other, okay?

Xue Baochai left us to rejoin her faction, waving sweetly as she did so.