Chapter 216: Chapter 212 Spark
"Have the people been sent away?" In the darkness, Perfikot sat on a chair and asked softly, the shadows covering her form and face, making her emotions indiscernible.
"As per your instructions, they’ve been sent away. I’ve made sure to arrange reliable personnel to escort her all the way to the destination." Another figure approached her—it was Claudia: "Miss, may I ask you a question?"
Claudia looked at Perfikot, who was sitting in the darkness, feeling perplexed by her intentions.
"Why did I let that thief go? Or why am I doing these things?" Perfikot merely glanced at Claudia and understood what she wanted to ask.
Facing Perfikot’s rhetorical question, Claudia thought for a moment before replying: "What is your purpose for doing these things? Considering your current position, you are bringing trouble upon yourself. Miss Kallen will continue to oppose you."
"You might as well say I’m overthrowing myself." Perfikot pointedly articulated Claudia’s true meaning.
As she spoke, Perfikot stood up from her chair and walked over to the window, gazing out at the city.
Looking at the city under the night sky, Perfikot asked Claudia, "What do you think of this city?"
"It’s not bad. Although the streets are somewhat chaotic, it has developed well; a very vibrant city." Claudia, though unclear of the reason, still provided her assessment.
"But now it is still shrouded in darkness, just like the current world." Perfikot looked at the city beneath the night sky, sighed, and then questioned, "What was the reason you and my parents chose to embark on this path?"
Claudia didn’t need to think about this question. She replied straightforwardly: "To make the country better, to let the people obtain freedom."
"Yes, to let the people obtain freedom, to make the country better." Perfikot reaffirmed, then explained: "My father saw the sufferings of the people, but he did not find a way to solve the issues, which led to the formation of the Brotherhood, hoping to be the overseers in the darkness.
But I do not believe that with his intelligence, after discovering the problem, he would not find the solution.
The reason he didn’t act was merely because he retreated, or perhaps he lacked the courage and determination to solve the problem, opting instead for mild reforms and supervision in the shadows."
Claudia did not express any views on Perfikot’s evaluation, as she knew that this wasn’t the way to solve the problem.
And indeed they had discussed the solution back then, but none of them held out hope at the time.
"The nobility, capitalists, and factory owners enjoy everything at the expense of the people’s suffering. To let everyone obtain freedom, the old order must be overturned." Perfikot turned to Claudia and asked, "I have confidence in my father; I believe he must’ve considered this matter. Then, why didn’t he choose this path back then?"
This is what Perfikot wondered about. She believed that her father, seeing those sufferings and injustices, with his wisdom, could not have failed to find a solution.
Yet, he did not choose to overturn all oppression and injustice, instead opting for mild reform, becoming a supervisor in the shadows. Surely there must be a reason for his decision.
"Because we couldn’t imagine what a country without nobility and rulers would look like." After a moment’s silence, Claudia responded: "Back then, your father indeed proposed to overthrow all injustices and oppressions and achieve equality for everyone, but this ultimately garnered little support.
Someone once asked him, without nobility and social elites, how we would govern the country, and most people felt it was indeed unfeasible; they believed the lower-class people didn’t have enough capability to manage the country."
"A flawed judgment. No one is born knowing everything. They lack experience because they haven’t had opportunities for education, enough educational resources! If everyone could receive sufficient education, have equal job opportunities and chances for advancement, they too would possess enough capability." Perfikot pinpointed the flaw in this narrative, then shook her head saying, "However, considering the situation you faced back then, certainly opting for mild reform was simpler than breaking it all down and starting anew. After all, the former is easier to achieve, while the latter entails facing countless difficulties and tests.
Not everyone has the courage to break the old world and rebuild a new one, and not everyone has the courage to ignite themselves in the darkness to become a torch illuminating the path for others.
But this is not a reason for them to abstain from doing it. Without the bold courage to break everything and burn the boats behind, how could they possibly conquer seemingly invincible enemies and claim ultimate victory?"
Hearing Perfikot’s words, Claudia remained silent, struck by Perfikot’s grandeur and determination, though lacking the same resolve and courage herself.
Ultimately, she could only say: "Perhaps we lacked someone like you back then, the courage to take this step and become pioneers."
"Understandable. You weren’t afraid of sacrifice; you were afraid of not knowing what to do." Perfikot did not criticize; she could understand the choices her parents made years ago. Fixing the existing flaws or overthrowing the old and creating the new is not something everyone has the boldness nor the determination for.
No one can guarantee that after breaking the old ways, a better world could be established, can they?
"But you chose a path drastically different from theirs; you had Miss Kallen spread hope far and wide." Claudia pointed out the purpose behind Perfikot’s actions.
To this, Perfikot merely shook her head, then said: "Kallen may not be the one to overturn everything, but she is a spark, a spark that can bring hope to others. As long as she can spread hope, the spark will eventually ignite a prairie fire."
Accompanied by Perfikot’s words, as if something unseen was responding to her, the red sun pierced the darkness before dawn, casting a golden ray of sunlight on her face.