Chapter 1962: Chapter 10: If Only I Were Also One of the People of Silverpeak
"My limit..."
Marquis Grant now understood what âwanting it both waysâ meant. He wanted everything in Little Komet to develop naturally, yet hoped the child would have the personality he desired.
But that was impossible. Although Terra didnât have the saying about a childâs nature being set at three, Komet was clearly not the typical sharp and cautious âsmart person.â He was an open and slightly untethered child; if he didnât grow crooked, he might become a bold, big-brother-like figure in the futureâjust like his grandfather, Harrison Grant, charging at the forefront and dying quickly.
This personality wasnât bad, but as the heir to the Marquise Family and disciple of Duke of Silverpeak, Komet needed to be more cautious, not causing trouble for his teacher and family, nor dying carelessly.
But was it that simple?
Komet was destined not to naturally grow into the âwiseâ person Ian described... but if he were to be altered, it would be akin to changing Kometâs nature, making him no longer himself...
Marquis Grant held his head, pondering bitterly.
"Learning is transforming oneself."
Ian watched the old superior ahead and said calmly, "Encountering failure and changing due to pain is also transforming oneself."
"Even entering prison and achieving enlightenment might make a habitual criminal abandon past life and be rebornâor utterly fall, becoming a great villain known to history."
"These are all transformations of oneself, a remodeling of self."
"Yet people do not consider this brainwashing... bear in mind that in schools, private schools, under the guidance of teachers like me, an overwhelming flood of information bombarding a child might not be much better than brainwashing."
"Just like the numerous schools and training camps operating in Xiahui City, arenât they inherently using collectivism, repeatedly indoctrinating through human interaction, resonating, brainwashing them into having a sense of belonging to the Silverpeak Domain, recognizing me, willing to be loyal to me?"
"And for ordinary people, how is this different from my technology?"
"These canât be considered brainwashing, right..."
Viscount Grant lifted his head, understanding it was Ianâs guidance, and he thoughtfully tried to refute along Ianâs provided reasoning: "These are changes people âchooseâ themselves after experiencing certain things, having insights and ideas."
"Even if following trends, changing oneâs idea with popular thought is a kind of subtle transformation... Otherwise, extremity in saying when you communicate with others, if you adopt their opinion, you are brainwashed by them!"
"Why isnât it brainwashing then?"
Ian questioned back: "When interacting, if you accept someone elseâs arguments without your own thoughtsâsimply because you like the way he talks or his appearanceâso easily agreeing with someoneâs words and views, not thinking of underlying meanings, of true origin, significance or purposeâimmediately agreeing."
"Then why not say, he was simply brainwashed by one statement from another person?"
Having said this, Ian Silverpeak stood up.
A Fifth Energy Level powerhouse, Edge of Perished Sun, Duke of Silverpeak stood before Marquis Grant, and that searing yet overwhelming dark aura engulfed Grant, rendering him incapable of even trembling, completely frozen on the sofa.
[If I issued a command]
Ianâs voice once more: [Would you obey?]
[If you obey, does it mean youâve been brainwashed by me? Then why didnât you speak up?]
[If you defy, is it because youâre brainwashed by other strange influences? Why dare you oppose me with Fifth Energy Level power?]
Grant was unable to move.
At this moment, he felt all Origin Quality Spiritual Energy, even Aether around him were seized away, and his Sublimation Organ couldnât operate, making him a cripple incapable of even movingâa common person would fare worse, as theyâd lose even thinking, becoming a zombie.
Grant struggled to turn his head to look at his child but was shocked to find Little Komet unaffected at all, still blinking his sea-blue eyes, looking at the suddenly standing âteacherâ and the âfatherâ fallen into the sofa.
Marquis Grant suddenly understood Ianâs meaning.
"I... understand."
Marquis Grant sighed, "Ian... You are gentler than anyone, more eager for humans to obtain true free will... Nevertheless, for this very reason, in your perspective, our current Terra, the whole Terra, perhaps none can truly pursue their freedom."
He slowly attempted to sit upright, grinding his teeth: "What is truly chosen growth? I see... Well, I comprehend now."
"Ian, indeed your technology requires a child like Komet to experiment, since only such a blank slate child is naturally compelled to âlearnâ... and learning is an inevitable duty for children living in human society; they must learn how to enter the adult world, acquire skills and thinking patterns, a not-strictly-defined âbrainwashingâ."