Chapter 523: Chapter 524 Be a Human_1
"Your father gave everything to bring back the life youâre prepared to throw away?" Aiden suddenly spoke.
Tony shuddered with fright and stared at Aiden with wide eyes.
"You know how to use that thing, yet you hesitate again, you must know the consequences of using it like this," Aiden continued.
Pressing his lips together, Tony was silent for a while before finally saying, "So just now, it was you who stopped me?"
"Yes." Aidenâs response was crisp.
"Why?"
"Personal reasons."
"He killed dad. I just wanted revenge..." Tonyâs voice trembled.
"A valid reason, if thatâs truly what you want, I wonât stop you this time," Aiden said calmly, "but I saw you hesitate just now."
Tony found himself at a loss for words.
Suddenly shifted here by Aidenâs power, the anger clouding his mind cooled slightly. When he thought about avenging his father again, the instinct to survive surged like a castaway struggling to emerge from the waves of hatred, desperately waving for help.
At that moment, he hesitated.
Why would one yearn for a body incapable of pain? Obviously to keep living.
Had it not been for his own persistent desire to live, his father would not have met such an end. His father had sacrificed everything for him without a second thought, yet he hesitated to avenge his father due to a cowardly desire to survive.
In his self-loathing, Tony lowered his head, looked at his fatherâs face, and gave a miserable smile, "Dad, Iâm truly unworthy to be your son."
"Thatâs for your father to judge. He wanted you to live, didnât he?" Aiden said.
Tony slowly lifted his face, staring blankly at Aiden.
"You have a valid reason for revenge, and a valid reason to live, because this is also your fatherâs wish. According to my investigation, your father did many wrong things for you, but going by his words, I suppose your hands are clean," Aiden spoke slowly, "Itâs your choice."
Qiqimora listened to their conversation, finally realizing after a while and looked at Tony Dodge incredulously, "Could it be, the Hand of Oblivion is in his possession?"
"Afraid so," Aiden replied, "Professor Dodge must have sensed the danger and put the Hand of Oblivion on his hand at some point while he was invisible."
When Aiden saw Tony attempting to snap his fingers, he realized this possibility.
When the Hand of Oblivion is worn, itâs invisible to others, much like the Emperorâs New Clothes.
Tony seemed never to have mastered the divine language. Professor Dodge had most likely only explained to him the usage of the Hand of Oblivion so he could use this Divine Artifact to save his life at a critical moment.
Wearing the Hand of Oblivion allows for invisibility and passing through solids, and touching something can make it vanish. Although there were consequences after prolonged use, itâs quite ideal as a life-preserving device.
But at that moment, Tony was about to use it to perish along with Mr. Bloody Clothes. A snap of the Hand of Oblivion could erase an independent being from this world but the user would also disappear.
The majority of Aidenâs reason for stopping Tony was out of self-respect, the remainder was pity. Strictly speaking, Tonyâs sacrifice would have been more to Aidenâs benefit, but Aiden didnât like such methods. Having the ability to intervene yet choosing to stand by was no different from exploiting the life of this young man.
Aiden felt a killing intent towards Mr. Blood Robe that could be described as hatred for the first time, he still preferred to settle his own scores by himself.
But if Tony eventually insisted on doing so, he wouldnât be so arrogant as to make decisions for the other party.
Qiqimoraâs gaze towards Tony shifted suddenly, becoming overtly sharp.
Tony, feeling her stare, couldnât help but feel as though there were thorns in his back.
"Donât scare the kid," Aiden quickly interjected to stop Qiqimora, "if he vanishes, where will you find him?"
"He canât leave; heâll collapse as soon as he leaves your territory," Qiqimora said.
"Even so, you canât wrest it from him; if you push him too hard, heâll snap his fingers and youâll be gone!" Aiden emphasized.
Qiqimora then reluctantly stepped back.
"You, youâre planning to steal what my father left me?" Tony became wary.
"No, just continuing the previous trade," Aiden looked back, "hand it over to us, and weâll heal your body, just as your father hoped. The treatment plan we offer doesnât require sacrificing any innocent people, no lies."
Tony observed Aiden, sensing that this man was somewhat more trustworthy. When he impulsively wanted to perish with his enemies, the other party made a choice that didnât align with his own interests, suggesting some moral conviction.
"I..." Tony lowered his eyes.
Not long ago, he had just confirmed the sins his father had committed for him in this city, and within minutes, his father had died tragically before him. After experiencing these upheavals, restoring his body was hardly on his mind.
"Forget it, youâre probably feeling down right now, and canât come up with an answer immediately, letâs leave this place first," Aiden waved his hand, "that monster is still inside, we canât linger here too long. Letâs also take your fatherâs body to be buried."
Tony didnât answer, but nodded imperceptibly.
Lamia suddenly approached; she couldnât speak but raised her hand to point at Professor Dodgeâs body, then pointed at herself, indicating that she wanted to carry the body.
"At times like this, try to... act a bit more human," Aiden sighed. Lamia was clearly eyeing the Divine Essence in Professor Dodge.
"Lamia hasnât been human for a long time," Qiqimora interjected.
In front of a young man who had just lost his father, it was unrealistic to expect these Great Witches to have the moral standards of ordinary people as they considered the value of his fatherâs dead body.
"My father has already transferred all of his Divine Essence to me. Please donât covet his remains, let him rest in peace," Tony suddenly spoke up.
"The transfer of Divine Essence sometimes doesnât feel particularly noticeable, are you sure?" Aiden asked.
"He would have done that, of this I am certain," Tony answered softly.
Qiqimora and Lamia looked at each other.
"Alright, but you definitely wonât be able to move your fatherâs body by yourself," Aiden glanced to the side. The mercury alloy golem had finally returned to normal, morphed into his usual contours, "use my tools then, letâs escape first and discuss later."
Having said that, he commanded the mercury alloy golem to step forward and extend its arms.
After a long silence, Tony finally looked at Aiden and handed over his fatherâs body to the golem.