Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 92 Anaïs's Choice

After Erwin left, Anaïs walked to the chair opposite Green and sat down.

She glanced at Green, then at the sofa where Alvin had just sat, and asked softly:

"Mr. Alvin...is he here to discuss what happened last night?"

"I guess so," Green said without hiding anything. "The Night's Watch... invited me to join."

Anaïs's eyes widened slightly, a hint of surprise flashing across them, but it quickly turned into understanding.

"Did you agree?"

"Hmm." Green nodded.

"I need more systematic knowledge and strength. And, as you saw last night... going it alone, relying solely on luck to survive, won't get you far."

Anaïs lowered her head. "I understand... Last night, there was nothing I could do but watch and wait... If it weren't for you and the Night's Watch, I'm afraid..."

Her voice was filled with lingering fear and self-blame.

"You've done very well, Anna."

Green softened his tone, "In that situation, staying calm and taking care of yourself and my aunt is the biggest help. To me, your safety is a victory."

Anaïs looked up. "Thank you, sir. I... I'll try my best not to hold you back. Mr. Alvin, when you said 'job opportunity,' do you mean your position after joining the Night's Watch? And what about the Port Authority...?"

"I will retain my work at the Port Authority for the time being, at least nominally."

Green explained, "It's safe here now, Henry isn't a problem for the time being, and we also need a public identity and a base of operations. The Night's Watch's work... probably won't be very regular, so we'll have to juggle both."

He paused, then looked at Anaïs: "This place may continue to serve as a communication point between me and the Night's Watch, or a place to handle other matters. Are you... willing to stay here? There might be more unusual things to encounter, and there might be risks."

"I do, Mr. Morris. It's much better here than in the office. And I want... I want to know more. About Grandfather's world, about what you're going through. Maybe I can't be of much help, but at least... I want to know the truth, instead of living in ignorance and fear."

Her answer surprised Green, but it also revealed the girl's inner strength. She wasn't just seeking refuge; she was also seeking understanding and participation.

Green looked at Anaïs without saying a word.

"Mr. Morris...?"

Green remained silent, deep in thought, weighing the pros and cons.

"Mr. Morris?" Anaïs blushed slightly under Green's gaze.

"Anna," Green suddenly spoke.

"what?"

"If you had an opportunity to become extraordinary, what would you choose?"

Green's words were like a bombshell. Anaïs's fingers froze abruptly, as if she were frozen in her chair by an invisible force.

"Non-extraordinary?" she murmured repeatedly.

Anaïs's eyes first showed confusion, then shock. "You mean...like you and those people from last night?"

"Um."

Green nodded. "A path fraught with danger, but one that can also grant you strength and understanding. But once you embark on it, there's no turning back. You'll see another side of the world, more real, and more brutal. Just like what you saw last night."

"I..." Anaïs lowered her head, her eyes flashing with fear, longing, hesitation, and a hint of excitement at being trusted.

"Mr. Morris, why...why would you consider me? I'm just an ordinary clerk, I...I'm not even brave enough."

"ordinary?"

Green shook his head slightly. "Anna, your ability to maintain basic composure amidst last night's chaos, your courage to remain clear-headed in the face of what happened, and your choice to stay afterward all prove that you are no ordinary person. What your grandfather left you was not just those notes and knowledge, but also the most precious qualities."

"But I must remind you, this is not a gift, but a contract."

"Power comes at a price, and knowledge comes with danger. You may also face the risk of losing control, just like Emily did last night."

"You will see and come into contact with many things you would rather never have known. And once you become extraordinary, you can never go back to an 'ordinary' life."

Anaïs remained silent.

The firewood in the fireplace crackled softly, and the flames danced on her face.

She recalled the obscure notes in her grandfather's study, warnings about "secrets," "divination," and "dangerous knowledge."

Anaïs also recalled the blasphemous scene in the basement last night, the lives that were devoured, and Green's blood-soaked yet still upright figure.

"My grandfather... in his later years he was always very silent, gazing out the window in a daze. Sometimes he would suddenly burn some notes, his eyes filled with a weariness and... a sense of unfamiliarity that I couldn't understand at the time. My mother said it was because he was too engrossed in his research, which took a toll on his mental health. But now I wonder, was that... the price he paid?"

"Very likely," Green did not deny.

Another long silence followed.

"What if... what if I refuse?"

She looked up at Green. "Would you... think I'm a coward, or decide not to let me stay here?"

"No," Green answered decisively. "It's your choice. Staying here to work and becoming an Extraordinary are two different things. I respect your decision."

His honesty only made Anaïs more conflicted.

Anaïs bit her lip, then suddenly asked, "And you, Mr. Morris? When you became an 'apprentice'... were you afraid? Did you ever regret it?"

Green was taken aback; she hadn't expected her to ask a question in return.

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the leaping flames in the fireplace, as if he were seeing the scene of his first encounter with the extraordinary, his first "opening of the door," and the first time he heard the out-of-control ramblings.

"Fear."

Green candidly admitted, "Every time I face the unknown, every time I face danger far beyond my capabilities, I feel fear. Regret... I've also felt it, especially when I see my family members getting involved in danger and getting hurt."

"but,"

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Anaïs. "If I had to do it all over again, I would probably make the same choice."

"Ignorance does not bring true safety; it only leaves you defenseless when danger strikes."

"Power, even if it's just a little, at least gives you the possibility to struggle, choose, and even protect those you consider important... Of course, the premise is that you can control it, rather than be consumed by it."

Anaïs listened quietly, the hesitation in her eyes gradually disappearing.

She took a deep breath and straightened her back.

"I want to...I want to try," Anaïs said solemnly.

"I don't want to always be the one being protected and kept in the dark. I want to understand the world my grandfather saw. I want... at least so that when the next danger comes, I won't just be trembling in a corner. And..."

She paused for a moment, her cheeks flushed slightly, but her eyes did not dart away:

"You trusted me and told me this choice. I don't want to betray that trust. If this path is destined to be dangerous, then... at least I'm not walking alone, right?"

Green looked at her and saw fear in her eyes, but also determination.

This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment choice, but a well-considered responsibility. He nodded, his opinion of Anaïs rising even higher.

"Okay." Green didn't say anything more, because he had already said what needed to be said.

He reached into the inside pocket of his coat and took out the small crystal bottle that Clarice had given to Olivier, and which Olivier then passed on to him.

The bottle was placed on the table between the two people.

The liquid inside is a constantly changing deep purple, sometimes like a tranquil night sky, and sometimes like countless tiny silver specks swirling and settling in the depths, occasionally rippling with a dark gold hue.

Simply gazing at it makes one feel as if secret knowledge is whispering within, and one's gaze involuntarily wants to delve deeper to explore the mysteries hidden in the changing light and shadow.

Anaïs held her breath, her gaze completely drawn to the potion.

This is the key to another world...

"This is the 'Secret Seeker' potion, corresponding to Sequence 9," Green said calmly. "I don't know the core of this path either; you'll have to explore it yourself. Of course, I'll also help you find some knowledge about it."

"Yes..." Anaïs murmured, "...it's 'reverence for knowledge'."