☀️ Arselia and Akonia

-- I am comparing you to knights, and you compare me -- to a magpie? I see... -- from Phyr's tone, it was clear she didn't appreciate the joke.

"And here comes the manifestation of authoritarianism!"

-- Yes, it would be boring if one could... As wonderful as the process of cognition is, it would lose all meaning if all the mysteries of the world, including non-obvious ones like the soul, could easily be reduced to a single sheet of paper; it is precisely the infinite depth of the world that makes it so interesting and rich.

— That is true, — Alaria nodded solemnly, — that is true. Even if you lived a thousand lives, you would not know even a grain of everything provided to us by the universe. And the deeper you delve into your knowledge, the more you will understand how insignificant it truly is. Some people, often philosophers, wizards, and simply men of science, sometimes dream of the concept of omniscience, but it does not seem attainable to me. And even if it were, the human mind could not withstand such a flow of information. And if someone says otherwise, that they have grasped the essence of being... — she smirks, — ... for me, that is a sure marker that the person is simply limited and has hit a ceiling. Either that, or they are deceiving others for profit.

-- ? It seems we've misunderstood each other, or perhaps only I misunderstood you, but you are showing me a copy. The original blank is given in a different format, well, at least it was for me, and you saw it yourself, where the equality signs are, there's also this logical &...

Alaria silently points her finger to the image located at the bottom of the sheet.

-- No, no, there seems to be no difference here, except that I could add: if you want peace -- prepare for war. That is, a peaceful solution is always better, but it is not an end in itself, because if you persist too much in trying to resolve everything peacefully, you will most likely lose. One must know the right time and know when it's time to stop and take up arms instead of a palm branch. Sometimes it is even naive to begin negotiations at all. Of course, the opposite is also true: that rattling own weapons is generally not advisable, and a position in diplomacy, when such is possible, is quite precarious and even double-edged.

— I agree, one should not go to extremes. It is important to maintain sobriety of mind and rationality of thought to realize which decision will be correct in this specific situation. After all, even a conditional peaceful solution can hide a trap, being used by a conditional opponent solely to gain the opportunity to restore their strength and try again. One can believe in human kindness as much as one likes, but Sillion's period of prosperity was largely built on his personal power as a Wizard. Whatever you say, sometimes fear is an extremely effective weapon.

-- And indeed, due to bursts of enthusiasm, it slipped my mind that this isn't actually very correct. The problem here isn't the lack of reward as such, but that people in a healthy society should feel uncomfortable being debtors. Take Blade, for instance; as soon as he learned about the performance, he immediately asked how much admission cost. Normal people are used to making an exchange: you give me, I give you. And even if services are provided by those for whom centuries would not be enough to pay back—saving their life, for example... Just a little bit of return attention, the tiniest drop, expressed in any return service: whether they let you stay the night, feed you, give you books to read, or write chronicles about you; in general, any small reward is simply necessary so that correct, trusting relations are established between the giver and the receiver. No one lives off someone else's dime, no one shows ingratitude toward anyone, for ingratitude is the worst human trait of all. That is why I want to give gifts to those who have done something for me. That is why I perform such painstaking work... And you know, this recent hammering of metal dummies for a "thank you" was actually wrong; now I understand why it felt slightly unpleasant to do that, even setting aside the problem of faint-heartedness.

-- The honor of the benefactor is in his reward, and the honor of the beneficiary is in the little he gives in return. So, perhaps if I am given a symbolic coin from the donation box at tomorrow's performance, I won't be against it.

— I cannot say that I would be against some kind of conditional reward. Or if a person I once helped suddenly approached me and gave me a pleasant gift. After all, I am used to returning kindness with kindness myself. Nevertheless, in many ways, we perform such selfless acts for ourselves. Doesn't your heart feel warmer when you realize you've saved someone's life? That is also a reward, one that doesn't depend on anyone but yourself. But the expectation that someone must inevitably repay you according to your merits, — a heavy sigh, — I don't know, does it not undermine the sincerity of your act? Not all people are capable of appreciating the care shown to them. Not all those who do appreciate it do so immediately. Sometimes one can even be a hero, save a thousand lives, and then be branded a villain because someone decided to blacken your reputation, — Alaria wanted to cite the story of the Baldurian Virgil as an example, but she wasn't sure if Erephir had read up to that point, — does that make you a fool who lived their life "wrongly"? Does it devalue, in one moment, the acts of heroism you displayed? I don't think so. But I agree with you on the topic that excessive fanaticism is also harmful here. Knowing your own value, having some inner core, is also important so that others do not abuse your kindness. If you and your loved ones suffer from your selflessness, then something has clearly gone wrong. One must feel a sense of moderation in everything, and far from all people are lucky enough to afford caring for others. And it doesn't bring happiness or a sense of satisfaction to everyone. In general, that is also normal and there is nothing wrong with it. The ability to live for oneself is also important.