Cold snow, sweltering workshop, and a tomorrow with no hope in sight.

Never had she thought these scenes would persist indefinitely, but this had become the most normal life that young Rednaya could encounter.

The winter in Haines was extremely cold, and the flimsy sheds were barely better than a sheet of paper against temperatures that dropped below one hundred degrees; since the time she developed the ability to remember, Rednaya's understanding of the human world consisted of these three words:

Hunger, cold, and gloom.

Years of not having enough to eat affected her growth severely, leaving her and her younger siblings underweight and malnourished, their tall stature was nothing but the skinny frame of a stick; sometimes, from afar, they seemed like skeletons, and insufficient carbohydrate intake left them without any sparkle in their eyes.

Later, she entered the factory early as a child laborer, and after an accident that left her with only one leg, Rednaya's understanding of the human world was reduced to one word:

Poverty.

Shortly after she realized this, she embraced her awakening.

Indeed, Fate always seems to favor meaningless comedic episodes.

If you are willing to endure hardships, there is a never-ending supply of them, but if you defiantly resist, people will either graciously lessen your suffering or be forced by your might to cease their oppression against you.

Reflecting on the history of her life, Rednaya found this notion deeply resonated.

In a Grand Narrative, she was naturally selected and accepted to become a Speaker upon fulfilling the appointment conditions of the Secret Society.

However, this was predicated on Gaia seizing and subduing the opportunity after Leviathandal and the three other Destroyers were defeated by Leoz, becoming one of the secret strengths.

Through countless generations before Rednaya, numerous 'Redds' lived through various eras, paving the path for her to reach this point.

In other words, that child laborer Rednaya had long perished in the snowy night of the Haines factory, and since then, the one who lived on was always the secret Speaker Redd Gold, the Successor of Leviathandal, Redd Gold.

No success is obtained by accident; everything is predestined.

Within the Starry Abyss system, one is naturally bound by Fate.

No exceptions.

In those days, Rednaya, as Speaker, felt only fear and dread toward Leoz, the ruler of Haines, this cruel butcher and Dictator, who had almost infiltrated and frustrated every Secret aspect over the years, repeatedly repelling Earthlings' invasions, and indirectly taking the life of someone important to her; yet for Leoz, Rednaya felt unworthy of even fear.

However, after the Haines battle ended and she truly saw Leoz's face, she couldn't help but feel... should it be called astonishment?

So ordinary, so common, lacking any distinctive features.

——Just like her.

If no external conditions existed, she and Leoz would be no different, mere mortals sacrificed in the Grand Narrative amid the Starry Abyss-Earth epic tale.

Whether it was her or Leoz, everything seemed to attest constantly to Lai Anding's perspective: In the Starry Abyss, only class and Death are insurmountable. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Realizing this further confirmed to Rednaya that she had already abandoned all mundane pursuits.

Earth's victory? Peace within the Starry Abyss?

So what?

The more she understood reality, the more aware she became of an individual's insignificance under the Grand Narrative, placing a family's father and a mother's beloved son before the cosmic scale does not change their essence much—a speck of dust.

But what truly creates the difference between them and this expanse?

——Time.

Specifically, the ability to exist perpetually and stably within this Spacetime.

Nothing is absolutely great; upon witnessing Leoz's fall, Haines' destruction, Gaia's refusal to allow her ascension, Rednaya's belief was further reinforced.

Only Eternity is the ultimate truth in this world.

Thus, she usurped the history of the Soul of Plunder, directly extracting Severston who had fled the Beyond-Abyss Battleground after the Haines battle, replacing him, entering the Layer Abyss.

Here, she obtained information about the Narrative Civilization. Within the Narrative Civilization, even ordinary people could enjoy nearly endless lifespans.

This notion intrigued her greatly, so she devoted all her resources, building an enterprise centered around money, Desire, and capital, catering to every person filled with hope for monetary material, willingly accepting alienation; as the constant outpourings transmitted to her ears, fused with the history she had plundered, her existence would resonate eternally through the galaxy.

——Yet, Rednaya abruptly refused this honor.

She clearly realized: this was definitively not the Eternity she yearned for.

The essence of a Grand Narrative is that even the narrator of the narrative must sacrifice themselves, give their all, like a Martyr, to complete the story fully and perfectly.

And the so-called narrative's eternity is nothing but a narrative akin to religious faith, similar to ideology, built within the hearts of countless believers, becoming a worldview and methodology; as for the narrator? Just a sophisticated cog.

Brain and soul, which truly constitutes the 'self', doesn't require extraneous explanation, does it?