And his Truth is marching on~
Man, the things one learns about when reading Rihaku quests. You wouldn't believe the kinds of dark internet depths I'd descended into when trying to find further layers of meanings to the update title other than the obvious associations with the Grapes of Wrath.
Amouthanos had delivered on his promise; since the elder elf Thriesiel's sacrifice and Nameless' subsequent absorption of her Magnum Opus, his power had expanded by ludicrous degrees. Had his bodily control and precision not grown with his strength, the slightest exertion of his finger would literally rend this world asunder.
We won't be able to give the World of Cardboard speech thanks to having nigh-perfect control over our strength and because fighting at full power might just destroy the world we're trying to protect, but that might be for the best, since gloating is best done over our opponent's disintegrated, soul-annihilated, etc etc remnants.
Well, the flower's effects wouldn't be anywhere this pronounced if it wasn't for the bullshit that is All Paths. It's quite an incredible combination, a compounding of power that exemplifies our nature as the Thrice-Great. Hadn't Kong Zang told us that we would need at least a decade and a half to catch up to him? And to be fair to Teacher Kong, it not only needed otehrworldly insights that he couldn't have predicted, it also required a level of mental exertion that should have been anathema to someone like Nameless - I'm assuming that's what the BPs represent in this case.
Trans-Titanic power was a goal often dreamt-of, rarely realized, but its implications were, as his Extrusion had noted, a tad stultifying.
One could even say -
we need worthy opponents. Thinking back on it, it's a bit funny how we would have also unintentionally created Endbringer-like beings, in behavior if not necessarily nature, though the specifics and our reasons for doing so are quite different. Hmm, we're even in danger of being thwarted by our own inner demons more than anything else and learning how to drain the essence of others to enhance our powers. Let's hope Zang Kong or the Fates don't cut us down while we're busy wrestling with our private problems.
Perhaps Zang Kong was greater still, but Nameless' current power was more than sufficient to repel the combined non-Kong forces of the known world - with trivial ease, in fact. For understandable reasons, this led to a species of bone-deep complacency that no intellectual knowledge of the Heroine's imminency could reverse. He was simply far too powerful to be much threatened by her, even though he knew the Fates had more tricks yet to play, and Zang Kong's next awakening was two full years past even that. Having sprinted so ferociously these past few years, Nameless felt it unlikely that he would be unable to match the Elder Beast of Reason in time. He'd slaved over the Truth, gambled ferociously with All Paths, and the risks he'd taken had paid off. Was it not correct to enjoy the fruits of one's labor, at least for a time?
I think it's been said before, but it's dreadfully ironic how we'd be hamstrung by the very successes we'd so desperately struggled to achieve. It's one thing to become aware of a problem, it's quite another to
do something about it. I feel like Nameless lacks true passion in his life (despite having Heroic Passions), the majority of his drive to excel coming from the threat from the Heroine represented - he is fairly well aware of what he
doesn't want to happen, but there is no other overarching goal that urges him on.
Which... isn't that surprising. His half-forgotten dreams of relevance, of being something more than an unimportant cog in the machine of society have
already been fulfilled. It wouldn't be wrong to say that he is one of the most influential people in the world now, his decisions quite literally affecting the fate of the world. There is no tragic backstory to teach him humility, no true experience with weakness and incapability in the face of overwhelming force - Kong never went quite far enough to force our hand, - and despite having experienced loss before, the mark it left on Nameless appears to have faded.
This directionlessness may have played a part in why Relia has managed to capture his heart so easily and why he'd gone so far as to swear that Oath. Hedonism has become a cornerstone of his life, the search for new and pleasurable sensations his goal in absence of other great ambitions... and what is such absolute love but another form of pleasure that Nameless has yet to experience?
And yet there was a part of him that was deeply unsatisfied with this Cultivation equivalent of giving up at the finish line. He'd sought Immortal Awakening, the Daoless Path that had briefly been glimpsed during his time in the Unshattered Glade. There were glories beyond even this his present strength, and to fail in seizing them seemed an abject abandonment of this life's entire trajectory.
How surprising, I hadn't thought that Nameless cared enough about fulfilling his potential to invest significant effort in his development! Not all hope is lost yet, it seems. Perhaps he isn't the power-hungry sort that would grab power for power's sake, but it might be possible to reinforce our MC's desire for seeing what lies beyond those greatest peaks.
Huh... he is so attached to the Veil because it is directly connected to his utility dispensary, but maybe we can find a way to connect our pleasure responses (physical and/or intellectual) to rising higher in Stages and getting more spells? Nameless has already started on that road with his clever usage of the Veil, but might there be a way to go a step further? Something to think about.
For that reason he now sat, Extrusion-Scepter in hand, in a meditative glade off the coast of the Isle of the Elves. Turmoil swept the Empire; Vane and Ming in a futile trade war, the Center stained with the bloodshed of feuding sects; Yong clinging tenaciously to territory before the onslaught of the Overgrowth Beasts. But Yong Shen had not seen fit to move, and Nameless knew better than to doubt his grandfather's wisdom. If the Unbroken World would not lift a finger to erase the monstrosities hurtling over the Eastern border, then Nameless would not recklessly intervene. He ensured that no such perturbations spilled over to Elvish territories and was otherwise content to wait for Yong Shen to act.
Quite a bit of unwelcome news compressed into a single paragraph, though not entirely unexpected. We might have kicked off some of that instability with our own actions - don't know about partying in Vane, but murdering Taishan had been specifically warned against for this reason, yet the main culprits stirring the pot are likely still the Fates. Kong is too busy to pay attention to the outside, and he doesn't benefit as much from damaging the Empire... or does he?
Could this be one of his contingencies meant to distract us from rising further in power? This feels too much like rampant paranoia, but it's not as if he is completely without motive. Eh, I'm still going to blame the Fates, they're convenient targets like that. I don't think enraging and directing some Beasts from the outer reaches of the Overgrowth is too difficult for them, and it wouldn't even be that much of a strain on their credibility.
You've got to admire their skill in this matter though. They used minimal force to achieve maximum effect in every region of the Empire. Turning the Sects upon themselves, engendering a conflict between Vane and Ming, making the East and North collide... is it a fetish of the Seasons to use their opponent's own force to damage them?
That Shen hasn't intervened yet is concerning though. Since the Empire doesn't really have external threats that would keep him busy, I I must once again consider it the intervention of the Fates. I struggle to imagine what exactly they did though. From what we know, he cares about his people, so it is unlikely he's just ignoring all this conflict - he would do something about the Overgrowth at the very least if he could. If one ignores outlying possibilities like the Fates managing a direct strike against Shen, what remains is...
The Emperor. We know that he is bound very tightly by his Oath, but from what we'd been told, the majority of its thrust is to
prevent undue action. He might actually benefit a great deal from the Empire's collapse, it's just that this wasn't possible previously. No Empire - no throne to chain him down. And even if his life is bound to the Labyrinth, by this point the Emperor might be so tired of his enslavement that he is willing to chance death rather than continue to drag out this meaningless existence.
And if there are precautions against Directional Lords acting outside the bounds of their authority in the Empire's laws, he might just be the guy stalling Shen. Hoisted by his own petard as it were - isn't it just the sort of irony the Fates love?
"Found you, darling!" Aurelia's head popped out from behind a tree. A picnic basket was held in the crook of her delicate arm, cloth spilling languidly from its lid.
"A picnic?" he scoffed. "How inconvenient. The clean-up is rarely worth the novelty, assuming the wind doesn't blow our food away."
What is this, Nameless doesn't take the first chance to get out of doing work he gets? I'd say this is the first sign of the apocalypse, but well, we'd been preparing for one for awhile. Shame on him for not indulging his wife though! After she's gone through the effort of making lunch, all he does is complain?
His - wife, and it was still startling to think of anyone as such - gently set the basket down to her side and snuggled up to Nameless, nuzzling against the crook of his neck. The scent of her hair was intoxicating and extremely distracting.
Who needs arguments when you're too beautiful for words and are willing to use that beauty as the terrible weapon it is? I'd say this is cheating, but we've got no room to talk, what with our upcoming decision to get ourselves some of that unearthly charisma ourselves.
Aurelia tenderly laced the fingers of her left hand with those of his right, and looked up at him with eyes full of love. "Don't worry, darling. This food is all for me."
Keh. They really
are perfect for each other. It's little things like this more than the other benefits we've gotten out of the deal that make me think binding Nameless' life to hers was a good idea.
She took out a half-sandwich and daintily bit into it, smiling beneficently.
"I see," Nameless said. "How considerate of you, to walk all this way so that you could partake of your repast in front of me."
Isn't it just? While I don't think Relia has a single spiteful bone in her body, she can give as good as she gets. I suppose she could have tried to 'fix' Nameless and make him less snarky, but this back-and-forth of theirs is much more comfortable.
"Sometimes I surprise myself," Aurelia boasted airily. "Am I, perhaps, an intuitive genius?"
"I can't tell," Nameless shook his head sadly. "The blinding glare of my own brilliance makes it difficult to discern between specks, even those that are slightly brighter."
It's not arrogance if we're just telling facts, right? Except that our wife is way smarter than us thanks to Beneficence, making the boasts ring somewhat hollow. Alas, that world is one where strength matters more than brainpower and social ability, so we still come out ahead.
"That's so sad," She said, voice heartbroken. "Would you like a sandwich instead?"
Not the sadface! Please not the sadface! It had been enough to make us swear an Oath of Eternal Love last time, there's no need to take out the big guns again just because we made fun of her!
"Yes." He kissed her, causing the elf to blush profusely before they broke apart.
"You're horrible," she protested, neck and cheeks flushed. While he could barely hold his own in verbal sparring, she was weak to physical affection. "T-to steal the kiss of an innocent young maiden!"
Ah, it seems where words fail, bolder action prevails! Quick, press the attack- oh right, wrong forum. Man, she is so gifted that I sometimes forget how inexperienced Relia is in some ways. While we don't talk about Nameless' prior experiences with such things, it ought to be more than the chaste elven princess, for whom we're her first and only love.
"You're right," He said, pointing to his mouth. "Here, steal one back."
Aurelia crammed the sandwich into his mouth. It was a superior meal, exceptional in every way.
Gosh, she's just so cute! I'm glad Xiaoling didn't witness this scene - mixing so much raw sweetness with concentrated salt couldn't be good for her health.
After the picnic was finished, Aurelia climbed into his lap while he stroked her hair. It felt perilously odd and yet somewhat instinctual, to share so intimate an arrangement with anyone. Having sealed their feelings by mutual Oath, there was a part of his psyche that unclenched in the presence of his wife, a part that had stayed vigilant even when dealing with his beloved father, mother, teacher, or lieutenants.
It's a bit sad that we needed mental modifications of such magnitude to put our trust in anyone. Understandable, given who our enemies are and just how far their influence can stretch, but it's a wonder Nameless is still halfway sane after suffering such pressure his whole life. Maybe his Spoiled habits aren't just sloth and indulgence, they might also be an escape mechanism to release all the stress, which later turned into a habit.
Though he'd had close friends and mentors, Nameless had for the most part kept his own counsel, both on Earth and after his reincarnation as a scion of Yong. To be known was to be made predictable, and to be predicted was possibly the highest form of vulnerability. Perhaps that was why he and the Extrusion were so frequently opposed?
Eh, I like this part of our Extrusion. It keeps us on our toes and makes us
think instead of just giving us power. Intentional or not, it has already had a pretty positive effect on his character and mental flexibility. I doubt that was its intent, unless wanting to make us do all the work while it slacks off counts, but in this case the results matter more.
"Worried about your mean lich friend?" She kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry, your beautiful wife is here to distract you!"
I would ask if we're really so predictable, but the Extrusion is all we'd been worried about lately, so she gets a pass. We don't want to be distracted though! Even if it's a very nice distraction.
"Can I dream of a day when my beautiful wife will employ her beautiful wiles on my behalf? Perhaps against that very mean lich itself?"
How the seasons turn. Despite our previous fears, it looks like all we needed to accept mental modifications from her was some quality time with our inner self. Don't give up hope yet, Nameless! It is doubtlessly a despicable, shameless and corrupt waste of space in multiple senses of the word, but there's bound to be some good points about it. I'll get back to you when I remember some- just keep in mind that there's no refunds for the spell.
"Do you desire to be changed so badly?" She blinked inquisitively, eyes soft.
"To be changed is different from changing one's self, is that what you're saying?" He asked.
"Even if it's your own will, if it wasn't possible of your own volition, will you have cause to doubt it later?"
A salient point, though sometimes people simply aren't strong enough to change themselves without outside help. It would be best if Nameless could overcome his weakness himself, but it's worse still to put things off and let them fester in the vain hope that they'll somehow resolve themselves.
"At this point I'm nearly past caring," Nameless admitted. "I just want it to get its comeuppance. Even if that means self-reform."
Where fear fails to drive Nameless forward, pure spite will have to do! Given Vengeance as a major character trait, we have non-insignificant reserves of it, though it might not be a good idea to lean too much on this Passion.
"Do you need its power to win?"
He shrugged. "Probably not. It would be incredibly helpful, but I do have other avenues to develop the abilities I need."
"Then, is it worth changing yourself for eternity to get power you don't even need?" Aurelia wriggled distractingly.
You know, if I was any less trusting of Relia, I would start questioning her motivations and suspecting her of trying to subtly steer us away from fixing our Spoiled Passion. That's probably paranoia speaking, and the thought of accruing power for power's sake is simply too foreign to the elven mindset.
"You're right," He sighed. "And if that were the only reason, this would be nothing more than an unproductive vendetta. However, I have been meaning to cut down on the hedonism. If I work for two years and win, I can probably slack off for thousands more afterwards. If it's to the point where my Extrusion can't even see that, then my proclivities have gone too far."
'Or I can more or less slack off for two years and win anyway', is what the Extrusion would likely say. It's like we're not even the same person - hasn't it heard what happens to overconfident Overlords?! There are tropes for this kind of thing! That said, however nice the idea of slacking off for thousands of years seems, wouldn't partying get really boring after awhile? Assuming we don't turn on the Veil full-blast, of course, but turning our brain to mush doesn't sound like a good plan.
"But I like your proclivities," Aurelia pouted.
"Me too," Nameless commiserated.
Oh, get a room, you two. I find myself less surprised than I should be that the princess doesn't see anything wrong with indulging our luxurious lifestyle. What else should I have expected from the Ringbearer of
Majesty?
"Let's talk about something else, then. How about your plans to secure and/or foist off the position of High Queen. Have you decided which path to take?"
"Well," She mused prettily, "I am an intuitive genius, so naturally I would be the best fit for the position."
"Humble too."
Mm, she's not wrong. Relia likely has the greatest stats across the board in the world, so it would be difficult to find a better candidate for Queenship, and where normal elves would suffer drawbacks from being too nice for their own good, that's not a problem for the wife of the Thrice-Great. There's also the fact that we would have an easier time preserving the Elven Empire if we had more control over their governance, which a pertinent point when our very survival depends on theirs.
"Thank you," She said gracefully. "But, our powers combined would forge an unbreakable tyranny, and the distractions of state would interfere with our domestic bliss!"
She's talking about the unbreakable tyranny as if it's a
bad thing. One could argue that it is only a positive when the ruler is supernaturally benevolent and competent, but her second argument completely defused my objections. Indeed, why waste our time on boring matters of governance when we could rather be spoiled by our wife!
"Hmph," he snorted coldly. "Well-put. Is this the fabled 'wisdom of the Elders?'"
"You! I'll have you know I'm only twenty-nine years and six hundred ninety-seven months young!"
Oh come on! How are we supposed to poke fun at her seniority when she's so completely unashamed of it that she tells us her exact age?
"I see. How many cats do you own?"
She adopted a frighteningly accurate impression of Xiaoling. "Does Suizhen count?"
"Uuf. That was too meta even for me."
Well, managing our party
does feel like herding cats sometimes. Despite that I still miss Xiaoling a bit, she's been absent from the narrative for way too long. I hope we're paying her a visit soonish and clearing up the air. It will undoubtedly result in a waifu vote and second marriage debates, but she deserves our full consideration.
"Oh my! Don't worry darling, I'll make it up to you. Would you like dinner? A bath? Or perhaps... me?"
"Now that you mention it, a bath does sound nice..."
Ouch, what a sick burn. I suddenly have a lot more respect for Nameless. It can't be easy preserving his dignity through all her teasing. Hmm, even if we don't decide to let Aurelia work her magic on us, it would still be funny to let them talk and see the Extrusion flounder in front of her. After all, it Loves her just as much as we do!
---
Nameless vigorously scrubbed his back with a brush while taking in the waterlogged lich before him.
"These were the favorite rags," the Extrusion grumbled. "And now they're soaked. You'll pay for this, mark my words."
This is what we gave up Relia's offer for? I get that we wanted our petty Vengeance, but it doesn't seem worth it.
Nameless blinked. "Worry not, friend, I'll have them dried out for you. After these refreshing ablutions, it's right back to work practicing Necromancy for me! There will be plenty of time for your accoutrements to be laundered and pampered in this pristine Western sun!"
"Is that why you finally let me out? To gloat?"
What higher cause could there be than sticking it to our greatest enemy? I like Nameless' attitude, to be honest. It represents a refreshing contrast to his lack of composure from the last update, even if it's initially born from contrariness rather than any sort of acceptance and growth.
"Of course not! I simply missed your company, friend! And what finer company than one's self, even a mirror darkly. Why, I've been so diligently working on the fantastically interesting art of Necromancy that there's simply been no chance to summon you at all. And that won't do, you deserve the opportunity to wander this earth as more than a scepter. There is such beauty here, so much to explore! Fates to cast down, Liches to revive!"
"You think to bait me with what I might miss? A path of mutual destruction." It scoffed.
Times like these mutual destruction sounds like an attractive option, doesn't it? Though it's nice to see Nameless take an interest in something other than the Diagram and indulging his vices - playing with the power over life and death ought to be an interesting enough pursuit to keep his attention for a good long while.
"Friend, given my sordid past, I understand completely your innate wariness. But allow me to assure you that I am being completely genuine! My scamming days are behind me - for it's just like you said, what use has an emperor to scheme against a peasant? I desire nothing but good for you, for you are part of me! You should be free to explore this wonderful, magical realm for all the hours I'm not practicing with the Scepter."
"You've made your point... Alright, 90% of my asking price. You're getting one day in ten of work for free. We both know how much that's worth. Stop wasting your time trying to master the Scepter. Titans take millennia to acclimate to their powers."
How quickly the tables turn. It wasn't so long ago that we had to cajole the high-and-mighty Extrusion into being more forthcoming and helping us, yet now it's on the back foot for once. He's got something of a point about trying to master the Extrusion ourselves being an inefficient use of our time, but he himself told us the truth he believes previously: that
we can afford it. Why worry about wasting time when we're going to win anyway? And if we start enjoying training the Scepter powers, so does he, which means we can make him work almost for free!
...I think the idea behind Trying to Change was somewhat different initially, but eh, whatever works.
"Ah, you truly are a source of endless wisdom. For did you not say: it is only when the scam has passed that you realize you've been scammed? Well, I am here to tell you that the scam has passed! You are really, truly free to work as little or as much as you like in the time that you have. And what currency could possibly be more precious than time? Why, I'll even provide you with a spell of temporal quickening for a very reasonable fee. Just between us, since we're friends."
Nameless smiled beseechingly, holding out his hand in a gesture of goodwill.
"This isn't fair! You have endless time to prepare while I'm stuck as a weapon."
"You know what they say. Speak softly and carry a big Scepter!" The weapon returned to hand as Nameless toweled off to get dressed.
I'm sure it won't take this lying down, but this triumph of our baser nature over our
other baser nature - because let's not kid ourselves, it had nothing to do with morality or true diligence - is still heartening to see. Scamming peasants may have lost its appeal, but scamming ourselves still works!
He would let the lich stew for a day or two while he continued practicing Necromancy on his own. It really was quite interesting with the intellectual joy of discovery compounded by the Veil of Maya. After all, the Necromancer, the Extrusion, was merely what it was good at. The Veil, the Emanation, was its fundamental and unchanging nature.
The Veil can be just as potent a tool in our arsenal as the Necromancer in certain circumstances, it's just that employing it without self-destructing or indulging our vices too much has a greater level of difficulty. At the very least it can function as a poor man's Aurelia substitute, assuming we can control ourselves enough not to overdo it.
---
Through diligent, spite-fueled practice with Necromancy, Nameless has developed a sincere interest in the art, which combined with his semi-sadistic scheme may result in substantial productivity from the lich. However, there is still much to do this timeskip. Nameless can motivate himself to do two of the following:
Does it qualify as sadism or masochism when we're torturing our other self, I wonder?
[ ] Essence Diagram Research - Time to remove Tyranshal's Extirpation (after carefully archiving its formulae) and develop a Grand Diagram of Essence that's actually useful against either Zang Kong or the Heroine!
Sadly this option doesn't seem to be too popular. For good reason though, we simply don't have enough BPs to make the most out of this option, and not being able to Truespell it has doomed it as surely as the Fates did the liches.
[ ] Pursuit of the Truth (with Suizhen) - Suizhen has further developed her eyes to help Nameless discover the other Truth Diagrams. Has a fairly good chance of resulting in successful acquisition of True Incarnation or Azure Flare.
Having more Truth Diagrams can't hurt. Indeed, they would come in handy if we intend to start hunting the Heroine immediately. I suspect the Fates aren't going to just let us do that at our leisure and will try to divert us, but they might not have much of a choice in the matter at this point.
[ ] Extra Diligent - Work exceptionally hard to master Necromancy, causing the lich to work somewhat harder as well. Results unpredictable but potentially massive.
Kind of funny that despite only working 'somewhat' harder, it is likely still going to leave us in the dust when it comes to training Necromancy.
[ ] Strategic Complexion (with Xiaoling, Yong Shen) - The Empire seems to be experiencing a bout of instability. Yong Shen hasn't acted, but why? Perhaps it would be wise to pay grandpa a visit; and, if necessary, forcibly smooth out the ripples that have disturbed the previously tranquil pond of the Labyrinth.
We can also finally visit our family again and introduce them to our new wife! I'm sure Liefang will have a lot to say about our adventures once we meet up - though little of it polite.
[ ] I'll Face Myself (with Aurelia) - It is touching that Aurelia does not wish to unduly influence Nameless with her supernaturally persuasive presence, but this is simply a case of "the mind is willing but the spirit is weak." Request Aurelia go all-out (within the bounds of her ethics) to convince Nameless not to be Spoiled anymore. High chance of removing Spoiled, which may alter your Emanation and will seriously change the Extrusion's personality. But as she herself asked, is it worth removing a defining feature of oneself for mere power? When you've come this far, isn't this precisely the type of choice that power should liberate you to discard?
Tbh, if I was certain Nameless was completely hopeless when it came to self-improvement, I would have taken this option and damn the consequences. It is still tempting, because while Aurelia isn't going anywhere and will this offer will remain on the table, our chances of taking it grow slimmer with time.
Choose your non-Vault Truespells:
[ ] Open the Way - In the event that the Overgrowth is as large as Zang Kong could make it, this will be very helpful for the Overgrowth Beast Cultivation Extraction plan. Also provides a means to bypass the Heroine's plot armor (by directly killing the Fates once you have surpassed Zang Kong in power), and a means to neutralize Zang Kong's spatial Extrusion effects.
I'm pretty glad we have the chance to take this spell again. While it isn't as amazing without access to True Cerebration or its like, we should still be able to find a few interesting places to visit. At the very least a quick jaunt to Earth might be worth our time - who knows, maybe it isn't as mundane as we'd thought? Both ourselves and the Rubric Hero came from there, after all.
[ ] Amplification - Unsure as to exact effect, but it's likely it raises Cultivation speed in a way that stacks with Form of the Elder Beast. If not, it will be some effect related to 'improving one's Cultivation base,' such as the power to supercharge previous Stages.
[ ] Prodigious Might - Heavy esoteric offense and defense.
[ ] Palimpsest - Form of the Elder Beast [1 Beyond Point] - Almost certain to provide a greater Cultivation multiplier than the non-Truespelled Elder Beast Form.
It's somewhat unfair to the spells, but I find them a bit boring. They're still solid choices - Might less so because of the overlap with our capabilities - and cultivation multipliers are worth their weight in BPs, but I find myself reluctant to spend Truespell slots on such 'bland' picks.
[ ] Palimpsest - Form of Balance [1 Beyond Point] - These forms are different enough that I'm comfortable splitting the Palimpsest vote. Truespelling this isn't likely to improve Cultivation speed much over the baseline spell, but the magnitude of the bonus to bodily actions could rise significantly.
The question is just how much falls under the umbrella of 'bodily actions' and in what ways they're enhanced. There's a wide range of things it could be affecting, from body language to bodily control to our perceptions, but we'll have to see just how far that improvement stretches. We're not getting to play with our hormone levels and the like - not meaningfully at least, since our mind is seated elsewhere than our brain - yet Nameless can still experience pleasure, so could there be room for trying to exploit interactions between the Veil and the Form of Balance?
