Chapter 1061: The End of the Bloodline
There is also debate over where exactly Gehrman obtained that third Umbilical Cord.
Some believe that cord could not be the Moon Presence's umbilical cord; otherwise, why wouldn't the Moon Presence give it to the player directly, instead having Gehrman go through the trouble of hiding it in the Hunter's Workshop?
Based on this, some infer that it was Kos's umbilical cord, obtained by Gehrman when he hunted Kos. In reality, this inference is completely wrong.
Because the description of this cord clearly states: "The Third Umbilical Cord participated in the encounter with the pale moon. This encounter summoned the hunters and constructed the Hunter's Dream."
None of the other three Third Umbilical Cords contain these words.
That is to say, this cord was a product of the first Blood Moon. The Moon Presence descended during that first Blood Moon, constructed the Hunter's Dream, and selected Gehrman as its surrogate.
Therefore, this cord was most likely given to Gehrman by the infant Moon Presence, its purpose being to construct the Hunter's Dream. But why Gehrman did not use it, instead leaving such a precious item in the Hunter's Workshop for a foreign hunter to discover, has become an eternal, unsolvable mystery.
Clearly, as a close friend of Laurence, Gehrman was well aware of the immense power of this Third Umbilical Cord.
Thus, the foreigner made a guess: The Moon Presence dared to entrust its Third Umbilical Cord to Gehrman because it knew that even if Gehrman obtained the cord, he could not oppose it. And this cord might have been a necessary component for constructing the Hunter's Dream, or perhaps a bait used by the Moon Presence to deceive Gehrman into striking a deal and becoming its surrogate.
Gehrman could not resist the Moon Presence's power and could only helplessly become its surrogate, trapped within the dream. He knew this Third Umbilical Cord was the key to defeating the Moon Presence, so he hid it in the Hunter's Workshop, waiting for the foreigner to find it.
If the foreigner completed the Moon Presence's tasks, he would inevitably obtain Mergo's Umbilical Cord. Adding the one Gehrman gave him, he would only need to obtain either the prostitute's or Iosefka's cord to achieve this goal.
Perhaps this First Hunter, Gehrman, imprisoned in the eternal dream, hoped the foreigner could end this nightmare, which is why he deliberately placed this Third Umbilical Cord within his reach.
As for why Gehrman was always evasive and vague, never personally handing the Third Umbilical Cord to the foreigner? Probably because, as the Moon Presence's surrogate, every move he made was under the Moon Presence's surveillance.
The foreigner, having consumed all the Third Umbilical Cords, arrived at the garden. Gehrman demanded he surrender his life, promising he would awaken from the nightmare.
But the hunter understood clearly: if he died, he would awaken in reality and escape this nightmare. However, the Moon Presence's plan to eliminate Mergo was already complete. This world had become the Moon Presence's plaything, and the hunters' endless cycle of hunting would continue. Nothing would change.
The so-called "Yharnam Sunrise" was nothing but a self-deceiving fantasy.
Therefore, the foreigner refused Gehrman.
As the Moon Presence's surrogate, Gehrman had to eliminate all threats to the Moon Presence. So Gehrman joined the hunt, attempting to forcibly kill the foreigner and expel him from the Hunter's Dream.
But the foreigner's strength was now beyond compare. Gehrman fell in the center of the garden, smiling, leaving not a single word behind. Perhaps he had grown weary of this endless nightmare, or perhaps he foresaw everything that would follow.
Perhaps he found solace in his own release.
After Gehrman's death, the Moon Presence needed to find a new surrogate. So it descended from the moon, embracing the foreigner, seeking to make him its new surrogate.
If the foreigner had not obtained three Third Umbilical Cords, he could not have resisted the Moon Presence's temptation with his human body and would have had no choice but to replace Gehrman, becoming the new surrogate.
But the Moon Presence was astonished to discover that the foreigner had already obtained three Third Umbilical Cords, and had accumulated countless Blood Echoes and Insight through the hunt. He was now a true Great One.
The Moon Presence panicked, retreating to a corner of the garden. It desperately resisted, but before the hunter's overwhelming power, it was utterly helpless.
With the Moon Presence's death, Yharnam's final nightmare came to an end. All the original Great Ones of the world had perished, and humanity gained its freedom.
But the foreigner, having ascended, had already transcended the realm of humanity. He lost his human form, transforming into a new infant Great One, writhing helplessly on the ground.
The Doll picked up the writhing foreigner, gently caressing him. She would care for this new Great One through its infancy. Clearly, compared to other Great Ones, this Great One, born from the foreigner, was far more likely to lead humanity toward a new future.
...
...
Many players, after enduring countless hardships and playing for twenty or thirty hours to reach the ending, were in a state of complete collapse.
Initially, many players believed the "Yharnam Sunrise" was the best ending. But as they delved deeper into the story, they realized there seemed to be no such thing as a truly good ending.
"Yharnam Sunrise" is actually self-deception. The foreigner surrenders his life to Gehrman, seemingly escaping the nightmare, but the Moon Presence remains. The greatest mastermind behind the scenes still controls all of humanity.
The second ending, where the foreigner replaces Gehrman as the new surrogate, is arguably the worst. It means the foreigner is trapped in the Hunter's Dream just like Gehrman, forever unable to find release.
In this ending, the fire in the Hunter's Dream goes out, indicating that the Moon Presence has found a new target requiring a hunter's execution. The foreigner becomes the Moon Presence's pawn for eternity, until a new hunter appears to slay him.
Clearly, Great Ones are never close to humanity. Since the Moon Presence has already eliminated all other Great Ones, who it will target next goes without saying.
The second ending also reveals some information about the first ending. Clearly, even if the protagonist leaves the Hunter's Dream, the Moon Presence still succeeds. It will continue its plans through Gehrman.
Thus, both endings are bad endings, because the Moon Presence achieves its goal, becoming the sole Great One, free to enslave humanity at will.
Considering the preciousness of the Third Umbilical Cord in the story's setting and the difficulty of collecting them, the final ending, "Childhood's Beginning," is the hardest to achieve. It is also the ending where all Great Ones are defeated.
But what makes people uncomfortable is the final scene. The foreigner defeats all the Great Ones, kills Mergo, and also kills the mastermind, the Moon Presence.
However, after using all three Third Umbilical Cords, he evolves from a human into a Great One, transforming into a writhing squid on the ground. This is unacceptable to many players, because from a human aesthetic perspective, Great Ones are incredibly ugly!
Furthermore, being a Great One does not necessarily mean being powerful; they simply operate on a different cognitive plane from humanity. No player truly wants to abandon their human form to become a squid, even if that squid possesses the immense power of a Great One.
But clearly, in the story of *Bloodborne*, the foreigner has no other choice.