Chapter 2228: The Emergence of Empathy

"Why couldn't it be me?"

Yinsiluoda asked back with a smile, revealing a set of snow-white teeth. This was meant to be a friendly and gentle smile, yet in Poson's eyes, it held a sense of horror that made him shudder.

The other party saying this was already an indication of their identity, because if they were not the Demon Descendant coming to pick him up, they should have asked who he was waiting for, rather than answering like this.

Despite being extremely shocked inside, Poson still held onto a last shred of hope and tentatively asked the other party: "Are you really—"

"Yes, it is just as you think. Hamusuobo had something come up and couldn't make it," Yinsiluoda explained again, his attitude surprisingly friendly.

Yet behind this friendliness, Poson could not feel a shred of warmth. Hamusuobo was his former colleague; there was only one possibility for Yinsiluoda to mention this name so accurately—the other party was also a Demon Descendant!

"The Demon Descendants have actually infiltrated to this extent!" Poson felt a complex mix of emotions in his heart.

Only then did he understand why Hamusuobo hadn't made any requests of him the day before yesterday; it was because his Permission Level during the Mythallar repair was not as high as Yinsiluoda, who was already a Demon Descendant.

Although their titles and positions were the same, there were slight differences in their specific Permission Level for the Mythallar during repairs. If the Demon Descendants had any plans, having Yinsiluoda was barely enough.

What was most frightening was that there might not just be one Yinsiluoda, and more Mages involved in the Mythallar repair might have also become Demon Descendants.

Poson dared not believe such a scenario. He struggled to suppress the negative emotions in his heart, squeezed a smile at the now-unfamiliar Yinsiluoda, and asked in a calm tone:

"Then shall we set off now?"

"Yes, but before heading to the true destination, we need to make a trip to Taier'annuo to do some preparatory work."

"Go to Taier'annuo first?!"

Poson was shocked by the other party's words once again. Did saying this mean that Taier'annuo, as the Shoudu, had also been infiltrated by Demon Descendants, and to a relatively deep extent?

Such a Reality was not just making him feel pessimistic; it was making him feel desperate!

Regarding Poson's doubts, Yinsiluoda still smiled and explained: "Our existence is not tolerated by the current world, so in order to protect ourselves as much as possible, our identities are known only to each other. By 'each other,' I mean only this small circle of Hamusuobo, you, and me, and it does not represent others."

"Going to Taier'annuo is partly to perform Misleading Detection and cover our tracks, and partly to disguise you. Although you have not yet become one of us, prophecies and Scrying targeting everything related to us are being conducted at every moment. If you don't want to be exposed just like that, it is best to follow my arrangements."

"I understand. Let's do as you say!"

After Poson agreed, he followed Yinsiluoda's instructions and traveled alone through the Portal in Terminos to the Shoudu, Taier'annuo.

Just as he exited the Teleportation Hall, he saw a familiar face standing at the street corner—the very person he had just parted ways with, Yinsiluoda. The moment he saw the other party, Poson's heart sank again.

Being able to arrive at Taier'annuo faster than him meant that the other party had other channels of teleportation, which was not something an ordinary Elf could achieve.

And this also meant that the small circle the other party spoke of might not just include Hamusuobo; perhaps it also included some big figure in Taier'annuo, perhaps even an Elder in the Council!

Thinking deeper, Poson couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle. Was this really something a mere Elite Mage like him could get involved in?

But seeing Yinsiluoda's eye signal in the distance, Poson also knew that things had reached this point and he could not turn back; he could only bite the bullet and continue walking.

What he wanted to know most now was not how deep the Demon Descendant infiltration went, but who was actually worthy of his trust. They absolutely could not be Demon Descendants; otherwise, it would be too ridiculous if he investigated a large amount of intelligence only to report it to the Demon Descendants in the end.

Soon, Poson followed Yinsiluoda from a distance, circling the urban area of Taier'annuo a few times, and finally walked into an inconspicuous alley with few pedestrians.

Not long after entering, before Yinsiluoda's figure had even disappeared, Poson felt a blur before his eyes, and he was transferred from the alley he had just been in to another scene.

If Yinsiluoda hadn't given him a heads-up in advance, he would have definitely thought he was being attacked and immediately launched a countermeasure.

"This is one of my safe houses. From now on, when you come to Taier'annuo, you can enter here using the method I just demonstrated, and perform disguises or restore your original appearance here."

In the safe house at this moment, although Yinsiluoda was still a Gold Elf, he had completely changed his appearance, and his temperament was vastly different from before.

For a moment, Poson even thought that the other party might not be Yinsiluoda at all; swapping people during the teleportation process was not difficult.

But hearing the tone of the other party's voice, he found a trace of familiarity. At this point, he could no longer hold back and asked the doubt in his heart:

"That was a Ritual Spell related to the city's structure, right? You are actually able to carry out such modifications to Taier'annuo?!"

"No need to probe me. Hamusuobo seeking you out means we have accepted you. Even if you haven't undergone the Transformation Ritual, you can ask any questions directly. I will certainly answer what I can."

After saying these words, Yinsiluoda paused, as if giving Poson time to think, before continuing: "Regarding your question just now, what I can say is that we did not modify Taier'sannuo, but rather utilized its existing structure."

"As for the true location of this safe house, once you complete the transformation, I will tell you not only the location of this safe house but also all the security measures I know."

Mentioning the transformation, Poson fell silent, but Yinsiluoda only mentioned it and did not demand that Poson must transform. "Let me help you with the disguise! Remember my steps; you might need to do it alone in the future."

The so-called disguise was actually putting on a Magic Artifact mask that could change one's physical appearance, setting the appropriate physical features, and then using another Magic Artifact in the safe house to hide the original Fate Trajectory and display a brand-new one.

"Remember, if you want to restore your original appearance, you must never take off the Mask of All Souls directly. You must first return to the safe house to retrieve your original Fate Trajectory, and then take off the mask inside the safe house."

"Why?"

"Security measures. All Demon Descendants who didn't do this disappeared very quickly and never appeared again. It's that simple!"

Although Yinsiluoda didn't say whether those Demon Descendants were dead or not, it was clear that in such a situation, for them, "death" might be a better ending.

For a moment, Poson's heart wavered. It wasn't hesitation about whether to continue this visit, but rather, after truly experiencing the survival state of the Demon Descendants, he developed a sense of revulsion toward the current attitude of the Northland nations toward the Demon Descendants.

"Perhaps this is also part of the tour!" Poson thought to himself.

But at the same time, for the first time in his heart, he also had the thought of whether it was necessary to end all this opposition and all this suffering.