Chapter 159: Three Options

Bei Erna Dai sat in the chair, rested for a moment, and after feeling her body recover, reached out to wipe the blood streaks flowing from the corner of her eye.

Her gaze toward Lei Ke Dun was somewhat ambiguous; she could be sure that the very vague figure she glimpsed was the Hidden One, a perception she had as a prophecy master of her own path.

"Did He intend for me to see it?"

The only reason Bei Erna Dai could think of for seeing that figure was this.

What truly puzzled Bei Erna Dai was that He was not the Hidden Sage.

Did the Sequence 0 of the Hidden One's path end up being occupied by someone else?

Bei Erna Dai even began to wonder whether the other party might be her father.

She knew her father had once been the Knowledge Emperor of Sequence One, and she hoped he had not truly died.

Lei Ke Dun and Ke Lai En exchanged a glance without speaking, and Bei Erna Dai clearly had seen something through prophecy.

Bei Erna Dai gathered her thoughts again, looked at Lei Ke Dun with a slightly scrutinizing gaze, and said:

"You should know that Elemental Dawn has been constantly opposing the Moss Ascetic Order."

She lifted the teacup on the table, took a sip to moisten her throat, organized her words in her mind, and then said:

"These matters have nothing to do with the Moss Ascetic Order; they are not collaborators and are not included."

Seeing Bei Erna Dai show interest, Lei Ke Dun continued:

"The Hidden Sage acts primarily on instinct for most of the time, which makes Him appear frantic, but He can break from that state when needed."

Bei Erna Dai listened quietly, not interrupting Lei Ke Dun's words.

The relationship between the Hidden Sage and the Moss Ascetic Order was indeed subtle; although the Order worshiped the Hidden Sage, He rarely responded to them, merely continuing to chase every seeker of secrets.

After making some conjectures and thoughts in her mind, Bei Erna Dai nodded slightly and said:

"Tell me why you came to find me; I think it must be related to the opportunity you mentioned."

"Yes." Hearing Bei Erna Dai's words, Lei Ke Dun knew she had made a choice; his eyes brightened, and he immediately nodded in response:

"The Aurora Society will, in December of this year, orchestrate an event to bring the True Creator down; at that time the True Creator will descend as an avatar of Sequence Two."

"If you kill this avatar before night and storm react, you will complete the ascension ritual."

Unexpectedly, Bei Erna Dai showed little reaction, merely speaking lightly:

"What is your plan?"

"The avatar of the True Creator's descent will voluntarily seek death; all we need to do is kill Him in the shortest time possible."

"I will beforehand pray to the Hidden Sage, asking Him to briefly raise your power to the level of Sequence Two—only Sequence Two; any more and your own will would inevitably be assimilated."

Bei Erna Dai's eyes flashed, and she playfully looked at Lei Ke Dun, saying:

"Why not raise your own power to Sequence Two?"

"Then I would also briefly draw the Sage's power, and the cost would be borne by the True Creator's avatar that inhabits me!"

Lei Ke Dun straightforwardly disclosed the agreement between himself and the True Creator's avatar.

"No wonder He wants to inhabit you."

Bei Erna Dai nodded slightly, not questioning the plan; since she had been approached, she surely had also counted the seal she possessed.

The two sages, plus the seal she held, and the fact that the other party enjoyed the favor of the Knowledge God, indeed gave them the ability to kill a self‑sacrificing evil‑god avatar in a short time.

The premise is that the evil‑god avatar is truly intent on dying.

"If there are no extra changes, I can agree to this plan, but what can you offer?"

Bei Erna Dai's gaze turned cunning as she looked at Lei Ke Dun.

"Um," he paused; Lei Ke Dun fell silent for a moment, repeatedly pondering what might attract Bei Erna Dai, and after a moment said:

"I can offer three options for you to choose from."

"Oh?" Bei Erna Dai looked at Lei Ke Dun in surprise.

He meant there were three kinds of reward that would satisfy her?

Beside them, Ke Lai En also stared at Lei Ke Dun in surprise; he had thought the other party would trade information about Emperor Russell, but instead Lei Ke Dun produced several proposals for the mysterious queen to choose.

Lei Ke Dun picked up three cups, placed them side by side on the dining table, and then poured black tea into each in turn.

"First option: have the Hidden Sage mark all Elemental Dawn seekers of secrets, after which they will not encounter the problem of knowledge‑devouring people."

"However, I personally think this option isn't great; chasing knowledge and bearing pain can accelerate their growth."

Lei Ke Dun presented the first option he could provide.

Ke Lai En, who was listening quietly nearby, first raised a question:

"Why not have the Hidden Sage reduce the danger of knowledge‑devouring people? Wouldn't that be better?"

Bei Erna Dai likewise stared at Lei Ke Dun, awaiting his answer.

Lifting the tea she had poured, taking a sip, Lei Ke Dun then continued: "Knowledge is not something obtained without effort; that contradicts the essence of seeking knowledge."

Bei Erna Dai nodded in agreement: "What are the other two options?"

Ke Lai En, puzzled, looked at the mysterious queen and couldn't help saying:

"Don't you consider this option?"

If the occurrence of knowledge‑devouring people could be avoided, it would be a wholly beneficial matter for Elemental Dawn, which holds the path of secret seekers.

Bei Erna Dai smiled faintly: "I'm also very interested in the other two options that can be combined."

Lei Ke Dun continued pouring tea into the cups while saying:

"One trait of the Knowledge Emperor—not now, but far in the future, likely when the apocalypse arrives; if you choose this trait, you align with a faction, so I advise careful consideration before deciding."

Without waiting for the mysterious queen's confusion about where the Knowledge Emperor trait came from, he went on to present the third option:

"The third option is some information about Emperor Russell."

Bei Erna Dai's eyes became extremely deep again, clearly losing focus, her gaze blank.

After a moment she returned to normal, her brows lightly furrowed, then relaxed again.

He picked up the third cup that Lei Ke Dun had filled with tea, took a light sip, and then said:

"I choose the third option."

Lei Ke Dun nodded, not too surprised:

"I can now tell you the information about Luo Sai Er; Luo Sai Er became a god in the end, but was then directly struck down by the Eternal Blazing Sun."

"But he, uh, should I say He, followed the Black Emperor pathway; this pathway's special feature is that after death one can still return, as long as no new Black Emperor is born."

"He isn't dead!!"

Beiernadai suddenly rose to her feet, her tone extremely agitated, the surrounding green pea vines constantly shaking, as if dancing in a gale.

Lei Ke Dun and Ke Lai En lowered their heads in silence, waiting for the Mysterious Queen to calm her emotions.

After a moment, everything around calmed down, and Beiernadai's tone returned to its previous tranquil stillness:

"Any more news? We can make another deal."

"For now, there's none; this information I still got from the Omniscient One."

Lei Ke Dun shook his head, no longer revealing Luo Sai Er's information, and at the same time tossed the pot to the God of Knowledge.

"Omniscient?" Beiernadai muttered a couple of words, then continued asking:

"Since he can still return, why has there been no movement at all after so long?"

"Perhaps something went wrong, but the Black Emperor can return from death as long as his mausoleum remains and as long as a sufficient quantity of the order he established survives."

Lei Ke Dun shook his head and told Beiernadai the conditions for the Black Emperor's resurrection.

Beiernadai fell silent for a moment, seeming to recall something, then after a while continued speaking:

"The intangible creatures that roam the Upper Realm, the benevolent strange spirits unique to Beiernadai. Gustave's messenger."

"This is the summoning incantation for my messenger; for future actions, remember to write me a letter a week in advance."

The surrounding green pea vines shrank back one by one, and the scene turned back into a restaurant partition; the various sounds outside the partition came through clearly.

Beiernadai's figure across the table also disappeared along with the pea vines.

"Left??"

"Then now we should enjoy breakfast."

Lei Ke Dun didn't really mind Beiernadai's departure.

Since the cooperation has been settled, and we also know the information of Luo Sai Er the Great Emperor, Beiernadai will certainly return to organize personnel to investigate the location of Luo Sai Er's secret mausoleum.

"Do you think that mysterious queen paid?"

Ke Lai En looked at Lei Ke Dun happily eating breakfast and asked aloud:

Lei Ke Dun waved his hand and said, "It's fine, I'm not short on this bit of money."

Lei Ke Dun took a sip of milk that had been boiled once with strange ingredients, then silently set the cup containing the milk a little farther away.

Ke Lai En took a deep breath, feeling his poverty once again.

Afterwards he also began to enjoy the abundant breakfast here.

"By the way, what's your view on the Hidden Sage?"

Ke Lai En asked his question while eating breakfast.

He knew little about the Hidden Sage; only from Lao Ni Er's experience and the church's records did he get information that led him to classify the Hidden Sage as part of the evil god faction.

Lei Ke Dun said without hesitation: "My personal view on knowledge is: everything is a question, everything must have an answer."

"The Hidden Sage is like a pure embodiment of knowledge; He has almost no desire or emotion, merely following instinct to collect and disseminate knowledge."

"Personified knowledge?" Ke Lai En seemed to be questioning, as if talking to himself.

Afterwards he again thought about what he knew regarding the Hidden Sage; aside from the extraordinary ones of the Peeping Person pathway, the Hidden Sage never actively engages with others.

"Then why did He become an evil god?" Ke Lai En voiced his doubt.

"Besides the deities believed in by the Seven Great Gods Church, all others are called evil gods, regardless of whether they are good or bad."

He paused, then added: "There's also a bit of relation; those rejected by the Seven Gods each have their own problems, none of them can be considered normal."

(End of chapter)