Chapter 180: Dai Lik's Confession

Ke Lin·Yi Li Ya Te lightly waved his hand, interrupting Dai Lik's unfinished words, then said:

"Just tell me what you need to report. You wasted too much time outside the door just now; I have a meeting later."

Dai Lik nodded blankly, gathered his thoughts, and began:

"Chief, could you stop the upcoming exploration of that half‑ruined temple?"

"That temple belongs to the True Creator; it is a genuine evil deity, and it controls the Shepherd's Path. If Luo Wei Ya leads a team to explore it, I fear an accident may occur."

Having blurted out everything he wanted to say, Dai Lik felt considerably lighter.

Ke Lin·Yi Li Ya Te's eyes each displayed a dark green complex symbol; his aura stared solemnly at Dai Lik, and his voice, unusually authoritative, said:

"Repeat what you just said!"

Dai Lik was stunned for a second, then nodded again and repeated his previous words.

Ke Lin·Yi Li Ya Te gave no response, merely speaking in a severe and cold tone:

"How did you come to know this information?"

Dai Lik hesitated briefly, clenched his teeth, and disclosed everything.

"After I personally killed my parents, I kept praying to the deities, and unexpectedly established contact with a great being, which allowed me to attend a gathering in its Divine Realm once a week."

"At the gathering I mentioned my upcoming participation in the exploration of that half‑ruined temple; I had also told the other attendees about it, and they told me not to join this exploration."

Ke Lin·Yi Li Ya Te remained motionless, his tone even more indifferent than before, and said:

"What method did they give you to avoid this exploration? And weekly? Is that their way of measuring time?"

Dai Lik wanted to bury his head deep into his chest, but inner courage made him lift his head again, meet the Chief's eyes, and speak more naturally:

"One member suggested I make myself appear as a sign of impending loss of control, so I could evade the next upcoming exploration, and I would only need to rest quietly for a week to fully recover."

"A week is their external measure of time, roughly equivalent to seven overlapping lightning intervals; they call this place the God‑Abandoned Land."

"I only know that their world has sunlight, seas, and normal food; no monsters emerge in the darkness there."

Dai Lik paused, carefully watching the Chief's reaction.

"Continue," Ke Lin·Yi Li Ya Te said lightly.

Dai Lik was stunned, unsure what to say, hesitated a moment, then continued:

"My magic elixir formula came from a trade at that gathering; it's the Sun Path unavailable in Silver City."

"I also traded some textbook material for information; their world worships seven deities: the Goddess of Night, the Earth Mother Goddess, and the War God."

"I also obtained a spell knowledge; may I demonstrate this spell?"

Dai Lik recalled the extraordinary knowledge gained from the last secret pact ceremony; such knowledge, never before seen in Silver City, should prove he can truly contact the outside.

Ke Lin·Yi Li Ya Te nodded lightly: "You may."

After a gentle nod, Dai Lik clasped his hands in prayer, and a holy, bright, pure, warm light appeared in the room.

Then Dai Lik, using a very clumsy stance, reached into the light; after failing twice, he finally managed to pull out a straight sword formed from the light.

Dai Lik scratched his head awkwardly and said, "I haven't mastered this spell yet."

The dark green complex symbols vanished from Ke Lin·Yi Li Ya Te's eyes; he stared silently at Dai Lik for a while, then said:

"Why would a great being allow you, and the members you mentioned, to attend gatherings in its Divine Realm?"

"Are you sure that the great being you speak of isn't an evil deity?"

Dai Lik first shook his head in bewilderment, then nodded firmly and said:

"I believe that great being harbors no ill will toward us!"

Ke Lin·Yi Li Ya Te paid no mind to Dai Lik's answer, and instead asked other questions:

"The members you mentioned who also attend the gatherings probably have low Sequences, right?"

Dai Lik furrowed his brows slightly, recalling the previous Tarot gathering: aside from the unfathomable Mr. Fool and the noticeably stronger Mr. White Tower, the rest were likely at Sequence Eight or Sequence Seven level.

Dai Lik refocused on the Chief, and, meeting the Chief's solemn expression, nodded and said:

"Well, aside from the great being that convened the gathering, only one member is relatively strong; the others' Sequences shouldn't differ much from mine."

Ke Lin·Yi Li Ya Te gave a slight nod, then changed the subject:

"Why did you choose to confess this to me? Your initial approach was clearly to hide your peculiarity."

Dai Lik lowered his head, his cheeks flushing, and shyly said:

"I was afraid of being discovered and treated as a fallen one bewitched by an evil deity."

"When we discussed the expedition to that half‑ruined temple, a member mentioned that saving Silver City cannot rely on a single person."

"I don't want to back out of this exploration, yet I disregard the safety of the other team members."

Having said that, Dai Lik mustered courage and met the Chief's gaze.

At some point, Ke Lin·Yi Li Ya Te's eyes again displayed dark green complex symbols; he stared expressionlessly at Dai Lik, his gaze deep.

Dai Lik felt his hard‑won courage evaporate, and he wanted to lower his head again.

"I will reconvene with the Six‑person Council to discuss the expedition to that half‑ruined temple, but understand that we will not abandon our deep‑dark explorations over this minor issue."

"But, Chief—"

"Silver City did not endure for millennia by retreating into darkness; perhaps in time you will understand that faith and will are more important than sacrifice!"

Ke Lin·Yi Li Ya Te interrupted Dai Lik and said:

"You should understand that, regardless of whether you've been tainted by an evil deity, you must remain under our supervision during this period."

"I understand, Chief, I accept any disposition."

Dai Lik was taken to the base of the round tower, the place that detains extraordinary beings showing signs of loss of control and contaminated expedition members.

It is unclear whether the Chief of the Six‑person Council arranged it deliberately or by chance, but Dai Lik was locked in the cramped room that was meant for him.

Aside from the guard who brought him candles and food, no one else was visible.

Most of the time, Dai Lik sat dazed within the candlelight's glow, silently watching the surrounding profound darkness.

On Wednesday morning, Leike Dun gathered enough white paper, bound them into blank books, and then set up a ritual to pray to Lv Guang Selapis for knowledge.

After arranging the ritual, Leike Dun placed a stack of books whose covers were also blank, together with ink, in front of the candles.

With a "Pop!" snap of his fingers, the three arranged candles were all lit.

He sprinkled some herbal powder and dropped a drop of essential oil into the burning flames; the scent of tulip instantly filled the room.

Leike Dun stepped back and began chanting the incantation:

"Ever‑lasting light of the spirit realm, embodiment of boundless knowledge, the green of emotion and art."

"I pray to you, seeking knowledge of the mental domain."

The room's light dimmed, the temperature kept dropping, making the chamber feel chilly.

A "whoosh!" of wind rose, the flames tinged with a hint of green, flickering in the breeze.

The stack of blank books was blown by the wind, pages rustling wildly; the ink set beside them splashed in the air like waves, then fell onto the turning blank pages.

Under Leike Dun's gaze, the previously blank pages rapidly filled with dense text; every droplet of ink hurled by the howling wind landed precisely on the pages, forming individual words.

"Isn't this far more convenient than a printer!"

Leike Dun thought an impolite remark in his mind.

Fortunately, this was not a secret pact ritual, so Lv Guang Selapis could not read his thoughts.

The scene lasted two or three minutes before ending; the wailing gale vanished, the once‑trembling flames not only steadied but lost their green hue, and the room's light and temperature gradually returned to normal.

Leike Dun took two steps forward, reached out to extinguish the still‑burning candles, then gathered the books scattered by the gale one by one.

The formerly blank pages now bore lines of standard words, as if printed by a printer.

He tidied up the ritual site, skimmed the contents of each book, then took out paint and brush to mark each cover for his own reference.

(End of Chapter)