Chapter 204: The Story of Little Sun

The Hanged Man A'erjie finished his private conversation with the Fool Kelein, and then he began to manifest the three newly obtained pages of the Roselle diary.

Soon, the three yellow‑brown parchments arrived in Kelein's hands.

Lei Kedun's gaze slipped over the three pages without a trace.

Can't see it, I really want to know what golden lines are in this Roselle diary!

Everyone remained silent, waiting for the chief Fool to finish reading today's Roselle diary.

After a while, a light "thud‑thud!" of knocking on the table sounded.

Seated at the head of the bronze long table, Kelein's gaze swept over Lei Kedun.

How come I never noticed before that whenever the Roselle diary appears, A'erjie's spirit is filled with curiosity, contemplation, torment and other complex emotions!

Kelein subtly withdrew his gaze and let out a light laugh:

"You may begin now."

Xiao Taiyang had intended to ask about the True Creator and the semi‑transparent little worm he coughed up, but the Hanged Man A'erjie spoke even faster, asking in a nonchalant tone:

"Have you had any further contact with that former exploration squad leader? Did he show any abnormalities?"

Xiao Taiyang Dai Lik temporarily suppressed his urgency and honestly answered the Hanged Man's question: "He died."

"He died?" Miss Justice, the Hanged Man, and Miss Magician all expressed their surprise simultaneously.

"Did you report to your chief that he was an avatar of A Meng?"

Magician Folsi asked curiously.

Xiao Taiyang Dai Lik slowly shook his head; though he did not wish to recall that day's events, he narrated as calmly as possible in order to seek advice from everyone:

"No. After the gathering ended that day, I was terrified that A Meng might do something, so I dared not approach him, and then it suddenly crossed the wall and the seal of that mysterious artifact, appearing beside me."

"He also asked me: Where did you just go?"

Upon hearing this, Magician Folsi, a renowned writer, imagined himself, feeling both fear and excitement, like listening to a ghost story as a child—covering his ears out of terror yet unable to stop widening his fingers so the sound could reach his mind.

Miss Justice Odairi took a small breath, and merely picturing in her mind the scene described by Mr. Sun, felt a chill run down her spine.

"Has the seal on that mysterious artifact in Silver City failed?"

The Hanged Man A'erjie subconsciously asked.

Xiao Taiyang Dai Lik shook his head blankly and said:

"I don't know either; it shouldn't have failed, yet he doesn't know why it wasn't affected."

"When it appeared in my room, it was already completely out of control—its head split open in the middle, constantly oozing fluid, and cracks appeared all over its body, like a series of mouths!"

"Then how did you survive? Or how did you escape from its grasp?"

Magician Folsi, feeling immersed, asked curiously.

Miss Justice Odairi tilted her head slightly, assuming a listening posture; this was also a question she cared about.

Xiao Taiyang Dai Lik answered with a hint of relief in his tone:

"It was the Chief, sir; he arrived in time and used that mysterious artifact to resolve the out‑of‑control A Meng avatar."

Folsi and Odairi both wore an "I see" expression, nodding slightly; it was the most reasonable explanation.

The Hanged Man A'erjie furrowed his brows and asked slowly:

"You said you had only just returned, yet that former exploration squad leader went out of control?"

"He hadn't lost control for decades, but after your return he suddenly did? Moreover, when that mysterious artifact gave no response, your chief appeared promptly and dealt with the rogue?"

While questioning, the Hanged Man A'erjie looked up at the chief Fool, saw that he remained in a calm, leisurely state, and his mood steadied.

"Ha! Why do you think A Meng's avatar would go out of control on its own?"

Lei Kedun, leaning on the high‑back chair with a lazy posture, said:

After the crowd cast puzzled or enlightened glances, he continued at an unhurried pace:

"The former exploration squad leader's loss of control was most likely just a drama staged by A Meng himself."

"Its true purpose was probably to silently parasitize you!"

"At the same time, it forced your chief to take other measures, such as changing your confinement into covert surveillance, so that by observing your reactions after parasitization, more information could be obtained."

Xiao Taiyang Dai Lik's mouth opened slightly; he thought Mr. White Tower was impressive—just from his brief account, he had almost reconstructed the whole incident and even pointed out details Xiao Taiyang had previously missed.

Dai Lik replied with great admiration:

"Indeed, A Meng eventually parasitized me, and the chief also lifted me from the base of the Round Tower.

"But why did A Meng stage that drama himself? Doesn't that weaken his own power?"

When Dai Lik said he had indeed been parasitized by A Meng, A'erjie, Folsi, and Odairi all tensed instantly.

The battle‑experienced A'erjie nearly assumed a combat stance, fearing any mishap.

Seeing White Tower's and the world's indifferent reactions, he glanced back at the chief Fool at the head of the bronze table, then relaxed.

He reached to rub the stubble on his chin, pondering his answer to Xiao Taiyang's question:

"It's simple: A Meng's avatar only pretends to be already eliminated, so others lower their guard and allow him to commence his next move."

"Losing a single avatar is hardly a loss for an entity of A Meng's caliber."

Xiao Taiyang Dai Lik nodded repeatedly, finding the Hanged Man's analysis very reasonable.

The Hanged Man A'erjie looked at Xiao Taiyang's demeanor, shook his head helplessly and said:

"This is the Fool, your chief, and A Meng—a three‑way contest."

"And you are the pivotal piece!"

Xiao Taiyang Dai Lik nodded as if half‑understanding, then continued recounting his ordeal:

"After leaving the base of the Round Tower, I prayed to the Fool, and it was then that the Fool discovered A Meng's parasitization."

While speaking, he also manifested the scene the Fool had conveyed to him:

A Meng wearing a black pointed soft hat and a single crystal lens.

"What happened next?" the Hanged Man asked hurriedly.

"Later, the Fool taught me a ritual; through that ritual, the Fool dispatched His angel to purify A Meng's avatar."

Little Sun Dairik answered earnestly.

"Angel?" the Hanged Man A'erjie stared in astonishment at the figure shrouded in gray mist at the head of the bronze long table.

He immediately realized his action was too abrupt and impolite, lacking respect, and hurriedly lowered his head.

"Angel?" Justice Audrey was momentarily bewildered, then quickly understood what Mr. Sun was saying:

The Fool dispatched His angel, purifying A Meng's avatar!

Angel!

The Fool actually sent out an angel!

The Fool indeed has an angel as a servant!

Although this is to be expected, it still excites people!

Only deities can command angels!

Audrey could no longer restrain her imagination about what the Fool's attendant angel looks like. She wondered when she might be fortunate enough to meet it.

Magician Folsi recalled the earlier incident: he had merely asked the Fool for help interfering with a divination, yet he saw an angel with twelve pairs of wings descend, its wings enveloping his spirit.

Sure enough, it was an angel. Its jet‑black wings, twelve pairs in total, marked it as an archangel!

Folsi suddenly dared not raise his head to gaze at the leisurely figure seated at the head of the bronze long table.

The Hanged Man A'erjie, after a brief shock, felt an inexplicable excitement surge within him; in that moment he thought of many things and suddenly felt the future was bright.

Only then did he have the mind to ponder the details in Mr. Sun's words:

The Fool's method of purifying A Meng's avatar traced a huge circle. Was He trying to affect the real world, needing to overcome many obstacles? Or does the Abandoned Divine Land have something special?

Little Sun Dairik could not quite grasp the reactions of the Hanged Man, Justice Audrey, and Magician Folsi; to him, a great being having an angel in service was an entirely normal matter.

He waited a moment, and after everyone had settled their emotions, he spoke again:

"After A Meng's avatar was purified, I coughed up a small worm, identical to the one that fell when A Meng's avatar was dealt with in the dungeon before. Do you know what it is?"

As he spoke, Dairik, with the Fool Kelein's assistance, manifested the translucent little worm.

Justice Audrey and Magician Folsi looked over curiously, then shook their heads; in their occult knowledge they had never seen or heard of anything related.

After a brief silence, Reckton spoke:

"This is a Time Worm."

Before Little Sun and the others could raise questions, Reckton immediately explained some information:

"It is the vessel A Meng uses to create avatars; the Time Worm is also the name of Thief's Path Sequence One."

"The Time Worm, A Meng's avatar vessel."

Little Sun Dairik muttered softly, seeming to have cleared many doubts.

Then he looked at Reckton sitting beside him and asked curiously:

"What can it be used for? I mean the dead one."

"It can be used to craft high‑grade talismans or one‑time magical items, but only by petitioning the Fool."

"Of course, A Meng can as well, if you wish to bid farewell to this world!"

Reckton described the uses of the Time Worm to Little Sun, and at the end made a small joke.

Little Sun Dairik solemnly nodded and replied:

"Um, I understand, thank you, Mr. White Tower."

(End of chapter)