Chapter 551: Candid Exchange

I can align the identity of "World" with Ge Erman Si Pa Luo, which will make him seem more real, and it also counts as part of my role as "Secret Companion Master"; moreover, some people at the Tarot Society already know this identity, so there is no need to keep it hidden.

Thinking of this, Ke Lai En, shrouded in gray mist, gave the crowd a brief glance, then manipulated his avatar "World" to speak in a low, hoarse voice:

"That conflict originated from the actions of the Rose School; they dispatched two Saints and an Angel for it. Unfortunately, in the end only the 'Divine Scion' Si E' A managed to depart."

Still immersed in the loss of the 'Wizard King' trait taken by the Storm Church, the unaware "Moon" Ai Mu Lin subconsciously spoke:

"Didn't the Storm Church only slay one 'Wizard King'?"

"World", under Ke Lai En's control, looked up at Lei Ke Dun and then continued:

"There was also a Saint who passed through as a 'Prisoner', killed by our people. If you need that trait, you can purchase it from the White Tower."

"Justice" Audrey straightened her posture slightly, assuming a serious listening stance. 'Our people' means that at the time, those who acted were not only the two from the Tarot Society—'World' and 'White Tower'—but also the followers of Mr. Fool, or other forces belonging to Mr. Fool, whose identities and affiliations are truly intriguing!

"The Hanged Man" A'erjie scanned back and forth between the gloomy, restrained "World" and the lazy Lei Ke Dun lounging in the high‑backed chair, his thoughts churning: Indeed, "World" is Ge Erman Si Pa Luo; the conflict that erupted in Baiyam originated from the Rose School's veneration of the "Mother Tree" and Mr. Fool? The Storm Church was a third party drawn in, and it also cleared out the pirates and adventurers hidden within the city.

"The Hermit" Jia De Li Ya thought of something and instinctively tried to look up at Mr. Fool seated at the head of the mottled long table, but quickly restrained herself: 'Mr. Fool' has a conflict with the "Mother Tree" worshiped by the Rose School? I heard Justice and The Hanged Man mention that his followers sabotaged some schemes of the Aurora Society and the Witch Cult in Bei Ke Lan De; both factions worship a dark deity. Does this indicate that Mr. Fool is deliberately suppressing forces belonging to that dark god?

"The Chariot" Anderson lounged in the high‑backed chair, unable to help but mutter to himself that Ge Erman Si Pa Luo's life is truly thrilling—either killing or in a brief lull on the path of killing. Then "The Hanged Man" A'erjie changed the subject:

"Lately many pirates have visited Bansi Port and found it completely destroyed; even with full effort to rebuild, it will take at least several years."

No one responded to A'erjie's words; the room fell silent again. After two seconds, Lei Ke Dun shifted his posture, leaning forward slightly, and spoke calmly:

"The Spirit Sect's artificial Death God faction has not been empty‑handed these years; not long ago my avatar encountered a monster that should be a byproduct of their experiments."

"It has no tangible body, resembling a cloud of mist filling the surrounding space, interspersed with white feathers stained with faint yellow oil, highly contaminating; once contacted, it races endlessly on the road of death, and even the 'Sea King' finds it hard to resist its effect."

After that, everyone briefly exchanged some of the observations they had gathered and shared simple occult knowledge.

At the end of the gathering, the group together taught "The Sun" Dai Li Ke some ancient Hermes words.

Until the Fool Ke Lai En, seated at the head of the mottled long table, announced the end of the gathering, everyone rose to bow; deep crimson light rose continuously in the grand ancient hall, dissolving the silhouettes of the crowd, then vanished above the gray mist.

Lei Ke Dun turned his head to glance around, seeing that only he remained, and he sat back in the high‑backed chair, his posture becoming even more casual and lazy.

Ke Lai En raised his hand, causing the lowest "World" to disappear, then spoke:

"Some changes have occurred in you; my intuition warns me that I cannot observe you with spiritual sight."

Lei Ke Dun turned his head to look at the headmost Ke Lai En and chuckled:

"You're not even a demigod yet, and you want to spy on an Angel?"

Ke Lai En was momentarily at a loss, paused for two seconds, then continued: "That shouldn't be the main reason; I have previously divined above this gray mist to glimpse the 'Eternal Blazing Sun', the 'Imaginary Dragon', and the 'True Creator'."

"Just now, that instant intuition made me almost think that spying on you was more dangerous than spying on them."

After a one‑second pause, he continued:

"Not long ago, this gray mist experienced some unusual turbulence; relying on a certain connection with the mist, I divined some images."

"In the visions, I also saw mist similar to this place, but I can be certain it is not here."

"Besides the mist, I saw some vague, flickering starlight; just a fleeting, indistinct glance flooded my mind with a lot of chaotic, useless knowledge, forcing me to abort the divination."

Finishing, his gaze turned somewhat skeptical toward Lei Ke Dun.

The latter shrugged his shoulders, his tone calm:

"If your description has no issues, then you most likely saw me."

Ke Lai En immediately asked:

"Were you ascending at that time? And why did you cause the mist here to tremble?" Lei Ke Dun nodded lightly and said:

"Yes. As for the mist here, a chain reaction occurred; that mist was likely left by the former master of this place. The contents inside struck the seal, and the outward seepage of power disturbed this space."

"Seal?" Ke Lai En keenly seized the key point in Lei Ke Dun's words.

Thoughts flooded his mind one after another, and finally his tone, almost certain, said:

"There, the 'Wilderness of Knowledge' is sealed, and precisely because of that I made contact; the 'Hidden Sage' chose to invest in me?"

After a two‑second pause, he continued: "Some of the changes in you cannot be explained merely by ascending to an Angel, just as what you said to the Lady Hermit before; your blood performed astonishingly well in her demigod‑ascension ritual. May I boldly conjecture that you are the 'Hidden Sage', a manifestation of Him, much like the 'Orange Light' Xi Laliang used the identity of He Er Mo Xiu Yin while active in the real world."

Finishing, Ke Lai En pressed his lips together, his gaze fixed on Lei Ke Dun, his expression somewhat uneasy.

If my conjecture is correct, his identity as a time‑traveler is problematic; directly transmigrating into a 'Hidden Sage' is almost impossible. A normal person's soul compared to a 'Hidden Sage' is like the vast ocean and a bowl of clear water—upon entering the sea, it is instantly assimilated, becoming part of Him.

If we think that way, another possibility exists: after being assimilated by the 'Hidden Sage', he was exploited by it, which extracted a separate identity. In this state he appears as an independent, complete person, yet that is why his ascent along the sequential path proceeds so smoothly, and the 'Hidden Sage' gives him special attention. The more Ke Lai En pondered, the more his conjecture seemed correct, almost affirmed in his mind.

Lei Ke Dun remained slouched in the high‑backed chair without moving, until Ke Lai En's gaze grew increasingly complex and odd, after which he spoke:

"Your conjecture is mostly correct; only a few points are slightly off."

So, after ascending to 'Sage', he recalled his own identity?

As thoughts turned, Ke Lai En continued to ask:

"Did you replace a time‑traveler's identity? And what about the original time‑traveler?"

Lei Ke Dun gently shook his head and said:

"It's not really a replacement; it's just like the 'Faceless One', I put a mask on myself."

"As for the template of that mask, it no longer exists; I merely used information that was once analyzed and recorded."

Ke Lai En paused briefly, then asked: "What do you plan to do next?"

"I am searching for Luo Sai Er; my contest with Steam requires allies."

"Compared to a prolonged, covert scheme like the night, I prefer to locate the key point and swiftly crush the opponent."

Ke Lai En tapped the table edge repeatedly with his right hand, asking no further questions.

After a brief silence, Lei Ke Dun let out a light laugh and said:

"From a rational standpoint, you needn't worry about this, because I have been myself from the start."

"Aside from the seal on the Western Continent, there is no point of conflict between you and me."

As soon as the words fell, his body became transparent and ethereal, faint sparkling starlight flickering within.

During the pause in the conversation, he had already, using his unique stature, sensed his body in the real world.

Amid the flickering starlight, the gray‑white mist around him swirled, forming a vortex about two meters in diameter that drew him upward from below, engulfing him.

When the grey mist calmed again, Kelaisen's expression grew slightly complex as he sighed: "Hah, speaking rationally? That sounds completely inhuman."

His transformation before and after promotion is enormous; besides losing his emotions and becoming devoid of humanity, he also acquired an indescribable feeling.

After sitting quietly on the chair for a moment, he suddenly rose, using his spiritual vision to carefully scan the entire grey mist above and below, confirming that Leikedun had left no hidden marks here.

It seems I overthought it; he isn't an extraordinary one of the three paths of "diviner," "apprentice," or "thief," and this place holds little significance for him.

(End of chapter)