Chapter 641: Probe

Leonard stared in panic and astonishment at the scenery drifting farther away, tried to open his mouth to say something, but no sound emerged, and he could not interact with the outside world.

In his view, A Meng suddenly moved close to Parles, a hand thrust into Parles's chest.

Vividly colored stained‑glass windows appeared in his sight, blocking his view; Leonard felt his connection to the real world return, and, bewildered and indignant, he let out a howl: "No!!"

His howl was stretched longer as the distance kept receding, fading into the air.

After retreating through several streets, his body finally stopped, and the surroundings were oddly familiar—it was the Saint Samuel Church he passed by almost every day!

In the Bone Church a few streets away, Parles lowered his head to glance at his pierced chest and torn heart, a weakly self‑mocking smile tugging at his lips.

Above his head, the massive mottled clock illusion bore a hand‑shaped Time Worm pointer that turned slightly; an invisible torrent surged across ages in a flash, then vanished completely.

A Meng withdrew his right hand that had been grasping the air, chuckling, "Heh, is it too late now that you've finally realized?"

"The Bone Church cannot shield the gods' gaze for long; if you had fully resisted from the start, even destroyed the Bone Church, there was a high chance of success, but you spent time and effort sending that Night's Night Watcher away from here. Now, you have already missed the best chance to escape."

As he spoke, his body suddenly split, turning into countless Time Worms drifting within the Bone Church, forming a massive ancient mottled clock illusion.

The hand spun rapidly clockwise, and an indescribable invisible torrent surged forth, engulfing the entire Bone Church.

"Alas~" Parles sighed lightly; his already white‑haired, gaunt face grew even older, age spots appeared, and the Time Worms beneath his skin—each with twelve translucent segments—could no longer be concealed.

A Meng's voice came from the swirling Time Worm phantoms in all directions, echoing with mockery: "I'm curious—why didn't you switch hosts? Did you think I truly didn't notice you then? Or do you trust that 'Sage', no, now the 'Knowledge Emperor', believing he can protect you?"

"Hehe. Have you finally realized, discovered your blind confidence, your extreme misfortune, that everything is just too coincidental?"

"Although I sometimes despise that fanatic, his ability to craft stories is indeed impressive; even while asleep, he can silently influence the mental realm."

"After ignoring my existence, did you find everything went smoothly? You even obtained two seal items from the Steam Church enough to replenish yourself; ha, without letting you regain any strength, how could you become arrogant?"

Each of A Meng's words made Parles's complexion worsen, until the restless Time Worms on his body could no longer be suppressed, burrowing from his skin, revealing semi‑transparent nodules that quivered and grew in the air.

Gradually, the transformation seemed to reach a limit; the Time Worms detached from Parles, turning into pale wisps of light that merged into the massive mottled clock illusion hovering above the Bone Church.

Parles's figure thinned bit by bit until it vanished into nothingness.

A burst of pale white light erupted from the ancient mottled clock illusion suspended in midair, swiftly engulfing the Bone Church; when the light faded, A Meng's figure appeared beneath the towering cross, holding a crystal pillar formed of light and shadow, within which countless twelve‑segment Time Worms darted and swam.

He raised his hand, adjusted the monocle over his right eye, a hint of a smile at his lips, and muttered in a flat tone, "It's been over a thousand years, Parles, and you're still so naive and kind, giving up your chance to flee for an inconsequential Night Watcher. But that saved me a lot of trouble; the gifts I prepared for 'the Night' and that 'Mob' are now useless."

"And I already said the fanatic is asleep; how could he meddle through the mental realm? It's merely speculation, plus some appropriate guidance, letting events follow a suitable trajectory."

As his words fell, the Bone Church quickly became transparent and ethereal, sinking into the deep, dark sea of collective subconscious below.

A Meng lifted the monocle from his right eye, and a pale white stream of light detached from his body, darting into the distance.

Having done that, his figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

Boom!

In the clear sky, thunder cracked suddenly, a few dark clouds rose, then quickly dispersed amid the howling wind.

In the prayer hall of Saint Samuel Church, Leonard hesitated, wanting to step forward yet unsure where to go; A Meng and Parles's battle was beyond his participation.

After a moment's hesitation, he walked to the dark holy seal at the front of the hall. "Since the old man sent me to the church, it at least means this place is safe, or perhaps he wants me to pray to the goddess?" Parles's weak voice echoed in Leonard's ears, "You want me to pray? Then I fear I won't even have a corpse left."

Leonard froze for a second, eyes widening in disbelief, then lowered his head, feigning prayer, and whispered, "Old man?"

"You're... you're not dead? I saw A Meng's hand pierce your chest and thought—" "—that I had already been taken by him as a post‑meal snack, devoured in one bite?" Parles snapped at Leonard, paused two seconds, then continued, "That duplicate was indeed eaten by A Meng."

"Duplicate?" Leonard exclaimed in surprise, then realized he was praying, muttered a confession in his mind, and lowered his head a bit more.

"Earlier, beneath the Steam Church, I swallowed two seal items obtained via the 'Thief' path, which improved my condition. When I encountered A Meng just now, I had already split off a Sequence‑2 duplicate and deliberately let it steal my destiny, reducing my stature so that this Sequence‑2 duplicate became the primary self."

Parles briefly explained his self‑rescue maneuver, then sighed, "I was still careless, focusing only on A Meng, forgetting Adam, and walked into the script they had prepared in advance."

Leonard nearly shouted again, swallowed, suppressed his astonishment, and hesitantly asked, "Adam? Isn't he already gone?"

After a moment of silence, Parles sighed and explained, "He only returned to his true form, not died; the current 'True Creator' can now be considered an 'Imaginaryist'."

"Forgotten? The future he proclaimed will inevitably unfold into reality—a story penned by an Imaginaryist. How could an aged, frail 'Time Worm' like me possibly evade it? To be precise, I am now an even weaker 'Fate Trojan'."

Leonard listened in silence, and after completing the joint prayer, he rose and left the prayer hall of Saint Samuel Church.

Arriving at the fountain square and watching the passing crowd, Leonard let out a long sigh; the tension in his heart, tightened by A Meng's appearance, finally eased.

He paced to the edge of the square, feeding the pigeons while asking in a deep voice, "Old man, didn't you send me to the church just so I could pray to the goddess?"

"Can your goddess hear your prayers? Will she answer them?" Parles mocked, then sighed, "Too many people pray to Him each day; He can't listen to every word, even when it involves A Meng."

"Then why don't you pray to the 'Fool'?" a calm, cheerful voice said nearby.

"Right, why would I." Leonard suddenly froze, his expression stiffening again; he recognized that voice from just now, from his rented apartment.

On Leonard's right hand, a white pigeon with a dark circle around its right eye bobbed its head, spouting A Meng's voice:

"Why is everyone silent?"

"You're wondering why, even though I've already obtained the Time Worm's traits, I haven't left Beckland yet? Or perhaps you're pondering why I dared appear right beside the Night's church?"

Parles's hoarse old voice echoed, "A barely Sequence‑4 duplicate."

The white pigeon with the dark eye circle lifted its wing, pressed the dark circle over its right eye, and chuckled,

"Then why don't you come out and swallow me whole? What are you afraid of?"

Before A Meng finished speaking, the white pigeon suddenly lost its voice, its body erasing piece by piece like being rubbed away, disappearing from Leonard's hand.

A strikingly beautiful, expressionless, very young black‑haired woman silently appeared beside Leonard.

Her dark eyes were deep and shadowy, yet lacked sufficient spirit, appearing quite dull.

Silent darkness spread from beneath her feet, rippling outward in circles, dissolving A Meng's hidden duplicates one by one, turning them into part of the tide.

The surrounding light suddenly dimmed, total silence, the tranquil atmosphere tinged with deathly stillness.

"Heh" "Seems." "You still can" "act." "Goodbye."

A Meng's voice crackled intermittently around, as if his dispatched duplicate came to verify the state of the "Night Goddess".

Leonard gulped twice, swallowing the saliva in his mouth, and, bewildered, stared at the woman who had suddenly appeared before him.

(End of Chapter)