Chapter 730: Speculation

On the massive crater left by Conston City's disappearance, only A Meng and Beiernadai, still locked in a stalemate, remain here.

The former Grand Patriarch of the War God Church, La Li Ang, abandoned the plan to retrieve 0-02 from A Meng's hands and left outright; A Li An Na followed closely, apparently intending to eliminate the Grand Patriarch completely.

A Meng looked at the silent Beiernadai and asked, "What have you decided?"

Beiernadai calmly shook her head and said, "I refuse."

Along with her words, thick turquoise vines fell from the sky, covering the surrounding area like a downpour.

"What a pity," A Meng said with a sigh, shaking his head.

His figure, together with the brass book in his hand, faded and vanished on the spot.

He cheated the rules, cheated time; what remained at the spot was only a phantom from a few seconds ago, while the real him had already left with 0-02.

Above the gray mist, Ke Lai En frowned; he had not realized that A Meng had already swapped himself with a phantom. A Meng seemed a bit stronger than before; I have some doubt that they have truly become the "Error." They hold no ceremony, relying on their father's psychological therapy to stay rational.

While pondering, he saw A Meng's figure appear at the bottom of the massive crater, next to Mirror A Luo De Si.

"Did he not take 0-02, just a duplicate?"

Muttering to himself, Ke Lai En used the "Old Days Box" to exchange Mirror A Luo De Si's location with the microorganisms in the surrounding air, sending it to Beiernadai's side.

At the crater's bottom, A Meng lifted his hand, pressed the single lens on his right eye, looked up and met Ke Lai En's gaze, made no attempt to infiltrate the Source Fortress, and his figure vanished right there.

On the other side, Beiernadai watched Mirror A Luo De Si struggling to float, thought briefly, then said:

"You are the sealed object of the Steam Church, that mirror that likes to ask people questions?"

On the silver surface, layer upon layer of rippling water appeared, showing one Inditis word after another: "Yes, learned and wise lady, but the Steam Church no longer exists, and I have already found the master I will spend my life following and serving."

"So, can you not send me back to the Church?"

"If possible, it would be best to send me to the great supreme 'Fool,' or you could also send me to Ge Er Man Si Pa Luo, the Star General Jiadeliya, and let them bring me to meet my master."

"As exchange, you may ask me one—no, three questions, any questions; the great A Luo De Si knows everything except matters concerning deities."

Beiernadai was silent for a moment, stared at the floating Mirror A Luo De Si before her, then suddenly laughed:

"First question: what is A Meng's true purpose in taking 0-02?"

The silver surface darkened abruptly, reflecting nothing; this state persisted for a while, then the surface began to ripple again, and silver Inditis words appeared one after another:

"0-02 is a unique evolutionary thing; I cannot see it clearly, and A Meng likewise; the things I can glimpse that contain its uniqueness are very limited."

"But I can filter and infer based on existing phenomena; I cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, but the deviation will not be large."

Beiernadai lightly nodded and said, "Okay."

Receiving Beiernadai's reply, Mirror A Luo De Si let the words on the silver surface disperse, quickly sketching new words:

"A Meng is only one ritual away from godhood; although they claim they can skip the ritual and become a god directly, given a choice they certainly would not do so, even with the world's best psychologist's help, the risk remains too great."

"According to the information I saw from the Erudite, the essence of the godhood ritual is to make the ascendant feel a slight discord, a bit unnatural, causing the spirit that had merged with all things to pop out a little, regaining a fragment of self‑recognition, so they no longer lose themselves."

"Regarding the 'Error,' the Ancient Sun God describes it as a Trojan horse of fate, a time‑eating worm, a loophole in the rules, the embodiment of all errors."

"And 0-02 is the sole path of the Judge, representing order and rules; as previous encounters show, when it is activated to a certain degree, it can alter the world's underlying rules."

"Thus, my speculation on A Meng taking 0-02 is: they intend to use the book's power to complete their godhood ritual indirectly."

"Lady, are you satisfied with this answer?"

Beiernadai lightly nodded, then asked the second question: "What problem did the former Archbishop of the Steam Church, Huo Lamikè Hai Dun, encounter?"

On the silver surface, water light kept rippling; after a while, words finally appeared:

"He was polluted, parasitized, silently replaced; that thing came from the stars, it says it serves the 'Stars.'"

Beiernadai lightly nodded and followed up: "And what else?"

New words quickly surfaced: "It itself is close to sequence two, not yet at the angelic level, but its level of contamination is high, even controlling a trait of the Enlightener; however, that Enlightener trait has now been reclaimed by the Erudite."

"It seems to be searching for something; I am not clear on the specifics, but that thing appears in some sea region of Fei Nei Bo Te; it should have pinpointed the exact location, yet because it is constantly being tracked, it can only circle around places like Lu En, Lun Bao."

"Lady, are you satisfied with this answer?"

Beiernadai lightly nodded, said nothing, and directly reached into the void to take a silver whistle, brought it to her mouth and blew once; no sound emerged, but a spiritual ripple was felt nearby.

She commanded the air before her: "Send it to Jiadeliya's ship." In the next instant, the silver mirror in her hand vanished, leaving only a slowly fading afterimage.

Above the gray mist, Ke Lai En, having taken in the scene through prayer‑light points, exhaled a sigh of relief, but soon grew tense again.

If Mirror A Luo De Si's speculation is correct, A Meng has already begun to assault the true divine rank; this will be my last relatively peaceful life—once A Meng becomes the 'Error,' the first thing they will do is to seize the Source Fortress from me; to be precise, they will only take the Source Fortress, but the danger the fate brings will still fall on me.

I must quickly become a Miracle Master, fully mastering the Source Fortress, so I can hold some initiative in the ensuing contest.

Gathering his thoughts, Ke Lai En set down the Sea God Scepter and the "Curtain," his figure swiftly faded and disappeared within the palace above the gray mist.

On the misty sea, in the captain's cabin of the newly‑departed "Future" from Le Se Er's port, Jiadeliya's inspiration was suddenly sparked; she turned to the desk laid with a navigation chart, where an ancient‑looking silver mirror had appeared, its sides adorned with gem‑set eyes.

"A mirror? Sent by the queen?" she murmured, moving closer.

The silver surface immediately rippled with concentric water‑light, revealing silver‑white Inditis words one after another:

"Hello, I am Mirror A Luo De Si, a follower of the great sovereign above the spirit realm; could you send me back to my master?"

"The great sovereign above the spirit realm?" Jiadeliya asked, puzzled.

The silver surface continued to emit words: "Yes, they also have other names, such as the 'Fool.'"

"'Fool' sir." Jiadeliya's eyes widened in astonishment, then she quickly composed herself and asked, "On what basis do I trust you?"

The silver surface kept releasing words:

"You can verify it directly; you carry that ancient aura, I can see it."

"Wait, you don't need to verify; the one coming to fetch me is arriving soon."

At the end of the text, several cheering‑emoji little figures appeared.

Jiadeliya slightly frowned; the little figures used by the mirror felt familiar, as if she had often seen them.

Before she could ask, new words appeared on the mirror: "You have already asked me two questions; now it is my turn to ask."

"First question: actually your inner self has always been a little girl who never grew up, right?"

Jiadeliya's expression froze; if it weren't for the mirror apparently being a follower of 'the Fool,' she would have sunk it to the sea floor by now.

A Luo De Si paid no attention to Jia De Li Ya's expression, and continued to display one character after another:

"Refusing to answer or answering incorrectly will be punished; failing to answer within the time limit is considered a refusal to answer."

After a brief silence, Jia De Li Ya sighed; she intended to sacrifice this odd mirror directly to Mr. Fool.

Before she could begin arranging the ceremony, a silhouette suddenly outlined itself by the window of the captain's cabin.

He wore a white shirt, a black vest, a half‑high silk top hat, and a revolver in the gun belt at his waist.

"Ge Er Man·Si Pa Luo?"

Seeing the newcomer clearly, Jia De Li Ya was momentarily stunned, then quickly recovered and, pointing at the silver mirror on the table, said:

"Did you come because of this strange mirror?"

Ke Lai En glanced at the question that the magical mirror A Luo De Si posed to Jia De Li Ya on the table, paused briefly, then nodded and replied:

"Yes, just give it to me; no need to answer its questions."

Jia De Li Ya gave a slight nod, turned her body aside, and indicated that Ge Er Man·Si Pa Luo could take it away himself.

After leaving the Future, Ke Lai En teleported with the magical mirror A Luo De Si to the Rosside Islands, made a trip to the residence selected by Anderson for the residents of Silver City and Moon City, and conducted an on‑site inspection.

After all, they are my first official disciples, so I still need to invest more. As the thought drifted, he lowered his gaze to the magical mirror in his hand and asked casually, "Why did you behave so obediently in front of Beiernadai, without showing any mischievous instinct?"

On the silver surface, a series of flickering golden characters appeared:

"Her father has been watching me constantly; if I dared to ask a bad question, I would surely turn into a pile of fragments in the next second."

"Then I could no longer serve you, Great Master; before I have followed in your footsteps, I cannot die."

Even though it was only text, A Luo De Si was expressing its excitement to the fullest, and this enthusiasm made Ke Lai En momentarily struggle to adapt to the mirror's occasional socially bold yet socially anxious demeanor.

(End of Chapter)