Chapter 478: A Brand-New Choice

Huo La stepped into the familiar room once again.

The life-support devices that once filled the room, with tangled pipelines, have long vanished; the dense network of tubes and precision equipment were all removed, leaving the spacious room completely empty.

In the vast space, only a large desk remained.

Spinel sat alone behind the desk, eyes lowered, silently pondering something, the surrounding atmosphere quiet to the point of oppression.

Hearing footsteps, they looked up at Huo La entering, offered no idle chatter, and in a flat tone raised a hand to indicate the seat before them: "Sit."

Huo La's gaze swept rapidly across the room, taking in every detail, then he stepped forward slowly and took a seat at the desk.

Without any preamble, Huo La got straight to the point, his tone taut: "Where is Paipa?"

Spinel gave him a glance, a faint smile forming: "Relax a bit. If I truly intended to act, I wouldn't have given you the chance to sit down and talk with me."

Huo La remained silent, his expression unchanged, and pressed again: "Where exactly is Paipa?"

Seeing his resolute attitude, Spinel shook their head slightly: "Don't rush; I'll take you to see him later."

Having received an answer, Huo La stopped probing, paused briefly, and broke the silence: "You specifically summoned me here; what exactly do you want?"

"What?"

Spinel let out a light laugh, lifted their gaze to meet Huo La's, eyes deep: "I just want to have a proper conversation with you, a person chosen by A Er Zhou Si."

Huo La raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone tinged with doubt: "What's there to talk about? All of you are also beings chosen by A Er Zhou Si, aren't you?"

"Us? Chosen?"

Spinel seemed to hear a cosmic joke, chuckling softly, the smile full of self‑mockery and sarcasm.

"At first, we naïvely believed we were people selected by fate. But ever since you appeared, especially after Sakaki sent you into the past Time and Space, I began to doubt your identity."

"It wasn't until the moment you defeated Zha Ao Bo that I finally saw the truth clearly."

Spinel leaned forward slightly, fingertip pointing at Huo La, voice absolutely certain: "None of us are; only you are the one truly chosen by A Er Zhou Si."

Huo La remained silent for a long while, then asked in a deep voice: "So, were you the one who killed Jibeiweng?"

Spinel shook their head lightly, expression calm: "The two matters are unrelated. Moreover, who told you that I killed Jibeiweng? The outside world's official reports have long provided the answer."

"Reports from outside?" Huo La shook his head, resolute: "Do you think I would believe that kind of excuse?"

Spinel stared at him deeply, eyes exceedingly serious, without a hint of jest: "What if I told you that the person who killed Jibeiweng was Aimeijiao from start to finish?"

The moment the words fell, Huo La's pupils contracted sharply, his mouth slightly open, his face full of disbelief.

"Don't wear that incredulous expression. I'll say it again: if I truly had malicious intent, you would never have been able to sit here so calmly up to now."

Huo La forced the tremor in his heart down, exhaled a slow puff of foul air, and stared at the person before him: "And you? What exactly do you want?"

His gaze sharp: "From you releasing the Ancient Spirit Ball to capturing Terapagos, the outside world assumes you want to use Paradise's glitter to control the world and fulfill your ambition. I can't understand— is that really your goal?"

"It's actually not that hard to understand."

Spinel's expression was indifferent, voice carrying a hint of world‑worn fatigue: "You already know most of my background. In my original world, I reached the summit, wielded the power of a realm, and could be called truly invincible."

Huo La nodded lightly, listening quietly to his account.

"But the higher one stands at the peak, the emptier the surroundings become," Spinel's eyes filled with deep melancholy, "I have no friends, no comrades beside me; all that surrounds me are subordinates who obey blindly, or merely a group of forced slaves."

"To reach that Peak of No One, Yindi, Lubeila, Ji Er, Ke Ni Ya… everyone who walked with me has all died."

His voice low, laden with endless solitude: "I have lived too lonely, so lonely that for countless days and nights I have thought of ending it all. Until A Er Zhou Si dragged me into this brand‑new world."

Spinel lifted their gaze toward Huo La, eyes full of resignation and fatigue: "Tell me, if you lived such a cold, solitary life, would you still be willing to experience it again?"

Huo La was startled by the words.

Images of living two lifetimes flashed rapidly in his mind—the solitary ending of his previous life, endless loneliness surging in his heart. He remained silent for a long while, finally letting out a soft sigh, unable to argue.

Such a solitary, companionless summit has never been anyone's desire.

"So the moment I arrived in this world, I found Jibeiweng."

Spinel slowly recounted everything: "I laid out my background and all secrets, and under his arrangement, I replaced the original 'me' of this world."

"I have devoted all my ability to assist him, to fulfill his dream, merely to see with my own eyes where this world would ultimately go if his long‑held wish came true."

Huo La fell silent for a moment, lifted his hand and produced the rustic Ancient Spirit Ball, then asked in a deep voice: "What does this ball signify?"

"This one?"

Spinel's gaze fell on the Ancient Spirit Ball, a faint smile appearing, and said plainly: "It's merely a test. While assisting Jibeiweng, I must discern your purpose, or rather, discern A Er Zhou Si's intent."

"Your every move ties into the direction of The Whole World, directly affecting all my plans; I had to test and lay out my scheme in advance."

"Unfortunately, Jibeiweng is dead."

Spinel's tone was light, neither sad nor glad, yet a trace of disappointment at a failed plan lingered: "All my original layouts and purposes have collapsed. Fortunately… you are still here."

"Me?" Huo La was slightly taken aback, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Exactly, you." Spinel nodded solemnly, gaze fixed on Huo La, especially earnest.

"After the battle in Alola, I roughly discerned your manner and true heart. Since Jibeiweng's path has reached its end, I switched direction, appointing you as the new assistant, to fulfill your pursuit and goal."

He leaned forward slowly, eyes swirling with intense curiosity and inquiry.

"Compared with the deeply obsessed, limited‑scope Jibeiweng, you are the one personally chosen by A Er Zhou Si, destined to be entirely different. To this day, I am genuinely curious: what ultimate purpose does A Er Zhou Si aim to achieve by meticulously arranging and insisting on selecting you?"