Chapter 611
"Long time no see," Hecate said with a smile as she settled into her seat, glancing over at Lei Meidaisi. "How's the taste of the two-headed lion? One lost 23 pounds, and the other lost 34."
"It’s just fat turning into muscle. I took them on a diet," Lei Meidaisi replied, shaking her head. "If you want, you can check; they’re definitely healthier now."
"Well, thank you for that," Hecate said, shifting her gaze toward Shaer. "May I ask who you are?"
"The Witch," Shaer replied, smoothly using her alias from the other realm.
"The Witch..." Hecate mused, the name rolling off her tongue. "I think I've heard of you... It's a pleasure to meet you."
Perhaps she was part of a small organization registered with the Tower? But Hecate usually didn’t bother remembering those kinds of groups that lacked divine backing.
"Is there something you need from me?" Hecate asked, her eyes still fixed on Shaer.
She knew Lei Meidaisi wouldn’t come to her without a reason, and this red-haired girl, the so-called "Witch," was likely the one looking for her.
Moreover... she was quite concerned about why her creation had shown such fear toward the girl just moments ago.
Upon hearing Hecate's question, Shaer wanted to cut straight to the chase, but for safety's sake, she glanced at Lei Meidaisi first.
"Hecate can be trusted," Lei Meidaisi nodded slightly and spoke up. "She’s also from the Dark School, so you don’t need to worry about scaring her with your words."
The Dark School... Flesh Alchemy...
For some reason, Shaer’s mind drifted to the "Artificial Divine" project of the Order of the God of Order...
The Dark School advocates for establishing rules to restrain the behavior of coexisting beings, guiding religious nations toward a more orderly and peaceful path. Coupled with Flesh Alchemy... could it not lead directly to "artificial deities"?
Furthermore, the Dark School and the Oblivion School were merely two sides of the same coin. If it could be proven that the original "Exceeding Gear" was contained by Hecate, it would suggest that Hecate might very well join the Oblivion School in the future.
Taking a deep breath, Shaer refrained from letting her thoughts spiral further. She focused on the person in front of her and said, "I’d like to ask you about something related to 'seeds.'"
"Of course," Hecate nodded. "I speak freely."
She seemed a bit surprised, as if she hadn’t expected Shaer to ask this question.
"Besides the 'seeds' from 'natural' sources, have you collected any from other avenues?" Shaer asked directly.
"Cough cough..."
Just as Sadana took a sip of her tea, she nearly choked on Shaer’s question. There was no stopping Shaer now, so she could only glance at Lei Meidaisi, hoping she would intervene.
This was not a question to be asked lightly... With the Storm and Dark Schools at odds, bickering daily, if it were confirmed that Hecate was collecting "seeds," she could be directly sent to the Oblivion School, losing all her resources.
But Lei Meidaisi turned her gaze toward Shaer, then fixed her eyes on Hecate.
The Witch asking this question was no mere coincidence... She was the one who came bearing information from the future, with answers to seek.
For the Witch to ask this, Hecate must have done something... in the future.
Silence enveloped the air, but Hecate looked puzzled.
"I haven’t collected any other 'seeds,'" Hecate shook her head and replied. "And I have no intention of collecting any others... Why do you think that?"
Indeed... something must have happened in between...
Hecate had given the feather pen the "Exceeding Gear," allowing it to leave with that "uniqueness," which was beyond doubt.
But the "Exceeding Gear" had already been absorbed by Shaer, collapsing all timelines of the "Exceeding Gear" onto her. Only Shaer possessed that unique "uniqueness."
To seek verification seemed futile, as the evidence had already been confiscated by Shaer herself.
Seeing that no further information could be extracted, Lei Meidaisi stood up.
All eyes turned to the suddenly standing Lei Meidaisi, and Shaer met her gaze.
"You can just say it," Lei Meidaisi said to Shaer. "Tell us what you saw."
Lei Meidaisi's question plunged Shaer into silence.
It was the same reason.
If she spoke, the future might undergo drastic changes, and Shaer couldn’t afford that risk.
Moreover, if such changes occurred, Shaer wouldn’t have the ability to return and erase the memories of those who knew everything.
Sadana was one thing... but the powers of Lei Meidaisi and Hecate were far too great. If she had to alter any historical perceptions related to them, Shaer might end up forgetting most of her memories.
Buzz—
Lei Meidaisi raised her hand, and a dark canopy rose, enveloping everyone within, cutting off all external scrutiny.
"The Tower will fall in the future, right?" Lei Meidaisi looked at Shaer and said. "So you don’t need to worry about what we might learn... No matter how powerful we are, we can’t reverse the disaster that topples the Tower."
"On the contrary, if you share the future you desire, and if we agree, we can do our best to help you achieve it—at least that’s better than outright destruction."
"We need to unite."
"You can bring information from the future; we know that, so we certainly won’t do anything beyond what we discuss—there’s no need to gamble in the face of a visible future."
"If you’re willing to trust us..."
Lei Meidaisi looked at Shaer, slowly extending her right hand, and said, "Can you tell us? What future do you hope for?"
Hecate watched Lei Meidaisi, who had never shown such a serious expression, and fell into contemplation over her words.
Seeing... the future?
This red-haired Witch came from the future?
Had she witnessed something in the future that compelled her to return?
Shaer raised her head, looking at the Anworm and Lei Meidaisi before her.
Indeed.
If Lei Meidaisi could be fully trusted, laying everything bare and discussing it with the former Ascendants would simplify everything.
But the question remained... could they really be trusted?
Anworm, Hecate, Sadana... one who treated her own blood as food in the future, one whose creation led to her destined death, and one who went mad and sought to kill her in the future.
Could these people truly be trusted in the past?
"After all, we are all seeking a path for the people of the future. The entire Tower is exploring ways for intelligent life to coexist peacefully with the special power of 'seeds.'"
After a moment of contemplation, Hecate continued, "On this point, you can still trust us."
Though Hecate didn’t know exactly what had happened, she had pieced together a rough idea from Lei Meidaisi’s fragmented words.
To trust? Or not to trust?
A difficult choice lay before Shaer.
If she chose to trust, she could leverage her intelligence and their abilities to accomplish things she could never have done in the past.
Shaer could only stay in the past for a few years, but they could remain for decades, even hundreds or thousands of years.
What they could achieve would undoubtedly surpass what Shaer could do.
"Hecate was torn apart by an indescribable entity while trying to send the 'seeds' and feather pen away from the academy;"
"Lei Meidaisi was imprisoned in another bizarre world, spending countless years, going mad, losing her memories;"
"Sadana, locked in the same world as Lei Meidaisi, pursued divinity, completely losing her mind, injuring Lei Meidaisi, and is still hunting me..."
Shaer slowly raised her head, glancing at the three before her, and said, "Is this a future you can accept?"
"Will you hold back... from trying to change it?"
Shaer’s words struck like heavy hammers against the hearts of those present. Behind the dark curtain, the expressions of the three varied.
Hecate looked somewhat bewildered, Sadana’s eyes widened in disbelief, while Lei Meidaisi fixed her gaze on Shaer and slowly asked, "What about the world?"
"A thousand years of chaotic, godless holy wars eventually stabilized, leaving behind a small number of metamorphs still pursuing divinity in the shadows, and the vast majority of ordinary people living out their lives."
Shaer continued to respond:
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