The Blame-Shifting Plan

At this moment, Luo Qi and Diana shared a very delicate state of mind.

From the moment they entered Peach Blossom Paradise until now, the news Bai Wei had revealed had been more astonishing than the last, to the point where they were both somewhat numb.

"I don't even know what to say anymore," Diana sighed softly. "According to you, if I opened my eyes and saw Right Eye had already arrived beside me, I wouldn't be too surprised."

"It's not to that extent," Bai Wei said with a smile. "No matter how powerful Right Eye is, he can't teleport. As long as you maintain a certain distance from him, and at least aren't in the same place as him right now, you'll definitely be fine."

Hearing this, Luo Qi couldn't sit still.

"I have something to do, I'm leaving now." He instinctively stood up as if his backside were on fire, wanting to leave the table, then belatedly remembered he couldn't leave on his own. He could only look at Bai Wei and say, "How about we call it a night?"

"What's the rush?" Bai Wei feigned ignorance, saying in surprise, "We haven't finished talking yet."

"I really have something to do... Damn it, I'm laying it all out! I'm the closest to him right now!" Luo Qi finally lost his patience. "If you guys don't think of a solution soon, and he ends up killing me, you'll all be finished too!"

In that instant, Luo Qi also figured it out.

If he left like this, his situation wouldn't improve at all. If Isaiah really found him, he'd still be finished. So, Luo Qi decisively employed a "learn from the barbarians to control the barbarians" tactic, using the methods Hand Eye had just employed to protect himself and threaten these two into not just standing by and watching.

Although this method would increase his chances of exposure, Luo Qi couldn't afford to care about that anymore. After all, Isaiah was simply too terrifying.

"Oh?" Bai Wei continued to feign surprise. "Mr. Thumb is actually in Nameless Town?"

Luo Qi's face darkened, and he didn't answer.

Diana, on the other hand, rubbed her temples with a rather pained expression.

Truly, what was more terrifying than a god-like opponent was a teammate like Luo Qi.

The thought of such a person being right next to Right Eye, who had already dealt with Tongue, made Diana feel that half of his thumb was already in Right Eye's hand.

Since that was the case, rather than leaving him for Right Eye, why not have me...

Diana couldn't help but look at Luo Qi, but she ultimately suppressed that extremely tempting thought. After all, making a move on a Bishop rashly was too risky, especially under Right Eye's watchful gaze.

Yes, Diana already knew Luo Qi's identity. After the last Gathering, Diana had immediately sent people to investigate who had been injured in that battle, and she easily got the answer. It was only Luo Qi who had been injured, and his characteristics were extremely obvious – all fingers on his right hand except his thumb were broken, practically branding "I am Mr. Thumb" onto his forehead.

If that was the case, if she could know Luo Qi's identity, then Isaiah could definitely know it too, and Luo Qi was currently in the same place as Isaiah.

... He's really a stupid pig.

Diana was truly starting to break.

"Don't worry, Mr. Thumb," Bai Wei thankfully offered comfort. "Right Eye definitely wouldn't dare to make a move on you, as long as you're in a crowded place."

"Why?"

"Because he wouldn't dare to expose his Corpse Pieces either," Bai Wei shrugged. "Otherwise, why would his fight with Tongue have left no survivors? And his desire to kill Tongue also hinges on having 'righteousness' on his side. Publicly, it was Contract Land and the other churches that ordered him to act. Without such an order, how would he dare to rashly attack you?"

Luo Qi thought about it and felt that Bai Wei made sense. He was, after all, a Bishop of a certain region, his status only slightly below Isaiah's. Why would Isaiah dare to attack him directly?

With this realization, Luo Qi calmed down a bit and sat back down.

"Then the next issue is how we should deal with him," Bai Wei steered the conversation back. "Before that, we should all have a consensus: in a direct confrontation, none of us would be Right Eye's match... Is there any issue with that?"

Neither Diana nor Luo Qi responded, clearly defaulting to agreement.

"Then we'll need some additional methods," Bai Wei looked at Diana. "What do you think, Miss Ring Finger?"

Diana was silent for a moment before saying, "You know about Obedience of Heavenly Voice?"

From Diana's perspective, she had only told Tongue about Obedience of Heavenly Voice, yet Hand Eye knew about it.

"So, it's called Obedience of Heavenly Voice?" Bai Wei smiled and shrugged. "I didn't know its name, nor do I know what it does, but I know this Gathering was organized to deal with me. In the eyes of the churches, I possess four Corpse Pieces. To deal with someone like me, I don't think they would simply gather for a meeting, right?"

This reason did make sense.

However, even without this reason, Diana wouldn't be too surprised. After all, Bai Wei wasn't Luo Qi. It had been quite some time since the news of the Gathering had spread. If he hadn't gathered any intelligence by now, it would only indicate that his capabilities were limited.

Bai Wei continued, "Since Obedience of Heavenly Voice can kill me, who possesses four Corpse Pieces, it should also be able to kill Right Eye, who also possesses four Corpse Pieces, right?"

You want to use Obedience of Heavenly Voice to deal with Isaiah?

This is indeed the most direct and reliable method, but...

"It's not that simple," Diana shook her head. "Right Eye's position in the Star Relic Sect is no less than that of their Pope. Even Contract Land wouldn't be able to execute him without evidence."

"More than that, wouldn't it be difficult for you to execute him even with clear evidence?" Bai Wei said with a smile. "People of this caliber are truly difficult to restrain with rules. Even if it's proven that he indeed has four Corpse Pieces, Contract Land and the other churches would merely force him to hand them over, wouldn't they?"

Diana remained silent, but it was clear she tacitly agreed.

"Since that's the case, why can't we help him find a reason that would force you to act?" Bai Wei said with a smile.

Hearing this, a strong sense of unease washed over Diana. She looked up, staring directly at Bai Wei, "What do you mean?"

"Four Corpse Pieces are no longer enough to satisfy him; he has begun to covet even greater power," Bai Wei said, enunciating each word. "Therefore, he has turned his gaze towards the deepest, most core, and most forbidden secret of Contract Land... What do you think of this reason?"

Diana glared at Bai Wei intently.

Bai Wei, on the other hand, leaned back, his face relaxed.

"How about it? Is this reason enough to cost him his life?"

Diana opened her eyes and returned to reality.

"Master, you're awake."

A servant knelt by the bedside, skillfully offering a warm towel.

Diana took the towel and asked, "Has anyone noticed my abnormality?"

"No, Master," the servant replied respectfully. "As you instructed, the moment you fell into a slumber, I brought you back to your room and told outsiders not to disturb you. The Warden hasn't come looking for you either."

Diana nodded slightly, then wiped her face with the damp towel.

Every time she was summoned to Peach Blossom Paradise, she would fall unconscious. Over time, this was bound to attract attention. Not everyone in Contract Land was Diana's servant; the Warden was the one in control of everything. Therefore, Diana had to be mindful of this, lest the secret of Peach Blossom Paradise be exposed.

Fortunately, they had agreed last time to only hold Gatherings at night, which greatly reduced the risk of exposure.

After wiping her face, the servant, at the opportune moment, offered a basin of water. Diana subconsciously glanced at the basin. Through the reflection in the water, she saw that her complexion was terrifyingly pale.

Diana hesitated, then closed her eyes. The servant's body trembled as Diana projected her consciousness into his mind.

Through the servant's eyes, Diana could get a better look at her current state—even after washing her face, she still looked as if she had just woken from a terrible Nightmare, her face filled with unease and weakness.

Diana withdrew her consciousness, tossed the towel to the servant, and waved him away.

Undoubtedly, this Gathering in Peach Blossom Paradise was the most stressful Diana had ever experienced. Before this, being in Contract Land had given her a mindset of "You all fight amongst yourselves; I'll sit back and watch."

But that was no longer the case. Isaiah had killed Tongue and obtained four Corpse Pieces. In terms of overt strength, he could now overpower the three of them.

Furthermore, what could be done with the four Corpse Pieces, and whether her identity had been seen through by Isaiah, were things Diana had no certainty about.

Diana hated the unknown, just like her mother had told her, the previous owner of this finger, that at no time should anyone or anything be allowed to escape your control.

After acquiring this finger, she had achieved this in most situations, like a puppeteer controlling the masses. But now, this chessboard showed signs of losing control.

Diana stood up and walked out of the room.

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse tonight; the weather was cool.

Diana had intended to clear her head with the night breeze, but when the wind actually blew on her face, she only felt as if her brain, already a tangled ball of yarn, had been doused with water, making her interwoven thoughts even harder to unravel.

On the surface, the most uncontrollable person who should be dealt with was Isaiah. However, Diana's unease wasn't solely directed at Isaiah, but also at Hand Eye.

Diana had always been highly wary of Hand Eye. After all, during the first Gathering in Peach Blossom Paradise, Hand Eye had set a trap for her, successfully extracting the greatest secret of Contract Land from her. To this day, Diana didn't understand how Hand Eye had learned she was from Contract Land, nor why he wanted to probe the secrets of Contract Land.

Of course, the latter question could be explained by curiosity. After all, upon learning of the existence of Contract Land, such a reclusive entity, it was natural to want to know its purpose.

However, would Hand Eye truly do something meaningless? He was the one who had forced Tongue, who possessed three Corpse Pieces, to the point where he'd rather risk his life fighting Isaiah, yet he couldn't do anything to Hand Eye.

Therefore, this time, when Hand Eye proposed using the reason of "coveting the deepest seal of Contract Land" to have Contract Land activate Obedience of Heavenly Voice and execute Isaiah, Diana had to consider whether Hand Eye harbored other intentions.

Unknowingly, Diana found herself at the Abyss Prison again. She looked at the seemingly endless vortex and recalled a conversation with her mother.

"Mother, what is locked down there?"

"Something that cannot be understood, nor imagined."

"Why?"

"When you have this finger of mine, you will understand."

Diana gently stroked her ring finger.

Yes, after she got this finger, she understood what her mother meant.

This single finger alone could make thousands of people willingly die for her, serving her as their Lord. No matter how powerful or prestigious they were before, they could not resist the rules set by this finger.

And this was merely one finger.

Then, what would the true Visas be like?

If she couldn't see the true Visas, then what kind of power would the true corpse in the Abyss Prison possess?

If I could obtain this power...

Diana's eyes widened, and she took a deep breath. She repeatedly recited her mother's admonition in her mind, "Cannot be understood, cannot be imagined," before expelling this extremely dangerous thought.

At this moment, she couldn't help but recall what Hand Eye had said in Peach Blossom Paradise: "Once you've experienced this power, no one can refuse it. We are all the same."

Yes, everyone was the same.

But the prison must not be opened, and that corpse must never see the light of day.

This was Diana's bottom line. Whoever intended to open the prison would immediately be listed as an enemy.

However, Hand Eye hadn't said he wanted to open the prison. His idea was to use some means to disguise it as someone trying to open the prison, just tearing open a small opening on the periphery, and then pinning the blame on Isaiah.

This plan had no issues because Contract Land needed a clear reason to execute a figure like a Pope. However, executing someone who attempted to open the prison required no reason.

And coincidentally, Diana, being in Contract Land and possessing the Ring Finger, indeed had the operational space for such a maneuver. Therefore, this plan was feasible.

However, this ultimately involved the Abyss Prison and the seal that had remained unchanged for a thousand years.

Making a small change, tearing open a tiny opening, would that really be okay?

Diana had no certainty, so she hadn't agreed to Bai Wei on the spot, only saying she would think of a better solution.

Yes, if there was a better solution, she would absolutely not damage the prison, not even a little.