"Don't get so excited." Mr. Devil lightly waved a hand. "To be honest, I only understand part of it myself."
"No matter how small the clue is, please tell us!"
The Little Sun fought hard for it. Under everyone's gaze, Mr. Devil suddenly turned to look at Mr. Fool, as if asking, "Can I say it?"
"Why are you looking at me? I don't know what you're about to say either."
Klein felt a little awkward when he saw Mr. Devil's gaze. However, Mr. Devil's attitude also reminded him of something—
When Miss Daly had asked him to hint at the Acting Method to the captain, she had said that everyone in the Church of the Evernight Goddess who comprehended the Acting Method would be required to swear an oath not to reveal it to others.
And Mr. Hangman, who was suspected to be a member of the Storm Church, likewise did not know the Acting Method. Did that mean all the existing Gods held only one attitude toward the Acting Method—secrecy?
Was that why Mr. Devil had judged there was something wrong with the God they worshiped after hearing that all two thousand-plus people in the City of Silver knew the Acting Method?
Thinking of this, Klein could not help but grow curious as well. Thus, maintaining Mr. Fool's persona, he lightly nodded, granting permission.
Only after receiving Mr. Fool's approval did Mr. Devil seem to let out a sigh of relief. He turned his gaze toward Mr. Hangman and said:
"Mr. Hangman may also have wondered why such a simple method as the Acting Method, which can greatly reduce the chances of Low Sequence Beyonders losing control, would be sealed away by the churches."
"Why am I being brought up again?" Mr. Hangman frowned, feeling that things were far from simple. But he had indeed considered this question, so he nodded. "That's right. The churches have stood for thousands of years. There's no reason they wouldn't have summarized the Acting Method, yet they never informed the lower-level Beyonders."
"One correction." Mr. Devil raised a finger and gently shook his head. "The churches of the Seven Orthodox Gods did not merely fail to inform them. Every official Beyonder who comprehends the Acting Method is given an oath and required not to spread the Acting Method in any form."
"Why would they do that?" Miss Justice instinctively asked. Mr. Devil smiled faintly at her.
"Because it is detrimental to the Gods."
"The Gods?"
Everyone was stunned. Why would the acting of mere low-level Beyonders affect the Gods?
"Since you know the Acting Method, do you know the principle behind it?" Mr. Devil did not answer directly, instead responding with a question.
Miss Justice immediately repeated the example Mr. Fool had previously given about disguising oneself and entering a castle. Just as Mr. Fool worried that his example might have been wrong, Mr. Devil smiled and said:
"It's an exquisite metaphor. But have you considered where the guards in the castle came from?"
"This..." Miss Justice was momentarily speechless, but Mr. Devil continued on his own.
"Every potion—or rather, every portion of Extraordinary Materials—contains a special imprint. You can think of it as the consciousness of another existence. The higher the potion's level, the stronger this consciousness becomes, because it often contains part of the previous owner's Mental Imprint. Thus, it is usually called a Mental Remnant. In a sense, it can be regarded as the primary culprit behind a Beyonder's madness and even Loss of Control."
"This Mental Remnant is the guard?" Miss Justice said thoughtfully. Mr. Devil nodded. "That's right. But the problem with the Acting Method lies here as well—you use the Acting Method to bypass the guards, which means those guards have not been defeated. Ah, right, there is one crucial point to the Acting Method: 'You are only acting.' Mr. Sun, did the City of Silver teach you this?"
Mr. Devil had suddenly gone off on a tangent, but neither Miss Justice nor Mr. Hangman found it unpleasant, because the words "you are only acting" had already given them a new understanding of the Acting Method.
Upon hearing Mr. Devil's words, The Little Sun immediately nodded.
"Yes. Our general education classes emphasized that the only thing to keep in mind with the Acting Method is, 'You are only acting.'"
"That's good." Mr. Devil showed an expression of relief before continuing.
"The Acting Method is only acting because if you become too immersed in the role and forget your original self, those Mental Remnants may take advantage of the opening and merge with your spirit, making you no longer yourself. In a sense, this is also a form of madness. To explain it with that same example, you become so immersed in your role that after obtaining the treasure, you forget to leave. Instead, the guards of the castle forcibly push you into the guest's position, turning you into a true 'guest.'"
Upon hearing this, Miss Justice pictured a version of herself who only knew how to hide in dark corners and observe others. She could not help but shudder, then asked nervously:
"So the churches conceal the Acting Method because they fear this situation? But what does this have to do with true Gods?"
"That is not the case." Mr. Devil shook his head.
"In fact, you can imagine the Mental Remnant as a branch of a great tree. The influence each low-level Beyonder receives is merely a terminal branch, a single leaf. And true Gods must also fight against madness."
"True Gods have to fight against madness too?" Klein felt that this information was a little overwhelming, and he nearly raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.
By this point, even Miss Justice did not dare make random guesses. Mr. Devil simply continued speaking.
"Every potion appears independent, yet they share a kind of mystical connection. Low Sequence Beyonders are affected by High Sequence Beyonders, while High Sequence Beyonders are likewise affected by Low Sequence Beyonders. Of course, due to the disparity in strength, this influence is generally negligible."
At this point, Mr. Devil's tone changed, taking on a slightly malicious edge.
"Miss Justice, you said earlier that the Acting Method was like disguising yourself as a guest, infiltrating a castle, and stealing its treasure. But have you considered where the castle and its guards go after the treasure is stolen?"
"Could they go to High Sequence Beyonders... or even true Gods?" Miss Justice made what she considered her boldest guess, but Mr. Devil shook his head and pointed at his chest.
"It remains inside your body, lurking within the potion. And if you die, part of your Mental Remnant will likewise join it, perhaps even strengthen it, affecting the next person who consumes the potion."
Audrey, who did not know the law of Immortality of Extraordinary Characteristics, did not notice the implications contained in "the next person who consumes the potion." However, Mr. Hangman and The Little Sun, who knew about this, were stirred.
But immediately afterward, Mr. Devil dropped an even bigger bombshell—
"Because everyone uses the Acting Method, in a sense, your mental state approaches the potion's Mental Remnant. In other words, after someone who has learned the Acting Method dies, the Mental Remnant in the potion will not change and may even be 'repaired.' Mr. Hangman, do you know how Beyonders who do not understand the Acting Method 'master' their potions?"
Hearing Mr. Devil's question, Mr. Hangman instinctively answered, "Ordinary Beyonders stabilize their spirits through meditation and suppress the... well, Mental Remnant within the potion. Like taming a wild beast—suppressing it, domesticating it..."
As Mr. Hangman spoke, he suddenly felt that some crucial insight had opened up. He realized he was gradually beginning to understand everything—
"Could it be that when ordinary Beyonders 'master' potions without using the Acting Method, they weaken the Mental Remnant within the potion? Would that reduce the influence on true Gods?"
Everything in this chapter was a reasonable inference by the author based on information such as resistance against the Primordial, mutual influence within the same Sequence, High Sequence potions retaining the previous owner's Mental Imprint, and the churches sealing away the Acting Method. Please do not treat it as canon.
However, after reaching demigod level in the original work, one needed anchors to stabilize one's humanity. This was essentially using humanity to offset the divinity within the potion—plainly put, it was following the path of mastery. K's smooth advancement in the later stages was not only due to acting in advance; Charon's help in sorting through the characteristics also deserves considerable credit.
In other words, if there were no lifespan limits or external influences, perhaps the method of mastering potions would be more reasonable. If there were a creature with an infinite lifespan, then by spending an enormous amount of time mastering potions layer by layer, it would grow accustomed to the collision between the potion's spirit and its own, much like K adapting to the whispers upon entering the Gray Fog. Of course, the time required might be astronomical, suitable only for big shots who had traveled to the First Epoch to try... Uh, that seems like a spoiler.
Ahem, anyway, different people naturally have different interpretations. After all, this is only a fanfiction, a re-creation based on the original work's framework. It is understandable if you do not agree with parts of it, so let's discuss it rationally.
Before you continue