1516,
"I've already thought it through. Whether or not I become a Sith has no bearing on my research into the Dark Side. After witnessing the struggle between you and Darth Sidious, I'm even more inclined to believe that it would be best if I stayed out of Sith affairs." Count Dooku spoke with a smile.
"Then why bother asking about the Book of Sith?" Tang Xiao sneered.
That old fox had clearly seen that quite a few Jedi Knights would defect to his side. Combined with the Dark Jedi Knights he had already recruited—including experienced elders like Sola Balk and young geniuses like Asajj Ventress—he had more than enough foundation to establish his own order.
In that case, he truly had no need to submit to anyone else, take Darth Sidious or the Archangel of Death as his master, and record his name in the Book of Sith.
"Don't you find it strange? If the Book of Sith is merely a book, how could recording one's name in it earn recognition from the Sith path? What role does the Force play in that process?" Count Dooku said with a smile. "Don't you find the whole process profoundly mysterious? Perhaps we could explore the nature of the Force together."
This man was testing him.
Tang Xiao understood at once. After confirming that he was the Archangel of Death, Darth Malthael, the veil of mystery and power surrounding him had gradually faded. Count Dooku had begun to feel the urge to probe this remarkably young Sith Lord.
He wanted to understand how such a young Sith Lord had become capable of standing on equal footing with men like himself and Darth Sidious, who had studied the Force for their entire lives.
By raising this topic now, Count Dooku was really trying