"Knowledge and power..."
Raymond gazed at the longing in Adria's eyes, as though he saw his weaker younger self and his once almost fanatical pursuit of knowledge and power.
A full half minute passed before he set little Leah down from his arms. He looked the ambitious woman up and down with a slightly appraising gaze, then suddenly smiled and asked, "What do you intend to do with the knowledge and power you gain? Or rather, what goal or wish do you plan to use them to achieve?"
In an instant!
An utterly astonished expression appeared on Adria's face.
Because she had always obeyed the Lord of Lies and had never had the time to consider that question.
That was right. What exactly was she fighting so desperately to gain knowledge and power for?
More wealth, authority, and a better life?
That clearly was not what she wanted.
Because once the Nine Hells occupied Sanctuary World, all humans would either be exterminated or reduced to pawns and cannon fodder in the hands of Demons for use against the High Heavens.
At that point, forget about such illusory things as wealth, authority, and a good life. The entire human race might even be demonized and ultimately merge into the Burning Hells as part of it.
So what was her true wish?
To accept worship and become a god like the Angels, Demons, and humanity's ancestors—the Nephalem?
But the Lord of Lies clearly could not grant such astonishing power to a human follower, nor did he possess that capability. At most, he could transform her into a high-ranking Demon or the lord of some region within the Burning Hells.
Thus, after stepping beyond her original world and looking down upon all of Sanctuary from a higher level, Adria suddenly felt unprecedented confusion.