"As you wish."
Faust danced with excitement, reveling in that sweet pain and fury. Opening his mouth, he loudly chanted words like verses of poetry:
"One ritual, ten acts of gluttony, the bones of a hundred people, the eyes of a thousand birds, and ten thousand venomous snakes!
Death within a Spirit Coffin, thus tears; transformation from a hell, thus destruction.
The shadows of rebirth cling to wings, and the birds lying dormant shall take to the sky!"
Crack!
The armrest shattered beneath her furious grip.
Ai Qing gritted her teeth and said nothing.
Her most precious treasure had only bought her a useless prophecy poem?
After indulging in his poetic fervor, Faust smugly smoothed back his hair. He lifted his head and looked down into those eyes, as though he could glimpse furious lava beneath the ice. Then he grinned.
"You have one last question remaining."
Ai Qing said nothing.
Faust waited with leisurely patience.
Until she finally calmed down and voiced her final question.
"...Will anyone from the Astronomical Society lose their life because of this?"
Faust raised his brows.
Leaning on his cane, he stepped forward and drew close, carefully studying Ai Qing's face. He admired the calm expression she had regained, watching silently until he caught the thirst for an answer in her eyes. Only then did he reveal a malicious smile.
"You want to know?"
He cackled, widening his eyes as he stared at her. "Do you want to know? Do you really, really want to know?"
Ai Qing said nothing.
"You should have had better questions. What made you weak, little girl?" Faust marveled at her face, smug with satisfaction. "I know whom you wish to ask about, so there is no need to beat around the bush. I can tell you the answer."