Who Do You Say That Finger Belonged To?

"These were originally ours too." Cheng Shi sighed, about to say, "Never mind, let's just leave it at that," but Qin Xin spoke first:

"Deal made, a pleasure doing business together!"

When the founder of this Fire Keeper heard that the other party wanted to protect the shantytown, he was already interested. When he saw that Cheng Shi was still unwilling to budge, he preemptively agreed to the cooperation.

Cheng Shi was slightly taken aback, but not surprised. He hadn't expected that the one who started as the bad cop would suddenly become the good cop, while he, the one who started as the good cop, had been "whitewashed"...

Well, I guess I don't have a good reputation anyway.

Cheng Shi smiled, then looked at Qin Xin with amusement and teased:

"What, did the keyword 'Protecting Beauty' trigger?"

This was originally a harmless jest, but for some reason, Qin Xin's expression instantly hardened upon hearing it, and a barely perceptible look of shock flashed in his eyes. However, he quickly concealed it by lowering his gaze before anyone noticed, then raised his head again, smiling and nodding.

"Life is not easy for anyone. It's rare to meet someone who considers others. I was a little soft-hearted for a moment, please excuse my foolishness."

Cheng Shi didn't actually think that Xilolin was considering the "people" in the shack area. Whether from the perspective of the doctrines of the Brotherhood of Extreme Desire or the desires of [Filth and Decay], her actions were more like upholding her own Faith and practicing her piety.

So rather than saying that Xilolin was "protecting goodness," it would be more accurate to say that she was simply a devout Faith.

But arguing about these things is pointless. The Fire Keeper already have a difficult journey ahead and should seek comfort from the outside world. Moreover, in this Isle of Hope where the world and its atmosphere are even worse, such acts of selflessness are too rare.

Cheng Shi understood their hardships, so he didn't continue the conversation on that topic.

He smiled casually, then turned to look at Morabik. Now that the matter of Xilolin was settled, the next step was to ask these two Wise One what exactly this so-called finger was.

By this time, Morabik had sorted out his thoughts. He realized that today, no, perhaps in the future, neither he nor Allen Doyle could remain unscathed; they would be at the mercy of others. However, his dream of Faith prevented him from abandoning his Experiment. Thus, inspired by Xilolin, this seemingly Folly Wise One made the wisest decision ever made since his discovery:...

Cooperation! Proactive cooperation!

The first step in this collaboration is to demonstrate one's sincerity to the three people in front of them who can Dominion their Destiny.

Morabik pulled a small metal box from his pocket, and then, to Allen Doyle's shocked and angry gaze, he pushed aside the other's arm that was trying to stop him, and directly took out the finger that was only two and a half segments long, and said with a serious face:

"This is it. It is the most crucial tool and the most important part of the Divinity extraction Experiment. Only with it can the mixed and unclear Divinity be extracted from the Abyssal Crystal. Only with it can the distorted Divinity be classified and separated."

Our forefathers did indeed bring back many fragments of colored crystals when they were first exiled, which allowed us to continuously improve our Experiment over the years. However... materials eventually run out. After exhausting the last fragment of colored crystal, we had to go out and find new sources of materials.

"Morabik, you're a traitor!" Allen Doyle roared, pointing at his companion. "We swore an oath never to reveal the core of this Experiment. You can show it to them, you can demonstrate it to them, but you absolutely cannot tell them all this!"

This is our Experiment, the only one that can earn His attention and summon Experiment. You have broken your vow; you have betrayed Him!

"I didn't!" Morabik said calmly. "This is my last effort to see Him, Allen Doyle. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm afraid of not having the chance to witness all of this before I die. But now, I feel that with their help, we can accomplish all of this, to complete Experiment that neither you nor my fathers ever accomplished."

We need a huge amount of Abyssal Crystal to succeed, and right now, only they can provide that quantity.

"The Abyssal Crystal is still in the hands of the Proxy Hand!"

"Um... if I may interject, it's temporary, temporarily in the hands of the Proxy Hand."

They've all been called "Proxy Hand," which should be easy to understand—they're temporarily acting as our warehouse manager.

When we go to collect it, the item will naturally be ours.

After saying that, Cheng Shi smiled kindly and gestured for them to continue.

The two, now interrupted, could no longer maintain their previous emotions. Allen Doyle seemed to have come to terms with Morabik's decision. He paused, his eyes darkened, and he said nothing more.

Seeing that no one was stopping him, Morabik continued sharing.

"Since it was observed by the Tower of Reason, the frequency of the eruptions of the Abyssal Volcano has been relatively stable, but the period span is too large, often measured in hundreds of years."

However, because there are a lot of resources Surface that do not exist on the surface, the Scholarly Council has never given up on its research on the Abyssal Volcano. Their vision is to transform this constantly erupting volcano into a space passage that allows ordinary people to enter and exit underground, thereby sending a large number of laborers to plunder resources underground.

However, the Void Energetics's research on space has repeatedly encountered setbacks, and no Scholar has been able to stabilize the spatial structure within the Abyssal Volcano. On the contrary, the Creation Alchemy Department, in its research on the scraps of the Abyssal Volcano, discovered the Abyssal Crystal containing twisted Divinity, and thus found a door to refining Divinity waiting to be opened.

However, this door was too heavy; until the moment our fathers were exiled, none of the Scholar involved could find a way to open it...

But now, through our continuous Experiment and improvements underground, this door has been opened a crack by us, no, by the combined efforts of all the Scholar of the Creation Alchemy Department over the years!

We have found a way to unite the distorted Divinity, and that way is..."

Morabik raised the box in his hand again and said, word by word:

"This finger! This finger was taken from Zainjil, the great leader of the Creation Alchemy Department!"

"??????"

Who?

Who are you talking about?

Cheng Shi was shocked; his pupils contracted sharply, and his mind went blank.

The two Fire Keeper had clearly heard of this name before. The Blind Man frowned and asked, "Zainjil, the one who presided over the Dagger of Stars?"

"Yes, that's him!"

Only a genius like him could conceive of such a fantastical Experiment to steal divine Divinity. We, on the other hand, merely parroted his method of cutting open the gods' pockets, making a slit in the Dagger of Stars, and stealing a small piece of the finger that this greatest thief used to cut open the gods' pockets!

"..."

"..."

"..."

Cheng Shi's pupils dilated with shock; he was deeply shaken.

What's this? Those who steal from others will always be stolen from.

Good, good, very good! This is exactly what "Truth" should look like.

Oh, right, now... it should be called "Folly".