"You..."
As it continued to transform, the shadow finally took the shape of a human head on an insect's body.
"I know you can't bear to part with me, Mr. Salesman, but don't you think it's a little rude to invite yourself in?"
Looking at the familiar form, Fu Qian spoke as if nothing were amiss.
"Impossible! I didn't leave a single flaw. There's no way you could have figured it out..."
At last, the shadow spoke. It was unmistakably the Salesman's voice, filled with confusion.
"I have to say, you really gave it your all. You played dumb and acted cute every step of the way."
Fu Qian shook his head.
"But I have a fairly vivid imagination, and I like to ask why. Remember the question I asked you—why did your God Eater blessing put me in a state of sensory dislocation?"
"Your answer was that you only influenced 'momentum' and couldn't control the details. I could tell you were telling the truth, so I didn't think much of it at the time.
"But later, something occurred to me. Your ability might be real, but was it really my momentum you were affecting?"
"Could it be that, from beginning to end, you weren't using it on me at all, but on yourself? That it wasn't increasing my chances of getting out, but yours?"
"Following that line of thought, I made another deduction."
"If I hadn't noticed the sensory dislocation back then, and had treated the pest as my true self, just like Qiu Chengyi did..."
"And if, when faced with Liang Yuntian's threat, I'd tried with all my heart to merge with it in order to survive and gain greater power, what would have happened?"
"Go on."
The Salesman's tone had already settled. He stood where he was