Life School of Thought

As night fell, Luther hired a two-horse carriage and directed the driver toward Iron Gate Street in the Backlund Bridge Borough. As they passed the "Braveman" pub, he cracked open a window. A moment later, a chilling aura seemed to seep into the carriage through the crack.

Good evening.

Luther said with a smile.

"Good evening."

Sharron's figure had appeared unnoticed in the seat opposite him. She was still wearing that black court dress and a small hat, her face delicate but lifeless, like a lifelike doll.

The carriage turned at the next intersection and headed north of the city.

"Is that Demigod from the Rose School of Thought still looking for you?"

Inside the swaying carriage, Luther asked.

"Yes."

Sharron nodded slightly. "His men are all dead; he's furious."

Demigod's subordinate?

Oh right, those Werewolf, Zombie, and Wraith.

"However, because we obtained that 'Scarlet Lunar Corona,' as long as we conceal ourselves properly and don't reveal our presence at close range, he won't notice us."

Sharron said calmly.

The Beyonder Item called the "Scarlet Lunar Corona" enhances the "Prisoner" Pathway's abilities, possibly making her even more difficult to detect than ordinary Wraith.

In fact, leaving Backlund would be a permanent solution, but Sharron and the others preferred to stay, even at the risk of being discovered by the Demigod, perhaps with their own reasons.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two looked at each other and fell into a rather quiet atmosphere.

"."

Sharron seemed oblivious to the meaning of awkwardness, simply staring at Luther with unwavering eyes. She appeared to be waiting for Luther to speak first, or perhaps she had emptied her mind, becoming a soulless puppet.

We need to find something else to talk about.

"By the way, have you seen this symbol before?"

Luther remembered something.

He cut his palm with his fingernail, letting the blood drip onto the carriage floor, and manipulated the blood to form a repeating, cyclical pattern. This was the emblem that appeared on the handle of the "Lucky Roulette," something he guessed might be related to another "Snake of Mercury."

Then he saw Sharron slowly nod.

"Know."

She said.

Ah?

I actually know them!

"What is it?"

Luther asked impatiently.

"This is the symbol of the Chairman the 'Life School of Thought'."

Sharron replied.

Life School of Thought

Luther recalled information he had obtained from the Nighthawks' internal documents.

This is a Concealment organization established in the early Fifth Epoch, possessing complete "Monster" Pathway and some "Apothecary" Pathway. They adopt a master-apprentice system of succession and have been spotted in both the Northern and Southern Continents. In Roselle's notes, he once said that this organization is divided into two factions: one that advocates rationality and the other that worships the Moon.

"So, who is the so-called Chairman?"

"The decision-making body of the Life School of Thought is a 'Council of Fate' composed of seven Councilor."

Sharron explained, "And above the council is the Chairman, who unites the rational members and those who believe in the 'Primordial Moon,' and is the absolute core of this sect. However, the Chairman suddenly disappeared, causing a split between the two factions, and the sect members have also encountered many dangers."

"You know a lot about this school of thought."

Luther said, both surprised and confused.

The Indulgence Faction of the "Rose School of Thought" and the "Life School of Thought" that believes in the "Primordial Moon" have some overlap.

Sharron glanced at him and said, "They assisted in the schism, but afterwards they severely harmed members of the 'Primordial Moon' faith, seizing the school's foundation and resources. In short, the 'Rose School of Thought' was the biggest beneficiary of that schism."

So that's how it is. The Life School of Thought was taken advantage of when it was leaderless. The faction that believed in the "Primordial Moon" originally thought that the "Rose School of Thought" was helping them, but in reality, they were leading wolves into their own home.

Luther was speechless at their naivety and stupidity.

"I'm curious, where did you see this logo?"

Sharron asked.

"It's a coincidence."

Luther snapped out of his daze and recounted the events that had transpired to Sharron. Of course, he omitted two crucial pieces of information during his narration: the first was the pregnant couple, and the second was the "Card of Blasphemy" he had obtained. He only mentioned that he had been drawn into a struggle between Demigod, and that the coincidence of the Revolver landing had negatively impacted the Fate of that Demigod.

"The Chairman is Sequence 1 of the 'Monster' Pathway, skilled at manipulating Fate."

Sharron said.

Just as I thought!

Everything makes sense now!

The one who manipulated his "Lucky Roulette" at that time was an extraordinary individual of the same Pathway High Sequence, the Chairman of the "Life School of Thought," Sequence 1 of the "Monster" Pathway, the Snake of Mercury!

Luther suddenly understood.

He first manipulated the Revolver, bringing me misfortune. Then, he made the "Abyss" card on the "Demon" fall down and I picked it up, as if to compensate me for the risks I had suffered.

So, what was His reason for stopping the "Demon" and exposing me?

Was it to save that couple?

That ordinary couple, the pregnant woman...

Luther pondered for a moment, then looked at Sharron and asked:

"Do you know anything else about that Chairman?"

"I don't know."

Sharron recalled for a moment and said, "I've only heard that this Chairman always appears in different guises, sometimes as an old man, sometimes as a child."

Rejuvenation. Could it be that this guy can be reborn?

Yes, that must be Characteristic of the "Snake of Mercury"!

Luther Consciousness thought of the similarity between this Chairman and the symbol of Ouroboros —a serpent devouring its own tail, with layers upon layers of rings. It seemed that this might also represent the endless cycle of their lives.

Therefore, it is very likely that the woman was carrying a "Snake of Mercury" in her womb. To protect his mother, he manipulated my Revolver, and afterwards, he gave me the "Abyss" card as compensation. As for engraving his own pattern on the gun handle, it can also be interpreted as him seeing the special nature of me and hoping to establish a friendly relationship.

By this point, Luther felt he had a general understanding of what had happened that day.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of absurdity.

A Sequence 5 being witnessed the battle between two Sequence 4 Demigod, unaware that in a deeper, more Concealment place, a Sequence 1 Angel was secretly manipulating everything.

No wonder that "Demon" was killed; he actually dared to offend an Angel!

Luther kept his head down in thought, while Sharron across from him didn't express any opinion, but just watched him quietly.

The carriage kept moving.

Thank you to reader "Degeneration Control" for the 5000 Qidian coins.

P. S.: The connection between the "Rose School of Thought" and the "Life School of Thought" comes from the original text and is not something I added myself.