Scam

"... Huh?" A doubtful voice rang out as Ais was already under control, Neph had stepped into this renamed Treasure.

The floors and walls here are paved with crystal; if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Neph would have found it hard to believe that such smooth, crystal floors and walls could exist in Sewer.

... You guys must have used Beyonder Ability when you repaired the Treasure Vault, right?!

However, since it was Treasure, its value was ultimately paramount. Neph discarded the crystals and gems whose exact worth she didn't know, and her gaze fell upon Amon, who was sitting on a treasure chest, carrying Ais in one hand.

"You..." The Amon also looked at her.

He seemed a little puzzled. Neph adjusted her Monocle, which seemed to make her even more confused. She looked down at Ais, who was struggling to escape in her arms, then at Neph before her, and finally asked hesitantly:

"You're... hunting it down?"

He weighed the Rat in his hand.

"Can't you tell her origins?" Neph stepped forward. "She's your descendant."

"My descendant? Wait..." The doubt in Amon's eyes deepened. "Did the original body share this message? No, I should ask... can you still contact the original body?"

"Guess?" Neph blinked.

She didn't answer. In fact, even if she had, this abandoned clone probably wouldn't have believed it. So, after a brief eye contact, this Amon asked:

"What idea has the main body come up with this time?"

He clearly already had his own answer.

Neph didn't answer. She stretched out a hand, and it took Amon a few seconds to react before he put Ais back. As soon as she was free, Ais darted back into Neph's pocket. Neph chuckled and exclaimed in surprise:

"She's really scared of you... Was she like this when her ancestors were eaten?"

"No... you don't have this memory?" A glint flashed across Amon's Monocle.

Oh no, I let it slip... Wait, that clone of Amon that I dealt with didn't have this memory either... It's normal that it didn't have it, He tricked me!

Neph blinked and smiled, "Nothing's wrong?"

She and Amon looked at each other, and after a moment, Amon smiled easily:

"If not, it means you were born very young? But in my memory, there really isn't a Sequence 2 clone like you... And who did the original devour?"

"Ah," Neph blurted out, "Someone with the same last name as you."

"Oh dear," Amon raised an eyebrow in surprise, "The one from the Hermits of Fate?"

Hermits of Fate really have Angel? Hmm, that seems plausible. What's truly astonishing is that after devouring the Jacob Family Head Jacob Family, Amon actually left Angel for them...

Neph nodded slightly. Amon asked curiously, "Wasn't that meant to lure Pallez? Did the main body change its mind?"

"Can't you still fish even if you swallow it?" Neph retorted. "Isn't that the purpose you're serving?"

"...?" Amon narrowed his eyes. "I still don't understand."

His fingers brushed across the treasure chest beneath him, his tone nonchalant:

"Why did the entity suddenly change its mind, share this information with you, and bring you here? Was it just to show you that Rat?"

"What if I say yes?" Neph asked.

"Then I would ask, whose suggestion was this, or rather, whose doing?" Amon looked up at her. "There's no trace of it in its memory. As far as I know, the original entity couldn't do this, nor would it—it's not its style."

So what's your style like...? Do you eat it directly?

Amon's voice didn't stop; his gaze fell on her eyes, lingering on that blue-green hue.

"Moreover, while it's not impossible, I've never seen any clone appear in this form."

Neph blinked gently, a joyful glint appearing in her blue-green eyes.

>p/<. The silence fell over Meng'a... "You"

>p/<: The joyful tone and expression of her mouth, visible to the naked eye, covered the original green and blue, and the colorful beauty spread rapidly.

>p/<"? Is that what you're thinking? I'm coming to find you."

>p/<". The connection between the body and me is severed from you": It is said that it is only He, and the answer to this question is not clear.

>p/<". You've blocked the screen, so I'm telling you, listen to my body, do you agree or not, it's not that"

>p/<. The back of the box gave way, and it slid to the ground. A few seconds later, she looked up and saw "Ah?"...

>p/<"... What happened? I shouldn't have done that, since it's like this," I swear, I'll hit Him, you're giving me this treasure, it seems like you're planning to hit me in the first place."

>p/<"? Are you not...? This is a treasure chest": Hesitantly, she looked at the treasure chest again, then looked at her, and was stunned by what she said.

>p/<. She stared at the strange, horrified look on the ground. "What could this be for you...?"

"... A monster suddenly darted out of the treasure chest, and then the treasure chest turned into a monster. When you opened the treasure chest," Little Funa replied. "... This is how I play games."

>p/<"? play game what what", over and over again "? play game"

>p/<: It's confirmed that the bag opening's Funa crossed the line, what could have caused the misunderstanding? It's like Him.

>p/<"? You've already set up some of these yourself, right? There should be more 'treasure' here, shouldn't there? Hmm? Go explore the 'treasure' here, according to their ideas, you've caught some of the others that look like this."

>p/<. Funa stared at him with wide eyes, "!? What made you think I'd treat you like this?"

>p/<"? This is the day you became a part of my life, I bid you farewell... The traces of you left on my body during that time," she said, bewildered. "? You."

>p/<. "Do you really believe me, Funa?" "Is it true that you want me to..."

"The Lord's mystery, I believe Xiangru will not return it to me."

"It has already been born." He smiled.

Neph hesitated for a few seconds, then earnestly asked, "What if both of these things are true?"

"...?" Amon's relaxed expression vanished. "This... then what is the relationship between you, your original self, and that Newly Born ' Lord of the Mysteries '...?"

If I said they were lovers, I don't know if you would believe me... Or, should I bring up the matter of my father again? I couldn't fool the main body, surely I can fool the clone...

Neph turned her eyes slightly and spoke earnestly:

"Your father chose an unexpected path to resurrection."

No one knew that He actually possessed a Beyonder Characteristic of the ' Attendant of Mysteries,' encompassing elements from Sequence 9 to Sequence 1. This Beyonder Characteristic remained elusive from the Second Epoch to the Fifth Epoch.

"As the Apocalypse approach, He returned using that Beyonder Characteristic, seized control of the Sefirah Castle, forcefully suppressed Antigonus and Zaratul, and became the ' Fool.'"

Later, He brought back Mr. 'Door' from the seal of the Evernight, reclaiming the Uniqueness and Beyonder Characteristic of the 'Door' Pathway.

"After you voluntarily presented the Uniqueness and Beyonder Characteristic of the ' Error ' Pathway, He became the new ' Lord of the Mysteries '..."

"...?" Amon seemed to have absolutely no faith in this nonsense. "Then I have a question."

"What?" Neph asked.

"What role did you play in all of this?" Amon asked politely.

"I am the contingency plan He laid for all of this," Neph fabricated, "The true ' Pure White ' who should have been born in the Second Epoch."

"True Pure White..." His voice paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over Neph's pristine white attire and white hair, finally settling on her vibrant eyes.

He seemed slightly hesitant, and said uncertainly, "Actually, you really are more suited to this name than..."

Neph blinked.

Amon withdrew his gaze and smiled slightly, "Then, can you tell me why I don't know any of this?"

"Don't you find this interesting?" Neph asked Him in return.

Amon paused for a moment, then laughed. He raised his hand, clapping as he slowly spoke:

"Your Lie is perfect... absolutely perfect. Most ' Swindler ' I've ever met aren't as talented at deception as you."

"However, you missed a crucial point."

"What?" Neph tilted her head.

Amon's gaze fell on her, his eyes sharp.

Time.

"You didn't deny that you were born just over a year ago, but that has become your biggest weakness."

"My father experienced a long slumber within the ' Chaos Sea,' and then ruled Chaos Sea for thousands of years. His spirit has become a part of the ' Chaos Sea,' intimately connected and inseparable."

"Perhaps He truly did have such an idea, considering using the ' Sefirah Castle ' to resurrect as the ' Lord of the Mysteries.' If successful, He would become a ' Lord of the Mysteries ' capable of controlling the ' Chaos Sea,' at which point He would become the being closest to the true Creator."

"This sounds wonderful. Let's set aside the feasibility issue for now and assume it's feasible. However, this plan will undoubtedly take a lot of time and require countless complex arrangements."

"It's impossible that I was completely unaware of all this, and besides, it's impossible for Him to have accomplished all of this within a year after His resurrection."

"And, most importantly..."

He smiled slightly and spoke with considerable certainty:

"Knowing myself as I do, when this happens, there is absolutely no way I would willingly relinquish my Uniqueness and Beyonder Characteristic."

"Do you still want to fight your father?" Neph, greatly surprised.

"Why not?" Amon raised his hand and adjusted his Monocle. "He is, after all, my father."

Neph looked at Him in surprise, but He simply smiled and said:

"I think the original self or some other 'me' has already mentioned this to you, but I still can't help but want to ask..."

>p/<"? Have we considered adding you?"

>p/<. Dao Wen Fan Fu Na"? Ma's reply, how come I know you that"

>p/<: Asked Ba Xia, raised her head, and said "Heh" Fu Nai, her posture and demeanor revealing Meng A.

>p/<"? Dare you answer? Dare you answer me?"

>p/<: Exclamations of admiration abounded. The final, perfectly assembled picture seemed to resemble Him, a glimpse of vibrant color emerging from the darkness.

>p/<. This is the origin of the Tathagata... This is the origin of the Tathagata"

>p/<. The name ' Pure White ' is more suitable than you think, so I'll just say it's me.

>p/<"? I doubt what you are thinking about 'the fool' of people": asked him, staring at him intently, blinking her eyes.

>p/<: Dao Tou shook his head, a soft laugh escaped his lips.

>p/<. It's not a fixed system, but you are still connected to me in this matter -- I'm telling you, the connection between us is still broken, you still have that single lens on your right eye, you still have that style of doing things, and you still have that attitude."

>p/<".'The fool' has become my father, if what you said is true, then there is no way this could possibly happen, 'The fool' is following you, let him follow you."

>p/<: Dao Wendi Qi Hao Fen Ji Dai Bie She, the incident made Fu Nai realize that the topic of conversation had been raised again.

>p/<"? Why are you so angry?"

>p/<. His eyebrows twitched slightly, and he asked, "What?"

"... Anger and resentment are not uncommon, but you are not only not your father, you have also told him, and I first introduced you to 'the fool'," Funai patted her chin. "... Hmm."

>p/<. The upper body was completely oppressed, the dark eyes suddenly changed color, and the eyes narrowed.

>p/<. The cold, stagnant sound of the questioning line was used by Him? Is this how it is?

I'm talking about the inner workings of His mind; it's directly Him, not...

"If that's the case..." Neph's expression changed; she stared at Amon, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"For you con artists..." she tilted her head, "Can genuine emotion also be part of Scam?"

Memories became clear at that moment. Neph recalled how Amon had expressed his anger towards her, first the excruciating pain that left her no time to think, followed by flashbacks of memories—

"He stole my power, but not then, but much earlier... when I was only Sequence 6? Or Sequence 5..." Neph murmured, somewhat bewildered, "After drawing my attention with anger and Punishment, He used my power to peer into my memories..."

--The flashbacks in her memory are an unavoidable side effect of her peeping into the memories of others during the Mid-Sequence!

Neph took a breath, Amon's clone, with a knowing look, smiled and asked her:

"If I told you now that venting your anger was also real, would you feel any better?"

Nonsense, of course I know it's true... The spirits of the dead in the "Forsaken Land of the Gods" testify that His concern for His father was genuine, and He must be furious about this joke... But can such anger be used to set up Scam?!

Neph couldn't help but sneer:

>p/<. It's strange that you said your biological father is... It's hard to believe... Haha, "

>p/<". The whole scheme was a scam, a real fraud, I should have known better... a scam, tsk... the problem isn't about sacrifice and courage, it all comes from..."

>p/<. She couldn't help but laugh again, her upper body lowered as she looked down at Meng'a, her complex thoughts gathering, and she spat softly.

>p/<"? Is it possible that you are confused and unable to understand the situation outside the boundary?" she asked, puzzled. "The internet has been around for a long time, and I've finally reached you."

"Why would you do this? If you see someone whose identity you don't fully know, I'd definitely try to find out." He shook his head, gently turning down his blindfold. "I guess you don't recognize me because of what you're saying." He wondered why.