That One's Shadow

"The translation you requested is here." The "Magician" tossed the stack of letters onto the table in front of "Stars," then pulled up a chair and sat down.

Mr. Stars did not change his sitting posture, but simply stretched his hand forward.

The stack of letters was suddenly lifted up by an invisible force and flew into "Stars's" palm.

"Stars" focused intently on the pages, the soft rustling sound echoing in the quiet room.

After a while, he raised his head and looked at the "Magician" across the Desk:

Do you think their speculations are reasonable?

The "Magician" Lady replied with a smile, "From a writer's perspective, there's no better speculation than this."

"Of course, I actually think it's quite possible that it's true."

What do you think, Mr. Pallez?

"Stars's" Eyes suddenly Gloom, and an aged voice uttered:

"At first, we only realized that Alista Tudor was doing something dangerous in Trier, but we didn't know exactly what it was."

"If that's the case, one question that needs to be answered is: where did Alista Tudor obtain the knowledge that led him to do those things?"

The Magician had thought about this question long ago:

"One possibility is that the Uniqueness the ' Red Priest ' (www. hetushu. com. com), which was inherently somewhat Corruption, combined with Alista Tudor's forced jump through a non-adjacent Pathway and his ascension at the cost of madness, allowed Him to sense the situation there when He became a god, resulting in a strange resonance and the acquisition of the corresponding knowledge."

"Another possibility is that That One was given to me by that person in some way."

At this point, the "Magician," following his spiritual intuition, asked, "What you really mean is, That One involved in this matter?"

"Stars" answered again in an aged voice, "Hasn't He always been interfering with history, making it develop in the direction He wants?"

"Of course, this event may not be a predetermined part of history; it is more likely that He wanted to verify something."

"I never quite understood why He would help Alista Tudor forcibly ascend to the rank of ' Red Priest ' and stabilize his condition so that Alista wouldn't completely Loss of Control. Now Tudor think I understand a little better:"

"At that time, He was only the Angel King, and it was difficult for Him to influence or arrange the True God. But what if That One True God was in a very bad state, in a state of madness, and often acted only according to instinct? It would be much easier."

"With the involvement of Alista Tudor, the mad ' Blood Emperor,' it's possible that the ' Primordial Witch ' could be drawn to join in this matter."

Ultimately, He likely validated His ideas and gained valuable experience, but the outcome seemed to have taken an unexpected turn, leading to the outbreak of the ' War of the Four Emperors '.

"Stars" suddenly reverted to her original, slightly magnetic voice:

How many years passed between Alista Tudor becoming the ' Red Priest ' and the outbreak of the ' War of the Four Emperors '?

He immediately answered his question in a hoarse voice:

Five hundred and thirty-seven years.

"That's enough to verify some things," "Stars" remarked in a magnetic voice.

The "Magician" nodded slightly and said, "If this is the truth, then He must be very knowledgeable about the hidden problems in the Special Mirror World."

"Heh heh, if Mr. ' The Fool ' were awake by now, he'd definitely go straight to the ' Forsaken Land,' grab Him by the collar, and demand to know what's hidden in the Depths of the Special Mirror World!"

"Stars" sighed subconsciously:

"He, Mr. ' The Fool,' isn't that violent and rude."

The "Magician" Lady chuckled:

Do you even know what fantasy is?

"You need to distinguish between fantasy, truth, and falsehood. What are the real emotions revealed in falsehood? What are the emotions, tendencies, impulses, and entanglements hidden Depths in your heart expressed by the most impossible things imagined? What is speaking the truth, thinking about it, and even being willing to do it, but that does not represent your true attitude?"

"Once you figure these things out..."

At this point, the "Magician" Lady glanced at the paper and pen on the Desk and chuckled softly:

"Then you will have a basic grasp of the art of poetry."

Mr. Stars was silent for a few seconds before saying, "The knowledge I gained this time happens to be related to the ' Hunter ' and ' Witch,' and that was also His arrangement?"

"I think it's more likely that That One ' Celestial Master ' did it." The Magician pondered for a moment and said, "We don't know exactly what state That One ' Celestial Master ' is in, but judging from the ' Underworld Daoist,' even if He couldn't prevent the ' Moses Ascetic Order 'Kemolo ' from being Corruption, He should have been able to profoundly influence what constitutes the knowledge that is Corruption. And during the Hostel incident, He noticed the ' Seven of Wands '."

Hearing this, Mr. "Stars" nodded and said, "Is the entanglement of the ' Hunter ' and ' Witch ' Subordinate your Minor Arcana also His arrangement? To realize what was verified with the ' Blood Emperor ' and the ' Primordial Witch '?"

The "Magician" Lady chuckled and said, "They're more than just entangled. Although I didn't see it with my own eyes, my spiritual intuition and writer's Sense of Smell tell me that something must have happened."

"I felt pity for them, yet I couldn't help wanting to know the specific details..."

As he spoke, the "Magician" cleared his throat, steer the conversation back on track:

"The current development is an inevitable result of their intertwined Destiny, emotional interactions, and Humanity growth, and should have nothing to do with that That One."

"But!"

The "Magician" Lady emphasized "but" before saying, "I now suspect that His Primordial One meeting of the three of them was arranged, and then he let things take their course."

"Do you understand? The best writers build the stage, construct the events, and let the characters themselves perform, showcase, interact, and clash on that stage and within those events, in order to create the most beautiful stories."

"Stars" wanted to make a sarcastic remark about you writers, but after glancing at the paper and pen on the table, she remained silent.

After his reflection, the "Magician" said, "Next, we should be able to Cryptology more of the document's contents."

"What about the reward? What about the reward for ' The Two of Cups '?"

As "Stars" took out several extraordinary materials from a silver box, he said, "They were prepared long ago."

"These are the Potion Formula and all the ingredients for Sequence 9 ' The Sleepless ' to Sequence 7 ' Nightmare '."

The "Magician" glanced at it, smiled, and asked, "Not giving me the Gold Coin?"

"Although ' The Two of Cups ' is the guide for the Dream we've planned, and she's the only one we can trust and who understands the environment well enough, we still can't let her obtain it so easily. I'll give her another task, telling her that this time, in addition to the Sequence 6 ' Soul Soother ' Potion Formula and corresponding materials, I'll also give her a special reward." "Stars" smoothed her slightly messy hair and said with a smile.

The "Magician" nodded slightly and brought up another matter:

"I've always wanted to ask, Mr. Pallez, you've already advanced to Sequence 1, why are you still stuck with Mr. ' Stars '?"

"Stars's" Eyes Gloom once more, and her voice grew old:

As people get older, they tend to prefer stability and don't want to change their familiar environment.

The "Magician" responded with a smile:

I want to hear the truth.

"Stars" sighed, his voice aged, "You'll understand when you become Sequence 1 Archangel. You'll clearly feel how terrifying the slightest influence leaked out when Mr. ' The Fool ' and That One Celestial Worthy clashed. I can only remain within the Church of the Goddess of Evernight, seeking some refuge."

The Magician grunted and put away the Potion Formula and all the ingredients on the table.

She thought for a moment, then asked Mr. "Stars" with a slight Eyes:

Where did you obtain these materials?

"Stars" smiled:

"It was requested from His Holiness the Pope."

The "Magician" asked thoughtfully, "Your Pope didn't ask why, he just gave it to you?"

"Yes, they gave it to me directly." Mr. "Stars" smiled and answered frankly.

The "Magician" Lady had an expression of sudden realization.

She immediately stood up, opened a door formed of starlight in the void, and left the log house.

The deep night had just begun to fade, and before the first light of dawn could be seen on the horizon, in the Apartment Lumian rented.

Jenna, covered by the blanket, revealing her snow-white shoulders, lay beside Lumian and reached out her right hand, trying to pry open his eyelids.

"What are you doing?" Lumian asked, both amused and annoyed.

Jenna pursed her lips and said, "Since you're keeping your eyes closed and won't look at me, I have to take the initiative and open them for you."

Lumian reluctantly opened her eyes and saw those blue Eyes that held a hint of Gloom beneath a smile.

After a few seconds of eye contact, Lumian said thoughtfully, "Your mental state is much better than before."

Jenna withdrew her hand, rested it on her chest, propped it up with her chin, and looked at Lumian's face and eyes with a smile, saying, "Yes, I felt much better after talking with Franca that day."

Lumian immediately scoffed:

"Who was it that said the worst-case scenario they could imagine was Franca coming to kill me, and I would agree to that? You knew perfectly well that Franca wouldn't do something like that."

"That's just a fantasy, a fantasy born from inner emotions, self-doubt, and self-destructive tendencies. Can't you tell?" Jenna scoffed.

Lumian chuckled and said, "Of course I can tell, that's why I said it's best to let the problems between you explode sooner rather than later."

As he spoke, he was somewhat moved, and instinctively reached out his right hand to stroke Jenna's head, but his hand froze halfway there.

Upon seeing this, Jenna's eyes dimmed slightly. Then, she pursed her lips, raised her left hand, grabbed Lumian's hand, and forcibly pulled it to the back of her head.

Lumian then slowly began to stroke it, from stiff to awkward, and from awkward to natural.

Jenna looked at him, a smile appearing on her face:

"And what about yours?"

Lumian fell silent.

Jenna didn't pursue the matter further, and asked with a smile, "Didn't you and Franca... you know?"

Lumian sighed:

"I'm trying my best not to tell you about how things developed between her and me."

Jenna smiled and said, "Before talking to Franca, if you had said these things, I would have been really sad, in Pain, and conflicted. I could only control myself and not show it. But now, although I still have the same emotions, I'm more looking forward to you going, and I even feel a little relieved and happy about it. Can you understand this contradictory feeling?"

"Many of the choices I made in the past were also filled with such contradictions."

Lumian nodded slowly:

"You know Franca, even though she went all out, if nothing had happened on the spot, she would have backed down a bit afterwards, felt embarrassed, and wouldn't have been able to get past the final hurdle. These past few days, sometimes when I look at her or she looks at me, she's obviously uncomfortable. Anthony must have noticed, but he didn't say anything."

"I can't very well take the initiative, can I?"

"Yes, you're on your own initiative. You can go this morning, or right now!" Jenna said without hesitation.

Lumian gave Jenna a deep look:

"You want to use this method to strengthen your bond and save them at a crucial moment?"

Jenna hummed in response through her nose:

"I will try my best to persuade her to stay, but I will also respect her final decision."