Having Old Neil confess to the Evernight Goddess was a decision Wilt had reached after careful thought.
After all, she was the Mother of Concealment. Nothing he did could possibly escape the Evernight Goddess's notice. In that case, he might as well be open about it and tell her everything he had done and everything he was thinking.
"Tell the Goddess... about all this!?"
Wilt looked at the astonished Old Neil and chuckled. "You're surprised."
"Hmm... let me guess. In your heart, the Evernight Goddess is your supreme faith, and your fiancée is the love of your life."
"So now you're caught in a dilemma: if you remain a faithful believer, you can't use an evil ritual to resurrect your wife; if you choose to resurrect your fiancée with Life Alchemy, you'll violate the Nighthawks' code."
"That's why you're tormented. On the one hand, you carefully research the resurrection ritual, unable to let go of your obsession. On the other, you follow the principle of 'do whatever you want, but do no harm,' using only your own blood in your research into ritual magic and hurting no one else."
"Because of this, your mental state has grown worse by the day, and you're now on the verge of losing control."
A sorrowful expression appeared on Old Neil's face, because Wilt had spoken the thoughts he had always kept buried deep in his heart. "You... how did you know all that?"
Wilt didn't answer Old Neil's question, but continued on his own. "Mr. Neil, is it possible that all those thoughts of yours are wrong?"
"Wrong!" Old Neil jerked his head up, his voice rising involuntarily.
Wilt nodded. "That's right. Everything I just said was what you thought. Have you ever considered the Evernight Goddess's attitude toward this matter?"
"The Goddess is the Mother of Concealment, and you are her faithful believer. Everything you've done has been under her gaze."
Wilt pointed at the floor. "But you still managed to complete part of Life Alchemy. Do you know why?"
"It's not because the Goddess doesn't know, nor is it because she doesn't care. It's because she's waiting for you to speak to her of your own accord."
"In the Goddess's eyes, you're a child devoted to love, a devoted lover who faithfully follows her creed and refuses to hurt others, yet dares to pay with his life to pursue a faint hope."
"So the Goddess would never blame you, because she is merciful and forgiving. She has always been watching over you in silence."
"The Goddess hopes that, like the other believers, you'll enter the prayer room and offer her Moon Flowers, Night-Scented Herbs, and Deep Slumber Flowers. Then you can tell her how much you miss your fiancée, what's on your mind, and each day's progress with Life Alchemy, and she will grant you the blessing of Evernight."
With that, Wilt said solemnly, "Mr. Neil, the Goddess has been waiting for you all along."
"You don't have much time left. At the end of your life, I also hope you won't keep her waiting too long."
After Wilt finished speaking, Old Neil froze where he stood, and a long silence fell over the room.
After an unknown amount of time, Old Neil's lips finally moved, and he asked in a low, hoarse voice, "Mr. Vincent..."
"Are you a Blessed of the Goddess?"
Wilt: !!!
Don't go saying things like that!
I said all that to get you to agree to work with me, and while I was at it, to praise the Evernight Goddess and flatter her so she wouldn't come looking for trouble with me.
"Ahem!" Wilt cleared his throat.
"Mr. Neil, you may have misunderstood. I'm not a Blessed of the Evernight Goddess. I've just read a great deal about her and know a little about her, that's all."
"As for what I said earlier, that was just my personal view. Take it for what it's worth."
"If you really don't want to tell the Goddess, you can also cooperate with me while keeping things as they are. I'll still do what I promised you."
With that, Wilt stood up to leave.
"Given how troubled you are right now, Mr. Neil, I'll take my leave and visit again tomorrow morning. You can use the time to think my proposal over carefully."
"If you agree, we'll be partners starting tomorrow. If you refuse, I won't bother you again, nor will I tell anyone what happened here."
"Well then, goodbye!"
The next second, Wilt left directly through Dream Traversal, leaving Old Neil alone in the basement, staring blankly into space. No one knew what he was thinking...
Wilt appeared in a secluded alley in East Borough, Tingen City, and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
"Nothing happened. I didn't run into any sudden enemies, and nothing unlucky happened to me..."
"Good. It seems the Evernight Goddess isn't deliberately targeting me."
"Then tomorrow, not only can I try to digest the Cryptologist Potion through Old Neil, but I can also learn Beyonder knowledge from him..."
When it came to working with Old Neil, the Evernight Goddess's attitude was all Wilt had ever cared about. As for Old Neil, he knew the man would agree.
Wilt walked happily forward, unable to resist humming a song from his previous life:
"We didn't understand the torment of love and hate, sorrow and grief
We all thought being in love was as changeable as the wind and clouds
We believed one day of love could outweigh eternity
Freezing time in this instant
We didn't know how to show tenderness
And thought dying for love was only an ancient tale
Wilt emerged from the alley and stood on a street in East Borough. He saw all sorts of...
No, all he saw were workers in ragged clothes hurrying past.
Every worker seemed to be racing along with their life and time, afraid of losing even a second.
But they were thin and sallow, in terrible health, and even giving everything they had, they couldn't feed themselves and their families.
Crack! A whip struck a horse.
A neatly and properly dressed coachman drove a luxurious carriage past Wilt. It bore the insignia of a noble.
Dust billowed up and landed on Wilt.
"Steal!"
Whoosh! A wallet appeared in Wilt's hand.
Opening it, he deftly pulled out the money and tossed the rest straight onto the ground. After counting it, Wilt smiled again.
"A full 30 pounds, 7 soli, and 4 pence!"
"Nobles really are rich, just as you'd expect. If you're going to steal, these are the people you should steal from."
Wilt stuffed the money into his pocket. In a good mood, he was just about to go find lunch.
Thud! A young woman dressed like a worker fell straight to the ground, no more than half a meter from Wilt.
Wilt: "..."
After a moment of silence, just as Wilt was about to check on the girl, a sinister wind suddenly sprang up the next second, sending a chill through him.
He activated Spirit Vision and saw a Wraith emerge from the girl. It then rushed toward the carriage that had just passed.
Wilt looked at the young corpse on the ground, then at the carriage in the distance. He took out his monocle, breathed on it, and put it over his right eye, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"So this is how to act as a Monster!"