You couldn't blame Anbaixiu for indulging in conspiracy theories. Stepping out of his identity as a member of the Elegy Poetry Society and looking at the organization anew, he began to feel that all sorts of things about it were off.
Jergal was choosing a successor to the God of Death, but what did that have to do with the undead?
Aside from Jergal, the original God of Death, had any other God of Death been undead? Even the current God of Death, Kelemvor, was human himself and hadn't ascended to godhood as an undead.
It made no sense in the first place for the Elegy Poetry Society to select only the undead. What hidden factors lay behind this, Anbaixiu couldn't say, but when it concerned the safety of his friends, he couldn't help thinking the worst.
This was the "trouble" with being reincarnated as a human: Anbaixiu had to start considering the people around him, rather than just calculating how much gold they could drop, as he had when he was a lich.
Herki Stone shook his head and said, "I've never heard of anyone leaving the Elegy Poetry Society. You're the first. I don't even know how many members the society has."
Aige also shook her head. "Though I joined a long time ago, I rarely interact with the society's members most of the time, and I don't know many people either. Still, if I recall correctly, there are indeed a few names that haven't appeared for a very long time. But I can't be sure whether they disappeared or are simply in a deep slumber."
This was the most troublesome thing about the undead.
In other organizations, if a living person went a century without a peep, you could assume they were dead—it came to much the same thing anyway.
Yet an undead could lie in any random coffin for centuries, and there was no telling when they might pop back up.
Since even Aige didn't know, Anbaixiu stopped pressing the matter and turned back to the main topic.
"I'm not saying everyone is definitely in danger, but I think everyone should keep their guard up. If the Elegy Poetry Society was truly founded for some specific purpose, yet you know nothing about it, then you're very likely not participants, but... consumables."
Anbaixiu spoke very bluntly, but neither Herki Stone nor Aige refuted him.
Because following normal logic, that was indeed the case.
Still, Herki Stone couldn't help asking, "Why haven't you told Gareth about this kind of thing?"
Anbaixiu shook his head. "It wouldn't do any good for Gareth to know. He's content just living his life by his wife's side. As long as he doesn't make a move, no one will provoke him."
Gareth did not fall within the scope of normal discussion; in Aige's words, he was the power of a deity trapped in a mortal body.
You had better not cross him. If anything untoward happened to Canggu, Gareth going mad would likely be enough to destroy this plane. Presumably, even if there was a mastermind pulling the strings in the Elegy Poetry Society, they wouldn't provoke Gareth lightly.
Why weave conspiracies around a super-expert who lived in seclusion enjoying a world of two? Did someone really want to force him out of retirement on a killing spree?
It was better for Anbaixiu to keep Gareth completely in the dark; that was actually safest for him.
"Who I'm worried about is you two. Lady Aige is close to ascending to godhood. Once she gets through this hurdle, it won't be much of an issue. There's no need to worry about Canggu and Gareth, and I can help Rose. As for you..."
Anbaixiu looked toward Herki Stone. The dwarf, currently masquerading as a giant, was already drenched in cold sweat.
Just as Anbaixiu had said, the one in the greatest danger in the Elegy Poetry Society seemed to be him. He had neither strength nor backing... If the Elegy Poetry Society really was playing some game of "sacrifices," could the next one to vanish be him?
Anxious to his core, Herki Stone quickly asked, "What do you suggest?"
"Don't panic. These are just my speculations. Maybe the President and the Poet were simply bored, so they gathered oddballs like us together just to watch us chat and pass the time every day."
How could Herki Stone believe that? The more he heard of this conspiracy theory, the more reasonable it sounded. If the President and the Poet were purely bored and wanted entertainment, why would they find a bunch of undead who didn't say a word for centuries? Wouldn't gathering a few bards for a meeting be far more entertaining?
"Cut the crap! Since you called me here, you must have a way. How much? Name your price! It just so happens I've made a little money recently, so I'm not afraid of you asking an exorbitant price!"
Anbaixiu cast a surprised glance at Herki Stone. Had this dwarf unearthed another new tomb?
Come to think of it, when the giants collectively ascended to Talos's divine realm, Anbaixiu was the one who received Talos's blessing and passed the ancient trials of the giants. By rights, shouldn't all the gold left behind by those giants belong to him?
Mm, he'd have to have a chat with the Dwarf Kingdom later. That was gold Talos had left for him!
Faced with Herki Stone's urgent pressing, Anbaixiu didn't immediately bring up the question of money. Instead, he comforted him first: "The more nervous you get, the easier it is for things to go wrong. Even if the Elegy Poetry Society really has some secret, it's not as if more than a handful of members vanished over thousands of years. I just left the group, so even if your turn comes, you'd probably have to wait another few thousand years."
Hearing this, though Herki Stone felt it was utter nonsense, he finally calmed down a little.
Only then did Anbaixiu continue, "We know nothing about the secret, so the things we can do boil down to two: make yourself stronger, and find a patron. Looking at your skills, they're mediocre at best; I doubt you'll make much progress even after another few centuries. And the President treats all members equally, so he can't serve as a backer. Therefore, you need to find a new patron."
"Who?" Herki Stone asked.
"Two choices. The first, of course, is Lady Aige."
Herki Stone looked at Aige beside him and immediately understood Anbaixiu's meaning. This lady was on the verge of godhood, and moreover, she was a deity who would possess a divine realm right from the start. If he fostered good relations with her, he might be able to "ascend to the divine realm" when push came to shove.
Herki Stone hurriedly said to Aige, "Whatever instructions you have, please don't hesitate to say so."
Aige, however, wore a puzzled look. She was nearing godhood now and genuinely didn't have any particular needs. Besides, what could this dwarf vampire offer her? A painting, or a novel?
Anbaixiu, however, pointed out, "Lady Aige, once you become a deity, you won't be able to look after your believers directly. The restored kuo-toa and the merfolk sent by Goddess Eadro will need to adapt to a new religion and new doctrines. Although this fellow Herki Stone isn't much of a fighter, his writing skills are genuinely the best in the Elegy Poetry Society.
"When it comes to compiling and writing doctrines, he's the ideal candidate."
Anbaixiu wasn't exaggerating. He had read many of Herki Stone's works; while they lacked technical expertise, his storytelling was truly first-rate. Moreover, Herki Stone had researched history in great depth.
As everyone knew, in a world with deities, so-called history was simply history concerning the gods.
Herki Stone could turn plain, boring trifles into thrilling, soul-stirring epics, making him exceptionally well-suited for penning hymns to deities.
Herki Stone quickly agreed. "Yes, exactly! I'm extremely confident in that area."
Aige's eyes lit up. That was indeed a good suggestion, and she did lack talent in that area.
Aige said to Herki Stone, "Then I'll be troubling you for your help."
After saying that, Aige couldn't help looking at Anbaixiu. This man really had prepared everything for her; she wouldn't even know how to repay him after ascending to godhood.
However, the dwarf Herki Stone seemed to have lost his head. Having just gained Aige's approval, he couldn't help asking, "You said earlier there were two choices. What are the other two?"
Anbaixiu gave the dwarf a look. This fool—couldn't he have asked in private later? Having just agreed to help Aige, he was already asking who the other two bosses were. Wasn't that practically announcing he wanted to jump ship? Had he lived all these years in vain without learning an ounce of tact?
Actually, it wasn't that Herki Stone didn't understand tact; normally, he was quite adept at such things.
But some people simply had that kind of personality: when danger loomed, their IQ plummeted. No matter how calm and composed they seemed in daily life, having a gun pointed at them would make them shriek uncontrollably without shutting their mouths, as if afraid they wouldn't die fast enough.
Herki Stone was currently completely out of control, desperate to know more "backup plans."
Anbaixiu didn't bother reproaching him, simply stating frankly, "As for the second path—do as I do and slave away for Hell. What do you think?"
Chapter 543