Paluriel still had not figured out what it meant to respect another person's destiny, but Anbaixiu's words certainly unburdened her. After all, how hard could it be to seduce a vigorous young man not even thirty years old? It presented no difficulty whatsoever.
So long as Anbaixiu did not step in to stop her, it was hardly any different from selling Harvey's soul directly.
Paluriel said to Anbaixiu, "You said it yourself—if I succeed in corrupting Harvey, don't you dare come asking me to give him back!"
"Go ahead, but don't say I didn't warn you," Anbaixiu said with utter gravity. "If I am merely a mirror the Goddess of Fate casually glanced at in passing, then Harvey is a precious gem she cradles in the palm of her hand to fondle. Back then, when you provoked me, you merely failed a spell and wound up in Hell. If you provoke Harvey, even I don't know what kind of end awaits you."
Anbaixiu's encouraging Paluriel to tempt Harvey did not stem from true heartlessness or a desire to lead his apprentice to ruin.
Rather, this was simply unavoidable.
Anbaixiu would never buy or sell Harvey's soul, but neither would he dictate Harvey's destiny.
Harvey was his student, yet along the path of destiny, the youth had long surpassed him. All Harvey needed now was time to accumulate the foundation necessary to take that step into the legendary realm.
No one could help him through this process; he had to rely entirely on himself.
Perhaps Paluriel was simply an ordeal fated in Harvey's stars, and Anbaixiu had no intention of meddling.
From the very start, Anbaixiu had repeatedly stressed Paluriel's exceptional nature. Harvey knew full well whom he was tutoring, and Anbaixiu believed the young man had already foreseen the trials he would face.
Therefore, Anbaixiu would not stop Paluriel from using her seductive arts on him.
Every divination wizard had to overcome a trial named lust, or named love.
Anbaixiu had faced it, and Mister Misfortune had faced it—both old men had murmured the names of the women from their dreams for hundreds of years. Even Selwyn, who had spent so long in hiding, once had a lover, and had even comprehended a way to delay the arrival of fate for her sake.
Without such an unforgettable past, a divination wizard could never achieve true greatness.
Paluriel was a bit of an extreme choice, perhaps, but only such a trial was worthy of Harvey.
Whether he resisted the temptation or fell completely, either outcome would elevate Harvey's spirit—and it was precisely the kind of drama the Goddess of Fate loved best.
Anbaixiu believed his brilliant student was already prepared.
Paluriel could not care less about such grand musings; whatever she set her sights on, she was determined to possess. Still, the madwoman was as good as her word, agreeing to finish scouting the River of Blood before turning her attention to Harvey.
With the plan settled, the next step was the campaign into the River of Blood.
Melina would lead her forces to push steadily inward from the periphery of the Blood War battlefield.
Because it was the outskirts, the demons they encountered at the start would be neither too numerous nor excessively formidable; with enough caution, there should be little trouble. Meanwhile, Paluriel would slip onto the battlefield under cover of the main army's entry. With her abilities, evading Bel's gaze for a short while would not prove difficult.
Before they began, however, Anbaixiu said to Paluriel, "Before you depart, pay a visit to that fellow Salvador. I asked him earlier to look into information regarding the River Styx, and he has likely made some progress. But he doesn't want to see me, so I must trouble you to make a trip to the Second Layer of Hell and bring the records back."
Paluriel pushed out her ample chest and sneered mockingly. "Heh, Lord Scribe still holds a grudge, does he? What a petty, narrow-minded man."
Anbaixiu explained, "If he were truly narrow-minded, he wouldn't be helping me at all. Salvador doesn't want to see me because I am on the verge of receiving a blessing from the Lord of the Dawn. As a sinner who betrayed his faith, he simply dares not face a saint like me."
"Huh?" Paluriel looked astonished once again.
"A blessing from the Lord of the Dawn? You? A saint?!"
Paluriel felt as though she had just heard the most absurd thing in existence. If this damned fellow could receive a blessing from the Lord of the Dawn, Hell should have been emptied long ago! Who else in the entire world could possibly be called a sinner?!
Anbaixiu shook his head helplessly. "A perverse lunatic like you could never comprehend the greatness of a world-saving hero."
Melina chimed in at that moment. "That's right! Father is the greatest hero of all! He saved the world—and more than once!"
Anbaixiu waved a hand dismissively. "Melina, keep it down. When I save the world, I never seek any reward."
Melina merely looked at her father with worshipful eyes, as if no greater being existed under heaven.
"Impossible! That is utterly impossible!" Paluriel protested. "I've asked around about what you did. You shattered Ryan's faith, you destroyed the empire, and you slaughtered countless people of Ryan!"
Ever since Anbaixiu's various aliases had been exposed, Paluriel had gathered a great deal of information about him from mortals who had fallen into Hell. The followers of the Lord of the Dawn had practically been brought to ruin by this lich. How could that deity possibly bestow a blessing upon him?
"I knew you wouldn't believe me. Take a look at this."
Anbaixiu tapped on his magic mirror, transmitting a detailed list into Paluriel's hands.
"What is this?" Paluriel took it and glanced over the contents. "Paladins, clerics of light... What is the meaning of this roster?"
"These are the elites of Ryan who fell into Hell by committing suicide. That is a detailed list of them. With your skills and this roster, finding those who survived should be child's play."
Clutching the magic mirror, Paluriel said furiously, "You drove over a million people of Ryan to suicide, and the Lord of the Dawn is still going to bless you?!"
Anbaixiu set his hands on his hips and said smugly, "That's right. Got a problem with that?"
If the Lord of the Dawn possessed an ounce of reason, He would recognize just how much effort Anbaixiu had poured into the Demonic Dragon crisis. Forget a million suicides—if Anbaixiu hadn't helped, Ryan would have been completely wiped off the map long ago. The dead wouldn't have numbered in the millions, but tens of millions.
On that merit alone, it would be downright scandalous if Anbaixiu wasn't made a chosen.
He had always said before that if the Lord of the Dawn offered him an olive branch, he would accept it in a heartbeat, but this time, he intended to be very picky and see just how much sincerity the Lord of the Dawn had to offer.
The World Council was fast approaching, and Anbaixiu needed to be thoroughly prepared.
Not only did he have to ready himself for the blessing from the Lord of the Dawn, but he also had to be prepared to seize control of the council's rhythm and guide the entire world in the direction he envisioned.
"By the way, these people of Ryan are vast in number and likely scattered far and wide," Anbaixiu added. "You can also enlist Salvador's aid. A scribe paired with an erinyes—the two of you working together should be vastly more efficient. Salvador won't refuse to help his fellow countrymen who have likewise fallen into Hell; he will give you his full cooperation."
It was high time that former cleric of light, who had once sacrificed morality and conscience for the sake of his faith, made amends. Let him round up these compatriots and deliver every single one of them to Anbaixiu to serve as cannon fodder.
That was the path of atonement Anbaixiu had arranged for them.
Chapter 587