You Still Have to Read This Book of Mine

Books, everywhere. An exquisite, resplendent crystal silver lantern hung beneath a glass skylight, inky words revolving around it like planetary rings. Light, soft as liquid mercury, brushed over densely packed bookshelves. This was the largest library Yaxiu had ever seen—or rather, a labyrinth of books. Sitting in the central atrium on the ground floor, he looked up and estimated that the library stretched for dozens of stories, making him feel truly insignificant in the face of knowledge. The book spines of varying colors resembled prized swords kept in a collection. Hidden away here, perhaps no one knew the sharpness concealed within them, but the moment they were unsheathed, the entire world would bow before their breathtaking splendor. This was the deepest yearning of Weise's soul: to exhaust every truth and wield the authority of knowledge. Yaxiu was surprised, yet found it entirely reasonable. Although the Silver Lantern he knew had dedicated her life's goal to destroying her homeland, the conviction that drove her to destroy the world stemmed entirely from the Grey Fox heritage inside the Dead City. On that long, solitary night known to no one else, the young Weise had undergone the most profound transformation of her life. She had perceived the destruction of the Grey Fox Divine Age and had been shaken to her core by its magnificence and grandeur. Only then did she completely cast off the shackles of morality, embracing the mission of world destruction and shouldering all the world's sins. It was precisely because they possessed knowledge that the Grey Fox sorcerers had been able to create the "Sanctuary" hidden in a rift of time, yet even that could not alter their fate. Within the Sanctuary, they foretold the ultimate end of Senluo: either a painless world destruction or an eternity of torment in the apocalypse. Unable to save the world, they could only seek a slightly better bad ending. The helplessness of the Grey Fox sorcerers had been etched deep into young Weise's soul. It had not only awakened her martyr's faith of willingly bearing sin, but also birthed her relentless pursuit of knowledge—if the Grey Fox sorcerers had possessed more knowledge, if they had been just a little stronger, could they have found a better future? *We didn't do wrong; we simply failed to find a better choice when choosing.* If Weixi becoming the Supreme of Sorcery meant dominating the souls of all living beings, then Weise becoming the Supreme of Sorcery was likely an ambition to monopolize all knowledge throughout history. "You're finally here." Yaxiu blinked, only then realizing he was sitting on a beanbag chair. Weise sat opposite him on an armchair, cradling a pink-covered book in both hands. Her trench coat was slipped halfway down her arms, revealing a snug little shirt. Her legs in high heels were crossed, black-and-white stockings entwined like two supple snakes, her soft thighs resting against each other. Her shapely hips pressed into the cushion, and round-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. She looked indolent and cultured, playful and lovely. This was the true Silver Lantern Weise. "You were waiting for me?" The moment Yaxiu asked, he realized something was off. "Wait, this is your subconscious. If you can see me, that means I already existed in the depths of your consciousness." "Do you think gods have subconscious minds too?" Weise gave a dazzling smile, lifted her foot in front of him, and blinked. "Take it off for me." *What is it with you people and feet...?* Still, compared to Weixi's demand to lick her feet, Weise's request wasn't too excessive. Yaxiu obediently slipped off her high heels and watched her tuck both legs onto the armchair, curling up like a skittish little squirrel. "This is my final domain," Weise said. "Perhaps this is the difference between a grand law god and a primordial god. After I became the Silver Lantern, my will didn't completely disappear. Instead, I've been trapped here, day after day, night after night. "I'm gradually coming to understand why White Dove and the others rebelled against the Senluo Azure Lord. Think about it: if you were trapped in a place like this for thousands or tens of thousands of years, endlessly, with no one to even answer when you spoke, left to drown in solitude clinging to your ideals, anyone would learn to hate, wouldn't they? They hated for so long and so deeply that those beautiful visions curdled into deadly poison, so much so that they altered the wills of the gods. That's why White Dove, Fire Cat, and Blue Bird—even without awakening their egos—had their thinking transformed by their hatred for the Senluo Azure Lord." Yaxiu looked at the hundreds of millions of books, thinking that deep in the souls of White Dove, Fire Cat, and Blue Bird, a beautiful world must have been hidden too. But no one had ever stepped into their worlds—not their followers, not the Senluo Azure Lord. Inside, they had rotted and collapsed, leaving behind only the din of despair, yet this time the gods had heard their prayers. They had once been the most devout saints of their ideals, burning themselves to become the first sparks of flame. Now that the divine flame had died out, how could the gods not burn this erroneous world for their saints? These violent delights must have violent ends. "And what about you?" "I'm fine," Weise said with a smile. "The Mirage Dragon collected every moment my emotions showed through, and the Sorcerer Handbook you gave me served as the thread connecting them together. To me, I merely read a book here for a while, and then found myself turned into a god." "That's good, then." Yaxiu sank into the beanbag chair, immensely relieved. "That's really wonderful." Seeing his undisguisable self-reproach, Weise reached out her foot and pinched his calf with her toes, letting out a soft huff. "You still haven't come to Senluo to pick me up!" "Didn't you say you were going to silverize Senluo?" Yaxiu blinked. "Even if I went, I wouldn't be able to take you away." "But I want to touch you," Weise murmured, the tip of her toes gliding along Yaxiu's calf, tickling him like a feather. "I want to feel your warmth, stroke your cheek, and hold you close to pour out all this longing, rather than just existing as a phantom watching you fool around with other women." "I haven't been fooling around..." "Really?" Meeting Weise's gaze, which seemed capable of seeing through everything, Yaxiu hastily changed the subject. "With the others, I can help them summon their gods. But you are a god yourself—I don't know how to help you endure the fifth layer of Hell." "It's very simple: expand my authority. Not all gods are the same. Even among five-wing gods, the Gospel God's authority is far greater than that of the Dream Waker God. The former can eavesdrop on all sounds, while the latter can only 'awaken people from dreams.' Of course, having the Gospel God won't let you trigger the Colorless Dream Secret Poison; only the Dream Waker God can do that. No matter how broad an authority is, it cannot replace another god, but generally speaking, the more authority, the better. "Although a god has a chance of expanding authority on its own—for instance, through the great development of a sorcery faction—it relies much more on a sorcerer's cultivation. The Gospel God, for example, was definitely not a native god; it must have been a compound-authority god nurtured repeatedly by the Weaver." She paused. "To use an analogy you might not like: a sorcerer is like a feeler for a god. Only by relying on sorcerers can gods perceive broader domains and condense more authority." "That's fine," Yaxiu said. "How can I become your feeler?" "I don't know either. But since you've come here..." Weise looked around. "Read a book." "Read a book?" "Mm. Seeing you keep me company while reading makes me happy." Weise blinked. "And when I'm happy, my authority might grow." Though it sounded absurd, it was still far better than how Weixi had treated him. Yet as Yaxiu looked around, he found himself at a loss. "I don't even know what to read right now..." "How about trying this one?" Weise handed him the pink-covered book. Yaxiu flipped it open and nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood—it was an illustrated guide explaining reproductive positions in plain, thorough detail! And the figures demonstrating inside looked suspiciously like Yaxiu and Weise! While Yaxiu certainly had a mild interest in such material, he couldn't handle being the main character! He slammed the book shut at once, looking at Weise with a mixture of embarrassment and indignation. "Why on earth are you reading this kind of book?" "Previewing the material." Weise shrugged, her eyes curving with a teasing smile as she looked at him. "Someone has to take the lead, don't they? Or are you that confident?" It truly was Yaxiu's first time suffering total defeat on such a topic. Sword Princess and Witch would never say such things; if Weixi said it, he would just hit her over the head with a flat pan. Only with Weise was he completely helpless. "If you don't want to read that, I'll pick another one for you... I think it was over here..." Weise walked over in front of Yaxiu and looked at the bookshelf behind him. Her soft fingertips skimmed across the spines of the books as she bent down to search the titles. Even with Yaxiu turning his head aside, and even separated by layers of clothing, he could still breathe in her intoxicating fragrance. "This one will do." With a flick of her slender finger, she pulled a thin booklet from the shelf. Acting as though nothing were amiss, Weise turned around and settled directly into Yaxiu's embrace, saying, "Shall we read together?" Seeing the slight curl of her lips, Yaxiu knew this was definitely not going to be simple reading, but this was her domain; he clearly had no room to refuse. "Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move, Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love. Parting is for reunion, Loving is for eternity. Please wrap your arms around my waist, until we blend into one, undivided; Please shed my garments, until no barrier remains between our hearts and minds; Please kiss my lips, until..." Weise did not continue reading, because her lips were no longer free. In her domain, her words became reality; such was the law of the Silver Lantern. Mischievously, she bit his lip until it broke, and he bit back in return. Blood blossomed on the tips of their tongues, becoming their deepest imprint upon each other. The tastes of rust, lemon, and sweet orange mingled across their lips, and all their memories revived amidst that bittersweet tang. After a long while, their lips parted. Weise panted softly, her face flushed red. It wasn't that she had never kissed Yaxiu before, but it had never been with mutual affection. While forced melon might still taste sweet... being loved felt so much better. "Finished reading?" Yaxiu asked softly, the person in his arms feeling like water ready to dissolve into his body and melt his soul. Weise hooked both arms around Yaxiu's neck and pushed up her glasses—the only accessory remaining besides her black-and-white stockings. Tilting her head, she offered a faint smile. "Not yet. You still have to read me, this book..."