Denzel

With that, Sonia's turn to answer had come to an end. In total, she had gained the "Shared Life" blessing and the Gold-rank time faction, while losing her mind faction. Diya had answered one question, obtaining the "Shared Death" blessing. Denzel had answered one question, obtaining 10,000 soul power. Yaxiu had not answered a single question, but had become Sonia's health pack for "Shared Life" and a candidate among the random lucky bystanders for Diya's "Shared Death." The Watcher seemed to have stepped forward merely to set the rules. Once he finished speaking, he quietly settled down to enjoy the show. The Sword Princess also stepped back, turning the stage over to the Empress and the Witch. "Well then..." The Empress rose and was just about to speak when the Witch pushed her right back down. The Witch sat directly on the Empress's lap, nestling into her embrace like a little girl. "Next up is the Witch's turn—surely you don't mind, Empress?" Looking at the phantom of the Witch so close at hand—bearing a face identical to Diya's—the Empress was momentarily dazed, a surge of memories welling up in her eyes. "...Of course I don't mind. How could I ever refuse a request from you?" "Thank you." The Witch waved toward Diya. "The second question is very simple. I'm sure the other me will get it right with ease: What relation to you is the person you chose in the first question?" "I'll give you three options: your mother, your grandmother, or your grandfather." "The treasure tied to this question is your most cherished sorcery spirit, 'Listen to Tomorrow.' You worked so hard to obtain this sorcery spirit, and you couldn't bear to use it even after holding it in your hands, so please consider your choice very carefully." The cabin fell silent for a moment before Yaxiu spoke up. "Um... could you repeat the options for this question?" The Witch blinked at Yaxiu. "Mother, grandmother, and grandfather." Sonia: *I must endure...* "Why would grandfather even be an option?" Diya asked in shock. "Isn't the person sitting on the throne in the painting a woman?" "I was trying so hard to hold that in and not say it out loud," Sonia sighed. The Witch shook her head with a smile. Everyone naturally understood that she was not denying it, but refusing to answer anything related to the prompt. "According to test-taking principles, when a bizarre outlier suddenly pops up among the choices, there's a high probability it's the correct answer," Yaxiu said. "Besides, both Mistress (Denzel) and I were able to transform just now, so wouldn't it be quite normal if Little Sister's (Diya's) grandfather could turn into a woman? Not to mention, turning into a woman has always been an elusive fantasy for men." Everyone stared blankly at Yaxiu, and Denzel was no exception. Yaxiu countered, "Don't you guys ever want to turn into a man just to see what it feels like? Of course, I don't mean a permanent change, just a brief trial. Curiosity about the opposite sex is a perfectly natural instinct—it's precisely curiosity that leads to courtship and lovemaking. What are you all so surprised about?" Although Yaxiu made a great deal of sense, it was useless for this question; at most, it argued for the plausibility of "grandfather." After a brief discussion, Diya reached a consensus with the voices in her mind: "I think she is my older sister." After all, the Princess looked far too young; claiming she was an old woman of grandmother's generation simply lacked credibility. While it was possible this was a portrait of her grandmother in her youth, according to that razor principle the Knight mentioned, one shouldn't consider assumptions with no trace of evidence. "Are you sure?" "Sure." "Not changing it?" "Not changing it." "Really not changing it?" "Really not changing it." "Really, really—" Only when she saw impatience surface on Diya's face did the Witch nod in satisfaction. "All right, all right, no more teasing. Congratulations to you—" Crackling celebratory fireworks burst once more throughout the cabin. Under Diya's gaze, which grew pleasantly surprised amid the shower of sparks, the Witch smiled and said, "You got it wrong~" "Huh?" A sorcery spirit manifested in the Witch's hand. With a sudden squeeze, she crushed it into countless flecks of light that vanished without a trace. "As punishment for answering incorrectly, you have lost your most beloved sorcery spirit, Listen to Tomorrow." Even though she answered incorrectly, Diya did not feel much regret—there was no room for analysis in this question, it was purely a gamble of luck, and being wrong was only to be expected; she had mentally prepared herself long ago. Yet this made things strange, because it meant the Princess was not her sister, but rather her grandmother (or grandfather)—and, what was more, the very person she wanted to drag into death with her. *Why would I want to drag my own grandmother to die with me?* *And grandmother's appearance... doesn't her resemblance to me go beyond mere blood relation? Isn't there an entire generation, my mother, between us? How could there be no difference at all?* When the voices in Diya's mind realized these oddities, they unexpectedly did not argue. Instead, they fell so silent that Diya felt a little frightened. "Well then, on to the final third question," the Witch consoled her. "It will be over soon. The last question is very simple, so please relax and answer." "The question is still related to this painting." Her fingertips gently brushed over the portrait of the Princess, her ink-dyed nails looking as though they might scratch the face of the figure in the painting. "Namely: What does the person in this painting want to do to you?" "The first option," the Witch said with a smile, "she wants to sacrifice you as an offering to achieve an unspeakable goal." "The second option," the Witch sighed, "she wants you to inherit her power and position, to perpetuate an enduring legacy for thousands of generations." "The third option," the Witch said expressionlessly, "she wants you to become a god among mortals." Because all three options were far beyond everyday reality, the cabin fell into immediate silence. Even Yaxiu, who was normally so breezy and flighty, settled down without uttering a sound. Having waited a long time without receiving any outside input, Diya turned to Yaxiu, bit down on his wrist, and gave him a pitiful, pleading look. "Do you really want me to analyze it?" Yaxiu asked. Diya froze, and her expression changed abruptly as if listening to something. Her face grew increasingly sorrowful, almost on the verge of tears. "They... they say the second question indicates this person should be my grandmother, but the first question proved that I want to perish together with her, so grandmother must be an evil person." "The answer to this question must be the first option... It's precisely because grandmother wants to use me as a sacrifice that I hate her." Sonia gave a soft sigh in her heart and stepped forward to take Diya's hand, as though wishing to share her sorrow. Even without memories, learning that a family member wanted to murder her, while she herself longed to drag that family member down to hell with her... Or rather, precisely because she lacked memories, such a truth hurt all the more. This meant that a lonely, amnesiac person truly had no family she could rely on. At that moment, Denzel was watching the Witch. Suddenly, she leaned into Yaxiu's ear and whispered, "I've discovered crucial intelligence." "What intelligence?" Denzel did not reveal it immediately, instead asking, "If I tell you, can you forgive me and continue cooperating with me?" Yaxiu was baffled for a moment before catching on right away: "Because you lost the advantage of the Maiden of Secret-Peeking, you want to use our analytical abilities to help you answer questions? Was the reason you acted so arrogantly just now because the Maiden of Secret-Peeking gave you confidence?" Denzel's expression did not change in the slightest. "Holding different cards calls for different strategies." *Back then you gave us the cold shoulder, and now you're out of your league trying to latch onto us~* Though Yaxiu really wanted to tease her before agreeing, he glanced at Sonia and Diya and shook his head. He had no particular stance himself, but even during this brief period of amnesia, he could clearly see that Sonia was someone who bore intense grudges—or rather, hatred and resentment gave her significant drive. Just moments ago, Denzel had dared to make a move against them; Sonia had surely already dug a grave for her in her mind, merely waiting for the right moment to bury Denzel. It was only because he stood between them that Sonia hadn't already come to blows with her. Treating each other like strangers was already the best outcome now. If Yaxiu dared to propose patching things up, he would definitely end up pleasing neither side and catching all the blame. However, Denzel interpreted Yaxiu's refusal in another way. After pondering for a moment, she walked behind Yaxiu, wrapped her arms around his head, rested her chin on top of his head, and said in a completely flat tone, "Forgive me, all right?" ...... ... Fanmula. "Phew..." Annan dispelled the Book of Gospel, and the spiderweb blindfold vanished along with it. She rubbed her eyes and walked to the window, looking down at the hazy city shrouded in white mist. Even though everything was developing rapidly, their Doran clan still rested on the laurels of their ancestors, barely clinging to life on the glory of the founding Empress—as if the Empress had already done all the work they were supposed to do, and they had been born merely to enjoy themselves. *But this cannot continue. Doran's history must take a turn in my generation. Either it declines from here on out and becomes nourishment for Sennheiser, or...* *I will revive the glory of Doran and follow in the great achievements of Empress Denzel!* Annan's resolve was exceptionally firm. She had known the origins of the Doran clan since childhood and was full of admiration for that Empress who had first unified the Gospel Country. Unfortunately, with the turnover of several dynasties, the Empress's deeds had been thoroughly buried by time; aside from her name, Annan knew nothing about her. *Still, an empress capable of unifying the Gospel in chaotic times, Empress Denzel, must surely have been a solemn, dignified, unfeeling, ruthless, iron-blooded monarch who never bowed her head!*