"That's how it is," Annan said. "For the next few days, you'll be placed under house arrest in this building."
If this counted as house arrest, then what was her confining them to a single floor before—solitary confinement? Out of consideration for the young miss's pride, nobody in the dining hall voiced this sarcastic retort.
Whether Annan had gone to bury her face in Qinna's bosom and act like a spoiled child was unknown, but their permitted range of activity had indeed expanded from their bedrooms to the entire high-rise.
It was now eight in the morning. Annan had brought them to the dining hall to talk over breakfast. From time to time, Sennheiser clansmen of various races walked past. Perhaps having already received word, they no longer looked at the outsiders like cockroaches; the lowest standard of their gazes had capped out at viewing them as clowns.
Breakfast was buffet-style and exceptionally lavish. There were eighteen different preparations of Lalafell alone, most likely seasoned with the local specialty, beauty fishmint. Taking a bite, Yaxiu nearly bit his tongue from the sheer flavor.
One fascinating detail was that the concept of "home" in Fanmula was either remarkably weak, or exceedingly stretched. For example, this entire building was a "home." It had dedicated floors for exercise, study, entertainment, dining, and even work. The Sennheiser clansmen living in this building possessed nothing more than their own bedrooms. Aside from sleeping and resting, they barely ever returned to their rooms, instead dispersing across designated floors depending on their needs. When it came to meals, they practically always came to the dining hall, neither ordering takeout nor cooking for themselves.
No individual had a home, yet the entire building was a home to everyone—in fact, the entire Sennheiser District was your home.
Without question, this style of residential planning conserved vast resources and utilized space with peak efficiency, which in turn made everyone's individual bedrooms considerably larger. As for the price... there didn't seem to be much of one. At the very least, it held immense appeal for someone like Yaxiu, who was wholly insulated from the prospect of marriage. When he wanted solitude, he had it; when he didn't, he could stroll into the arcade and find a throng of companions. If such an apartment complex had existed in his previous life, Yaxiu felt he could have happily lived in it until retirement.
Yet for public facilities to be so complete and abundant, the prerequisite was sufficient foot traffic; otherwise, they would only lead to staggering waste and deficits. It was just like how internet cafes went out of business and pivoted to other industries once personal computers proliferated. In other words, the architects had to guarantee that residents would utilize these shared amenities as much as possible—something that was practically impossible under normal circumstances. Personal will and collective living routinely ran contrary to each other, and the very significance of private property lay in allowing people to gradually break free from the constraints of the collective.
Only in a clan-run city like Fanmula could such a peculiar social ecology emerge. The clansmen's psychological needs were directly gratified by the Beauty Mist, and their individual wills were molded by the clan's reincarnation dreams. Their discontent and cravings regarding reality were suppressed to an absolute minimum. Naturally, they lived like automatons, following each step of the routine programmed by their clan.
In a sense, Fanmula might represent one of the upgrade paths for Gospel society. After all, the residents of Azula still harbored immoral desires that required the Book of Gospel to vent, whereas the clan inhabitants of Fanmula, breathing Beauty Mist year in and year out, never bred wicked thoughts at all. Everyone was a model citizen of the highest order. Work efficiency, pace of life, interpersonal relationships, and social engineering were all elevated under the clan's influence to the level of a nationwide model city. Aside from the fact that nobody ever conceived the thought of "dissatisfaction," everything was utterly satisfying.
However, these visiting outsiders hadn't come here to conduct a sociological survey. Their sole concern was whether their current status was that of helpless dependents living under another's roof, or rare commodities waiting to be cashed in.
Yet Annan had no intention of elaborating further. She left them with only a single remark—"I'll gather you all at six this evening. Until then, your time is your own"—and transferred five hundred Gospel points to them.
From this moment on, the Funeral Agency officially entered a strategic partnership with the Book of Gospel; if any urgent matter arose, they could directly ask the Gospel how to handle it.
Yaxiu asked, "Aren't you worried we'll ask how to break our contract with you?"
Annan: "I already asked. Five hundred isn't enough."
Watching the backs of Annan and Banjie as they walked away, Harvey pulled out a cat grass cigarette. Glancing at Lisi, who was still locked in fierce combat with a strawberry ice cream, he bit down on it without lighting it. "I'm very worried that mother-daughter pair is going to sell us out."
Yaxiu said, "Annan wouldn't be that kind of person, would she? What I mean is, the young miss is so greedy, and she's invested so much effort into us. There's no way she'd just hand us over on a silver platter."
"Still, you can see how vast the difference in rank is between her and her mother." The necromancer spread his hands. "If I were to use corpses as an analogy, the gulf between them is as wide as that between a charred corpse and a bloated floater."
"Honestly speaking, I don't think that's a suitable analogy for mealtime..."
"Is that so? Personally, I find it makes the food all the more delicious." Holding the cat grass cigarette in his mouth, Harvey said, "Regardless of how irreconcilable Annan made things sound between herself and her mother back in prison, her most important backing right now remains her blood relation to her mother. And as for blood relations... my view aligns pretty closely with Igola's."
"The purpose of every relationship is to allow those on top to better exploit those below." The Swindler leisurely savored his food. "Harvey is right. Annan lacks the capital to contend with Qinna. As for that contract between mother and daughter... Heh, contracts might not even be able to fully control us, so how can anyone expect one to bind a Sanctuary Sorcerer?
"On top of that, Annan is still being secretive, refusing to divulge her plans. Our current situation is basically no different from that of a Lalafell; it just comes down to whether the chef's surname is Dolan or Sennheiser."
Lisi gasped in shock. "Are we going to be eaten?"
"Do you prefer salted egg yolk or salt-baked?" Yaxiu wiped away the blissful smear of heavy cream around Lisi's mouth with a napkin. "If you're scared, stop eating so much. If you get too fat, you'll be slaughtered, you know!"
"Then I'm not scared anymore! Daddy is fatter than me—fatter even than Aunt Bogin."
"I'm called 'strapping' and 'radiant.' How could a pretty boy like your Aunt Bogin ever compare?"
Igola couldn't be bothered to entertain the father and daughter. "An eerie city, xenophobic locals, an elusive and secretive employer, ill-intentioned local law enforcement... Even in the Blood Moon, the only place capable of gathering all four of these suspicious elements would be my hometown, Feimeng City."
"Just what kind of earthly hell did a demon like you claw your way out of..."
"In any case, investigate first." Igola stood up and picked up his tray. "I don't expect you to dig up any useful intel, but at the very least, don't draw too much attention. Especially you three: a suspicious man clad in black robes in broad daylight, an aesthetic black hole trailing right behind abyssal fashion, an intellectually stunted toddler who only knows how to act cute and play dumb—plus Harvey and little Lisi."
"If we were in the Blood Moon Country, I would definitely sue you for personal attacks," Yaxiu said.
Harvey got up to leave as well. "I'm heading back to cultivate. Does anyone want to become research material for me?"
Though the necromancer repeatedly swore he wouldn't lay a hand on them, evidently nobody was eager to sleep in a coffin. After Harvey left as well, Yaxiu looked at Lisi.
Lisi shook her head. "I'm very busy today too. Be a good Daddy and go play with the other kids!"
"No, no, I want Lisi... Never mind."
The playful, childish urge bubbling in Yaxiu was ultimately no match for the prick of shame. Giving up halfway through acting spoiled with Lisi, he flubbed his own routine and quickly changed the subject. "What could a little kid like you possibly be busy with? Leave charging on the front lines to your Aunt Bogin. For you, remembering to wipe your mouth after eating is plenty."
Lisi looked earnestly at Yaxiu, then bowed her head. "I'm not a little kid. Daddy, did you forget? I'm here to claim the divine wish."
"Then you're a greedy little kid who still doesn't know how to wipe her own mouth." Yaxiu pulled her over and roughly rubbed the napkin over her greasy little mouth. "Even your Aunt Bogin finds this place dangerous. You'd better stay in your room and not go running around."
Lisi didn't answer, but her small face was practically plastered with the words outward compliance, inward defiance.
Yaxiu let out a sigh. "I couldn't be bothered to hover over you either, but unfortunately, I have a contract to protect you. Do you want me to come with you?"
Lisi replied crisply, "No need!"
Yet Yaxiu shook his head. "I can't let you run around this place alone. Even if I were willing, the contract isn't... Don't rush." Noticing Lisi pouting, he muttered, "A daughter going through her rebellious phase is truly a handful... Wait, I have an idea."
Yaxiu snapped his fingers, and another suspicious wanted criminal in black robes appeared beside him. Naturally, Lisi knew this was Yaxiu's Substitute sorcery spirit. Puzzled, she asked, "Daddy, you want the Substitute to follow me? But the Substitute only obeys your orders. When I told it to kneel down, it wouldn't even do that."
Why were you trying to make it kneel in the first place... Yaxiu opened his mouth, stopped, hesitated, and ultimately chose to overlook this minor detail. "This isn't just the Substitute sorcery spirit by itself. It's a combination miracle of Substitute plus Command—Advanced Substitute!"
"What's so special about it?"
"The special part is that I can transfer command permissions to you, so you can direct the Substitute." Yaxiu patted the Substitute. "With it following you, I at least won't have to worry. Besides, the Substitute doesn't share sight or memories with me, so you don't have to worry about your adolescent secrets being discovered."
The "Command" sorcery spirit had been Yaxiu's reward from the Amnesia Cabin. Inside the cabin, he had lost his Reverse Day sorcery spirit but obtained the Command sorcery spirit and the Secret Incarnation. The synergy between Command and Substitute was practically a match made in heaven—scandalously perfect. Not only was the operational range of the Substitute vastly extended, but Yaxiu could even rent it out.
Once he was far away from all conflict in the future, Yaxiu could simply rely on the Substitute to support him, living out peaceful, quiet days as a complete deadbeat.
"Really?" Lisi blinked her eyes and bent down to take off her shoes—
"Wait, what are you doing?!" Yaxiu panicked.
"I want it to carry me on its back."
"Then why are you taking off your shoes?"
Lisi scratched her head. "Oh, right! Even though I'm not touched by Daddy's care at all, since you're so determined to inconvenience me, I guess I'll go take the Substitute for a walk!"
"In times like this, all you need to do is say thank you sincerely." Yaxiu tousled Lisi's hair again. "Although I don't know what you're in such a rush about, don't push yourself too hard."
Lisi looked up at Yaxiu, her eyes suddenly squinting into a beam (^ω^). "Is Daddy finally willing to seize the divine wish together with me?"
"And don't push me, either," Yaxiu retorted, exasperated.
After leaving the dining hall with the Substitute, Lisi retrieved her beloved little hand mirror and stared into her own reflection for a long time.
Little Witch: Why don't we go ask Daddy for help? He's an adult, so he's much better suited to dig up information about the Gospel Incarnation, and I want to work together with Daddy anyway—
Black Butler: Our little sister is siding with an outsider. Is this her rebellious phase?
White Queen: Lisi, we cannot expose our secret. Human nature cannot withstand testing, and the only ones we can trust are our sisters. In terms of closeness, the Witch is even our grandmother.
Little Witch: Daddy isn't grandmother!
Black Butler: Keep trying to test his human nature, and he might end up becoming our grandfather.
Little Witch was shocked: Is Yaxiu going to marry grandmother?!
Right at that moment, Diya spoke up. Lisi, I'm willing to trust your judgment.
The moment Diya spoke, the other sisters were stunned. Not just Black Butler and White Queen; even Red Apostle couldn't help speaking up: Diya, are you finally admitting that your IQ is on par with an eight-year-old?
Diya: According to our division of roles, you have the final say in reality, Lisi, just as I am the undisputed big sister in the Void Realm. You are entirely within your rights to decide our course of action in reality...
Black Butler: Bah.
Just as Lisi's eyes began to brighten, Diya added: However, just as you trust Yaxiu, I trust the Watcher and the Sword Princess just as much. But do you know why I went to the Swindler first thing this morning to learn how to conceal secrets naturally?
Why?
Because so long as secrets are not exposed, nothing changes. Maintaining the mask we've always worn allows us to keep enjoying the relationships we currently have.
Little Witch protested, unconvinced: Even if we told them, things might change for the better!
Diya: Truly? In the Void Realm, the Watcher might not care, but the Sword Princess clearly values the Watcher far more than she values me. In reality, Yaxiu might harbor no ill will toward you, but in order to help you, he would definitely enlist the aid of the Swindler and the necromancer. Even if he didn't, those two would eventually notice his abnormal behavior... Those two might not harbor any genuine malice toward us, but compared to us, they certainly care far more about Yaxiu—just as the Sword Princess would turn against me to protect the Watcher.
If Yaxiu were willing to become an enemy of the Gospel for your sake, are you willing to let him?
Lisi fell silent. White Queen, Black Butler, and Red Apostle remained quiet as well.
Lisi: Should I distance myself from Daddy, then?
Diya: There is no need. On the contrary, you should continue to use Yaxiu; that was our original plan all along. Leverage his kindness toward you, guide him to help you, but never expose our secret.
Better that we use him than let him help us of his own accord. The most terrifying aspect of the Gospel is its ability to twist goodwill in the human heart into malice from destiny.
Back in the High Tower, we experienced far too much of that grief. Those who wished to stop us from donning the armor and achieving sainthood all became sins and debts our souls were forced to bear. Those we deceived and fooled, on the other hand, survived.
Until the Weaving Ceremony ends, our love is a curse, and our trust is poison.
Little Witch grew crestfallen. So Lisi still has no choice but to become a wicked witch who lies and uses people?
Yes, Diya said. We are all wicked witches.
I'm sorry, White Queen said softly out of nowhere. Your elder sisters haven't been able to give you a happy life, and instead, we've forced you to shoulder all this.
Hey, hey, White, what are you apologizing for?! Black Butler said. This is clearly all the Witch's fault. What does it have to do with us!
Red Apostle: Little Black, just shut up.
It's fine! Lisi perked up. I'm your little sister—I'm not knocked down that easily! If I have to be a witch, then I'll be a witch. I was a little witch to begin with!
Lisi turned to look at the Substitute. "Come on, let's go find the library here..." As she spoke, a hint of pleading appeared on her face. "Can you hold my hand?"
Though she couldn't open her heart to Yaxiu, at least, for now, she could act spoiled toward Yaxiu's Substitute to her heart's content.
The Substitute glanced at her, reaching out to clasp her small hand.
The dejection on little Lisi's face vanished without a trace, and she began hopping and skipping like a happy little rabbit.
"Let's go. Help me find the floor with the library."
"My legs are tired from walking. Carry me on your back instead."
"Help me search for books that mention the Gospel Incarnation, and find ones covering history from a thousand years ago while you're at it."
"I'm sleepy. Keep your movements gentle."
"Can you sing?"
Ten-odd minutes later, inside the library, the Substitute pulled out the relevant books while carefully minimizing his movements so as not to wake Lisi, expressionlessly humming a children's nursery rhyme.
Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of a volume on the bookshelf titled Passed Down Through Generations: The Endless Enslavement of the Wicked Nobility. Across his hollow eyes flickered an intricate glint of light.
Chapter 323