I Can Support You Too

Banjie came out after washing his hands and saw that Yaxiu and Lisi were already eating. He poured tea for everyone, sat down, and said, "I was attacked by Yaxiu just now." "Huh?!" Yaxiu, sandwich halfway to his mouth, stared blankly. "Pfft!" Lisi spat a mouthful of orange juice right into Yaxiu's face. "Daddy, how could you—I'd rather you get me a stepmother—wait, are you and Auntie Bogin—" Yaxiu chopped Lisi on her little head with the edge of his hand, cutting off her runaway train of thought. He grabbed a napkin to wipe his face, turned, and asked, "You were attacked by that, uh, 'Gospel Yaxiu'?" Banjie nodded and briefly recounted what had just happened to him. "...Even though it was an illusion, based on my state of mind, if Miss Annan truly died, I certainly would have assassinated the Empress to avenge her. So second place on the Assassination List wasn't pure fabrication. It really could have been my future. "Helaifeisi and Rog probably died the same way. First, their sorcery spirits rioted, leaving them helpless to resist, and then they were pulled into an illusion constructed around the future boards. Once they realized that this truly was their future—that they would indeed do such a thing down the line—'Gospel Yaxiu' would appear and slay them, invalidating their ranking on the board." Yaxiu asked, "But we didn't see anything when we came in. How did 'Gospel Yaxiu' leave?" "I suspect 'Gospel Yaxiu' isn't a person at all, but a miracle or something similar. It automatically tracks down Echoers like us, and the moment there's no one around, it pulls us into an illusion." "How can someone be killed inside an illusion?" Yaxiu still didn't quite understand. "Besides, Rog committed suicide by jumping off the building right in front of us, and Helaifeisi was lying in the plaza pool—they walked there themselves!" "Perhaps that's why 'Gospel Yaxiu' only appeared after I acknowledged that this was my future," Banjie said. "On both the Evil Arts Board and the Assassination List, 'Yaxiu' and the 'future' are tightly bound together. Once we accept the latter, we have no choice but to accept the former as well. Thus, whatever wounds 'Gospel Yaxiu' inflicts on us in the illusion are materialized by ourselves onto our own bodies—the ones truly killing the Echoers are ourselves! "Think back carefully. Didn't the wounds of every Echoer slain by 'Gospel Yaxiu' on the boards match their own abilities?" Yaxiu paused, recalling the scenes, and found that it was indeed true. After Rog committed suicide, his entire body had melted away under plague virus; Helaifeisi, adept in the water sorcery faction, had dried up and drowned in thin air; and Banjie, too, had been run through by an ice sword! "Oh, right!" Lisi piped up. "How could Daddy possibly master so many sorcery factions? Or rather, the fact that Daddy is even a Two Wings sorcerer is shocking enough already!" "Can't you have a little faith in me?!" Yaxiu vigorously rubbed Lisi's head. "Once I successfully invent a miracle that lets my Substitute cultivate for me, mastering all factions will only be a matter of time!" "Daddy, you just ate french fries and now you're touching my hair!" In truth, it actually was possible for Yaxiu to master that many sorcery factions—after all, his operators' faction experience was shared with him—though there was no need to say that out loud. "This attack failed, but there might be another one next time." Yaxiu looked at Banjie. "What do you plan to do?" "It's simple. The moment you and Lisi returned, it vanished immediately. In other words, as long as someone is by my side, no attack will happen," Banjie said. "Mr. Yaxiu, for the next few days, I would like to stay with you as much as possible." "No problem." "One more thing: I hope this remains a secret between the three of us. Please do not tell the young lady." Yaxiu was taken aback. "Why?" "Knowing would only add to her worries," Banjie said. "She is already exhausted. I only want to quietly accompany her through Funeral's final mission. I am the Doran butler. When needed, I am a lethal gun; when called for, I can be a shield that lays down its life. "Mr. Yaxiu," the blue-haired butler said, looking imploringly at the Cult Leader, "would you be willing to fulfill an old man's dying wish?" Yaxiu pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I won't volunteer the information." ... Night. "...And that's how it happened. As long as someone stays by Banjie's side, the Isu royal family's assassination miracle won't take effect." Inside Annan's room, Yaxiu took a sip of water after finishing his explanation, spreading his hands. "You're the one who ordered me to speak. I was bound by the Contract and had no choice but to confess. My hands were tied." "You walked into my room all fidgety and wouldn't even take off your coat. How could I not tell you had a secret to spill?" Dressed in a purple nightgown, Annan sat in a chair with her legs crossed, smiling. "I didn't expect you to be so talented at finding loopholes. Seems I won't be able to trust your promises in the future." "I don't have a moral cleanliness obsession. If I know that keeping a promise might lead to something terrible, there's no need to keep it. Principles exist for inner peace, just like playing games is meant to bring joy. The moment you put the cart before the horse, it becomes pure torture," Yaxiu said. "Besides, you're the person closest to Banjie. If I kept this secret and it led to some tragic accident you couldn't get over, wouldn't I be the idiot Igola always calls me?" "In any case, thank you for saving Banjie, and thank you for your betrayal." Annan touched her earring, lowering her eyelids. "I'm glad you're here. Truly, thank you." Yaxiu asked, "So what do you plan to do?" Annan stood up, leaned against the windowsill, and gazed out at the scenery of the subterranean city. "Pretend I know nothing, let him stay, and let him take part in the operation." "I thought you'd send someone to take him away." "I certainly want to, but sometimes you can't just arrange someone else's destiny under the guise of 'it's for your own good,'" the Purple Moth said. "Not even the Gospel has the right to do that. "And just as he said: if I die, he won't let me go down to Hell alone. If I survive and succeed, then nothing will happen to him during the operation either. In that case, why break his heart all over again?" Annan let out a soft sigh. "The Doran clan already owes him far too much." Yaxiu walked over to her side and said, "Don't worry. Look at the Scheme Board—you and Banjie are still carrying out the Tenth Scheme together, which proves you'll both be fine." "Are we, who are trying to deceive the future, actually relying on the future to save us?" Annan couldn't help but chuckle. "Let's not dwell on that... By the way, Yaxiu, weren't you discussing plans with Igola this morning about what to do after the Weaving Ceremony?" "Yeah," Yaxiu said. "No matter what I said, Igola refuses to live off Burdette's wealth. He insists on starting his own business, so Lisi and I are planning to throw in our lot with him." "Why?" "Because he's willing to support two freeloaders like us. It's simply an offer we can't refuse." "I can support you too."