Do You Really Want Me to Spell It Out?

Everyone stared at the necromancer in astonishment, and the Swindler was no exception. Standing by the windowsill with cat grass smoke dangling from his lips, Harvey said, "When I went to use the toilet just now, I took a quick trip into the Void Realm and used the item. It was quite an intriguing experience. A river of swirling, multicolored light swept me along, and by the time I came to my senses, I was already in the Distant Sky Realm. Then I took one look and came right back." *Logging into the Void Realm in the bathroom... you really are something else.* "Why such a rush?" Yaxiu voiced the question on everyone's mind. "Harvey, becoming a Legendary Sorcerer is only a matter of time for you!" If Igola's path to becoming a Legend was somewhat uncertain, Harvey was undeniably a guaranteed seed for Legendary status. Setting aside how the Gospel had already woven a future in the Family Board where Harvey became a Legend and commanded gods, simply being around him every day left no one in doubt of his future accomplishments—just as no one doubted the depth of his perversion. Harvey had soaked the necromancy faction into every cell, every inch of his soul, and every single bone. Behind his twisted aesthetic lay a fanatical obsession with necromancy. At the same time, he possessed ample talent and a near-manic thirst for self-destruction. With all these factors combined, Yaxiu honestly could not fathom what could possibly stop his progress short of death—and even death might not be enough. Yaxiu even suspected that the Gospel's move had actually been aimed at Harvey all along, and that roping Igola into it had just been convenient collateral. After all, even if Igola became a Legendary Sorcerer, he would inevitably be a lawful-chaotic type; he wouldn't disrupt the order of the Gospel Country and might even actively uphold it. But someone of Harvey's chaotic-neutral disposition was an entirely different story. Suppressing his strength at Sanctuary rank was indeed an enormous blessing for the nation and its people. That was why Harvey was the very last person who should have used the Seven-Colored Tail Feather. He was destroying his own prospects and severing his own future! "What kind of future or prospects could someone like me have?" the necromancer chuckled. "Who knows? I might drop dead in a couple of days." "But what if—" "What if I don't die? What if I could achieve Sanctuary on my own? What if the people of the Gospel were willing to hand over their corpses for me to process?" Harvey shook his head. "Ideals, futures, romance, careers... You look ahead with such yearning because you believe things will get better. But I'm not like you. My life has been going downhill all along. Tomorrow will only be worse than today, though walking that downward slope is certainly much easier." Lisi wanted to say something, but Yaxiu held her and covered her mouth. "I actually despise how the Gospel weaves my future—what Ghost King, what founder of a necromantic family... utterly dull." Harvey shrugged. "It's like you're researching a serious subject, happen to pick up a few little hobbies along the way, and then someone tells you how amazing your hobby is, how many honors it could win, and how you should devote all your energy to developing that little hobby... It's downright sickening." The necromancer's voice was remarkably calm. Twisted, alienated, negative emotions churned and collided beneath the surface, while pitch-black desires seeped from every pore, engulfing himself and poised to drown the surrounding world. "There are two kinds of necromancers. One pursues immortality—like that Angel of Necromancy who's constantly trying to resurrect through his blood descendants. He is hideous, wretched, and warped, pinning all his hopes on some glorious future after revival, while living worse than a maggot in a coffin, whipped and tortured by the endless passage of time day after day." "And the other kind is like me." Harvey smiled. "Tomorrow will only be worse than today, so there's no need to think about any future. You just need to live each day well, because every day is the best day you'll have left." "Your lifestyle, simultaneously pessimistic and proactive, truly baffles me," Igola said. "You hold hope for the future only because you haven't seen death," Harvey chuckled. "There's still time to sign up. Come walk through the curtain of death with me." "All right," Annan said, clapping her hands. "Thank you very much, Harvey, for that inspiring speech. Igola, whether you use the Seven-Colored Tail Feather is up to you. If you use it, you won't see any obvious improvement over these next few days anyway; if you don't, and happen to die before ever laying eyes on the Distant Sky Realm, that really would be a pity." Only then did Yaxiu realize with a start that the Gospel had not merely calculated against Igola and Harvey—it had factored Annan into the equation as well. Logically, to increase their mission's chance of success, Annan would surely demand that they use the Seven-Colored Tail Feather to advance to Sanctuary as quickly as possible. Even if the two of them were unwilling, under the dominion of their contracts, they would still have had to step into the trap woven by the Gospel. Annan's words didn't actually hold water. The Seven-Colored Tail Feather didn't just allow Igola to ascend to the Distant Sky Realm; more importantly, it would instantly allow him to condense his Golden Wings. Right now, Igola's Golden Wings possessed only a handful of feathers. Once fully condensed, his mana pool would instantly multiply tens of times over, which would have an immense impact on his combat strength. *Why is Annan being so kind today...?* Yaxiu glanced at the Purple Moth, only to see her wink back at him. "All right, let's get ready to rest," Annan said. "Since Banjie and I are currently targets marked for assassination by 'Gospel Yaxiu,' we need to split into two rooms based around us." "Banjie, Igola, Harvey, Lisi—you get one room. Off you go." "Objection!" The white-haired little girl clung tightly to Yaxiu. "Why do you get to sleep with Papa?!" "Because he's the only one I can pick," Annan said matter-of-factly. "How is that possible..." Lisi looked at the others and froze on the spot. Banjie was already one of the targets; putting him together with Annan was practically bundling them up as a packaged kill. Harvey was physically intolerable. Aunt Bogin was acceptable, but compared to Yaxiu, even Lisi felt Yaxiu smelled much better. "Wait, I can sleep with you!" Lisi offered, not hesitating to sacrifice herself. "You could, but can you protect me?" Annan asked. Lisi's eyes darted around. "Wait, why do we need separate rooms at all? Can't we all just sleep together?" "I'm a woman, after all. I need at least a little privacy. Besides..." Annan glanced at Harvey. Lisi also shot a resentful look at Harvey. *Uncle Harvey, you're really such a nuisance. Nobody wants to room with you!* Harvey met their gazes calmly, lit his cat grass smoke, and walked out. "I'll sleep alone. Having Igola watch Banjie is enough." "Then Papa and I will keep you company!" Lisi felt she was making a massive concession. "Banjie, Igola, take her away!" Annan was completely unreasonable. With a warm smile, Banjie restrained the flailing Lisi and looked fondly at Annan. "Miss, I wish you two a wonderful night." Lisi wailed, "Papa, Papa, hurry and escape!" "Banjie, Lisi kicks her blankets off at night," Yaxiu called out. "Keep an eye on her." "No problem." Once the door clicked shut, silence descended upon the room. Annan suddenly leaned in close to Yaxiu, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "You aren't expecting something, are you?" "Don't get your hopes up. You're sleeping on the couch tonight. I'm not letting you touch me," Annan said, poking his forehead. "Prizes are only handed out after everything is over." "I wasn't expecting a thing," Yaxiu replied testily, standing up to leave. "Now that they're gone, I'll step out for a bit too." "What are you stepping out for?" "To give you some time alone." Yaxiu glanced at her. "You only kept me here because you didn't want the others to see you're scared, right?" Annan froze, then clicked her tongue and pinched Yaxiu's cheek. "Don't act like you know me so well. Long before I picked you up, I had already prepared myself mentally. I'm the mastermind behind blaspheming the Gospel—how could I possibly be scared when the moment arrives—" "Yes, yes, yes, you're the bravest, boldest, proudest Purple Moth," Yaxiu said, throwing his hands up. "I'm just going out to ask Harvey what the Distant Sky Realm looks like. If anything happens, just shout and I'll hear you right away." "Apologize to him for me. It's not that I hate him; I just find it hard to breathe the same air in the same room with him." "Does that even count as an apology...?" Yaxiu's mouth twitched. He turned to leave, but then came a soft thud against his back as someone leaned against him. "Don't turn around." "I hate it most when people see through me and pity me." "If it were anyone else, I would have silenced them for good. You're no exception—though you're spared the death penalty, punishment remains unavoidable. You'll have to spend the rest of your life making it up to me." Yaxiu let out a helpless smile and changed the subject. "I thought you would force Igola to use the Seven-Colored Tail Feather." "Mm. I really wanted to." "Then why didn't you?" Yaxiu felt a poke in his waist. From behind him came Annan's faint, wistful voice: "Do you really want me to spell it out?"