Half-Touch

"The other half of the Touch is that woman, isn't it?" Igola asked. "Can a Touch really be split into two?" "Each realm can only ever have one Touch; that is an immutable rule..." Mercury Trojan said. "However, there are four Pillar Gods, while there can only be a single Touch. Thus, disagreements sometimes arise among them. "Although the Four Pillar Gods dote on you greatly, the favor the other person received was scarcely less than yours. Since the Four Pillar Gods could not reach a consensus, they made both of you half of a Touch until their opinions align—or until only one option remains. Only then will a true Touch be chosen. "So for you, it is still good news—at least that person isn't a complete Touch yet, and she cannot command the Four Pillar Cult to protect herself." "The bad news is that we cannot command the Four Pillar Cult either," Igola said flatly. "Because Yaxiu isn't a complete Touch, he cannot automatically become the leader of the Four Pillar Cult. That's why you're so happy—until a true Touch is born, you remain in charge of the cult!" "Indeed," Mercury Trojan smiled. "Although my Touch will gradually degenerate, the cult I built with my own hands will continue to operate according to my will." For Mercury Trojan, this was truly the best possible outcome. Whether Yaxiu or that woman became the Touch, it would mean she had to surrender the authority of the Four Pillar Cult. She was plainly a monster driven by power, and since Senluo's Four Pillar Cult had been built from scratch through her own sweat and blood, how could she willingly hand over an enterprise she had painstakingly managed? To her, the transfer of the Touch was an entirely unforeseen accident. Who could have imagined that the Four Pillar Gods would shift their gaze simply because of a massacre—and one of Four Pillar Cultists at that? Mercury Trojan was undoubtedly quite resentful inside, but to survive, she had no choice but to sever her tail like a lizard. Now that a true Touch had not yet emerged, Mercury Trojan had more time to prepare her exit. How could she not be pleased? Igola, however, was certain she would not step down quietly. While she wouldn't dare kill Yaxiu or that woman—since the death of either meant the birth of a new Touch—she would definitely find ways to prolong this standoff. "Doesn't a Half-Touch get any abilities like Everlasting Presence or Mercury Trojan?" Yaxiu asked. "Being a Half-Touch is equivalent to possessing a crippled organ. Can a crippled organ still be used? Yes, but it requires prolonged training and a good deal of luck," Mercury Trojan said. "Yet when you don't even know what your crippled organ is, how can you train it?" "Can't you tell what it is?" Igola asked. "My abilities are already fading." Mercury Trojan wore an expression of regret. "The abilities of a Touch are deeply buried secrets; I cannot see them." Not to mention Tamaxi, even Yaxiu could tell she was lying. She simply didn't want to speak up, lest Yaxiu manage to develop his Touch abilities. Brazen and shameless, blinded by greed, full of schemes, and thoroughly wicked. As a leader of the Four Pillar Cult, she was undeniably qualified. Yaxiu's tone also cooled. "What else do you have to say?" "Although you have become a Half-Touch, your crisis remains unchanged," Mercury Trojan said. "The blood seeds continue to gnaw away at your bodies at every waking moment. I can send people to deliver some Grey Fox supplies to slightly replenish your draining lifeforce, but that merely treats the symptoms rather than the root cause. "The Dragon Blood Cultivation System is far too domineering. As long as you fail to eradicate the Blood Core, you will remain blood seeds being drained day after day. Surely you aren't willing to let everything you've accumulated over the years be sucked dry by someone else? Therefore, you must still slay the Blood Core. "I will provide you with intelligence on the Blood Core and do my utmost to assist your hunt. However, once the Blood Core dies, it means you, Yaxiu, will become a complete Touch—are you truly prepared to serve the Four Pillar Gods for the rest of your life?" Yaxiu's expression shifted slightly. "Even if I become a Touch, I will never serve the Four Pillar Gods." "I apologize; my poor choice of words misled you. The word 'serve' makes it sound as though it were our active choice, but in reality, the relationship between a Touch and the Four Pillar Gods is not master and servant, but symbiosis," Mercury Trojan said. "Even if plants abandon the earth, sunlight turns away from the sun, or trajectory betrays the bullet, a Touch cannot defy the Four Pillar Gods. "When that time comes, your wishes will be entirely inconsequential, for your very life will be parasitic upon the Four Pillar Gods. No matter how much a finger despises the body, it has no choice but to serve it." The expressions on Yaxiu and his companions darkened significantly. If they wanted to survive, they had to kill the Blood Core; but if they killed the Blood Core, Yaxiu would become a Touch, and his life would be irrevocably altered. "Fuel their desires, grant what they need," Igola said suddenly. "It seems you have a proposal we can't refuse." "It is very simple," Mercury Trojan said. "You want to kill the Blood Core, while Yaxiu must also avoid becoming a Touch. Thus, you need only allow the Blood Core to become a perfect Touch, and then immediately kill her. That will resolve all your problems." "Doesn't one of them have to die for the other to achieve perfection as a Touch?" "I have another method," Mercury Trojan smiled. "As long as you bring her to the Four Pillar Cult, I will resolve everything for you." Yaxiu's lips parted slightly, but seeing that Igola said nothing, he remained silent as well. Mercury Trojan's suggestion sounded decent on the surface, but the murderous intent behind it was glaringly obvious. If they brought the Blood Core to the Four Pillar Cult and both Half-Touches were present in the same place, Mercury Trojan would only need to slaughter them both! Then the Four Pillar Gods would have no other choice but to continue favoring her! Even without Tamaxi's testimony, Yaxiu harbored no doubts about Mercury Trojan's wicked nature. Or rather, she wasn't hiding it at all, instead flaunting her malice with utter arrogance. For what Mercury Trojan had offered was not advice in the slightest—it was a challenge! She would help Yaxiu survive and help him capture the Blood Core, and in the meantime, she would prepare an ingenious trap for Yaxiu and his companions. If Yaxiu and the Blood Core both perished within it, she would remain the Mercury Trojan; if Yaxiu managed to break through, she would help them solve their problem. And most crucially, so long as Yaxiu did not wish to become a Touch, he had no choice but to accept this challenge! "...Even without the abilities of a Touch, you would certainly run the Four Pillar Cult with great flair," Igola remarked. "Seizing every opportunity, discerning every thread of human nature—your success and that of the Four Pillar Cult were by no means accidental." "The feeling is mutual," Mercury Trojan said. "Oh, right, there is one more thing I should tell Yaxiu. Although you have yet to enjoy the benefits of a Touch, you must still pay the price of one." "What price?" Yaxiu asked. "Do I have to thank them for bestowing Lalafell upon us before every meal?" "It is actually not a particularly grave price," Mercury Trojan chuckled. "It is simply that starting from the third layer of the Void Realm, every Touch will face the revulsion of the Void Realm." Face the revulsion of the Void Realm? "Wait!" Yaxiu caught a contradiction. "Didn't you just say the Four Pillar Gods are the masters of the Void Realm?! If I am their Touch, why would it hate me?" "Because the Void Realm was stolen by other scoundrels, who turned it against its original masters," Mercury Trojan explained. "Just as, if the Blood Core becomes the Touch, the Four Pillar Cult I created with my own hands will become my enemy." "Speaking of which," Harvey spoke up, "it's one thing for us not to know her name, but why don't you refer to her by name either?" "Because she used a miracle to conceal her true name, and furthermore, I have never actually met her, so I do not know her name either," Mercury Trojan said. "She formerly had a title: 'Silver Lantern Saintess of Dust and Calamitous Fire.' And she seems quite pleased with the name 'Silver Lantern.'" Silver Lantern... Just as Yaxiu and the others were mulling over the name, Tamaxi suddenly asked warmly, "Tanomu, do you have any other advice?" "None. The rest is just discussing how the Four Pillar Cult will support you—" *Schik.* With clean, crisp efficiency, Tamaxi severed Mercury Trojan's head and tossed it into the campfire. As if feeling that still wasn't enough to vent his hatred, he threw the rest of the corpse in as well. He clapped his hands, looking slightly embarrassed, and said to Yaxiu and the others, "Should I go fetch you something to eat? What would you like?" "...Blazing Lalafell." ... In the depths of the night, a streak of red light was moving at high speed. Despite having zero visibility, the Five-Tailed Flame White Tiger traversed the wilderness with effortless ease. Silver Lantern sat upon its back. Around her neck was a vivid ring of fluorescent green, resembling a noose ready to tighten at any second. "Ah, I almost forgot, there's one small thing I should tell you." Silver Lantern turned her head toward the back. Behind her, the quiet girl brought by the Illusion Mirror Dragon had not left yet, still clasping Silver Lantern's waist with keen interest. The quiet girl said, "Because your worldline is very similar to mine, I was thinking that the things I encountered back then might be things you'll run into next." Silver Lantern said, "If it has to do with the Four Pillar Cult, then it has nothing to do with me." "You can't say it's completely unrelated, though the connection isn't that deep," the quiet girl said casually. "There's someone who can form a team in the Void Realm and explore it alongside other sorcerers. It's very likely you will be pulled into that team." Sorcerers forming a team to explore the Void Realm? Even knowing the other person had no reason to deceive her, Silver Lantern couldn't help displaying a 'are you kidding me' expression. Nonetheless, she nodded. "I'll remember that." "Even without my reminder, you would know what to do," the quiet girl said. "It is time for me to leave. May you glimpse the truth before waking from your dream." "Thank you," Silver Lantern said. "I hope you have a sweet dream in your worldline as well." "My dream has already ended." The quiet girl smiled, gradually dimming like wisps of smoke. Just as Silver Lantern turned back to continue forward, a final hint from the other worldline drifted into her ear: "By the way, the leader of that sorcerer team is called the End Watcher." "His real name is Yaxiu Heath."