Spotted!!
The two n saw the sword's glint and froze. They exchanged a glance and, without a word, bolted with everything they had.
But Qin Xin had no intention of letting them escape. The Mirror Person delivered two casual sword-tip strikes, knocking both fleeing figures to the ground. Allendor cried out in pain and collapsed, unable to rise. Mo Rabic grunted, and his hands imdiately dove toward his chest.
Seeing this, Qin Xin planted another sword-point on the back of Mo Rabic's skull and smiled genially: "I suggest you don't move. Otherwise, the next audience you attend won't be with your Benefactor — it'll be with Death."
Mo Rabic went rigid. Every muscle in his body locked tight. With good sense, he spread his hands wide, signaling his surrender to the person behind him.
At that mont, the Blind One strolled over as well. Sensing the aura emanating from these two, she spoke with puzzlent:
"It really is the aura of Folly. Faint, but unmistakable. How could His presence exist in this era...
Are you wise n who follow Folly?"
Wise n?
Soone actually knew their Lord and called them wise n?
In that instant, Mo Rabic and Allendor — crushed by fear — felt their terror lt away for a fleeting mont. Not only that, but a joy too private for words blossod in their hearts.
'They know of Folly. They understand our Lord!'
'Praise be to our Benefactor — Your wisdom has finally begun spreading through the Underworld.'
Of course, these thoughts lasted but a mont. Being "wise n," they still knew how to read a situation.
Mo Rabic didn't dare twitch. Only when the Blind One circled around to face him and he slowly raised his head to behold a woman with both eyes firmly shut did this Folly follower blink — then murmur with genuine emotion:
"Praise our Lord. So it was Folly's wisdom that blessed you to see the world's truth."
The other one didn't quite understand, but "cleverly" chid in: "Indeed. The fact that you found us proves your wisdom. He truly has begun to influence all living beings."
"?"
Hearing this, even the Blind One was exasperated into laughter.
These Folly followers were clearly different from the ones she knew. Their speech carried so of the typical condescension common among Folly believers, but their brains seed... not particularly sharp either.
They lacked the cunning that other Folly followers — especially Folly players — typically possessed.
"Wise n, I cannot determine whether you're playing dumb while biding your ti, or whether you genuinely don't grasp the situation. But either way, it doesn't matter.
We're very interested in the 'audience' you ntioned, and we're sowhat curious about the Abyss Colorful Crystal as well. So — you two are welco to discuss which of you would like to explain why you're here, and how exactly one goes about having an audience with your so-called Benefactor — Folly."
"I'll do it!"
"I'll do it!"
Both voices rang out, firm and unyielding. When they heard each other's response, they lay face-down in the dirt and craned their necks around to glare at one another — gazes dripping with boundless contempt.
"Mo Rabic, you obsess over details and can't match
in grand narrative at all. This mont of proclaiming our Lord's wisdom should be mine."
"Fool, they're trying to pump us for information about our experint. You can't even tell that?"
"Obviously I can tell. But I'll use the wisdom bestowed by our Lord to convert them — to make them followers as devout as ourselves!
What about you? If you know they're trying to extract our experintal secrets, why did you agree to talk?"
"You idiot — because I want to live!"
"..."
"..."
'Hold on — we told you to discuss, and you two aren't even pretending to be discreet? You're just debating openly right in front of us?'
'What — did you figure out that we Torchbearers don't kill indiscriminately?'
Qin Xin and the Blind One were stupefied. They stood behind the two "fools," their expressions a masterpiece of bewildernt.
At this point, their image of Folly followers had cracked sowhat. They were even beginning to wonder whether these two's brand of "folly"... might actually be literal.
Qin Xin could barely contain his amusent. He sheathed his sword, deciding that enemies like these required no force whatsoever. He studied Mo Rabic closely for a long while, then rendered his "verdict" on the pair's little "competition."
"Then you go ahead. Allendor, was it? You talk."
Qin Xin could see that Mo Rabic's "emotional intelligence" was indeed a notch above Allendor's, so he decided to interrogate the "dumber" one first. The Blind One concurred with his choice, and both turned their attention to this wise man — still lying face-down, neck craned around, face alight with excitent.
Allendor was thrilled. With permission granted, he scrambled to his feet, dusted himself off, and launched into his explanation with utmost gravity. Though what followed felt less like an explanation and more like a lecture...
"As you know, we are followers of the most wise existence in the universe — the wellspring of all the world's knowledge — the God of Folly.
We've co here to spread His wisdom and, while we're at it, to collect essential experintal materials. We intend to complete a great experint that will bring us closer to Him.
The foundation of this experint lies in the fact that so... so rather confused seekers of knowledge have discovered distorted Divinity within the Abyss Colorful Crystal. And we — we have already mastered the thod of refining it out!
Imagine it — when a mortal can hold Divinity in their hands, the wisdom and courage contained within will surely earn His divine favor!
When that day cos, we shall beco the vanguard that summons the God of Folly into this world — flinging open a door to the very essence of reality for this lost world that has nowhere to seek knowledge!
All life, beneath His gaze, will undergo an evolution of intellect — a rebirth of knowledge!"
"..."
"..."
"Well? Are you trembling yet? An experint worthy of a divine audience may very well be born from our hands — no, from mine and Mo Rabic's hands.
Mortals are but dust. Knowledge, a sea of stars. Gods — they surpass the cosmos itself!
Once we complete this experint and gather the gaze of the entire universe upon this place, we shall have the chance to rise from the dust and, under our Lord's gaze, ascend to beco a star in the firmant — wielding the Authority of knowledge, becoming His most devout and diligent followers!"
Allendor was indeed skilled at grand narrative — but "grand narrative" wasn't exactly a complint here. Put another way, it could also be called... painting a pie in the sky.
Qin Xin and the Blind One were genuinely dumbstruck — but not because of Allendor's experint. It was the will radiating through his words. This wasn't Folly's will at all. If anything, it sounded rather more like Truth's will.
'These two aren't actually Truth followers wearing Folly's skin, are they?'
'What are they doing?'
'Stealing from another god's house to show devotion?'
'But there's no Folly house to steal from right now — He hasn't even descended yet!'
Qin Xin frowned, his curiosity piqued: "You two... are scholars from the Tower of Logic?"
"No!"
"How do you know?"
"..."
"..."
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