John: "Are you surprised? I'm not surprised at all."
Seraphina: "Not at all. What else could it be but a lie?"
John: "Who could disagree?"
[Deception]: "???"
"Wait, do you have a better idea? And why can I hear another voice?"
"That's because I want you to hear it. That's not the point. The point is, are you sure this will work? What if we're found out?"
"I infiltrated this way, so we won't be discovered. The only ones who could see through this lie are the Divine Emissary and [Gluttony]. And our goal is to et them, right?"
"Are you saying you've been in Atlantis for so long and haven't even seen either of them?"
"You think it's easy? That Divine Emissary, relying on his ability to see the future, rarely makes public appearances. I couldn't find a chance to get close."
"I thought you had found so concrete information..."
John sighed, a bit disappointed with [Deception]'s performance.
But given the situation, it wasn't the ti to bla each other. After pondering for a mont, John continued, "Speaking of which, when will this worship ceremony end?"
"By my estimation, it should be ending soon. Why? Do you have an idea?"
"Don't you think it's strange that in such a vast Atlantis, only the two of us are moving around freely?"
"Don't worry. Once I've enacted the deception, no one will find it strange. So... what kind of identity do you want? I might be able to help."
"You can choose an identity?"
[Deception] then smiled proudly and said, "Of course. The mont the lie becos reality, Morton Leonard will be a living person, existing seamlessly in the mories of everyone connected to him. It's flawless, effortless. Do you think my proud abilities are just so minor tricks to change your appearance?"
"You underestimate . Once the deception is established, so people will have mories of you and firmly believe them. Unless soone realizes you shouldn't exist and notices the gaps in their mory, your identity will remain intact.
The simpler your identity, the harder it is to uncover. For example, I am Randall Fila, a frustrated painter who grew up on the outskirts of the kingdom after losing my parents. My identity is seamless, so no one will suspect. If you try to be the king's son or a princess's consort, trust , your cover will be blown within three days."
After hearing [Deception]'s explanation, John nodded thoughtfully.
"Whatever, you choose for . I don't mind."
"In that case, you are my childhood friend, Morton Leonard, aspiring to be a musician but also frustrated."
"Heh, so we're just a pair of losers?"
"Exactly! Because that way, people will pay less attention to us, making the deception last longer. Look, here cos soone."
[Deception] caught sight of an approaching passerby and imdiately put on a warm smile. He walked up and threw an arm around the person's shoulder, laughing, "Old friend! Long ti no see! I didn't expect to run into you here!
Rember my mom? Randall Fila? We used to play together! And this is my good friend, Morton Leonard. The three of us once spied on the neighbor's older sister while she was bathing!"
Hearing this, the passerby's face turned red, and he whispered, "Fila, keep your voice down! I don't want people to know about the silly things we did as kids!"
"Sorry, sorry. I got carried away seeing an old friend. How have you been?"
"Sa as always. What else can change in life? A few days ago, I failed the marine guard exam for the sixth ti. If I fail again next ti, I'll be over 350 and too old to take it again. Sigh... It's frustrating!"
"Don't worry, my friend. There's always a way. How about a drink to lift your spirits?"
"But I..."
The passerby glanced at his nearby ho, then reconsidered and sighed, "Alright, let's go for a drink."
"That's the spirit, Leonard, let's go."
It took two reminders from [Deception] for John to snap out of it and realize that he was now Leonard.
"I have to admit, your friend here has so impressive skills. He managed to fabricate a completely non-existent mory and make the other person believe it wholeheartedly. It's really amazing. Can you do that?"
"Maybe in the future, but not yet. I can only make reasonable lies seem real. Sothing like this can already be considered a miracle."
Seraphina clicked her tongue, showing a newfound admiration for [Deception].
Makes sense.
Anyone who could survive such a brutal world and be chosen as an [Apostle] couldn't possibly be a slacker.
"Old friend, don't be so down. Even if you didn't get into the marine guard, there are other jobs. You can always make a living."
"That's true, but Rachel said if I can't join the marine guard, she won't marry ... Oh right, do you rember Rachel? The girl next door, the older sister we spied on together?"
"Of course, I rember! But you actually got together with Rachel?"
"Not yet, I just have the idea. But Rachel... she's been very vague. I always feel like she doesn't have feelings for ."
"Brother, you're overthinking it. You're too focused on the future and afraid of losing. That won't do!"
John watched as [Deception] chatted with the passerby about a past that never happened, as if he had really lived it. He couldn't get a word in edgewise.
It just showed that his grasp of lies was far from [Deception]'s level.
"Take Leonard, for example. Do you rember the girl who pursued him? The one from the marine guard, almost quit for Leonard, what was her na..."
"Wasn't it Sherry?"
"Exactly! Sherry! She was madly in love with Leonard, but now she's moved on, right? So, brother, take it easy. With our lifespans stretching over a thousand years, who can really say who will be with whom until the end?"
"...You're right, Fila. I should loosen up a bit. It's been a long ti, and I didn't expect you to have gone through so much."
"No choice, we're wanderers. We've seen a lot and gained a lot of insights. So, want to join us?"
"No, I still want to try one more ti. If it doesn't work out this ti... maybe then I'll give up."
"Alright, my friend. Good luck. It's getting late, and Leonard and I have to start our next journey. Wishing you all the best."
"Wishing you both smooth travels. I'll cover the drinks as a farewell gift."
"You're very generous, my friend."
[Deception] stood up with a smile, put his arm around John's neck, and they left the tavern. Once outside, John gave a thumbs-up.
"This ti, I'm truly impressed. You are indeed very skilled."
"Hmph, now you understand? Don't underestimate , you fool."
"But here's the question: what is the purpose of all this?"
"Purpose? Of course, there is one. For instance, we've made a new acquaintance."
John furrowed his brows in confusion, "A new acquaintance? Are you talking about Rachel?"
"Exactly. Next, we're going to visit this Rachel!"
"And then? Isn't she just an ordinary person?"
"She might be an ordinary person, but what if soone she knows is in a position of power? John, do you think a lie works just by claiming I'm a guest of the king? Of course not! All lies need a gradual process. What we're doing now is perfecting that process as much as possible, weaving a lie that no one can uncover, and making it the truth.
Got it?"
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