“Great Four Pillars, please heed my command!”
As Ashe spoke, rcury Trojan Horse’s emotionless face, seemingly sculpted from cent, paused montarily.
Harvey’s expression remained calm, not sensing anything amiss. After all, for soone like him, who navigated social interactions with the sa phrases-whether facing partners, corpses, or ordinary people-lines such as “You’re getting stiff,” “I’ll be gentle with you,” or “You’re so responsive” sufficed. Thus, to him, Ashe’s words felt natural. If a sorcerer could command a corpse, commanding the Four Pillars seed equally plausible.
Tamashi turned his head and gave Ashe a thumbs-up.
Only Igor felt deeply conflicted.
Although he often called Ashe a fool, Ashe couldn’t be unaware of the current situation. Yet he managed to make such a blunder-this wasn’t his first encounter with the Four Pillars Cult. It was akin to spilling food on a demon while serving them, and doing it three tis in a row-besides being intentional, what else could it be?
So why would he do this? Hearing such a silly question, the child hiding in the darkest corner of the Con Artist’s mind, who could only sleep locked in a closet, sneered with an answer: “He’s trying to deceive you.”
“As long as he speaks disrespectfully during the prayer, he can incur the Four Pillars’ displeasure and naturally lose his eligibility to beco the Tactile Sense. He’s unlike you or Harvey; he’s a flawless sanctuary sorcerer, with potential to beco a legendary sorcerer, possibly even a demigod angel. Becoming the Four Pillars’ Tactile Sense is a burden, a curse for him.”
“You think he doesn’t know he’s the top candidate? rcury Trojan Horse has her eyes on him from the start; he can’t decline. His noble sacrifices are just to earn your goodwill and gratitude. Now, by sabotaging intentionally, he’d leave only you as the candidate.”
“To protect her interests, rcury Trojan Horse will undoubtedly help you beco the Tactile Sense, allowing him to avoid any risks without losing anything, making you the scapegoat.”
“He’ll undoubtedly feign ignorance, provide a perfect excuse, and claim it was an innocent mistake.”
“Speaking altruistically with a selfish heart. Others pay the price, he reaps the rewards. Adapting to circumstances, diverting misfortune…”
“Isn’t this the Mask we’ve always worn?”
The deep, familiar undercurrent quietly flowed within, as if he had never left the Blood Moon. For soone like him, the Blood Moon was inescapable, regardless of where he went.
Igor looked at Ashe, who turned to face them, appearing utterly bewildered.
“I didn’t an to say that,” the Cult Leader said dumbfoundedly. “Though I do harbor so disdain for the Four Pillars… Could it be that I’m so righteous now that I can’t even lie?”
What a poor excuse; only a fool would believe it.
Igor sighed helplessly, holding his forehead and shaking his head.
“Idiot.”
Ashe found himself questioning reality, uncertain if he made a slip of the tongue.
Suddenly, rcury Trojan Horse spoke up: “I see, the forr Tactile Sense was already on guard against you seeking favor.”
“Huh?”
“The Eternal Presence you encountered previously left a little ‘surprise’ in the mark they gave you,” rcury Trojan Horse explained. “The mont you attempt to pray to the Four Pillars, your luck plumts to its lowest. In other words, it’s impossible for you to conduct a sincere prayer-your praises will inevitably transform into insults through distractions, nausea, wild thoughts, or drowsiness.”
“Though she can’t see the truth like I can, she knows your potential, and used this thod to prevent you from gaining favor.”
“A very childlike tactic, as if conceived by a child, yet undeniably effective.”
Ashe was taken aback: “Just because my posture was slightly elevated, the Four Pillars won’t pay attention to ? Shouldn’t the Four Pillars be magnanimous, not sweat the small stuff, indifferent to mortals’ disrespect, and be such grand entities that they can brush off any insult with a smile?” ????????BЕＳ
That posture wasn’t just slightly elevated, and you were in the cell earlier saying the Four Pillars were a bunch of relentless pyramid sche crooks… Igor and the others thought to themselves.
“The Four Pillars indeed don’t care for mortal disrespect, but the issue is you’re vying for a position beyond the mortal realm,” rcury Trojan Horse explained. “Would you accept your own eye speaking disrespectfully to you? You’re not the only eye, after all.”
“Moreover, within the Four Pillars, the Lord of Myriad Glories, the Lord of Wind, Rain, and Snow, and the Dreaming Free Spirit are particularly irked by such condescending tones. While the Eternal Fiery Heart might not care, responding to you would an compromising their own dignity to appease you.”
“Are the Four Pillars really that petty?”
“The Four Pillars are quite petty,” rcury Trojan Horse continued. “Their doctrine contains no ntion of goodness, benevolence, or forgiveness-traits considered ‘altruistic.’ Instead, it emphasizes ‘self-serving qualities’ such as courage, cunning, and delight. In the Four Pillars Cult, pettiness is seen as a desirable trait; one of the doctrines actually encourages us not to compromise our own feelings for the sake of others’ experiences.”
“So what should I do?” Ashe asked, a bit anxious. “Is there any way to gain more of the Four Pillars’ favor… to catch their attention? Do I need to perform so talent?”
rcury Trojan Horse shook her head. “There’s no way. Speaking so irreverently, the Four Pillars are unlikely to respond to you-unless…”
Whoosh!
The bonfire’s flas suddenly surged, light breaking free like an unbridled beast. The night was pushed back, coughing up the streetlights, fire pits, and all the light sources it had claid monts before.
In an instant, the camp was illuminated once again, and the statues of the Four Pillars on the periter began to faintly glow.
“…They really do favor you.”
Ashe could no longer hear rcury Trojan Horse’s remarks. Sound, light, colors, airflow… everything he sensed was disassembling and reassembling. It was as if what he had experienced before was rely a facade, and now he was wiping away the dust on the glass, peering at the truth hidden beneath.
With a silent plunge, Ashe felt himself fall into the depths of the ocean, the cold seawater stinging his skin and flooding his nostrils, the sour sensation reaching his eyes, lting his eardrums.
A bubble, he seed to have beco a bubble.
In this daze, he saw eight figures.
They debated, they fought, they entwined fiercely. In the end, the first died, their corpse lying in a pool of blood. Then, the second died, their body resting atop the first. It didn’t bleed, but from a wound below it, a small white soul erged, lifting the second corpse up…
With a silent pop, Ashe suddenly jolted upright from the ground. Seeing the people surrounding him, he asked, “What happened?”
“Don’t jump ahead with the question we’re dying to ask,” Igor responded. “You suddenly collapsed and then just as suddenly woke up. You were out for about ten seconds. What happened?”
“I felt like I dreamt of becoming a bubble,” Ashe said, still unsure. “And I saw so really strange things…”
“As you beco the Tactile Sense, not only can the Four Pillars use you to touch the world, but you also gain the ability to reach out to them,” rcury Trojan Horse explained. “However, for us re mortals, the Four Pillars are like dragons in a dark room-no matter how we fumble around, we can only touch an insignificant part of Them, so you end up receiving incomprehensible information.”
“Right, the Tactile Sense!” Ashe exclaid, looking at his hands. “Am I the Tactile Sense now? What’s my tactile ability? Is there so kind of beginner’s guide-“
Smack!
In a swift, unexpected move, rcury Trojan Horse was pinned to the ground by Tamashi! The nacing Raven straddled the female gunslinger, pinning her remaining uninjured hand with a dagger, while his hatchet was poised just next to her neck, ready to release a crimson geyser with just a slight press!
Ashe and company were about to speak but fell silent when they saw the expression on rcury Trojan Horse’s face.
rcury Trojan Horse was smiling.
It was her first genuine smile since she appeared-a pure, innocent smile that sent shivers down their spines.
“Speak,” Tamashi’s distorted voice was full of hatred. “What tragedy are you orchestrating this ti?”
“Tamashi, you’ve truly misjudged
this ti,” she replied cheerfully. “The Four Pillars are far beyond my ability to manipulate. I just didn’t expect the situation to turn out ideally… Praise the Four Pillars.”
She paused, then turned to Ashe, “The Four Pillars truly favor you. Even in your disrespect, they’re willing to forgive.”
“But for now, you’ve only beco a Half Tactile Sense.”
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