Chapter 2519: Chapter 2514: Ignition Point
"I hadnât planned on letting anyone see this scene, but youâve found yourself a very decent helper."
Yesâformer dean of the Benevolence Institute, former backbone of the Native Council, forerunner on the Miracle Road: Lady Nepheli.
And even after clearly recognizing who Fu Qian was, even with such a dangerous figure stepping up behind her, she didnât so much as turn her headâjust tossed off a casual sigh.
Besides, her outfit was no longer the familiar one; the fitted white shirt had been replaced with solid black.
Whether in severity or splendor, it was on an entirely different level, even bearing dark patterns reminiscent of star charts, plainly some kind of overly classical Scholarâs formalwear.
And like the brown hair beneath her wide-brimmed hat, it remained utterly untouched even while bathed in the blinding flames.
"I just felt how much he loved his work."
With only the final few minutes of the countdown left, facing the ultimate harvest of this long pursuit, Fu Qian still didnât hurry; he gave the Tower Guardâs performance a high evaluation.
It was the truth. The whole preceding process might not have looked all that intense, but once Lady Nepheliâs true body was revealed, the weight behind the label "cunning rat" became absurdly high.
Perhaps the layered spaces behind the door were part of this placeâs basic attributes, but how could someone so adept at hiding her tracks possibly not make use of that to conceal herself?
There was even reason to suspect that some Miracle had all along been sheltering this Lighthouse truly set ablaze, so that it would never be found no matter what.
Which meant that the Tower Guardâs final, seemingly abstract actions had forcibly broken a Protective Array laid down by a Second Phaseâ"very good" was a well-deserved verdict.
It was not only a victory for kindness toward others, but also a victory for trusting professionals.
"He really is a special character. I just didnât expect you not to puncture him... Is that a terrifying Intuition, or have you learned to be respectful?"
Nepheli finally turned her head, gaze fixing on Fu Qian from under the brim of her hat; she even made a slight inviting gesture.
Though this highest point of the Moore was bare and slick everywhere, not even a seat to be found.
"Iâve learned to respect other peopleâs delusions."
Fu Qian didnât mind such details; he simply sat down on the ground, adding a slight correction to her phrasing.
"...You still think my ideas are delusions?"
Such a simple line nevertheless left Lady Nepheli silent for a long time. Only when she turned away again and wrapped her arms around her knees did she let out a long sigh.
...
The situation was already obvious: the source of the flames that had plagued this Prison of the Dead for so long had been foundâit was the person in front of him.
Even that one question which had never been fully answered now had its final piece slotted in.
Namely, why was it that he, lacking Extraordinary Perception, had found this place so easily? Hadnât it come a bit too easy?
Relying on Selanaâs guidance alone was still too thin an explanation; it didnât seem enough to let him break through that illiterate barrier.
Now there was another reason: because there had been an "illiterate" component here from the startâthe Fire of Madness.
Nepheli had once asked him for a wisp of flame; now it seemed it might have been one of the kindling sparks that ignited this Domain of the Dead.
Perhaps it had been layered over with disguises and concealment, perhaps steeped in deathâs saturation until it was utterly unrecognizable.
But once it had permeated the entire Storm Moore, the essential link between the flames and himself had finally helped him cross the barrier and discover the traces Selana left behind.
Thatâs the thing: the Demon hides in the details; the question heâd raised earlier had never been pointless.
In that moment, Fu Qian was thoroughly satisfied with how his chain of inferences along the way had been confirmed.
If he extended that line of thought, didnât it mean that as long as he used the Fire of Madness to set the whole world alight, it wouldnât matter whether his perception ever came back?
Not only that, he pushed on to an even wilder hypothesis.
It was perhaps a bit too wild; testing it would be troublesome.
Besides, Nepheliâs identity was clearly far from being just a Lighthouse Arsonist.
Her description of the Tower Guard alone showed that she still perceived quite a lot of what went on here, and her level of understanding ran deep.
For instance, the phrase "puncture him" definitely didnât mean telling that man the truthâthat he was the one who was truly dead, while everyone else was normal, separated only by life and death and so on.
If he truly believed he wasnât dead, why would he need the Tower Guard identity so badly to anchor his sense of self?
Paranoia is so often rooted in guilt; the greatest pain of self-deception lies in knowing, always, that you are deceiving yourself.
And once itâs punctured, that paranoia tends to collapse into utter ruin.
This, too, should be why Nepheli, knowing about such a figure long ago, still hadnât resorted to drastic measures.
A guide that fragile, that brittle at a touch, had a very low probability of successfully being put to use.
It was just a pity he hadnât done as she suggested, choosing instead "tolerance and encouragement."
"Dead Men like him, the clear-headed ones, are bound too deeply to this place. If you really take them out, the commotion is too big, so I thought it over and decided to leave him there."
Receiving no response, Nepheli spoke again, explaining why sheâd clung to that bit of wishful thinking.
"Wise Dead."
Fu Qian supplied a term.
"...That really is a good description, for people like them."
No wonder sheâd once been an elite of the Academy; for such an academically flavored designation, Nepheli expressed immediate approval.
"Not them. This place."
But Fu Qian shook his head and pointed at the ground beneath their feet.
...
If the Storm Moore could be alive, then calling it a Dead Man wasnât all that much of a stretch, was it?
"So you knew... Of course you did, otherwise it wouldnât have been so easy to find this place so quickly.
"Miracle Creaturesâlooks like you and the Benevolence Institute really have been doing quite a bit of exchange."
Nepheli even helped him confirm it, letting out another sigh.
"Naturally. Under the cross-department collaboration I helped push through, Professor Ah Kai has even officially become a newly promoted High Tier of the Benevolence Institute."
Professor Fu let out a proud laugh at this, unabashedly showcasing his recent string of achievements.
"Really? That is rather good..."
Though it was "just" a Demigod, it seemed to touch Nepheli somewhat; she even took her hands off her knees, sitting a bit more upright.
"Of course itâs true. Heavenâs Commencement Institute and the Benevolence Institute jointly built a Melia project."
Meeting Nepheliâs gaze, Fu Qian casually dropped a name wrapped in all manner of secrets.
"Ha... Snow Tree..."
She froze for a moment at that, her tone half sigh, half lament.
"The stormâs about to end. You donât have much time; if youâre going to do anything, youâd better hurry."
But for that name tied so closely to her nineteen-year-old Doomsday, Nepheli didnât say more; she simply shifted the topic to remind Fu Qian.