Chapter 2353

2353 - Rules of the Game

"Oh?" The Lady with Orange Light raised her eyebrows slightly. "Finally found yourself someone troublesome enough to stir the stagnant waters?" Then she cast her gaze into the distance. "There's a little over two million years left, and given the state of B-14, I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to help that new Candidate with everything he has..." She shook her head. "But not to the point of unleashing Unbound ones."

Then she pointed at Morval with her slender finger. "A disaster must have occurred to make him do what he did. What was it?" She paused briefly before continuing, "Was the Shell broken?"

"The Shell of the Universe?" Morval furrowed his brows slightly, then looked down. "..."

"The answer is yes or no." The woman Morval had called The Giver raised her voice slightly.

"It's... complicated." Morval replied hesitantly. "Lord Robin, the Candidate of the All-seeing God, created a stable Gate on a planet called Donara, opening beyond the Shell. But it's under control, and he and his army use it to harvest the Reapers and use them as raw materials... He tried to hide it in every way possible, but matters like this don't escape us."

"A stable Gate beyond the Shell?" The Lady furrowed her brows deeply. "That requires immense spacetime power. Shouldn't the Candidate be a Truth Chosen?"

Morval replied quickly, "We have evidence from ancient legends that speak of him among his army, using certain techniques to defeat his enemies on planets called Nihari and Greenland—techniques we believe belong to Spacetime."

"...?" The Mistress looked away, muttering, "What exactly are you doing? Did you find a Truth Chosen, then gift him Spacetime, and then give him the means to use Spacetime? This kind of trickery is beneath you; it is the cause of everything you are in now..."

Then she looked down, "Is the Candidate you found worth all this Support? Is he that excellent, that you would throw everything you stand for behind him?"

Then she furrowed her brows slightly, "...If he is that good... perhaps he discovered Spacetime and the method to break The Shell on his own?"

"...Even if he did, did he also set up the Unbound?" The Mistress shook her head, "Things have become more complicated in B-14 than they were before."

"My Lady." Morval raised a hand in fear, "There is something that may have angered the All-seeing God."

"Hmm?" The Lady with Orange Light turned seriously, "And why are you silent? Speak!"

"It's about Helmor the Destroyer," Morval spoke quickly, "He has deployed a large number of soldiers and attacked 10 sectors."

"What did you say? A massive number of soldiers appeared inside B-14?!" The Mistress's eyes flew wide open. "This is unacceptable!"

"My Lady, I speak the truth," Morval replied quickly. "Helmor, along with a number of soldiers, is attacking the Behemoth Galaxy at this very moment."

"....." The Mistress remained silent for a few moments, then leaned back to rest against the floor, crossing one leg over the other. "Those people are throwing all protocols to the wind. It has never happened before that soldiers appeared inside an official universe during the Cycle and acted in such a blatantly hostile manner... No wonder he decided to activate two Unbound ones. But I fear this will severely impact him in his upcoming battles."

Then she tapped on the Throne. "What exactly is happening in the Pantheon these days... Cheating has always existed; in these cases, cheating is the foundation of victory. But never to this degree. This has become a challenge."

"....." Morval didn't know whether he should cry or laugh.

Weren't they among those cheaters? In fact, the oldest and most influential of them?

"....." The Mistress was silent for a moment, thinking, then turned toward Morval: "What is your relationship with the All-seeing God's Candidate?"

"Not bad—excellent, in fact. He is one of our closest trade allies." Morval quickly added, "According to Your Ancient Highness's instructions, we never tamper with the All-seeing God's candidates. On the contrary, we try to protect them whenever the opportunity arises, as you commanded."

"...Good." The Mistress nodded with satisfaction. "I want victory and to gain some seals, or at least not to lose too many. I have no desire to earn the enmity of one of the Transcendents over a Cycle... He might understand my covert interference—everyone does it. But if I were to act directly like the others, killing his candidates and attacking the universe he nurtures during the Development Period, I fear the conflict would escalate from here to the Pantheon. I don't want to drag myself into pointless battles there."

"...My Lady." Morval spoke in a low voice. "What do we do now that the All-seeing God has shown this kind of anger by bringing in the Unbound? Do we... continue with what we're doing?"

"Of course, continue." The Mistress furrowed her brows slightly. "If he sent Unbound ones, then I have given you access to the Purple Sea. If he has one candidate and two Unbound, then by now you have hundreds of Purple Sea users. If the Unbound attack, at least one of them will fall!"

She then continued, "Stay put, protect yourself, and keep advancing through the shadows without directly insulting the All-seeing God and his Candidate. He will most likely ignore you, just as he did with your predecessors, and will focus on those who challenge him in broad daylight, like the Resentful One, the Weaver, the Oppressor, and others who boast about causing chaos in B-14 openly within the Pantheon. He won't leave them and come after the Dreamer Organization, the only one that follows the Theories of Noble Intervention..."

After that, she resumed tapping on her elegant thigh. "As for me, what I do in B-14 isn't personal against the All-seeing God. I do it in several other universes. Sometimes my investment succeeds, sometimes it doesn't—no big deal... But for them, it's clear the matter has become terrifyingly personal."

"My Lady," Morval asked while kneeling, "what should I do?"

"...." The Mistress stood quietly. "The appearance of soldiers and the Unbound ones in B-14 heralds a storm that will soon strike the Pantheon. I must prepare to observe what will happen and understand how this will affect me." Then she nodded toward Morval. "You remain neutral and watch from the sidelines. If you're planning any major disruption, postpone it these days until the storm passes. Don't join the other saboteurs, but don't fight alongside the All-seeing God's Candidate either. That won't benefit me... Take neutrality as usual, but if you find yourself with no choice, lean slightly toward the All-seeing God's Candidate."

Then she furrowed her brows tightly. "If I hear that any of the other Transcendents has contacted you in any way and convinced you to make a major move for any reason, under any threat, or for any reward... your fate will be like that of your ancestor Morpheus and all the fools who came before you. And the All-seeing God would be more than happy to allow me to intervene and kill you. I think you're smart enough to learn from the past, right? I don't want that man as a personal enemy over a few seals."

"Don't worry, My Lady." Morval touched his head to the ground. "Lord Robin is merely a business partner, nothing more, nothing less."

Whoosh

Only after the shard returned to his head did he sigh and stand up. "Heh~ How did we end up in the middle of these people?"

Then he turned around and walked out very slowly.