Snap!
The white-haired little girl fell flat on the ground, her legs tangled in the jump rope, tears welling up from the pain. Ashe stifled a laugh as he moved to help Lise to the side and tend to her injuries. “I’ve never seen anyone mess up a jump rope so badly before. Does it hurt that much?”
Lise silently nestled in his arms, her body trembling slightly. Ashe glanced at the Sea Witches, thinking that while these Sirens weren’t exactly ugly, they didn’t quite match the image of Mermaids. At least Mermaids shouldn’t have serrated teeth and bloodshot pupils. It was natural for kids to be scared...
As it happened, Ashe didn’t care much for exercise either, so he used the excuse of looking after the child to slack off. The Sea Witches glanced at the pair, thinking that although they knew the Demon Lord, Purple Moth, Rust Crow, and Ghost King would be present, they couldn’t tell who was who. After all, everyone at the Funeral wore cloaks and masks, so the Sea Witches assumed the duo might just be the token mascots in the Doomsday crew.
Annan also shifted her gaze away from Ashe and Lise, looking at Helephes, and shook her head slowly. “Impossible.”
“The Yisuo Princess has always been the Yisuo Royal Family’s biggest secret, even more important than the Empress herself. This is the foundation upon which the Yisuo Dynasty has held the First Gospel for over five hundred years, and it is the Omniscient Weaver’s greatest favoritism.”
“Before the Empress transitions, no one outside can know anything about the Yisuo Princess-her appearance, age, size, hobbies, or even residence. If someone could obtain intelligence about the Yisuo Princess, there would undoubtedly be those who would try to ‘replicate’ a princess to seize the First Gospel and the Divine Sovereign’s Wish.”
“Exactly,” Helephes nodded. “Throughout the year 1668 of the Gospel, every change of dynasty originated from the transfer of the First Gospel. Whether it was the flourishing Elven Dynasty, the five-generation Dragonborn Dynasty, or the Emberflame Dynasty with countless ruins... Every time a ruler diverged from the First Gospel, the downfall of their dynasty was inevitable. Conversely, only by aligning with the First Gospel could they hope for the dynasty’s continuation.”
“Although historical records are heavily fragmented, the traditions of the Mermaids tell us that past dynasties couldn’t directly ‘create’ the First Gospel. Back then, the First Gospel might have been the daughter of a merchant, a noblewoman, the descendant of a spellcaster, or even a disabled beggar or a born slave... But regardless of her origin, once she became the First Gospel, her will determined the fate of the Gospel.”
“When the First Gospel descends, all traitors must perish. Dynasties that tried to defy, rebel against, or abandon the First Gospel often fragmented swiftly, drowned in the river of history, unable to last until the next Weaving Festival.”
“The Elven Saintess, the Contemporary Dragonborn, the Emberflame Succession... All the powerful dynasties left a supreme position for the First Gospel, even directly honoring the First Gospel as their ruler, willing to serve in subordination.”
“But even with such concessions, dynasties still did not attain eternity,” the Sea Witch said. “More than one First Gospel held dual roles, serving as the supreme of the previous dynasty and becoming the Empress of the new dynasty. They would collude with the revolutionary forces, setting the old, crumbling wooden cabin of the dynasty ablaze, transforming it into the springtime of a new era.”
“But now, an eternal dynasty has been born. The Yisuo Dynasty, which has lasted nearly eight hundred years, with every Empress being the First Gospel, has already doubled the lifespan of the Elven Dynasty. If it weren’t for the sudden onset of Doomsday, I wouldn’t doubt that the Yisuo Dynasty would continue indefinitely...”
Helephes paused, “So, Purple Moth, you’re right-the Yisuo Royal Family would never intentionally leak any information about the Princess. Once her characteristics are known, the First Gospel would change hands, leading to a dynasty’s downfall.”
“Unless, of course, the Yisuo Royal Family doesn’t want us to know about the Princess,” Purple Moth immediately realized. “Could it be the palace leaking information on purpose?”
“On the night the ‘Art Ranking’ was announced, countless people came to us Mermaids, eager to find out if something had happened to the Princess,” Helephes smiled. “Throughout more than seven hundred years of Yisuo Dynasty’s rule over the Gospel, they have resisted invasions from the Virtual Realm, the Abyss Riot, the Meteor Firestorm, and other disasters. Each time, the Yisuo Empress neutralized these crises perfectly with the Gospel.”
“So in their view, the primary condition for Doomsday to arrive is that there will no longer be a Yisuo Empress in the future.”
The Sea Witch swayed in the water and mused, “When you think about it further, it’s evident that the accident happened to the current Princess, prompting the Gospel to weave such a future. What puzzles me is why, Purple Moth, you only now come to us with this crucial question.”
“Why would you say that? I have no quarrel with the Yisuo Royal Family.”
“But you do have a quarrel with societal stability.” The Con Artist fixed his gaze on the First Sea Witch. “Isn’t that right, ‘Chaotic Witch’ Helephes?”
“Just because I might train in the Chaos Sect in the future, you conclude that I am an anti-social element?” Helephes suddenly submerged into the pool, then emerged, her wet gaze seemingly piercing into Igor’s eyes. “Isn’t that a bit ridiculous?”
Igor’s expression remained unchanged as he continued pedaling on the elliptical trainer. “You’re not anti-social, but you are anti-land society. Or, to be more precise, the Sirens are a race that despises land society.”
The faces of the Ten Sea Witches turned pale as if Igor’s words had slapped them. As tension mounted again, Helephes raised her hand, glaring coldly at the Con Artist. “Oh?”
“Look around,” Igor gestured to the opulent surroundings. “Luxurious carpets, bright lighting, exquisite columns, and lavish décor... If I didn’t tell you, who would guess this is a sewer?”
“And look at you. An intelligence group spread throughout the Gospel, undisputed overlords of the Underworld, hailed as the Court of Shadows—the Mermaids... If I didn’t say it, who would guess you are just a group of Sirens forced to live in the sewer?”
“No matter how much wealth you amass or how much hidden knowledge you possess, you can never claim an equal standing.”
“So you’re the strongest supporters of Doomsday.” Igor stated, “Only in an era of chaos do you have the opportunity to leave these filthy sewers and establish your ideal marshland on land.”
“Wait a minute,” Harvey asked curiously. “If they don’t want to live in the sewers, why don’t they live in the sea or lakes?”
“Because we are intelligence brokers,” Helephes said calmly. “To trade intelligence, we must stay in the heart of the city; for secret transactions, we must stay in its shadows. Initially, it was a matter of necessity, but it eventually became an inescapable convention, making the sewers our only choice.”
Ashe couldn’t help but ask, “Can’t you just stop being intelligence brokers and make a living by developing lake and ocean resources? Isn’t that an advantage of your species?”
“Humanity’s advantage is farming. Does that make farming your ideal profession?” The Sea Witch sneered. “Sirens can effectively leverage the Gospel system’s prophecy abilities to generate huge profits by selling intelligence. There’s no reason for us to reject this gift, just as you won’t abandon the Gospel system. No one can defy their environment, especially one designed by the Divine Sovereign.”
“Rust Crow, you were right,” Helephes said, turning to Igor. “From the day the Art Ranking was announced, we’ve been eagerly awaiting Doomsday.”
Igor, though already suspecting the Sirens’ malicious intentions from various clues, found their cooperation suspicious. “Do you desire chaos so much? Aren’t you afraid that instead of rising with the tide, you’ll be swallowed by the Doomsday wave?”
Helephes laughed.
“Have you heard of the Ranking of the Unrelated?” she asked.