Desecrating the Gospel, deceiving the Divine Lord!

Besides Iger and Harvey, both of whom had grown up basking in the Blood Moon's crimson light as devoted believers, even Ashe, an outsider with no faith at all, felt his temples throb in alarm. This was no different from indulging in forbidden pleasure inside a Veela's house and getting caught. Death would be the inevitable consequence.

Ashe had never witnessed a Divine Lord act directly, but he instinctively understood their absolute influence over reality. Take the Blood Moon chips or the Book of Gospel, for instance. At their core, they were merely extensions of the Divine Lord's power, entrusted to mortals for management.

After ruling the Blood Moon Kingdom for over sixteen centuries, Ashe and his companions escaping prison and execution of the tribunal was nothing more than a few insignificant bugs squabbling from the Divine Lord's perspective. They weren't even worth a glance.

The Woven Festival Annan spoke of, however, was important enough that even the Omniscient Weaver would take personal notice, granting a wish as a reward. Its significance was akin to a spring outing for elementary schoolers. And now, Annan was throwing these "bugs" into that arena. This was no different from tossing an American cockroach straight in someone's face[1]. The only fate that awaited them was rebirth in the Virtual World.

Annan had steeled herself to manage the newcomers' nerves. But other than only a brief moment of shock, she noticed they didn't flinch. Instead, they radiated eager anticipation. The most excited of all was Iger, Annan's prime pick.

His ears flushed so red it looked almost transparent. He grabbed Ashe's shoulder, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Ashe, being with you almost always drags me straight into danger's whirlpool!"

"How is that my fault?!" Ashe shouted.

They weren't oblivious to the risk. In fact, it was precisely the high-risk, high-reward nature of the task that made them so eager. Annan raised an eyebrow. "Seems even in your former kingdom, you were considered an exceptionally dangerous talent."

Iger smiled and asked, "That's exactly what you want, isn't it, Miss Annan? Reckless madmen who fear neither life nor death, those are exactly the people you need."

Ashe yelled, "Don't speak for me, you damned veela! There are three of us here. Do all of us really have to participate? I volunteer as team leader to supervise them."

Annan reached out and patted Lys on the head. "First, it's not three, but four. Second, you outlanders may have the greatest potential to exploit loopholes, but whether you can actually deceive the Book of Gospel still depends critically on the feasibility of my method. The more participants we have, the greater my margin for error.

"Even if you can fool the Book, you still need certain prerequisites. For example, if a future ranking is about a beauty ranking, among the four of you, only Lys and Perskin have a chance of succeeding."

Lys quickly protested, "Big Sis Perskin is far prettier than me!"

Iger flashed a mischievous smile. "Ashe! Teach your child some manners."

Ashe bellowed. "Yes, Lys! That's extremely rude! Iger is my peer! You should call her Aunt Perskin!"

Lys pinched her own cheeks, struggling to get the words out. "Pe... Aunt Perskin—"

Harvey bit down on his finger, eyes fixed on his Book of Gospel. "Now, what if a ranking appears that none of us qualify for, yet holds the highest hidden score? Even if we make it onto the rankings, does that guarantee we'll be first? We might be recognized by the system as Echoers, but which ranking we enter, or our exact position, can't be controlled, right?"

Annan nodded. "Correct. But the hidden score isn't calculated individually. It accumulates."

Iger froze slightly. "Accumulates? You mean..."

Annan smiled. "As long as each of you appears in multiple rankings, your hidden scores will surpass those of Echoers limited to a single ranking. Each field usually has its own specialists. Even being listed in one future ranking signals exceptional talent; appearing in multiple is extremely rare."

"But you are outlanders. If you can deceive one ranking, why not do several, like three, five, seven, or even nine?"

Iger narrowed his eyes. "Honestly, if you're this blatant, it feels less like deception and more like kidnapping. You plan to use us to manipulate the Woven Festival, forcing the Divine Lord to hand over the reward you want while preserving the Book of Gospel's credibility."

"Mr. Perskin, like me, you are a cunning madman," Annan said, downing her glass of red wine. "If you were in my position, would you pass up a once-in-fifty-years opportunity? Even if the opponent is a Divine Lord who rules reality?"

"Even then..." Iger drew a deep breath, excitement flushing his face. "Indeed, it's irresistible. Ashe, it seems we'll be cooperating once again."

Ashe groaned. "Wait... since when did you like me so much, Iger?"

"Huh?"

"Otherwise, in a deal this deadly, why would you want to rope me in first? Back in the day, my closest roommate joined a pyramid scheme and thought of me immediately, just like you..."

"But I still don't understand," Harvey said. "If we're so crucial, why sell us to the Four Pillars Cult? Aren't you afraid they'll destroy such valuable pieces?"

Iger sneered. "Because she wants to dominate us completely. Compared to our current employer-employee arrangement, she'd rather have us serve her purely out of loyalty. If it weren't for her and Red Hat putting on such clumsy performances, we might have genuinely been grateful enough to throw ourselves at her feet."

Annan fiddled with her new earring. "It's for this as well. These are Marg Crystal Stones, the payment the Four Pillars Cult offered to acquire you. If you die, I don't lose anything; at least I get an earring. If you survive, it's a double win, I get both the earring and you."

Iger eyed the purple crystal earring that was worth all three of them combined. "What makes it so special?"

Annan explained, "Marg Crystal Stones come from the depths of the Burning Steel Abyss in the Boyesia region. They're embedded in layers of steel walls and nearly impossible to extract. Only the Bluebeard Squad, tasked with suppressing the abyss, can retrieve them under special circumstances. They're extremely rare. Fewer than three are mined each year."

Iger nodded. "So it must have a permanent Miracle, something like dust-repelling, constant hydration, or total UV protection?"

Harvey speculated, "I'd guess it enhances your spirit or boosts Miracle effects."

Ashe said confidently, "Since it's this rare, it must be valuable. Are you trading it for a bigger flat?"

Only Lys tilted her head in awe. "Sister, you're so beautiful! With this earring, you're even more gorgeous! Daddy, don't you think so?"

"Ah?" Ashe studied Annan carefully and nodded. "Indeed... it makes you even more... enticing. I can't stop imagining your face when you blush."

Annan raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Perskin, cover Ashe's eyes. Ashe, let Mr. Perskin cover your eyes."

"Ashe, I've already told you. Your gaze is far too filthy—"

"Let go! You're squishing my nose! I can cover my own eyes. Why make him do it?"

"Quiet. You should be grateful for Miss Annan's mercy. Otherwise, I'd have dug out your eyes and installed mechanical ones instead."

"Iger, are you betraying me already?!"

Harvey blinked, dumbfounded. "So... the earring's only effect is... to look better?"

Annan corrected, "No. It's to make me look even better."

She had bought it just to enhance her beauty!?

Iger wasn't particularly surprised. While restraining Ashe, he asked, "Because of the rankings?"

The Purple Moth propped her chin in her hand. "Yes. With this earring, I rose to third on the Azura Beauty Ranking and eighth on the Overall Beauty Ranking. If you die or my plan fails, at least the earring partially offsets my loss."

Iger asked, "Is it guidance from the Book of Gospel? You can even ask it how to improve your ranking?"

Annan said, "Not directly. You can ask in a roundabout way, for example, how to raise the rank of my Mind Class or become more beautiful. The Book then offers guidance based on the resources currently available. It's the best mentor."

"I've been wondering... the Book of Gospel sounds a lot like the Destiny Quiz from the Virtual World," Ashe said suddenly.

"Exactly. The difference now is that you get to access rare Virtual World Destiny Quiz rewards by spending just a few points. How's that? Feeling envious of the residents of the Gospel Kingdom?"

"Sounds like an old crush you could never catch, mass-produced by evil sorcerers into identical dolls, and now, for a small fee, you can rent a girlfriend and relive the memory," Ashe muttered.

"Mr. Perskin, please—"

"I've already covered his mouth," Iger said. "Ashe, behave, or Miss Annan will stuff a sock in your mouth next."

"He~r~lin~ge~rie?"

Annan watched their interactions with amusement. She didn't silence Ashe herself, but instead let Iger did it so she could observe them more. Handsome, calm, and elegant, Iger had likely thrived in his original kingdom, but his caution sometimes made him indecisive. Meanwhile, Harvey kept biting his fingers. From the snippets Annan had overheard in the dressing room, she deduced that his heart burned with revenge. Beneath his eccentric exterior lay a fierce, icy determination.

The one Annan couldn't read was Ashe. Lazy, slow, easygoing, and weak-willed, he seemed the perfect pawn. Theoretically, he should have been the slacker of the trio. Yet Annan remembered clearly. During the contract signing, Iger handled the negotiations while Harvey oversaw the process, but when it came time to actually sign, all three of them waited for Ashe to put pen to paper first.

Perhaps, Annan considered, there was another possibility. In the face of an unpredictable future, they subconsciously chose to rely on Ashe Heath. More observation would be necessary.

Annan said, "But I have paid a price for it as well. Check the Azura Task Ranking. The Funeral Agency's name is gone. After completing the commissions, instead of keeping things confidential, we reported to Red Hat and led the attack on the Four Pillars Church. Even standing on the moral high ground, this 'double win' approach severely damaged our reputation. Pankey and I lost social credit. No one would trust a bug that betrays its employer. For your sake, I've risked my name as Dolan."

She stood. "It's late. I should enter the Virtual World. Breakfast is at 8 a.m. Keep a good schedule. Mr. Perskin, you may stop now. Tomorrow, when we open our eyes, the agency will have only one goal, which is deceiving the Omniscient Weaver."

Annan departed lightly. At the same time, the Crimson-Gold Dragon Lizard leaped to perch on her shoulder. The young butler Pankey bowed slightly, laying out four access cards. "These are your room keys. Each room has a private bathroom. Snacks are in the cupboards. If you need anything, come to Room Three. Have a pleasant night."

Once Pankey left, the three stowaways exchanged glances. Harvey took the access card first and stood. "I'm heading into the Virtual World. I just arrived on the Continent of Time. My Gold Mana reserves are nearly empty."

Iger said, "Same here. Since the jailbreak, I haven't entered the Virtual World. I'm starting to forget what the Ascending Golden Rain looks like."

The Swordswoman's soul hadn't fully recovered, so Ashe, the free-loader, naturally couldn't explore the Virtual World. After two consecutive days of high-intensity events—being kidnapped, sacrificed, sold under contract, and forced into a high-risk scam organization—he was exhausted. Yawning, he headed to his room.

He pushed the door open and hadn't even turned on the light when it automatically closed and locked behind him.

So smart?

Ashe turned to see a little devil silently following him inside. Lys peeked through the doorway, winking. "Daddy, I've come to discuss life with you."

1. This is a metaphor in Chinese used to describe something extremely bold, shocking, or audacious, something that grabs attention in a surprising or even disgusting way. ☜