She is not an investigator.

It looks like he bumped into something.

In front of her, above her, a figure hovered, silently watching Igris.

She was a girl whose appearance was indescribable; the words to describe her seemed to have been ripped from the brain and left at the bottom of the lake.

Igris saw it.

It read: Pale, fragile, pitiful, friendly.

“I know you, Igris. I’ve been following you and I like you a lot… Would you like to hear me introduce myself?”

Confusion, bewilderment, unease, restlessness.

The words fell to the bottom of the lake again, and also reached the eyes of the two people.

That was Igris's emotion.

"Who are you?"

The Fools of the Gods - Beyond the World: Chapter Thirty-Six, The Lake of Truth

"Who am I? Who am I?"

Questions, confusion, bewilderment, and uncertainty.

"I don't know who I am either, since I was born without a name and no one will teach me these things."

Sincere, frank, honest, and well-behaved.

Whenever the two communicate, words seem to leap from the lake beneath Igris' feet.

This might suggest that what the other party said is true, but in this situation, the lake itself cannot be easily believed.

Why did you come looking for me... why did you bring me here?

"It's very simple, because you are special, both in your world and in mine, you are special enough."

Sincerity, openness, joy, and longing.

Her emotions resurfaced in the lake, and she quickly plummeted to the bottom.

"Then tell me, what makes me special, and what exactly is your purpose?"

"...Someone said something to you, right? Said bad things about me, that guy probably told you not to trust me, and said a lot of derogatory things about me... You believed him? I mean, you really believed... someone like that?"

"What do you mean?"

“You understand what I mean, you understand better than anyone else. Here, that voyeur can't see anything, and he won't know what we've been talking about. You can talk to me without worry.”

As she spoke, she slowly descended from mid-air, her bare toes dangling and touching the lake, leaving ripples in her wake.

"As you can see, this lake cannot contain me, but it can. It will tell you all my secrets without reservation. I will not communicate with you from a superior position. Here, we are equals."

"..."

Her figure quickly closed the distance between her and Igris, but just before they could touch, she crashed into an invisible barrier.

She seemed not to have expected the existence of this thing. Due to the violent impact, a red mark quickly appeared on her forehead, and she closed her eyes in pain.

"...In short, you can ask me anything you want, and I will answer you until I gain your trust."

She rubbed her forehead, coughed lightly as if nothing had happened, and spoke earnestly to Igris.

Even though she looked ridiculous enough, Igris still couldn't let her guard down.

"If I don't ask any questions, will you let me leave?"

"...You don't need to resist me like this. I have no ill intentions, and I would never lie. I would never...rejoice at watching others fall into the abyss."

Iglesias knew what she meant; she was talking about a guy who was doing the same thing she was doing.

They slandered and belittled each other.

Igris didn't want to drag herself into this...unknown conflict.

She was not someone else's pawn, nor was she willing to become a victim of a scheme without knowing the truth.

"Get me out of here, or I won't say anything to you."

"...You won't even talk to me...I'll let you leave, but you have to ask me three...no, five questions, otherwise, I won't let you leave here."

As if helpless, as if powerless, she touched the invisible barrier, looked at the indifferent Igris behind her, and put forward her final condition.

Five questions.

"……ridiculous."

It is indeed a ridiculous thing to beg others to ask you questions.

"Then let me ask you, what is my future?"

"...Could you ask me something else?"

Conflicted, confused, ignorant, and guilty.

The words jumped out again, fell into the lake, and also attracted Igris's attention.

"It's not that you're unwilling to answer this question, but rather that you don't know the answer. So let me ask you, what can you answer?"

"Everything except your future."

She seemed very sincere and serious.

"...There are four more questions."

"Wait, does that count too?!"

Igris ignored her and continued asking.

"What else is there beyond this world?"

"More of the world."

She was very satisfied with Igris's question, put her hands on her hips, and answered seriously.

"Worlds are interconnected and linked together. Beyond this world, there is not a larger world, but countless other worlds that intersect with it. Sooner or later, you will leave here, taking your uniqueness with you, and dedicate everything you have to the next world."

"There are three more questions."

Igris couldn't understand anything she was saying, nor was she willing to process it.

Knowing more won't do her any good, but knowing nothing won't do her any good either.

She needs to take this opportunity to find more information that will be useful to her.

"Did you come here just for me?"

"No, although a large part of the reason I came to find you is because you are here, that's not actually the case... I made a mistake, a mistake that plunged everything in this city into chaos. I tried to make amends, but by then, I had no chance. I'm sorry."

"There are two more questions."

Igris didn't need her apology; they were complete strangers, and she couldn't trust her.

"Nyarlathotep, are you and Him enemies?"

"No."

She shook her head, then, seemingly dissatisfied with the answer, continued to explain.

"He is the god of your world, and I think there should be no problem with my understanding. Perhaps you think I am the god of another world, who came here to drive out you natives and take over your world, but that's not actually the case. We rarely have the opportunity to interfere in the affairs of other worlds, just like two completely different paintings."

She smiled a little shyly as she said this.

"Sorry, I used this as an example because I really enjoy drawing... It's like two completely different paintings. Even if they are placed side by side and very close to each other, they still can't really influence each other."

"One last question."

Igris took a deep breath, slightly raised her eyes, and said in a low voice.

"What's in my head, does it have anything to do with you?"

"..."

silence.

She was silent.

This was the first time she didn't answer the question immediately, nor did she say she didn't know.

Finally, she opened her mouth and revealed a... troubled smile.

"No."

Lies, lies, lies, lies.

"Oh."

Igris' laughter was tinged with contempt and mockery.

The answer to the question was already self-evident when she asked it.

Lying at a time like this is simply inviting humiliation upon oneself.

"Send me away, I'll do as you say."

"...Okay, I won't go back on my word..."

"By the way. Qi Shanlin grabbed the flag (Shan Si)."

Before leaving, Igris glanced once more at the figure whose expression had become exceptionally somber, and gave a faint smile.

"I guess we'll meet again."

The lake water rippled, slowly swallowing Igris's figure and carrying her to the bottom of the lake.

The Gods' Fools - Beyond the World: Chapter Thirty-Seven, Reunion

[Task Phase Completed: Ancient Voice → None]

This was an opportunity; you rejected help from unknown sources. Perhaps you missed out on kindness from other worlds, but you also successfully avoided unknown malice.

Your physical condition remains concerning, and you may still need to find new solutions to avoid descending into madness.

"call…"

Igris awoke from the church floor.

She seemed to suddenly lose consciousness and fell heavily to the ground, which was how she got the wound on her forehead. Fortunately, the wound was not very serious. At least she would not be left with a scar, nor would she die from excessive blood loss.